I was honestly not expecting some of that list; Pokemon and Power Rangers specifically, since so many of these lists pass over shows like them, but I was pleasantly surprised. Also surprised to see The Langoliers make the list; I saw the movie on TV when I was maybe 5-7 and somehow enjoyed out without terrifying myself.

Also I hadn't heard of that alternate ending to The Butterfly Effect. Would have been gruesome indeed.

Arison | December 31, 08:57 CET

ooh, yeah, not sure that counts at all as time travel. Also aggressively disagree with #30 being lower than #20 but that's ok....lists are fun and this one is no exception.

buffyfest | December 31, 09:04 CET

I hate to be the guy that points out flaws BUT I think they meant “The First” was amassing an army… not the “First Slayer.” ;)

vampmogs | December 31, 09:19 CET

Wait, there's a dispute over whether or not #92 was time travel? It had a body exchange, just like in Season 8's time travel. Why are people doubting it's time travel?

The One True b!X | December 31, 09:44 CET

I really didn't see that (in Buffy S7) as travel into the past; I thought they were just in an alternate dimension, sort of hanging out. But I guess it could have been the past...

ETA- but the body exchange is a good point! But I didn't see it as the past long before the comic thing so I never rethought it...

[ edited by aphasia on 2010-12-31 09:47 ]

aphasia | December 31, 09:45 CET

That Jane Espenson short story 'Again Sunnydale' in Tales of the Slayer Vol II was a better Buffy time travel effort. Scott Allie's tale wasn't too bad either from what I recall.

Simon | December 31, 09:49 CET

I never really thought of it as time travel either. They seemed to know Buffy's situation exactly, without her telling them, which more suggests alternate dimension, although they were apparently able to see the future, so I dunno... But it didn't feel like time travel to me.

The list definitely would have benefited from some proof-reading, although The First/The First Slayer isn't a mistake that a non-fan would catch (a somewhat similar mistake is in the Doctor Who entry - the Doctor didn't just let Vesuvius erupt, he made it happen).

Rachelkachel | December 31, 10:12 CET

Yeah, could've done with proof-reading/sanity checking (e.g. Jack Deth doesn't travel back to his descendent's body in 'Trancers' - owing to the largely forward flow of time, that'd be his ancestor).

Fun list in general though, time travel's one of my favourite things in sci-fi mainly because of how much it opens everything up - you can go crazy with plot complications, you can introduce amazing character resonances (looking at you 'Journeyman'), you can have the hero thwart the hand of fate or realise it's unthwartable, sky's the limit (speaking of which, nice to see 'All Good Things' get a mention but i'd have to have more on there from Next Gen like e.g. 'Cause and Effect' or 'Tapestry'). 'Monday's one of my favourite eps of X-Files too though if they had to pick a 'Heroes' moment isn't "Hello, my name is Hiro Nakamura, I am from the future and I have a message for you" a more obvious choice ? Certainly one of the early "Yesss!" moments from that show, back before it became all about the "Noooo!".

And with Who you could have 10 or 15 on there (and preferably get them right too) but if I had to pick just one it'd be 'The Big Bang's paradox embracing wibbly wobbliness - some complained that it didn't make sense, to those people i'd have to say (and I almost never do cos it's dismissive and insulting), you just didn't get it.

(in general Moffat's episodes play with time-travel in a very satisfying manner, to him it's not just a method of getting to the start of the story, it's woven through the fabric of the show)

Saje | December 31, 11:28 CET

I forgot about Timebomb, that was quite a well handled episode. Illyria killing the Fang Gang in the training room was quite the shock.

Simon | December 31, 11:32 CET

Two stand head and shoulders above all the rest, IMO: Babylon Squared and Twelve Monkeys.

And Buffy's travel back to the time of the creation of the first slayer was definitely time travel, in my book.

The original Terminator and even the ghastly T3 on the list, but no mention of the final ep of T:TSCC?? Bah humbug, I loved the series much more than any of the films.

Shey | December 31, 12:11 CET

oh mah lawd, Seven Days is on the list! And the greatest movie of all time, Galaxy Quest!

csi_spy | December 31, 14:41 CET

I never thought of it as time travel either-- more of an interdimensional powwow.

Now Life Serial was time travel-- although, an argument could be made that it wasn't true time travel, since the geek trio was able to watch her the entire time on camera, which meant that time was moving forward for them, just not for Buffy or anyone else who was in the Magic Box for that window of time.

(But if that's true, why didn't any new customers wander into the Magic Box?)

dispatch | December 31, 17:21 CET

I'm ridiculously happy that Pokemon and Power Rangers were included.

Waterkeeper511 | December 31, 17:38 CET

I really didn't see that (in Buffy S7) as travel into the past; I thought they were just in an alternate dimension, sort of hanging out.

Given factors such as those mentioned by Rachelkachel, this was always my impression, as well (though the S8 reference does give one pause). Hence my remark.

When I clicked through, I expected Life Serial to be the Buffy entry, not this one.

(But if that's true, why didn't any new customers wander into the Magic Box?)

Because they would have been in the Trio's timeline, not the time loop inside the Magic Box.

Vague That Up | December 31, 18:36 CET

Ok. I think it's starting to make sense now.

So if someone wandered into the Magic Box during Life Serial, it would have been... empty? Everyone who was inside when the loop started would be trapped in the alternate timeline. They could occupy the same physical space because, quite literally, they would be in a different dimension, if one thinks of Time in that way.

I think I get it!

dispatch | December 31, 18:55 CET

Can't believe that they included the Futurama episode "Roswell That Ends Well", where the crew go back to 1947, but failed to mention that in that episode Fry sleeps with his grandmother (she's young then, of course) and becomes his own grandfather! That's why it's a great time travel episode!

NotaViking | December 31, 20:46 CET

So if someone wandered into the Magic Box during Life Serial, it would have been... empty?

I don't think it would've been empty if they came in after the period covered by the time loop. It just would've been after Buffy filled out the special order sheet.

Vague That Up | January 01, 08:51 CET