TV Review: ‘National Treasure: Edge Of History’ Season 1, Episode 3
by Frank Martin
The tough thing to do with reboots and remakes is capture the spirit of the original. Besides new characters, plots, music, and even themes, the spirit has to be there. It’s some unquantifiable force that can only be experienced. The National Treasure movies had a very specific spirit. It was about adventure, familial legacy, and cultural history. While the first two episodes of the new National Treasure: Edge of History try hard to reconfigure this universe for a new generation, it stumbled on embodying that spirit. But the third episode shows hope that it can be restored.
Jess (Lisette Olivera) and her group of friends are now fully committed to finding the relics before Billie (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and her crew. This sets the overall plot of the series in the same vein as the first National Treasure film, which also had the heroes racing against the villains. Their heist leads them to Graceland, where they have to break into Elvis’s secret vault. While their plan goes off the rails, Liam (Jake Austin Walker) saves the day by spontaneously playing an Elvis song on his guitar, thus distracting the security and allowing Jess to escape.
There was just so much to love about this episode. It had strong adventure in the form of a goofy heist and strong ties to Americana by visiting Graceland. They even took this a step further by having Elvis be a Freemason who was tasked with protecting the treasure’s secrets. Plus, Liam and Jess are growing closer to one another, rounding out the show with strong characterization. If there were any doubts in the first two episodes that this show could be successful National Treasure spinoff, then the third should alleviate them. Hopefully, future episodes follow this format and deliver a worthwhile season of history and adventure.
National Treasure: Edge of History streams Wednesdays on Disney+.
