Timer: Countdown to Love

It’s always tough for actors when a beloved series ends its run. What do they do afterward? What’s the next project? Should they jump to movies or try for another iconic television role? It was no different for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast when that series ended in 2003, and everyone seemed to go in different directions to varying degrees of success. Sarah Michelle Gellar made the jump to movies, starring in horror movies The Grudge and I Know What You Did Last Summer. Alyson Hannigan did a few movies, but found more success in another long-running TV series, How I Met Your Mother.

But what of the secondary cast? Many on Buffy went the indie route, taking parts in smaller projects or developing their own. Amber Benson (Tara) is one example; after Buffy ended Benson directed and starred in a variety of smaller projects. This brings us to Emma Caulfield, who played the vengeance demon Anya on Buffy. Outside of an episode of Tabletop, it’s been a while since I’d seen Caulfield in anything.

I’m always interested in seeing my favorite actors is more stuff, though, so I was delighted when I saw 2009’s Timer. Written and directed by Jac Schaeffer, Timer (stylized as TIMER, which offends my sense of grammar so I’ll observe proper capital letter use throughout) stars Caulfield as Oona, a Los Angeles orthodontist. Oona lives in the near future where it’s become scientifically possible to identify your soul mate through the use of the Timer, a small wrist implant. Once active, the Timer counts down to the day when you’ll meet your true love. If your true love doesn’t yet have a Timer, then your Timer remains blank.

Oona and her stepsister Steph (Michelle Borth) are each having their own difficulties with love. Oona’s Timer has been blank for years, while Steph’s shows that she’ll meet the love of her life…in 12 years. Steph uses this knowledge to be as promiscuous as possible, while Oona takes a different route, convincing her boyfriends to get Timers of their own, in case they’ll be the perfect match. Oona’s life is complicated by Mikey (John Patrick Amedori), a way-too-young musician. Mickey doesn’t have a Timer and is determined not to get one, but he’s interested in Oona nonetheless. If only he could convince Oona to give him a chance.

Timer is as light as light science-fiction gets, but that’s fine. The futuristic elements don’t crowd the story; instead, they serve as a jumping-off point to explore bigger issues. Many of the best sci-fi movies do this: they start with a simple question and use that to build a world. Oona’s world isn’t that much different from our own, with one exception. It’s now possible to pinpoint the exact time you’ll meet your soul mate. What would that do to love? Romance? Relationships? Timer explores all these questions pretty in-depth. There’s even a great subplot about Oona’s younger brother, who goes through the ninth-grade ritual of getting a Timer (in a futuristic version of a bar mitzvah) only to find out he’s going to meet his true love in three days.

Movies like Timer prove that sci-fi doesn’t have to be about action or explosions in order to tell a compelling story. Some of the best stories are just like the stories e tell today, only with one or two futuristic elements thrown in. It’s also the perfect type of vehicle for actors coming off an extended television series. Oona was a good reintroduction to Emma Caulfield without the trappings of her Buffy character. I’m looking forward to searching more flicks starring Caulfield (and the rest of the Buffy cast) in the future.

Timer tl;drs

Quick summary: Oona (Emma Caulfield) is unlucky in love. It’s been years since she had a Timer implanted on her wrist and there’s still no indication when her soul mate will show up. In the meantime she works and dates and keeps up the search, trying to ignore everyone around her who’s already found their soul mates, including her younger brother, whose Timer is set to go off after only three days.

Too many writers? Just one, director Jac Schaeffer.

Recommended if you like: Quirky rom-coms with a sci-fi element, the continued success of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast.

Better than I expected? The concept of knowing exactly when your true love will appear raises some interesting philosophical questions, absent from your typical rom-com fare.

Worse than I hoped? I don’t have too many criticisms, other than the usual indie-flick trappings; it’s a pretty solid movie.

Should it be rebooted? I wouldn’t mind a TV series set in this universe.

Verdict: Timer is a cute little sci-fi rom-com, perfect for a date night with your nerdy SO.