From time to time, I do find a TV series or a mini-series that sparks my interest. And if I’m lucky enough, I want to talk about it. One of the latest additions to the Netflix catalogue is the mini-series Bodies. The premise is straight up my cup of tea. Four crimes. Four time periods. Same body. It’s time travel story time, y’all!

I love time travel stories, but I’m very specific about how I like time travel to work. I even have a post all about that. And Bodies left the story in the perfect place to be exactly what I wanted. While the end of the story is wrapped up, it still leaves room for the time travel plot to fit into my plot. And I was so incredibly happy and excited to have a story that hit the right spot, and now I can gush all about it.

Please note! I did some research and discovered this mini-series is adapted from a comic book published by the DC Vertigo with the same name. I haven’t read that, nor have any immediate plans to do so. Therefore, I won’t speak of how good of an adaptation it is or isn’t. Also, I’m aware that Dark, another Netflix series, by the same creators of 1899 – that cancellation still hurts – is supposed to have a similar story to Bodies. I haven’t watched it yet because I wanted to write this post without making any comparison between the two. Therefore, this post only focuses on Bodies the mini-series.

As I’ve mentioned, the story follows four detectives. One in 1891, another in 1943, one in the present day, 2023, and the last in the future in 2053. In all four time periods, a sudden burst of energy makes streetlights explode near Longharvest Lane, and the body of a naked dead man appears. He was shot through his left eye without any bullet present on the body or at the crime scene. And a tattoo of three vertical lines with another one across is found on his wrist.

The episodes follow the investigation of all the detectives at the same time while they all discover the same clues as well as unique information from each timeline. At first, the only thing that connects the stories is just the dead naked body and the phrase “Know that you are loved”. Only halfway into the story, the pieces start falling into place, and you might think “What else is yet to discover?” Don’t worry. There is more.

The 2023 timeline is what I consider the main storyline. While all periods take turns being in the spotlight, the investigation led by DI Hasan, in 2023, triggers jumps to the other investigations to show new information. Although not all investigations run their normal course. In the 1943 timeline, the DI Whiteman – a cross between a mobster and Gomez Addams – is doing some shady business. He was contacted to make the body disappear from Longharvest Lane so there wouldn’t be an investigation. And in 2053, DI Mapplewood doesn’t find a dead body. He’s alive. But not for long.

So, it’s the investigation of DI Hasan that connects all the timelines. And little by little, we start to see the magnitude of the crime. While the time travel is a big selling point for the story, the mystery aspect is also very enjoyable. It’s a story you can try to solve the crime alongside the characters. The only difference is that we see all four timelines, while the detectives only see theirs.

Each episode ends in a very intriguing way, leaving you wanting more. Although I found it way more enjoyable to only watch one or two at a time and leave some space for the brain to think over everything. I love it when a story leaves room to create my theories even if they are completely wrong. It’s playing along with the intrigue and the mystery instead of fast consumption. I love to end an episode and sit there just thinking over everything and thinking “What could that mean?” even when I can’t think of an answer. Stories that give me this feel or more like this need are hard to come by but incredibly pleasurable to experience.

And if the excitement of each episode wasn’t enough, how the time travel is explained, works, and is used, makes the story even better. But don’t worry if you usually get confused with all the time travel back and forward stuff. By the end, the story is very well explained. Everything is wrapped up apart from a teeny tiny detail that could lay out the story for another season – which I hope will NEVER happen.

The last scene hints the story isn’t over yet. The mystery, the crime, the dead body, and all four timelines are wrapped up and concluded. There is a full story from episodes 1 to 8. There is just one last “You thought this was over? Think again” moment. And it makes for a very pleasurable ending. While it might leave some people wanting an explanation, leaving it up to each person to create their own is better than doing another season and setting a stone on the matter. You can never please everyone, and doing another season where they try to wrap up the story for good, will please some people and also displease others – and I’m guessing I’ll be one of them. So, it’s best to leave it as it is.

So, if you like time travel, mind-knotting stories, mysteries, and solving along, then I’m guessing you’ll love this mini-series as much as I did. It’s one of those one-in-a-million that just hit the spot. It ignites your passion for the mystery, captivates you for 50 minutes and leaves you thinking it over and over again until the next time you watch another episode. And once it’s over, you just want to watch it all over again.