For the most part, Hallmark’s Providence Falls is a solid time travel romance that deep dives into the idea of soul mates and agency with a clever twist. The magical realism component isn’t new to the network with Christmas movies like A Timeless Christmas or Ghosts of Christmas Always, but this limited series—three-part film approach—makes it even more enticing as it gives viewers more time to understand and sit with the romance.
Starring Katie Stevens, Lachlan Quarmby, Evan Roderick, Paul McGillion, Felicia Simone, Amitai Marmorstein, Matty Finochio, Jessica Sipos, Keegan Connor Tracy, and more, Providence Falls soars with the romantic chemistry that sweeps us off our feet right from the start. I’ll be honest—the accents threw me off. I really wish that shows and movies wouldn’t force actors into accents without proper dialect coaches because it’s the one thing that always takes me out of the narrative, but the story is still so good that I couldn’t stop watching.
For the viewers who love the mystery element woven into Mistletoe Murders, Providence Falls should be next on your list. It’s the angsty cousin full of so much longing that at one point it even made me cry. Is it a bit too much at times? For some viewers, it can be, yes, but the romance sparkles and leaps off the screen in a way that makes it impossible not to root for Cora and Liam. Fate, destiny, the grand plan—all of that be damned. It’s obvious right from the start that the two will test the powers that be, and test them they do.
It’s Liam who stands out in the second installment, An Impossible Dream, and Cora who shines in the third, Thief of Fate. In order for a romance to really hit when there’s this much angst between them, the tension that stretches between the couple needs to feel earned in a way that fills in all the space with something we can hold onto. And that’s exactly what we get throughout Providence Falls. Whether they’re in the same space or apart, we can feel the yearning, which makes it all the more gripping to watch everything unravel.
In addition, the story could’ve made the matters of time travel and loopholes more complicated than they needed to be, but thankfully, that never happens. We don’t have enough time here to dig into the afterlife in the same vein as The Good Place does, so the more muted version of this lore fits the narrative in a way that allows the romance to take up the most space. It’s not just the romance, but the unexpected friendships and the twist on what could’ve been a lackluster depiction of the love triangle trope. Here, it works entirely to show why Cora chooses who she chooses, and the friendship that exists between the men feels fully believable and right for their characters.
Even with its faults and moments that don’t exactly work as best as they can, it’s clear that the thought process behind Providence Falls is full of heart. The characters are incredibly layered, the love stories are fascinating, and the fact that a woman gets the job she wants and love is something we’ll always root for. It also feels especially cozy for this exact moment as August bleeds into September. (It’s the vibe. Trust me.) And it feels especially perfect around this conversation on social media right now about whether men on TV still yearn or not. Spoiler: they do.
SOURCE: ladygeeksmedia