Time travel in sci-fi should never be treated as a cheap gimmick. Yet, more often than not, characters in sci-fi shows and movies merely undo their past actions and create a better future for themselves with no paradoxes or consequences. While this is becoming a grim reality for the sci-fi subgenre, a handful of sci-fi shows like Netflix‘s Dark thrive on logic and time travel consistency.
Netflix is the streaming home of another compelling time travel series, Sisyphus: The Myth. While the show is not as narratively sound as Dark, it makes incredible use of time travel as a narrative device. It almost comes off as a combination of Dark and Lost‘s best elements as it unfolds a high-concept mystery box thriller in its 16-episode runtime.
Unlike most sci-fi shows that are afraid of being too complex, Sisyphus: The Myth does not shy away from dabbling with complex ideas surrounding causal loops, bootstrap paradoxes, and teleportation. It experiences a few hiccups during its 16-episode run and struggles to justify all plot holes. However, before its credits start rolling, Sisyphus: The Myth establishes itself as one of the better time travel TV shows.
Sisyphus: The Myth Combines Dark’s Loopy Time Travel With Lost’s Breakneck Action
When it comes to being intentionally convoluted and still making sense, perhaps no sci-fi show can match Dark. Sisyphus: The Myth, too, does not qualify as a worthy replacement because it neither follows a pre-planned 3-season arc nor does it feature complex family trees like Dark. However, similar to Dark, it features a well-thought-out temporal puzzle where the past, the present, and the future are all linked.
Like Dark, its portrayal of time travel highlights how free will in the present might be an illusion, as someone from the future might have already engineered one’s present choices. Instead of relying on supernatural devices, Sisyphus: The Myth also introduces gadgets with a fixed set of rules. A machine called “Uploader” is central to its narrative, which allows one to time travel.
Similar to Netflix’s Dark, Sisyphus: The Myth also shows the messy consequences of manipulating time. Unlike the characters in Dark, the ones in Sisyphus: The Myth are not trapped in a fixed, inescapable loop. However, they still find themselves dealing with unwelcoming timelines and unpredictable psychological shifts as they travel.
Whenever the show drifts away from logic and focuses more on building compelling mysteries, it becomes more and more reminiscent of Lost. Like Lost, Sisyphus: The Myth‘s pacing remains relentless almost throughout its runtime, and it also glosses over many crucial details just to keep viewers hooked. This approach does cause some harm to the series, but it also makes it far easier to follow than Dark.
Sisyphus: The Myth Eventually Goes Off The Rails, But Its Ambition Deserves Respect
<<img src="https://static0.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/park-shin-hye-as-kang-seo-hae.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" />
</figure>
There comes a time when Netflix’s Sisyphus: The Myth becomes a little too ambitious. After watching it, it becomes hard not to notice how it unknowingly introduced plot holes from the very first episode. Owing to these shortcomings, Sisyphus: The Myth falls short of being a sci-fi TV masterpiece like Dark. Despite this, though, it is hard not to appreciate its sci-fi vision.
Most sci-fi shows in the streaming era play too safe. They keep rehashing familiar ideas and tropes instead of boldly exploring uncharted territory. While Sisyphus: The Myth is not completely devoid of genre conventions, it tries to bring something new to the table with its loopy time travel story.
All in all, the Netflix sci-fi show is far from being as perfect as Dark. However, similar to Lost, it finds creative ways to keep viewers glued to their screens and truly thrives when it focuses on themes of survival and humanity’s inability to accept uncertainty.
Sisyphus: The Myth is a 2021 South Korean series combining sci-fi and mystery as a brilliant engineer becomes entangled in a web of secrets following a mysterious event. Collaborating with a future traveler, they strive to unravel truths and avert an impending disaster.
Discover more from NAIRAVOICE.COM.NG
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
