The Déjà Glitch

Gemma crashes into Jack at a café, covering herself in coffee; he then tells her they’re stuck in a time loop. By then, she’s ready to call the whole day wasted. But Gemma wants to see what else this charming stranger has to say when he reveals the contents of a phone call that’s yet to happen. After consulting both a psychic and a physicist, she lets herself believe enough to ask Jack how to solve the time loop. His theory: she has just one day to fall in love with him to break the cycle. This sincere closed-door romance proceeds with a laser focus and calculated pacing. Processing Gemma’s relationships with her estranged father and peacekeeping brother is as much a part of the solution as her romance with Jack. James (Nothing but the Truth) balances Jack’s actions with Gemma’s agency, removing much of the awkwardness that comes with knowing someone before they know you. The Los Angeles setting comes alive as its own character, shaping plot and the protagonists’ choices. Kristen DiMercurio shines as lead narrator, and Dan Bittner’s cameo (for an interlude from Jack’s point of view) is delightful.