Could you elaborate on the âno evidence the timeline starts when Quentin enters Brakebillsâ thing? Like specifically timeline 40 starting? Iâve only watched the show once through so maybe itâs obvious but Iâd love to learn more about how the examples you have link up to that. Theyâre really interesting things to notice!
sure!
firstly, thereâs nothing said or implied that thereâs a âfixed pointâ jane resets to, never mind that fixed point being quentin entering brakebills. secondly, the timelines are implied to be pretty different from each other (jane doesnât know where quentin is at the start of the pilot; sheâs genuinely curious when she says âwhy, did you kill him?â re: alumni guy; sheâs surprised heâs a good liar (1x02 when he has emersonâs alloy in his pocket); fogg isnât able to guard against quentin slipping him truth serum in 1x12; ember doesnât recognize quentin and julia on sight in 1x13, etc).
thirdly, there is the big detail of zelda saying that margoâs name was janet in another timeline. yeah, itâs a fun wink to those in the know about the books, but itâs no different from the rest of the showâs âworldbuildingâ (the show isnât really interested in worldbuilding and tbh thatâs fine) so i take it as canon.
in 1x01 jane says âitâs startingâ which could be about the beast starting to target brakebills, but that in combination with âyou do have an eye on our boy, donât you?â means that the time loop likely started a while ago. (if âitâs startingâ is about the loop itself, it implies jane doesnât actually have much control over it.)
iâm obsessed with the timelines tbh. like WHY did the beast come to eliot in the form of a nice boy in a sweater!!! how does the beast being in pennyâs head since he was a kid fit into all this? why is jane trying to get quentin off the garden path (which eliot and margo representâŚ. they literally tell him to stay on it!)?












