TV Review: ‘National Treasure’ Season 1, Episode 5

So far, National Treasure: Edge of History has more or less been an entertaining endeavor. It showcases a group of young adults solving riddles and looking for clues all in the name of a big treasure at the end of the search. Also, it has just enough sprinkling of family drama and danger to make the show both fun and suspenseful. Nevertheless, there does appear to be something missing. The sense of adventure featured in the movies just doesn’t seem to be present in the show. This is most likely due to the fact that a lot of the clues are leading the protagonists to places average people can find in everyday life instead of, say, an ancient cave system.

This week’s installment dove right into the tease from the previous episode: Liam (Jake Austin Walker) potentially being a mole working for Billie (Catherine Zeta-Jones). This created distrust between him and Jess (Lisette Olivera). It was later revealed that there was a bug in Oren’s (Antonio Cipriano) shoe, and Liam was innocent. Their search brought them to the Governor’s Ball in the hopes of stealing a journal that belonged to Lewis and Clark. The episode ends with Liam going rogue and stealing the journal on his own, which leaves Jesse running from the authorities and seeking shelter in Billie’s car.

This episode mainly dealt with characterization as Liam and Jess’s relationship is challenged by mole accusation. It’s challenged even further when Jess performs an intimate dance at the ball. While the characterization is not bad, it’s not really why people tune into the show. They do so for the riddles, the puzzles, and the adventure. So far, this series has had plenty of the first two, but the latter is missing. It is doing a decent job embodying the spirit of the National Treasure films, but if it is to end on a high note, then it definitely needs to move away from high class parties and more into the realm of ancient relics.

National Treasure: Edge of History streams Wednesdays on Disney+.