Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Institute.
A new show based on a Stephen King novel changes one character’s narrative significantly to make him more relevant in the overarching story. Book changes in TV adaptations are not always welcomed, but this one shift from the source material benefits the Stephen King TV show in more ways than one.
Stephen King’s books have been adapted for the small and big screens multiple times. Almost always, these adaptations introduce significant changes to the original narrative to make them more suitable for the live-action storytelling medium. Unfortunately, often, book changes end up doing more harm than good.
The TV adaptation of Stephen King’s Under the Dome is a perfect case in point because of how it completely lost its audience after it went off the rails in season 2 and avoided sticking to its source material. A new Stephen King TV adaptation pulls off something similar with one character beat but surprisingly benefits from its creative liberties.
Tim Jamieson Has A Much More Involved Role Throughout The Institute Show Than In Stephen King’s Book
The Show Makes Him A More Significant Player In The Central Story
Played by Ben Barnes in MGM+’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Institute, Tim Jamieson is one of the key players in both the book and the show. In the original book, however, Tim first appears only in the opening arc, where the story reveals how he ends up in South Carolina and lands a job as a night knocker.
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Luke Ellis’ Powers & Abilities In The Institute Explained
The adaptation of Stephen King’s The Institute reveals the powers & supernatural abilities of its main character, Luke Ellis, in its opening episode.
With what follows, the book does not feature him for quite some time and primarily focuses on its younger characters. He shows up much later in the second half of the book, when he encounters Luke, a young boy who escapes the titular facility. The show, in contrast, tries to unfold Tim’s story while walking through Luke and the other children’s narratives inside the central Institute.
Instead of only featuring him in its opening, MGM+’s The Institute ensures that it also gradually develops Tim as a character while focusing on the struggles of the kids in the primary setting. Apart from having a more consistent role in the show, Tim also ends up working his night shifts right next to the central Institute in Maine in the series.
It is hard not to see how these changes benefit the show because it does a better job of familiarizing viewers with Tim and also sets up a better final payoff for him and Luke.
This major shift in his narrative makes him an active part of the overarching story as he gradually learns more and more about the conspiracies surrounding the main setting while Luke tries to plan his escape. It is hard not to see how these changes benefit the show because it does a better job of familiarizing viewers with Tim and also sets up a better final payoff for him and Luke.
Why The Institute Changed Tim’s Role From The Book
The Show Made His Role Seem More Physical
As Ben Barnes explained in an interview (via Screen Rant), Tim’s role was expanded in the show to highlight “the similarities between the characters” and everything they had in common. Barnes’ explanation makes a lot of sense after watching the show’s initial episodes, as it does a good job of drawing many parallels between Tim and Luke’s outlook towards the world.
Barnes further explained that the show also tried to physicalize Tim a little bit. While he is more “thoughtful and cerebral” in the original Stephen King novel, he comes off as a more physical character in the series. This, too, serves an important narrative purpose in The Institute and allows Barnes’ version of Tim to be more actively involved in the main action instead of being a mere observer.
