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Jun 05, 2023

National Treasure: Edge of History: Every Episode, Ranked

Each episode of National Treasure: Ede of History remains a treasure of its own for the fans that did enjoy it.

Disney has taken it upon itself lately to work on sequels and remakes of movies that were old favorites, and the National Treasure series was on the list. National Treasure: Edge of History brought another thrilling treasure hunt to life set in the same universe as the Nicolas Cage movies but with a new cast of characters and a couple of movie cameos. Unfortunately, due to poor reception and bad critic reviews, the show has been canceled.

Though a cliffhanger for a second season was left at the end of the first, it seems the plot and compelling group of characters wasn't enough to keep interest in the series, so it could continue. It was fun while it lasted though, and each episode remains a treasure of its own for the fans that did enjoy it.

In "The Treasure Map," Jess and Billie meet for the first time as they plan to exchange a puzzle box for their friend who had been kidnapped. Before they meet, however, Jess tries to report Oren's kidnapping only to falter at the last minute because it seems that no one believes them. This has now put the group on the radar of one of the FBI agents though, drawing her into the overall plot. We also get to see what lies inside of the box — a couple of strange pieces of a larger incomplete treasure map.

Though this episode helps finish shaping the overall story we’re about to get ourselves into, the only actual new treasure clue we find is when Jess opens the box, making this episode a little too heavy on its exposition.

As the first episode in the series, "I’m A Ghost" helps set the scene for the series. We’re introduced to the plot through a past explorer trying to find the treasure before he was attacked and killed in his own home. We then meet his daughter, Jess, who lives in Louisiana, along with a group of her friends.

Related: Movies to Watch if You Liked National Treasure: Edge of History

When her boss tells her to clear out a storage locker because of a lack of payment, she hunts the owner down using the handful of belongings within and manages to meet Peter Sadusky. He initially distrusts her before seeing and recognizing the symbol on her necklace and gives her the secret to finding the beginning of the treasure tied to it and her father all these years later. There's no doubt that this episode kicks off the plot as we meet almost all of the important characters, along with earning and solving the first clue to the treasure.

"Charlotte" is the fourth episode and largely features blooming romance and a wake. Though they recently received the next clue, they were having trouble deciphering it. Instead, they take a break from treasure hunting to attend Sadusky's wake, paying their respects even though they had barely known him. While they do, FBI Agent Ross decides to visit as well and sneaks into the house while everyone is busy to find evidence of the possible poisoning that caused Sadusky's death.

To keep things interesting, Jess and special guest Riley Poole get locked into Sadusky's clue room and nearly suffocate before solving the lock together. Then, just as Jess and Liam share a kiss, she receives word that Billie also has the clue, and thinks Liam has betrayed them. While some people might like it for the appearance of Riley, there isn't much here to move the plot forward, and feels a little flat because of it.

Because they’re distrustful of Liam, Jess and Ethan try to sneak into the governor's mansion to find the journal they need themselves in "Bad Romance." Liam knows that something is up, however, and they end up discovering the bug was actually planted in Oren's shoes. They make up and all attend the ball together, but things grow tense again when Jess and Ethan dance together and cause their partners to become jealous.

After the dance, it appears that Liam has decided to really not to be on their side anymore as he goes and steals the journal alone, accidentally placing the blame on Jess. In a desperate attempt to escape, she flees and accepts help from Billie to avoid getting caught by the police. With both drama and more clues about the treasure, this episode has it all. However, it still feels like some of that drama was a little forced, as it all could have been avoided if they had just stayed on task and not danced.

In "Prison Break," Billie discovers that the imprisoned Salazar is actually Rafael, the very person she blames her brother's death on. Jess knows Billie found out it was really her father and decides to break into the prison in order to break him out. However, Oren is too worried to stay and returns home, only to be questioned by the FBI.

Though Rafael and Jess do manage to narrowly escape the prison, they have to leave Tasha and Ethan to get Billie off of their trail, ending with both groups being caught and apprehended by either the FBI or Billie herself. Of course, that's after Rafael and Jess manage to solve the treasure map and give Billie all the clues she needed through the bug she had planted. It's a fun and fast-paced episode, but as the stakes continue to grow higher, everyone's relationships with each other are beginning to grow more and more complicated.

After Liam apparently betrays Jess and her friends in favor of Billie in the previous episode, as well as Billie rescuing Jess from the cops, they decide to make a temporary alliance in "Frenemies." Billie tries to convince them that they’re on the same side by claiming she was friends with her parents who were trying to help her track the treasure down back in the day too. However, there are a few subtle clues revealed as they talk that show Jess that Billie is lying.

Instead, she uses Billie to help solve the journal's riddle and tricks her into traveling to the wrong location, where Jess then steals back the two puzzle boxes found so far and escapes amidst the chaos of the re-enactment. For one shining moment, the series had all the action and thrills between the protagonists and antagonists that people have come to recognize the National Treasure movies for.

Jess is accused of poisoning Sadusky in "Point of No Return." After betraying Billie and stealing the puzzle boxes back, Billie has one of her agents turn in supposed evidence for Jess's involvement. When Jess and Tasha find out the FBI is raiding their apartment they learn about the warrant for her arrest, and hide out at Oren and Ethan's instead. They have no choice now but to finish hunting down the treasure to clear Jess's name, meaning they now have to take a trip to Mexico and risk Jess never being allowed to return to the US as she loses her visa.

In Mexico, they not only manage to find the third box but also discover that Salazar is actually Rafael, Jess's father. The stakes have never been higher at this point, and as they seem to be drawing closer and closer to finding the treasure, it's nice to know there are still a few surprises in store for the viewers.

Now that the group of friends has convinced Liam to join the treasure hunt, "Graceland Gambit" starts with them discovering an old video of Jess's mom telling the story of La Malinche and how she founded a secret society known as the Daughters of the Plumed Serpent. Through this, they also discover there are three puzzle boxes they need to complete the map and find a clue about Elvis Presley. This leads the group to sneak into Graceland in search of a clue to continue them forward.

Related: Why National Treasure: Book of Secrets is One of the Best Sequels Ever

Meanwhile, Billie has two of the three boxes already but is too eager to try and read them and her team loses a member when they are caught in a trap. It's a fun episode as the crew tests out their treasure-hunting skills, and we get to see them start with the heist of a lifetime.

The last episode of the series, "Treasure Protectors," finally brings us to the end. Jess and Rafael are dragged along by the bad guys to solve their puzzles for them, but the duo tries to mislead them and escape the minute they get the chance.

This leads to a rush to see who can get the treasure first, and when Liam and Ethan manage to catch up with Jess and Rafael, they become the first to reach the treasure's true hiding place. Now they just need to solve the final puzzles to reach the treasure as well as stop Billie and her group from destroying it before the rest of the world gets to see it. It's a thrilling episode and a nice closer to the season and the series.

After Billie captured Jess and Salazar, she was flying them back into the US even as Jess was trying to get an SOS out from the phone she snuck in. Billie begins to unravel some more clues for herself as they sit on the plane together, and Jess's friends try to convince the FBI that Jess and her father are in danger.

Agent Ross wants to believe them but needs a little more proof, so she and her boss Hendricks try to track Billie down together only to realize that Hendricks wasn't on her side and had been covering up for Billie the whole time. The reveal of who Salazar was is something the series had built up, and the twists were a great layer to the series.

Katelin McDougald is a writer who is also an avid fan of many things in the entertainment industry. Movies, TV shows, books, video games—you name it! Though she loves fantasy through and through, action and adventure, as well as mysteries, are among her favorites too!

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