Synchronic (2020) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

The drug affects different age groups differently because of the underdeveloped pineal gland in children versus adults. Children's pineal glands are not fully formed, allowing them to fully materialize in the past when they use Synchronic. Adults whose pineal glands are more developed experience a distorted perception of time, appearing as ghost-like echoes rather than physical beings. This explains why Brianna could potentially exist fully in the past while adult users like Steve only manifest as spectral presences.

• time travel mechanism
• pineal gland
• children adults
• synchrnoic drug effects

Steve's cancer is located in his underdeveloped pineal gland, which is the same gland that Synchronic affects to create time travel. This explains why he experiences unusual effects from the drug and why he's able to perceive time differently. His terminal diagnosis also motivates his dangerous experimentation with Synchronic, as he has little time left to lose and a personal stake in finding Brianna.

• steve cancer
• pineal gland
• terminal diagnosis
• motivation

The destination year is determined by the specific location where the Synchronic pill is taken. Steve discovers that the geographic coordinates of the ingestion point correlate with a specific historical period. This is how he uses his dog Hawking to map where and when the next pill will take him - the location acts as a temporal coordinate that anchors the time travel destination.

• time travel rules
• location
• pill taking
• destination year

Steve carves "ALLWAYS" into the boulder as a symbolic message linking his present to the past. Since he's time traveling from the modern era, the word represents his origin and serves as an anchor or message to the timeline. The carving becomes a permanent artifact that bridges the 1815 Battle of New Orleans with the present day, essentially creating the very symbol that inspired the drug's name.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the film, Steve learns the drug's name comes from a symbol, and he ultimately becomes the origin of that symbol.

• allways symbol
• boulder
• sacrifice
• origin of symbol

Steve's loyal dog Hawking accompanies him during time travel experiments, serving as a guide to help map destination years. However, during one trip, Hawking is pulled into the 1920s and cannot return with Steve to the present. The dog is lost to the time drift, which complicates Steve's subsequent efforts to navigate time safely and adds emotional weight to his journey.

• hawking dog
• 1920s
• lost in time
• companion

Steve sacrifices himself because he's already dying from cancer and knows he doesn't have long to live anyway. During the Battle of New Orleans, a looter threatens Brianna, mistaking Steve for a runaway slave. Steve deliberately distracts the looter so Brianna can use his last Synchronic pill to return to the present. His sacrifice ensures Brianna's survival while giving meaning to his remaining life.

• steve sacrifice
• brianna saved
• battle of new orleans
• final act

Dennis mistakenly believes Steve's illness and painkiller use stems from drug addiction rather than cancer. The stress of his daughter Brianna's disappearance, combined with his suspicions about Steve's behavior, leads to a physical confrontation between the two longtime partners. The fight represents how fear and misunderstanding can damage even the closest friendships.

• dennis steve fight
• addiction misunderstanding
• friendship strain

The film leaves some ambiguity about whether Brianna ever took Synchronic. Steve discovers she may have wandered off before actually consuming the drug, which would mean she was simply lost in the present rather than trapped in the past. However, he ultimately finds her during the Battle of New Orleans in 1815, suggesting she either did take it or was somehow pulled into the time displacement.

• brianna disappeared
• took synchronic
• missing
• timeline

Steve discovers that physical contact with objects can anchor a time traveler to a specific moment, locking them to that particular time period. This discovery becomes crucial in his search for Brianna, as he attempts to use tangible anchors in the park where she disappeared to ground his presence and navigate her disappearance more effectively.

• time travel rules
• objects anchor
• physical contact
• mechanism

Steve tracks down Synchronic's creator, learning that the designer drug was created as a secret project. The substance works by warping the pineal gland's perception of time, sending users backward through history. The creator's original intentions remain somewhat mysterious, but the drug's effects create the time-travel mechanism that drives the film's central conflict.

• drug creator
• origin
• designer drug
• secret project

After Steve dies sacrificing himself in 1815, his spectral presence lingers in the present, indicating that his consciousness or spirit exists across time due to his extensive use of Synchronic. This allows him to have a final quiet moment with Dennis, acknowledging each other across the boundary between life and death. The spectral presence symbolizes the lasting impact of his sacrifice and the bonds that transcend time.

• steve ghost
• spectral
• afterlife
• final scene
• reconciliation

The looter who confronts Steve and Brianna during the Battle of New Orleans is killed by a landmine explosion. This occurs right after Steve is fatally wounded while distracting the looter to allow Brianna to escape. The violent death of the looter adds to the chaos of the battle scene and ensures there's no pursuit of Brianna as she uses the last pill to return to the present.

• looter
• landmine
• battle of new orleans
• death