So, that happened. All of that. Which, to be honest, was a bit much. Is it all moving way too fast or is that just me? Can I get a moment to breathe? To enjoy my trio in, like, something resembling happiness? Is that too much to ask?
Don’t answer that, Timeless. I already know what you’re going to say.
The bonds of fellowship were fractured in this episode, as all sorts of secrets came to light. But that doesn’t mean the Lucy/Wyatt/Rufus trio is irrevocably broken, not. It just means they’re finally free to start building something real.
“In a fight like this you’re only as good as the guy next to you, and you both lied to me. I don’t trust either of you,” Wyatt said, and as harsh as it sounds, he has a point. What they had before was superficial, if nice. What can grow after this, however, that’s something entirely different. Something that can endure.
Let’s delve a bit into the interpersonal relationships on Timeless, as we review “The Watergate Tape”:
WYATT AND LUCY
Yes, we all ship this, (except those, like, two people. Hello you. We’ll convince you), but we didn’t sign up for easy. Or, like, happy – at least not in the immediate future. There’s too much going on for things to ever be straightforward.
As it stands, though, the Lucy and Wyatt from the beginning of the episode – the ones discussing Lucy’s father like they were not just people who work together, but friends who can share the deep stuff and ask each other for counsel, those are our ideal. That’s what we should be hoping these characters achieve, only in a real, deep way. One that doesn’t hide the last layer.
There’s a connection there – there was one from the start. It’s not one of shared experience, though, and it’s not as simple as opposites attract, either. It’s about two gentle souls who, despite the circumstances, have found in the other a glimpse of something they never thought they could get – true understanding
How can you truly understand without having experienced, you ask? How can you truly sympathize without understanding? And how can you ever really care without those two? But the thing is – we can. Human beings have a limitless capacity for empathy, and we’re very adept at thinking ourselves into other people’s shoes. When Wyatt says he’s sorry about Lucy’s sister, he means it. When she says she’s sorry about his wife, she means it.
They care – not just about the world at large, though that’s also true of both of them, but about each other.
But, and here’s my caveat Wucy/Lyatt/whatever-we’re-calling-this shippers. We’re in for a world of pain before we ever get to the Promised Land. We’re in for a deep friendship that’s going to thrill us and give us hope. We’re in for a return of Wyatt’s wife. We’re in for Lucy turning back to her fiancé. We’re in for some drama.
I hate drama. Except when it’s like this. Except when it’s earned. Except when it serves the characters. So I’m ready. Are you?
LUCY AND RUFUS
In hindsight, Rufus’s secret seems bigger than Lucy’s, but in a way, that also makes his decision to tell it all the more important. Did he betray Lucy and Wyatt? Yes. Do they get to be mad at him? Of course. But, will the fact that he confessed on his own help in the long run? You can bet it well.
Rufus is a good guy. Not just that, Rufus is one of the good guys. He’s not a soldier; he’s not a student of history. He’s a smart dude who’s given up everything for his family, and he’s ready to keep giving everything for them. Because he doesn’t know how to be any other way.
If given the chance, Rufus will do the same for his team. And Rufus will also be the one to bring them together. Wyatt’s doesn’t do that well with emotional displays, and Lucy’s lies seem to have hit Wyatt the hardest. Just out luck that we get to see them “Stranded” next week. What a perfect way to discuss your issues than to realize you have nowhere else to go!
We have to trust each other, Rufus tells Lucy, and they do. It might be tentative trust, but these two are going to be okay. They’ve already taken the first step.
WYATT AND RUFUS
If Wyatt weren’t hurt, this would all be easier. If Wyatt didn’t care, he would not be hurt. And this applies not only to his relationship but Lucy, but with Wyatt. Because, romance or not, in a way, for Wyatt, Lucy was always a wildcard. Rufus, however, was not. Rufus was his safe harbor in a storm. And now he’s not.
This is one of the things Timeless does so well. It’s not just about Lucy and Wyatt and the romance they might have, or about Rufus and his family, or even about Rufus and Lucy, there are layers to every dynamic, every relationship. These people care about each other, and that’s what makes everything so complicated, and so …meaningful.
Wyatt lost his wife. We assume he’s got no family, at least none he keeps in contact with. He was essentially without a team. And now that he’s found one, now that he opened up to caring about these two people, he feels betrayed. That’s understandable.
He’ll move forward. You know how I know that? Because Wyatt’s not just a soldier. He’s a man who feels very, very deeply. That’s both his blessing and his curse.
GARCIA FLYNN
As an aside, I will add that, up till this episode, I did not care one iota for Garcia Flynn. I was here for Wyatt, Lucy and Rufus, nothing else. And yet, in making him relate to Wyatt this episode, the show pulled me in.
It’s always been clear that Flynn was not the kind of straightforward evil of comic book shows or fairy tales. There are shades of grey in him, so many that, at times, we wonder, are our heroes on the right side? The question has never been more important than it is today. Are they on the right side?
The answer is: we don’t know. But we’re dying to find out.
Other things to note:
- My baby Rufus, never stop making jokes. Never ever.
- “These colors just don’t exist anymore. Like, not even in nature” – I’m kinda glad about some of them.
- I’m kinda happy that they got taken right away and I wasn’t forced to endure Wyatt in that getup for the entire episode.
- “What are you doing, you can’t pick a lock.” / “I was just trying to be helpful.” – I just want to give everyone on this show a big hug. Is that normal?
Timeless airs Mondays at 10/9c on NBC.
