It’s Valentine’s Day. Or, it will be soon. And we all want a little romance – in our lives, and in our TV screens.
Which is why this week’s we’re counting down on those moments that make our hearts go pitter-patter, our hands shake, our mouths emit a sound that is half wail, half awwww. The ones that make us feel. This time it’s the turn of 2/3 of our favorite time team, Wyatt Logan and Lucy Preston.
They’re not a couple yet, no. But they are friends. No, you could even say they’re family, in a way. And yet, there’s an awareness of the possibilities between them that makes their bond anything but fraternal. Wyatt knows he cares for Lucy. He knows he could fall for her. Likewise, Lucy knows that, if she lets herself, she’ll be consumed.
And so will we. So have we.
So here’s our list of moments that made us ship Lyatt:
When it all got started …
We had a feeling from the start. There was just something about the way these two were introduced, about the whole “ma’am” deal, about the sitting in front of each other in the lifeboat, about the take off your bra thing. The show was setting the groundwork, and we, long-time shippers that we are, saw the signs right away. And we got ready for the shipping.
Wyatt comforts Lucy.
It’s such a little thing, and yet, at the same time, it’s such an intimate, caring gesture too. Wyatt and Lucy don’t yet know each other that well, but they’ve gone through more together than most people go through in a lifetime, and here Wyatt shows that even though he might not agree with Lucy’s approach all the time, he’s got her back anyway. She’s not alone in this.
The first time he buckles her seat-belt.
She’s a big girl, we’re sure she can buckle the seat-belt herself. They might be in a time-machine, but it’s not that complicated. And yet, Wyatt doesn’t seem to be doing it for the same macho reasons other white-male protagonists might. This is just part of his protector thing. He’s the soldier, therefore, it’s his job to take care of people. Lucy is one of his people. It’s as simple as that.
When he buckles her seat-belt a second time.
This is less about Wyatt doing it than it is about Lucy just …letting him. At this point she knows him well enough to know that there’s no macho posturing in the gesture, it’s just Wyatt’s southern upbringing and his desire to make sure she’s safe and he’s controlled every little thing he can control. So Lucy, a capable woman in more ways than one, cedes control this time and let’s Wyatt have his peace of mind.
Jealousy.
Is that the face of someone who’s not bothered by Ian Fleming making a pass at Lucy? We don’t think so. And, for all that Rufus cares, his reaction, when contrasted to Wyatt’s, is telling. Rufus is amused, and Wyatt is just …angry. Even if he knows it’s not a thing that could happen, even if he knows they’ll go back to the future, pun not intended. Wyatt just can’t help being bothered by it.
“I need you.”
Our first clear glimpse at Lucy’s feelings comes when Wyatt proclaims his intention to stay behind in the Alamo and die with the soldiers there and Lucy just won’t accept it. Wyatt feels like he has nothing, he’s going to lose his place in the team and there’s no one waiting for him in the future, but Lucy tells him in no uncertain terms that she’s there for him. Rufus is there for him. And they need him. Not just any soldier Mason Industries might assign to the team, but him.
Finally, a team.
There’s something about this moment of unity, even if it includes Rufus – especially because it includes Rufus – that speaks to who these people can/would be as a couple. These three are a team, a family, and even if Lucy and Wyatt harbor deeper feelings for each other, that doesn’t mean either of them is going to push Rufus aside, no. And that just makes us like them more – eve ship them harder, right?
The kiss.
Yes, it was fake. They were pretending. Though, does that look like two people who feel nothing? No, those look like two people who went for it, thinking it mean nothing, and then realized that they wanted to do that again, without pretense. Look at how Lucy briefly glances at his lips after the kiss. Notice how he goes breathless for a bit, and just stares back at her, as if asking for an explanation. If they didn’t know it before – they knew then. And it changed everything.
Sharing a bed.
If Wyatt’s deer-in-the-headlight’s look wasn’t enough of a giveaway, there’s also how tense he is and how they’re both studiously avoiding eye-contact. There’s a new awareness of each other that was there before, but that pre-kiss, they could not just avoid, but chalk up to their own over-active imaginations. But that’s over now. We know, and they know. It’s out in the open.
Wyatt convinces Lucy to, basically, go against all she believes.
Thing about Lucy is, she believes in preserving history above everything. She’s stated that again and again, and she’s acted accordingly more than once. Except, as Wyatt proves in this episode, when they all agree to collaborate with Flynn to kill Rittenhouse, Lucy believes in her team more than she believes in history. Wyatt’s words mean something not just because they’re true, but because they come from him, and she trusts him. 100%.
The hug.
Flynn kidnaps Lucy and Wyatt and Rufus go after her, but then Lucy ends up not just rescuing herself, but rescuing Wyatt and Rufus, and what follows is a hug to put all shipping questions aside. Even Rufus stays back, because a) he ships it, b) he knows Lucy and Wyatt need this. Notice how she closes her eyes to take it all, how he cradles her neck. This is shipper heaven, right here. There’s no doubt about it, these people love each other a little more than friends do.
Lucy saves Wyatt.
Someone has to do it is basically the motto of this episode, and that someone is always Wyatt. Except, this time, when he wavers, Lucy is there to get him out of it. And it’s not as simple as saving his life, no, it’s more about saving his soul. Because Wyatt has killed before and will kill again, but in this instant Lucy makes clear that he doesn’t have to carry the burdens of this mission alone. They’re a team.
“Why does it feel like we’re saying goodbye?”
We knew this was coming, we knew Wyatt was going to try to save Jessica at some point. And yet we didn’t quite expect Lucy breaking down or Wyatt’s obvious emotion and discomfort at seeing her so upset. In this moment they both know they could be something more – that the feelings are there – and yet they don’t mention it because Lucy understands that Wyatt needs to try this and he just can’t let himself live if he doesn’t take this chance. So, in a way, even if they’re not sure that’ll be the case, they’re saying goodbye – to each other, to the possibilities.
Okay, that was ….emotional! What about you? Agree? Disagree? Have any other moments that made you ship these two? Share with us in the comments below!
Timeless airs Mondays at 10/9c on NBC.
