I can’t start this review any other way than saying that, as a woman, this was an especially poignant hour. Sometimes you’re confronted with history you already know in a way that makes you think about what that history means, and about the people who had to fight to get you what you consider to be normal and that leaves a mark.
Or it should.
Timeless is especially adept at doing this, at showing you a different side of the history you think you know, of putting not just their own characters, but historical figures, in positions that somehow make them even more than they were, and at the same time, that make us, the viewers, think, and relate and just feel.
For me, this holds especially true of the suffragette movement, and that’s probably something every woman watching this show can relate to. Some days it feels like we’ve come a long way. Others it feels like we’ll never get to where we want to be, to true equality. Other days, however, days like today, thanks to Timeless, I’m reminded of the power and the strength of the women who helped us get where we are today.
In those days, I’m grateful: grateful for this show, grateful for the strength of those who came before me. And I’m energized. I’m ready to keep fighting – for equality, for women’s rights, for minorities in general, and for this show that does such a good job of showcasing those things, of reminding me that TV doesn’t have to be just mindless entertainment.
TV can change lives.
So, let’s go into the strong women, the dumb men and the ships of “Mrs. Sherlock Holmes.”
EMPOWER WOMEN
The message here isn’t just support women, no, it’s empower women. Join them in the fight, not just by standing aside so they can speak for themselves, but by raising your voice to join them. And with that, I’m calling out not only men – though mostly, but other women. Let’s not put other women down just because we disagree with them. Let’s never use gendered language to minimize or to demean. We’re all fighting the same fight.
Let’s never be that woman who considers herself above the fight or who thinks her methods are the only ones that work. In the end, the world will only change if we push for that change together.
It starts here, with what we control, Timeless fans. No matter what you ship, no matter who your favorite character is, and no matter why you watch every week, we all love this show and we can all let it inspire us to be better.
Will you join me?
WYATT, YOU DUMBAS (PART 2)
Some days I want to slap you, Wyatt. Others I just want to hug you tight and make it so you figure it out. And then, there are times where I think you already did, you just don’t know how to act, you’re terrified of what this means. There are two parts of you, and boy, they’re dueling.
Let me give you some advice. Listen to the sound of my voice; let it penetrate your subconscious.
First, you have NO right to be jealous. You have no right to Lucy, and you have no right to explanations or considerations. If you want to change that, if you want to have the right again, then you know what you have to do.
But that’s, of course, the problem. Knowing is one thing, taking that final step is another. Because taking it means accepting you failed at the one thing you defined your life by: being Jessica’s husband. If you’d asked Wyatt Logan of Season 1 what he was, he’d say a soldier and Jessica’s husband. That’s it. That’s how he saw himself.
So letting go of Jessica is not just that, letting go of Jessica, it’s also, in a way, letting go of the man he thought he was, it’s letting go of the one good thing he thought he had, and finding something new to define himself by. And that’s freaking hard to do. That’s way harder than letting go of a romantic relationship.
Wyatt has been, at times, during this season, undoubtedly a dumbass. But let’s remember that he’s also human, and he’s flawed, and he’s allowed to make mistakes as he figures out where he’s going. We can’t – and shouldn’t – ask him to be perfect. All we should ask of him is that he listens, and he tries.
Aka, we should ask him to be like he is in this episode. And then we should ask him to keep at it. Because, if he does, he’ll eventually figure it out.
LISTEN TO YOUR HEART, LUCY
The Lucy Preston we saw this episode, the one Wyatt implied is nothing short of extraordinary, that woman makes me both sooo proud and so frustrated. Because, she is so good, so kind, so damn noble, that she has, time and time again, let Wyatt walk away from her, no, worse, pushed him away, because she doesn’t want to be, could never be, the reason things don’t work out between him and Jessica.
And yet, the funny part is that, she can’t help that. She already is the reason things are not working out, the reason things will probably never work out. Wyatt loves her, and she loves him, and pushing him away is not going to change that. She herself said that she had to accept he was happy and he had to accept he was happy, but when those are words that need to be uttered, there’s only one conclusion.
He’s not happy and she knows it.
This means that by pushing him towards Jessica she’s not just hurting herself, and hurting him, she’s hurting Jessica. In a normal situation, which this is not, we wouldn’t want someone staying with us because of obligation, and that’s exactly what Wyatt is doing and exactly what Lucy is confusing with happiness.
Part of that is fear – she can’t imagine being worth him giving up the one thing he seemed to want above all else, and part of it is being so used to getting screwed over and over again that you don’t think there’s any way you can actually get what you want. I don’t blame her. I’d probably do the same. But Lucy, the Lucy who’s gotten better and better, not just at expressing her feelings (like she did this episode), but at asking for what she wants, now must take that final step and accept that maybe, perhaps, she is worth being Wyatt’s choice.
And that doesn’t make her a bad person. It doesn’t make her a home wrecker. It just makes her someone who respects not just Wyatt, but Jessica, enough to not let all of them live a lie.
FLYNN, THE BIG BROTHER
I swear to God, Flynn was everyone’s big brother in this episode. He went from offering Lucy a shoulder to cry on, to kicking some sense into Wyatt, to kicking some sense into Rufus. It was beautiful and kind of amazing to see, especially considering this is Flynn.
But, the thing is, we must all readjust our idea of Flynn. Yes, he should be held accountable for what he did in Season 1, but he should also be allowed to grow into the man he’s becoming – which is, maybe, the man he always was, or the man he could be when revenge wasn’t clouding his brain.
What does he want from the Time Team? He wants them to help him take down Rittenhouse, because that’d mean getting his family back, of course, but a part of him, one that maybe he didn’t even know existed, also yearns to find a place where he might, perhaps, belong.
Let’s face it; it’s a lonely existence he’s lived, the last few years. And if there’s one thing that you feel in that bunker, despite Lyatt’s issues, despite Jessica, is a sense of family. And Flynn wants that. He misses that.
Doesn’t mean he has to stop being him, though.
EMMA, THREE DIMENSIONAL AT LAST
Ah, Emma. We’ve known her for a long time considering how little we actually knew of her, and how little I actually cared for her before this episode. And then, just like Mason, Timeless proved that, in the blink of an eye, they can give characters depth and they can make us relate.
Everyone, after all, cares about something. In Emma’s case, it’s her mother.
She might be trying to make it all about her, but Flynn sees through her quickly. Emma is not the ruthless operative she pretends to be, not the perfect soldier Timeless has sometimes painted her as. This doesn’t, of course, means she’s a good person, but it means she’s not just one thing, and that can only make this story richer.
Also – may I just point out that the Emma/Flynn interactions in this episode are hella more interesting than her creepy romance with Nicholas. She and Flynn have a spark together, and no one, absolutely no one, can convince me that there wasn’t some “comforting” going on between them when they were “on the same side.”
Now that’s something I could be interested in.
USE YOUR BRAIN, RUFUS
You’re as much of a dumbass as Wyatt, Rufus, and I say this with love. In fact, you might be even more of a dumbass, because hey, you have your reasons now, but you’ve been acting like a dumbass way before this certain-death revelation, so we can’t blame just that for your actions.
I’ve gone on before about how you’ve been less than supportive to your friend Lucy, and more the haha let’s joke kinda of friend with your friend Wyatt, when really, what they could have used is a good, firm kick in the behind from the person whose opinion they respect more. Also, you’ve been as far from the perfect boyfriend as it’s possible to be.
Yes, you’re scared. But fear should give you purpose, it shouldn’t make you reckless, and it especially shouldn’t make you reckless up to the point where Flynn has to steer you in the right direction. FLYNN. Do you understand that you and Wyatt have made Flynn the voice of reason? Do you?
Being scared is not an excuse to be an ass, and it’s not an excuse to shut everyone out. If anything, it’s the time to step forward and be better, stronger, smarter.
It’s the time for that character development.
RIYA’S MOMENT TO SHINE
Rufus and Jiya have gone through a rollercoaster of emotions this season, as Jiya’s visions have both brought them closer and pulled them apart in unexpected ways. In a way, it’s easy to see where both are coming from – Rufus is scared, Jiya is scared and neither of them knows how to deal with a situation like this. Neither of them knows what to believe or what comes next.
But – and here’s the important part, Timeless is allowing them to figure that out, together. Yes, Rufus has been a monumental idiot during this season. He’s said hurtful things and he’s retreated into himself and he’s been anything but a supportive partner for Jiya, and that’s not okay. But at the end of this episode we see him apologize and we see that he’s trying.
Even when he doesn’t know what to do or how long he gets to live, he’s trying. For Jiya. Because of her. And for someone like Jiya, someone who’s lost people she cares about, someone who just wants a chance to fight this battle by Rufus’ side, whatever the outcome might be, that’s everything.
Sometimes, it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. Jiya doesn’t want Rufus to die, of course, but she especially doesn’t want to lose Rufus while he’s alive. And considering who these two are, I’m sure they’ll figure out sooner, rather than later, that there’s no one more qualified to solve problems than the two of them.
They’re a team. A super team. And hey, if they could add one seat to the Lifeboat, I gotta believe they can do almost anything – including saving Rufus.
Especially because this is not a fight they need to face alone, oh no. They’ve got people behind them. They’ve got family. And that’s why they’re gonna win.
THE ‘I TOLD YOU SO’ MOMENT
Remember when I said Jessica had to have Rittenhouse connections? Remember when I said that? That it was all too perfect and it was highly unlikely, considering this is TV, that she was just a regular nice woman? Because I remember.
This is where I say I told you so.
Was it obvious back when I said it? Of course not. Unless you’ve watched a lot of TV, and then yes, it sort of was. Because there just isn’t any other believable arc to her story that packs a punch, advances the plot and has emotional ramifications for everyone.
Not on Timeless.
On another show, she could have been back just as an obstacle to Lyatt. But on a show with a secret, overreaching conspiracy, that we know was responsible for bringing her back, then this was always what was going to happen.
Except now the question is: what did happen?
There’s a picture of her on the Rittenhouse databases, yes. She looks hella evil in that picture, yes. Smart money’s on her being a sleeper agent that was just “activated” to come back into Wyatt’s life, but there are a couple other possibilities that fit. Either way, Rittenhouse likely doesn’t have that picture because they were trying to identify the woman they were gonna save, no.
I told you so.
Things I think I think:
- The “Previously on Timeless” have been RUTHLESS the past few episodes.
- “It was WE the people, not WE the white men citizens.” Preach.
- The first scene made me more emotional than any opening scene on Timeless has ever managed to.
- I’ve never wanted to slap anyone as much as I want to slap you right now, Rufus.
- And that includes this Wyatt, season 1 Flynn, Nicholas and even Carol Preston.
- Don’t you DARE put this on Jiya.
- I can’t even imagine what you’re going through, I really can’t. But your reaction leaves a little something to be desired, to say the least.
- “Look, when my dad died, there was no warning.” “Thanks for the warning, but I am not your dad.”
- You’re lucky Jiya isn’t the violent type.
- You don’t get how HUGE it is that she’s sharing this with you. You don’t get what you mean to her.
- My only question re: Flynn/Lucy is WHY DOES HE GET A ROOM BY HIMSELF AND RUFUS HAS TO SLEEP ON THE COUCH?
- She’s clearly just using him for the bed.
- *wink*
- Did you really think she went in there to sleep with him? Come ON.
- Also, of course Wyatt saw her come out of Flynn’s room. That was the whole point of this.
- Flynn’s sass is everything.
- Wyatt is way out of line, but we should all remember Flynn hasn’t exactly given him any reason to actually trust him and plenty of reasons not to.
- Both can be true at the same time.
- “If you have a problem I suggest you talk to Lucy about it. She’s perfectly capable of making her own choices.”
- FINE, FLYNN. FINE. I FORGIVE YOU FOR EVERYTHING.
- Also, am I the only one thinking he read the fanfic that was Lucy’s diary and is Lyatt’s #1 shipper? He always seems to be pushing them together.
- Emma and Nicholas will never not give me the creeps.
- I love it when our team doesn’t really get Rittenhouse’s motivations right the first time. It would be unbelievable if they always figured it out.
- “We’re the Beatles, we don’t need Yoko.”
- IT’S LIKE THEY’RE BROTHERS.
- AND THEY’RE FIGHTING
- AND MOM IS LIKE, WYATT, YOU GOTTA TAKE YOUR BROTHER WITH YOU. THAT’S JUST THE WAY IT IS.
- “Don’t forget to say goodbye to your wife.”
- Come on, do we think Wyatt was really having loud sex and Flynn didn’t take a dig at him? No. Freaking. Way.
- When they get to the hotel and hear the gunshot, Wyatt and Flynn run away. Next scene, the 4 of them are standing together. Tsk, tsk, tsk.
- “Sir, please control your wife.” Funny how since Jessica came back all the wife jokes involve Flynn.
- Wyatt must be THRILLED.
- Also, not the time for your sibling squabbles, Flynn and Wyatt. So not the time.
- You’re forcing every woman in your vicinity to act like your mother.
- “More than Beyonce?” Rufus asking the important questions.
- The fact that Flynn really has no problem working with Rufus, isn’t on the missions just to spend time with Lucy, reaffirms the idea that he’s …well, lonely.
- YOU SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT THINGS, RUFUS. YOU SHOULD BE.
- I went on a Grace Humiston spiral after this episode. You should too.
- I DON’T TAKE ROMANTIC DISPUTES, SHE SAID.
- YOU’RE TRYING TO GET CLOSE TO HER, SHE SAID.
- “Guess we’re supposed to be Watson?”
- Someone’s going to say “elementary” soon.
- “I’d rather earn my respect than grovel for it.” Sounds like a good line, but in reality, it can be a way of putting down other women who are doing the hard work. Protesting is not groveling.
- “She’s entitled to her point of view, Lucy.”/“Well, her point of view is wrong.”
- Lucy can still read you like an open book, Wyatt Logan.
- And you still don’t know when to keep your mouth shut.
- “Rebound? From what? Our one night relationship?” OH, BURN.
- “What I do and who I do it with is none of your damn business.” PREACH, GIRL. TELL HIM.
- Better to ask forgiveness than permission is such a Flynn thing to say.
- “Sometimes I think you’re normal then you say stuff like that and I remember, oh wait, no, he’s freaking nuts.”
- I didn’t know I needed Rufus/Flynn until this episode. I really didn’t.
- “Flynn it up, Flynn. Flynn it up!”
- That’s gonna be a catchphrase.
- “Great, it’s Emma. Yaaaay.” The delivery on this line, I swear to God. I laugh just thinking about it.
- Also, did Emma and Flynn have a thing? They had a thing, didn’t they. There’s a lot of flirting going on.
- I almost feel like Rufus needed to give them the room.
- “Did I hurt your little psycho feelings when I double crossed you?” HAHAHAHAHA.
- But seriously, SO MUCH SEXUAL TENSION.
- Sure, let’s let Jessica, the woman we KNOW Rittenhouse brought back from the dead, help us to look through a pile of Rittenhouse evidence.
- WE SO SMART.
- I really enjoy Rufus and Flynn whispering like schoolgirls, as Emma said.
- Also, Flynn is just delivering common sense left and right this episode.
- Don’t you just love how Lucy and Wyatt can still manage to work together, even with so much unsaid between them?
- “Speeches and marches don’t change the world. Never have, never will.” Oh, how very wrong you are, Grace.
- “Oh, my God. I suck at making friends.” Not anymore, Rufus. Not anymore. Time to trust your friends with what’s going on.
- One minute of Emma backstory, and bam, all of a sudden I like her. All of a sudden I care.
- This is a wonderful, brilliant show.
- “Great, now both my enemies have guns.”
- Also, Flynn, stop flirting, please.
- Me, when Lucy is talking to Grace:
- “I’m not gonna let you get hurt”/”Little late for that”
- FREAKING FINALLY.
- LET IT ALL OUT, GIRL.
- “You got the love of your life back, Wyatt, and I got the rug pulled out from under me, again. So I would really appreciate if you would stop acting like you were the one who got screwed.”
- But also, his face at the words ‘love of your life’ say everything.
- Does everyone know Carol Preston? Does everyone know about Carol Preston’s family issues, for that matter?
- Emma saving Lucy. Never thought I’d see the day.
- “The grandest, most honorable battle is the losing one. But you gotta keep fighting.”
- MASON, STOP MAKING ME LOVE YOU.
- Wyatt/Flynn teamup. I didn’t even know this is something I wanted, either.
- Rufus, my love, when Wyatt says stay back, he’s trying to protect you.
- LISTEN TO WYATT.
- So you don’t have to be saved by Flynn, of all people.
- Wyatt’s look of admiration is my favorite thing ever.
- The rest was elementary.
- “What happened to you?”/”Cops”
- Pulling no punches, are we Timeless?
- The whole thing with Jessica kissing Wyatt was weird, wasn’t it?
- Not as weird as him looking at Lucy while she kissed him, but weird nonetheless.
- “Who did you vote for in the last election?”/”Hillary Clinton.”
- NO punches, I swear.
- EVEN A TRUMP JOKE. AND A FUNNY ONE, AT THAT.
- Okay, Emma, do not trust Nicholas.
- You’re a smart girl. You probably know this already.
- I look forward to how this plays out.
- THAT’S JESSICA.
- I
- FREAKING
- KNEW
- IT
- Rufus and Jiya’s scene might be the most precious thing I’ve ever seen.
- Wyatt, you don’t get to comfort Lucy anymore. You just don’t. NOT LIKE BEFORE.
- “Lucy, I still care about you.I can’t make that disappear.”
- Cards on table.
- “Wyatt, you are married to a woman that you love. You are happily married. I have to accept that and you have to accept that.”
- If those words ever need to be uttered, it’s because they’re a lie, just saying.
- YOU’RE HAPPY, WYATT. ACCEPT IT.
- I’m rolling my eyes here.
- “You getting a second chance with Jessica, that’s the closest to a miracle that I’ve ever seen and there’s no way that I’m getting in the middle of that. That is not who I am.”
- But what about what he wants?
- Or, more importantly, as Jiya asked, what about what YOU want, Lucy?
- “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you are who you are.”
- FUCK YOU, WYATT. Don’t say the right thing now and give me feels.
- “You’re Lucy Preston. That’s pretty damn good.” He says, like she’s the best woman on the planet.
- Come on, dude. Do I need to draw you a map?
- He looks so sad as he walks away.
- She look so sad as he walks away.
- I’m over this shit, Timeless. FIX IT. NOW.
Timeless airs Sundays at 10/9c on NBC.