Is anyone still alive out there? Because I’m currently writing this article from my grave as days later I’m still grappling with the effects of Timeless’ season 2 finale delivered with brute force.
That is how you deliver a season finale. A season finale with a cliffhanger that isn’t simply shock value. There’s intention and a plan behind it. There are questions left unanswered. There’s a promise of so much more to come. There is so much more story left to be told.
Rufus isn’t dead. He’s just temporarily misplaced in time. Lyatt is endgame. Their journey is only just beginning. Jiya will not suffer for long. Rufus will be back, and she will find peace. Future Lucy and Wyatt are breathtaking. They’re about to change everything as we know it.
There are no words for the epicness of Timeless’ two-hour finale. It was emotional, thrilling, heart wrenching, frustrating, and far too short even for two hours. I refuse to believe that this is the last we see of Timeless. NB — Barry, if you’re listening — please don’t do anything stupid. You know you have to renew Timeless. Because if you don’t, it’ll cause pandemonium, and not the good kind. You know you have to renew Timeless. Because it’s the right thing to do. So anytime now, really. We’re ready.
Here are 18 moments from Timeless’ breathtaking two-part season 2 finale, “The General” and “Chinatown,” that we can’t stop talking about:
1. Greetings, Future Lucy & Wyatt!
*Enter Future Lucy and Wyatt looking like they walked straight out of Tomb Raider* “You guys wanna get Rufus back, or what?” Now THAT is how you cliffhanger. Everything changed in that moment. It was one of those literal jaw-dropping moments that is still talked about years later as the show evolves. You have to wonder what happened between Rufus dying *sob* in our time and the five(?) years it took for Future Lucy and Wyatt to find their way back to Our Lucy and Wyatt. They’ve finally found a way to go back into their own time! I am more than ready to bring my precious Rufus back to our timeline!
2. RUFUS IS NOT DEAD…HE’S JUST TEMPORARILY GONE.
Remember when I said I cried the hardest I ever had in 2×08? Well, obviously, Rufus’ death brought forth a surprising amount of sobbing and dry heaving and was the hardest scene I’ve had to watch on this show. These writers are good. Just when we thought Rufus was in the clear — after Jiya shot his “killer” — Rufus was hit by one of Emma’s bullets meant for Lucy. It raises the question that this show has asked for awhile: Is it fate or choice? Are some things just meant to be? Was Rufus meant to die? All I know is this: The Time Team will get him back. Screw fate. Rufus Carlin will live. #SaveRufus.
3. Wyatt Finally Admits His Feelings For Lucy: “I LOVE YOU.”
It’s been a rough ride for Lucy and Wyatt this season. But, as Prince Charming once said, “True love is worth fighting for.” This moment gives me hope for Lyatt. They’re not giving up on each other. They’re going to start over. They’re going to rebuild their relationship — and Wyatt is going to have to work long and hard to earn Lucy’s love back. And I really hope we get to see that. I love that Wyatt didn’t expect anything in return. That’s what I love about his character. He’s not the same old guy, even when he f**ks up exponentially. He needed to say it because Lucy deserved to hear it and he finally stopped lying to himself. The fact that this moment, while about Lucy and Wyatt, also managed to incorporate Rufus was so damn beautiful that after I realized it I broke down in tears again. This was Wyatt telling Lucy that he loved yes long after he should’ve. Just like Rufus had told him to back in the season premiere. Wherever Rufus is right now — he’s just temporarily missing — he’s smiling and saying, “It’s about damn time.”
4. Jiya Breaks Down About Rufus: “He’s alone and abandoned.”
While I sobbed my eyes until they were dry when Rufus died, I wasn’t prepared for the scene between Jiya and Mason that hurt almost just as bad as Rufus’ death. “He’s alone and abandoned. No one to identify him, no one to bury him, no one to grieve him.” This scene was so brilliantly acted by Claudia Doumit to the point where, for a moment, I forgot I was watching television. I felt her pain, I felt her despair, and I cried with her. Watching Jiya and Mason cry over losing Rufus, watching them embrace in their pain, and Jiya’s plea of: “I can’t lose you, too.” It was all too much to bear. It’ll be awhile before I can watch that again — and I’ll always cry watching it.
5. Lucy goes after Emma: “What do you do to someone who has taken everyone that you love?”
Lucy Preston is the strongest person that I’ve grown to know on this show after this season. She has endured heartbreak and tragedy and faced every obstacle with grace and dignity and didn’t manage to lose herself in the process. So the scene where she goes after Emma — ready to kill her — for killing Rufus and taking everything from her, it was so incredibly powerful. Lucy has lost a lot this season because of Emma: Her sister, her mother, Wyatt (to Jessica), and now Rufus. Lucy has every reason to kill this woman, and when she has the chance, she does pull the trigger. Only the gun is empty, which prompts a sensational fight between the two. But that moment where Lucy lets all of her rage and grief out…Abigail Spencer absolutely destroyed me.
6. Rufus Tries to Tell Jiya He Loves Her As He Dies.
Stab me in my f***ing heart, why don’t you? Riya has become my everything, and watching as that was taken from me as Rufus was taken from us was truly heartbreaking. But watching Rufus’ final moments — as Jiya and Wyatt held him and as Rufus tried to tell Jiya, one last time, that he loves her — I was a wreck. I couldn’t see through the tears. I couldn’t breathe through the tears. It took me a couple of times to watch the scene to really watch it because it was that level of emotion. Riya have stolen my heart this season, and it’s their love for each other and how they’re willing to sacrifice themselves for each other that gets me. Jiya was willing to stay in the past to save Rufus. Rufus was willing to die to make sure Jiya got home. MY EYES. THERE IS A BRANCH IN MY EYES.
7. Flynn Comforts Lucy After Fight With Emma & Rufus’ Death.
Sometimes we just need the comfort of someone who knows what we’re going through. Someone that doesn’t need to ask questions or fill the space with talking. That was what Flynn comforting Lucy was all about. I do not get a romantic sense in the slightest. We might be conditioned to view every male/female relationship that shows characters caring as romantic. But I have yet to get that vibe from Lucy and Flynn. But what I did get is this deep sense of care and concern from Flynn towards Lucy. These are two people that have both lost a great deal. Flynn lost his wife and daughter. Lucy lost her sister, her mom, and Rufus. Flynn, having read that journal and knowing that Lucy, feels connected through their shared loss. That moment isn’t about romance. It’s about their shared loss. Not everything has to be romantic.
8. Lucy Hugs Wyatt to Comfort Him.
It’s been a rough road for Lyatt this season, and this entire situation has left Wyatt in an impossible situation. He’s not the first one to make a mistake. He would not have been the first one to put his faith in his lost loved one. If Lucy would’ve gotten her sister back, she’d have done the same. If Flynn has gotten his wife and daughter back, he’d have done the same. Wyatt’s just the first to get the opportunity. I wouldn’t be surprised if Flynn gets his chance next season. With that said, I loved the hug that Lucy gave Wyatt before everything went to shit. It wasn’t meant to be romantic, but given everything that has transpired between them and the love they have for each other, it meant something. This was Lucy showing her support for Wyatt. This was Lucy showing that she still cares very deeply about Wyatt. And when Wyatt put his arms around her and pulled her closer, he was returning the sentiment.
9. Rufus & Jiya Reunited in the Past
There are no words to describe my Riya feelings this season, especially in this season finale, but I’m going to try my best. I appreciate how Rufus and Jiya were allowed to strengthen their relationship through ups and downs and realizations of what’s important in life. Knowing Jiya was stuck in the past for three years, her reunion with Rufus made me feel all the feelings. Rufus’ relief. Jiya’s relief coupled with fear that he would die — because she saw this happen before in her visions. But the way they embraced…they were home. They’re each other’s home. There was something really beautiful about how they both showed just how much they love each other. Jiya was willing to stay in the past — alone — in order to ensure that Rufus would go on living. She refused to even entertain the idea…until he came back. And Rufus, well, he sacrificed his life to ensure that Jiya was able to return home.
10. Harriet Tubman is a badass.
There have been so many amazing historical figures that have graced our screens on this beautiful show. I’ve loved getting to meet the strong women that have defined our history. And getting to meet and see Harriet Tubman in action was everything I could’ve wanted. The General was, as Rufus said, a badass that, more than most, deserved to get the happy ending we all wanted for her. But, as she tells Rufus: “My only desire is to live free. The rest will work itself out.” It’s the simple things in life we take for granted. It’s the simple things in life Harriet didn’t. It’s why we need this show on television to remind us about our past and remind us of everything we have and to cherish it.
11. Carol Chooses Rittenhouse Over Her Daughter.
I knew that TImeless would aim for a redemption arc for Carol. I just didn’t expect this. And, to be honest, I’m glad it played out the way it did. Up to this point, Carol remained loyal to one thing only: Rittenhouse. Even though she loved her daughter, I never doubted for a second that Carol would betray Lucy in their name. So it was fitting, as Carol was dying in Lucy’s arms, for her concern to be about Lucy and Rittenhouse. She assumes that if she’d raised Lucy as Rittenhouse, things would be the way they should’ve been. It would’ve been what is right. Even to her dying breath, Carol proved that she cared more about Rittenhouse than her own daughter.
12. Harriet Tubman has visions!
This was one of those Easter Eggs placed so beautifully in the story — even though it’s something we’ll never get to see pay off. As this episode focused on Jiya’s finding answers about her visions, we learned that Harriet Tubman herself got visions! But not just the spiritual ones people get in their dreams. She saw the Time Team coming. Okay. But, get this, she saw them coming out of a big silver ball. UM WHAT. I need to know more about these visions: How does someone like Harriet Tubman get them without time machines? I NEED ANSWERS.
13. Emma Kills Carol and Nicholas.
Emma is having none of anyone’s crap. She’s a villain with a purpose, and her purpose is to end the Time Team and carry out whatever she deems fit for Rittenhouse. She’s got time for nothing and nobody. She makes that clear as Carol prevented her from killing Lucy. She shot Carol several times. She makes that clear as Nicholas objects. She shoots Nicholas. Emma was having none. Of. It. So now she’s sorta the leader of Rittenhouse, which is a hell of a lot more terrifying than Nicholas leading things. Just saying.
14. Wyatt and Flynn Fight Side-by-Side.
Wyatt and Flynn do not like each other. Never have. Most likely never will. Things got especially tense this season once Jessica returned, and Flynn took every chance to remind Wyatt that Lucy isn’t his wife. Almost like Flynn was the older brother teasing his younger brother. While we saw the two finally have it out earlier in “Chinatown,” when it came down to protecting the team, they put their game faces on. They fought side-by-side as soldiers and allies to give their friends a chance to escape. You have to admire that when it comes down to the serious, they fall in line. No questions asked.
15. Jiya Gets the Most Out of Her Bed Sheet.
Jiya is a badass with a brain. She’s also a badass when it comes to escaping the villainous clutches of Rittenhouse with nothing other than a bed sheet. As Jiya was being held prisoner
by Rittenhouse and drugged, she managed to use her smarts and physical strength (go girl!) to fool a Rittenhouse worker into opening her door, strangling him with a bed sheet, and breaking his neck all as she escaped into the Lifeboat and away from Rittenhouse. JIYA IS THE BADASS.
16. Jessica Is Still Lying About Her Pregnancy.
Look, I don’t care what that Rittenbitch says. She’s not pregnant. And that’s not Wyatt’s baby. There’s no way she’s not lying. She was drinking alcohol shortly after kidnapping Jiya. She was using it manipulate Wyatt. But say, on the off chance she is pregnant, it’s not Wyatt’s. Not this Wyatt. Maybe the Wyatt she knew that wasn’t the Wyatt we know. But our Wyatt isn’t the father. Because math makes too much sense.
17. Wyatt Stays With Rufus As He’s Dying.
There’s no BROTP like Wyatt and Rufus. They’re brothers through and through. They’ve been through many troubles and come out stronger for it. So following their argument before Chinatown and after Rufus was shot and dying in the street, there was no way Wyatt could’ve left his side. While the Lyatt shipper in me wanted Wyatt to run after Lucy as she ran into danger, the Wyatt/Rufus in my loved it so very much that Wyatt didn’t leave his side. This is his best friend, and he was not going to leave him dying without him by his side.
18. CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE ENDING AGAIN?
As far as cliffhangers go, that’s about as EPIC as cliffhangers get. Where it’s the idea of the possibilities that can come from it more than the initial shock value of it. This is how good cliffhangers are done. I NEED ALL THE ANSWERS. I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GO ON LIVING WITHOUT MORE TIMELESS.
