Timeless Episode 5 – The Kennedy Curse
I LOVE THIS EPISODE!!
I don’t know about the rest of you, but the thought has been in the back of my mind since season 1: What would happen if, instead of our heroes travelling back in history, the history traveled to their time. Timeless did just that this week with “The Kennedy Curse” and it worked! It worked so damn well!
Put That Thing Back Where It Came From (Or So Help Me)
We start off at a boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut on September 17, 1934 where we see a Rittenhouse agent disguised as a teacher taking a shot at a student. They don’t come right out and say who the student is, but if you know your JFK history, you probably figured out it was the young future president. Lucy confirms his identity when Wyatt and Rufus show up at the bunker with the young man in tow. Flynn being left behind to deal with the sleepers. Lucy was left at the bunker because of the injury she received in Salem. The plan is to recharge the Lifeboat and then take John back to his time and pick up Flynn. (Yes Rufus you do have to pick him up.)
Oh the best laid plans.
Things go from bad to worse when John makes a run for it. And really, can you blame the kid? I’d run too in his shoes. The team is in a panic to find him before Rittenhouse does. A world where JFK does not become the 35th President of the United States of America is a bleak world. (Thanks for the reminder Lucy.) We’ve seen our team tackle some pretty high stakes but none, I think, higher than this.
New Dynamics
We knew with the addition of Flynn at the bunker that things would change, but with the addition of Jessica they haven’t just changed – they’ve done a complete 180. The easy and seamless camaraderie between everyone has become strained and awkward – especially between Lucy and Wyatt. They keep falling back to how they were before only to suddenly remember that things are very different now and then having to readjust. Jessica isn’t helping at all. She is trying hard to fit in and help, but doesn’t realize that she’s just making things more awkward and off-balance.
Unless my ‘Jessica is Rittenhouse’ theory turns out to be correct… In which case she knows exactly what she’s doing and she’s doing it on purpose. Bitch.
Knowledge is Power
Alone in the modern world, young John wants to get as far way from where he’s at as he can. Using his infamous Kennedy charm he hitches a ride with 3 friends on their way to Palo Alto. He ends up connecting with one of them, Kayla, enough to tell her the truth of what’s going on. Like any normal person Kayla doesn’t believe him, but she doesn’t brush him off completely either. She takes him to a party at her place where they bond more over books. Then comes the part that made me go “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?” She pulls up JFK’s wiki page and tells John about the Kennedy Curse.
So here we have JFK learning all about how his eldest brother is killed in WWII, how his sister is killed in a plane crash, and how his brother Bobby and himself end up assassinated. Innocent enough information to Kayla who lives in a world where all of that happened decades ago, but damning to John who lives in a world decades away from it happening. I was freaking out at this. Knowing what was to come could change EVERYTHING once John ends up back home. Armed with the knowledge of fate wouldn’t you do anything you could to change it?
I think John may have tried if it hadn’t been for Kayla. Lucy may have been the one to tell him he becomes one of the greatest Presidents in history, but it was Kayla who gave him hope for the future. While he heeds Rufus’ warning to not go to Dallas on November 22nd, 1963 he seems to let everything else play out as it was meant to, preserving the future he experienced. Kayla’s future. (Yeah okay fine. I may have shipped the two of them a little bit.)
A round of applause please for Grant Jordan and his phenomenal portrayal of young JFK. He captured Kennedy’s charm and the vulnerability of a young boy alone in a strange place perfectly.
Fate vs Free Will
Jiya saw Rufus shooting a man in Salem. Rufus makes the decision not to pull the trigger but the man still dies. Rufus tells John not to go to Dallas. John goes to Austin and still ends up getting shot in the head. History doesn’t change as easily as we want it to. It seems that some things are meant to happen no matter what choices we make. Cornerstones of history so to speak. I love that Timeless is toying with this concept and it makes me wonder what it means for Rittenhouse’s plans.
Continue reading on page 2…
Emma
Okay… that fight in the hospital with Wyatt? Let’s talk about it for a moment. Wyatt is United States military trained and Emma not only held her own against him but seemed to have the upper hand a few times. It makes me wonder about her personal history. She’s obviously been trained, but was it by Rittenhouse in preparation for her role in the organization? Or did Rittenhouse recruit her because of her training? She started out at Mason Industries, is that where they found her? Or did they place her there? Where the hell does Emma come from? Who exactly is she and what’s in it for her if Rittenhouse succeeds? So many questions about her that I suddenly need answers to.
Maybe the most pressing one being… girl, where do you get your shoes?!
A Mother’s Love
Carol earned a few points this episode. Of course she lost them all and then some when she threatened Agent Christopher, but still she proved that she does care about her daughter. She doesn’t know or understand her daughter but she still wants to protect her. She’s not willing to turn on Rittenhouse to do it, not yet, and while she’s not she has to look to someone else to pick up her slack.
The side story this episode with Denise and Carol was small when compared to the episode itself but HUGE when compared to the season as a whole. This is set up people. And it’s done subtly and beautifully. I’m now completely sure that something is going to happen that will cause Carol to turn on Rittenhouse to save Lucy.
This storyline also served to remind us of something important that we have neglected to think about.
Denise is a mother with children to protect as well.
All The Feels!!
Lucy, my poor Lucy. You are breaking my heart girl! What’s left of it from last week at least. She’s so quick to tell Jiya that she didn’t know Jessica was still alive when her and Wyatt had their night in Hollywood. We know that and like Jiya we aren’t judging you sweetie. There was absolutely no way for you to know that Rittenhouse had decided to screw things up for you like this. You don’t need to feel guilty about what happened with Wyatt, or the fact that you’re in love with him despite him still being married. But you are Lucy, and you wouldn’t be the Lucy we’ve all come to love if you didn’t.
I wanted to grab Lucy by the shoulders and shake her at the hospital after Jessica realizes that there had been something happening between her and Wyatt. Not because I was frustrated she didn’t just let Jessica walk away (okay, maybe that’s a small part of the reason.) The big reason though was that Lucy didn’t seem to see the parallels between herself and Jessica as she’s telling her everything that Wyatt did for her.
“He risked his job, his freedom, everything because he never stopped loving you.”
Lucy, Wyatt spent weeks worrying about you while you were held by your mother and Rittenhouse. Wyatt never gave up hope that you were alive. Lucy, Wyatt tried to break out of the bunker to go look for you. Wyatt was willing to be court martialed if it meant saving you. Lucy, don’t you see? Wyatt is in love with you.
Blooming Friendship
Dear, sweet, self-sacrificing Lucy’s speech to Jessica does the trick. Jessica is staying and giving Wyatt a second chance. We should be happy for Wyatt. This is what he wanted, right? But my heart is too broken for Lucy. She looks to defeated as she sits alone and watches an old movie. Flynn, who overheard (or eavesdropped intentionally on) Lucy and Wyatt’s conversation outside the bathroom offers her what comfort he can. Not in words but just in his presence, letting her know she doesn’t have to be alone. It’s not just a beer he offers her in that final scene, but his friendship and support as well.
He’s read the journal that future Lucy gave to him. He knows what happens between Lucy and Wyatt. He also knows that he can’t tell her, so for now he’ll settle for just being there for her. I do truly believe that Flynn cares about Lucy. Not romantically but definitely platonicaly.
Lyatt
Lyatt is on a journey. Part of that journey is Wyatt accepting that while he may still love Jessica he is no longer in love with her and the marriage he idealized after she died never existed. Wyatt’s journey is one of letting go. Lucy’s journey on the other hand is one of hanging on. She’s going to need to accept that she’s allowed to be happy and to fight for that happiness.
Watching Lucy and Wyatt try and navigate a post-Hollywood and back from the dead wife friendship is hard. Hard because you know these two are meant to be together and hard because of how awkward things are now. I miss the old Lucy and Wyatt partnership, I miss how easy and natural they were together. Lyatt is ultimately end game and that Jessica is just a hurdle they need to get over to get there. I know that – but I also know that even when they finally do get there things won’t be the same.
It Only Gets Better…
Be sure to tune into Timeless next week when our team crosses paths with Robert Johnson. Get it? Crosses paths – crossroads. Because Robert Johnson supposedly made a deal with the Devil at the crossroads? Whatever. I think I’m funny.
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