Timeless Episode 6 (Season 2)
There are very few shows out there where I will say that an episode I didn’t particularly enjoy is still a great episode. Timeless is one of those shows and “The King of the Delta Blues” is that episode.
It does everything that Timeless does right – it keeps us on the edge of our seats from start to finish, it explores the various relationships with its characters allowing them to shift and grow, it introduces us to intriguing historical figures, and tosses in the mandatory dose of Lyatt angst. What it doesn’t do is stagnate the show.
The writers don’t do throwaway episodes like some other shows. Every episode has a direct effect on the over all plot of the series and that is one of the things that makes me love Timeless so much. This episode just didn’t resonate with me for some reason, but that doesn’t make it a bad episode. So let’s talk about the things that made it great.
Icarus Descending – Connor Mason Rising
For most of season 2 Connor Mason has been in the background and, aside from his ill-advised decision to speak at a tech seminar, we haven’t seen just how much recent events have affected him. That all changed with tonight’s episode, which is very Mason-centric.
Mason’s story this week starts with a bottle of the devil’s water. He’s having himself quite the little pity party over officially losing control of Mason Industries and his holdings. I had no sympathy for him, at least I didn’t at the beginning of the episode. He made his bed and now he’s dealing with the consequences of that and so is everyone else. By the end of the episode I understood Connor Mason better and my heart softened towards him. He made his own deal with the proverbial devil and he paid for it with everything he had. I wasn’t sure of it before but now I truly believe that Connor regrets the choices he made and is looking to make things right.
This mission was a good start for him. He was the one who knew Rittenhouse was targeting Robert Johnson and why. Even though he wasn’t keen to go along for the trip, once there he proved invaluable with his knowledge of Robert Johnson’s life and the history of blues music. He saved Rufus’ life. And it was Connor Mason who, after a really personal moment with Rufus which revealed more of their history together, saved history. This mission gave him purpose again. It gave him hope. A spark was lit in Connor Mason tonight and Rittenhouse won’t so easily distinguish it this time.
I love a good redemption arc.
The Best Offense is (Not Always) a Good Defense
Finally, FINALLY, we get to see the team take the fight to Rittenhouse on their turf. And, ironically, we have Carol to thank for it.
After their little parley, Denise decided it was time for the Time Team to make a move against Rittenhouse. Past time if you ask me but up until now they haven’t known where to strike. Thanks to the GPS tracking chip in Denise’s neck this is no longer the case and Wyatt goes on a one man intel mission where Denise was being held by Carol. He takes out the lone Rittenhouse agent there and Jiya uses the high-frequency access fob found on him to find the address for Rittenhouse’s base of operations. Denise makes the call, over Jiya’s protests, to send Wyatt in alone. He does a pretty nice job of taking out agent after agent until he comes face to face with mommy dearest. Then he hesitates.
Despite everything that Carol has done, she’s still Lucy’s mother and Wyatt can’t bring himself to pull the trigger. I can only imagine the inner war going on inside Wyatt’s soldier’s head over that decision. It was a matter of duty over feelings. The same choice that Wyatt had to make when he learned that Jessica was still alive, only this time he chose Lucy. (I’m taking that as foreshadowing)
Carol, Nicholas, and Emma manage to escape into the Mothership after Nicholas manages to set the place on fire. Still, between Flynn’s knowledge from Lucy’s journal and the possibility of salvaged intel from Rittenhouse’s base it appears as though the Time Team may finally be able to be a step ahead of the game.
Good job team!
Relationships
Romantic, platonic, familial, short-term, long-term, it doesn’t matter which kind it is they are messy. They are messy, and complicated, and the foundation on which we all build our lives. We would be nothing if it weren’t for our relationships and one thing that Timeless does best is portray relationships. I want to talk about two in regards to this episode. One of them is NOT Wyatt and Jessica. Nope, not happening. Not this week. Despite it seeming like things are going well for them.
Let’s talk about Riya instead. Riya is on unsteady waters. Rufus made it clear that he wants nothing to do with the visions that Jiya has been having. It may have been said in guilt over the man in Salem but it still pushed her away. What Jiya needs more than anything right now is a shoulder to lean on. Rufus needs to be that shoulder. He should be encouraging her to talk to him about these visions and he should be helping her through this. He most certainly should not be asking her to keep everything to herself. And I am still so mad at him for this. After the revelation of her latest vision I’m hoping these two can start working past the wedge the visions have put between them.
If what Jiya saw is real our team is going to have to be more united than ever to change what’s coming.
Are Everything
Next up, Flucy. I don’t, as others do, see Flucy being set up to replace Lyatt. I don’t see anything romantic between Flynn and Lucy at all. They have chemistry sure, but chemistry doesn’t immediately equal romance. If that were the case then Lucy, Wyatt, and Rufus would have been in some weird threeway relationship from the beginning. (I’m sure there’s fanfic for that.) It’s as simple as Flynn explained to Lucy in that hotel. He feels as through he knows her from reading that journal. As Lucy pointed out he doesn’t really, so he wants to get to know her. He admires the Lucy from the journal and he’s starting to admire the Lucy from life.
Then there is the fact that both of them have lost family because of Rittenhouse. That creates an understanding and kinship that the rest of the team can’t relate to, of course they are going to gravitate to each other. Of course Flynn is going to feel a level of protectiveness over Lucy.
I absolutely loved the Flucy scenes this episode, they were easily my favourite moments.
A Line in the Sand
Did you really think I would talk about relationships in Timeless and not bring up Lyatt? You don’t know me all that well if you did.
With Lucy back in 1936 and Wyatt in present time we didn’t get a lot of Lyatt interaction this week but what we did get was HUGE. I’m not talking about the brief morning scene outside the bathroom. I am talking about the end of the episode. I’m talking about when Wyatt tells her about his mission then asks her about hers and she basically blows him off. Wyatt tries to joke about keeping Flynn on a short leash and Lucy shuts him down. Flynn has been there for her when Wyatt hasn’t and she’s making that clear. And she’s not letting him forget that she isn’t his priority anymore. His wife is alive and in the bunker, he doesn’t get to keep Jessica waiting and worrying because he’s chatting with Lucy. He made his choice and, like Connor Mason, he now as to live with it.
Lucy drew a line in the sand tonight. Thankfully those lines can be easily erased and from the look on Wyatt’s face as he watched her walk away he’s starting to realize just what it is he’s lost.
The Time Team
This is the second time we’ve seen the team travel without Wyatt and I have to admit, as much as I love my original trio, this is the second time I haven’t missed him. Flynn fills the Wyatt hole well and it’s a good thing that the team is still able to function when separated. That being said I do hope to see the Lucy-Wyatt-Rufus team back in action together. It was their immediate chemistry at the very beginning that made Timeless what it is. Though with Jiya and Rufus succeeding in reprograming the Lifeboat to safely seat four passengers it’s likely to be Lucy-Wyatt-Rufus-Flynn from now on. Won’t that be interesting?! I, for one, cannot wait!
I review the new episode of Timeless each week so don’t forget to follow So Many Shows on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates and other great content! Previous reviews can be found here! I can be found on Twitter @brynnxox
Thanks for reading!
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