‘Timeless’ S2 Ep 6 review: Are the writers trying to kill us?

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HOLY BLEEP!!!

‘Timeless’ is not playing. Eric Kripke and Shawn Ryan are pulling out all the stops to keep Clockblockers on the edge of our seats. Season 2 has been absolutely brilliant because it is so very well crafted. There is no need to question the writers. It is clear that they have carefully planned this season’s narrative and it is going to ramp up to mindblowing revelations and a killer season finale.

We are only half way into the season and we are already dying from feels and fears. So far, every episode has done a fantastic job of giving us insights into specific characters- their histories, dilemmas, insecurities, evolutions, etc. It has been supremely satisfying to learn more about the characters we’ve grown to love (and in some cases hate).

How Connor Got His Groove Back

In “The King of the Delta Blues,” Connor Mason gets his time to shine. He’s had it really rough this season and hits rock bottom when he reads the latest headline featuring his descent from glory. What’s a guy to do when he’s feeling blue? He gets lit!

Let’s just take a moment to give Paterson Joseph a big round of applause because he mastered the full spectrum of emotions throughout the course of this episode. Drunk Connor is hilarious, a little sad, and still so very eloquent. The Time Team has been hard on him for getting rusty over the years, but he is still as sharp as a tac.

When everyone is at a loss about Rittenhouse’s destination, Connor is the only person to see through their scheme. Yet, they still doubt him.

Until Lucy backs him up. Turns out that Blues and Rock n’ Roll changed the course of history. They gave us more than just Elvis Presley (I’d love an Elvis episode!). For example, their music paved the way for the civil rights movement. #TheMoreYouKnow

Since Connor is the resident expert on Robert Johnson, he should occupy the brand new fourth seat on the Lifeboat! I love how Flynn snapped about having more seats in one episode and then Riya has whipped up the solution by the next episode. BAM! Problem solved and they’re ready to roll. Well, not everyone is ready…

The gang is shocked to hear that Connor has never tested his own creation. Although, we had our suspicions. You’d think he would’ve mentioned his time traveling experience by now, even if it was just a quick passing reference. Flynn seems the most peeved about it, which is extra interesting because he pushed his way into this world, whereas Rufus, Wyatt, and Lucy were recruited. They know it’s dangerous, Connor, that’s why they were timid on their first trip to the past.

The Time Team knows the drill, so they stand back and wait as Connor excitedly pontificates before uncontrollably hurling. Again, great juxtaposition of the clever Connor who created this marvel and the rookie who can’t handle the ride. The look on Joseph’s face is priceless!

Despite totally fanboying out, Connor doesn’t miss a beat in the past. He rises to every occasion, keeps the mission on track, impressively bonds with Robert Johnson and gains the icon’s trust.

Alias? Check.

Blend in with the crowd? You bet! Love the way he wowed Bessie and ordered a round of drinks for the bar (where’d he get the money to do that?). Go get it, Connor!

Then he faced the ultimate time traveling challenge: taking a life. Wyatt and Flynn are used to being soldiers in the field. Lucy and Rufus have done what’s been sadly necessary to protect history. Now it is Connor’s turn to officially join the club.

OMG indeed. Very sneaky to make us think it was Flynn since he’s the one who always bursts in guns blazing. We were in for a shocker. From his expression, Connor was stunned too. But he had to protect his friends and take out the Rittenhouse sleeper agent before she destroyed everything.

After all of that, Connor doubts himself. Can he step in for Don Law and record Robert Johnson’s groundbreaking performance?  He’s just a fanboy. What does he know?

Rufus sets him straight in one of the best scenes (and there were a lot) of the episode. When we hear the story of how Connor went out of his way to check on his young fanboy/protege, we understand how profound their relationship truly is.

Add Malcolm Barrett’s commentary and…Pass the tissues, please! There is so much love and respect between Rufus and Connor. We’ve seen it throughout the series, but the episode shines a brighter light on it. You can tell that Connor will never forget it. Especially when he thanks Rufus again after they return home. ‘Timeless’ has a new bromance and it is the best of its kind.

Hearing his “Yeah!” and seeing his pseudonym on Robert Johnson’s record seals the deal. Connor Mason has officially got his groove back. Rittenhouse better watch out because we know Connor is going to come up with an ingenious way to help take them down.

Wyatt Can’t Have His Cake and Eat It Too

Our beloved soldier boy is making all kinds of mistakes. For shame, Wyatt. FOR. SHAME. Don’t want to rag on him, but we’ve got to call him out on his crap. So here we go:

Do NOT giggle about banging your wife when Lucy is clearly hurting and within earshot. That is rude, immature, and insensitive. Seriously, dude!

We know Wyatt is a badass. He pulls some super smooth moves out in the field. Agent Christopher trusts him to handle this very important Rittenhouse recon mission. He couldn’t have seen Keynes’ rouse coming, so we don’t blame him for that. BUT Wyatt lets Carol get away with Keynes. Okay, so he didn’t have to kill Lucy’s mom. However, that was Agent Christopher’s order and a soldier is supposed to follow orders. Couldn’t he at least tried taking her captive? Hold her somewhere for questioning? Try to turn her into a double agent? Instead, he stared at her. Get your head out of your butt, Wyatt!

The grand piece de resistance is this gut-wrenching Lyatt moment (which I’ve condensed). Extra kudos to Abigail Spencer and Matt Lanter for their work in this scene. You can cut the tension with a knife!

Wyatt Eying FlynnBe with JessicaDenied

Wyatt shoots a jealous and suspicious glare at Flynn, who has done nothing but watch Lucy’s back (more on that next). Rude! Then he wants to hear all the time jump details from Lucy because he’s feeling left out and still wants to be part of her life as if nothing has changed.

So proud of Lucy for standing her ground here! Wyatt can’t be with Jessica and hold onto Lucy as his Plan B just in case his wife disappears or dies again. That is not fair to Lucy. The bravest and the best thing she could do at that moment is walk away.

Examine the look on both of their faces in that last shot. Wyatt is surprised and worried, whereas Lucy seems less conflicted. She’s sure of herself and what she needs to do to cope with this. At least in this specific moment. Wyatt is the one who needs to sort things out. Either he wants to be with Jessica or Lucy. But he sure as hell can’t have them both.

More Flynnanigans Please

Flynn wink

Garcia Flynn is freaking awesome! Goran Visnjic’s charisma aside, his character gets better with each episode. We see the layers peel back to reveal the softy hiding behind the snappy sarcasm.

We’ve have seen, time and again, how Flynn is watching out for Lucy this season. He’s got her back on the field and tries protecting her heart when it comes to Wyatt. He even cracks jokes to put her more at ease:

If Flynn is MESSY, then he’s the kind of mess that people want to get caught up in. He comes through for the Time Team every time. Plus, he is sort of becoming Lucy’s personal guardian angel. He literally swoops in to save her at the last second.

This is turning into a pattern, people! Not that Lucy can’t handle herself. She’s a kickass lady. It’s just really nice to know that he exerts extra effort in keeping her safe.

Now, Flynn doubters could argue that he’s playing nice to get the journal. Even in one of Flucy/Garcy’s sweetest moments yet, he sets her up for a dose of feels.

The song, the vodka, and the future adventures that await them are all listed in her journal. Flynn admits that he’s studied it carefully. How many hours did he hang on every word she wrote? Did he start falling in love with this mysterious woman from the future? Or did he just gain more respect for her? After all, his takeaway from the book is that she’s very “impressive” and he wants to make sure Lucy knows that.

Just to clarify, when I talk about Flucy/Garcy it does not automatically mean that I romantically ship them over Lyatt. Yes, I’m a sucker for Flynn. But when I talk about a ship, it covers a broad spectrum of relationships. Right now, I’m really enjoying the current camaraderie between Lucy and Flynn. Also, I think what Flynn says here shows us where is heart is:

He still loves his wife and daughter. He wants them back just as much as Lucy wants Amy back. So when this happens…

I highly doubt that Lucy is turning to Flynn for a booty call. Maybe we’ll find out that they have a long and buzzed chat about the journal. Perhaps the next episode will open with what is going on behind their closed bunker door. (At least I really hope so!)

Look at their expressions closely. She is not giving him bedroom eyes. He almost looks like he expected her to show up. Also, I don’t think she could stand a night on the couch listening to Wyatt and Jessica’s bedroom play.

I say, “Cheers to Flucy/Garcy!” May this be this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Jiya Saw WHAT?!?

Barrett warned fans that things were going to get increasingly intense between Jiya and Rufus as her premonitions persisted. He clearly doesn’t want to hear about any of them, but this is one vision Jiya cannot keep to herself.

It is very interesting and even telling that she is so deeply connected to Rufus that she only sees his “future.” To be honest it was cool and fascinating until Jiya shared her latest premonition:

NOPE! Rufus can’t die! What’s with the flashes she saw too??? The ocean, cowboys, the West, Rufus dying?!?

According to IMDB the final two episode titles are “The General” and “Chinatown.” The roster lists Harriet Tubman among the historical figures the Time Team encounters in “The General”. Unfortunately, the finale’s list is still vague. I’ll leave it to you super sleuths to start putting the puzzle together.

For now, allow me to express how we all undoubtedly feel:

Im-in-a-glass-case-of-emotion

Deal with the Devil

Once again, I commend Anslem Richardson and all of the writers for their nuanced work this season. Connor related to Robert because both men have experienced greatness and devastation. Given how the episode ends, we see even more parallels between their stories. 

Robert explains how he’s been widowed twice already at such a young age. He’s suffered losses and they seem to have come at the expense of his talent. We fear Connor may suffer a similar fate.

He has lost his company, co-workers, reputation, etc. all because of his creation. Now, Rufus’ life is on the line. If anything happens to him, Connor will surely blame himself. We always knew they had a special relationship, but this episode made it crystal clear. Rufus and Connor are like family.

Meeting Robert Johnson may have helped Connor get his groove back, but I don’t think he could ever recover from losing Rufus. Which begs the question:

In building a time machine and producing the means to alter history, did Connor Mason make his own deal with the Devil?

From what we’ve witnessed, Rittenhouse is Evil. Without a time machine, they never would have been able to mess with history and enforce their insane beliefs.

Sigh. My head and heart hurt, Clockblockers. This was a very loaded episode. It truly had it all and now we’re left trying to sort it all out.

How are you feeling? Do you have any theories? Care to provide your opinions on anything I mentioned above? Please share your thoughts. We have a lot to process and discuss before the next episode.

‘Timeless’ S2 Ep 7 advance review: Lucy and Emma find themselves on the same side in ‘Mrs. Sherlock Holmes’

REMINDER: HUMP DAY HAPPY HOUR EVERY WEDNESDAY

Please join me for Happy Hour Wednesdays at 2 -3 p.m. and/or 4 – 5 p.m. PST (time subject to change, let me know if you have any preferences) on my Facebook page (@TalkTVwithTiffany) for a live chat about the latest ‘Timeless’ episode and more.

No worries if you don’t have a Facebook profile. You can still watch the video on my page and tweet along using #TiffsHappyHour. I’ll track your tweets and address them during the live chat.

Hope to see you there!

 

‘Timeless’ airs Sundays at 10 p.m. on NBC.

 

 

Published by Tiffany Tchobanian

I have an insatiable passion for TV, Film, Music & Entertainment news (which is really a fancy way of saying I'm a TV addicted couch potato). I'm currently a National Examiner for "Galavant," "Once Upon A Time," "Saving Hope," and "Sleepy Hollow" on Examiner.com. I provide detailed, thoughtful, witty, and occasionally saucy recaps/reviews, as well as some fun and interesting interviews. You'll frequently see me tweeting away about my favorite shows. If you love chatting about TV as much I do, then join the fun and Talk TV with Tiffany!

One thought on “‘Timeless’ S2 Ep 6 review: Are the writers trying to kill us?”

  1. Pingback: ‘Timeless’ S2 Ep 7 advance review: Lucy and Emma find themselves on the same side in ‘Mrs. Sherlock Holmes’ – Talk TV with Tiffany

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