Round Two: Timeless

Timeless: Season 1, Episode 2 “The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln” (B+)

Yeah, I like this show. After starting with the Hindenburg last week, the assassination of one of America’s most beloved president seems like the next big historical site to spotlight. The show opening with a recreation of the events as we know they happened was effective, and it took a fair amount of time before our three heroes figured out exactly what Flynn had gone back to do. Successfully pulling off all four planned assassinations would definitely have changed history, and I’m actually sort of hoping that this show is brave enough to have its protagonists failed to save the idea and rewrite things back to the same way they’re supposed to be one time, since I think it would be exciting – or terrifying – to see how things turned out instead. At this point, there are just small tweaks being made, mainly to Lucy’s life, with the reintroduction of her fiancé, but someone she doesn’t actually know. Preserving part of the present that they knew is interesting, especially as it informs Lucy that her father was never actually her father, and obviously this shady Rittenhouse business guides the whole operation no matter what happened in the past. The flashbacks continue to be fun, with Lucy meeting Robert Todd Lincoln – and Booth – and ending up as Robert’s date to the fateful play where, in this new reality, Flynn was the one who killed Lincoln. Rufus nearly getting attacked by the black soldiers was another instance of him nearly getting into a dangerous spot and then easily escaping it, and I far prefer the sense of wonder and excitement that they got when they arrived in 1865. Their discussions about people being destined to die are very intriguing, and I’m eager for the next adventure.