The Time Team goes up against a Rittenhouse agent who has spent 15 years in the past

In NBC’s Timeless 2×03, the Time Team gets a notification that the Mothership has jumped to 1941 near Los Angeles. Lucy (Abigail Spencer) is unable to guess why Rittenhouse would travel to L.A. during World War II, so they turn to the Rittenhouse expert, Flynn (Goran Višnjić). Denise (Sakina Jaffrey) proceeds with caution while Lucy makes a rather large promise to get Flynn out of prison. Jiya (Claudia Doumit) continues to have seizures and Denise sets up a doctor’s appointment with a specialist. Connor (Paterson Joseph) warns Denise what happened to other pilots that traveled with too many people — and it didn’t end well.

RELATED | Timeless Roundtable 2×02 “The Darlington 500”

In 1941, Wyatt (Matt Lanter), Rufus (Malcolm Barrett), and Lucy go undercover in Hollywood to try to find Rittenhouse’s sleeper agent. They get the help of brilliant inventor Hedy Lamarr (Alyssa Sutherland) who created frequency hopping which was later the foundation for Wi-Fi. The team catches on to the Rittenhouse agent when they hear of a unique movie idea called Jurassic Park — Rittenhouse doesn’t seem to know the concept of laying low! The team continues piecing together what Rittenhouse is planning in old Hollywood, while Wyatt and Lucy’s relationship moves past friendship. They finally get together this episode and even Rufus is happily surprised when he walks in on them the next day. And they still have to focus on their mission to prevent Rittenhouse from changing history!

Here to discuss Wyatt and Lucy getting together, thoughts on Jiya’s medical condition, and reactions to that cliffhanger is our roundtable:

Kalena (@kalenahenden) – fantasy/sci-fi fangirl, time travel junkie, moderator of RittenhouseTL, and keeper of Where To Watch Timeless Worldwide Masterlist.

Micheale (@highlandgirl65) – Mom, grad student, writer, and sci-fi/fantasy geek.

Mark (@RenewTimeless) – husband, dad, businessman, and fanboy.

Robin (@robinrobinson24) – Concert-going, road-trippin’ mountain mama, Timeless fanatic.

Amie (@TheForceFangirl) – proud Jedi-Cat lady who thinks way too much about fictional characters.

1. Timeless always gives a nod to pop culture references and they were abundant this episode. What has been your favorite pop culture reference to date?

Kalena (@kalenahenden): In the Bonnie and Clyde episode, when Rufus used Wesley Snipes as his alias, I was just not expecting that. Even funnier was Flynn insisting that Rufus was not Wesley Snipes but had no proof to back up that claim.

Micheale (@highlandgirl65): There have been so many great pop culture references since the pilot, it’s hard for me to pick just one. I do think Rufus’ “poem” referencing The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was hilarious, I also really liked his comment last week about Wendell Scott being like a real-life Han Solo. Let’s face it, Malcolm Barrett has the greatest lines, like last season’s “We’re totally the Untouchables.” And then there have been the Back to the Future references and Wyatt fanboying over Ian Fleming and referencing the movie Never Say Never Again. I just love that the writers are such fans themselves!

Mark (@RenewTimeless): I loved the reference to Hamilton when Rufus, as Langston Hughes, pitches the idea of a musical about Hamilton to the president of Paramount Studios who, of course, flatly rejects it!

Robin (@robinrobinson24): The Reference to “fake news” and it really being “fake news” by Rittenhouse’s’ hand and how they could change history. “Whoever controls information controls everything” was a powerful line with truth behind it. In today’s society, we see how news, real or fake sways public opinion. If Rittenhouse was able to rewrite history to their narrative who knows what the world would look like to the Time Team.

Amie (@TheForceFangirl): I have to admit, the Fresh Prince reference in this episode has been my favorite so far in the series. Rufus turning Fresh Prince into a poem was perfection. His comedic timing is on point! If I had been in Hedy’s place I probably would have believed him because he sold it.

2. Jiya was hiding her visions from Denise out of fear that her condition was terminal. Why do you think the side effects of too many people in the Lifeboat are beneficial to some (like Jiya) but harmful to others?

Kalena: Though it is possible that other things harmed the previous pilots, it is just as likely they are the exact thing that has happened to Jiya. The peak physical health may be time’s way of helping the affected endure the visions. The brain aneurysm may have been caused by ‘mind over matter’ eventually affecting the body negatively. It’s also possibly the schizophrenia has been misdiagnosed and this person is seeing time visions often with no one who understands what they really are.

Micheale: I really wish I had a good answer for why Jiya has benefitted from being the fourth person in the Lifeboat, but I’m thrilled that her health is great! I’m also so relieved that she finally had to tell Agent Christopher and Connor about her seizures and visions.

Mark: Perhaps the side effect is somehow related to each person interacting temporarily with alternative timelines when they went through the wormhole. The two people who were negatively affected were unlucky enough to interact with alternative timelines that led to them having the diseases in question. Jiya was fortunate to interact with a timeline where she did not have her heart murmur. As for the visions, it’s possible that was a manifestation that all three suffered (we never heard that the other two didn’t have visions as well, we only heard about their illnesses).

Robin: I’m not totally convinced that Jiya is ok. When she told Denise and Connor she was healthy as ever and her heart condition was gone, she asked, “What the hell happened to me in the Lifeboat?” If there was nothing wrong, why does she keep passing out and having visions? As the season continues we will see how she is affected physically and mentally.

Amie: I don’t think we have seen the entirety of the effects the time travel had on Jiya. She may be in tip-top shape from it right now, but with phenomena like this in sci-fi, the person affected often experiences a very high-high of power or strength or ability before they lose control of their abilities or life-threatening side effects emerge. Think John Travolta in Phenomenon or Jean Grey in X-Men. I’m taking the pessimistic route and I think Jiya is still in a lot of danger from the effects of her time travel.

3. The Time Team is slowly pushing boundaries on not changing history; they’re actually trying to improve history, or at least the lives of the people they interact with like Rufus did with Hedy regarding her patent. What scenarios in history do you hope they’ll improve upon this season?

Kalena: Anytime they can help combat prejudice and improve social and working conditions, I’m for it. Factory workers and child labor would be interesting things to tackle.

Micheale: Two of the time periods the team will visit this season, the Women’s Suffrage Movement in the late 1800’s-early 1900’s and Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad will be important to Lucy and Rufus. I would really like to see the team do something to help both these scenarios.There’s such potential for positive change, like Hedy Lamarr heeding Rufus’ advice and becoming a world-renowned scientist, instead of just a Hollywood starlet.

Mark: We know from promos that an upcoming episode features a young JFK. Part of me hopes that the Time Team would somehow steer JFK towards a different future where he is not assassinated. Then another part of me would be worried that changing the timeline in such a significant way might cause ripple effects leading to outcomes far worse than JFK’s assassination itself. Scenarios I would feel somewhat safer about changing would be ones where a single unambiguously positive event was made to happen earlier in history than it did such women getting the vote, desegregation, and vaccines for fatal diseases such as smallpox.

Robin: One time period that I think they could have an impact on would be in the 60s and the Civil Rights Movement. Rufus has had to deal with this issue in so many time periods they have gone to. It would be great if they had an impact on this period. Understanding that this is a hot topic in present-day maybe the Time Team could bring more light to it with other influential people in the 60s.

Amie: It’s very hard to say what I’d like them to fix about history because the repercussions could have more negative than positive. Truthfully, I would not want the responsibility they have. But I think it would be cool to see them try to improve history.

4. We have to talk Lyatt. They finally got together on their mission to 1941 Hollywood. What was your reaction to the Lyatt ship sailing?

Kalena: YES! Even Hedy Lamarr could see the ‘lovebirds’ chemistry. Their honest poolside conversation delving into their high school history, mutual physical attraction, shared despair, and growing bond was the perfect precursor to consummating their love. There is not enough freaking out I can do to convey how delighted I am!

Micheale: OMG! I had such a hard time tweeting during the scenes from Lucy singing until Rufus walked in on she and Wyatt the next morning! I rewatched the episode this morning just so I could savor every second, the longing looks, the passionate kisses, waking up together. Lucy and Wyatt deserved this and it was so well written (thank you Matt Whitney!) and the scenes were gorgeous. I’m interested to see how their relationship grows and withstands the return of Jessica.

Mark: The portrayal of how Lucy and Wyatt finally acted upon their feelings for each other in this episode was done in extremely classy fashion in my opinion. It may have been too long of a wait for some Timeless fans but in some ways the time taken made it even more powerful when it happened. The relationship between Lucy and Wyatt as written had been heating up for some time. Add to that the effortless on-screen chemistry between Abigail Spencer and Matt Lanter which itself has developed as the series has gone on and this episode was never going to disappoint.

Robin: I thought it was about time for Lucy and Wyatt to have their moment. We have been watching the two of them push and pull each other for a while now. It only seems natural that this would happen. I like that it happened in the older glamorous Hollywood period. It will be interesting to see how this affects them going forward this season. Especially after the last scene of this episode.

Amie: Everything about Lucy and Wyatt this episode was perfection. And as for my reaction? I’d say screaming mixed with a tear or two and a lot of rewinding to watch again. There is a reason fans love these two together and I think they honored that in a beautiful way. Their conversation by the pool where Wyatt tells Lucy she saved his life by giving him something, or someone, to care about again, and Lucy saying she felt the same after having believed he was dead and not caring to live anymore, was so incredible. These two have been through a lot, and have found strength and purpose in each other despite all they have lost. And PHEW! That bedroom scene was pretty dang sexy!

5. Mason Industries put together quite the ingenious plan to break Flynn out of prison. What did you think of them banding together to break him out and having him collaborate with them to eliminate the threat of Rittenhouse?

Kalena: I really loved that this was a decision that was not just mutually agreed upon but actively carried out together. They call themselves the Time Team (or at least Rufus does). As Rufus noted before they kind of betrayed Flynn. If they were going to bring their former enemy into the fold, they needed to show him and each other they are all on the same team.

Micheale: It was very clever of the team to set up Flynn’s break out in 1941. I think he will be a true asset to the team since he knows more about Rittenhouse than anyone outside that nefarious organization, but there are definitely going to be growing pains and trust issues. We know Wyatt and Agent Christopher think he’s a psychopath, but Lucy empathizes with him, which we really saw in The Red Scare. Lucy telling him “As much as you need us, we need you more,” seemed to register with him on an emotional level this week. She’s the only member of the team who’s capable of reaching him in that way. I’m anxious to see how Flynn, Lucy, and Rufus work together in The Salem Witch Trials!

Mark: I just think this development so awesome. The scene where Flynn walks into the bunker to join the Time Team in their fight against Rittenhouse made the proverbial hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Like many other Timeless fans, I’ve always held back from totally casting Flynn as 100% villain. For me, it started with Flynn’s devastating accounting of the murder of family to Wyatt in The Watergate Tape. From that point, I would think to myself, “What wouldn’t I do to avenge the murder of my family in such a fashion and – beyond that – what wouldn’t I do to bring them back?” I truly think the joining of Flynn in the Time Team’s efforts will take the show and season 2 to the next level.

Robin: Now that we understand more about Rittenhouse and what they are really up to, getting help from Flynn for the Time Team seems like the right call. Even though Flynn seemed to be a ruthless killer in season one, we now understand why he did it. He understood what Rittenhouse was doing because of Lucy’s diary and the personal price he paid of Rittenhouse killing his family. So it seems they all need one another to stop Rittenhouse and the damage they are doing by killing important figures in history, therefore changing it drastically!

Amie: We all knew this was coming. Flynn is an expert on Rittenhouse while Mason Industries are novices. Agent Christopher is one of my favorite characters because she knows when to break the rules and when not to, and these times definitely call for some rule breaking. I just hope they don’t trust Flynn too much. He still is a wild card and has said repeatedly the only one he is there to collaborate with is Lucy. And the only thing he wants to accomplish is his goal, to end Rittenhouse and save his family. To hell with what Mason Industries wants, and I’ve no doubt he would sacrifice them all, even Lucy, to achieve it.

6. The team is back together in their secret bunker with the newest addition of Garcia Flynn. Who would be your ideal bunkmate/roommate and why?

Kalena: Jiya! Sci-fi nerds unite! She seems like a lot of fun and would be very considerate.

Micheale: While I think it would be cool to room with Lucy and pick her brain about history, I’m such a geek that Jiya is my ideal roommate. She’s spunky and funny and we could fangirl together!

Mark: For me, it would have to be Connor Mason. First of all, he’s a Brit like me so we could reminisce about the Empire, football (not soccer), train strikes, grammar school, and Coronation Street. Secondly, my college degree was in Aeronautics and Astronautics and even though I didn’t work in that field for too long I’m still fascinated by space and time travel. I’m hoping he might even take me on as an experienced hire for Mason Industries when he starts things up again after Rittenhouse are dealt with.

Robin: Lucy would be mine. I picked Lucy because of my love of history and she is a wealth of knowledge on the subject. She is able to lead the team in the right direction when they time travel, and she also understands the ramifications of changing history whether it’s the Time Team or Rittenhouse.

Amie: I would pick Jiya as my ideal bunkmate because she is so much fun and light-hearted and I can see her and I sharing a bottle of wine and binge-watching The Bachelor together.

7. Wyatt came to terms with his wife’s death throughout the course of season one, and now she’s back in their present. What do you think changed in history to prevent her death?

Kalena: It wouldn’t have to be big, just enough to change that Wyatt and Jessica didn’t go to the bar that night or the ex-boyfriend wasn’t there so they never fought and she was never murdered. Like with Rittenhouse sleeper agent Ryan Millerson becoming Wyatt’s NASCAR hero, it didn’t change that Wyatt loved racing but it did change who he idolized. It’s a subtle thing with a massive impact.

Micheale: I think Rittenhouse, or more specifically Emma, did something to change history to bring Jessica (or Amanda, as she’s listed in IMDB) back in order to break up the team, especially since Wyatt keeps thwarting her attempts to change history. Jessica certainly didn’t look pleased to see Wyatt, and I’m wondering if she is from an alternate timeline. Only time will tell (see what I did there)!

Mark: This is a tough one. There are countless possibilities. Like is it even really Jessica? If we assume it is Jessica then one possibility is that Jessica was Rittenhouse and she was killed by someone hunting down Rittenhouse agents. Then sometime after the Karma Chameleon episode (at the end of which we know Jessica is still dead) perhaps Rittenhouse sends someone back in time in the Mothership to prevent Jessica’s death (maybe by killing the father or some other ancestor of whoever actually killed Jessica). If I’m anywhere near right on this one it will be fascinating to see how Wyatt reacts to his wife being Rittenhouse. I would imagine it would drive him straight back to Lucy!

Robin: I have no idea. I was totally stumped by this wrinkle in time. There wasn’t anything to pick up as to what had to change for her to be in the present day. With what happened between Lucy and Wyatt I’m sure it will play out in a dramatic way. I hate to see Lucy get hurt, I think her feelings for Wyatt run deep. We know how much Wyatt loves Jessica. The question going forward will be how have his feelings for Lucy changed him?

Amie: Well whoever brought Jessica back definitely went to before the night she disappeared. The question is how far? When Wyatt saw Jess and she saw him, she looked like she was not a happy camper and a bit confused. But she was also wearing wedding rings. My theory is she was brought back from a few months before her disappearance when she and Wyatt were having issues. Maybe the person changed history so that Jessica and Wyatt were already separated and therefore never argued in the car that night. So Jessica lived and in this timeline, the two are separated but Wyatt only knows the history he lived where she died. Regardless, whoever brought her back did it on purpose and I am not ruling Jessica out as a Rittenhouse agent. I think Jessica being back will keep Lucy and Wyatt apart, and I can’t think of anyone with more reason to do that than Lucy’s mother.

Final Verdict: Timeless goes bigger and better with each episode

The Time Team befriends Hedy which proves beneficial to both parties. Hedy helps the team gather intelligence on the Rittenhouse agent and Rufus suggests that she extend her patent for frequency hopping. The Rittenhouse agent steals the reel for Citizen Kane to use as leverage to acquire a column in one of the major newspapers of that time, which would give Rittenhouse the ability to communicate across time. A specialist examines Jiya and finds nothing physically wrong with her. In fact, Jiya’s heart murmur is now non-existent. The Time Team plots to get Flynn out of prison and Flynn joins the team in the bunker to assist in taking down Rittenhouse. Wyatt and Lucy finally get together which has Lyatt shippers rejoicing, at least temporarily. Wyatt and Lucy seem to be on good terms when they return from their mission, but Wyatt gets a notification and breaks out of the bunker to meet with his wife Jessica (Tonya Glanz).

RELATED | 5 Reasons We Are Excited for ‘Timeless’ Season 2

Timeless is truly making the most of their ten episodes this season. Rather than wait to reveal Jessica’s return, they bring it on early in the season so her storyline can be explored. The writing, acting, and directing continue to be phenomenal. Timeless genuinely immerses the audience in the time period they’re visiting and the history lessons continue to showcase minorities. The storyline is compelling and has viewers wanting to see what happens next. Wyatt and Lucy’s love story is truly timeless and their conversation felt so honest and real. This episode may have thrown a wrench into the Time Team (and Lyatt), but we’re excited to see what Jessica’s return means for Wyatt and the team.

Wyatt is shockingly absent from the preview for Timeless 2×04. The Time Team relies on Flynn who accompanies Lucy and Rufus on a mission to the Salem Witch Trials. Whatever Rittenhouse is planning involves murdering Benjamin Franklin’s mother so that he is never born. Can the team race against the clock to prevent major changes to history? Timeless returns in two weeks, and we cannot wait to see what’s in store after that cliffhanger!

Timeless returns Sunday, April 8th at 10/9c on NBC