Timeless brings back someone from Wyatt’s past and Flynn travels with Lucy and Rufus to the Salem Witch Trials

In NBC’s Timeless 2×04, Wyatt (Matt Lanter) discovers that his wife didn’t die in this timeline! He desperately tries to piece clues together as Jessica (Tonya Glanz) brushes off his concern for her. Meanwhile, Mason Industries gets a notification that the Mothership traveled back to the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. Lucy (Abigail Spencer) finally connects with Wyatt and discovers the reappearance of Jessica in his life. She lies and says that everything in the bunker is fine. The Time Team is down a soldier, so Lucy convinces the rest of the team that they should bring Flynn (Goran Višnjić) as their muscle for the mission. Rufus (Malcolm Barrett) discovers the real reason why Jessica is alive in this timeline, and it’s suspicious at best.

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In 1692, Lucy, Rufus, and Flynn try to uncover who the Rittenhouse sleeper agent is and what they’re planning in history. They meet Abby Franklin (Sofia Vassilieva) who speaks up and defends the women being accused of witchcraft. Abby is also accused of witchcraft and Lucy theorizes that Rittenhouse is planning to eliminate her to prevent her son Benjamin Franklin from being born. Ben was crucial to speaking against those in charge, and eliminating him could result in tyranny instead of a democracy. Lucy also gets accused of being a witch by her own mother! Carol (Susanna Thompson) claims she sacrificed Abby to convince Lucy to join their side one last time. The Time Team is sure in a pickle, and they won’t even let Flynn have a gun during their mission!

Here to discuss Flynn’s involvement in this mission, Jiya’s (Claudia Doumit) premonitions that may do more harm than good, and our broken hearts over Wyatt and Lucy now that Jessica is back, is our Timeless roundtable:

Isabella (@LadybelleFiske) – Writer, collagist, steward @VT’s oldest “hippie commune,” love kids & animals, Marx Bros, House MD, & history!

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

River (@MISSYriver) – A single mom with a Fangirl heart and passion for writing.

Andrew (@AngryRedHead86) – Movie and TV fan, enjoys music and books.

Heather (@xoheatherkw) – Senior microbiologist, writer for TV After Dark, dog mom, and fangirl extraordinaire.

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1. The Time Team recruited Flynn to go on their mission while Wyatt was otherwise preoccupied. What did you think of Flynn working with Lucy and Rufus on this mission?

Isabella (@LadybelleFiske): I’m glad he went! I doubt the mission would have been as successful if he had not been along. It did surprise me, though, that Lucy gave Wyatt permission not to come in for the mission without speaking to Agent Christopher, and there was not even a discussion of this. Lucy seems to be taking more and more control of the Time Team and Agent Christopher seems ok with this — of course, they were all (other than Lucy) worried about Flynn’s trustworthiness, but I imagine there will be a greater willingness to accept him as part of the Time Team now.

Micheale (@highlandgirl65): Flynn really changed the dynamic of the Time Team. While Wyatt can be a reckless hothead, he always has the best interest of the team in mind. Flynn still seems more motivated by the need to kill and dominate, but it was interesting to watch him work to save Lucy and Rufus. I feel like we got a brief glimpse of his humanity, so I’ll be interested to see how his character continues to develop.

River (@MISSYriver): I have been waiting for this and I was not disappointed. Flynn was a well-trained killer with a purpose. He acted only after getting his cues from Lucy. He knows the Time Team’s MO with cover stories and is able to position himself in a tactical advantage. Flynn is not a soldier; he is a spy who is always thinking.

Andrew (@AngryRedHead86): Flynn was amazing in this episode. Mostly because he was unintentionally funny, but also because he was Wyatt, only darker and more willing to do whatever needed to be done, in a more violent fashion. Rufus is right not to trust him, but with Wyatt gone they had very little choice.

Heather (@xoheatherkw): Flynn is quite effective. I don’t think this mission would have turned out the same without him. Lucy had a point that they needed a white man for certain accessibility that she and Rufus don’t have. And Flynn came in quite handy to save Lucy and the other women that were nearly executed! I appreciate that he has a different way of doing things in comparison to Wyatt, not that either is better but they each have their advantages. I do hope we see Flynn on more missions this season!

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2. Rittenhouse briefly traveled to San Diego in 1980 to save Jessica, likely by eliminating her murderer. What do you think is their reasoning behind bringing Jessica back?

Isabella: If that is what happened, they probably wanted to disrupt the unity of the Time Team and draw Wyatt’s focus from the mission. Though he is a hardened soldier, no one is equipped to deal with a wife who returns from the dead — especially when he has found a new love. I wonder if Rittenhouse knows that Lucy and Wyatt slept together? Of course, it is possible that Jessica is a sleeper agent herself but I don’t believe this. The shippers have a hard time, but I am sure Lucy and Wyatt will eventually connect again.

Micheale: I wasn’t surprised to learn that Rittenhouse likely eliminated Jessica’s murderer. I think their motive is simple–to break up the Time Team, which eliminates Wyatt as the protector and increases Rittenhouse’s odds of changing history without any interference.

River: Disrupt the Time Team and pull Wyatt out of hiding. They did not know that Flynn was an option and taking the soldier would leave Rufus and Lucy vulnerable. They didn’t realize it would make them more deadly now that Flynn is there encouraging Lucy’s ruthless side.

Andrew: To distract Wyatt, and to break up the team. I wonder if they somehow read Lucy’s future journal where she writes that Wyatt could never let Jessica go. Or Jessica is another sleeper agent, even though this episode did not leave any evidence to suggest that line of thinking.

Heather: I think Rufus was onto the real reason. They wanted Wyatt out of the picture so that when they saw the notification that the Mothership had jumped to Salem, Lucy and Rufus would be down a soldier. I think Carol’s plan was to corner Lucy and convince her to come with her to Rittenhouse. Little did Carol know, they had Flynn!

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3. Jiya confided in Rufus about her premonitions which led Rufus to single out the man during their mission and ultimately led to the man’s death. Do you agree with Rufus not wanting to know about her visions anymore, and why?

Isabella: He may be right. Unless he can put Jiya’s premonitions aside and act unemotionally — not something this wonderful character is able to do very easily — he will constantly be hampered by the future she sees. However, if she sees that he is in mortal danger, I doubt she will be able to keep this to herself and she probably should not.

Micheale: I felt awful for Rufus, who worked so hard to save that man’s life, then watched him die anyway. While I think he had a valid point about targeting that character because of Jiya’s premonition, I disagree with him about not wanting to know more. Jiya may have important premonitions that could protect the team and history. If so, they need to know.

River: He has a valid concern and point. Wrapping my mind around free will vs fate gives me a headache and I’m not the one involved. I hate to see them fighting and I didn’t like him joking about something she is confiding.

Andrew: I do, for two reasons. One that they are a self-fulfilling prophecy, which this episode strongly backs. And two, no one wants to know their own future. Especially if something really awful happens, which also did in this episode. I imagine that Jiya will tell Rufus again if she has a vision of say, Rufus dying or him being present for one of the team in peril. If that ever happens.

Heather: I see both Rufus and Jiya’s perspectives, but I am leaning towards agreeing with Rufus. It really was a self-fulfilling prophecy in this mission by going after the man in Jiya’s premonition. However, I think if Jiya sees something drastic (like the team in grave danger), that she wouldn’t be able to keep that to herself.

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4. Lucy’s mother turned on her and tried to get someone else to “get rid of her” by accusing her of witchcraft. What was your reaction to Carol’s accusations?

Isabella: Carol is a tormented figure and very well portrayed! She is torn between the Rittenhouse agenda and her lifelong dedication to it and her profound and natural desire to protect her daughter. Even Nicholas sees and forgives this softer part of her. She accused Lucy of witchcraft but then she could not bear to see her daughter hang; or she was just trying to get Rittenhouse to think she was willing to have Lucy killed and never really intended for that to happen — thus the knife she gives Lucy. I think in the end I think Carol will choose “the right side of history” over Rittenhouse and will probably end up sick and dying again, with Amy perhaps having returned — and Lucy will know that her mother was a good person after all. But maybe this is simply a sentimental hope on my part.

Micheale: Carol Preston isn’t going to be winning any mother-of-the-year awards, that’s for sure! After seeing the promo with her accusing someone of witchcraft, I didn’t want to think it was actually Lucy she was referring to. Needless to say, I was shocked! I think Carol is in survival mode.

River: I saw it as Carol trying to put Lucy in a corner. She didn’t want her daughter to hang and she wanted Lucy to choose to live and join Rittenhouse. She used force and thought Lucy would choose to live and serve instead of dying. It proves the Carol has no idea the woman that Lucy is.

Andrew: Carol is on the fence, yet refuses to side with her own daughter. That is both sad and a sign that she fears Rittenhouse more than she loves Lucy. Too bad.

Heather: I was shocked! First that Carol would go to great lengths to get rid of Lucy, and secondly that Carol thought her plan would work — clearly she doesn’t know her daughter very well at all. I think Lucy has made her peace with the fact that Carol is a lost cause to Rittenhouse.

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5. Lucy can’t stand by and let history happen the way it was meant to and she’s now improving the lives of the people they interact with. What do you think of her new “devil may care” attitude?

Isabella: She must be in deep emotional pain because of the soldier she killed in WWI. Lucy is also suffering from having to gallantly let Wyatt go back to his wife (unlike Meredith Grey in Grey’s Anatomy, “Choose me! Pick me!”). I think she is now intensely sensitized to loss and suffering, and probably sees that the twists that time and history take are very fluid, from all they have seen and experienced so far. Why not err on the side of life and hope? Is there anyone among us who would NOT save the women and men of the Salem Witch Trials if we could — even though we might know it could change reality in the future?

Micheale: I loved the scene in the jail between Lucy and the other women accused of being witches. She learned that they too were strong women, just trying to live their lives and be their authentic selves. I like Lucy’s new attitude. She’s aware of the important figures in history she needs to protect but isn’t willing to let innocent people die anymore. I can’t help but think this came out of her time inside Rittenhouse and being forced to take a life.

River: It’s reckless playing God. I remember another time travel show where the traveler decided that everyone lives. The ripples caused giant changes and stopped aspects of progress. I understand death and loss, I’ve fought to save lives for a number of years. Death happens to us all and you truly cannot save everyone. I’m worried about how these changes will affect our team.

Andrew: Well in Back to the Future Part III Doc Brown stopped worrying about changing the past and affecting the future. The team has already altered the past enough, so it’s no surprise that Lucy is not worried. However, this could signal that she is coming around to Flynn’s way of thinking, as predicted by the future diary Flynn had in the show’s beginning.

Heather: I’m cautiously optimistic. I really love Lucy’s perspective that she can’t just stand by anymore when she can do something to improve the lives of the people she interacts with. I hope that it won’t change history that much, but it makes the world of difference to those people in history.

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6. Wyatt gave Jessica the crash course in time travel and alternate realities. What do you think the return of Jessica will mean for the Time Team, and/or Wyatt and Lucy, moving forward this season?

Isabella: However much Lucy is glad for Wyatt that Jessica is back, she still longs for Wyatt and their burgeoning relationship. I’m rather surprised that Wyatt begs Jessica not to divorce him, even though he clearly is in love with Lucy. It is possible, as I know from my own life-experience, to love more than one person at a time, though. And as Matt Lanter says, “She’s his WIFE.” He doesn’t want to be an ass and leave her, especially at a dangerous time when Rittenhouse might kidnap and use her (if they have not already). So, either Jessica will be a Rittenhouse agent and in the end will perhaps die or depart, leaving Wyatt free, or she will insist that the divorce goes through, and Wyatt will be able to be with Lucy. I hope it is resolved this season but if not, sure hope we get another one! I’m a fan of the history, mostly — but I do hope for the happiness of the characters.

Micheale: I respect Wyatt’s loyalty and desire to try and forge a relationship with Jessica, but it does make my shipper heart hurt. I think Jessica’s presence is going to add an interesting dynamic to the bunker, and in the short term, stall any progress between Lucy and Wyatt. I’ve read quite a bit from people connected to the show who’ve said this will actually advance Lucy and Wyatt’s relationship, so I’m in a wait-and-see mentality.

River: Ugh my heart breaks for all of them. I’ve been inside Wyatt’s and Lucy’s head for stories and I see how hard this turn of events will be for them. I knew they had to move forward from the ghost of the past. But watching the emotions of the conversation and then Lucy’s return from Salem is heart-wrenching. Wyatt is trying and doing what he thinks is best, it does not take away from his feelings for Lucy. Same with Lucy. Jessica seems to know of some of his life with the Time Team without the details and I wonder how the other Wyatt and Lucy were together.

Andrew: If Jessica and Wyatt stay together, Lucy might take it very badly. It could also splinter the team, or affect Wyatt’s decision making — both of which are bad. If Wyatt loses her again that could also send him over the edge, too. We did not get a final answer tonight on their status.

Heather: My shipper heart! I’m impressed that Lucy told Wyatt to focus on his relationship with Jessica without a second thought to their new relationship. I wonder what Wyatt and Jessica’s relationship was like in the alternate timeline because Jessica wasn’t too happy to see him. I do hope that Wyatt finds his way back to Lucy. But I’m curious as to how that will happen — if Jessica will notice his attention is elsewhere, or if Wyatt will come to realize that he and Jessica aren’t the same people they were before.

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7. This episode was filled with so many shocking developments. What were you most shocked by in this episode?

Isabella: The thing that troubles me most is the emphasis on shifting timelines and the growing indifference to keeping history as it was– even though I would save the people accused of being witches if I could (and Abraham Lincoln, the people on the Hindenburg, etc). It was startling to hear Denise say “Jessica was dead?” — something she knew in the original time-scenario. She did not know it but Lucy did, and Rufus did, and Flynn did! It must be unsettling to Lucy and Rufus (and probably Flynn) to be the ones who remember the situation in the original timeline, while others evidently do not. Even more unsettling to be those who do not remember. I wondered why it is that Wyatt, Lucy, and Rufus remember more than others about the circumstances of the original time thread? This is something I’d like to see answered.

Micheale: It’s so hard to choose one shocking development, but the one that surprised me most was Wyatt telling Jessica about their alternate timelines, her death, and Rittenhouse bringing her back. I was not expecting that at all!

River: It has to be Lucy letting the guard dog Flynn off his leash. Her nod and turning her back while Flynn forcefully questioned people. It reminded me of her mother’s ruthless behavior. Who is Lucy without her moral compass?

Andrew: That Mason was okay with Jessica being present for the time machine coming back. It’s almost as if he expected more significant changes to history, or is not worried about her being in the bunker. Also for a minute, I thought the show would have Jessica be someone else that Wyatt thought was her, but the show’s writers went a different path.

Heather: I was shocked that Wyatt brought Jessica down to the bunker and told her about their top secret and classified mission. I know he was desperate to make her understand his work and alternate timelines, but there’s a reason they can’t share details of their work with outsiders. The worst case scenario is that Jessica is a Rittenhouse spy and is now privy to Mason Industries secrets. Or she could be approached by Rittenhouse later on, if she’s not already a spy, under the guise of needing to help Wyatt on a mission.

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Final Verdict: Timeless introduces friction between the Time Team and we can only hope that they can continue working together

The Time Team is shaken up by Wyatt’s absence regarding Jessica and Flynn traveling to 1692 with Lucy and Rufus, but they made it work. Despite their challenges, they prove their adaptability and refuse to succumb to Carol’s request to join Rittenhouse. Wyatt’s choice to bring Jessica to the bunker may have disastrous consequences that we haven’t seen yet. Denise (Sakina Jaffrey) wasn’t happy about that surprise and she may need to sequester Jessica to the bunker until appropriate precautions can be established to keep the team safe. Lucy is a tad reckless with keeping history the same, and we are loving her determination to better the lives of people they come into contact with. Jiya’s premonitions beg the question — what came first? Rufus doesn’t want to know about her premonitions anymore due to the consequences of this mission. But what happens when it’s something big? Will Jiya keep it a secret or try to change what she sees by telling Rufus? Only time will tell!

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Timeless keeps going bigger and better with each episode. The history keeps each episode fresh and new, with a new challenge regarding how Rittenhouse is trying to destroy history. Timeless continues to portray minorities this episode and we saw first hand the tragedy of the Salem Witch Trials. This episode set up a lot of tension within the team by Wyatt bringing Jessica to the bunker, and tension regarding Flynn going on missions, and then the love triangle that the writers set up. Are we happy about Wyatt’s wife Jessica being back? No. But are we hoping that Jessica’s return will allow Wyatt to process his guilt about her death and allow him to move forward with Lucy? Hell yes! We can hope that these relationships and teammates resolve their issues over the course of the next few episodes. But they’ve got to give us a reason to keep watching, and this is a great way to accomplish that goal!

The Time Team takes drastic measures and brings a young John F. Kennedy from 1934 to present day. We don’t know what Rittenhouse is planning, but it must be dangerous if the team risked bringing a prominent historical figure to the present. Luckily, we only have to wait a week until the next episode of Timeless to see what Rittenhouse is planning next!

Timeless returns Sunday, April 15th at 10/9c on NBC