Rittenhouse goes after a young Denise Christopher which would have catastrophic consequences for the present!

In NBC’s Timeless 2×08, the Time Team gets a notification that Rittenhouse took the Mothership to 1981 D.C. They’re at a disadvantage because Flynn (Goran Višnjić) and Connor (Paterson Joseph) are unable to travel to 1981 as they were children at that time. Jiya (Claudia Doumit) steps up and joins Rufus (Malcolm Barrett), Lucy (Abigail Spencer), and Wyatt (Matt Lanter) on the mission. Lucy guesses that Rittenhouse is targeting the day Reagan was shot and want to alter history in some way. Denise (Sakina Jaffrey) was spending time with her family and the team quickly leaves on their mission before filling her in. Little do they know that Rittenhouse might be targeting Denise in 1981 D.C. instead!

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Luckily, for the 1981 version of Denise (Karen David), Wyatt and the Time Team quickly catch on to the sleeper agent’s real target. The sleeper agent takes a shot at Denise and misses thanks to Wyatt, but it alters history and Reagan’s shooter gets away. Now the team has two missions– prevent the sleeper agent from killing Denise and correcting history to arrest Reagan’s shooter. The Time Team plans to divide and conquer to address both issues in the past. Although they have to race against the clock to prevent new decisions from affecting their present and altering their entire reality!

Here to discuss the Time Team and a young Denise working together, our reaction to Flynn’s story of acquiring Lucy’s journal, and who on the team Rittenhouse might target next is our Timeless roundtable:

Catherine (@Cat_grl6) – Researcher by day, TV addict by night.

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

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

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

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

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1. The Time Team was very persuasive in convincing Denise to call off the engagement and stay in law enforcement. What was your favorite moment between Denise and the team?

Catherine (@Cat_grl6): My favorite moment was when Lucy told Denise that she and Jiya (AKA Cagney and Lacey) were a couple. Jiya’s face in that scene was so funny! And how amazing was Jiya’s 80’s hair?

Mark (@RenewTimeless): My favorite moment was when Lucy and Jiya sharing the pictures of Denise’s wife and children with her using the same flash drive that Agent Christopher gave to Lucy in 2017. Denise didn’t believe the time travel story until she saw these pictures. I was wondering afterward what specifically about the pictures convinced Denise? Was it recognizing her older self? I doubt it after all such a picture could always be faked. I suspect it may have been more to do with the pictures of Michelle, Mark, and Olivia since they represented a future that felt so right to Denise, a future she absolutely believed could be true if she was allowed to live it.

Amie (@TheForceFangirl): My favorite moment between them was when they returned and discovered Denise now had a strong relationship with her mother. It was so moving.

Robin (@robinrobinson24): Lucy was torn about whether she should tell Denise about the future, knowing she had to do it or Denise’ timeline would be drastically changed. Denise needed to stay in law-enforcement so that she would end up being part of Homeland Security and the head of the time team. My favorite part was Lucy and Jiya coming into the hospital room saying that they were Cagney and Lacey, then being thrown out of the room by Denise’s aunt!

River (@MISSYriver): My favorite moment was watching Denise thank her team for saving her family. She was so proud of them and I wanted to group hug the whole team.

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2. Do you think Jiya’s visions are set in stone, or is she seeing them in order to change what will happen?

Catherine: For obvious reasons, I’m hoping Jiya’s visions are not set in stone. I truly do not believe Rufus is going to die. I don’t have a clue what is going to happen though.

Mark: Rufus is such a lovable character I desperately hope the visions are not set in stone! Being a sci-fi show, the writers could undoubtedly come up with a way for Rufus to avoid the fate Jiya’s visions predicted, but they have to be careful. It can be painfully obvious sometimes when writers take this route to save a character and in the long run, it can have a negative reaction from fans and critics alike. If you pushed me I’d say Jiya’s visions are unavoidable with the exception of small details and that Rufus will die in the season finale. Don’t worry though because the writers will have all summer to come up with a credible way for him to return in season 3!

Amie: I definitely think Jiya’s visions are subject to change, but she hasn’t figured that out yet.

Robin: It’s really hard to say after last night’s episode. My opinion has changed on changing the timeline. If it was possible to change Denise’s timeline then they should be able to change Rufus’ so-called “destiny.” If this is possible for Denise, then Lucy should also be able to finally get her sister back!

River: The future isn’t written yet and our Time Team won’t give up without a fight. Rufus finally found the right friends.

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3. The Time Team did some quick thinking once they realized Denise was the sleeper agent’s target. If Rittenhouse goes back to target another member of the Time Team, who do you think they would target and why?

Catherine: It seems like with every episode this week, something happens in the past that slightly changes the timeline. So it feels like no one is safe. We’re assuming Flynn and Lucy both survive long enough to have their meeting in the future when she gives him the journal, so Rittenhouse will either not target them or they will be unsuccessful. Depending on what the heck is going on with Jessica, we don’t really know if she is in danger or if she is working with them or what. So that leaves Wyatt, Rufus, Connor, and Jiya. It’s possible that Jiya’s vision involves Rittenhouse, so that might be the answer.

Mark: Nicholas may now decide to focus all resources on Lucy since he knows that without Lucy’s knowledge of history the Time Team would be running blind. Although there are already orders out there to eliminate Lucy, Rittenhouse has still been carrying out all the other parts of their plan. The latest failure to kill Denise in 1981 may be the last straw for Nicholas and I can imagine him putting some of the other missions on hold until Lucy is eliminated.

Amie: I could see Rittenhouse targeting Flynn and kill him along with his family. Flynn is a huge threat to Rittenhouse and that all began with them killing his family.

Robin: At this point, Lucy seems to be Rittenhouse’s biggest threat. Lucy is Rittenhouse she was born into it unknowingly and was expected to follow in her family‘s footsteps. However, Lucy did not follow that timeline so to speak. After finding out her family was Rittenhouse, she wanted nothing to do with it them. She knows so much about the organization that Rittenhouse considers her a threat that needs to be terminated. Her own great-grandfather has ordered her death.

River: That’s a rough one. They need Mason’s machine, so Rufus and Jiya are still needed. Could they stop Lucy from joining the team? Maybe they wanted her on this mission but as a Rittenhouse leader instead. Maybe Wyatt who even as a soldier brought the heart to the team? The hold each other together, take one away and they will crumble.

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4. Wyatt went all out to stop the sleeper agents. What did you think of his adaptability in this situation to stop both sleeper agents?

Catherine: Wyatt is not playing around anymore. He wouldn’t shoot Carol, but he’ll do almost anything else to stop Rittenhouse. I think each week his inner soldier comes out more and more.

Mark: The only thing I might have done differently (with all my special forces experience!) is take the first sleeper agent with me, perhaps tied up in the trunk of the car. I would have done this for a couple of reasons. Firstly, on the off-chance that he had given a bogus address, I would have been able to “encourage” him to be more truthful there and then at the scene. Secondly, by leaving him behind, Wyatt risked him escaping and either going after Denise again or somehow getting word to his brother about Wyatt being on his way.

Amie: Wyatt seems a little on edge right now, which I believe is stemming from Jessica, and so I think he’s really trying to focus and do his job the best he can.

Robin: We’ve always known of Wyatt’s capabilities but going to the 80s showed us a different side. Could it be because of Flynn going on a few missions? Did Wyatt want to show us that he is very capable of taking care of the time team without Flynn’s help? One way or another I think we’ll see a showdown between the two of them. Twists and turn were everywhere in this week’s episode!

River: Hot damn! Master Sergeant Logan’s got moves. He was not going to let anyone hurt his future or his team.

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5. The Rittenhouse sleeper agent revealed that his family is at risk if he doesn’t follow their orders. Do you think more sleeper agents are threatened into complying or do you think more voluntarily signed up?

Catherine: I think it’s probably a mix of both people who are being threatened or blackmailed and people who are there voluntarily. As we learned last week with Emma, everyone has a history that might affect their choices regarding Rittenhouse. But we do know that Rittenhouse has a lot of resources at their disposal.

Mark: Probably a mixture. The sleeper agent in Hollywoodland who became the movie producer was an example of a voluntary sleeper agent whose father was a Rittenhouse member. But perhaps relying on Rittenhouse member families only wouldn’t have produced enough sleeper agents so Rittenhouse used threats and bribes to recruit the others.

Amie: I think more are forced into it. They are faced with missions from Rittenhouse that put their lives and families at risk, being forced to do that is most likely the only way most of these sleepers would have complied.

Robin: I think they are being threatened. I know some people are born into Rittenhouse going back to season one. I can also see that some people may join Rittenhouse for reasons that have grave consequences for others. Agreeing with Rittenhouse and going back in time to change major historical events has devastating effects on everyone. That’s why the Time Team is always so careful in what they get involved in.

River: From season 1 we saw how Rittenhouse operated with threats, money, and corruption. I’d think with their ranks smaller they would be worse.

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6. We finally learned more about how Flynn acquired Lucy’s journal. Was it everything you thought it would be?

Catherine: I didn’t have a specific idea in mind of how Flynn acquired the journal, but I wasn’t expecting to hear that it happened at a bar in Brazil. That’s a little random! It brings up a lot of questions which I hope we will get answers to in Season 3.

Mark: I had suspected for some time that a “future Lucy” had been the one who had sent Flynn on his mission to take out Rittenhouse and that she had to give him the journal because he would need the information in it somehow to complete the mission successfully. I was surprised, however, at the details Flynn revealed. Assuming he is telling the truth, the future Lucy was present in a timeline when “present day Lucy” also existed, contravening the rule that you cannot travel back into your own timeline.

Amie: I was really upset we didn’t get more info because this whole thing is so puzzling. Why Flynn? Which timeline was that Lucy from?

Robin: Yes and no. The way Flynn explained it seemed to me that something may happen between the two of them. The reason I say no, was because it wasn’t a big event when Flynn revealed it to Lucy. I think there’s a lot more to this story and their relationship and I hope it is revealed in the next two episodes.

River: I am left with more questions and I think only a season three will help me. Wink wink nudge nudge. #RenewTimeless

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7. We learned more about Jessica’s family with her brother receiving cutting edge medical treatments to save his life. What do you think Rittenhouse’s role is in Jessica’s family?

Catherine: I think it’s safe to guess that Rittenhouse was involved with Jessica’s family in some way. And it’s possible she wasn’t aware of it at the time (if in fact it did involve her brother’s illness when she was a child). She still might not be aware of it even as an adult. We don’t really know how much she knows or how she’s involved with them.

Mark: I suspect that Rittenhouse bribed Jessica’s parents by offering to pay for her brother Kevin’s treatment in return for something. I also suspect that, in return, her parents had to agree to Jessica growing up to be part of Rittenhouse and, ultimately, a Rittenhouse agent. This would change history so that Jessica would be able to infiltrate the Time Team and stymie their attempts to bring down Rittenhouse.

Amie: I personally think Jessica is a sleeper for Rittenhouse. That she is pretending to want to be with Wyatt but really is just trying to get info on the time team and bring them down. Rittenhouse paid to save her brother’s life.

Robin: HUGE! I think somehow they either threatened or coerced her into joining Rittenhouse to save her little brother. When Wyatt asked her how the family paid for the treatments she just wanted to change the subject. I think the story between these two will explode at the conclusion of the season. Wyatt Is suspicious about what she isn’t telling him! So many questions went unanswered and there are going to be twists and turns that will blow our minds! I can’t wait to see how the season wraps up!! Lookout #ClockBlockers #RenewTimeless

River: For the most I’m sure they were a shadow, guiding Jessica and her family. Making sure she was in the right place right time. She MIGHT (a very slim might) not even know who’s been writing her life story until they approached her with threats of taking away her family if she doesn’t reach out to her estranged husband.

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Final Verdict: The Time Team convinces Denise to stay in law enforcement and thereby keeping their present intact

The Time Team has their work cut out for them, but thankfully they’re able to prevent major changes to history! Wyatt stops both Rittenhouse agents, and they all work together to stop Reagan’s shooter. Lucy and Jiya finally convince Denise to call off her engagement by showing her pictures of her family that’s waiting for her in her future. Denise’s family isn’t erased from history, and she even has a better relationship with her mother after the Time Team’s influence in 1981. Denise’s wise words even inspire Lucy to ask Flynn more about the journal. Rufus and Jiya have a heart to heart about what her visions mean and trying to alter her vision of Rufus dying. Then Jessica (Tonya Glanz) drops two bombshells– her brother is alive in this timeline and she’s pregnant!

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Timeless had another fantastic episode this week! The writers keep the audience guessing as Rittenhouse has dangerous plans in 1981. The writers also set up intriguing plot twists this week. We heard how Flynn acquired the journal from a future Lucy, which means that they must alter time travel to travel to your own past. Then Jessica’s family is increasingly suspicious of the possible involvement with Rittenhouse. How else would they have paid for cutting-edge medical treatments for her brother? There are so many questions and we hope they’ll all be answered by the finale– and if not, that NBC renews for season three!

Next week is the two-hour season finale of Timeless! Rittenhouse interferes with the Civil War and may affect the outcome of the war while Rufus is injured on a mission. Stakes are higher than ever with Rittenhouse making drastic moves that appear to leave one of the Time Team’s agents stranded in time. Make sure to tune in one hour earlier when Timeless returns.

Timeless returns Sunday, May 13th at 9/8c on NBC