Sometimes in the writing/recap business, you’re faced with using a cliché or two simply because there’s no better way to say what you need to say, and for me…one cliché that instantly pops into my head when it comes to my favorite television shows and rings true every single time I use it is, ‘counting down the minutes’. Because sometimes a series is so good, I actually do just that due to the fact that I’m outright craving another fix of this universe and the unique characters that inhabit it and well, for the past few weeks, that cliché has been on the forefront of my mind because I’ve been anxiously awaiting the return of Seth MacFarlane’s brilliant science fiction series, The Orville.
 
For this series, was a breath of fresh air last year, with its unique take on the genre as a whole since it was able to blend Seth’s unique sense of humor with the wonder and awe of Star Trek, all while providing us with magnificent writing that offered fascinating and thought-provoking stories, the kind that quite frankly left us talking for days on end and well, that kind of quality is a rare find these days and that’s why I was so supremely excited to settle in and watch last night’s season two premiere, ‘Ja’loja’. But truth be told, while I was ready and raring to go when this bad boy hit the airwaves, I’ve watched a lot of television in my day, and I’ve seen plenty of shows disappoint in their second year and while there was a smile plastered on my face when I tuned in, I was slightly worried that this premiere might potentially disappoint and thankfully, my concerns were quickly put to bed since this episode offered up everything we love about this series…and more.
 
Because Seth is clearly going to take full advantage of this second season and perform wonders storytelling wise and really, what impressed me about this premiere was its steadfast focus upon its characters. For this particular tale slowed things down quite a bit, giving us time to get to know the crew of the Orville like never before and I loved every single second of this. Because this story really did a fine job of fleshing out the nuances of just about everyone aboard the ship, even going so far as to show us how hard it is to be a single parent, thanks to Dr. Finn’s journey in this tale, one that involved her son’s arrival into the world of being a fussy teenager and Finn’s attempt to navigate those emotionally troubled waters was merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what this particular story had to offer. 

For the human condition was on full display in this tale, and much of what Seth wanted to examine in his script, revolved around love and relationships and all the complexities that come with that and well, this part of the story was equally as impressive since it put the insecurities we all feel when it comes to dating out into the open since both Gordon and Alara struggled with the terror of asking someone out, or the disappointment that comes with dating when the person doesn’t meet our standards, respectively, and the Captain wasn’t exempt from this exploration either since Ed spent a fair chunk of this story trying to resolve his feelings for Kelly and how to let her go since she was seeing someone new aboard the ship and well, I was simply taken aback by all of this since you don’t often see science fiction shows take the time to explore these types of elements when it comes to their characters.
 
However, all magnificent character study aside, the laughs are equally as important, and the premiere delivered when it comes to that as well. After all, the whole notion of a grand ceremony on Moclus revolving around Commander Bortus taking a whiz was pretty hilarious in its own right, as was everything comical that came about from the crew’s dating adventures. Because seeing Alara go on a disastrous date with Dann was the stuff of legend, as was the sage like dating advice that John provided to Gordon because who knew that more zippers on a jacket made you more attractive and boosted your confidence and honestly, the funniest moment of the night in my mind, was the moment of truth for Gordon, wherein he totally chickened out on asking the new Lieutenant out on a date.
 
If anything, this in-depth focus on the characters goes to show that Seth understands they are what truly make a show like this tick. Yeah, space battles and exotic locales are cool and all, but it’s the people that fire the weapons and move the ship to its destination that matter and while season one of the show balanced story with character development and gave us just enough of the latter, it’s clear now that Seth is going all in when it comes to the crew in season two and I dig that. It’s something sorely missing in the genre right now and quite frankly, it only affirms MacFarlane’s love for Star Trek: The Next Generation since the characters were king on that series as well and I honestly cannot wait to see where this intrepid crew is headed growth wise and because of this beautifully intimate premiere, once again, I’ll be counting down the minutes to Thursday when the next entry in this saga arrives. Until next time. 

The series finale of a television series has to be a daunting and tricky venture. For it truly serves as the last opportunity to wrap up the story in proper and satisfying fashion, and please fans of the show in the process and let’s be honest, we’ve all seen what happens reaction wise when it doesn’t go well. But while those inept and ugly finales often make us nervous to settle in and see how the story ends, a majority of these episodes turn out to be solid more often than not and sometimes, they’re downright legendary when they get everything right and it just so happens that the final episode of Timeless fits into the latter of that criteria, since ‘The Miracle of Christmas’ ended up being one powerhouse farewell.
 
After all, it delivered in just about every single way imaginable. Lucy and Wyatt finally professed their love for one another after all this time and found the happiness they so deserved. Rufus was saved and he and Jiya also found their happily ever after and the wins for Clockblockers didn’t end there. Garcia Flynn finally redeemed himself for his many, many crimes by sacrificing himself on a suicide mission in order to ensure Rufus could go on, which ended up being a beautiful farewell for Flynn I might add, especially when one considers the hell he’s been through. But what matters most, is that Rittenhouse was defeated in this tale, and not by way of some wild shoot out or epic action sequence, but in satisfying and simple fashion.
 
But a great finale goes beyond merely wrapping up pertinent plot points and answering questions, it needs to offer something lasting and special to the audience, and well, in this particular farewell, the show seemingly tipped its hand as to what it stood for all along and that is what will make this finale stay with us for ages to come because this ended up being a series about living in the moment and taking full advantage of it. Which seems pretty out of place to say in all honesty, since the entire saga was about venturing to the past and stopping evil from changing history, but everyone’s journey in this tale speaks to that particular theme, and several key moments reinforced this notion, which made this story downright inspirational in its own right.
 
Because this story truly served as a fine reminder that the past is just that and chasing after it and attempting to reclaim what yesterday had in store for us is a dangerous game, one that consumes our souls and potentially our lives, as was evidenced by Flynn’s journey in the series. Which means we simply have to leave the past behind, and embrace everything that surrounds us in the here and the now and that the only way to ‘correct’ the mistakes we made yesterday, is to learn from them and do the right thing in the present so that we forge a better future and honestly, I wasn’t expecting that kind of beautiful and inspirational message to appear in this finale, but it did, and it was welcome and it was fitting and it was fantastic to say the least because shows in this vein, rarely go to such philosophical and uplifting places.
 
When all is said and done however, I have to admit that this is one of the finest series finales I’ve ever laid eyes upon, and I tip my cap to the Writer’s Room for putting together one incredible script. For this story was supremely satisfying. There are no loose threads hanging over this farewell, the journey of the Time Team simply feels complete and honestly, while I know so many fans want another season, or more movies in this vein, if such a thing doesn’t occur, I’m fine with this being the last story ever told in this universe. But make no mistake about it, I will miss this show, and it’s incredible writing and performances because this one, was special and different and captivating to say the least and well, I certainly hope Timeless inspires other shows down the line to follow its example of quality and bold storytelling, and I most certainly enjoyed geeking out about this lovely little adventure with all of you, and I cannot thank the cast and crew of this magnificent series enough for taking us on one hell of a ride…

​Well, sadly the time has come my fellow Clockblockers. For we have in fact, reached the end of our run through the first season of Timeless, and by bringing these Retro Recaps to a close, we must also prepare ourselves for the final mission that awaits the Time Team in tonight’s two-hour series finale. But, before we shed any tears and say our farewells to Wyatt, Lucy and Rufus, we do still need to reflect upon one more episode, the season one finale, ‘The Red Scare’, because this particular tale was nothing short of outright spectacular since it brought everything season one addressed, together in beautiful fashion.
 
Case in point, the push toward heroism that was prevalent throughout the entire back half of the season came to a head here since the Time Team worked together seamlessly to pursue Flynn to Washington D.C. in 1954 in the hopes of stopping him from once again wreaking havoc on the timeline and thanks to plenty of ingenuity on Wyatt and Lucy’s part, they were able to finally track down Flynn and Lucy was able to do what seemed to be the impossible…rationalize with him. For after all this time, Lucy finally figured out that both sides were fighting the wrong fight in trying to change the past, and that there was a better way and she presented an interesting idea in that, they needed to embrace yesterday and find a way to use it to their advantage to bring down Rittenhouse.
 
As it turns out, the best way to make that happen was by way of Lucy’s grandfather, whom she asked to fulfill quite a promise since he wasn’t 100% sold on Rittenhouse and their ideals and thanks to her ability to sway others to her side with kindness and truth, she was able to get her grandad to keep meticulous records of every last Rittenhouse dealing, so that when she returned to present day, she could gift Mason (who finally stopped being a jerk in this tale) and Agent Christopher with everything they could ever need to put an end to this evil organization and well, the plan actually worked. One by one, Rittenhouse agents fell, and sadly, a reformed Flynn found himself arrested before he could enjoy justice for his family.
 
So, since I started in season two, all this finale really provided for me, was to fill in the last of the gaps in my mind storytelling wise, because knowing what was to come did remove the gravity of learning that Emma is a double agent and that Lucy’s mom is all about that Rittenhouse and that’s okay, because it was still cool to see how all of that came together. And it was equally as awesome to see this episode bring to a close the journey that Wyatt and Lucy and Rufus have been upon when it comes to becoming heroes, for they were at their strongest here and they pulled off some incredible feats in this tale. But when all is said and done, let’s not make any bones about it, this was a supremely bittersweet episode to watch when all is said and done.
 
For there is nothing left for me to enjoy when it comes to older versions of these adventures. I’ve seen it all now and reaching the end serves as a fine reminder that this series deserved a longer run and finishing season one also serves as a fine reminder of how incredibly good this show was straight out of the gate. Everything was fleshed out early on, the characters went on a complete journey and you can’t ask for much more than that. But what makes this bittersweet is the knowledge that now that I’m done, all that waits for me is the series finale and a farewell that I’m not ready for and well, as we all brace ourselves for a two hour special full of feels, I just wanted to thank all of you for joining me on this journey through season one, it was a blast, I’m glad I took the time to properly appreciate every facet of this show, and I truly will miss it after it says goodbye tonight.   

​It’s becoming inherently clear to me that this final run of episodes in season one of Timeless are focused heavily on something incredibly important; seeing the Time Team finally accept their roles and responsibility as heroes and well, this is making for some great storytelling. Because we are being treated to tales that see these beloved characters go through the ringer, only to come out of the other side stronger and better people and while Wyatt and Rufus have in essence, completed their transition to heroism over the past couple of tales, only one member has yet to finish that journey, Lucy.
 
Which is why ‘Public Enemy No. 1.’ is such an important episode when it comes to this series, because this is the episode where Lucy finally made the choice to become more, to be the champion of good we’ve always known she would be. But her steps toward this role weren’t easy to take, because in order to become a hero she had to make quite the difficult decision. Because with the Lifeboat free from Rittenhouse’s mittens, the idea was put forth by Wyatt that the time had come to travel back in time to ensure that Lucy’s parents properly meet so that her sister Amy can return to the time stream. But before that could happen, the decision in question came into play since Flynn jumped back to 1931 Chicago. 
 
Because Lucy either had to surrender her last, best shot at saving her sister from whatever time related purgatory she had been relegated to, in the hopes of stopping her nemesis, or…let Flynn continue to dismantle history in order to get what she so desired. And in the end, she chose the selfless route and ventured back to Chicago with the rest of the Time Team to fix the mess that Flynn left for them, since he more or less left Al Capone unleashed upon the world. But I mentioned that there was real heroism evident from Lucy in this episode, and all of that came about from her unique decision to visit Al’s brother and persuade him to help her and the team confront Capone about Flynn and more importantly, bring down the kingpin as history intended.
 
Which quite frankly was incredible to watch. Because Lucy truly knows how to inspire the good in people, and she was able to break down any walls that Capone’s brother had put up. But her victory here came at a bit of a price, since Rufus was badly injured in a fire fight at Capone’s penthouse and well, the episode ended on quite the cliffhanger, with Rufus passing out at the helm of the Lifeboat, leaving us unsure as to whether or not the Time Team will be returning to present day or not. Yet, what was equally awesome about this particular tale, is that there was great heroism present from others in this tale as well since Jiya stepped up to the plate at Mason Industries and did her part in protecting the team from Rittenhouse and quite frankly it was just cool to see so many working to topple this awful organization.
 
Yet, what matters most about this particular episode, is that our heroes are finally ready. They’ve completed their respective journeys, they know the fate of countless lives hang in the balance and they’re the only ones who can keep Rittenhouse from influencing or tampering with said lives. Which means I have no doubt that we are in for the quite the showdown in the season one finale, wherein our heroes return home in one piece before doing some incredible things to make Rittenhouse pay for their crimes and well, with that in mind, there’s no time left to waste on my part. The time has come to watch one last classic episode of this show, before we all bid it farewell on Thursday night by way of the series finale, so, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to finish season one…until next time…

​If there is one universal truth, we can all agree upon, it’s that life, can be extremely difficult and unfair at times. You know what I’m talking about, where it seems that regardless of anything we do, the odds are simply stacked against us and we cannot defeat whatever is in front of us and that kind of challenge can force us to run and hide, which, may seem cowardly at first but it is sometimes outright necessary. Because taking a moment to regroup can be beneficial since it allows for us to look at our problems objectively, eventually allowing for us to fight and well, all of this is on my mind today because these kinds of behaviors were on full display in the next episode of Timeless, ‘The Lost Generation’.
 
For this episode saw the Time Team more or less reach their breaking point since they were divided and rattled from the last few missions and unfortunately for Lucy and Rufus, they had no choice but to return to the past to stop Flynn yet again and this time around, they were headed to Paris in 1927, on the exact day when Charles Lindbergh completed his flight around the world and well, it turns out that he was Flynn’s target because he was a member of Rittenhouse and despite Lucy and Wyatt’s best attempts to get to Charles and free him from Flynn’s grasp, they came up short in their endeavors and even watched their new muscle, Wyatt’s old friend Bam Bam, fall at the hands of Flynn’s lackey.
 
Which quite frankly, only rattled them further, yet not all hope was lost. For Ernest Hemingway and his supreme thirst for adventure (and bourbon) helped to motivate them to press further and the man who would be known as ‘Poppa’ found a way to inspire Rufus by reminding him that sometimes we simply need to stand our ground and try anyways since life is short and fleeting and that prompted Rufus to get creative when they needed to find Lucy, who went missing when Flynn snatched her up. And oddly enough, she found new strength in this moment as well, since she tried to use logic and reason to attempt to persuade Lindbergh to give up his position in Rittenhouse and well, it was awesome to watch her and Rufus find their own groove and sense of heroism and while they weren’t 100% successful in their mission, their growth matters and they weren’t alone when it comes to this.
 
For Wyatt, who was locked up in a black site for the crime of stealing the Time Ship, finally had time to reflect upon his actions and his attitude up to this point and it seems as though the solitude did him some good. For he was able to help Agent Christopher realize that the group of men who suddenly took command of Mason Industries and the time missions in general were in fact, Rittenhouse, prompting her to grant Wyatt his freedom and well, at long last, it seems the Time Team has completely found their center and their calling as heroes since they all met in an abandoned warehouse to discuss how best to handle this threat, which means…they are finally ready to fight…
 
If anything, perhaps the best way to describe the group’s complicated and nuanced journey in this tale is that they figured out the only way to escape the darkness and fear that sometimes resides in our hearts is to confront it head on and push past it and that, made this episode supremely satisfying in its own right because they really did look like hardened warriors at the end of this one and that made me extremely happy to say the least. Because this was the moment where they became something more, and from here on out, it’s heroism and strength and well, I truly cannot wait to see what’s next. So, once again, I take my leave of these Retro Recaps, to witness the wonder of this incredible group of heroes, because they are ready for anything. Until next time. 

​There is a question and scenario that all of us have asked ourselves or toyed with at some point or another; how far would we be willing to go to save or protect those we love? Why we go to that particular question or that dark place, I simply cannot say. It may be because it helps us to understand how much those people mean to us, or it could be due to the fact that exploring a little bit of darkness helps bring us comfort that maybe we will never have to answer that question or be in that scenario. But regardless, it will cross our mind and our need to explore it, is precisely why fictional stories will sometimes toy with this matter, as was the case with the next episode of Timeless, ‘Karma Chameleon’.
 
For in this tale, Wyatt finally made good on his promise to steal the Lifeboat, in the hopes of protecting Jessica by making changes to the past, and he and Rufus ventured to Ohio in 1983, wherein the plan was to prevent Wes Gilliam’s parents from ever meeting and conceiving him and all it would take to stop that from happening, was to find dear old mom and keep her from having a one night stand with a particular bartender at a hotel and while it seemed at first that Wyatt’s surprisingly low-key and non-violent plan was going to work, fate seemingly continued to intervene and make this task about as difficult as possible and well, thanks to a few lies told earlier in the story by Wyatt, everything went to hell when said lies were exposed.
 
Which made for a desperate Wyatt and that’s never a good thing and he quickly began to let his anger take over and his fury got him arrested and that sent him to about the darkest place one can go. For once he was free, he immediately took his attempt to change the future to a whole new level by charging into the room where his targets were getting intimate before kidnapping the once and future father and in a mess of an attempt to drag him away from the hotel, the man died in ugly fashion, leaving Wyatt in one tough place. Because he finally realized this quest and thirst for revenge and salvation was unbecoming of who he really is and for the first time ever we saw regret and remorse from Wyatt and more pain, for his attempts to change the future failed and Jessica was still dead upon his return to present day.
 
Yet, while that alone would have been enough to make for a powerhouse episode, the story had more to offer, like the fact that Lucy finally came to realize that her father was the member of Rittenhouse who was working with Mason in secret, shattering her to her core and prompting her to do something that was also wild and angry since she went to see dear old dad in the hopes of having a little chat and that’s where this episode left us, with a mini cliffhanger and well, when all is said and done, this one was intense. In part because it’s clear the relationship between Mason and the Time Team, including Agent Christopher is falling to pieces, but also because it was packed with so much.
 
Because this episode also saw Anthony’s time on the show come to an end since he tried to put a stop to all this madness by blowing up the Mothership and it straight up cost him his life since Flynn wasn’t having any of that and this is one that quite frankly, I needed a moment to process since it was filled with action and emotion and downright heartbreak because Wyatt still hasn’t found his calling and direction as a hero just yet, and really, neither has the Time Team since they seem lost and angry at the moment and well, this episode was just brilliant. Because this is character development at its finest and now that we’ve seen Wyatt hit a low, I would imagine that he’s going to pull himself out of the darkness at some point soon and it should be interesting to see how Rufus deals with the death of his mentor, and how Lucy will handle her dad and well, there’s only one way to find out how all of that gets resolved really, so, once again, I’m off to see how this story ends. Until next time. 

​When we hear the word, ‘hero’, certain images come to mind. We see strong human beings, with a squared jaw and a stare that shows they understand more than we do in life, and these people are fearless and brave and will do anything and everything to ensure that good prevails in our world and that lives are always saved and that vision of a hero exists in our mind thanks to years of superhero storytelling and incredible feats from people who went above and beyond when their fellow man needed them most.
 
But what we often forget about heroes, the real kind, not the ones with capes, is that they are in fact, everyday people. Sure, they did something more and we tell tales of their incredible deed, but they eat like the rest of us, they sleep like the rest of us and sometimes, they struggle like the rest of us. And that reality is why I firmly believe I’ve found myself seeking out different types of hero related stories as I get older because I find flawed heroes, the kind who need to earn their elevated status to be supremely fascinating and that is precisely why I loved the next episode of Timeless, ‘The Murder of Jesse James’, because it put every single flaw of our beloved Time Team on display by way of some fascinating complications.
 
For in this tale, Wyatt actually took the time to visit the man that killed his wife and facing that man didn’t have the positive impact that he hoped it would, instead, it seemed to rattle him further and rattle his faith in the system and he wasn’t alone in being shaken up in this tale since Rufus came to learn that his brave move ended up causing harm since Mason now has to train Jiya to become the Lifeboat’s pilot so Rittenhouse can be free to push their agenda and to top it all off, Lucy forgot her own sister’s birthday thanks to everything that was going on and the harsh reminder that she was gone, and the fact that she forgot, put Lucy in a dark place and really, the flaws on display here were simple; Wyatt could find no peace when it came to Jessica, meaning he needs something more to resolve his pain, Rufus could not escape the threat of Rittenhouse, jeopardizing his quest for external and internal peace and Lucy, felt as though she wasn’t doing enough in these missions and had failed her sister.
 
But, despite having all of that weighing upon their souls, they still had to head back to the Old West to stop Flynn from messing with the timeline once again and well, they didn’t exactly find themselves at peak performance during this mission. Because their minds were elsewhere, and they were either at one another or chomping at the bit to make someone pay for their pain and well, we saw them stumble and fall in this tale since Lucy ended up killing Jesse James in cold blood, Rufus regressed when it comes to his boldness and Wyatt was consumed by revenge and almost stepped into Lucy’s shoes and while history was mostly preserved by their actions, bigger problems still arose from this mission since Emma Whitmore entered the story and found her way back to present day with Flynn’s help. 
 
Yet, the show wasn’t done stunning us with ugly moments just yet, since Wyatt did ask Rufus to help him steal the lifeboat, no doubt to stop Jessica from dying and well, had I been watching this episode without having seen season two, it would have concerned me greatly. But I know this team finds its way to a brighter and bolder place, and that they do become heroes. So in the end, I really enjoyed this episode since it served as the genesis of that journey and seeing them stumble here and struggle here, made them more relatable than ever and their mistakes are going to make their journey toward the light all the more powerful and well, it just speaks the quality of writing this show put together week in and week out. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to watch Wyatt make a mistake, so that he and the team can learn from it. Until next time.    

If there’s one thing that’s super high on my list when it comes to reasons I’m such a fan of NBC’s Timeless, it has to be the fact that this series doesn’t mess around when it comes to resolving plotlines and answering questions. For many shows out there will take their sweet time in doing those things and in essence, drag everything out before bringing it all together come season finale time. But this show, knows that it needs to keep things moving and wrap up matters quickly and for proof of this, look no further than the next episode in season one, ‘The World’s Columbian Exposition’.
 
Because this particular tale could have left us hanging when it comes to finding out exactly what the heck Flynn had planned for Lucy. But it didn’t take long to discover that he needed her mind to try and help him continue his search for Rittenhouse’s executive leadership and unfortunately for both Lucy and Flynn, the botched attempt to end this in 1780 meant that Flynn was going to have to figure out a new plan on how to stop this madness and he dragged Lucy to the first world’s fair in 1893 in order to assassinate Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and J.P. Morgan who as it turned out, were also top tier leaders in Rittenhouse.
 
But, getting to a trio of leaders as important as those men would not be as easy as one might think, which means that Flynn needed a little help in getting into the building and room they were going to meet in and he forcibly enlisted the help of one Harry Houdini who was in fact, able to get Flynn into the meeting room to set up a bomb. But thanks to an early appearance by everyone involved in the meeting, and some quick thinking from Lucy, Houdini was able to foil Flynn’s plans and get him captured by Rittenhouse, giving Lucy freedom from Flynn’s madness and preserving history and seemingly giving the audience an early happy ending for a change.
 
However, there was a bit of a complication surrounding the story before a happy ending could arise in that, Rufus and Wyatt were in this time period as well, looking for Lucy of course and thanks to Flynn’s lackey they found themselves trapped in a room with other strangers at the World’s Fair Hotel, a place that housed a man named H.H. Holmes who just so happened to be America’s first Serial Killer and the rest of the story ended up being a twisted cat and mouse game where the Time Trio and their new friends worked to survive Holmes’ hotel of horrors, wherein Lucy eventually had to use her knowledge of Holmes to confuse him in order to escape his clutches.
 
If anything, this ended up being quite the harrowing episode when all is said and done since the Time Team was under constant duress in this one, but what matters most, is that we saw more genuine heroism from all of them since Lucy was bold and brave in this tale regardless of the circumstances, Wyatt made Holmes pay for his cruelty in unexpected fashion and Rufus, well he finally stood up to Rittenhouse and while it seems as though everything is back to ‘normal’ for the Time Team, one does have to wonder what Wyatt is going to do with the information that Flynn (who of course escaped) gave him regarding the identity of the man that supposedly killed Jessica and well, I suppose there’s only one way to find out, so on that note, I’m off to watch another episode of this magnificent series. Until next time.   

​One of my favorite moments when it comes to any television series I’m watching, is when the saga simply lets loose and drops a powerhouse episode related to the overall plot right into our laps. Because that particular kind of episode tends to be heavier than anything that’s come before it and they’re usually filled to the brim with stunning moments that leave you hungry for more and when it comes to Timeless, I finally arrived at an episode that meets that criteria since ‘The Capture of Benedict Arnold’ dug deep into the history of Rittenhouse and kept me on the edge of my seat thanks to some powerful twists and turns.
 
Which is funny in its own right, because at first glance, this one seemed pretty by the numbers. After all, we got our standard intro to set the stage as to where the Time Team was headed in history, and when they arrived, they were able to interact with America’s first president, George Washington and well, that’s basically where the standard formula for the series came to an end in this tale. For Flynn’s entry into the storyline changed everything since he more or less offered the Time Trio a truce, and a chance to bring down Rittenhouse before they could ever put their evil plans into motion because Benedict Arnold as it turns out, was a member of this awful club and well, if they agreed to help Washington bring the man in, he could lead them to the source.
 
It’s a plan that for the most part worked like a charm since the team was able to get close to their man and eventually Rittenhouse and well, that’s when this episode took quite the turn into darker territory. For when they arrived at David Rittenhouse’s estate, who we learned is  the founder father of this evil organization, the group came across David’s son, John, and that young man gave us insight into the twisted mantra that this group functions upon and it was just chilling to see a boy speak of the need to control the world and the ‘weak’ with such conviction and the darkness didn’t end there.
 
For shortly after we were introduced to John, David took the center stage and well…the elder Rittenhouse was nothing short of a madman. For the way he carried himself and the way he spoke to others and quite frankly how he viewed Lucy as a breeding vessel, spoke to the kind of arrogance that only the truly mad carry and while it was satisfying to see Flynn end him with impunity, let’s be honest, that kind of crazy inspires and engenders more madness and I’m with Lucy and the team on this one in that, it probably didn’t matter that they put down the head of Rittenhouse, his words will resonate for decades and the organization will likely go on without him.
 
Yet, while all of this was incredible in its own right, what also impressed me in this tale was Flynn’s journey, since he opened up about his family and how much these voyages through time have changed him for the worst and you legitimately had to feel for the man and we got to see first-hand how much his thirst for revenge has consumed him since he almost murdered a child. But when all is said and done, wow, what an episode this turned out to be. It was intense, it was powerful and it was downright thrilling to finally learn more about this twisted organization and its origins and well, there’s not much else to say other than, I need to watch another one right now to see what happens to Lucy since Flynn took her away in the Mothership so on that note, I’m off to fire up my Hulu app. Until next time. 

You know a television show is darn good, when it manages to completely veer clear off of the main plot, without the audience even knowing, and that’s on my mind today, because it is a feat that Timeless pulled off in the smoothest of fashion. For in reality, the last two episodes, which I and many fans thoroughly enjoyed, basically abandoned the primary plot of this story. Sure, Rittenhouse was present and doing their thing. But the push to uncover their real plan and stop that more or less went the wayside and honestly, I didn’t even notice. I just ate those past two stories up because they were just that great.
 
In fact, it wasn’t until I settled in to watch the next episode in this saga, ‘Last Ride of Bonnie & Clyde’ that it even dawned upon me that this happened, but thanks to a trip back to the 1930's, wherein the Time Team came face to face with two of America’s most infamous bank robbers, it finally hit me that we had strayed, but that’s not a bad thing, because this particular tale put everything back on track. Because Bonnie Parker, had a peculiar necklace on her person that was discovered after she was captured by the authorities and clues from Flynn’s warehouse tipped Agent Christopher off that Rittenhouse wanted it, and their desire to obtain it is precisely why the Time Trio ventured back to this era and well, their quest to get this necklace, first, produced some interesting moments.
 
Case in point, the fact that Wyatt and Lucy were forced to in essence, team up with this dynamic duo of thieves since Flynn used his knowledge of the past to change things up a little bit and it was quite neat to see this pair cut loose, if only for a moment and get lost in the adventure by treating Bonnie and Clyde like old friends and in doing this, well…they laid the foundation for the relationship we’ve all been waiting for them to take part in since they shared a kiss at last, one that clearly awakened their feelings for one another. But despite the wonderful distraction that little twist provided, make no mistake about it, this episode ended up being bleaker than I expected it to be, simply because, the bad guys won in this one.
 
After all, Flynn did get his hands on the necklace, and was able to use the key attached to it to obtain a secretive document and to make matters worse, Rittenhouse made life supremely difficult for Agent Christopher in this episode as well since she was forced to spy on Mason and dive into his dealings with this mysterious agency, to the point where she finally had to confront Rufus about what he knows and well, I love the fact that this story didn’t end in sunshine and rainbows because sometimes the good guys just don’t win and more importantly, I love that this particular story did such a fine job of refocusing the plot on Rittenhouse and their evil machinations.
 
Because nothing good can come from a key that implies it has the ability to unlock both the beginning and the end and I am quite curious to see what is in the document this ‘Alpha and Omega’ key unlocked. Thankfully though, I’m sure I will find out soon, since this series always makes a point of revealing its wondrous secrets. But in the meantime, this really was another fine episode, for this was filled to the brim with compelling and beautiful moments, and my favorite by far was Wyatt’s re-telling about how he proposed to Jessica. But, all of those important moments aside, things are clearly heating up. For Agent Christopher is closing in on Rittenhouse and they will likely make their presence widely known soon, since they have their hands on all that important key and the secrets it unlocked…until next time…