'Timeless' Recap: 'The General' & 'Chinatown'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

I’m not sure what’s been in the creative water this year on television, but several season finales, have downright left me speechless and struggling to find the right words when it comes to these recaps and Timeless is no exception to the conundrum that I’m currently experiencing. Because let’s be honest, this week’s two-hour, season two finale of the series, ‘The General’ and ‘Chinatown’, was simply breathtaking with all of the big reveals and incredible surprises that these two episodes dropped our way and well, from what I’ve seen on social media over the past few days I know that I’m not alone in the fact that this finale in essence left all of us in awe on so many levels. 
 
Which means that really, the only way to properly recap this kind of epic storytelling, is to revisit all of those jaw dropping, mind boggling moments because they are in fact, still swirling about in all of our minds and our hearts for that matter as well and really, perhaps the best place to start...is from the proverbial beginning with the first real surprise of the night in that…freakin’ Jessica was a Rittenhouse agent after all and damnit, that’s frustrating. Because I know all the conversations I had with my buddy Matt about this potential and eventually realized plot twist, ended with us being hopeful that maybe, just maybe, she wasn’t evil after all and that Rittenhouse would use Wyatt’s love to rip the team to pieces by having him leave with her to start anew.
 
But instead, our worst fears were realized when it comes to her, and well, her decision to steal the Lifeboat led to more jaw dropping moments, including one that I did not see coming in the slightest…the end of Carol and Nicholas Keynes. Because often times in shows such as this, we are usually treated to some kind of grand showdown between the good guys and the bad guys. But instead, Carol and Keynes met their end at the hands of an angry and minimalized Emma and while it’s not a terrible thing that they’re gone because they were awful, awful people…Emma to me is far more dangerous since she is all about getting the job done and the prospect of her now being in charge of Rittenhouse is downright terrifying.

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​Of course, the bad guys weren’t the only ones to suffer some serious losses in this tale, because we can’t talk about this one, without talking about the death of dear Rufus because damnit…the show did an incredible job of toying with us and making us believe that he was going to be just fine, making the moment when he took a bullet, all the more stunning and all the more heartbreaking. Because Rufus is an amazing character, and truly a good man through and through and seeing someone that good, and that wonderful die a slow and painful death is simply devastating.
 
However, the show did leave us wondering as to whether or not there’s a chance that Rufus could still be alive, as evidenced by that powerhouse cliffhanger of an ending where a future Wyatt and Lucy stepped out of a fancier Lifeboat to offer the Time Team a chance to save his life and well…that’s all the more evidence as to why this show needs a third season, because you simply cannot leave the audience hanging like that, so hopefully we get some good news when it comes to the future of this show and quick. But all, of that aside, wow…what a finale, that’s for certain.
 
I always love it when a television series takes the time to tie up all of its loose ends before the season comes to a close and this show took good care of that. Everything introduced this year came to its logical conclusion whether it made us happy or not, and that’s really all you can ever ask for from your favorite television shows. Either way, the wait to hear the news about season three is on, and hopefully NBC does the right thing, because this simply cannot be the end for the Time Team, they have some unfinished business and Emma’s evil machinations to deal with, so hopefully, we’ll all be back here next year to discuss more of this wonderous show. 

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