In which everybody gets their panties
in a knot
(This review contains
spoilers!)
Ah, the old west. Home to such famous
cowboys and crooks as Buffalo Bill, Billy the Kid, and Pecos Bill. Fun fact:
the most popular name in the old west was John. The more you know!
This episode started out looking like
yet another standard Timeless
episode, with the crew going back to a certain point, meeting a figure from
history and chasing after Flynn with varying results. But no! This week Timeless threw everything it had at us,
creating not only a fun and memorable episode but an incredible setup for what
was to come next.
This week Flynn teamed up with outlaw
Jesse James, saving his life from the hands of his gang members and enlisting
him in locating some person hidden way out in the middle of nowhere. Of course,
our heroes aren’t close behind, as they decide to work with U.S. Marshal and Lone Ranger inspiration Bass Reeves to
apprehend them.
Of course, things don’t exactly go as
planned. Firstly, Wyatt is out for blood this week as a result of him meeting with
the man who murdered his wife. Meanwhile, Lucy is suffering from nightmares of
her long-lost sister, leaving Rufus to be surprisingly the only one who doesn’t
seem to be freaking out over something this week. The three of them do get a
fantastic moment together about halfway through the episode, where they reflect
on where their adventures have brought them and if it’s really worth
sacrificing their mental stability over what they’re doing. It’s really telling
how far these characters have come over the last few episodes. Whereas I didn’t
like Wyatt at all for most of the series, I’ve recently come around to enjoying
the guy, albeit not as much as the other 2.
Similarly, the Characters of the Week
were all really fantastically done. Bass might go down as the coolest partner
the team’s had yet. While I don’t think he got as much screentime as he
deserved, every time we did see him he completely dominated with his presence.
His Native American partner was also very fun and memorable, responding well to
a few Tonto jokes made by Wyatt.
On the other side we had Jesse James,
who worked well as a foil to Rufus. I don’t know if I’ll remember him as one as
the best villains on the show so far (especially compared to the last 2
episodes), but he was enjoyably sinister and served his purpose well.
It’s not until the final few minutes
of the episode that things really get crazy. For most of the episode you assume
the person Flynn is tracking is a Rittenhouse member, but this couldn’t be
further from the truth. Shockingly, Flynn introduces us to Emma, the original
pilot of the time machine who stranded herself in the Old West after
Rittenhouse threatened her and her family’s lives. He takes her back home with
him, but exactly what he plans to do with her is unclear.
This is such a great twist on so many levels. First off, it’s never
been mentioned before that anyone aside from Rufus piloted the time machine.
Not only does this allow the twist to catch the audience completely off guard,
but it adds another layer of mystery to the time machine crew, as detailed in
the final moments of the episode. What else could they be hiding? Could Mason
turn out to be one of the big bads of the series? And secondly, this new
character’s experiences with Rittenhouse might be the key to turning some of
the main crew over to Flynn’s side, primarily Rufus, who knows how hard it is
to work for them. I sincerely hope this isn’t a one-off plot thread that goes completely
nowhere.
If I had to gripe about something, I’d
have to say that both the very beginning and very ending of the episode are
more than a little melodramatic. It opens with a very cliché and over-the-top
dream sequence where Lucy’s sister berates her for forgetting her birthday. It’s
kind of unnecessary, as it takes way too long to explain something that could’ve
been made clear in a single sentence. Plus, the sister overacts it like crazy,
making it seem more laughable than anything. The ending is even more
ridiculous, with Lucy appearing in a photograph of Jesse James’ death on
Wikipedia and having her cry a single tear…for whatever reason. It does lead
into what’s happening next week, though, as Wyatt and Rufus are taking the time
machine for a joyride as they attempt to save Wyatt’s wife once and for all.
While not perfect by any means, The
Murder of Jesse James truly captured the spirit of the old west by creating a
fun atmosphere full of great characters and surprises. Adding in some excellent
new issues for the main cast as well as some great setup for next week, and it’s
no wonder how Timeless was able to save itself from an entire season of
mediocrity. They’ve finally realized how to make a great show, and I couldn’t
be happier about that.
FINAL SCORE
9/10
Amazing
No comments:
Post a Comment