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Some information about this episode

First of all, I have to say how surprised I am that they actually went back to the real David Rittenhouse! I thought it was a huge stretch when I talked about him in our podcast that discussed Episode 2 of Timeless. Awesome, right? I love how things came together – and Doug and I talk about it in this podcast.

austinroeToday, I’m going to discuss Austin Roe. Flynn dumped the poor spy in a ditch in order to steal his identity, which was a smart move since he was part of the Culper Ring. I first heard about a fictional version of The Culper Ring when I read [[[Y: The Last Man]]], a comic book from DC Vertigo in the 1990s. (mini Cougar’s Comic Corner… go read it.)

The Culper Ring were a group of spies located up and down the Eastern US that – for the most part – would pass messages using non-verbal communication. Between handkerchiefs hung out on clotheslines, plants arranged on a windowsill, or a more mundane surreptitious note drop-off/pick-up, the Ring managed to get very important data to the American troops during the Revolutionary War.

One of the sources of it’s success was that no single person knew all of the members. Some of the spies were identified by number only.  George Washington’s number was reportedly 711. Despite being founded in the 1770s, it was kept completely invisible to the public until the 1930s, when it was revealed after the discovery of letters in Robert Townsend’s family home.

Steampunk Dividiver

Grade-A Douche-Nozzles

Rufus calls Benedict Arnold a Douche-Nozzle in the actual episode, and it’s ironic, seeing as by the end of the show he’s one of the more sympathetic characters. There were far worse characters this time around, and we discuss them at length.

Memory Stick

memorystickAgent Christopher has Lucy over for dinner where our time-traveling team member meets the wife of our most sympathetic home-baser. Denise (yes, that’s her first name) gives Lucy a flash-drive containing pictures of her family, in case they’re erased from the timeline. She wants to remember them, like Lucy wants to bring back her sister.

I’m puzzled by this, since Ms. Christopher has the luxury of not knowing whatever’s been erased, unlike Lucy, who has to live with whatever changes have been made. But.. I guess I get it. It made for a very touching scene nevertheless. I was moved, how about you?

Time-napped?

After all of the action, Flynn grabs Lucy and drags her into the Mothership – which leaves Wyatt and Rufus watching helplessly as their teammate is lost to another timeline. At least for now. It seems like their mission has been changed – now they’ll need to track down Flynn and Lucy. Whether that’s sanctioned by Connor Mason/Mason Industries… that’s what we’re going to have to find out.

Flynn Wanted to Clock That Kid

clockkidOkay, I know this storyline title is kinda punny, but I mean this as a concept more than an actual talking point. We know the show is centered around time-travel because DUH. Well, during this particular episode, we met the man behind it all, Rittenhouse. You notice I don’t say DAVID Rittenhouse, because I’m not sure that’s the case.

Again, Doug and I discuss that at length in the podcast, but just keep in mind that poor John has seen a lot in the space of a few hours, and he’s fascinated by time, clocks, how things work, etc. Young men have such impressionable minds…

clockssized

On September 25

1789 – The United States Congress passes twelve amendments to the United States Constitution: The Congressional Apportionment Amendment (which was never ratified), the Congressional Compensation Amendment, and the ten that are known as the Bill of Rights.
1977 – About 4,200 people take part in the first running of the Chicago Marathon.
Notable Births:
1694Henry Pelham, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
1897William Faulkner, American novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate
1915Ethel Rosenberg, American spy
1917Phil Rizzuto, American baseball player and sportscaster
1926Aldo Ray, American actor
1929Barbara Walters, American journalist, producer, and author
1930Shel Silverstein, American author, poet, illustrator, and songwriter
1933Hubie Brown, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
1936Juliet Prowse, South African-American actress, singer, and dancer
1944Michael Douglas, American actor and producer
1947Cheryl Tiegs, American model and actress
1948Mimi Kennedy, American actress and screenwriter
1951Mark Hamill, American actor, singer, and producer
1952Christopher Reeve, American actor, producer, and activist
1955Luanne Rice, American author and activist
1956Jamie Hyneman, American special effects designer and television host, founded M5 Industries
1961Heather Locklear, American actress
1962Aida Turturro, American actress
1963Tate Donovan, American actor
1965Scottie Pippen, American basketball player and sportscaster
1968Will Smith, American actor, producer, and rapper
1969Catherine Zeta-Jones, Welsh actress
1983Donald Glover, American actor, rapper, producer, and screenwriter
1989Jordan Gavaris, Canadian actor (Orphan Black)
Notable Deaths:
1849Johann Strauss I, Austrian composer
1928Richard F. Outcault, American cartoonist, created The Yellow Kid and Buster Brown
1960Emily Post, American author and educator
1980John Bonham, English drummer and songwriter
1984Walter Pidgeon, Canadian-American actor
1987Mary Astor, American actress
1988Billy Carter, American farmer and businessman
1991Klaus Barbie, German SS captain, known as the “Butcher of Lyon”
1999Marion Zimmer Bradley, American author
2003George Plimpton, American writer and literary editor
2005Don Adams, American actor, director, and screenwriter
2012Andy Williams, American singer
2016Arnold Palmer, American golfer

Links from this episode:


Friend of the show, Michael Ahr, writes about this episode on DenofGeek.com


 

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