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Some information about this episode

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“Doc” mentions that Rittenhouse was formed in 1778. Here is the information that was given in the podcast about the actual David Rittenhouse in that same year:

Jun 24, 1778 David Rittenhouse observes a total solar eclipse in Philadelphia

David Rittenhouse (April 8, 1732 – June 26, 1796) was a renowned American astronomer, inventor, clockmaker, mathematician, surveyor, scientific instrument craftsman and public official. Rittenhouse was a member of the American Philosophical Society and the first director of the United States Mint.

The Flag Act of 1777, which defined the Flag of the United States of America and explained the blue field of stars as a representation of “a new constellation.” This is thought by some to be a direct tribute to Rittenhouse.

Sep 19 The Continental Congress passes the first budget of the United States.

Also, Goran Višnjić was born September 9, 1972 – which means, if they’re making him somewhere near his real age, he was safe from the “rules” of time-travel as outlined on the show. Since Matt Frewer didn’t appear, the show was true to it’s own canon. We’d be happier if they explained how the ship was piloted without Anthony Bruhl, but at least they’re not breaking the rules… yet.

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Set the record(ing) straight

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This episode centered around the Watergate break-in and the Presidential tapes, which were central to the ousting of President Richard Nixon in 1974. If you don’t know much about that part of American’s history, now is a good time to learn about it. Watching “All the President’s Men,” along with a little impartial research goes a long way to understanding what we know about the incidents, although much of it has since been lost to history.

Mark Felt, played in “The Watergate Tapes” by Tom Amandes (Arrow, Scandal, From the Earth to the Moon), was outed as “Deep Throat” in 2005. Felt had suffered a stroke several years earlier, and after meeting with Bob Woodward, his family urged him to reveal his status as the Watergate informant – in order to capitalize on lucrative book and film deals before his death.

The Timeless writers don’t go into detail about how our team, (and Flynn’s team) changes history, but since the tape is stolen, and Felt is encouraged to continue his investigation – we can infer that the outcome stays the same. We never learn “Doc’s” true identity, so that may be something that is revealed later – or is just an inconsequential footnote in this leg of the journey. Who knows?

 

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All in the families

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All of our main characters had a tie-in with their family in this episode. Rittenhouse threatened Rufus’ mother and brother yet again – and we even got to see them, Wyatt and Flynn “bonded” (?) over their lost families, and Lucy got up the courage to visit her father’s house.

At the beginning of the episode we see Rufus’ mother, and he expresses his dismay over missing his brother’s game. But Rittenhouse was there, and they’re keeping an eye on things for him. How kind of them. We also see the name that Lucy’s mother has written down on that piece of paper from the last episode. Benjamin Cahill. Hmmm. Wonder if that’ll pan out?

Once the teams are back in 1972, Flynn holds Wyatt hostage while Lucy and Rufus do his bidding, and they talk to each other about their losses. We talk about how it seems really organic and not expositional for exposition’s sake. It’s probably the most human we’ve seen Flynn, and while Wyatt isn’t loving the interaction, he’s also learning a lot about his opponent.

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Going off-book

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Before releasing Lucy and Rufus, Flynn drops the bomb that he’s been chatting to her when they cross paths in each time trip. He also shows the guys that he has her journal, and she again denies that it’s real/hers, while Flynn is steadfast in his belief that it’s hers and very real. Is it because he’s already lived some of it? I’m guessing yes.

This is only the first time one of the big secrets is revealed in this episode, and it’s also the impetus behind the other untruth being outed. Lucy says to Rufus, “Have you ever had a secret that just scared the living hell out of you?” and you can see that he connects to her at that moment – which gives him the strength to confide in her later at Doc’s house.

Flynn shows the book to Wyatt during their heart-to-heart, and talks about how Lucy’s tone changes throughout. We’re curious to find out how this happens. Is it because of her father? How she might be tied in to Rittenhouse via Daddy-dearest? The situation with her sister? Flynn? Wyatt? So many permutations!

 

 

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Power to the People

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The tables were turned this week and Rufus got to take the lead in one of the team tasks. A symbol is found for the Black Liberation Army, so Rufus goes to meet with Gregory Hayes, who is apparently a close confidant to Eldridge Cleaver.

They get information as to the whereabouts of “Doc,” who happens to be a person. Up to now, they thought it was a document, and destroying a piece of paper is vastly different than killing a human being. Rufus’ directive is to destroy the doc, and this is the last straw for him. He has to come clean.

He drops the recording device in Doc’s sink, and tells Lucy that Rittenhouse has been using him to spy on the team. Lucy is outraged, *cough*hypocrite*cough* and they quickly disseminate some information before coming up with a plan to have both of the bad guy groups converge on the house while they flee with Doc and free Wyatt.

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Lying liars of lie-town

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So… a lot of untruths were uncovered in this episode. Some of them were brought out into the light, and some of them were simply shown to us – the audience. And in one case, we’re still guessing as to the final outcome.

Wyatt is unsettled by his teammates and doesn’t know how far he can trust them. It’s a huge step backwards from the end of “The Alamo,” and it’s a shame. Lucy and Rufus will have to work to gain back his favor – and so they should.

Lucy knows who her dad is, but not really who her dad is. As per a comment in our Facebook group:

Davia Archibald So, with Lucy’s father revealed as a member of Rittenhouse, does this mean that Lucy is also part of Rittenhouse? We now know you are born into it, but cannot join.

Mind. Blown.

Never occurred to either of us! How did that get by us? Good call Davia! Another reason feedback – before, after, and during the episode is so important to us. We love it!

We discuss Mr. Cahill during the podcast as well, and we’re wondering about where that storyline will go. He places a call after Lucy leaves his house, but it’s left nebulous as to who he calls. We should find out next week, and we can’t wait.

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Next week, we go all the way back to 1754, and here’s the synopsis:

STRANDED (TV-PG)
THE TEAM FACES A TRUE TEST OF TIME WHEN THEY FOLLOW FLYNN TO 1754. The team chases Garcia Flynn (Goran Višnjic) to 1754, but after he reveals his true intentions, they’re forced to scramble through hostile territory. Now, if they want to survive, they’ll need to learn to trust each other. Meanwhile, Agent Christopher (Sakina Jaffrey) quietly investigates Connor Mason (Paterson Joseph), and Jiya (Claudia Doumit) has a hunch that Rufus (Malcolm Barrett) might be resourceful enough to open a line of communication with the present. Also starring Abigail Spencer and Matt Lanter. Guest starring Chad Rook, Hector Hugo and John Getz.

The Promo Pics are posted on our Facebook page, and the costuming continues to amaze me.

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On June 20

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1248 – The University of Oxford receives its Royal charter.
1782 – The U.S. Congress adopts the Great Seal of the United States.
1837 – Queen Victoria succeeds to the British throne.
1945 – The United States Secretary of State approves the transfer of Wernher von Braun and his team of Nazi rocket scientists to the U.S. under Operation Paperclip.
1963 – The so-called “red telephone” link is established between the Soviet Union and the United States following the Cuban Missile Crisis.
1972 – Watergate scandal: An 18½-minute gap appears in the tape recording of the conversations between U.S. President Richard Nixon and his advisers regarding the recent arrests of his operatives while breaking into the Watergate complex.
1975 – The film Jaws is released in the United States, becoming the highest-grossing film of that time and starting the trend of films known as “summer blockbusters“.
2003 – The Wikimedia Foundation is founded in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Notable Births:
1909 – Errol Flynn, Australian-American actor
1924 – Chet Atkins, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2001)
1924 – Fritz Koenig, German sculptor and academic, designed The Sphere (Damaged on 9/11)
1928 – Martin Landau, American actor and producer
1931 – Olympia Dukakis, American actress
1933 – Danny Aiello, American actor
1942 – Brian Wilson, American singer-songwriter and producer
1945 – Anne Murray, Canadian singer and guitarist
1946 – Bob Vila, American television host
1949 – Lionel Richie, American singer-songwriter, pianist, producer, and actor
1951 – Tress MacNeille, American actress and voice artist (Futurama)
1952 – John Goodman, American actor
1967 – Nicole Kidman, American-Australian actress
Notable Deaths:
1947 – Bugsy Siegel, American mobster
2005 – Jack Kilby, American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate
2011 – Ryan Dunn, American television personality (Jackass)
2013 – John David Wilson, English animator and producer (Peter Pan, Lady & the Tramp)

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