After learning about Flynn’s 1954 Rittenhouse meeting, the time team heads to the same place and time in “The Red Scare.” Unfortunately, with Rufus injured, the team is down a pilot, leading Jiya to tag along while Agent Christopher tries her best to cover for them in the present, finding herself a surprising ally.
Lucy’s fiancee returns
He returns to one very important scene - he gets to patch Rufus up. As the Time Team confronted Al Capone, Rufus was shot. He’s not exactly in the best condition to be time traveling at the top of “The Red Scare.” Luckily for Lucy, she has a doctor in her pocket, even if she doesn’t really know anything about the man she’s engaged to in the timeline they changed several episodes back.
This quick scene actually closes the door on this relationship for Lucy (unless this guy turns out to be Rittenhouse agent, of course), and that’s a good thing for the audience. Despite Wyatt wanting to save his wife and prevent her from dying, the audience is already heavily invested in the possibility of Lucy and Wyatt ending up together.
A fiancee who hasn’t given us the same emotional tether as Wyatt’s wife is just excess baggage at this point instead of a plot point to investigate. Lucy telling him they’re done is necessary. The audience gets the added bonus of him asking if she’s breaking up with him because of Wyatt, and Lucy’s telling pause before she explains that she isn’t the woman he thinks he knows.
It’s a bit of fan service, possibly, but it’s the kind that benefits the story as a whole.
Mason isn’t a soulless bad guy after all
While Agent Christopher is being held by Rittenhouse, it turns out that Mason isn’t exactly on the side of the secret organization. We’ve seen him play by Rittenhouse’s rules repeatedly, but for “The Red Scare,” he reveals that he’s been gathering information on Benjamin Cahill, Lucy’s father, and he’s ready to hand it all over to Agent Christopher to bring the man to justice.
Why? Because he’s got a guilty conscience and he knows Rufus is living on borrowed time. It’s important that we get to see Mason’s humanity here, but it’s a little sad that only his friend’s life matters to Mason, not the rest of humanity.
What is going on with Jiya?
Giving the audience a good scare, Jiya ends up in serious danger since the lifeboat is only made to carry three people.
She’s got burst blood vessels in her eyes and seizes more than once. The situation does have Rufus finally telling her that he loves her, but even back in the present where it seems like Jiya is just fine, something is off.
As Jiya has another seizure, the view out the window behind her changes from an intact bridge to one in ruins. It’s almost like Jiya’s seizure gives us a glimpse of an alternate timeline, like she’s caught between the two as a result of her trip to the past. Or can her mind time jump without the use of a machine now?
Ethan Cahill meets his granddaughter
Lucy tracks down Ethan in 1954, and after discovering how much he didn’t want to be a member of Rittenhouse, turns him into a double agent by telling him all about her time travel adventures.
Back in 2017, he has all the evidence she needs to take Rittenhouse down, and it seems like everything is tied up in a neat little bow… until Lucy’s mother drops a bomb on her. It isn’t just the Cahills that are Rittenhouse. Lucy’s mother has been Rittenhouse this whole time as well. What a way to end the season!
The verdict and what’s next
So much happened in “The Red Scare” that it felt more like a series finale than a season finale. “Timeless” also teased a few new mysteries, though, making me just want more.
4 out of 5 stars.
As of right now, we don’t know what’s next for the Time Team or “Timeless” in general. The series has been on the bubble pretty much since it premiered and NBC hasn’t publicly acknowledged whether or not “Timeless” will be renewed for season two.
