After a successful season punctuated by moderate reviews and a decent following, NBC’s time-travelling drama “Timeless” may have reached the end of a chapter, though it has yet to close the book. The sole fact that “Timeless” draws upon historical events only proves the extent to which they can take the drama. Paired with the fact that co-producer Eric Kripke is not one for short seasons, fans can expect “Timeless” to be in for the long-haul. So, with a finale that thrived on twists and cliff-hangers, what makes “Timeless” different than other series of this nature?
The finale began in the present, as the Lifeboat returns to treat Rufus (Malcolm Barrett, “War on Everyone”) from a gunshot wound before promptly returning to the past — Washington, D.C. in 1954, to be precise. However, when Lucy (Claudia Doumit, “All My Children”) and Wyatt (Matt Lanter, “Star Wars Rebels”) are framed as Soviet spies by Flynn (Goran Višnjić, “ER”), who blackmailed Senator McCarthy into disclosing the location of the Rittenhouse summit, they must rely on familial ties to take down Rittenhouse. More specifically, Lucy’s grandfather, whom they track back to a ‘50s era gay bar. The conversation that ensues displays the best of “Timeless,” which is a message of hope and love. The moments that are shared between Lucy and her grandfather are emotional moments that really click.
In the same manner, many moments are hit-and-miss, such as those between Rufus and his injured girlfriend Jiya (Claudia Doumit, “Losing in Love”). Though the Lifeboat is typically meant for three passengers, Rufus’s injury persuades Jiya to join the gang on their blast to the past. Soon after, she begins to experience the uncharted side effects of wormhole travel via violent seizures and bloodshot eyes. There are moments in this performance where the couple is perhaps over-playing their roles, and yet a silent speech between the two shows a tender moment and is just another aspect that “Timeless” proves it is spectacular at pulling off. Perhaps if “Timeless” realizes its strengths whilst addressing its weaknesses with the cliched romance, these romances can withstand the test of time. Later on in the episode, another seizure from Jiya, which seemingly pulls her between the ‘50s and present day, proves that “Timeless” has only touched the surface of long-standing effects of time travel.
Despite the overall success of the finale, the episode was still decently rushed for the amount of material on the agenda. For example, Lucy and Wyatt’s final confrontation with Flynn feels a little rushed and the last few moments of the series deserved more time than the air time allowed. As Lucy returns home to her mother to express her desire to save her younger sister in the past, she uncovers an ugly truth — to Lucy’s horror, her mother is a member of the Rittenhouse, a fact which makes Lucy practically “Rittenhouse royalty.” In a moment where there are few words, the actresses work the facial expressions and wordless dialogue with a believable ease. Though there are many questions still up in the air as to the fate of the time-travelling team, the show’s creators are confident (perhaps even prematurely so) that viewers will be able to follow the Lifeboat onwards to season two of the series. Until then, “Timeless” should consider keeping its weaknesses from affecting its strengths and drawing from the moments that truly make “Timeless” a memorable and historically interesting drama series.