TIMELESS “Public Enemy No. 1” Recap

By Ruby Campos

With the Rittenhouse led NSA now in complete control of Mason Industries, Agent Neville doesn’t hesitate when he decides the previous defensive tactics against Flynn aren’t getting them anywhere. He tells Lucy and Rufus (Wyatt is still technically off the grid) that for their next trip they are to kill Flynn’s mother before his birth so they can wipe their antagonist from existence. Of course, they protest, but he reminds them that they must comply, otherwise they’ll be incarcerated for not following government orders.

While Lucy gets ready for the 1960s, her father pays her a visit. He tries to justify Neville’s appointment by reminding her how reckless Flynn’s actions are. Lucy doesn’t want to hear what he has to say but he ends the conversation by telling her that he’s making sure their next mission is to get her sister back.

Rufus, Lucy, and another surrogate Wyatt team member strap themselves into the Lifeboat and travel to Houston, Texas 1962. The trip gets cut extremely short however when Rufus shoots a tranquilizer gun at their newest member and they travel right back to the present; but instead of returning to Mason Industries they meet up with Agent Christopher and Wyatt in secret.

Meanwhile back at Mason Industries, Jiya loses connection to the Lifeboat’s location. Mason quickly jumps to the correct conclusion in assuming that this was Rufus’ doing. Mason also accuses the bewildered Jiya of aiding her boyfriend in the situation and commands her to leave while he tries to fix what Rufus did.

Rufus and Lucy are understandably nervous since they just stole the Lifeboat, effectively turning themselves into fugitives. Wyatt on the other hand is quite zen about the situation and takes on the role of confident leader, reminding his friends that, in this case, they’re going to have to take things one step at a time if they want to get anything done.

So what’s the first step? According to Wyatt they’re going to get Lucy’s sister back, but the Lifeboat gets a read that Flynn used the Mothership to jump through time again. With a low battery and an air of reluctance, the trio decides to do the more responsible thing and go after Flynn.

Before they take off once again, Rufus calls a very confused Jiya on a burner cell he slipped in her pocket at the start of the episode. He quickly asks her to run as much interference as possible to stop Mason from getting the system up and running again and apologizes to her for asking her to be a double agent. Neville walks in and notices her suspicious behavior and finds the burner cell and orders that Jiya be put on ice.

Fresh from his conversation with Rittenhouse member, Julian Charvet, Flynn travels to Chicago 1931 to meet up with Al Capone. Right off the bat, Flynn changes history in a major way by preventing Capone from going to jail for tax evasion. The Time Team arrives to the scene (Rufus and Lucy clad in 1960s fashion and Wyatt in his clothes from 2017) just in time to see Capone and Flynn drive off together after the charges for tax evasion were dropped.

They seem to be at a loss as to what to do until Lucy points out the Prohibition Agent, Eliot Ness could definitely help them out. They pretend to be private investigators working to take down Al Capone, to get Ness to team up with them. Their alliance is cut short though when he takes the trio back to his house. The place gets ambushed and he is killed. This leaves Wyatt to make the executive decision that the three of them go look for Al Capone themselves. However, they realize they don’t really have any leads and Lucy suggests they find Capone’s brother, who is working as a Prohibition Agent, and whose assistance may give them better luck.

Back at Mason Industries, Jiya is questioned by Neville and Mason, who have been unsuccessful in decrypting Rufus’ worm. Jiya stands her ground and for the first time realizes Mason may not be the great person she looked up to in the past.

Shortly thereafter, when they leave Jiya alone again, she quickly gains access to a computer and shuts down the system not long after Mason fixes what Rufus did.

Since Flynn did a huge favor for him, Capone arranges him a meeting with the mayor. Flynn gets violent when he questions them him about the official Rittenhouse meetings Charvet briefly mentioned. He finally gets the information that he needs; all of the living members of Rittenhouse meetup once every 25 years and the next meeting is set for 1954 in DC. Flynn then takes the mayor away to finish him off.

They show up at Richard Hart’s house (AKA James Capone) and Lucy convinces him to help them find his brother when she tells him that Al has been looking for his brother, who left their family, for years. Although it’s been quite some time since the brothers have been in contact, Richard manages to pinpoint Al’s location.

The brothers’ reunion goes surprisingly well until Richard tells him he came to arrest him. Al counteracts by telling them that Flynn warned him the trio may come looking for him and everyone who has one draws their gun. Things get heated and Capone shoots Rufus, while Richard shoots his brother dead.

Back in the present, Mason suggests to Cahill that he get them access to the NSA data farm which will not only speed up the process in locating the Lifeboat but will allow Rittenhouse to locate anyone, anytime, anywhere.

Lucy and Wyatt try to stop Rufus’ bleeding but they need to get him medical attention immediately. However, Lucy frantically points out that hospitals are still segregated in the 1930s and Rufus won’t get the help he needs and they don’t have IDs. They make a spur of the moment decision and conclude that going back to 2017 will be their best bet. Lucy and Wyatt help their friend into the Lifeboat and buckle him into his seat, pleading with Rufus to hold on just long enough to pilot them back to the present. Rufus is losing too much blood and clearly cannot focus on what it is he needs to do, and just as they’re about to jump through time, Rufus loses consciousness.