TIMELESS Recap: “The Lost Generation”

By Ruby Campos

With Wyatt indefinitely off the mission after stealing the Lifeboat in last week’s episode, Lucy and Rufus are left to go on their next trip to the past with a different soldier in this week’s episode of Timeless.

Before they take their new temp member through time, Rufus finds out about Lucy’s father being a member of Rittenhouse, the very one who threatened his family’s lives, and he freaks out. Lucy, still reeling from the conversation she had with her father concerning the Rittenhouse family legacy, almost wants to just let Flynn take the Mothership wherever he pleases so he can get rid of Rittenhouse once and for all. However, Rufus manages to change her mind when he reminds her that while Rittenhouse is terrible, it’s their job to stop Flynn from killing innocent people and changing history for the worse.

With their team a little worse for wear in more ways than one, Lucy and Rufus meet Dave, the soldier who will be filling Wyatt’s place, and they take the Lifeboat to the first Transatlantic solo flight in Paris, May 21, 1927.

Emma and Flynn, always a step ahead of our Time Team, shoot down Charles Lindbergh’s plane before he’s able to make his historic landing and kidnaps the injured pilot before a crowd forms around the crash.

Once Rufus, Lucy, and Dave are directed to the crash, their newest member proves to be quite helpful and determines that not only was the plane was shot down but Lindbergh definitely didn’t die in the crash. A reporter overhears them and offers to help them out. It just happens that the reporter is none other than Ernest Hemingway and Lucy has to stop herself from revealing too much about her knowledge of the author’s future work.

Hemingway takes the team to The Dingo Bar, to get them some leads on Lindbergh, Flynn, and Emma and he introduces them to Josephine Baker, — the Beyonce of her day. Once again Rufus and Lucy have difficulty in composing themselves in front of another historical icon. Hemingway tells her about the situation and Josephine delivers some information from one of her friends that gives them a lead.

While Lucy pauses to take in the room of countless famous faces, Josephine tells her about Hemingway’s description of this group as the Lost Generation. Lucy feels that she understands this generation, relating her life upheaval from being a teacher to traveling through time, Josephine gives some uplifting insight; these people may be broken down and battered but they’re prepared to get back up from their hardships.

The team sees Emma at the bar, fetching alcohol to help Lindbergh recover, and they chase her outside down an alley, ending up in a shoot-out with more of Flynn’s men as she makes her escape. Dave, who followed orders and did not bring a gun from 2017 to the 1920s is killed in the altercation, shocking Lucy and Rufus who feel even less secure than before.

Meanwhile back in 2017, Agent Christopher returns to Mason Industries to find that she has been reassigned and that the NSA is now in charge of the mission to stop Flynn. She tells Wyatt (who is still in custody) the news and he first apologizes for causing such a mess but then ponders a moment to consider how this all came about. He comes to the conclusion that this change in leadership had to have been in the works for weeks because there is no way that many people from the NSA could get clearance overnight. Cahill makes an odd appearance out in the open at Mason Industries, making it quite clear that Rittenhouse is responsible for the change in control.

In 1927, Hemingway forces his way onto their team when he hears them voice concerns about losing their third member and leads them to the chateau Josephine’s friend mentioned. The trio quickly drop down to one and guest when one of Flynn’s men takes Lucy to their headquarters. Once there, Flynn confirms that Lindbergh is a part of Rittenhouse and Lucy decides to try and convince him out of the “legacy” because while she has developed a newfound anger for Rittenhouse, she doesn’t want someone else getting killed.

Through talking to Lindbergh, Lucy learns how similar their family legacies seem to be. She gives the reluctant pilot an inspiring speech about making his future for himself, no one else, and seems to be having a positive effect.

The team reunites after Hemingway gives Rufus a speech on tough love and perseverance, giving him that spark to figure out that Flynn was hiding Lindbergh underground, within the catacombs. Emma, who was holding down the fort while Flynn went to meet up with Julian Charvet (another member of Rittenhouse), lets the group escape without giving them trouble, and Rufus leaves his old friend with a warning to take care of herself around Flynn.

While Rufus and Lucy say their goodbyes and send Lindbergh off with the right people in the past, Christopher informs Wyatt of the Rittenhouse infiltration at Mason Industries and gives the choice of either disappearing or staying to fight. The agent cleverly leaves the handcuffed Wyatt with a paperclip, which he uses to break out of custody.

Lucy and Rufus arrive to Mason Industries to a crowd of unknown faces and they immediately know something has changed. They are questioned about Dave’s death and the rest of their mission by Rittenhouse’s replacement for Agent Christopher and are sent on their way.

Back home, Lucy finds herself deep in research on Lindbergh, but it turns out that she did nothing to change his way of life, and it’s clear he still becomes a vital player in Rittenhouse in his future. Shortly thereafter, Lucy’s mother gives her something to write her thoughts into, and it happens to be the very journal that Flynn has been consulting throughout the entirety of the series.

In the closing scene, Christopher rallies the trio into a surveillance free room, reuniting Lucy and Rufus for the first time in the episode. Wyatt, who had more downtime to think about recent events, decides that his purpose is to help Lucy and Rufus do whatever it is they must do. While unsure of what the future holds in store, the four agree that they must fight back against Rittenhouse, together.