The Time Team chases Rittenhouse to 1940s Los Angeles. This week, saving history means embedding themselves in the glamour and scandal of Old Hollywood. P.S. LYATT!!!!!!
Full recap of Timeless Season 2, “Hollywoodland.”
“Hollywoodland” opens with two Rittenhouse agents in Los Angeles, California. The father-son duo, landing the Mothership right behind the L.A. Hollywood sign. For this part of the mission, the son will stay in this time period… for what purpose?
We flash several years to 1941, and we find the young man, now much older and a movie executive, on a Hollywood set. In the midst of shutting down production on a film (a Roman gladiator feature), his father returns. It’s only been a couple months for the father, but it’s been 15 years for the son, who’s now a producer at RKO Pictures. Time travel, man. The father shares news about Nicholas Keynes and his plans for Rittenhouse. The time has come for the son to be “activated” and set his part of the plan in motion.
In 2018, Jiya is still experiencing her episodes, this time getting flashes of Rufus in the dark and shooting a man. Hmmm… Agent Christopher is incensed that the group has been keeping Jiya’s illness away from her. As for Jiya, she doesn’t want to be sidelined, especially when it isn’t likely that there’s a doctor who specializes in afflictions as a result of time travel. Agent Christopher reassures Jiya that she isn’t expendable, but that she needs to get medical treatment. Connor Mason also tries to downplay Jiya’s symptoms, but Rufis doesn’t buy it. Hallucinations have to mean something.
They’re interrupted by a bell alerting them to the Mothership’s movements. Rittenhouse has sent the time machine to January 2, 1941 Los Angeles. Lucy isn’t too sure what’s significant about that time period, but Flynn might know…
When Lucy and Agent Christopher arrive at the prison, they find Flynn at the hospital ward. He was attacked and stabbed. Though Flynn was able to kill his assailant, he’s positive that Rittenhouse is after him. He needs to get out to the prison! Agent Christopher says there isn’t much she can do, especially since Flynn just killed a man. However, Lucy promises to free Flynn in exchange for help figuring out what Rittenhouse wants in 1940’s L.A. Flynn agrees and draws her a picture, something he found on Rittenhouse agent.
Lucy, Wyatt, and Rufus arrive in Hollywood (steal some time-appropriate clothes), but they’re not really sure how to interpret what Flynn has drawn for them. It turns out that the picture Flynn drew is the insignia for Paramount Pictures (the mountain surrounded by stars!). The Time Team sneaks onto the lot, but are confused about what Rittenhouse is doing at a movie studio. Who could the sleeper agent be. It isn’t long before they’re stopped by the security officer you demands to see ID. Rufus comes to their rescue by taking on the persona of Langston Hughes (celebrated African-American poet and playwright). Rufus/Langston asserts that he has an appointment to see the president of the studio, Barney Balaban (thanks Lucy!). But when the arrive at Mr. Balaban’s office, his secretary has no record of the appointment. Rufus/Langston is highly offended at being treated this way. He’s here to pitch the idea for a comedy-musical based on his new book, “The Ways of White Folks” and Logan and Preston (Wyatt and Lucy) are the white folk! If Paramount doesn’t want his script, then Rufus/Langston will go somewhere else. When Barney Balaban arrives he seems excited to hear from Langston and invites the three into his office.
Right off the bat, Mr. Balaban dismisses the possibility of a musical based on the life of Alexander Hamilton being a hit (*sigh* only Lin-Manuel Miranda had the foresight on this one!). Wyatt and Lucy try to gauge whether Balaban knows anything about Rittenhouse, but he’s clueless. As they’re talking, Hedy Lamarr storms in to demand a new writer for a project. Balaban promises that they can work something out, but has to stop to take a phone call. RKO (the studio next door) has had one of their films stolen. RKO 281 is CITIZEN KANE!!!
They leave Balaban’s office and try to speculate about why Rittenhouse would want to steal Citizen Kane. Lucy shares that one person did want to stop Orson Welles from producing the film, media mogul WIlliam Randolph Hearst (at one time, owner of America’s largest newspaper chain). Citizen Kane is basically about Hearst and his mistress, Marion Davies. Lucy suggests they crash the party at Beverly House that night (Hearst’s mansion). Balaban and Hedy Lamarr will both be there. Wyatt helps them to break into the costuming department for some appropriate clothes.
Meanwhile, father/son Rittenhouse duo are the ones who have stolen Citizen Kane and are hiding the film…
That night, Lucy (in the most stunning cream and gold gown), Wyatt, and Rufus arrive at Beverly House. Before they can settle on their plan for finding Hearst, Hedy arrives and leads Rufus/Langston away. She really wants to speak to Langston about his poetry and asks for a couple verses from his latest book. Rufus (OH RUFUS) performs the intro for Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. I AM CACKLING!!!!!!!!!!! Hedy clearly knows he is not Langston, especially since she has his latest book and Rufus doesn’t match the author’s photo inside.
Rufus comes clean to Hedy… well, he tells her that he, Lucy, and Wyatt are friends of Orson Welles and are there to get Citizen Kane back from Hearst. As they’re talking, Lucy points out Hearst who’s talking to another man. Hedy says that’s Lucas Calhoun, a producer at RKO working on a film about dinosaurs called Jurassic Park. *DING*DING*DING* That’s our sleeper agent! But before they can go after Hearst and Calhoun, they group is separated when Balaban asks Logan and Prescott to perform a song. Wyatt cannot sing, so Lucy is on her own. She used to be in a band too, so it’s all good, right?! Lucy performs “You Made Me Love You”; it starts a little rough, but once she gets going, Lucy gives them a real show. Truth be told, it’s as if she’s singing right to Wyatt, and their eye contact right at the end just slays me!
Rufus and Hedy follow Hearst and Calhoun to his private office. Hedy (a genius scientist whose research is responsible for developing wifi) is able to help Rufus listen through the wall (acoustic coupling via a hole in the wall, cellulose tape, and a glass). Calhoun promises to give Hearst Citizen Kane in exchange for a weekly column in all of his papers, no questions asked. Hearst agrees to the deal.
As Lucy explains later on, with a column in Hearst’s papers Rittenhouse would be able to influence American public opinion on a massive scale: “Whoever controls information controls everything.”
Hedy invites the group to come back to her home, along with her inventing partner, George Antheil. While Hedy, Rufus, and George take a look at her projects, Lucy and Wyatt are left to their own devices. Talking about Hedy and George’s partnership transitions into Lucy and Wyatt talking about their own relationship. Wyatt calls Lucy beautiful and intimidating and nerdy.
Wyatt: “You saved my life, you know.”
*SWOONS*
Wyatt admits to giving up on life after his wife Jessica died, but now, he’s ready to open up again. Lucy shares that when she was with her mother and thought Wyatt was dead, she gave up too. But now… together, Lucy and Wyatt go to the guest room and share a kiss that escalates into more. COME TO US LYATT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The next morning, Lucy and Wyatt wake up in bed together.
Lucy: “Was last night OK?”
Wyatt: “It was great!”
Lucy and Wyatt agree that they can keep their relationship quiet until they’re ready to tell everyone. Until Rufus walks in and sees it all. BUSTED!
Later on, Rufus is all of us when he’s talking to Wyatt.
Wyatt: “Can you be cool?”
Rufus: “So is this happening? Is it happening?”
The team is able to follow Calhoun and intercept his exchange with Hearst’s guy. In the gun fight, a security guard and Calhoun are killed and Rufus is able to get the film reels. Rufus delivers Citizen Kane to Hedy for her to return to Orson Welles. Rufus also gives Hedy some additional advice, not to let her patent for frequency hopping expire (the U.S. Navy uses the technology in 1962, and historically, Hedy gets no credit).
The Time Team leaves Paramount Pictures, but they have one more mission before leaving 1941. They sneak into the prison holding Flynn in 2018 and leave a gas mask and key hidden behind one of the bricks.
Back in the present, Agent Christopher arranges for a doctor to come see Jiya. Jiya is pretty adverse to doctors after an incident with her father. His symptoms of back pain all of a sudden became cancer and her dad was gone in two months. Jiya would rather not know what’s wrong and Connor supports her in this. As Jiya meets with the doctor, it turns out that Connor knows that whatever is wrong with her is fatal. The Lifeboat is only built for three and, in the past those who have travelled beyond the three have suffered from schizophrenia and then death from brain aneurysm. No good can come from Jiya having this information. But after the appointment, the doctor tells Jiya that nothing is wrong with her brain. And the heart murmur she’s had from childhood has been cured. Hmmm…
Agent Christopher has also given Flynn a message, the location of the brick Lucy, Wyatt, and Rufus left the mask and key. When the prison experiences a gas attack, Flynn is able to escape.
When the Time Team returns, Wyatt isn’t at all happy about Flynn being on the team. Lucy tries to redirect Wyatt to focus on them and their night together. What is the next step? While they’re talking, Wyatt gets a text message he has to follow up on.
Rufus calls Lucy away to share that in their new timeline, Hedy and George still own their patent and were paid $30 billion! The sirens start going off, signaling that someone has broken into the bunker. But when they get to the door, it turns out someone has broken out. WYATT.
The episode ends with Wyatt going to a bar to meet Jessica… WHO IS ALIVE.
Why can’t we have nice Lyatt things? WHYYYYYYYYYYYY???!!!!!
I really don’t know how Timeless is going to make this Lucy/Wyatt/Jessica triangle happen. I’m devastated just thinking about it, but you better believe I’ll be here for all the upcoming episodes!
Timeless airs Sundays at 10:00pm ET|PT on NBC.
