Yes, I had to use that title. It's a shame I can never be a father because I could tell some killer dad jokes.
Timeless is a science fiction drama that follows historian Lucy Preston (Abigail Spencer), Sergeant Wyatt Logan (Matt Lanter) and programmer Rufus Carlin (Malcolm Barrett) travelling through time in search of the villainous Garcia Flynn (Goran Višnjić). Flynn had previously stolen a time ship and decided to alter history for unknown reasons, the teams job is to prevent any changes from occurring and to eliminate the threat to history. They are aided in their mission by Connor Mason (Patterson Joseph), who's company Mason Industries created the time machines, and Agent Denise Christopher (Sakina Jaffrey), a homeland security agent tasked with stopping Flynn and recovering the stolen tech.
I was eager to watch the show prior to the airing as one of the creators is Eric Kripke who created Supernatural which I adore. I may be fangirl but I'm also a realist so I knew that I wouldn't love the series just because I was a fan of his previous work, I will be the first to admit that Revolution was only ok. Another reason I was looking forward to the show was the time travel element, I am a fan of science fiction in general but I do think time travel/time lines is my favourite aspect of it. It's probably the only reason that I still continue to watch Legends Of Tomorrow, although I must admit I know just put it on in the background when getting ready in the morning. After watching Timeless for the last few months I am happy to say that it hasn't disappointed me.
It was a spark of genius to have a historian as one of the main characters, she was plucked out of her cushy life of study and placed into a high-octane ride through time. Lucy has qualities that make her an integral part of the team but as she is like a fish out of water it is easier to place viewers in her shoes. It's also great to see a show actively trying to preserve history, sure other series use that as a unique selling point *cough* Legends Of Tomorrow *cough* but in reality they don't do so effectively. Each episode sees Lucy attempting to honour history (rather than bastardise it) and try and protect it from Flynn's manipulations, even when doing so goes against every part of her moral code. She is not always successful as Flynn has bettered her several times over at this point but it doesn't make the episodes pointless as we see the consequences of the the mistakes that are made. These consequences could be as small as a change in plot lines in James Bond novels/films or as big as erasing family members.
It's only natural to have some form of law enforcement/military in this operation and that comes in the form of Wyatt who initially has trouble adjusting to being in different eras. This isn't helped by tragedy that has felled him in the past which he wishes he could go back and change but is unable to as that is not his assigned task and because of the time machine's limitations. His rigid attitude to the tasks at hand ease as time goes on and he builds a rapport with his team and learns to trust them as he would his military cohorts. Finally we have Rufus, one of the engineers of the machine who seems to be the only person that is able to pilot the ship. Seeing Rufus in different periods of time is disheartening because he is a black man in a white world in times that aren't friendly to them. It may be slightly distressing to me but I am glad it isn't brushed under the carpet as it is with other series and even if the issue of race isn't crucial to the plot of an episode it is still always an underlying theme.
On paper they don't look like they could work together but on screen they have not only built a relationship as colleagues but also as friends. They have had many obstacles in their way, namely Flynn's interest in Lucy and Rufus being manipulated by the unknown entity that is Written House, but they have learned move passed that and proceed with their mission. Even without their central mission I find watching them interact to whichever decade or century they're in to be enjoyable, even if they are dealing with war, natural disasters, assassinations or even moon landings but the central arc truly elevates the show.
The trio initially believe that they are hunting Flynn, a criminal that has murdered his own family and now wants to alter major events that could have disastrous consequences. The group soon piece together what they've discovered through their trips, interactions with Flynn and their discovery of Written House and realise that there is far more to the story that they're being told. I'm glad the writers have laid the foundation for future story lines so early in the series rather than bringing them in at a later date which would feel somewhat force, it actually feels like they've planned the series rather than writing as they're going. They've given us huge nuggets of information but without actually telling us any specifics and although I should be getting annoyed I just find myself more and more intrigued and on tenterhooks for the next episode.
I don't know if this show will last 12+ years like Supernatural, I don't know if it even should. I do know that I'd like it to stick around for a few years so it has a chance to tell it's story but I know that this is a big ask for a science fiction series that has a looming central arc. Audiences don't seem to be patient enough to stick around with these type of series and even the ones that do last a few years are constantly in fear of cancellation but I hope this isn't true of Timeless. For the love of god please watch the show so I can figure out Written House, find Lucy's sister and figure out what happened with Wyatt's wife (yes, I'm thinking it's some sort of conspiracy).
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