When Young JFK is lost in 2018, Lucy, Wyatt, and Jessica form an unlikely team to find him. AWKWARD. Full recap of Timeless, “The Kennedy Curse”.
“The Kennedy Curse” opens in 1934, Wallingofrd, Connecticut with Young John F. Kennedy at boarding school. He’s laughing with a friend about his latest exploits, when he is called into his teacher’s office… and that teacher proceeds to pull a very modern pistol out of his desk. Looks like Rittenhouse has sent a sleeper agent to kill Young JFK! But before things get dire, Garcia Flynn bursts through the door with a weapon of his own. The Time Team is here to save the day!
Back in the present, we meet a disoriented Lucy. After returning from the 1690s and “The Salem Witch Hunt“, the wound she sustained to her arm triggered a fever. Thank goodness for modern medicine and Jiya! Lucy awakens in bed and asks for Wyatt. Jiya tells Lucy that Wyatt, Rufus, and Flynn went on a missing and should be OK. It also seems that Rufus has told Jiya about the Lucy/Wyatt/Jessica situation *HEARTFAIL* Because Lucy is Lucy, she tells Jiya that she only wants Wyatt to be happy. And Jiya is an awesome friend by reminding Lucy that it’s OK for her to put her own wants first sometimes.
Lucy forces her way out of bed to head to the kitchen for a cup of tea… where Jessica is already there brewing a cup of her own. Lucy tries to sneak away, but Jessica encourages her to sit down. Jessica seems genuinely interested in befriending Lucy and learning about her work as a historian. Jessica also shares how she and Wyatt met in high school and have been together since senior year. They’re interrupted when the Lifeboat returns. Wyatt and Rufus come stumbling out with some pretty jarring news. They were able to save Young JFK, but were chased down by RIttenhouse agents. They’re only option was to leave Flynn behind… and bring Young JFK with them. YIKES!
This is a pretty big deal, but Wyatt and Rufus have a plan. They’ll just keep Jack hidden (currently passed out in bed), let the Lifeboat charge up, and return him to the 1930s… Lucy reminds them they’ll have to bring Flynn back too. While they’re talking John wakes up and is pretty frightened. He remembers his English teacher, Mr. Greer, trying to murder him. Now where is he? Lucy comes up with the story that they’ve been hired by John’s father to protect him from Mr. Greer, who was attempting to kidnap him. But no worries, Lucy has talked to John’s father and he’s on his way.
The Time Team leaves John to rest.
Wyatt tries to warm up to Lucy, making jokes about how he can’t believe Young John becomes the guy who seduces Marilyn Monroe. Lucy responds by saying how Mimi Alford, JFK’s intern/mistress, characterized him as a man who knew how to make a woman feel like the most important person in the world, even though he was married to someone else.
SHOTS FIRED because Wyatt might be doing the same thing to Lucy! He can’t imagine how awkward things are for her. Jessica interrupts and Lucy goes to make John a sandwich. While doing so, Agent Christopher reaches out to Lucy. It can’t be easy for Lucy that her own mother fingered her as a witch so she could be hanged. Lucy doesn’t want to talk about it.
JFK arrives in 2018, bringing trouble with him. #Timeless pic.twitter.com/not34VpLve
— Timeless (@NBCTimeless) April 16, 2018
By the time Lucy returns with the sandwich, John is gone! He shimmied right out of an air vent! Clearly, John must be found ASAP. Lucy wants to join Wyatt on the search, but they all remind her that she’s still recovering. Jessica interjects to volunteer, but everyone shoots that down. She gets a little huffy: if Lucy, a teacher, can go on missions, she can too. Jessica can do anything Lucy would be able to do, right? Lucy visibly recoils, and so do I!
*SIDENOTE* Jessica, check yourself. Lucy is more than *just* a teacher, evidenced by how many times she has saved Wyatt (and others!) And even if Lucy was *just* a teacher, teachers are badasses.
Wyatt sides with Jessica and takes her up on her offer to find John. Interestingly, Lucy still insists on coming too. So, while Rufus and Jiya man the bunker and tech to find John, the Lucy/Wyatt/Jessica trio hits the streets. Who in the world thinks this is a good idea?!
As for John, he’s made his way to a local gas station and is totally discombobulated by all he sees. He stumbles inside and asks the cashier to call his father because he’s been kidnapped, but clearly doesn’t recognize the device as a (cell) phone. John grows increasingly agitated when the cashier confirms that he’s in the year 2018. Whatttttttt? He’s afraid that the people holding him with find him, but being John, he’s able to make friends with a teenage girl, Kayla, who has also stopped by the gas station. She and her two friends are headed to Palo Alto for a party. And when John asks for a ride, they agree to help.
John is mesmerized by the car, a cherry red BMW. He’s further shocked when he realizes that the three friends (an Asian-American girl, African-American girl, and White guy) all go to school together. (Suck it segregation and THANK YOU Brown vs. Board of Education Topeka, Kansas, 1954!) All the stress starts to take a toll, and John experiences severe stomach pain. He asks to be taken to the hospital.
Meanwhile, Lucy, Wyatt, and Jessica arrive at the gas station and ask the cashier whether they’ve seen John. Going with Jessica’s suggestion, Wyatt tries to demand information on the basis of being an Army officer. The cashier is hella suspicious (after all, John said he was kidnapped!) and denies seeing John. When Lucy claims John is her brother, suffering from delusions, the cashier starts to cave. And when Jessica confirms the type of medication John would need, the cashier is convinced. He tells them that John left with some other kids, headed to a party in Palo Alto.
On the way to Palo Alto, Lucy suggests they also check the nearby hospital. One of the best kept secrets of American political history is that JFK suffered from illness his entire life. The stress of this situation would necessitate a trip to the ER soon enough. At first Wyatt is hesitant, but it’s actually Jessica who convinces him to follow the historian’s hunch. Interestingly enough, at Rittenhouse headquarters, Carol has helped Emma and Nicholas Keynes make a similar conclusion.
By the time Lucy, Wyatt, Jessica and Emma check the nearest hospital, John has already been treated and leaves with Kayla. But this doesn’t stop an epic confrontation. The fight between Wyatt and Emma is fierce! Lucy intervenes and hits Emma over the head with a metal tray, but isn’t able to get away in time. Emma holds a knife to Lucy’s throat and demands that Wyatt let her go. Or maybe Lucy’s life doesn’t matter now that he has his wife back… UHOH!
Lucy tells Wyatt to just shoot through her to kill Emma. It would devastate Rittenhouse (since Emma is the only pilot they have for the Mothership). Wyatt hesitates for too long and Emma pushes Lucy and runs from the room. Wyatt checks to make sure Lucy is OK… and it alllllllll clicks for Jessica.
Before Lucy, Wyatt, and Jessica can chase Emma, they are confronted by security and Wyatt is handcuffed. As they’re walking down the hallway, Lucy snags a paperclip from some documents left in the hallway and passes it to Wyatt. She knows Wyatt can free himself and meet them outside. While waiting, Jessica decides to bounce. She knows that there’s been something romantic between Wyatt and Lucy, so it’s time to go their separate ways. Wyatt wasn’t faithful before, so why would he be now? She believes Wyatt has changed, but it’s possible they don’t belong together. Yet again, it’s Lucy is convinces Jessica to stay by telling her how desperate Wyatt has been to bring Jessica back from the dead, that he never stopped loving her.
UGH.
When Wyatt rolls through with the car, Lucy and Jessica get in.
Elsewhere, Agent Christopher has been kidnapped by none other than Carol. Carol appeals to Agent Christopher to prevent Lucy from going out on missions because Rittenhouse means to kill her. When Agent Christopher argues that she can’t restrain Lucy, Carol threatens Agent Christopher’s own children. Soon, Carol and her henchman realize Agent Christopher has been chipped and the authorities have been tracking them. They knock her out and return Agent Christopher to her car, left in front of her house.
Throughout the episode, Rufus and Jiya have a debate about the existence of God and faith. Rufus, the man of science, is doubtful, but Jiya believes there is a higher power. For Rufus, his doubt stems from his childhood when his mother would attribute all good things to God and that there was a plan when something bad happened. But nothing changed. It was Rufus who got his family out of their bad neighborhood, not a higher power.
Using Instagram (a suggestion from Jessica), they’re able to track John to the party in Palo Alto. While there, John has had a rude awakening. By this time, John has told Kayla about being from the past. Using an iPad and Wikipedia, Kayla shows John his life. He learns about how he becomes POTUS, as well as the supposed “Kennedy Curse”, how he and his siblings all die young. It’s incredibly depressing. Kayla brings John a half-dollar with his face on it, an attempt to cheer him up. But a ruckus starts when John realizes Lucy, Wyatt, and Jessica have come for him. He tries to run away, but things are made worse when Emma gets there and starts shooting. Wyatt is able to shoot Emma in the arm and she gets away. As this unfolds, we watch the face on the half-dollar mutate from JFK to Nixon, back and forth.
Lucy, Wyatt, and Jessica bring John back to the bunker and they’re ready to return him to the 1930s. But what is John supposed to do with all he knows? Rufus and Lucy suggest that he can still make a difference in the world as one of the greatest American presidents. Rufus takes it a step further by telling John to avoid Dallas, TX on November 22, 1963. When Wyatt and Rufus return, with Flynn in toe, his warning to John has made no difference. JFK was still assassinated in 1963, but in Austin. Maybe Jiya is right about faith/fate…
In the end, Agent Christopher tells Lucy about Carol and the threat from Rittenhouse. Lucy refuses to hide away in the bunker while others risk their lives.
Wyatt shares that Jessica is giving him a second chance, thanks to her conversation with Lucy. Neither Lucy nor Wyatt have any regrets about their relationship, but this is the end. Flynn eavesdrops on the conversation… later, he commiserates with Lucy over beer and old movies.
It happened one night. #Timeless pic.twitter.com/AXzvP3JeAM
— Timeless (@NBCTimeless) April 18, 2018
A few things:
–This kid who plays Young JFK (Grant Jordan) is really good. From the accent to the mannerisms, he has me convinced. BRAVO!
–I’m enjoying seeing more development of the relationships between Lucy and Jiya, as well as Lucy and Agent Christopher. I don’t quite know what I think about Lucy and Flynn becoming friends.
–Why can’t we have nice Lyatt things?! I can’t help but think that Wyatt is sharing so much with Lucy because he wants her to ask him to be with her. Wyatt may want Lucy to fight for him, but I’m pretty sure Lucy wants that too, to be his choice. *SIGH*
Timeless airs Sundays at 10pm ET|PT on NBC.