Timeless, “The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln” was written by Tom Smuts and directed by Neil Marshall, who also directed the “Pilot.” It’s always interesting to watch a new show roll out its writers’ room. Smuts other credits include Bosch, The Good Wife, and Mad Men – so he knows how to write to a period. It’s also interesting to notice whether we’re going to have a recurring structure to the episodes. The episode begins in the past, then moves to the present. I was really struck how this show could be a really useful teaching tool for history teachers. How accurate is the past storyline? I know that I am now really curious, and I just finished reading about Lincoln’s assassination this summer, so I feel confident in saying the history is pretty accurate. As I mentioned last week, the show is also a great jumping off point for discussing society.
When we pick up in the present, Lucy (Abigail Spencer) has figured out that there’s no point in freaking out her mother – Carol (Susanna Thompson). Somehow, their trip has changed the present reality and now she just has to figure out how badly it’s been changed and whether there’s any way to change it back. She covers with her mother by saying that Amy is a work friend who she now has to go and help. Her mother tells her not to forget about tomorrow night, setting up for the scene at the end of the episode that returns Lucy to the present.
Lucy rushes back to Mason Industries and her first question is what’s changed in everyone else’s life? And of course, that was exactly what I was thinking at the end of the first episode! Nobody else’s life has changed and according to Denise (Saskina Jaffrey) neither has Lucy’s! Denise has no record of her ever having had a sister. Luckily, Lucy has proof – she is wearing a locket that has Amy’s picture in it. It was interesting that Wyatt (Matt Lanter) jumped right in to tell Denise to back off and give Lucy a minute to process. There’s definitely some chemistry starting to brew between these two. I was a bit harsh on the performances of both Lanter and Spencer last week, and Spencer, in particular, gives a really good performance in this episode. Wyatt makes a point of telling Lucy that he’s sorry about her sister and assures her that they’re going to fix it. They’re going to fix everything, and of course, Wyatt has to still be thinking about ways to save his wife.
We don’t actually get the explanation about what happened to Amy until the end of the episode. Jiya (Claudia Doumit) offers to look into for Lucy while the team sets off to stop Flynn (Goran Visnjic). What she discovers is that Lucy’s father never married her mother, and therefore Amy was never born. As it turns out he married the descendent of someone who shouldn’t have survived the Hindenburg disaster. But the most important takeaway is that Lucy and Amy don’t share the same DNA and never did because Lucy’s father wasn’t her father. When Lucy confronts Carol about it at the end of the episode, Carol is angry and can’t believe that Lucy would bring it up – at Lucy’s engagement party. So we don’t get any further information – but I can’t wait to hear the real explanation!
Connor (Paterson Joseph) and Rufus (Malcolm Barrett) continue to keep secrets from the rest. The two realize that Flynn purposefully grabbed Anthony (Matt Frewer) because he’s the only other Pilot of the time machine. Connor also insists that Rufus continue to tape the other two. The tapes apparently go to Wittenhouse – which turns out not to be a single person but a group of some kind. When he returns, Rufus tries to refuse to continue taping, but Connor makes it very clear that it isn’t a choice – it’s payment for the debt Rufus owes Connor for taking Rufus out of West Chicago and sending him to MIT.
Once again the team has wardrobe issues with inaccuracy. Unfortunately, this week, the Civil War reenactment costumes worn by Wyatt and Rufus end up getting Rufus in trouble when a group of Colored Infantry realize that he’s not really a soldier. This entire encounter is one of the best things about the show. Rufus knows the history of African Americans, so he’s amazed at the swagger of the Infantry. It’s a factor of how hopeful they are at the end of the war and with Lincoln (Michael Krebs) as their champion. Nicholas Biddle, one of the Colored Infantry soldiers, accosts Rufus and wants to know if he can read and write. He’s caught off guard and admits he can. Biddle then insists that Rufus write down a notice for the newspaper for Biddle. Rufus is reluctant because they are trying not to alter history in any way – leaving written evidence would be a problem. Biddle is trying to find his family. He tells Rufus that he has a wife and four children. The last time he saw his wife she was with a human trader. Rufus is momentarily taken aback that they can’t read or write, but faced with the reality of the slavery these men have just escaped and the horror that Biddle has had his family ripped away from him leaves Rufus quite shocked.
Later in the episode, Biddle helps Rufus thwart the assassination of Andrew Jackson (Ken McNicol). After Lincoln is assassinated, Rufus is determined to try to help Biddle. He warns him not to go south – where things will continue to be bad. Instead he tells him to get his family and go north. He warns him that it won’t be easy, but he also reassures him that it does get better. We know that Rufus came from the West side of Chicago, so I wonder where exactly Biddle does go!
Once again when the ship leaves, papers fly everywhere, leading Connor to lament that they need paperweights – which they have by the time the ship returns! When Lucy sticks her head out, she once again has a look of wonder on her face – she’s about to meet her idol! Handily, she actually wrote the book on Lincoln. I loved Spencer’s face when Lucy finally meets him – it’s perfect.
There’s some typical Kripke pop culture references making it into the dialogue. In explaining the difference between John Wilkes Booth (Kelly Blatz) and his more talented brother Edwin, they compare them to Donnie and Mark Wahlberg – loved it! Edwin Booth even saved Robert Todd Lincoln’s (Neal Bledsoe) life.
Rufus and Wyatt both get cold feet about letting Lincoln die. Lucy tells them that their mission is to protect history, but Rufus points out that it’s rich, white guy history and that a lot of people are going to suffer. Maybe they could change history for the better. Once again, it seems like destiny and free will are the real ones at war. When RT Lincoln runs into Lucy for the second time, this time he’s not leaving town and missing the play, he asks her if she believes in fate – and asks her to accompany him to the play.
Flynn is going to help with the larger conspiracy to kill Lincoln, VP Jackson, and Seward. Flynn and Lucy talk again at the train station. He warns her that Wittenhouse is a they and that they killed his family. He also tells her that one day she will help him, and he’s the one trying to save America.
Wyatt ends up shot and Rufus has to pull out the bullet – he works with his hands! Lucy again emphasizes that the future may not be perfect, but it’s theirs. Wyatt wants to know about his wife. He insists that by Lucy’s logic, bad things like her death are meant to be.
I loved that Flynn really couldn’t do anything with Booth, who insists on taking the Dillinger instead of the automatic because the Dillinger is more romantic and he insists on carrying the knife. In the end, Flynn has to knock him out and take his place. Lucy does contemplate saving Lincoln but she can’t stop what appears to be inevitable.
The only real change that they’re aware of when they get back is that there is a highschool named after Lucy – the Juliet Shakesman – in Point Pleasant, Ohio. However, according to history, Denise and Connor show them that Booth didn’t kill Lincoln – a tall thin man did. It’s funny when Rufus is disappointed that he didn’t get credit for saving Jackson. We are also very briefly introduced to Lucy’s fiancé – and so is she as she meets him at the very end of the episode with a tentative, “hello.”
This episode really felt like the show was hitting its stride. I continue to like how they are handling the historical aspects. What did you think of the episode? Is Flynn really a good guy? Should they have saved Lincoln? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
About the Author - Lisa Macklem
I do interviews and write articles for the site in addition to reviewing a number of shows, including Supernatural, Arrow, Agents of Shield, Agent Carter, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, The X-Files, Defiance, Bitten, Killjoys, and a few others! I'm active on the Con scene when I have the time. When I'm not writing about television shows, I'm often writing about entertainment and media law in my capacity as a legal scholar. I also work in theatre when the opportunity arises. I'm an avid runner and rider, currently training in dressage.
