Timeless “The Alamo” was written by Anne Cofell Saunders and directed by John Terlesky, whose credits include a lot of great action shows, including
The Blacklist,
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,
Criminal Minds, and
Castle. Saunders, of course, worked with Kripke on
Revolution. This episode really focused on giving us backstory for Wyatt (Matt Lanter) and bringing the team together. And really? How could you not see sending them to the Alamo as the ultimate team-building exercise?
I really liked that the episode opened with the “real” history of the Alamo. We get the voice over of Travis’ (David Chisum) actual inspiring letter and see him sending John Smith (Sean Michael Kyer) off to deliver it. This is a great way to provide viewers who may not be history buffs with a baseline. I wonder if non-history buffs are drawn to the show simply for the time travel/action/science fiction element? Any comments out there? It’s also a great excuse for exposition that Lucy (Abigail Spencer) has to fill the other two in on the details of the history. There’s clearly a great job in historical research in this writers’ room!
In the present, Rufus (Malcolm Barrett) confronts Connor (Paterson Joseph) about his visit from Rittenhouse. Connor is so dismissive about them being “safe” in the lab that it seems that he may not fully realize how dangerous Rittenhouse is. It is clear that Connor answers to Rittenhouse, and he seems sincere that he wouldn’t have let them threaten Rufus if he had any choice. He may view Rufus as a son, but it’s also clear that he’s putting himself first in this situation.
Wyatt is called in by Agent Christopher (Sakina Jaffrey) and her boss, Ramsey (Hector Hugo). Wyatt knows immediately that he’s being replaced. Wyatt hasn’t managed to kill Garcia (Goran Visnjic), so they’re bringing in Baumgardner (Victor Zinck Jr). Wyatt takes his orders like a soldier, but of course, they get the call to go to the Alamo before Baumgardner can get there. Wyatt is clearly happy to get one last shot.
The episode is bookended by scenes between Lucy (Abigail Spencer) and her mother, Carol (Susanna Thompson). Carol is confused by Lucy suddenly turning her world upside down. Lucy is still determined to find out who her father really is. In the final scene, Lucy seeks comfort from her mother, but Carol has also had a change of heart and finally tells Lucy about her father – and then hands her his name in an envelope – hello horrible cliffhanger! Carol tells her that her father was a professor and she was a student. He wanted to go into politics. She told him she didn’t want his help and they argued and she hasn’t seen him since. Is it Garcia as some have suggested? Or is it going to be someone high up in Rittenhouse? Or maybe somebody entirely different? The politics aspect is particularly interesting…
The team suits up for the mission – and Wyatt, being from Texas even knows the significance of the date! Rufus is looking to Wyatt to say something brave and inspiring, but he informs them that he’s just been fired. Lucy is really not happy – though Wyatt assures her that she’ll like his replacement. Rufus wants to know how he can get fired! The danger they’re in – everyone in the Alamo dies – has Connor not wishing to go with them for once. We do get to meet Baumgardner at the very end of the episode, which I thought a little odd given that Wyatt is staying.
Garcia’s plan is to stop Travis’ letter from getting out, so he goes to Santa Anna (Alex Fernandez). It allows him to get in and shoot Travis, but when Santa Anna is going to further change the timeline by not letting the women and children leave, Garcia is upset. It’s interesting that he would care. It’s what you get for aligning yourself with ruthless tyrants! It would seem that his “plan” is pretty precisely targeted, but given all the collateral damage that has happened already, this seems like an odd concern. After all, he was willing to let others die in the other timelines, leading to the loss of Lucy’s sister for one. Garcia tells Travis that he’s a revolutionary, fighting against a corrupt government and that he admires him. Clearly, Garcia identifies with Travis.
I loved both Lucy and Rufus utterly fanning over Davey Crockett (Jeff Kober). And I was really happy to see Kober in the role. I wasn’t disappointed as he nailed it. When we first see him, he’s spinning the yarn about killing a bear one-handed with a knife.
Rufus is tasked by Wyatt to find a way out by the women and children. Wyatt tells Rufus there is no one smarter there. The fact that he’s single-handedly trying to dig through rock with a pickax is not very smart – and apparently even working at it for hours results in him having no effect at all – his magic pickax doesn’t even seem to leave a mark…
Possibly my favorite scene in this episode is when Crockett comes into the chapel where Rufus is pounding on the rock. Rufus asks him how he’s not screaming in terror – attributing it to his super-macho level. Crockett points out that Rufus isn’t screaming in terror either. Rufus says – not on the outside – but it’s clear that Crockett is putting up a good front. Crockett tells Rufus the real story of the bear – which begins with Crockett pissing himself! But he went back and started the story of him wrestling a bear – because sometimes, people need to believe you can wrestle a bear.
Wyatt is focused on the mission. He tells Lucy he hasn’t got time to “play cowboy” or be a “tourist.” Being in a war zone results in Wyatt experiencing some PTSD and flashing back to the mission in which he had to leave his fellow soldiers behind to die. Wyatt blurts out that they are going to die and Bowie (Chris Browning) shuts him down – even though he knows he’s right for the same reason that Crockett told the bear story. You can’t let the men lose hope.
Wyatt does give Bowie some tactical advice and gains Bowie’s trust and help to get the women and children out. Wyatt confides his story to Bowie. Lanter is excellent in this scene as he conveys Wyatt’s guilt over surviving. They flipped a coin to decide who would get out and Wyatt’s friend insisted Wyatt was supposed to live – but Wyatt doesn’t believe in fate. And it would seem that the show doesn’t either. After all, the future has changed.
Lucy has to recreate Travis’ letter and is paralyzed by writers’ block. I did like that Lucy defends herself against the other two by pointing out that she hasn’t memorized every great letter in history. Of course, she hasn’t! Her letter describes what a true hero looks like and underscores the message of the episode. True heroes rush in to help – not because they aren’t scared, they are, and that’s a good part of what makes them heroes. They are willing to die to make the future better. And she does get the “victory or death” part in there!
Rufus uses the grenades to get the women and children out. The show does a good job of recreating the attack on the Alamo. Wyatt tells Lucy that he can’t leave good men again – it doesn’t matter if he stays. He’s been fired anyway, and there’s no one for him to go back to. But Lucy insists that both she and Rufus need him, and that does get through to him. Luckily, Lucy insists that John Smith take the letter because she knows that he will become the first mayor of San Antonio – he’s important to the timeline. Rufus wants Crockett to come with them, but he refuses. Wyatt convinces Smith to go, in the same way he was convinced. Bowie gives his famous knife to Wyatt when Wyatt tells him that he can’t leave his people any more than Travis can leave his.
Ramsey’s only concern when the team return is that Flynn is still alive. Only Connor and Agent Christopher are interested in the timeline. Ramsey is ready to bring Baumgardner up to speed, but Lucy won’t hear of it. She tells them that she trusts Wyatt and that he makes the right choice every time and that she won’t do it without him. And Rufus jumps up to say the same. Christopher points out that Rufus is their only pilot, so they can’t do it without him. I loved Wyatt’s tiny smile when Ramsey has to agree.
There were a lot of important threads in this episode. Courage isn’t about not being scared, it’s about doing the right thing in spite of being afraid. We also see our team really come together. I liked that we see a bit more of Garcia in this episode. He clearly thinks he is doing the right thing, but he’s also finding that he may not be as much in control as he thinks he is. I suspect we’re going to see him working with the team in some way in the future. It was nice to get the background on Wyatt, so hopefully we’ll have more of the same for Rufus and Lucy. But most importantly, let’s find out who her father is! What did you think of the episode? Let me know your thoughts and speculations below!
