Timeless - Mrs Sherlock Holmes - Review

Timeless “Mrs Sherlock Holmes” was written by the team of David Hoffman and was directed by Douglas Aarniokoski, whose other credits include Bull, Sleepy Hollow, Arrow, and Criminal Minds. This episode treated us to two important female figures from the Suffragette Movement: Alice Paul (Erica Dasher) and Mary Grace Quackenbos Humiston (Sarah Sokolovic). I quite liked the sometime subtle demonstration of what women faced in 1919 when they weren’t really considered to be “people.” I particularly liked the fun they had with Mrs Holmes solving the mysteries. This episode seems to resolve the tension between Jiya (Claudia Doumit) and Rufus (Malcolm Barrett). Lucy (Abigail Spencer) once again has to push Wyatt (Matt Lanter) away, and I’m getting a bit tired of this storyline. However, now that it seems that Jessica (Tanya Glanz) is actually a sleeper agent, hopefully this will be resolved.

The episode begins in New York City on March 4, 1919 at a Suffragette march. Alice Paul reminds President Wilson (Bryan Scott Johnson) that all people fought to create the United States – not just the men. The women are beaten and dragged away by the police.

Rufus is angry with Jiya. She can’t give him a timeline or be more specific about her vision. He insists that it can’t be set in stone. Jiya points out that it looks like some things can’t be changed. Rufus is at a loss to know what she wants to do – should he just buy a funeral plot? Jiya wants to try to deal with it together and brings up her father’s death – which leads Rufus to point out that he’s not her dad – and she storms off. Barrett and Doumit are great in this scene, and it’s clear that they are both afraid of this vision.

It’s the morning after Lucy showed up at Garcia’s (Goran Visnjic) door and Garcia looks smug – and Lucy looks badly hungover. Wyatt sees her leave Garcia’s room. We also get another super awkward encounter in the bathroom. Wyatt tells Garcia to stay away from Lucy, and Garcia – quite rightly! – tells Wyatt that Lucy is more than capable of making her own choices. He also reminds Wyatt that Wyatt’s wife is just down the hall…. Visnjic is great as Garcia is clearly enjoying tormenting Wyatt.

Keynes (Michael Rady) texts Emma (Annie Wersching) instead of just calling for her – he’s starting to enjoy some of the modern conveniences. She apologizes for their new accommodations and promises to have them more comfortable soon. He reminds her that he’s used to “roughing it” as he fought in the Great War. He then tells her that he just wants her to pilot the Mothership on the next mission and let someone else do the dirty work – he wants her to stay safe. Emma points out that the dirty work is what she’s good at, but he insists that she’s too important. He also tells her that she’s the only one he trusts – and she looks incredibly smug. This is clearly what she’s been working toward.

When the Mothership jumps, Lucy thinks that the time frame means that Rittenhouse is going after Woodrow Wilson who is about to leave New York to sign the Treaty of Versailles. Wyatt, Rufus, and Lucy pile in the Lifeboat, and Garcia grabs the ladder as Wyatt pushes it – and Garcia – away, insisting that they’re already a team and don’t need Garcia. Denise (Sakina Jaffrey) insists that Garcia is going – Wyatt’s suggestion that Connor (Paterson Joseph) come is met by a “Hell, no!” from Connor – via Jiya! ! I have to say that I’m rather enjoying Garcia torturing Wyatt – and he reminds him to say goodbye to his wife!

The team hears gunshots as they enter the hotel that Wilson is staying in, and Lucy fears that they are too late. Wyatt and Garcia immediately run towards the gunfire. They learn that Alice Paul is in custody for shooting Senator Wadsworth. Lucy tells the others that Paul was one of the most influential women in American history. She lead the charge for the 19th Amendment and getting women the right to vote. Alice is supposed to give a speech on that day that changes Wilson’s mind about women’s right to vote, so the team has to get her out of jail.

Wyatt assigns tasks – he and Lucy will get Alice out of jail, and Garcia and Rufus will find the sleepers. Lucy suggests that they meet later at the March. Garcia tries to convince an unhappy Rufus that they are on the same team now – Rufus doesn’t have to worry about him trying to kill him on this mission – and Rufus realizes he doesn’t because he already knows how he’s going to die! This leaves Garcia wondering at Rufus’ sudden declaration that he doesn’t have to worry about a damn thing!

Lucy and Wyatt show up at the police station and demand to see Alice Paul because they are her lawyers – Ally McBeal and Johnny Cochran! I’m really loving them getting creative with the aliases. Officer Halpern (James Babson) tells them that Paul is guilty – they found the gun in her room – and the Chief has said no visitors. Lucy suddenly asks if Grace Humiston is in the building and then goes to seek her out. She tells Wyatt that Humiston is a lawyer and a great detective – earning her the nickname of Mrs Sherlock Holmes. So we get not one, but two important women, historical figures!

It’s hysterical that Humiston nails Lucy and Wyatt – Sherlock Holmes-style! Humiston has no problem using her own keen intellect to get Halpern who stone-walled Lucy and Wyatt to let her in to see Paul. Humiston and Paul know each other – and clearly don’t like each other. Paul is willing to suffer the consequences – even though she’s innocent – because it will garner attention for the cause. Lucy reminds her that things won’t be pleasant in jail – and Paul simply suggests getting the press to report on it. It turns out that Humiston is dead-set against how Paul is trying to win freedom for women. She points out that Paul has no husband and no job and simply creates hysteria! Humiston would rather earn her respect than grovel for it! It’s important to remember, however, that Humiston was very much the exception.

Humiston was paying attention when Paul was talking, however, and goes to talk to Detective Wiley, whose trademark is kicking in doors. She goes alone, however, telling them that cops don’t trust people they don’t know. While she’s gone, Wyatt tries to talk to Lucy about Garcia – and she rightly puts him in his place. What she does is really none of his business. It’s hilarious that Humiston immediately wonders what’s going on between them when she returns.

Garcia and Rufus search the crime scene, looking for clues to the shooter – so that Garcia can kill him. They’re interrupted by Officer Daly (Brendan Bradley), and Garcia tells him they’re Pinkerton detectives. Rufus picks their cover names. He’s John McLain – hero of the Die Hard franchise – and he says that Garcia is Hans Gruber! Gruber was the bad guy in the first Die Hard movie! Again, loving these aliases… When things go south, and the cop pulls a gun on them Rufus tells Garcia to take the cop down. He’s freaking the cop out and Garcia tells him to stop, but Rufus thinks he’s invincible. In the end, it’s Emma who shows up and kills the cop!

Garcia quickly disarms Emma and asks her to tell him why he shouldn’t kill her right then. Emma tells them that she’ll tell them who the sleeper is because she doesn’t want Rittenhouse to succeed on this mission. Keynes is trying to squash the 19th Amendment! He wants to put women in their place. Clearly, as a woman, Emma doesn’t want that. She also tells him about the orders to kill Lucy.

Connor is going through the wreckage that Denise and Wyatt brought back from Rittenhouse. Jessica offers to help and so does Jiya.

Garcia wants to know why Rufus was so reckless with the cop, and Rufus finally tells him about Jiya’s vision of his death. Garcia points out that’s fine until somebody blows off both his kneecaps – there are lots of ways to be severely hurt and still live! Rufus looks shaken. Emma refuses to just tell them who the sleeper is because she knows that they’ll just kill her if she does. Garcia can’t believe her loyalty to Rittenhouse after what they did to her. She tells them that leaving her for 10 years in the 1880s was their way of testing her. She finally tells them that she’s taking them to the march because the sleeper agent is a Suffragette.

Humiston, Wyatt, and Lucy go to the hotel, and Humiston questions the bellhop. When he stonewalls them, Humiston gets him to talk by deducing that he’s dealing dope in the hotel. He confesses that Alice was never there. He has the note that was left with the $50 he was paid to say it. When they return to the jail to ask Alice if she recognizes the handwriting, they find her dead! It’s ruled a suicide but neither Lucy nor Humiston are buying it. Lucy is distraught that one of her heroes is dead – and so was I! Humiston is determined to solve the case, but refuses to believe that any speech of Paul’s could have had any serious impact. Lucy tries to tell her that she’s wrong – insisting that a speech can start a movement.

Humiston, Lucy, and Wyatt go to the March headquarters. Humiston brutally tells them that Alice is dead. One of the women points out that Humiston is basically a cop too – and they’re responsible for Alice’s death. Lucy barely maintains the peace, and Lucy maintains the fiction that she and Wyatt were Alice’s lawyers, and Lucy tells them that Alice would want them to keep fighting. Lucy has the notes for the speech, but the women dither, feeling that it might be disrespectful and a handful of other excuses. I realized right about here that Lucy was going to be giving that speech… and it would go down in history as Ally McBeal…. *groan* I was really, really happy when that didn’t turn out to be the case – so good on the writers for that red herring. The women decide that they will march, but it will be a silent vigil in Alice’s honor – and Humiston seals the deal by having a show of hands as to whether the women prefer the silent march or Lucy’s suggestion. I also loved the red herring of the vote.

Emma tries to ignore the bad blood between them and convince Rufus and Garcia to trust her so that she can take out the sleeper at the march. Rufus points out that he used to think that both she and Anthony were his friends – they worked together and got along after all – but then, Anthony was working for Garcia and Emma was working for Rittenhouse – they both betrayed him. Barrett is terrific – and I loved Rufus’ sudden realization that he sucks at making friends. Garcia isn’t buying any of what Emma is selling, and presses her for why she’s really doing it.

It’s definitely a man/woman issue and the episode does a beautiful job of handling it. We also get a fabulous performance from Annie Wersching. Emma shows them some scars from where her father used to beat her. She tells them that she doesn’t know where her mother got the courage, but she loaded them into the car and left Emma’s father to start a new life. Emma graduated at the top of her class at Cal Tech – and Rittenhouse found and recruited her. But if the 19th Amendment didn’t pass, if women didn’t get the right to vote, if they remained a man’s property – her mother never would have been able to leave. She tells them that the mission is personal – and it truly is. It may be almost a hundred years ago – but it’s freedom women shouldn’t take for granted. The episode contains lots of little subtleties about how women were treated. Garcia believes her and gives her her gun back. Leading Rufus to remark that both his enemies now had guns!

Lucy remarks on the irony of Humiston calling a vote – something women may not be doing for quite awhile now. Humiston starts in that Lucy has a difficult relationship with her mother, and Lucy cuts her off. Humiston suggests that Lucy make the speech, but Lucy points out that Alice is more important than just one speech on one day. She tells Humiston that she doesn’t understand the entire movement. According to Lucy, Humiston thinks that because she’s tough enough and smart enough to make it into the “boys club” other women should be too – and Humiston doesn’t disagree. But Lucy points out that Humiston has an obligation to help other women who might not be so strong.

Humiston points out that she does help women – by bringing their killers to justice, but Lucy points out there are a lot more women who are still alive. Lucy tells Humiston that Alice was prepared to sacrifice for 50 years to ensure that Humiston got to do her job. One of the other women then suggests that Lucy could do the speech because she is so passionate in her plea to Humiston. Lucy considers it.

Wyatt tells Lucy she can’t give the speech because the sleeper agent will kill whoever gets up to give the speech – and Lucy has a target on her back already. Wyatt also points out that the women need someone who will stay and lead them – not someone who will just jump back in a time machine and leave them. Wyatt also tells her that he’s not going to let her get hurt – and she tells him too bad, too late! She finally admits that she’s struggling not to let their relationship get in the way of the work. Wyatt tries to say that it’s been hard for him too, but I’m with Lucy here – he’s got the love of his life back, and she’s had the rug pulled out from under her… again.

Rufus and Garcia catch up with Wyatt on the sidelines of the march and they fill each other in. Meanwhile, the sleeper agent grabs Lucy and pulls her into an alley – it’s Charlotte (Riley Rose Critchlow). She’s about to shoot her – but the gun doesn’t fire. Lucy struggles with her, but Humiston is there and she’s the one who took out the bullets. Then Emma shows up too and shoots the sleeper agent. It looks for a minute like Emma may kill Lucy, but then she tells the “Princess” that someone has to make that speech.

Connor and Jiya keep working – Jessica has clearly flaked off. Connor actually manages to find something and tells Jiya he didn’t think they’d find anything! She’s incredulous that he’d spend all day on something he thought was useless. He tells her that “the grandest most honorable battle is the losing one. But you’ve got to keep fighting!” This resonates with Jiya because she needs to keep fighting for Rufus! It’s nice to see Connor re-committing to the mission and having something more to do.

Once again, the march ends up with the women facing off against the police and the police resorting to violence. Wyatt and Rufus wade in to help the women – and Garcia comes to Rufus’ rescue. Humiston ends up in the middle and tries to get everyone to stop, but she gets a first-hand view of the violence and what the women are really going through. Lucy tries shouting to the President but can’t be heard. It’s Humiston who jumps on top of a car and begins speaking, catching the President’s attention. She speaks of justice and the need to speak up and not be silent, before the police drag her down and away.

Humiston gets released quickly because the police know they couldn’t ask for her help in solving cases in the future if they didn’t let her out. Wyatt wants to know how she knew who the killer was. She tells him that she knew the note was written by a left-handed woman. A Suffragette would have had access to Alice’s room. She asked the women to vote so that she could see ‘how’ they voted – ie which hand they raised! Charlotte was the only one, so she searched her things and found the gun. Humiston is still stumped as to what it is about Lucy and Wyatt that seems so different – it must be where they’re from… she finally guesses – they’re Canadian! Which, as a Canadian, I found hilarious. (Neither Spencer nor Lanter are btw)

The homecoming in this episode is bitter-sweet. I loved Connor being concerned for Rufus. Jessica makes a big deal of kissing Wyatt in front of Lucy at the base of the stairs – totally over the top and unnecessary, but at least, Wyatt broke it off and tried to move her away. But best of all was Lucy asking Denise who she voted for in the last election. And go Denise for voting for Hilary! She also asks who is President – and Denise tells her – and then asks, “Was that not supposed to happen?” (NO!!!!) But Lucy tells her, she doesn’t know (Rittenhouse could have done it! And none of them would be any the wiser), but it’s not their fault on this trip!!!

Emma tells Keynes that Garcia shot Andre and it was a miracle that she got away with the Mothership. Clearly, she killed Andre. She also says that she would have done more, but he wanted her to come back safe. She has ideas for the next mission… but Keynes tells her that it can wait and the two kiss… and likely consummate their relationship….

Connor is still working on the Rittenhouse debris which surprises Denise, but he’s sure that he’s got something. And it turns out to be a picture of Jessica! Denise tells Connor they keep it between them until she can figure out what it means.

Rufus and Jiya have a great scene. He admits that he knows her visions are real, and the two agree to try to figure it out together. There’s even a nice Raiders of the Lost Ark moment as Jiya tries to help treat his wounds and ends up clumsily hurting him.

Wyatt comes into the common area and sees the research that Lucy has done into Humiston. She became an icon of the feminist movement and there was even a society named after her. Lucy is distraught that Paul didn’t even get a footnote for all of her sacrifices and that she’s the only one who will remember her. Wyatt tries to say he will too and comfort her, but Lucy is having none of it! Again, with the irony – she tells him they can’t keep living in the past! He has a wife that he loves – that’s it for them. Wyatt seems to accept that, but can’t accept that she would go to Garcia. She tells him that nothing happened. Lucy tells him that he and Jessica are a miracle – and she’s not getting in the middle of that. Of course, she also says that they’re happily married – and we know that’s not true because Jessica was about to serve Wyatt with divorce papers…Wyatt asks where that leaves them, and she tells him: “Same place as always. Kicking ass and saving the world.” Now. For Supernatural fans, you will recognize this as a shout out to the late, great and never forgotten, Kim Manners who was an executive producer/director on Supernatural – and The X-Files – and whose signature tagline was “Kick it in the ass.” This was a huge AW moment for me…

Both of them may be hurting, but the fact is that Wyatt is going back to his room and Jessica, but Lucy is alone. Of course, Lyatt fans can take heart that Jessica is probably not going to be around for long… I really liked the history in this episode – do yourself a favor and check out both Paul and Humiston online – both remarkable women! I’m looking forward to seeing if Rufus and Jiya can find a solution to her visions. Is Emma now officially the First Lady of Rittenhouse? Will she be able to exert any control over Keynes? What did you think of the episode? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!