TIMELESS: Choices in “The Assassination of Jesse James” {Recap}

Timeless finally (finally!) digs into the deeper issues of the concept of time travel and the choices everyone makes.

This week, Flynn (Goran Visnjic) goes back to meet Jesse James, all in the efforts to find a mysterious additional Mason Pilot, Emma, who faked her death but knows things about Rittenhouse that Flynn is desperate for.

But as the Lucy (Abigail Spencer), Rufus (Malcolm Barrett) and Wyatt (Matt Lanter) follow Flynn and James, the episode focuses on the choices you make and how that influences your life. Let’s look at the big three’s choices as well as Flynn’s.

Lucy

At the start of the episode Lucy’s forgotten her sister’s birthday, and then is haunted by a vision of her sister. That forgetfulness puts Lucy in an ill-mood all through the journey, but she’s choosing to – mission and mission – to not find a way to bring her sister back and save history instead.

TIMELESS — “The Assassination of Jesse James” Episode 111 — Pictured: (l-r) Malcolm Barrett as Rufus Carlin, Abigail Spencer as Lucy Preston, Matt Lanter as Wyatt Logan — (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)

But in the end, with James not dead by his partners’ guns and more murders on his conscious, Lucy shoots James dead. While Wyatt had been so much in favor of the death, he can’t pull the trigger and Lucy will now be forced to deal with knowing she killed Jesse James (even if History’s going to applaud the idea of someone killing him).

Wyatt

Finally meeting the man who killed his wife, Jess, Wyatt focuses on trying to do the right thing that will hopefully minimize the number of lives lost. While Bass Reeves, the guy who will become the model for the Lone Ranger, is leading them to follow Flynn, Reeves points out that what is right isn’t always moral. For Wyatt, who grew up on Westerns and a hard and fast line between good and evil, the concept of doing the right thing for an amoral reason hadn’t crossed his mind when it came to Jesse James.

TIMELESS — “The Assassination of Jesse James” Episode 111 — Pictured: Coleman Domingo as Bass Reeves — (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)

There’s an outcome that Wyatt wants (be it a dead James or at the end, his wife alive) and he’ll sacrifice much of himself to get there.

Rufus

Rufus finally admits that he thinks of the man he shot in the Alamo often, though that choice seems far simpler than the one presented to him by his boss.

After admitting to Rittenhouse that he won’t be their lacky, Rufus’ partner in the lab, Jiya, is promoted to be a pilot after him. He isn’t the only one Rittenhouse needs to stop Flynn, even if Jiya struggles with the initial test runs.

However, knowing that Emma, who piloted before him, is alive changes more for Rufus than we know today. What could it mean if they can bring Emma back?

Flynn

Flynn’s purpose to end Rittenhouse is pretty clear now, but Jesse James made a great point about when the cause is not longer a cause but your being, your live’s work.

Flynn’s approaching that creepy line soon, especially with how much he wants Emma on his side for what she knows of Rittenhouse’s future plans. Will he give up his cause against Rittenhouse once he’s saved his wife and child?

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Timeless airs Mondays at 10PM/9PM Central on NBC.