Timeless: The World's Columbian Exposition

January 17, 2017 5:47 AM - Season 1, Episode 11

Lucy is kidnapped by Flynn and taken to the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, and master illusionist Harry Houdini may be the only one who can save her. Wyatt and Rufus desperately search for Lucy, only to fall into a sinister trap.

AV Club recap - Lucy doesn’t need saving on an overstuffed Timeless

Vulture - Timeless Recap: Americana Horror Story

posted by oh yeah! (5 comments total)

I thought this was a great episode. "Overstuffed", per the AV Club review, would be my only complaint - such a rich setting/location, with so many great characters for them to interact with, that I sort of wish it had been a two-parter, because there was a lot more they could've mined out of this but now they can never come back unless they rewrite their rules of time travel. Michael Drayer was great as Houdini, so even if they can never go back to the World's Fair, I think it would be cool if they ran into an older Houdini (who would remember them!) in a later episode.

I do note that now that they've pretty much completely abandoned "trying to preserve the timeline" in favor of becoming, basically, somewhat-morally-inconsistent time-bandits (killing H.H. Holmes seems like a no-brainer, sure, but saving J.P. Morgan is arguably responsible for more overall human suffering) we've gotten very few glimpses of what it's done to their modern-day lives, which is a little disappointing, but TBH the episodes have been so busy and so full that they haven't really had time to squeeze that in. (Interestingly, in the real world timeline, the architect Sophia Hayden was definitely not killed by H.H. Holmes.)
posted by mstokes650 at 10:52 AM on January 17, 2017

I would've been annoyed at the "noted historical figure falls instantly in love with Lucy, does whatever she asks" trope popping up for the Nth time if it wasn't done by the most charming Harry Houdini EVER.

The damsel in distress schtick is wearing a bit thin, but overall, this show manages to keep me interested. I'd be really curious to see a major timeline shift in the series -- like, I'm talking Flynn becoming his brother or a woman, for instance -- or a completely new historical figure or event coming into play due to the team's actions affecting the past. Show contracts will probably keep stuff like this from ever happening, but hey, I can dream!

Rufus laying down the law on that recording at the end was fun. Playing off his pilot leverage with Rittenhouse is the only sensible maneuver he can make at this point. Wyatt's doomed wife subplot isn't that interesting to me, mainly because we already saw him mooning over Lucy and I don't see the relevance in moving the Rittenhouse plot forward.

Which means it'll probably be the focus of two or more eps this season, unfortunately.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 12:55 PM on January 17, 2017

Flynn really needs to start growing a moustache so he can twirl it; trying to strand the lifeboat in the 18th century was pretty bad, but remanding them to H.H. Holmes' pit of horrors is about the most moustache-twirly thing he's done yet.

I think it would be hilarious if they meet Houdini a few more times at different stages in his life, and he guesses their secret since they never age but also being a professional keeper of secrets helpfully keeps theirs too.
posted by Bringer Tom at 3:05 PM on January 17, 2017 [8 favorites]

Yep this was a good episode. Still doesn't hold up under scrutiny but then. what does really?
posted by Justinian at 3:08 PM on January 19, 2017

Wait, hanged? I thought he was shot!
posted by phearlez at 6:40 PM on May 4, 2017