Timeless Episodes 1-5 Reviews: A Fun Romp Through History

When I first heard that NBC was making a time traveling show I thought it might be a knockoff of SyFy's "12 Monkeys" (which will soon air it's third season). I'm happy to report that there are a number of differences between the two shows. First, "12 Monkeys' depicts survivors in the future traveling back in time to stop a global pandemic. "Timeless" travels back to various historical events to stop a baddie called Garcia Flynn. Thus far we've seen the Hindenburg, Lincoln's assassination, JFK in Las Vegas, WWII Nazis and the Alamo.

Second, "12 Monkeys" has a VERY complicated mythology. I wont even attempt to explain it here. See 12 Monkeys Reviews for more details. The mythology in "Timeless" is much more straightforward. Think of it as "time travel light". "Timeless" doesnt require us to think too hard about the show's goings on. One of the only rules is that Team Time can't return to the same date/location twice. Otherwise, it would be a really quick show.

The mysterious Flynn breaks into Mason Industries and steals a time vessel called Mothership. With it, he traveled back in time. No one is sure of his agenda. Three people follow him in a barely functioning prototype named Lifeboat. They are: a historian (Lucy), an engineer/pilot (Rufus) and a soldier (Wyatt). Unbeknownst to them, the team's actions in the past affect their present. After the first mission, Lucy's sister Amy disappears. After another, Lucy has a fiance she knows nothing of.

Right now Flynn seems like a bad guy. After all his killed his wife and child. But do we know that for sure? What if Flynn is trying to stop something horrible from happening? He did tell Lucy that she would help him in the future. He also has her diary which she has no recollection of. It is hinted that he might be her father when Lucy's mother refuses to talk about her real dad.

In other events, Wyatt is still mourning the death of his wife and will do whatever it takes to change her fate. Rufus is making secret recordings for Connor Mason. I'm not sure what that's about. There is also someone/something called Rittenhouse that will play prominently in the story.

I also appreciate that "Timeless" does not "white wash" Rufus' character. Going back in time for a black man definitely poses some serious challenges. As Rufus puts it "I am black. There's literally no place in American history that would be awesome for me." He also questions whether they should try to prevent Abraham Lincoln's assassination.It's a perplexing question. How would America have been different if Lincoln had survived instead?

Grade: 4 Monsters (out of 5). Thus far I'm enjoying the show's historical events, interaction of the team and sense of humor. "Timeless" is a sci-fi show that doesnt require too much thought-- which I find refreshing. I cant promise I'll watch all the 11 remaining episodes (there are 16 total) but I'll definitely be back for more.