Timeless Review: Atomic City (Season 1 Episode 3)

Timeless takes a step up with this week’s episode, “Atomic City.”

Although, given this reviewer’s distaste for “The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln,” that might not be such an admirable feat.

That being said, however, it seems as though Timeless is starting to hit some sort of stride — foundations are being laid for potentially interesting plotlines and characters are beginning to lay roots in our hearts and minds.

The show, it seems, is starting to leave a mark on viewers, which is something that was missing in the first couple of episodes.

It started out as shallow entertainment, and now, with “Atomic City,” we are beginning to see a bit more meaning and intent behind everything going on on our screens — we are seeing character motivations, we are seeing what each of the leads values most, what their faults are.

We see Lucy and Wyatt butt heads over fate, destiny, and the importance of preserving historical events. Wyatt is a wrecking ball — a bull in a china shop, so to speak. He gets the job done, by any means necessary, with little or no regard for what affect he may have on the future.

Except when it comes to possibly being able to save the woman he loves. Then he actively aims to do just that.

Wyatt seems to be one of the most emotionally driven characters on the show. He’s impulsive and, despite his steely exterior, he is passionate.

Lucy, on the other hand, is driven logic, curiosity, and facts. Despite emotional setbacks, despite her personal losses and turmoil, Lucy can keep her cool and make decisions based on what will preserve history.

But a review is not a review without a few complaints:

We need to see what motivates Rufus. It may be loyalty, but it’s still unclear. The focus seems to be primarily on the inner struggles of the other two moreso than Rufus, so, there is definitely work to be done with his role in the show. He needs to be something more than just the pilot (which I’m sure he is, given all these shady conversations he’s been having behind his teammates backs).

And it’s still confusing that Lucy’s memories and knowledge don’t shift when history changes. Why doesn’t she have memories of meeting her husband (who actually seems like a decent guy)?

Why would the rest of the world around her be altered, with no one else being wise to it, and yet she still remembers the way things were before history changed?

This must be a plot point — surely the showrunners wouldn’t leave that large of a plot hole in the show, right?

Why is no one else bothered by this?

What did you think of “Atomic City”? Let me know your thoughts and theories in the comments below!

Reviewer Rating:

User Rating:

Timeless airs Mondays at 10/9c on NBC.