Timeless Review: The Capture of Benedict Arnold (Season 1 Episode 10)
As we round out the first half of Timeless Season 1 with “The Capture of Benedict Arnold,” it’s safe to say that the show would have really benefitted from spending more time exploring their villains.
While can safely admit that Rittenhouse is successfully chilling in this episode, perhaps for the first time ever since the series’ debut (David Rittenhouse and his son both exhibit this unnerving detachment and disdain for humanity that is seriously creepy and extremely effective), we have no real insight in to what made Rittenhouse in to this man.
What are his motives?
What is he hoping to accomplish?
What do the members of Rittenhouse even do and why?
Is David Rittenhouse simply power-hungry? Curious? A puppet master wanting to experiment with society and life to see how he can mould it any which way?
That said, this is the first time we get any real glimpse into what sort of people we are dealing with and why Flynn believes so strongly in ending their reign of terror.
Although, admittedly, his motives are far more selfish than the desire to save thousands of innocent people from suffering caused by this man and his organization.
This is the first time this organization has seemed truly frightening or vaguely threatening. They have fallen flat up until this point, and it is far more interesting to see them from the beginning, where it sort of looks like Rittenhouse is some sort of cult organization.
His son, for example, is a case of textbook brainwashing. He parrots his Father’s words and is surprised and confused when someone asks what he thinks.
Free thought is certainly not something encouraged in a cult setting, and it seems an awful lot like that is exactly what Rittenhouse is, at its core.
It will be interesting, moving forward, to see if Flynn has accomplished his goal by killing David. However, it’s easy to suspect that this entire experience may have scarred John Rittenhouse and served only to create an even bigger monster.
We will have to wait until the new year to find out!
Stay observations:
- It will be really interesting to have Lucy experience Flynn’s side of things. Maybe she will come around to his way of thinking? It’s unlikely, but it sure would be cool, wouldn’t it?
- Still not seeing Lyatt in any romantic sense. You can tell they’re pushing for it, but…
- Here’s hoping the formula changes in the new year. The characters in this show are so, so strong, but the storyline bounces around so much and is so random that it makes it difficult to become invested in anything. It would be nice to see more focus on a well-developed plot moving forward and less famous historical cameos.
What did you think of “The Capture of Benedict Arnold”? Let me know in the comments below!
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Timeless airs Mondays at 10/9c on NBC.
Becky Peters
Becky is a television, literature, and pop culture enthusiast who spends more of her time exploring fictional worlds than she does living in the real one. Post-apocalyptic and dystopian settings are her kryptonite, and she has a strange soft spot for anything that involves the walking dead (the creatures themselves, not the show -- but the show is good, too). You can usually find her engrossed in shows like Preacher, The Walking Dead, Sense8, or any one of the many other series that tickle her fancy. Follow Becky on Twitter: @epic_bcky