Timeless advanced preview: Season 2, episode 5 The Kennedy Curse

Timeless heads to Wallingford, Connecticut to prevent Rittenhouse from killing a future president of the United States. But when things go haywire in the past a young JFK is brought to the future.

Timeless isn’t the first time travel TV show that’s chosen to tackle John F Kennedy. A fascinating point in history (and one that Doctor Who would probably argue is a fixed point in time), JFK’s term as president and assassination are a big “what if” in United States history. Aside from the numerous conspiracy theories that surround JFK and the countless investigations into what really happened that day in November in Dallas scripted television has rewritten that moment in history thousands of times.

In terms of time travel the most memorable retconning of those events was Quantum Leap’s two-part season five premiere that took that show’s protagonist Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) through the life of Lee Harvey Oswald and how he would eventually become the man that takes down a president. Determined not to be that person Sam finds himself unable to stop history at a loss for what he was supposed to fix. At the last minute he leaps from Oswald into the Secret Service Agent who rescued Jackie Kennedy from the convertible after JFK was shot. Feeling like he failed this particular mission JFK watches a blood-soaked Jackie receive the heartbreaking news but Al (Dean Stockwell) shows up to tell Sam that he was successful despite the fact that JFK still died. He explains that in the previous history Jackie was killed too and that Sam did exactly what he was supposed to.

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Of course it seems silly to give an entire synopsis of an episode of a show that’s about 26 years old in an advanced preview for a Timeless episode that hasn’t even aired yet. But Quantum Leap‘s choices in the “rewrite” of history made for both a fascinating narrative and compelling arc to a historical tragedy that – could have gone even more wrong if we allow ourselves to consider it. And for it’s effort it’s hard to find a better episode of TV that maintains the integrity of history while still offering something new and different to the way we consider the event.

Timeless takes a similar approach but from an entirely different perspective in this week’s episode. Bringing a young Jack Kennedy into the future – in the hopes of saving past and with it JFK’s legacy. What else can you expect in Episode 5 “The Kennedy Curse”?

Spoilers ahead…

Lucy (Abigail Spencer) is out of commission for this trip back. Still recuperating from being stabbed last week, the #ClockBlockers once again brought Flynn (Goran Visnijc) along for the ride. But when things go wrong at young JFK’s private school with the Rittenhouse sleeper agents, Flynn is left behind while Wyatt (Matt Lanter) and Rufus (Malcolm Barrett) return to the present with JFK (Grant Logan) in tow. So can the newly shuffled time team maintain history and make sure JFK still becomes president? Or will the New England teenager find solace in 2018 despite the fact that his family is both destined for greatness and doomed for tragedy?!

Check out the trailer for episode five “The Kennedy Curse” below:

Spoiler Bits

• JFK escapes in the future and finding him becomes a race against time to prevent his disappearance from American history.
• It’s ALL hands on deck in what’s become an overcrowded bunker, which means an unlikely and extremely complicated team up of Wyatt, Lucy and Jessica (Tonya Glanz) – though what’s  possibly more interesting than the ongoing love triangle is the value the latter brings to the team – perhaps Jessica has a future trip on the Lifeboat?
• Agent Christopher (Sakina Jaffrey) is offered a deal and forced to reconcile with exactly what’s at stake if she chooses got against it.

Lines to look out for. Can you guess who delivers them?

• “No heroics, I’m just going to get some tea”
• “Wyatt says he wouldn’t have survived without you”
• “My school is pretty boring…and white”
• “I’ve known about my place in Rittenhouse since I was 15 years old”
• “We’ve been friends for all of two hours so I can trust you”

Timeless airs Sundays at 10/9 on NBC. Be sure to tune in!