‘Timeless’ episode 12 review: Who is Emma Whitmore? Lucy vs. Jesse James

There were so many reasons to love Monday night’s “Timeless,” but most of them start with the pure visual spectacle of it all. This may be the most stunning episode of the show we’ve seen yet. You had this wonderfully white backdrop (there must have been a lot of snow in Vancouver at the time), and it gave “The Murder of Jesse James” a very different flair than your standard episode set in the old west.

The premise of the episode was fairly similar to the ones that we’ve seen before: A journey back in time to find Garcia Flynn, who teamed up once again with a bad guy. Specifically, this time around it was Jesse James, and the team enlisted some local help in Bass Reeves.

Reeves is awesome – He’s known for being the inspiration behind the Lone Ranger, and a famed U.S. Marshal who is responsible for bringing in thousands of criminals over the course of his career. He also happened to be black, which added another layer of fun to the story.

For Lucy, Wyatt, and Rufus, teaming up with Reeves was a no-brainer, even if there was some clear tension as to what to do with him when they were found. Bass wanted to bring him in, whereas Wyatt just wanted to take him out. Sure, it was cold and calculated, but at the same time, that’s what he is trained to do. He’s not a jerk; this is just a part of his job and something that he’s learned over time that he has to do.

This is where things get interesting – Enter Emma Whitmore. She was living back in this time period, and she just so happened to also be the woman responsible for getting the Lifeboat off the ground in the first place. Before Rufus became the pilot, there was Mason Industries, and there was Emma celebrating her ingenuity. While we saw these scenes in the past, Jiya (who was working with Mason potentially to be the next person capable of steering the ship) was learning a thing or two in the present about who she was.

When Mason eventually found out that Jiya had hacked in and viewed the video logs of Emma, he was not happy — specifically, he was “throwing threats out” unhappy.

Who shot Jesse James? – After Flynn tried to strike up some sort of shared connection with Emma (dude’s really just desperate for friends, isn’t he), we eventually got to a showdown between the famed outlaw and the team. He wanted to be the one to take down Bass Reeves, but in the end, it was Lucy who shot him. She did it as a means to protect the team, but Bass told her later that this would haunt her for the rest of her days. Maybe it will. Bass wasn’t the cooperative type, and that was proven further by him refusing to tell his own story, as suggested by Rufus in the end.

In the closing minutes, Reeves’ words seemed to ring true as she looked back on what happened and saw a photo of herself at the site of Jesse James’ grave. As for Wyatt, he made his decision at the end of the episode that, with Rufus’ help, he would go through time and save his wife. This was a great cliffhanger, and given what he’s been through, the moment felt earned.

Overall – This episode was a blast to dive into, and it brought you everything from a great villain in James to a great hero in Reeves. It also brought about major character development for Wyatt at the end of the hour. Grade: B+.

What did you think about this episode, and did the saga of Jesse James play out in the way you expected? Share in the comments, and head over here if you want to preview what’s coming up next. (Photo: NBC.)