“The Darlington 500” is episode two of season two of Timeless.
In the previous episode, “The War to End All Wars”, Wyatt and Rufus managed to get Lucy back, and she discovered that they were still alive. In the time before they got their systems up and running again, it turned out that the mothership, and Rittenhouse, had made many trips to the past, ten destinations in all, leaving sleeper agents throughout history. Lucy’s mother and Emma had also rescued a World War I soldier, Nicholas Keynes, the man who apparently came up with the idea of Rittenhouse altering history using time travel using key points, and brought him to the present. He’s also Lucy’s great-grandfather. Agent Christopher has turned to Flynn to help work out what Rittenhouse is up to.
In Darlington, South Carolina, on September 4th 1955, a man is up studying a race course. He is racing today, and his pregnant wife comes into the room. Emma and another Rittenhouse agent are looking at a photo of the man and his wife; by the looks of it, they are heading to kill him.
In the present, Rufus is working on the lifeboat and Jiya seems to be having visions. The mothership is located and Lucy says that absolutely nothing important historically happened in Darlington in 1955. Lucy says that they need to speak to someone who knows more about Rittenhouse than anyone – Flynn.
Flynn had refused to talk to anyone but Lucy, and she believes they should take him up on his offer. Wyatt isn’t happy about this (Wyatt, and the others, are also concerned about Lucy and what happened to her whilst Rittenhouse held her prisoner). No-one is really, but Agent Christopher and Lucy head to see Flynn. He wants to be released before he talks, and he winds up Lucy about her mother. Lucy retaliates in kind about Flynn’s family. So he says that he knows an address in the town of Darlington. The person who lives at that address, Ryan Millerson, Wyatt recognises as a NASCAR driver. No-one else follows NASCAR.
Lucy’s mother is dealing with Nicholas, who still seems to be living in the past. He has printed out Wikipedia – all of it – and wants a century old record player with appropriate music. And pickled eggs. So far, he doesn’t seem to be an inspiring leader.
Back in 1955, Wyatt turns into a total racing fanboy, a side of him that hadn’t been shown before. They think that Rittenhouse is there to kill Millerson, but Millerson is Rittenhouse. He’s one of the sleeper agents. Which means Rittenhouse has already changed history, and Wyatt’s memories of Millerson are all new. With them being back at a car race, with racing cars, of course there is going to be a car chase.
In the present, Mason wants to get back out into the world and rebuild his reputation. Agent Christopher does not agree with this idea.