“The Salem Witch Hunt” is episode four of season two of Timeless.
In the previous episode, “Hollywoodland”, whilst Lucy and the others were in 1941, they hid some material inside the prison where Flynn was being kept in the present. Allowing him to escape in the present; something that everyone was definitely not happy about doing. Then Wyatt left without telling anyone, as he had discovered that his dead wife, Jessica, was alive again after receiving a text message from her (this was after Wyatt and Lucy had finally got together – of course). Although when Wyatt found her, she didn’t exactly react in a way that might be expected.
This episode opens in Salem, Massachusetts, on September 22nd, 1692, where a woman has been found guilty of witchcraft. The woman protests her innocence, but Judge Hathorne (Henri Lubatti, Gaspard Alves from Zoo) is not interested and they are going to hang her anyway. And they do.
Back in the present, Wyatt is asking Jessica what she is doing in the bar. She asks why he has ignored her text messages for the past eight weeks. Jessica wants to know where the army sent him this time and where he is currently staying.
Nicholas Keynes is exercising and watching Woodstock with Emma when Carol enters. Emma, since Keynes’ speech in “The Darlington 500”, has become rather more impressed with him. Enough to cater to his whims. Keynes wants something done about Lucy; he wants her taken care of. Emma is perfectly willing for this to be done. Carol, perhaps rather less so.
Jiya approaches Rufus and says she has something to tell him and tells him not to panic and stay calm. Which is pretty much guaranteed to worry Rufus. In the previous episode, Jiya had been checked out for her seizures and, despite Mason’s worries, was actually in better health than she used to be. According to Mason, two other travellers had been similarly affected; one is now dead, the other insane. Jiya tells Rufus that she can see the future. He thinks she is kidding, but she isn’t. Jiya had another vision, a bad one, in which she saw Rufus aiming a musket at a pilgrim-looking man in colonial times, and then kill him. Rufus doesn’t believe this – and then they find out that the mothership has headed back to Salem in colonial times. At which point it sounds more real.
Wyatt has been out of contact for some time and, when she manages to get hold of him, Wyatt tells her about Jessica. Lucy proves surprisingly understanding and tells Wyatt to take all the time he needs and that he isn’t needed. When Rufus hears, he checks into it and discovers that, whilst they were in 1941, the mothership made a trip to San Diego, 1980, for a few hours. It looks as if Rittenhouse has changed history by getting rid of Jessica’s killer. The question is why? Wyatt’s marriage has got a few problems. Not that he knows anything about this, for Jessica has, in his memory, been dead for six years.
They are now short a person to head back into the past and so Flynn volunteers. This is not met with universal approval, but Flynn does know a lot about the Salem Witch Trials. Lucy also points out that she and Rufus in colonial times will not have the sort of access that Flynn – as a white man – will be granted. So Flynn is going back with them as well. But not with the gun he really wants.
At the trials, nine witches are to be hanged. Not eight as the history books showed. The ninth person accused of witchcraft is a woman called Abiah, who is outspoken about how unjust they are. Abiah in later life becomes Abiah Franklin. Benjamin Franklin’s mother. Who Rittenhouse appear to intend to remove from history by killing his mother before he is born. So, they need to try and save Abiah, and Flynn really, really wants a gun. He also appreciates Lucy’s new, rather more ruthless, streak.