On May 6, 1937, film crews gather as the Hindenburg comes in to land. The crew are unaware of a leak in the dirigible sequence. On the ground, a ground crewman notices a woman, Kate Drummond, and asks if she's too close. Kate takes footage along with the others, as the dirigible crew drops ropes to the crew waiting below.
Inside the dirigible, a crewman touches a metal handrail and sparks fly. It ignites the hydrogen and the Hindenburg explodes. The ground crew runs as the flaming frame slams down onto the ground, hitting Kate.
Present Day
Professor Lucy Preston is lecturing a class about LBJ and talks about how they have to understand the people who made history. A man comes in the back as Lucy says that they have to get inside the heads of the people involved. After class, the man, Xxx, tells Lucy that the committee is canceling her tenure meeting. Lucy figures that Xxx could push it through if he wanted to and storms off.
At home, Lucy checks on her sister Amy, who sitting with their mother. Amy says that their mother isn't doing any better, and Lucy suggests that they go get a drink. Downstairs, Amy suggests that Lucy quit an go somewhere that she's wanted. Lucy refuses to abandon her mother's legacy, as she created the department. Her sister tells her to stop worrying about disappointing their mother and make her own future.
At a secure facility belonging to Mason Industries, Rufus Carlin is working with his coworker Jiya. Outside, a van pulls up. The driver asks the other man, Garcia Flynn, if he can trust the old journal that he's studying. The guards tell the two men to present their ID... unaware that there are more men in the back of the van.
Inside, Anthony Bruhl approaches Rufus and tells him that it's his turn to pick up the tacos and he should take Jiya. Gunshots ring out and the drivers enter the chamber. Rufus grabs Jiya and ducks behind a console, while the men grabs the other technicians and shoot the guards. Garcia grabs Bruhl and takes him to a machine, and goes inside with his lieutenant. After a moment, the machine vanishes. The police storm in and order the technicians down.
In her mother's room, Lucy looks at a photo of her family and then her comatose mother. The doorbell rings, and Lucy finds Agent Kondo with Homeland security there. He tells Lucy that she needs to come with him because they need her help. Lucy goes with the agent, who takes her to the facility. Kondo escorts her into a waiting room where a man, Wyatt Logan, is sitting with his eyes closed. The agent leaves Lucy there, and Wyatt says that he's not asleep. She realizes that Connor Mason owns the company, and wonders why they're there. Wyatt doesn't know, and keeps calling Lucy "ma'am." Agent Denise Christopher comes in and notes that Lucy is a world-class historian. She identifies Wyatt Logan as a Master Sergeant with Delta Force, and tells them to follow her.
Denise escorts Lucy and Wyatt to the main chamber and explains that Garcia was an ex-NSA asset in Eastern Europe. He killed his wife and child and went off the grid a year ago. Denise runs the footage of the machine disappearing, Connor comes in and explains that using gravity, they can bend time into a loop and travel to an earlier point in time. Denise explains that Connor invented a time machine and didn't tell the government about it, and now it has been stolen by terrorists.
Connor takes Lucy and Wyatt out to the main chamber and shows them their earlier prototype. Its CPU is linked to the mothership, and they can figure out when it went or not where. The date is 3:30 PM on May 6, 1937. One terrorist was killed and they found an address on him for a tavern in Manchester, NJ. Lucy says that the time is four hours before the Hindenburg crashed. Connor notes that if Garcia kills people in 1937 then history and reality will change. Denise says that there's room in the prototype for three passengers, and they want Lucy and Wyatt to go after Garcia.
Lucy storms out and says that she's not a soldier. Denise says that they need a historian and figures that Lucy must be curious.
Connor tells Rufus that he has to go with Wyatt and Lucy. Malcolm insists that he's a coder and there's no place in American history where it will be awesome for a black man. Connor overrides his objections and says that they both know that it has to be him.
Lucy agrees and puts on the best clothing that they have for the period. Denise gives her the address for the tavern, and tells her and Wyatt not to be noticed and not to change anything. Rufus is at the controls and everyone introduces themselves. They strap in and Rufus warns that it will be a rough ride. Lucy realizes that Wyatt has been drinking, and he says that he didn't know that he was going to be working. Rufus launches the prototype and they disappear into history.
The prototype lands in 1937 and the trio disembarks. Lucy points out the dirigible overhead and figures that they're there. The team walks into the nearby town of Manchester, and Wyatt wonders why they don't go back and stop Garcia before he steals the mothership. Rufus explains that they can't go back to anytime where they might meet their past selves. The one time they tried it, only part of the pilot came back. The trio take a bus into Manchester and Lucy wishes her mother could see it. As they head down the street Lucy explains that the Hindenburg is just reaching the airfield but won't be able to land because of the weather. It will make a number of turns building up static electricity, and the ground crew will rag the landing ropes through the soaked grass. The resulting spark will ignite the hydrogen, setting the Hindenburg on fire. Lucy doesn't know what Garcia plans to do, and Wyatt says that he'll deal with Garcia when they find him.
The team goes into the tavern and everyone stares at Rufus. Lucy suggests that he wait outside and he reluctantly goes. Meanwhile, Wyatt orders a drink at the bar and Lucy asks if the man has seen Garcia. He hasn't and goes back to work. Meanwhile, Lucy spots Kate across the room an tells Wyatt that she shouldn't be there. Wyatt stares at her and tells Lucy that Kate reminds her of someone. He joins Kate at a pinball machine and asks if she wants a drink. He recites the information on Kate's career that Lucy told him, and she realizes that Wyatt is a soldier. Lucy joins them and says that it's a pleasure to meet Kate. Wyatt claims that Lucy is his older sister, and Kate says that she's going to the coronation after the Hindenburg lands. Kate recognizes Garcia from their photo and says that he hired on as an extra hand at the nearby airfield. Outside, Lucy and Wyatt meet Rufus. Wyatt is shocked when Lucy says that Kate will die in the crash, and Lucy says that they can't change history.
At the airfield, the trio searches the crowd for Garcia. Lucy spots Commander Rosendahl and tells him that Garcia is a patient from a mental hospital where they work. Rosendahl agrees to help and has his officers search for Garcia. The team splits up to search for Garcia as the Hindenburg comes in to land. Radio announcer Herb Morrison describes the dirigible's approach, and Wyatt spots Kate in the crowd and goes over to her.
Lucy spots Garcia and calls to Wyatt. However, the soldier doesn't hear her and gets to Kate. He suggests that she come with him, and tries to drag her to cover. However, the Hindenburg doesn't blow up on time. Kate walks away, furious, and Rufus finds Wyatt. They both realize that Lucy is gone.
Lucy follows Garcia to a nearby hangar, but Garcia's lieutenant grabs her and prepares to take her to Garcia. Wyatt attacks the man and shoots him dead with a silenced pistol, and Lucy watches as the passengers leave the Hindenburg. As night falls, Rufus realizes that the crewmen wrapped the ropes up and kept the Hindenburg from grounding. Lucy points out that 37 people living will change their present. Wyatt searches the terrorist and finds a walkie-talkie, and Rufus rewires it to track Garcia's unit.
As they wait, Lucy complains that Wyatt brought a modern gun with him. Wyatt warns that there's always a mess and he has to take out Garcia. Lucy asks him why he ran after Kate, but before he can answer, Rufus comes over. He says that the walkie is actually a detonator for a bomb. Lucy realizes that Garcia plans to blow it on the way out with several passengers like Rockefeller and Sikorsky, going to the coronation. The police arrive in response to an anonymous tip and arrest the trio, and find the dead body. Garcia watches from across the airfield as the police take the team away.
The police take the trio to the local station house and lock them up. Lucy warns that the Hindenburg will leave at dawn. Lucy repeats her question about Wyatt's interest in Kate, and he finally says that she reminds him of his wife Jessica. She died because of him and he couldn't let Kate die.
At the airfield, Kate boards the Hindenburg and passes two stewards. She notices something wrong with them.
The police officer examines Wyatt's gun, and Wyatt notices Lucy's modern bra. He says that he knows how to get out, and tells Rufus to make a distraction. Rufus asks the officer for a glass of water, and objects when the officer calls him "boy." Rufus tells the officer that the future isn't on his side. man walks off, and Wyatt tells Lucy to take off her underwire bra. Once she does, Wyatt removes the wire and uses it as a lock pick on the cell door. The officer comes back with another officer to beat Rufus, and Wyatt gets free and takes one out. Rufus clubs the other one unconscious with his own nightstick, and they head for the Hindenburg.
At the airfield, the trio boards the dirigible and bump into Kate. She figures Wyatt is there to attack her again, and Wyatt says that there is a bomb onboard and the man in the photo planted it. Kate realizes that Garcia was one of the stewards she saw earlier, and takes them to the kitchen he came out of. They search the place and find the bomb, and Rufus points out that the Hindenburg has already lifted off.
The bomb has four minutes on the timer, and Wyatt admits that he had a little training in Afghanistan. He tells Lucy to get the passengers off, and she and Rufus grab knives. They go to the cockpit and take the flight crew prisoner, and tells them to land the dirigible.
On the ground, Garcia sees the Hindenburg turn around and realizes that something is wrong. He has his man climb up a landing rope.
Wyatt tells Kate to talk to him as he works. She wonders where he came from, and Wyatt claims that he's Buck Rogers. The terrorist arrives and attacks Wyatt. Kate grabs a meat cleaver and attacks the man, who easily disarms her. Wyatt returns to the attack and Kate knocks the terrorist out with a frying pan. With 12 seconds to spare, Wyatt cuts the wire on the bomb, defusing it. The terrorist wakes up and fires a shot, and the ricochet hits the ship's supports. The resulting sparks ignite the hydrogen and the Hindenburg crashes. Lucy and Rufus smash their way out of the cockpit.
Wyatt grabs Kate and leads her out. The terrorist tries to shoot them, but the flames sweep over him before he can. Wyatt kicks out a window and gets Kate to the ground. Meanwhile, Garcia finds Lucy and says that she needs to understand who and what she's dealing with. He knows everything about Lucy and how she doesn't want to follow in her mother's footsteps. He opens the\ journal and Lucy realizes that it's her handwriting. Garcia says that she will write it in her future, and he knows that she isn't meant to be a teacher. When Lucy says that killed his family, Garcia tells her to ask them what Rittenhouse is and why they chose her for the mission.
Wyatt sees Lucy with Garcia and tells Kate to get somewhere safe. He then goes after Garcia, drawing his gun. Garcia says that he isn't going to shoot, using Lucy as a shield. Wyatt fires a shot just over Lucy's shoulder and ducks... and Garcia's return fire hits Kate. Garcia disappears into the crowd and by the time Wyatt forces his way through, the terrorist is gone. Wyatt goes back to Kate and begs her to hold on, but she dies in his arms.
The trio returns to the present and confirm that the Hindenburg blew up a day later. The only two casualties were Kate and the terrorist. Lucy warns that she doesn't know what Garcia is trying to do, and asks Denise about Rittenhouse. Denise insists that she has no idea what Rittenhouse is. Rufus has confirmed that the mothership is back in the present day but they don't know where. He insists that they can't double back to where they've been. Lucy suggests that Garcia is trying to kill America in the rib by rewriting history. Denise says that Garcia is still out there and they are the government's best option, and they'll call them when Garcia leaves again.
Later, Rufus gives Connor a recording of everything that he could hear of Lucy and Wyatt talking. He tells his superior that he's not comfortable with what they're doing, and Connor says that he isn't either.
As they go, Lucy points out that Wyatt could have killed her shooting at Garcia. She wonders if he's that good or she's just that expendable, and Wyatt says that he's that good. Lucy figures that Wyatt wanted to try and change what happened to his wife, and says that maybe everything that happened went the way it was supposed to.
Jiya asks Rufus what time travel was like, and he offers to take her to dinner and tell her all about it. She agrees.
Wyatt goes to a bar and looks at a photo of himself and Jessica.
Garcia sits in his base and read through the journal.
Lucy returns home and calls to Amy. She's surprised to find her mother in the kitchen, in perfect health. Mrs. Preston has no idea who Amy is, and Lucy hugs her in relief. Her mother notices that Lucy isn't wearing her engagement ring, and Lucy realizes that Amy has been wiped out by the change in history. She insists that it isn't right, and her phone rings. Denise says that Garcia is heading back into time and they need Lucy there.
Written by Gadfly on Oct 4, 2016