In Darlington, South Carolina, in 1955, a man is drawing the Darlington race track and considers whether that Jimmy or Wendell might make a plan on him. His pregnant wife comes in and tells him not to worry, and invites him to dance.
Mark and Emma drive to the house. Emma looks at a photo of the couple and considers killing them as she loads her gun.
As Jiya and Rufus work on the Lifeboat, she briefly sees a burn scar on Rufus' arm. After a minute she dismisses the hallucination.
Lucy is reading Nicholas' manifesto when Wyatt comes in. He asks her what they did to her, and says that they're all worried about her. Lucy insists that she's fine just as the alarm goes off reporting a Mothership landing. The team meets with Lucy, who reports that nothing historical happened there. Wyatt suggests that they're looking for someone before they become important, and Lucy suggests that they talk to Flynn. Wyatt warns that Flynn hates them because he thinks that they set him up, and Denise points out that Flynn is insane and they can't trust whatever they say. However, no one has a better idea.
Later, Lucy and Denice go to Flynn's cell and tell him that Rittenhouse has gone to South Carolina 1955. Flynn suggests that Lucy ask her mother, and is surprised that she didn't know Carol was with Rittenhouse. Lucy says that she'll do whatever it takes to take down Rittenhouse, and Flynn wonders if she will kill Carol. He doesn't think she can do it, and Lucy reminds him that Rittenouse murdered Flynn's wife and daughter. Flynn says that there was a South Carolina address on a Rittenhouse agent that he killed and provides it, and warns that the next information will cost them.
Rufus and Wyatt dress for the period, and Denise says that the house at the address was owned by Ryan Millerson. Wyatt recognizes Ryan's name as that of a famous NASCAR driver but they still don't know why Rittenhouse targeted him. The team travels to 1955 in the Lifeboat.
Carol meets with Nicholas and tells him that they've followed his writings and planted sleeper agents in different eras. He's printed out all of Wikipedia and is painting a picture of his daughter--Carol's granddaughter—and demands what he's used to. Nicholas gives Carol a list of songs and demands more pickled eggs, and carol leaves.
The team goes to the Millerson house and talks to Ryan's wife, claiming to be reporters. The woman says that Ryan is at the tracks, and two reporters came to see Ryan two hours ago. She describes them and the trio realizes that one of them is Emma.
The trio goes to the track and Wyatt admires the stock cars. Rufus and Lucy are surprised to discover that Wyatt is a nerd. A man shoves past Rufus, calling him "boy", and driver Wendell Scott knocks a man out of his tent. The man who bumped into Wendell and several others go into the tent, and Wendell says that the man he knocked out was nosing around his car. Wyatt comes in and tells them to back off, and they reluctantly leave. Once they leave, Wyatt tells Wendell that that there's a trigger install. Wyahe's a fan and admires Wendell's car, Old Rusty. Wendell offers them some moonshine in the back of his car, and they ask him to introduce them to Ryan. Rufus gives Wendell the nod, and once Wendell leaves to find Ryan, Rufus realizes that the nod doesn't exist in 1855. Wyatt says that Wendell came in third and contested it, and they only gave him the award after the fans left.
Wendell comes back and takes them to Ryan, and Wyatt claims that he was a bootlegger. Once Wendell goes into Ryan's tent, Wyatt admits that he really was a bootlegger. After Wendell sets up an intro, the trio talks to Ryan. He says that he doesn't remember Emma. Rufus looks at his car and says that there's a trigger install. They check the engine and find a bomb, and Ryan draws a gun on them. They realize that he's the Rittenhouse sleeper agent, and Emma and Mark come in. Emma offers to let Rufus go if he tells them where the Lifeboat is, but Rufus is.
As Mark prepares to shoot, Wendell tosses in a fire extinguisher grenade. The team runs out and he leads them away, and by the time Mark and Emma get outside, the others have driven off. Wyatt says that Ryan is one of them, and Lucy claims that Ryan is a Communist spy. The engine gives out and Wendell figures that his rivals messed with it, and he pulls into his garage. As he works on the engine, Wyatt says that Ryan came out of nowhere in 1946. Rufus suggests that Rittenhouse dropped Ryan off in 1946, and Wyatt's memories changed. Wyatt figures that all of the car company CEOs will be at the race, and Rittenhouse plans to bow them up and take control of Detroit. The trio asks Wendell to get them back to the track.
Connor wants to go to a tech symposium, and tells Denise that he's done everything that she's asked of him. He points out that he let himself become publicly embarrassed taking the blame for the explosion, but Denise still refuses to let him attend.
Emma asks Ryan why he fell in love and have a baby, and Ryan says that his wife was just a way for him to have fun and the kid was an accident. He suggests that they wait and find another race, but Emma figures that he's stalling to have more of his life. She asks Ryan if he's squared away, and he insists that he is.
Wendell finishes repairing his engine and Lucy tells him that there's a bomb in Ryan's car. The driver doesn't believe them, and figure that he doesn't want to get mixed up in it and lose his chance to win. Rufus checks the car and burns his wrist, Wyatt secretly grabs a fuel filter as Wendell orders them out of his garage.
Connor goes to the symposium and another CEO, Vincent greets him. He asks if Connor plans to talk about bankruptcy, and Connor says that he's going to talk about ideas because they come easily to him. Wyatt comes back with the fuel filter, having repaired it, and insists that they're telling the truth. As Wendell installs it, Wyatt explains that as a boy, when he mouthed off his father hit him, tossed him in the car, and drove him around with the lights off to scare him. Wendell says that his father wasn't mean but he gambled too much and when he had to choose between his rackets and his family, he took off. Wyatt says that he took off in his father's stolen car when he turned 15, and realizes that Rufus and Lucy came in and are listening. The filter works and Wendell agrees to sneak them back to the track. Lucy asks how he's going to get them back in, and Wendell has Lucy and Wyatt get into the trunk.
As Wendell drives back to the track, he asks what kind of engineer Rufus is. Rufus says that he works with time-related machines, and Wendell assumes that he's talking about clocks. Wendell says that he's going to start winning races and attack NASAR, and figures that he can handle it. Meanwhile, the car hits a bump and Wyatt tells Lucy to hang onto him. She does so and she wonders how Wyatt can be mad at his father one minute and laughing about what happened the next. Wyatt explains that he thought everything terrible his father did was his fault, and Lucy says that she revered her mother and found out that she's terrible. He says that it's a good thing because now Lucy can move on.
Wendell arrives at the track and the police stop him at the entrance. The driver claims that Rufus is his cousin on his pet crew, and the sheriff insists on searching Wendell's trunk. Wendell bribes him $10 to let him through and the sheriff takes the money... and tells him to open the trunk anyway. They go to the back and there's no one there. Wyatt and Lucy are in a hidden compartment behind the trunk, and the sheriff lets Wendell through. Lucy and Wyatt laugh in relief and then kiss. Wendell and Rufus open the compartment and realize that they're interrupting.
Ryan checks his car and his wife comes in. She says that Emma brought her, saying that Ryan wanted her there. Emma and Mark come in, and Ryan tells her that he loves her. Once his wife leaves, Ryan begs Emma to take her away from there. Emma tells him to carry out his mission or he dies, and Ryan agrees. Ryan's manager brings in the reporters to get a few photos before the race.
The CEOs arrive and the team figures that Ryan will run into them with the car ad set the bomb off. Wendell suggests that Wyatt cause a distraction, and he leaves and takes Lucy and Wyatt with them.
Ryan is talking to the reporters when Wyatt comes in. Mark attacks him and goes for his gun, and Wyatt breaks his neck. He grabs Mark's gun and orders Ryan to come out, and shoots the driver when he tries to drive off. Rufus and Lucy come in and Rufus realizes that Ryan armed the bomb. Mrs. Tillerson comes in, sees Ryan, and breaks into tears. Emma comes in behind her and opens fire, and Wyatt has to drive the car out and down the road. Rufus warns that the bomb is pressure-sensitive as the police give chase. He says that if they hit a bug then it will go off, as the lead police car prepares to hit them. Wyatt speeds up and outdistances them, laughing. He loses one and heads across the bridge as the other one follows.
Wyatt drives back to Wendell's garage, does a smuggler's turn, and backs in, and Wendell closes the door. The police drive by, unsuspecting, and Wendell nods to Wyatt in appreciation.
Rufus disarms the bomb and removes it, and Lucy thanks Wendell for his help. Wendell suggests that he and Wyatt hit the track sometime, and gives "the nod" to Rufus. Rufus tells him that it'll catch on at some point, and wonders if they'll give a black man the racing prize. Wendell says that he knows they won't give him the trophy, but he's going to race and be the best. Wyatt shakes Wendell's hand and tells him to give them hell.
The Lifeboat returns to the bunker and Jiya sees the burn on Rufus' wrist. He assures her that he's fine and kisses her, and Jiya walks off.
As Connor goes over his speech, Denise and her agents come in. They put him under arrest for conspiracy to commit fraud and aiding and abetting an enemy of the state, and he has no choice but to go with them. When they get back to the bunker, Denise tells him that he put the team into danger just to feed his ego. She warns him that if he tries it again then he'll go to prison, and Connor reluctantly agrees not to do it.
Emma tells Carol that she shares some responsibility for their mission failing. She asks if Nicholas is ready to lead, and an agent takes them to where Nicholas is drawing out a map of history. Nicholas says that they're not explorers but artists, and now it's time to take what's best of them and subtracting the worst. Under their guidance humanity will reach everlasting perfection.
Written by Gadfly on Mar 19, 2018