Welcome Back La Brea and Wormhole Time Travel Science Fiction Drama Lovers,
This superb science fiction drama is coming to the season one finale with what really is a two part episode that begins with the ninth episode “Father and Son”, and concludes with the tenth episode appropriately named “Topanga” where we learn that another wormhole time portal is about to close that if not acted upon in a timely manner, the future may be changed, and with it, all history could be altered forever!
This two part drama is where we learn all the answers to many questions that have made La Brea such a wonderful series to watch, as well as tweet along with fans for fabulous fun each week during the first season!
The critical pivot character is the appearance of the Doctor Rebecca Aldridge (Ming-Zhu Hii), who, in a chat with Eve (Natalie Zea) in the last episode, brought the young Isiah (Diesel La Torraca) and Gavin (Eoin Macken) characters to the center of the story arc when it was revealed that young Isiah in prehistoric La Brea is Gavin in the future.
The story arc is greatly reinforced when we learn in “Father and Son” who the twelve year old young lady is that came through the wormhole time portal with Isiah on the mysterious date of November 16, 1988.
This revelation in the “Father and Son” episode is coupled with several other “Easter Eggs” that set up the season one finale next week in the tenth episode “Topanga” airing on the NBC Network on November 30, 2021.
Science fiction time travel movie and television series admirers enjoy this type of drama that, long ago in Star Trek The Original Series episode “The City On The Edge of Forever” (1967), written by Harlan Ellison, a legend in the science fiction community, laid a fabulous foundation for La Brea.
In “The City On The Edge of Forever”, Ellison depicted time as a circular series of events, much like a river with “eddies, currents and backwash” as Spock (Leonard Nimoy) stated, where the future can be changed if certain events do, or do not take place. Viewers of this number one top rated episode recall that Doctor McCoy (DeForest Kelley) went to the 1930’s and changed all history by saving Edith Keeler (Joan Collins) from dying in a traffic accident. At the end of the episode, “The Guardian of Forever” stated “Time has resumed it’s normal shape, many such journey’s are possible” whereby Captain Kirk (William Shatner) said “Let’s get the hell out of here!” after he had allowed his love in the past, Edith Keeler, to be killed as she was meant to be.
This theme regarding circular time anomalies was further embodied in the classic movie “The Final Countdown” (1980) where the events of Pearl Harbor in 1941 were almost changed when a modern day nuclear powered United States Aircraft Carrier was transported to December 7, 1941 just before the infamous “A Date That Will Live In Infamy” attack on the United States Fleet berthed in Hawaii.
Admirers of the movie will recall that the Commander Owens character portrayed by James Farentino was trapped in the past, where he worked until 1980 to ensure that the future remained consistent by making certain that the Warren Lasky character portrayed by Martin Sheen, actually got aboard the USS Nimitz in 1980 in order to complete the time loop and ensure that the future timeline from December 1941 onward was protected.
Perhaps the epic epitome of all circular time travel adventures is delineated with the three part “Back To The Future” series, in specific, part two (1989), when Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and Doc Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd) came back to 1985 from 2015 after Marty had purchased the Grey’s Sports Almanac in the future in order to place a few winning bets in 1985.
To their shock they found that the book had fallen into the hands of the 2015 version of Biff Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson) who went back to 1955 to give the book to his younger self. Old Biff changed all history when young Biff made a fortune on making bets documented in the almanac that resulted in the “Biff Tannen Museum and Pleasure Paradise Casino” in 1985, with his mother Lorraine (Lea Thompson), now an alcoholic, married to evil future Biff!
Only by going back to the past in 1955, and taking the book back from young Biff, was the shape of timeline in 1985 able to be returned to what it was supposed to be.
Much like Rebecca in La Brea, only by going back to the past in 10,000 BC could she make certain that events unfolded as they are meant to be, guaranteeing that timeline hopefully resumes its original shape. This type of terrific time travel adventure is what drove strong ratings for this science fiction drama series on NBC, always a tough network to survive on, ultimately ensuring the renewal for a second season of La Brea as Team WHR had projected several weeks ago.
Help save Eve’s family #TeamWHR! Stunning revelations put Josh & Izzy’s lives on the line as we desperately search for young Isiah, key for Gavin & Izzy who rely on Ella to reunite their family & we already know the who!
See you tonight for all new #LaBreapic.twitter.com/X4d2xT8ZLp— WormholeRiders (@WormholeRiders) November 23, 2021
Father and Son:
This episode was written by Arika Lisanne Mitman and directed by Thor Freudenthal, both of whom do a fabulous job with this episode!
“Father and Son” opens where we left off with Eve tending to Rebecca who was stabbed by Silas the Pelt Man (Mark Lee) when he kidnapped Isiah. La Brea lovers clearly recall that Silas and Rebecca know each other, proving our theory that Rebecca has visited prehistoric La Brea, likely more than once in the past, to transport Isiah to November 16, 1988 where he grew up to become the adult Gavin.
Eve asks Rebecca “What do you mean Isiah needs my help?” , “Everything depends on it, you have to get him to Topanga (Canyon)” replies Rebecca.
At this point it is now clear that Rebecca had indeed intended to bring Isiah to the future to ensure that no time paradox is created, because if Gavin does not exist in the future, the entire interwoven Harris family of characters would never have become a central part of the La Brea story arc.
No Gavin to marry Eve, so no Josh (Jack Martin) or Izzy (Zyra Gorecki), since neither would ever have been born!
More critical, Gavin would never have seen the memory images of prehistoric La Brea, never have met Rebecca or Sophia (Virginie Laverdure).
All of whom investigated the wormhole time portals with Rebecca that have been opening doorways from the present to the past and visa-versa as we learn in “Father and Son”.
This is not to say the portals would not have happened that caused sinkholes in Los Angeles, the Mojave Desert, and other places. It simply means that the central characters surrounding Gavin would likely never have met or even existed since all off future history would be impacted by time paradox manifestations.
Rebecca begins convulsions with blood spurting from her mouth. Levi rushes to get medical help from the survivors camp. Eve runs to get help from Riley (Veronica St. Claire) and her father doctor Sam (John Seda) as soon as they arrive at The Fort after sending Levi back in the Jeep.
Levi (Nicholas Gonzalez), who is with Paara (Tonatzin Carmelo) and Ty (Chiké Okonkwo), asks Eve what Rebecca said. “We need to find Isiah” says Eve with a look of panic on her face.
This brings us back to Topanga Canyon in the future where Gavin, Izzy and Sophia are still examining the mini wormhole time portal sinkhole in Ella’s (Michelle Vergara Moore) backyard. Izzy says “I don’t understand how you can be from that world (prehistoric La Brea)”.
Gavin explains that he must have come through another wormhole time portal with Ella who he was separated from in 1988 when both could not be adopted by the same family. Since both came through the wormhole time portal together, Ella must be from the past also. Could it be that Ella is the older version of Lily (Chloe De Los Santos) who would be the same twelve year age in prehistoric La Brea as Isiah because Ella looks an awful lot like an older Lily? The icing on the cake is when Lily is playing tic-tac-toe with dark and light colored rocks with Marybeth (Karina Logue). We will learn more about this shortly. Ella, who had been running away from Gavin, shows up at her home and decides to confront the trio, threatening to call the police. Gavin explains who they are and that she (Ella) may be the key to saving his family trapped in prehistoric La Brea. However, Ella does not yet believe she came through the wormhole time portal.
After the introduction credits we are with Scott (Rohan Mirchandaney) who is dream like state smoking some marijuana, when a mooing cow suddenly shows up. Scott runs to the survivors camp to share his discovery with Josh, Riley, Lily, Veronica (Lily Santiago), Marybeth, Lucas (Josh McKenzie), and the whining crybaby Billy (Stephen Lopez) who is complaining about having to eat more wild mushrooms. Of note, the character of ever whining Billy is a masterpiece of acting by Lopez. Riley and the others think Scott is possibly experiencing marijuana hallucinations.
Subsequent to helping Rebecca, Ty, and Paara have just been told by Eve that Isiah will grow up in to become her husband Gavin. Ty is in disbelief. However, Paara shares that Silas and Isiah showed up only three years ago, approximately the same time as the disastrous Mojave Expedition. Silas told Paara at that time Isiah’s parents had been killed in the crash, and that The Fort people had no reason to not believe Silas at that time. Now Paara shares “It seems there is more to him (Silas) than we knew”. This brings the story arc full circle. Silas, who speaks perfect English, must have been a member of the Mojave Expedition, which is how he knows Rebecca. The questions then become; is Isiah really Silas’ adopted son, someone Silas found and adopted in prehistoric La Brea? And why is Silas trying to stop Isiah from going back to the future? Does Silas believe that if he stops Isiah from becoming Gavin, that his own participation in the Mojave Expedition mission three years earlier would never have occurred? Or is there more to it than anyone else knows he about Rebecca and Silas? We shall see,
Josh thinks his Mom is talking crazy stuff. Eve explains that Isiah has Gavin’s eyes, that Isiah is about the same age as when Gavin was found in 1988, and that Gavin had visions of prehistoric La Brea.
Note: Only the viewers know that Gavin had no clear memories from his childhood until recently.
All go inside to get more answers from Rebecca who shares the entire story of another wormhole time portal on the highest mountain near Topanga Canyon that is now open, but will close tomorrow. Rebecca confirms that if Isiah doesn’t go back to the future in 1988, Izzy and Josh will never exist.
Worse, the longer they take to get Isiah there, both Izzy and Josh will become deathly ill and die because they will never have existed! Josh becomes a believer after hearing the truth from Rebecca that may result in his death. A search party is formed to find Isiah and Silas before the wormhole time portal to 1988 closes, sealing all their fates.
In the present at Ella’s home, Gavin, Izzy and Sophia are desperately trying to explain everything to a still disbelieving Ella. When Gavin shares about his visions, he asks Ella if she has experienced them as well?
Ella reluctantly admits that she has had her own visions that began about the time when the Los Angeles La Brea wormhole time portal sinkhole opened. This clearly ties Ella to the how and when for an image came into her mind of her recent sculpture of the hand that viewers have seen in several places in prehistoric La Brea.
However, Ella says she has a new life now and simply wants to be left alone. Gavin, Izzy and Sophia leave Ella’s home for the time being.
At The Fort, Sam and Riley decide to stay behind to ensure that Rebecca survives the wounds she suffered from Silas.
In a tender moment between two young prehistoric lovers, Riley tells Josh “You’re not going to die, not when you’re finally starting to grow on me”.
The search party splits up into groups with Ty and Paara on foot and Levi, Eve and Josh in the Jeep to find Isiah and Silas who are now hiding out in a cave.
Isiah questions Silas about why Rebecca told him his name is Gavin? Silas says that Isiah is the only family he has and that Rebecca is not telling the truth. Isiah obviously thinks otherwise because when Silas goes to forage for some blueberries to feed himself and Isiah, it offers Isiah a chance to escape.
In another part of the La Brea drama, Lily and Veronica have a chance to chat together alone, but under the watchful eyes of Marybeth. Veronica says they must leave the survivors camp because everyone knows what she did.
Lily tells Veronica that she will not leave because the others understand that they were both kidnapped and have forgiven Veronica.
Scott the stoner tries to convince everyone that he did see a cow, but no one believes him, thinking that Scott was having marijuana hallucinations.
Veronica gets a sparkle in her eyes thinking this may be a chance for her to gain favor with the survivor’s in the prehistoric La Brea camp.
Veronica follows Scott helping him find the cow which has a barcode embedded on it’s neck.
This means that the cow came from the future since they never existed in that are in 10,000 BC.
The source of the cow is from yet another wormhole time portal, most likely from the Topanga area which is not too far away from the survivor’s camp.
We are finally pleased that Veronica was being sincere with Scott and has changed her ways after talking with Lily. It appears that Veronica and Scott may become another romantic couple in La Brea after both agree they have been judged too quickly by people in the survivor’s camp.
Later Veronica opens up to Scott, and as the two strike up a friendship, they find the cow, bringing it back to the survivor’s camp.
Yay! Looks like fresh milk and cheese will soon be on the menu soon in prehistoric La Brea for the survivors!
In the meantime, Levi and Eve decide to follow tracks left by Silas into rough mountainous terrain while Josh takes the Jeep to search the flat lands.
Josh finds Isiah, but a dangerous Saber-Toothed Tiger is prowling nearby that is stalking Isiah for a quick and easy lunch. Josh rams the giant cat, saving Isiah, but wrecks the Jeep in the process.
This set of scenes is where the episode name “Father and Son” comes from when we observe Josh and Isiah walking and talking together after Josh rescues Isiah.
Levi and Eve rush to the scene when both Eve and Josh recognize that the scar on Isiah’s hand is exactly like Gavin’s. Both become absolute believers in Rebecca’s knowledge that Gavin is Isiah! The four set off on foot unaware that Silas has been observing them.
Paara and Ty find the tracks of Levi, Eve, Josh and Isiah, and start following them.
Ty suffers a nose bleed and subsequently confesses to Paara that he is seriously ill. Paara, who has been attracted to Ty for some time, expresses genuine sympathy for him.
In a tender moment for these two, Paara kisses Ty cementing their own romance in prehistoric La Brea.
Our theory?
No matter what happens, Ty will choose to stay with Paara to live in the past in prehistoric La Brea, since he has no one that loves him in his old future life in the future.
On their way to the mountain top wormhole time portal located in Topanga Canyon, Eve opens up to Isiah, telling him the truth about his having to leave his home in prehistoric La Brea to go to another “light in the sky” that has opened up and that it is nearby.
Eve, without revealing that he will ultimately become her husband in the future, informs Isiah that he will be living in a different time, in the future, where everything will be okay for him.
Isiah balks about this at this at first, but soon changes his mind when Silas is observed in the distance.
Silas has formed a hunting party of his own with a few people from The Fort that have clearly rejected Paara’s leadership and have instead remained loyal to Silas.
In the present, Gavin, Izzy and Sophia leave Ella’s home and come up with a plan to convince Ella to help them. They head to the archeological dig site to try and find artifacts that might match Ella’s artwork or sculptures. Sophia gets them in to the artifact tent where Gavin finds a match.
Sophia warns Gavin via cellphone that security guards are coming. Gavin texts back to Sophia to kill the electric power, grabs the correct artifact and they high tail it out if there. Gavin, Izzy and Sophia then go back to Ella’s home with the artifact where Gavin has another vision of Eve learning that Izzy and Josh will die if she is unsuccessful in getting Isiah to the wormhole time portal in Topanga Canyon.
As Ella looks at the rock that has a fossil of a prehistoric mosquito on it that matches her own artwork, she has a vision of when she was playing tic-tac-toe, recalling Marybeth saying that her name was Lily! The time paradox is that young Lily went to prehistoric La Brea from 2021, only to return with Isiah to 1988 in the circular time loop that is self fulfilling.
Riley agrees with Sam to let Rebecca out of her sick bed when they discover that Rebecca claims she can find another artifact, a notebook that Silas had hidden.
The notebook is from the future that will help save not only Josh and Izzy, but perhaps everyone who has been trapped in 10,000 BC.
The three head off to share their discovery. Sam and Riley bring Rebecca to the survivor’s camp with a page from the notebook that Silas had stashed.
Once there they share a revealing father and daughter moment while Sam copes with his PTSD anxiety. In a moment of crystal clear thought, Sam shares that if there is a wormhole time portal to 1988, there must be another way to get them back to his son, Riley’s brother Andrew (Ethan Ritchie), and her mother in the present.
Levi, Eve, Josh and Isiah are observed on their way to Topanga Canyon.
Isiah knows of a rope bridge across the canyon. Eve and Isiah get across, but Silas is right behind the. Levi cuts the bridge to allow Eve and Isiah to escape.
Unfortunately, Levi and Josh are captured by Silas who threatens to kill then if Eve doesn’t surrender Isiah at a crossroads four miles from the now useless bridge.
Eve further opens up to Isiah regarding why he must go to a different time; that her children, Josh and Izzy will become sick and die if she is not successful in getting him to the Topanga “light in the mountain”.
Isiah understands just as Ty and Paara link up with them to continue their journey to the open wormhole time portal at the peak near Topanga Canyon.
The episode comes to an exciting conclusion with series of interlocking sequences;
Levi and Josh come to an understanding about Levi’s affair with Eve. Both agree they can discuss details later after they escape from Silas and his gang.
Sam, Riley and Rebecca are at the survivors camp where Rebecca explains that time is not always linear, but is circular in some instances in nature.
Rebecca offers them a path back to the future, but only through 1988, thirty-three years from where they all came from. The survivors must each decide to stay or go, while Rebecca gives Lily a note from Silas’ artifact notebook.
Lily convinces Veronica to take her to the wormhole time portal at Topanga Canyon. Veronica tells Scott she can start a new life there free of her guilt.
In the future Ella then remembers something she had forgotten long ago, the note Rebecca gave her in prehistoric La Brea.
The note is actually a map of wormhole time portals that are scheduled to open and close, listed by date.
In addition to the Topanga Canyon portal, they all discover that a new one is scheduled to open in Seattle Washington the very next day!
The last scene is with Isiah and Eve who are waiting for Ty and Paara near the top of Topanga Canyon near the wormhole time portal. “Whatever happens to me, you get yourself up that mountain okay!”
Eve then takes off to find Silas who is still holding Josh and Levi captive.
And that’s it La Brea lovers. We must wait until next week to find out the answers to the following questions!
Will Silas cooperate with Eve, and just who the heck is Silas in any event?
Does Veronica go back to 1988 herself to start a new life, and who is she in the future?
Will Gavin and Izzy or Levi and Eve use a portal in Seattle Washington to go where it leads?
Will Lily get to the future with Isiah so as to become Ella and Gavin to be able to save Josh and Izzy?
What happens if Lily and Isiah do not make it to the wormhole time portal in time to go back to to 1988?
See you week for the exciting season one finale of La Brea when we will all find out the answers to everything!. In the meantime, below is a fun video courtesy of NBC about how Jack Martin (Josh) would survive in 10,000 BC. Enjoy!
We will be back in the near future with more of your favorite television series and movie analysis. In the meantime, please feel free to share this article with your friends, co-workers and or family and leave your comments! We look forward to you visiting our dedicated review and analysis web site here in the future! Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WHR on Twitter, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and TeamWHR look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side!“
Thank you. 
Best Regards,
Kenn of #TeamWHR
