Welcome Back La Brea and Wormhole Time Travel Science Fiction Lovers!
The second season opens at a nice park located somewhere near Hollywood, California.
Suddenly, a wormhole sinkhole opens in the distance on a mountain with portions of the famous Hollywood sign apparently seen being sucked or falling inside.
Park visitors flee for their lives as sections of the iconic sign tumble towards innocent people. This factor will play an extremely important event for three of our time traveling heroes as we delineate below.
Before proceeding with our analysis of “The Next Day”, the first episode of the second season, Team WHR will review some of our series character analysis discussions, three hypotheses that we put forth in our season one finale review of “Topanga”, and include an over arching theory that appears to be at the root of this fabulous science fiction time travel story arc.
First, and perhaps most importantly, time travel events in La Brea appear to take place in a fashion similar to those in the great Star Trek episode “The City on the Edge of Forever” written by the famous science fiction writer Harlan Ellison.
Star Trek lovers will recall that in “The City on the Edge of Forever” time flowed like a river with “eddies and backwash” that drew Captain Kirk and Spock to the same time period that Doctor McCoy entered that changed all history, effectively erasing everything including The Federation when Hitler won the second world war and enslaved the Earth. So it is with characters in La Brea, the sinkhole wormholes are bringing the characters to precisely where they need to be to either maintain the existing timeline, or change it forever and for all time!
Second, the season one fan speculation that Gavin (Eoin Macken) was a younger version of Silas (Mark Lee) never held up. Why?
Silas never became ill like Josh (Jack Martin) and Izzy (Zyra Gorecki) did when it became doubtful that Isiah (Diesel La Torraca) would make it to the wormhole time portal in time to arrive in 1988. Silas is someone else entirely as we discuss below.
Third, Lilly (Chloe De Los Santos) successfully made it to the Topanga time portal with the wormhole sinkhole map that Ella (Michelle Vergara Moore) had in the future.
Moreover, Ella never suffered any ill effects like Izzy and Josh confirming that Lilly always did get to 1988 to become Emma. Our hypothesis appears to be correct. Lilly will become Emma subsequent to her travel back in time and back once again back to the future in 1988.
Forth, our hypothesis is that Silas is an older version of Josh also appears to be correct since the wormhole opened up after Isiah was sent through the time portal that also engulfed him and Riley.
Is Josh really be Silas and is Riley (Veronica St. Clair) really be Rebecca? We think so, but could be incorrect. This answer to this enigma will be played out as La Brea continues in season two when we learn more about these pivotal characters in the series.
Fifth, is it possible that Isiah is Josh’s and Riley’s child sent back to the past to “seed” the time travel loop to avoid an inevitable paradox? The two were clearly falling in love in prehistoric La Brea and if nature is allowed to take it’s course in the past, the two will become lovers in 1988. Could it be that the animosity we observed between Silas and Rebecca was actually the result of an argument since both know that Isiah had to return to prehistoric La Brea and ultimately become Gavin or the time loop would never be completed?
Is this why Silas wanted to keep Isiah in the past? Was his sole purpose to break the chain of events that originally caused the La Brea time travel sinkhole wormholes? We think that is precisely the case!
The Next Day:
This first episode of the second season was written by series creator David Appelbaum. We segue to Gavin, Izzy and Emma who were transported to 10,000 BC when they jumped into the time portal wormhole in Seattle during the “Topanga” episode. They believe they have approximately 1,200 miles to La Brea and are starving. Gavin has fashioned a serviceable spear and successfully skewers a large prehistoric boar for food when he is suddenly confronted by a huge horned rhino beast that has decided to eat Gavin for lunch! Fortunately, Gavin escapes by running, in fact, tumbling down a steep hill, but the rhino is hunting them!
Subsequent to the shocking scenes of the Hollywood sign crumbling into a wormhole sinkhole, we find ourselves back at the survivor’s camp where Eve (Natalie Zea) is waking up and cleaning her face after the nightmarish reality that her son Josh has been sucked into the wormhole that apparently took him and Riley to 1988 like Isiah and Lilly. Ty (Chiké Okonkwo) and Eve are discussing that Silas has refused to reveal anything of what motivates him or what the hell is going on in prehistoric La Brea. Eve shares that she is worried now that she is alone with her entire family have been affected by the catastrophic events.
Still missing are Marybeth (Karina Logue) and Lucas (Josh McKenzie). While we the viewers know Marybeth passed away last season in “Topanga”, Ty, Eve and the camp survivor’s have yet to discover this sad fact. Also missing is Veronica (Lilly Santiago) who injured her ankle in a Saber-Tooth tiger spring loaded trap. Scott (Rohan Mirchandaney), and Rebecca (Ming-Zhu Hii), the last two who are missing, had left the camp, and found the time travel facility built by Rebecca in 10,000 BC where they camped out. Scott gets up and is seen meditating in front of giant sunflowers.
Speaking of Silas, Doctor Sam (Jon Seda) and Levi (Nicholas Gonzalez) are observed entering the vehicle where Silas is being held for questioning.
Sam and Levi are demanding to know about how they can get Riley and Josh back from 1988.
Silas has no intention of being cooperative and from his appearance, is obviously obstreperous. Not only is Silas not cooperating, he has even refused to eat or drink for the past 24 hours leaving him dangerously dehydrated.
Risking his own life before revealing anything to anyone about his strange behavior regarding Isiah, and the wormhole time portals that he obviously knows a lot about, Silas spits out the water offered by Sam into his face! As a result of Silas’ hostile interactions with Rebecca last season when he tried to kill her, threatened to kill Josh, coupled with his recalcitrant behavior now, it appears Silas is holding an ace up his sleeve.
Eve and Ty chat with Sam and Levi about Silas. Ty, tells them that even if Silas does not reveal any information, they may be forced to let Silas go because Paara (Tonatzin Carmelo) whom Ty has become romantically involved with, is coming to take him back tom their camp. Since the survivor’s are dependent on Paara’s and Silas’ people for food to survive.
Later, Ty convinces Paara they need an extension but the camp complainer and crybaby Billy (Stephen Lopez) reinforces what they all know; they need Paara’s help to survive, who wants to hold Silas accountable for the lies he told their people. At the end of the day, the leaders of the survivor’s may have no choice but to eventually let Silas go.
However, Sam threatens to blow Silas’ head off unless he confesses to helping them find Riley and Josh. it is possible that Paara exerts leverage over Silas who undoubtedly seeks clemency before he stands trial for his crimes. Silas relents and tells them that Rebecca knows how to get Josh and Riley back and that Rebecca is headed to a glass and steel time travel skyscraper facility north of the camp. This will be their destination while Sam stays behind with to guard Silas in case he tries to escape.
Gavin, Izzy and Emma are fortunate after Gavin had skewered the boar and have time to eat the tasty boar pork chops in peace before continuing on to the Los Angeles area which they still believe is over 1,000 miles away. During their lunch feast, Izzy’s artificial leg develops a crack which ends up slowing them down.
Later, they find a baby rhino and it’s parents. Next the huge horned rhino beast that has been hunting them appears to do battle with the papa rhino who is protecting his family. This allows Izzy, Gavin and Emma to safely escape.
Next we find ourselves with Riley and Josh. We do not know where or exactly when they are. At first glance it appears they overshot the target date when an ancient truck drive by.
Then, when we observe them watching a car full of teenagers driving a mustang throwing a cassette tape out, we know it is the 1988 timeframe based on the song playing “Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car” a 1988 song by Trinidadian-British singer Billy Ocean.
Riley and Josh then see Isiah getting into a station wagon with some nuns. Viewers will recall that in season one, Gavin mentioned he was taken care of by nuns when he was a little boy, was ultimately adopted to became the Gavin that would marry Eve who become parents to Izzy and Josh. Therefore Josh and Riley decide to not interfere with the timeline since it is proceeding as it should be in 1988. They are, however, concerned about where and when Lilly is? Think “The City on the Edge of Forever”. Lilly has been sent by “eddies and backwash” in time to where she needs to be to become Ella. Riley and Josh find a home where they learn that the inhabitants are on vacation for another week.
This provides them with much needed sanctuary while they figure out how to proceed in 1988. Upon reading a newspaper, Josh and Riley find out that a sinkhole wormhole that describes the destruction of the Hollywood sign. This never occurred in their 1988. Although this represents a change in history, it may provide them a way to get back to La Brea in 10,000 BC to rejoin Sam and Eve. Maybe!
In two other separate scenes, Eve and Levi find Lucas. They find him while he is grieving for Marybeth at her grave site. They all pay their respects to Marybeth in a touching scene since as viewer know, Marybeth had become a good friend of Eve’s after she had at first acted like a tough gal with a persona that was actually a cover up for her pain about Lucas’ drug dealing.
As the three proceed to find Veronica they discover she has been captured by a third group that are militarized with horse drawn carts and steel spears and armor not characteristic in prehistoric times.
Are these people who have been given upgraded weapons from whoever is in charge of the time travel facility? It seems likely. Veronica is rescued by Levi, but unfortunately, Eve is captured in the process. Levi sends Lucas and Veronica back to the survivor’s camp while Levi surrenders himself to the militia to protect Eve as he had promised her.
Both Levi and Eve are now placed in a caged wagon as the prehistoric militia heads off into the distance!
The story arc, into two scenes apart from each other, takes us to Rebecca and Scott who had camped out near the time travel facility the night before.
As this part of the timeline (pun intended) continues, Rebecca and Scott proceed to the facility despite a warning from Rebecca that those controlling it will kill her if they go in the front door. Rebecca knows of another entrance that is hidden under a fake pond. Pushing a secret electronic button under a fake rock, an underground stairway opens that leads to a secret entrance under the time travel facility.!
The last sequence finds us back with Gavin, Izzy and Emma. Suddenly, as they come out of a canyon, they spot the wreckage of the Hollywood sign, and off in the distance they recognize one of the building that collapsed in the original sinkhole wormhole. Realizing that the time portal wormhole deposited them much closer to La Brea, their family and friends than they originally thought, they head off to survivor’s encampment!
We shall learn much more as season two unfolds on our screens this year! See you soon for more adventures in 10,000 BC!
In the meantime, enjoy this cool behind the scenes video of the La Brea sets courtesy of NBC!
We will be back in the near future with more of La Brea as well as 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
