Original Airdate: June 2, 2025
Connor and Vikram's journey becomes supernatural when the train they board suddenly begins going backward in time, forcing them to solve a murder mystery in reverse.
Episode Recap
Charlie has been bringing Vikram up to speed about history and fiction through flashcards. Vikram is annoyed to see that Connor and Lysa are refitting his personal study into her own. While they are out, Charlie shares with Vikram her insecurities about having not been invited to celebrate Lady Midday's defeat with Connor and Lysa; although she insists she worries about their respect for Vikram, he in turn believes it represents their lack of respect for her.
Connor asks Charlie to open the Annex’s door to Caucasylvia for a history lesson involving a missing king. Viewing it as a chance to do something casually with Lysa, Charlie agrees to let Connor and Vikram venture alone.
Connor takes Vikram to a train museum, to the personal train of King Kavod III. Boarding the train, Connor explains Kavod mysteriously disappeared decades earlier, last seen on the train and citing a popular theory suggesting a fairy to be responsible. Observing a stone figurine of a fairy, Vikram determines it is actually a Time Sprite turned to stone. As the two wonder what could have petrified it, they notice a clock running backwards before ghosts appear throughout the car while the train begins moving on its own and breaks out of the museum.
Charlie and Lysa’s lunch is cut short when they are called back to the Annex by Mrs. Astolat. They find the magic pendulum pointing to the train Connor and Vikram boarded. Vikram determines the anniversary of Kavod’s disappearance, motivated by the release of magic from the well, to be the reason for the train becoming active. Further deducing the appearance of ghosts are due to the train being encased in a bubble linking back to the day of Kavod's disappearance, Vikram concludes they have to stop the train before it causes severe damage along its original route.
Vikram parts ways to try and stop the train from the engine. Connor observes a memory ghost of a uniformed man dying. Moving forward, he finds a clock not moving before witnessing the same man being shot by a woman. Vikram returns, unable to stop the train and having deduced they are in a time loop. The two observe the man – who Connor realizes is Kavod – opening a suitcase by the woman. Entering another car, they find Kavod and the woman kissing.
Venturing further, they find Kavod nervously chewing on his nails in his cabin before being visited by the woman, who Kavod identifies as British Secret Service. They watch as Kavod uncovers a Time Sprite and tests the object he has been granted by turning it to stone. Realizing they are carrying the same Time Sprite, Vikram admits he does not carry the nectar of Niobe, the only substance capable of restoring it. Before they can investigate further, they witness someone fall from the train. Climbing outside, they find another of Kavod’s distinctive clocks mounted to the roof of the car and watch as the woman attempts to separate the cars it before falling.
At the Annex, Charlie explains to Lysa that she was invited by the Library as a Guardian, but failed her final test. Despite it, Jacob Stone contacted her and assigned her to watch over Vikram; she fears the occasion is further evidence of her failure as a Guardian.
Sneaking a look at the woman’s identification in one of the loops, Connor sees her name is Ava Ryba. Passing the name to Lysa and Charlie, the two use the texts in the Annex to identify her as Bella Goodridge and track her to her retirement home. As the two arrive, the older Bella swiftly subdues them.
While revisiting the loop, Connor deduces from the intact fingernails of the Kavod kissing Bella that Kavod had a body double with him Bella had an affair with. Watching the scene unfold, they learn that Bella had planned to trade the object for the double – Nikolai’s – freedom.
After clarifying the situation, Bella reveals the item she traded was the Scythe of Time. Witnessing the handover on the train, Connor reports the Scythe is handed from Father Time to the New Year’s Baby, a cycle repeating every year and can enable the user to communicate with their past selves. The group realizes that Kavod was planning to send messages to his past self to prevent his regime from collapsing, though Bella reveals Kavod never received the actual Scythe.
In the past, Kavod refuses to release Nikolai from his service, prompting Past Bella to reveal the scythe in the case is not the actual Scythe of Time, which she refuses to reveal until she and Nikolai are permitted to leave. Kavod responds by shooting Nikolai, forcing her to use it to prevent Nikolai’s death. Bella instead kills Kavod, taking Nikolai to a separate car. Dying, Nikolai presses Bella not to offer Kavod the real Scythe. Bella climbs out of the car to separate the cars and escape Kavod’s men, but falls from the roof, inadvertently leaving Nikolai to die alone in the car (the scene first witnessed by Connor).
After relating to the pain of lost love, Vikram asks Bella to tell them where the real Scythe of Time is. Stressing the importance of second chances, Charlie urges Bella to take the chance to help Nikolai. Accepting, Bella requests the use of a fast car. Brought to a farm through the Annex, the three steal a car to catch up to the train. With the field around the train temporarily dropping as Bella’s past self falls, Vikram announces the need for Bella to board the train when it does. Struggling to get the car up to speed, Charlie listens to Bella’s echo of her advice, eventually managing to catch up to the train and enable Vikram to pull Bella onboard.
Now onboard the train, Bella’s elder appearance changes to match her younger self. While passing through cars, Vikram notes the passengers becoming aware of their presence. With the train crashing into cars and objects outside, Vikram realizes the two realities are beginning to merge, pressing Bella to locate the Scythe. Bella reveals the Scythe in its shrunken form hidden as the hour hand of a non-functional clock.
Kavod appears and takes the Scythe. Bella attempts to shoot him, only for Kavod to use the Scythe’s power to tell his past self how to dodge her shots, eventually disarming her and surrounding them with his soldiers. Learning from Charlie and Lysa that a bridge the train is on path to has collapsed, Vikram attempts to take the Scythe from Kavod, only to be thwarted upon grabbing for it. Having touched it briefly, though, Vikram sends his past self a warning to keep the Nectar of Niobe on his person, using it to free the Time Sprite. Kavod attempts to use the Scythe to stop Vikram, only for it to rendered useless against the power of the angry Time Sprite, which ages him backwards out of existence. Kavod’s terrified men flee.
Vikram permits Bella to visit Nikolai as he dies. The time field fades, causing the timelines to revert and allowing the train to stop. Bella admits Nikolai’s last words were telling her to stop being held back by his loss. Vikram and Bella thank each other for reminding them good people still exist, with Bella also thanking Charlie for encouraging her to take her second chance.
At the Annex, Vikram explains his use of the Scythe to free the Time Sprite and defeat Kavod. Connor apologizes for sometimes forgetting about Vikram’s feelings being out of his own time and offers to be a friend, which Vikram accepts.Lysa invites the team for celebratory drinks. Vikram remains in the Annex and finds the box carrying the Scythe of Time.
Cut To The Chase
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