WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Fellow Travelers episode 6.
Summary
Fellow Travelers episode 6 “Beyond Measure” jumps ahead to 1968 and sees Tim Laughlin (Jonathan Bailey) as a fugitive and Hawk Fuller (Matt Bomer) as a family man. The sixth episode of the eight-part miniseries also dives deeper into the character of Lucy Smith (Allison Williams), who has largely been in a supporting role throughout the first five episodes as Hawk’s catalyst for a straight and narrow lifestyle. Fellow Travelers episode 6 also introduces Hawk’s two children, Kimberly and Jackson, the latter of whom shows signs of rebellion and questions of identity.
Fellow Travelers episode 5 ended the Washington D.C. chapter of the Showtime series, based on the 2007 historical fiction novel of the same name. Episode 5 “Promise You Won’t Write” depicted the real-life Army-Mccarthy hearings in great detail, seamlessly interweaving the true historical events with the fictional storylines of Hawk, Tim, Marcus Gaines (Jelani Alladin), and Frankie Hines (Noah J. Ricketts). The sudden death of Lucy’s father and Hawk’s mentor Senator Smith (Linus Roache) concluded the series’ depiction of McCarthyism and the Lavender Scare with a profound message about truth, freedom, and democracy.
13 Tim Goes On The Run After Stealing Draft Cards With Vietnam Protesters
Tim joined a radical religious activist group under Father Lawrence
Fellow Travelers episode 6 surprisingly opens with Tim and a group of radical religious activists stealing and burning hundreds of draft cards from the Selective Service Office in Baltimore, Maryland in 1968. Although Tim is not a criminal per se, his participation in the Catholic-based group leads him to commit crimes against the federal government in protest of the Vietnam War, placing the former government employee against the national order. Tim and Father Lawrence pray as they set the draft cards on fire while police arrive on the scene and Tim escapes.
12 Hawk Offers Tim Refuge At His Country House In Pennsylvania
Hawk’s family is spending the weekend at the main house nearby
Hawk, who has been keeping tabs on Tim since their last night together in D.C. in 1954, connects with Marcus about Tim’s situation. Hawk arranges to pick Tim up and offers for him to stay at his cabin to lay low for a while. Tim reluctantly accepts Hawk’s offer, knowing it’s the only safe place for him to hide. Hawk lies to Lucy and doesn’t tell her that Tim is staying in the cabin. Meanwhile, the Fuller family prepares to host a party at the main house down the road over the weekend.
11 Hawk Struggles To Discipline & Connect With His Rebellious Son Jackson
Jackson acts out in various ways but is a smart and sensitive kid
The audience gets to view Hawk as a father and family man for the first time in Fellow Travelers episode 5, a department that Hawk struggles in. His young son Jackson (Etienne Kellici) shows several signs of rebellion and disassociation, especially in response to Hawk’s stern discipline of him that has created a wedge in their father-son dynamic. Jackson makes a scene at the dinner table, speaks out against his parent’s friends, and storms off to his room in stark defiance of Hawk’s attempts at order.
10 Jackson Finds Tim In Hawk’s Cabin & The Two Quickly Become Friends
Tim explains who he is & expresses interest in Jackson’s poetry
Jackson sneaks off to stay in his dad’s cabin to get away from his family when Tim comes back to find a rifle being pointed at him. Once Jackson hears Tim out, he decides to trust him and puts the gun down, revealing that it wasn’t loaded in the first place. He and Tim have some sodas and get to know each other, with Tim expressing genuine interest in Jackson which Hawk doesn’t seem to do very often. Tim discovers that Jackson is quite a skilled poet and reads some of his work aloud, which makes Jackson very happy.
9 Frankie Visits Marcus And Tells Him He’s Moving To San Francisco
Marcus is living with his elderly father while writing a book
Frankie visits Marcus at his father’s house after Marcus never followed up about seeing him. Frankie tells Marcus, who is living with his elderly father while he’s writing his next book, that he’s giving up life on the road as a performer in the Jewel Box Revue and moving to San Francisco. Frankie has plans to go back to school and become a social worker, which makes Marcus simultaneously happy for him but also upset at having to say goodbye. Frankie and Marcus had tried to live in an apartment together but that didn’t last.
8 Hawk Gets An Attorney For Tim To Help Figure Out His Options
Tim is told he can avoid 12 years in prison if he gives names
Hawk uses his connection to seek legal counsel for Tim’s situation, which appears dire as the government and police force collectively want to make an example out of him and Father Lawrence. The attorney reveals that Tim could face up to 12 years in federal prison because of an inflated kidnapping charge. The attorney does provide a way out for Tim that would involve giving up the names of other activists who also worked with Father Lawrence.
7 Lucy Tells Hawk She Had An Affair While They Were Married
Hawk is mostly unaffected & reassures Lucy that he wants a family
Lucy reveals to Hawk that she had an affair while she was in Europe, which hardly gets a reaction out of Hawk. Lucy suspects throughout Fellow Travelers episode 6 that Hawk is up to something, keeping a keen eye on his activities and whereabouts and catching him in lies such as his claim that the water at the cabin wasn’t working when it was. Lucy tries to get a reaction out of Hawk and wants his reassurance that he still wants to be a part of their family.
6 Jackson Experiments With LSD & Opens Up To Tim About Hawk
Jackson tells Tim he hates his Dad & Tim defends Hawk
Jackson tries LSD while his parents throw a party and goes to visit Tim at the cabin, who assures him that he’ll be alright. Jackson opens up about his feelings and disappointments in his father, Hawk, viewing him as a rigid and unapproachable authority figure who is too hard on him. Tim comforts Jackson in his state of vulnerability, matching his sensitivity and acting as a great guide for Hawk’s young son when he needs it most.
5 Lucy Gets Intimate With A Married Party Guest Named Chet
Lucy knows the truth about Hawk’s affairs and feels no shame
Lucy deliberately attracts a partygoer named Chet, who is celebrating fifteen years of marriage with his wife. Lucy isn’t trying to destroy Chet’s marriage as much as she is testing her ability to attract a heterosexual man, which she feels like she can’t do with Hawk. She approaches Chet to see if she is alluring enough to win over a married man. When she’s successful, she realizes that the problem of Hawk’s apparent lack of attraction for her isn’t her fault but his.
4 Tim Turns Himself Into The Police & Becomes A Convicted Felon
Tim shows that he’s unafraid to face the consequences of his actions
Despite Tim getting an out from having to face jail time after Father Lawrence turns himself in, Tim decides to follow in his footsteps and also surrender to the police. Tim uses Lucy’s phone at the main house to call the attorney that Hawk set up for him to announce his final decision. By the time Hawk realizes what’s happening, he finds Tim being put into the back of a police car, a sign of Tim’s righteous beliefs against Vietnam as well as his religious-based feelings that he deserves punishment.
3 Lucy Tells Tim She Burned His Final Letter To Hawk Years Ago
Tim Came By Hawk’s Apartment As Lucy Was Moving Things Out
While Tim is at their vacation house using their phone, Lucy tells him that she knows who he is and remembers the letter that he left for Hawk at his D.C. apartment. She reveals to Tim that Hawk never read the letter and that she burned it after opening it, which deeply hurts Tim’s feelings. Lucy does this to protect the public image of her family, which is the most important thing to her. She viewed Tim as a threat to her idyllic family and burned the letter as a result.
2 Lucy Finally Confronts Hawk About The Risk Tim Presents To Their Family
Hawk doesn’t have a persuasive excuse or cover story for once
After years of pretending and denying Hawk’s hidden affairs, Lucy confronts him once she discovers he had given Tim sanctuary at their cabin. Lucy had buried her knowledge of Hawk’s homosexual activities and infidelities during their marriage for over a decade but holds nothing back when Hawk brings Tim into a position that could have compromised Lucy’s family life. She furiously reprimands Hawk for risking the integrity and reputation of their family by housing Tim, a known federal fugitive.
1 Jackson Tells Hawk He Thinks There’s Something Wrong With Him
Jackson relies on Hawk to help him navigate his identity formation
Jackson and Hawk are finally able to connect at the end of Fellow Travelers episode 6, in which Jackson reveals that he believes there is something wrong with him. Hawk reassures Jackson that there isn’t, a sign that he is planning to be more focused on his development through adolescence and his important role as a father for him. Jackson’s rebellious nature could indicate that he is experiencing issues with his identity and potentially his sexual identity much like his father had at that age. This will be an interesting father-son theme to explore in the final two episodes of Fellow Travelers.
Release Date: 2023-10-27
Cast: Matt Bomer, Jonathan Bailey, Allison Williams, Linus Roache, Will Brill, Jelani Alladin, Noah J. Ricketts
Genres: History, Romance, Thriller
Rating: TV-MA
Seasons: 1
Season List: Fellow Travelers – Season 1
Story By: Thomas Mallon
Writers: Ron Nyswaner
Network: Showtime
Streaming Service(s): Paramount+
Directors: Uta Briesewitz, Daniel Minahan
Showrunner: Ron Nyswaner
