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The earth moves on 'Journeyman'
Things are getting complicated on Journeyman. Not only is Dan repeatedly flung back to the day of the 1989 earthquake that rocked San Francisco, but the women in his life -- both alive and presumed dead -- are starting to get antsy. This isn't helped by the fact that time travel tends to come at the most inopportune moments -- like right before he gets it on with his wife. D'oh!
It's game three of the World Series and... Ah! Spoilers!
The subject of Dan's time-traveling ministrations this week is one Alan Pratt, a schlubby small-time lawyer who's running from his loan sharks. Alan's got a bit of a gambling problem -- actually, make that a huge gambling problem. He owes in the neighborhood of $500,000 to various bookies. Dan isn't thrilled with this particular subject, as it reminds him far too much of himself in the bad old days when he almost lost Katie and Zach due to his gambling addiction. He tries everything with Alan -- sympathy, empathy, tough love, whatever -- but Alan just isn't buying it. He's a bettor, and he's fine that way. Or maybe not. Back in the present, Dan finds out that Alan killed himself a couple of days after the quake.
But maybe Alan isn't the main object. After all, dozens of people were killed and thousands were injured in the quake. Maybe Dan can save them? He tries calling in warnings before the quake, but, unsurprisingly, everyone thinks he's a nut. He takes another tack, and calls in a terrorism threat claiming that an eco-terrorist group has rigged explosives on the bridges and tunnels of the city. That will keep people out of harm's way, right? No good -- it doesn't work. Also, he almost gets arrested as a terrorist, which would be awkward.
Then there's Charlotte, Hugh's sister, who died in one of the tunnel collapses. Hugh never talks about Charlotte, but Dan thinks he can save her. He conspires to meet her, and asks her to meet him for a drink at 4:30 -- a time that would ensure she wouldn't be on the road at the time of the quake. But when she arrives at the bar, he's talking to Livia, who has just found Dan married Katie after she died. She's a bit upset. Jack's Katie? How? When? How long after I left? Charlotte gets wigged -- obviously, Dan has baggage -- and tries to leave. Dan frantically tries to stop her, grabbing her arm and trying to force her to stay. Bad idea: He's wrestled to the ground by bar patrons, and Charlotte flees. She dies in the quake.
Dan keeps running into Alan -- ok, so he's the point of these trips after all. But Alan is unrepentant. Dan used to play poker, so hey, how about you take me to a game? Frustrated, Dan does. He's so caught up with dealing with Livia that he even gives Alan more money to rejoin the game after he loses everything. He tries to physically drag Alan away from the game, but Alan refuses to be moved. I'm going back in, he says.
And then the quake hits. It's terrifying -- earthquakes scare the hell out of me, and it's only partially because I vividly remember watching the footage of this particular quake with my horrified roommate from Palo Alto. It just seems like something that comes up with no warning, and there's nothing you can do about it. Give me Midwestern storms and blizzards any day -- at least we know those are coming (And no, I don't live in the tornado belt). Dan digs through the wreckage and finds Alan -- he's laughing and rejoicing that he's still alive. Apparently, having a house fall on him was what he needed for a wake-up call. Back in the present, a very much alive Alan Pratt has turned his life around and now is working to get wrongly accused people out of prison. Dan's work is done.
But his troubles are far from over. First, there's his job: He's got a story due, a skittish source, and he keeps disappearing. He forwards his cell phone to Katie, who manages to calm the source and get the interview, so Dan can finish the story and keep his job. Katie is thrilled to have flexed her journalism muscles again, but Dan is not appropriately appreciative. Stupid move number one, Dan.
Second, there's Katie herself. She's freaked out about the earthquake thing -- what if he dies? She also asks if he's run into anyone he knows in the past. Dan says no. Stupid move number two.
Because third, there's Jack. Jack thinks Dan is gambling or in some kind of trouble again, so he asks Katie. Katie denies everything. Jack mentions that Dan is seeing Livia in the past -- did he tell you about that? Nope. Oh, crap.
Katie finds Livia's watch in Dan's jacket pocket. She's furious, and hurt, and confused, and terrified -- as always, Gretchen Egolf sells it for all she's worth. Where's Livia? This isn't going to be pretty.
Other important bits:
- Livia reveals that she was unstuck in time before she met Jack, and it stopped when she was with him. She never told him about it because she thought it was over. No such luck.
- Dan has a nice moment with Hugh, talking about Charlotte. Hugh blames himself for Charlotte's death -- she was supposed to meet him that afternoon, but they'd argued about his drinking so Hugh told her to go to hell, and she went home, which placed her in the tunnel at the time of the quake. Charlotte's death is what made him quit drinking.
- Dan is tempted to join the poker game with Alan, but he's strong enough to turn it down. You can see him thinking about Katie, and everything he would lose, if he joined in. Well done.
Maybe it's just me but I feel that Livia is an unnecessary character. I hope that her presence is explained next week. If not I say eliminate her presence. Moon Bloodgood is nice to look at but if there's no point to her character fill that spot with attractive guest stars each week.
Rishi | Oct 9, 2007 2:42:58 AM | #Rishi, Livia an unnecessary character?! Are we watching the same show?!? I think there's definitely a mystery about her that the show is trying to show, plus the love triangle, is fresh and interesting, unlike the ones in so many other shows.
eahilber | Oct 9, 2007 3:21:51 AM | #I agree that Livia is an intriguing character and will be important in the long run. Really good ep, but I thought this review was a bit too much of a play-by-play like Josh did for the season premiere of 'How I Met Your Mother'.
Granted this had some opinion in it, but, Sarah, I want to hear more of your voice. Most of us here watch the ep and enjoy reading others takes on it. A detailed account of everything that happened can just be frustrating.
Also, in the phrase 'it reminds him far to much of himself', replace the 'to' with 'too'. That is just a pet peeve of mine! :-)
Travis | Oct 9, 2007 6:26:40 AM | #I really like this show a lot. I think Kevin's ability to show emotion is tremendous, and gives the show a depth to it that other shows don't achieve. I hope this show has staying power ... I liked some of the new NBC shows last year, but all were cancelled.
I am curious what the story arc is ... I wonder if it'll be something like Livia is tracking him in an attempt to save him? Perhaps she can go to the future, or knows of something in the future, and Dan's abilities will help him survive so she has to tech him how to use it? Or maybe the people Dan save end up helping him in some way (although that's kinda hard, as none are recurring, so they'd have to bring them all back).
I like the personal touches the story makes as well, and Gretchen Egolf does a great job at what can be said to be a difficult role. I mean ... how do you background to be a time traveler's wife? There just isn't anything for that, and yet, I can buy her character.
I'd like to see Reed Diamond and Brian Howe's characters developed a bit. Right now, they feel really peripheral. Granted, it's the 3rd show.
Tony | Oct 9, 2007 7:00:47 AM | #Man, time travel can be a real bummer on marriage.
I wonder if anybody else besides Dan and Olivia can time travel? What if there were a whole group of people experiencing this.
Darius | Oct 9, 2007 8:17:10 AM | #Travis, I really enjoy the play by play, because some people miss the show, and forgot to DVR it, so I am glad to read about it. This show is getting better and better each week, but I did not understand, what Livia meant by she was stopped in time when she was with him. Why did she all of the sudden go back???
Nancy | Oct 9, 2007 9:39:40 AM | #This is a serialized show right? That's why we don't really get answers? I still don't understand why they are keeping Dan's brother, Jack in the dark. Livia is frustrating me. Katie didn't seem quite as annoying to me as she did in the first two episodes. I will watch the next episode. Hopefully NBC will let it get a full season.
Penny | Oct 9, 2007 10:44:54 AM | #My only problem with this show is that the actor who plays Dan looks like a vampire every time he smiles. It's just a mite off-putting, especially when he's trying to help out somebody who is in serious trouble. Other than that, I've gotten past the ludicrous premise and problems with the whole quantum mechanical element of the show and have started to enjoy Journeyman for what it is. I get the feeling it's not long for this world, given NBC's penchant for killing shows that don't stomp a hole in CSI: Miami right out of the gate, but if it does manage to stay on, in this time slot, for the whole season, I think it could turn out to be one of the more interesting shows of the season (if not exactly original). Penny, the reason why Jack is being kept in the dark is because he's Character #1,266 to be named Jack...just kidding. Actually, I think that Dan does not like Jack at all, doesn't trust him beyond the fact that he's related, and doesn't want to give Jack yet another reason to lord his life over Dan's. There is a lot of behind-the-scenes info on the inter-relationships among the main characters that have yet to be revealed, but I would be surprised if they ever let Jack know the whole truth. I think Livia needs to be explained quickly, because right now, as much as I get rather warm every time she shows up, she's annoying me. Mysteries are fine, but certain ones can be dragged out too long (which is what killed shows like The Nine and Invasion). Tell us who she is already, then we can better focus on the week-to-week goings-on. Oh, and where was the kid? I realize his presence is not necessary for every week's plot, but it would be nice to see how his father's disappearances will affect him in the long run, too. If Journeyman (sorry, but every time I write that title, I keep thinking "Steve Perry", but that's just me...) makes it past Christmas, I will be surprised. Hopefully, NBC will give it a chance and not decide to fill it with a new L&O spin-off. Law & Order: When Animals Attack will be overdoing it a bit, methinks...
Dark Disciple | Oct 9, 2007 11:48:17 AM | #Journeyman (sorry, but every time I write that title, I keep thinking "Steve Perry", but that's just me...)
Hee! OK, I would pay money to see Steve Perry belting it out in the background in one of the time-travel scenes. "Wheel in the Sky:" seems appropriate...
My take on Jack: Dan tried to tell Jack about his time travel, but Jack just thought he was nuts. Now, neither Dan nor Katie wants to waste the energy on him. And Jack is still somewhat peevish about Dan marrying his ex -- and I'm looking forward to finding out how that happened -- so he tends to use anything he knows as ammunition -- witness the "so, he told he he's seeing Livia, right?" remark. Jacks a bit of a schmuck at times.
Travis, I try to balance recap and commentary, for just the reason Nancy said. Y'all can feel free to tell me in the comments which part you want me to concentrate on. (And thanks for the typo spotting. Sigh.)
Sarah | Oct 9, 2007 12:04:56 PM | #DD -
They did mention his son, if that's worth anything. I don't think it is necessary to show the kid every week, because otherwise, people will soon be tired with the kid. Barring the kid having a significant role ... he's best used in spots, IMO, if his sole aim is to be this emotional reminder for Dan.
And I am curious what happens with Jack, as they've laid the framework for him. He was the cop in week 2 that chased him. He's also been told that Dan sees Livia and Dan also asked him about how to call in an earthquake yet to happen. It could simply be little snippets they add in there, or it could be things added in to give Jack a bigger role in time.
I think having Jack know too quickly becomes problematic in some respects, as he has to juggle his wife and Jack, and for Dan, the former is more important than the latter by far. It'll be interesting to hear why Katie and Jack broke up years ago (they didn't explain it, I don't think), as I figure that's something they'll have to get to at some point
Tony | Oct 9, 2007 1:51:09 PM | #One other comment, btw. Just wanted to say nice job Sarah. I enjoy reading this because, well, I'm the type of guy where, if there's a tv show made that I won't watch, then you know it's bad. As a result, I have a tendency to forget some things that happen.
On another note, I think one of the biggest questions they have to answer about Livia to make her intriguing is what time she is in. Did she perhaps evolve to the point where she could go forward in time (akin to man in The Time Traveler's Wife)? That could be an intriguing loop to throw in.
I really hope this show makes it ... I like the NBC offerings more than I thought, and I'd hate to devote time to another show to have it cancelled.
Tony | Oct 9, 2007 1:55:16 PM | #I am enjoying this show a lot more than I thought I would, especially with all the excellent acting by all the main characters. Also, the wardrobe department does a good job of recreating the looks of the 80's and 90's (big hair, shoulder pads, flannel, etc.).
Dan and Katie haven't told Jack the big secret because Jack is obviously still bitter about his break-up with Katie. Jack always acts dismissively towards Katie whenever she asks for his help. Jack telling her about Dan meeting Livia was a classic example of passive-aggressive behavior.
This show is far better than CSI:Miami (Kevin McKidd could give acting lessons to David Caruso). Unfortunately, NBC doesn't have a lot of patience for new shows that have lackluster ratings. I'm hoping NBC will move "Journeyman" to a different night, instead of cancelling it right away.
Paige | Oct 10, 2007 10:28:49 AM | #I like this show a lot, but I swear, if they turn it into saga of jealousy from Katie and Livia, each envious of the other, I'm gone! Stick with the smart writing and clever interplay of characters and avoid the soap!
Please, NBC! | Oct 10, 2007 10:33:38 AM | #I really like the show, but I think it is moving kind of slow. By episode three I would have already asked Livia alot of questions like hey I keep going back to 2007, where do you go back to? Maybe she is from the future and on one of her trips she went back in time and stayed there with Jack, but then vanished come flight time.
Why does Jack feel he has to do something? With no answers and Livia obviously able to control her traveling, I'd say forget following someone and try to find a way to get rich or do nothing at all and see if he stays there. What will be the consequence?
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