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Journeyman is at a crossroads, both in the show and on the network. The network apparently wants to see some big Nielsen numbers with this two-part episode, and I hope they get that (although it's ridiculous if they don't take DVD and downloaded viewings into consideration.) And on the show, Dan did something that seemed like a really good thing -- and it may have messed up everyone's lives. Both issues will be resolved next week -- I hope positively.
Spoilers from the past threaten our future!
A quick disclaimer -- my TiFaux ate the episode after viewing (yes, I recorded it -- sorry, folks, it's my job), so I can't go back and check my facts. If I got anything wrong (I'm not certain about the bad guy's name, for example), correct me in the comments.
Dan is tracking Emily, a girl who disappeared in 1992 and was never found. Well, Dan found her-bricked in behind a wall in an abandoned building, which Dan discovers when he's transported into the middle of a rave. Ah, the 90s.... She'd been kidnapped by Bennett, a psycho real estate developer. As if overrunning the city with condos wasn't evil enough!
Dan saves Emily, but somehow, this means that Bennett will kidnap -- and kill -- again. Dan isn't too happy with that, and vows to stop it, even though Livia warns him that straying from the job can have unintended consequences. Dan doesn't want to hear it -- saving kidnapped girls trumps potential consequences in the future!
It also trumps rotten feelings toward Jack -- he calls Jack for help. At first Jack is dismissive -- he's telling his doctor girlfriend that Dan's hallucinating ,and she suggests he should be forced to go see a shrink. But later, Dan gives Jack details about that "counterfeit" bill he almost got caught for back in the 90s -- and he gives Jack some details that start to convince him maybe, just maybe, he's telling the truth. Jack's not completely on board yet, but he's willing to do a little checking into Bennett's past. Dan saw Bennett getting all excited about early chat rooms -- the perfect place to troll for victims! -- and Jack finds out one of the victims was an early devotee of chat rooms. That's enough to get Jack on Dan's side.
Dan and Livia keep going back in time to help out Emily -- they save her from an abusive pusher guy, and keep her from being arrested for dealing -- but Dan isn't happy keeping just her safe. He uses the information Jack gathered about Bennett's condo developments to figure out what building Bennett would be working on at that time, and rushes out to confront him there. He finds and saves another girl -- Michaela -- and goes back to the future, happy that all is right with the world.
Except it's not. Sure, the kids are safe, but Bennett went to jail before Dan got around to asking Jack about Bennett in our present. That means Jack still doesn't believe him, and wants Dan to go in for a psych evaluation. Even worse, Bennett is out of jail now, and he's stalking Dan and the family. This isn't going to be good.
Family life itself ain't great. Zack is acting out -- getting in fights in school, disobeying his parents, kind of being a brat -- and it's because he's afraid for Dan. He even gets a headache and then disappears, which leads Dan and Katie on a desperate search for him. Dan finds him hiding under the sink -- he just wanted to disappear for Dan would save him. Ouch. Dan's heart breaks a little (so does mine) and he resolves to spend more quality time with the boy.
But that's not the end of his problems. The Feds are still sniffing around. After Hugh refuses to divulge Dan's sources, the Feds just call up all his call and search records ("Isn't that what you people do nowadays?" says Hugh.) the Fed starts to see who he's searched for -- and looks like he might be figuring something out. Hmm.
Highlights and odds and ends:
- Oh, poor Zack. That kid is going to be messed up.
- Livia at the rave made me laugh. Yeah, coming from 1948 to the early 90s is enough to make you ingest happy pills dance with glow sticks, I guess. What was everyone else's excuse?
- So, your husband shows up with handcuffs from the past, and you've got to get them off. Where do you go? In San Francisco, you make a quick trip to the nearest sex shop. God, I love that city.
- Hugh and the Feds sparring made my little heart go pitter-pat. What can I say? I'm a sucker for journalists snarking in defense of civil rights. Ah, Hugh -- if you were a little younger, and less fictional, you'd totally be meant for me.
- Jack calls Katie's phone while she, Dan and Zack are bonding. When he refuses to take no for an answer, she tells Dan "Jack's on the phone. He's... being Jack." Even when he's helping, Jack's a bit of an abrasive guy, isn't he?
- Do you buy that the obsessed Fed is looking into the old hijacking? I don't. I figure this has something to do with what Langley said about men with guns wanting to control a power like Dan's. Hmmm.
- I'm not convinced that Jack's doctor girlfriend is totally benign either. Is she working with the government? With someone else? Or am I just being paranoid?
Speaking of paranoia -- did you get friends to watch? Are you hopeful about the ratings? I have to admit, I'm a little concerned -- it wasn't the easiest episode for a newbie to jump in on. Oh well -- I live in hope. With any luck, more folks tuned in tonight, and more still will tune in next week. It's a good show, and I'd hate to see it get booted from the schedule.
What do you think is up with Bennett, the evil guy? Was there something important that he needed to do in the run-up to the present (besides the kidnapping and killing, of course)? Are the Powers That Cause Time-Unstuckness punishing Dan for going off-script -- or because he somehow mess up their shot at a sweet condo with a view of the Bay?
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Zap2it Twitter Talk 
I got a roommate and my sister interested in the show, but none of us have Nielsen boxes, so it doesn't really matter. I sure would like one of those boxes. Well, except that I watch most of my shows later, after taping them (yes, with a VCR, cuz I'm a college kid and they don't have monthly fees).
Was it hard to review this episode (and talk about the ending) without mentioning the previews for next ep, because wow, it really hits the fan. Looks like Jack won't be in the dark much longer, which is good.
When Dan realized Jack was back to the distrustful person he was before I actually screamed at the t.v. The other part I remember really well is when Zack hid. It was supposed to fool us into thinking that Zack might have the time travel ability too right? I really don't like Jack's girlfriend and I know he needs to talk with someone about Dan's situation, but she definately doesn't need to be that person. I liked the scenes with Katie and Livia. Livia seems like she genuinely wants to help Dan now. The first few weeks of the show I wasn't so sure of that.
I think you're being paranoid about Jack's girlfriend. She's a doctor who is doing what doctors do, apply a medical reason for this situation.
I seriously screamed "Holy ****!" when Katie said that Zack had a headache then disappeared.
Why oh why is it that these fantastic shows are put on the chopping block, and shows like Dancing With The Stars and American Idol dominate the airwaves. Use your mind, people, it's called thinking. This show makes you do that. Fancy that.
SAVE JOURNEYMAN
Oye, and I didn't even mention next week's episode. Livia in the elevator with Jack. Good God.
Why did Dan have to call Hugh to tell him about Bennet in the past? I mean, what was the point of that? I get 'throwing out the rule book' to save little girls, but to tip your buddy about a story? Silly.
Silly (or stupid) is what NBC is if the show gets canceled!!!
The tip was because Hugh had done the stories in the past to begin with , this time he gets the happy story stead of the miserable story.
God I hope they don't cancel. I love this show.
Here we go again- a show full of spark, intrigue, plot, relationships, and interesting characters and NBC begins to lose touch w/what's important - no, not Neilsen ratings, but the smart writing, acting, and directing that makes this show excellent for the thinking viewer....we really deserve this show after being bombarded w/way too much reality nonsense
Here we go again- a show full of spark, intrigue, plot, relationships, and interesting characters and NBC begins to lose touch w/what's important - no, not Neilsen ratings, but the smart writing, acting, and directing that makes this show excellent for the thinking viewer....we really deserve this show after being bombarded w/way too much reality nonsense
Damn I'm ****ed. I really am. This was, IMO, definitely not the episode to have the ratings get focused on. I'll be curios what the numbers are. I hope it turns out well. I'm starting to actually get angry at NBC ... I liked their shows last year, and several got cancelled. Even as a huge fan of the show that's watched since day 1, I got a bit, well not lost, but conflicted. I guess the positive aspect is that this is potentially a self-contained storyline. Throwing something like Langley in there might've been more perplexing.
One of the small underrated aspects of the show, IMO, is the music. I know, it's really not a big deal, but I love hearing, I guess, "time" pieces.
I am very curious why Dan didn't mention to Jack the money. That was before the big change in 2001, so in the timeline, it should've still occurred, considering the FBI agent is getting close. I find it somewhat, well, funny, that the FBI agent seems to be the one piecing it together.
The great thing about this show isn't the stories. Yeah, there's a bunch of us that probably wish we could go back in time to not only change us, but to change and help others. But that isn't it for me. I think this is one of the best acted shows out there. It's got a great ensemble cast, with a great center in Kevin McKidd. He's a superb anchor to the show, and the thing he does great is his subtle actions to show emotion.
All the support did well in this episode. Jack was a nice touch, both in how he was coming around to Dan, and then after the timeline change. Much as it was annoying to see him hand Jack that card, it made sense, and Reed did a fine job in trying to show that all he really wants is to protect his little brother. Gretchen Egolf's Katie was here usual plus self. Even Zach and the doctor friend (forget her name, just realized she was in Moonlight Ep. 2) was great. Brian Howe finally had a tiny thing to dig into, and it was good too.
In terms of storyline purposes, I think this storyline came about at the right time. That is, the general aspects of it (Dan getting frustrated, Dan wanting to do more). They've built it up well enough that it made sense. Livia's concern and love for Dan also shown through, and her hope that he did the right thing, even though in her heart of hearts, she probably knows it was wrong (that being said, she goes to the future, so there can't be an impact on her past ... so to that extent, she was probably holding out for some hope at the last scene where she the guy was getting arrested, so it made sense).
I really hope a strong campaign with NBC starts now. We need to get it going before it's too late. It's a shame serialized shows get so few chances these days. I'm tired of the same idiotic procedurals that don't make you think. I like a challenging show. Sure, there are it's flaws (Charlie McCollum is right to an extent, a grim show like this could use a bit more touch of comedy, they try sometimes, but they could do more of it, and the newspaper scenes could probably be done better, haven't been to SF in awhile, but those honestly seem like small issues).
Argh ... I'm just frustrated. I hope there's an uptick. I hope they aren't expecting dramatic improvements in a week. I hope this is more to give Life an opportunity in early December to wrap up it's storyline than it is to remove Journeyman. I like both shows a lot.
I hope NBC comes through.
I really enjoyed last night. I almost actually liked Jack for about 10 minutes.
I've been watching the numbers - I hope we had an increase for last night.
It's a great show and deserves a shot.