Journeyman: The Year of the Rabbit

(S01E04) After last week's lackluster episode, I was afraid Journeyman was headed down a path of predictability on which I never wanted it tread. If this series is going to work there needs to be a consistent sense of mystery as it relates to what Dan is trying to accomplish each episode. Last week, there was no mystery and it caused things to be a tad on the boring side.

This episode was similar from a predictability standpoint but it still managed to work for me in several ways. For one, my curiosity was immediately piqued thanks to the way Dan was introduced. If you ask me, every show should start out with Dan at some undisclosed location in an awkward situation. Things just seemed to get rolling a lot quicker this way.

I was also excited about the direction the show took with the introduction of tachyons and the mysterious character that called Dan in the past and the present. This storyline will certainly set us up for some interesting possibilities going forward.

Finally, I continue to be drawn deeper into the vicious love rectangle taking place between Dan, Katie, Livia and Jack. Sadly, I find the above two items are much better at keeping me interested in the show compared to the people he travels back through time to assist.

Tonight's journey can be explained in a few sentences. Dan traveled back to the 90's to untarnish a policeman's name, to stop the murder of a young entrepreneur named Melissa, and to prevent Melissa from being indicted for killing the guy that Dan prevented from killing her. While the story was slightly less predictable than the one we saw last week, it was hardly the stuff of legend. I didn't really find myself caring much about Melissa or either of the two men in her life and therefore didn't really get too consumed with their story. Perhaps it was just me.

Anyhow, let's focus on some of the things that this episode did right.

Dan's journey took him back to November 8th, 1994. I never get tired of seeing the little visual and audio cues the writers provide that help the audience identify the period of time Dan happens to be in.

During this first sequence in 1994, I immediately knew we were in the early '90's thanks to the monstrous, old-school Gameboy a kid was pounding on during the practice wedding ceremony. Later in 1997, when Dan saw Livia in a bar, Marcy Playground's Sex and Candy was on the jukebox and Ally McBeal and the demented dancing baby were frolicking around on the bar television. It's little touches like these that give this show charm and a real sense of identity. I truly appreciate these touches.

Katie and Dan's relationship continues to be one of the more interesting points of the show and it's definitely on shaky ground. This shakiness is exacerbated by the fact that Dan disappears at the most inopportune of times. This has to be mind numbingly frustrating for Katie.

Tonight, she was in the middle of preparing a massive charity even and really needed her husband's support and love. However, she's slowly realizing that with Dan's newfound ability (or curse), she really can't count on him to be there when she needs him. Add to that the fact that Dan sees Livia regularly and it's clear that saying the relationship is shaky is vast understatement. It's a veritable 9.6 on the Richter Scale.

I asked my wife how she would feel if I suddenly found myself able to travel through time, and oh yeah, also happened to see an old girlfriend that I never really got over on every trip. She told me that she already has some divorce papers drawn up in the even this happens citing "irreconcilable craziness" as the reason for divorce. It's good to know that she'll support me through the tough times.

As expected, Dan vanished multiple times during the episode and his most untimely disappearance occurred right before Katie and Dan were headed to the charity event. Dan had the presence of mind to write "Sorry" in lipstick on the bathroom mirror before he left, but somehow, i don't think the message helped all that much. Katie ended up having her old fling cum brother-in-law escort her to the event instead.

There's some weird sexual tension going on between Katie and Jack and it makes me a little bit uncomfortable. If it makes me uncomfortable, imagine how Dan must feel. Could you imagine knowing that your brother has been intimate with your wife? The thought of it makes me nauseas and I don't even have a brother.

On the flip side of that coin, can you imagine how uncomfortable Katie must feel about things knowing that her husband regularly sees someone that he was intimate with outside the realm of watchful eyes? How horrible must that be?

I'll go ahead and say it now - this relationship is doomed and this sentiment was echoed by Katie during the final sequence when she told Dan, "This doesn't fix anything," while the two of them are making out in the coat closet. That's got to be a mood killer.

By far, the most interesting piece of information to come out of the show had to do with a mysterious character by the name of Elliot Lang.

Dan had a colleague contact Elliot in the hopes of getting some information about tachyons - particles that accelerate faster that the speed of light. The Elliot character seemed suspicious from the get go. His voice was low and barely audible, he asked Dan if he was building a time machine, and he claims to have known Dan's father who also wrote for the same newspaper before passing away.

Most importantly, Elliot somehow managed to call Dan across the expanse of time as indicated when Dan fielded a call from him using his massive flip phone.

Several questions arise from this turn of events. Elliot obviously knows a thing or two about time travel but how? Was Dan's father also a traveler and pass this ability down to his son? Is Elliot a traveler himself, or possibly the leader of the time travelers who sends Livia and Dan on various missions? Also, how in the world did Elliot manage to call Dan in the past or was he actually in the past as well, and more importantly - what would the roaming charges on a call to the past look like on a cell phone bill? I'm guessing 1 or 2 billion if his carrier is AT&T.

These are all interesting questions that will surely be addressed in future episodes, and I'm really looking forward to seeing them answered.

All in all, it was a decent rebound show as compared to last week's stinker, and it set up some interesting plot lines to be explored in the future. I only wish the side quests and characters our protagonist attempted to help were a bit more compelling.

It's strange, but the actual stories that occur during the show almost seem to be a distraction to the portions I find more interesting. Namely Dan's abilities, the way these abilities affect the people in his life, and the reason that he journeys in the first place.

I'm guessing I just haven't found his last two missions all that interesting. Maybe I'm missing the fact that there's no arch nemesis stalking him through time - no inherent danger that he's attempting to thwart and no real reason for his journeys except to help random individuals through difficult times.

Perhaps I'm thinking about it too much and just need to enjoy the show. Whatever the case may be, Journeyman has done enough to warrant season pass status on my TiVo and I'm prepared to watch it for the long haul. Here's to hoping viewers feel the same.