Comedienne's Second TV Show Canceled This Year
'Red Widow' Gets The Axe
Journeyman: Blowback
by JJ Hawkins, posted Nov 27th 2007 8:22AM
(S01E10) So what, trying to get a kidnapper behind bars gets me shot? Who in the hell are we working for? - Dan Vasser
His line may as well have been, "So what, we have an interesting eight episodes capped off by an excellent ninth and tenth show, only to get hit with rumors of being canceled after this season? Who in the hell are we working for?"
That would be NBC Danny boy, and I'm none two thrilled that Journeyman probably won't be showing up on the schedule when spring rolls around.
I understand that this is a business and that good shows die on a regular basis if they aren't getting the numbers. I understand this all too well (ahem, Arrested Development), but it doesn't make it any less aggravating when it happens.
I hate that I'll have invested twelve hours of my life into this show when it's all said and done but that I'll never have any real closure to this story. It's frustrating but I guess all I can do is accept it and try my best to enjoy what's left. Right?
I guess I could latch onto whatever Jericho-like campaign inevitably springs up to try and keep the show on the air, but if people aren't watching the now, I have little confidence that they'll magically decide to watch it later just because 10,000 zealous Internet fans mailed NBC execs 20,000 pounds of Aspirin. (You know, because Dan gets a headache before each journey).
Anyhow, tonight's show got off to a roaring start. Dan immediately found himself on the receiving end of a gunshot wound administered by last week's nemesis Aeden Bennett.
Apparently, Aeden was a little bit pissed that Dan was responsible for his six years in the clink when all he was trying to do was give some little girls a safe life - by keeping them locked up as hostages. Something is incredibly wrong with that logic.
I was a little surprised that Dan didn't see this retaliation coming after Hugh clued him in to the fact that Aeden was already released on good behavior. I guess occasionally even a reporter with good instincts can fail to see the obvious.
After being shot, Dan journeyed back to 1980 and that's where we learned why Aeden was such a screwed up character. His mommy didn't love him and his daddy treated him like a caged animal. I guess in some twisted way we were supposed to sympathize with Aeden's character. I can't say I felt all that much pity for him. He was a successful real estate developer living a luxurious lifestyle. His abduction of little girls seemed more like a sick fetish than the product of an abusive upbringing.
Outside of not really buying into Bennett's character flaws, I liked several things about this episode:
- The scene where the paramedics questioned Starbucks ("is that a massage parlor?") and looked confusingly at Dan's iPhone were pretty amusing.
- I liked the fact that the antibiotics Dan received in the hospital during 1980s ended up being ineffective against his Staph infection from 2007. Nice touch.
- I liked that the rogue (and now dead) FBI agent uncovered Dan's trips through time. It almost sounded like the FBI has some sort of covert unit that knows about people with Dan's condition and actively pursues them. At least that's what I took from the agent saying, "They always need money. That always trips them up." I'm curious to know if this will come up again in future shows. Oh that's right. There probably won't be any future shows. #&*(Q!
- I loved when Livia confronted Jack in the elevator to let him know Dan had been shot. The look on Jack's face was priceless.
- Finally, I'm just relieved that Jack finally has some sort of confirmation that the whole time traveling thing is really happening to Dan. Since they're brothers, I'm wondering if Jack has ever experienced any phenomenon similar to what Dan's been experiencing. Again, more speculation that I'll never have an answer to. Why do I even bother having these questions? I'm also curious if Jack knowing will adversely affect the dynamic between the brothers. The time travel thing was a huge point of contention that the show fed off of on a regular basis. Would the show be as interesting with that dynamic missing?
Outside of that, I learned several important things from tonight's show:
- If one were to travel back in time, never ever deviate from the road. Ignore the fact that the road is completely subjective - just don't do it.
- Never leave important phone numbers on your fridge. If you do leave important phone numbers on your fridge, it's a really, really bad idea to leave your schedule on the fridge right next to the numbers.
- When you've been shot in the arm, it's probably a bad idea to try and ram down a door with your shoulder.
- Now that I think about it, if my mom put ketchup on a slice of bread and called it pizza I'd have probably turned out pretty screwed up too. I take back what I said earlier about not buying into Bennett's character flaws. He was completely justified in locking up kids.
- Seriously, I'm making my daughter lunch everyday for the rest of her life lest she turn out to be a homicidal maniac. To be on the safe side, I'll also never keep her locked up in a bathroom.
| I'm bummed. It's one of the best new shows on television. | |
|---|---|
| It's not the best show out there, but it's way too early to cancel it. | |
| Good riddance! This show is pure tripe. | |
| I'll tell you in the comments. |
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