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Journeyman 1.12: "The Hanged Man" |
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Monday, 17 December 2007 |
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By John Keegan
Visit Critical Myth for an archive of John's TV Review archives, with more than 1100 entries.
| With every new episode of “Journeyman”, it is ever more clear that the writers had a very strong sense of direction. More than that, the scope and depth of the concept had been explored, and the writers were ready to take the logical consequences of Dan’s situation to the bitter end. This episode is the perfect example of taking progressive steps with previously established rules. The possibility was always there, but how many writers would have gone so far?
The twist in question, of course, is the latest exploration of the “butterflies and hurricanes” concept. As seen in countless other films and shows, the idea is that a single event, however seemingly meaningless, can result in catastrophic consequences. In this case, Dan drops a present-day digital camera into 1984 Silicon Valley. Generally speaking, very little has changed; technology has advanced more quickly, but that’s about it. For Dan, however, it means his son was never born, instead “replaced” by a daughter named Caroline.
Dan’s reaction is the emotional core of the episode. The writers had long since established that Zach was more important to him than just about anything else, including Katie. For him, this is a crushing blow, and more than enough reason to go back and restore the timeline. Of course, that’s not how Katie sees it, because she has no shred of memory of the “true” version of reality. Because nothing else has changed, she understands exactly what Dan’s reaction implies, and from her perspective, it means the loss of a daughter.
What makes this so interesting is that the cast sells the dilemma completely. Dan’s loss of Zach was a complete accident; he has no choice but to make things right (even as Caroline tries to understand why Daddy is acting like she’s done something wrong). From Katie’s perspective, Dan is essentially planning Caroline’s murder, callously wiping her out of existence. Nothing Dan says is going to make Katie realize that her own memory of the “new” timeline will disappear as if it never happened.
Meanwhile, Katie is searching for answers, and her sister happened to have a psychic ready to offer a Tarot reading and advice. At first, this seems like a way to address Katie’s growing sense of hopelessness, and the reading reinforces her worst fears: she cannot control the situation in her household. Then Dan walks in on the session, and things take an unexpected turn. The psychic is stunned by Dan’s presence, and mentions Zach by name. Considering that this is within the time where Zach never existed, it’s a chilling moment.
One might have assumed that the role of the psychic was then complete; in a compelling twist, she further reveals that a specific astrological event took place on Dan’s birthdate, an event that only happened once more during the century: Livia’s birthdate. At the same time, Jack was investigating the FBI file on Dan, and discovered that their father had taken a picture between young Dan and Dr. Langley in the 1970s. The implication, of course, is that Dr. Langley knew that Dan was someone to watch in the future.
All of these elements come together (along with some additional compelling character work) in a stunning episode that highlights everything great about “Journeyman” and the potential still waiting to be exploited. Unfortunately, this is currently the penultimate episode for the series. Those interested in seeing the series survive beyond 2007 should visit http://savejourneyman.net/ and join the effort to save the show! |
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