By all accounts, this is the final episode of the series, and fans of intelligent genre drama should be very unhappy at such a turn of events. As this episode demonstrates, there was a keen eye towards continuity, and the writers had a very clear sense of where the story was going. It’s rare to see such consistency, and under better circumstances, this might have been a narrative with depth akin to the excellent and oft-misunderstood “Lost”.

Because of the struggle to keep the show on the air, and the desire on all sides to bring a sense of closure to Dan’s situation, the episode is a bit uneven. On the one hand, the majority of the episode appears to progress as originally planned, adding another layer to the overall mystery of the time travel ability. Other scenes feel shoe-horned into the episode to bring some of the character arcs to a suitable resting place. Unfortunately, any sense of resolution is subtle, because the writers were just beginning to explore the depth of the concept.

As it stands, one can look at “Journeyman” as the story of Dan’s struggle to accept his new state of being. By the end of this episode, Dan has made the conscious choice to continue traveling into the past, promising always to return home. Dan seems to understand the possibility that his life will fall apart, but he’s willing to take that risk. Similarly, Livia decides to build a life similar to Dan’s in her own time, despite their past, and one gets the distinct feeling that they will work together to help others and each other as long as they can.

Evan’s story is yet another cautionary tale for Dan, making it clear that going “off the mission” can have devastating consequences. As usual, every mistake has a consequence. There are interesting hints about the nature of the “powers that be” and their methods. One could speculate that new travelers are “called” when an existing one dies, but the individuals available must meet some unusual characteristics (such as being born during a given celestial event).

Dan’s expository discussion with Dr. Langley builds on the existing mythology by detailing what is known about the travelers. Or, rather, he explains as much as he is willing to reveal. Dan appears to be the last of a select category of humans able to travel through time. The mechanism is unknown, but it is believed that some agency is guiding or controlling the process. Some wish to understand that dynamic, while others clearly wish to exploit it, by any means necessary.

In essence, Dr. Langley brings a little more context to Dan’s experience, but it’s mostly a summary of what has already been revealed. That might have been a means of propelling the story forward had the series survived, but as it stands, it just crystallizes Dan’s new status quo so that the audience can understand what his final decision means. Jack’s interaction with Langley was priceless, however, and it’s great to see how quickly Jack has turned into one of Dan’s strongest supporters.

There’s no denying that “Journeyman” had much more story to tell, and that this “finale” is simply not enough to satisfy fans when it should have been just another strong episode. Hopefully there will be a DVD set in a near future with enough additional information and insight to give a better sense of closure.