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Journeyman 1.6: "Keepers" |
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Monday, 29 October 2007 |
By John Keegan
Visit Critical Myth for an archive of John's TV Review archives, with more than 1100 entries.
According to the ratings, this show is bleeding viewers week after week, and that’s a damn shame. Of all the new shows this season, this is probably the most mature look at a science fiction concept. Fans of the genre constantly beg for depth in character exploration and substance over style. Well, this show is delivering on that desire, but the audience just doesn’t seem to be there.
This episode appears to center on Dan’s mission to save a young man from the effects of his upbringing. Instead, that situation is used to explore the relationship between Dan and his older brother Jack. As soon as the parallel is established, the emotional thrust of the episode becomes that brotherly bond. Along with the audience, Dan begins to recognize his brother’s desire to protect his younger sibling from himself.
In the middle of that conflict is Katie, who apparently has a history of keeping Dan’s secrets for him. Dan was already having troubles in his life when he asked Katie to marry him, and Jack was not pleased with the idea. This episode makes it clear that Livia’s “death” was just one more event in a lifelong continuum of choices. Dan was already troubled, dealing with their father’s absenteeism, and Jack was a control freak as a result.
The gaps are slowly being filled in the timeline, which in turn places pressure on Dan to understand and control his time travel. Time has been altered several times thus far, but this situation seemed to drive home the implications for Dan. This is something that is likely to be explored in the future, as the rules continue to spool out and Dan’s actions continue to exact consequences.
I still get the feeling that Dan will discover that his time travel is the result of his own choices, perhaps in conjunction with something Livia will reveal to him at some future time. I don’t believe that she’s completely innocent in his selection for time travel or her constant presence during his missions. There’s more to that story, just as there’s more to the connection with Dr. Langley and his “unusual” scientific theories.
If this series is following the classic season arc model, then the next few episodes should include at least one important revelation, most likely propelling the story into a more complicated direction. One can only hope that the series will last that long, because the existing situation is already complex enough to make things interesting. I would love to see where the writers could take this concept with the right amount of time and support. |
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