By John Keegan
Visit Critical Myth for an archive of John's TV Review archives, with more than 1100 entries.
According to some sources on the ‘net, “Journeyman” is facing some unfortunate odds. As with most post-“Heroes” shows, “Journeyman” has been struggling in the ratings, and the network is supposedly getting impatient, despite the lack of options in this writers’ strike era. Apparently the ratings for this episode, and its conclusion in the next installment, will be critical to the show’s future.
It’s hard not to take that kind of talk into account when thinking about this episode, because more than ever, it’s clear that the writers have a solid, character-driven story to tell. Considering how rare that can be, and how often genre fans have begged for it, it’s demoralizing to see such lack of support. “Journeyman” is a complicated series with a very mature outlook. The characterization is spot-on, and the writers always keep an eye to consequences.
The writers have also been fairly consistent with the rules surrounding the time-travel at the heart of the series, and that has never been more clear than in this episode. Livia has warned Dan more than once that changing the past can be a major problem, and that it can get ugly. Throughout the episode, there are hints of something unexpected and terrible coming; in every instance, right up until the end, the writers let the situation defuse ever so slightly.
For instance, at one point, Zach has been acting out and gets in a fight. He complains about a headache and then, when Katie is out of the room, seems to disappear. For just a few moments, Dan and Katie suspect that Zach’s been pulled through time as well, and the implications slam the audience like a lead weight. Once again, the audience is reminded that the mechanism and agency behind the time travel is still unknown, and the effects on Dan’s family could be much, much worse. That’s why the final scene hits home; we know how exposed and fragile the Vassars really are.
That’s also well communicated when it comes to Jack. Dan is thankful when his initial efforts seem to gain Jack’s trust; it seems like the corner might finally be turned on their personal conflict. Dan’s decision to change history, of course, resets the button, and it makes him seem even less stable as a result. With the FBI now checking into nearly every aspect of Dan’s life (and zeroing in on the time travel situations with uncanny accuracy), things are coming to a head.
This is an effective first half of a two-episode mini-arc. If nothing else, the network should allow the conclusion to air, but beyond that, it’s impossible to tell. One would hope that the current strike situation would be enough reason to keep the show on the air until the existing episodes are depleted, but even if that happens, it will still be too little of a great show. |
