TVSquad

(S01E01 & S01E02) Ask and you shall receive, folks! TV Squad is officially covering ABC's Traveler. The show's third episode, "New Haven," airs this Wednesday, so it's time to play catch-up.The pilot episode and "The Retreat" provided a thorough look at all the key players and mysteries.

Jay and Tyler spent most of the first two episodes fleeing from various threats (the FBI, the police, and other menacing figures) and piecing together their memories about Will Traveler, their best friend who apparently framed them for a terrorist bombing. I'm glad that the flashbacks serve primarily as clues instead of character development--I was up to my elbows in character-driven flashbacks during Lost, thank you very much.

So far, it's clear that Jay and Tyler were being manipulated since their days in grad school, and that the museum bombing was planned by some very well-connected people. There are already too many shady characters to count: Carlton Fog, who may or may not have ordered his son's death; Ellington and the creepy scandal-cleanup firm that already knows a great deal about its newest "clients"; and, the unnamed Homeland Security guy who wants the guys dead (was that Neal McDonough?). Even the helpful bellhop is suspicious, turning up at the perfect moment not once, but twice. I might even add President Shears to the list after a few more episodes.

The FBI scenes are less than intriguing so far. Steven Culp is pretty good as SAIC Chambers, but I'd hesitate to compare him to Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive. The other agents are relatively forgettable at this point. A brief conversation between Marlow and Chambers hinted at Marlow's career history, but those issues are so far from the major questions that it's difficult to care. With only six episodes left, I hope the show focuses more on Jay and Tyler's search for the truth than all of the FBI procedural stuff.

It's a safe bet that Will Traveler didn't really die in the Drexler bombing. I cannot wait to see when (and how) the writers bring Will back. The flashbacks are more than enough for now; it's interesting to see how Will was able to gain Jay and Tyler's trust and manipulate them over the years. From the interview with Ellington and the FBI's review of the guys' transcripts, we learned that Tyler handled nitroglycerin during a prank planned by Will, and that Tyler also audited some Chemical Engineering courses (Will had to have a hand in that). I never thought I'd want to see more of Pyro from the X-Men films, but here we are.

The pilot and "The Retreat" left me with more questions than opinions. Who was Will working with? What's up with the hotel bellhop? Is Carlton Fog a significant villain, or just a terrible father? I'm also curious about this second Fog son that was mentioned several times.

Now that Jay and Tyler are setting out on their own, I'd like to see less time devoted to the action-packed chase sequences. Don't get me wrong; I love Logan Marshall-Green's take on the crazy Tom Cruise run, but chase scenes can get a bit old. So far I'm not totally convinced that these guys are intellectually capable of foiling a highly-organized terrorist network, but perhaps they will surprise me. Jay may have just graduated from Yale Law, but that doesn't make him the next Ben Matlock.

All in all, I think my feelings about this show fall somewhere between curious and hooked. After watching shows like The Nine decline in quality after their show-stopping premieres, it would be disappointing to see another promising drama follow suit. As long as the show sticks to its core cast members and avoids tangential plot points, it could be a great summer drama.

Check back later this week for Brett Love's review of the newest episode!