(S01E07) "You're here to protect you." - Livia to DanI don't know about you but as soon as I saw the previews for this week's Journeyman episode I was jumping up and down at the thought of seeing Dan do something in the past that would actually put his future (or present) in jeopardy! Don't get me wrong, I don't want bad things to happen to our hero but it was inevitable to eventually have him screw things up and see the ripple effect his actions while traveling can have on his own family and life.
In this fantastic episode (probably the best so far), Dan and Livia had to protect Past Dan and make sure he got rescued by Katie so that the future would stay intact. What a way for the series to kick of November Sweeps.
The episode started with the usual "case of the week," but took an interesting turn when the bad guys found Dan's press ID card in the recycling (aka Journeyman's contribution to NBC's "Green Is Universal" week). If, for example, an old lady had found the ID card, nothing much would have happened afterwards. She would have probably tried to find the owner to return it or would have put it in the trash. But since the card fell in the hands of guys who were out to kill the man Dan saved, losing the card had a major effect. So major that it put Dan's future in jeopardy!
Dan and a finally useful Livia worked together to protect Past Dan. This was not an easy task since every move they made could put his future at stakes. With clever work and Livia traveling to the present to get the Dylan McLean money, the duo was able to keep the past intact and Dan's future the same.
During that time, Jack was busy investigating the bill he took from Dan's bag, aka the "play money." If Katie didn't want Zack to play with the money, one would expect her to have hid the money better, no? Soon enough, an FBI agent drops by Jack's office and tells him that the bill is from McLean's money. Jack decided to lie for his brother at first (was he putting 2 and 2 together? 1975 money + Dan saying he was a time traveler = Dan saying the truth and not gambling?) but when the agent put more pressure on Jack, he caved in and admitted he got the money from his brother! The ripple effect from that will be entertaining to see unfold. What lies will Dan and Katie say to get the FBI off their backs? Will Jack go back on his word and maybe help with the lying?
After seeing the episode, I remembered the Kevin Falls interview I mentioned in my review of "Game Three." In it, series creator Falls mentions that Dan can only travel within his own lifetime: "The other time traveler has a secret that we'll get to in the first 10 episodes. For Dan, it's only within his lifetime." Back then I asked if that meant that Livia could travel beyond her lifetime. This week, we saw her travel to 2007. Does that mean Livia is still alive in 2007, meaning that she traveled in her own lifetime or does it mean that she can travel at any time? It also seems that Livia is sent in time by whoever is in charge (she wondered why she was in Dan's closet in the present) but that she can also travel when she is ready to (look at how she stayed while Katie and Dan hooked up in the past even if she (Livia) wasn't needed anymore and when she parted ways with Dan, she instantly traveled).
Other tidbits of interest:
- Dan and Katie were actually able to enjoy a night out without him vanishing!
- Katie agrees to go back to work even if Dan is against it. It would have been best to have her stay at home however, she would not only have been miserable but since Hugh seems to be fed up of Dan's work schedule, the Vassers would have soon found themselves without the needed money to live.
- Dan traveled back to the past without having a warning headache. Livia doesn't seem to have headaches. Inconsistencies? Or maybe there will be an explanation later on.
- Dan mentioned that he thought Katie may have had a crush on Ed in the past. Will Ed and Katie working together again and Katie feeling alone because Dan travels ignite the bond they had in the past?
- Past Dan fighting future Dan. I don't think Past Dan saw his future self because he would have certainly researched it and Future Dan would remember doing said research. If Past Dan vaguely recalled fighting himself, my guess is that he brushed it off as delusions due to alcohol.
- Dan and Livia finally talked about how they felt after she "died." "The hard part was not knowing. Not getting a chance to say goodbye." - Dan
- "I thought he said he was exhausted." - Livia about Past Dan "He says a lot of things." - Dan about Past Dan
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
11-06-2007 @ 8:39PM
Vic said...
First, and first comment ever on this site! This show just keeps getting better and better as the season rolls on. Honestly who would have thought that a harmless trading of jackets with Dylan would have caused a ripple effect into the present? By the way nice touch with the Ricky martin song in the past dan. Little things like this along with an amazing plot make this one of the best shows this year.
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11-06-2007 @ 9:17PM
Ian said...
Dan's bro is a real nuisance character. Of course reseaching that Note would bring a lot of attention and it did.
I had wondered if Livia could control her travels, but we saw in this ep that she cannot, no more than Dan. Her travel to the present day may well have been beyond her lifespan as hinted. We also found out that there was no proof she caught the flight which crashed. Is that cover up by the Gvt dept behind the time travel? And why are they using Dan and Livia anway? What's the end game.?Fixing minor events is one thing, when world disasters could be worked upon, or prevented instead.
When will Dan bump into Flash Gordon?
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11-06-2007 @ 9:25PM
zoesmile said...
It is said that the actor's profile was found on a celebrity and millionaire dating site millmatch.com. I forget the screename. Is true?
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11-06-2007 @ 9:37PM
Aberdeen said...
I never expected romance in this show, that's been a wonderful surprise! Also, I thought Jack would say that his brother's kid got the bill trick or treating, that would have made most sense, right?
Nice to see Livia doing something, and be emotional, too.
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11-06-2007 @ 9:40PM
zoesmile said...
The actor was found dating a billionaire on millmatch.com, a celebrity and millionaire dating site. Is that true? I doubt
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11-06-2007 @ 9:46PM
Wakaas Saqib said...
I am in love with this show. This was a super episode. I love the fact that they are really stessing the problems that Dan and Katie have to face. And thankfully my original fear that there maybe something left between Dan and Livia has finally been addressed.
I am pretty sure Livia can control when and where she travels. When somehting urgent is needed she is uncontrollably transported otherwise she is able to appear and help Dan out.
I don't see what they can really do to Dan for possessing the money as he can;t be proven to have taken it in 1975, he is a reporter and was investigating Dylan Mclean. The only real concern is if Dan disappears when he is being interrogated.
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11-06-2007 @ 10:05PM
doron greene said...
I'm a big fan of this show so far and I have no problems with the plot of the episode, but I thought that this weeks episode was poorly directed, it seemed like there was no light in any scene, I understand the need when dan is fighting himself to have a silhouette but there were other times when it was pretty dark for no reason.
i also thought it was interesting that livia can travel whenever she wants
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11-06-2007 @ 10:10PM
lorilei13 said...
Zoe, that doesn't make any sense at all. What exactly are you trying to ask?
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11-06-2007 @ 10:40PM
Matt said...
I think Zoe is like a comment bot or something, trying to get you to go to that website. I've seen them before.
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11-07-2007 @ 9:09AM
Peter said...
Now that we're a few episodes into each new show, I feel pretty safe declaring Journeyman the best new fall show. Every week it finds more and more of a groove, this week's being perfect in every arena.
There is the hint of Livermore Labs, but other than that Journeyman doesn't bank on a serial mystery to stay interesting, which I really respect at a time when there was a host of new shows that cop the Lost formula. Instead the writers bring into realization complications that not only could, but likely would happen for someone who time traveled uncontrollably and the result is just as fascinating as any bigger mystery.
I love Reaper, Pushing Daises and Dirty, Sexy, Money, but the only show I can't put off watching is Journeyman.
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11-07-2007 @ 9:23AM
fred said...
Well, I'm not with you there.
I was pretty interested in this show, and I liked some of their ideas in there. But also many of them turned me down, like the whole family soap mess.
As for this episode, I couldn't help myself but to see it as a cheap way to excuse their lack of consequences so far ; only it does work for life changing ones, and as such it was a new development, but what about all those minor consequences that could/should have been there all along ?
So in the end I am really disappointed with the show.
BTW: I'm pretty sure Livia can control her travel through time. She might have looked confused as to where he was (in the closet), but she wanted to go there, somehow.
It sure looks that way to me, and I can't see how to explain why else Dan wouldn't be send back ? Consequences ? Altered timeline ? Yeah, and then how did she got there?!
http://88.191.26.34/i_watch_tv/2007/11/07/journeyman-double-down/
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11-07-2007 @ 9:36AM
Kaj said...
First off, I love this show - by far my fav of the new season!
My main issue with last nights ep: it would have been WAY cooler if Livia would have stepped out of the closet and said hello to Katie (who is fully aware that Dan is running into Livia in the past) - it would have added an extra dynamic to the show, and maybe put Katie at ease a little more, seeing her old friend. AND Livia would have found the money a lot quicker!
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11-07-2007 @ 9:39AM
h8rain said...
Really enjoyed the episode. I was thinking what if the next time he travel in the past, he get a safety deposit box, pre-pays for it for like 40 years, and when he needs the money, he goes to the "atm". That way if is always available and not technically stored in the present. (I know it would still be there in the present, but it would not be in his house). Or a storage unit (did they have those in the 60-70s?).....
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11-07-2007 @ 9:41AM
h8rain said...
To Kaj:
I was thinking about her talking to Kate as well, because that would ultimately prove that Dan is telling the truth.
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11-07-2007 @ 9:41AM
h8rain said...
To Kaj:
I was thinking about her talking to Kate as well, because that would ultimately prove that Dan is telling the truth.
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11-07-2007 @ 10:21AM
Colonel.Cool said...
What is the music we heard at the end please ?
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11-07-2007 @ 12:18PM
cathy said...
I dont like dans brother at all. He puts a holdon alltheir credit cards and researches it and then takes money and gets them in triuble and then barges into their home. no one would allow this interference in their lives. he has to go
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11-07-2007 @ 12:18PM
awrr said...
Music from this episode:
Ricky Martin "Livin' La Vida Loca" (in the beginning)
Verve "Lucky Man" (at the end)
I really enjoy this show. Can it survive airing opposite MNF? Does the Great Writers Strike of 2007 help keep this show alive a bit longer?
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11-07-2007 @ 12:28PM
scott said...
i thought livia was going to talk to katie too... she knows dan told her what's happening. maybe it was because she didn't know when she had landed, so it could have been before dan was traveling.
as far as livia traveling past her lifetime - i had just assumed that the reason she was "dead" was beacuse she had traveled from the plane at some point before it crashed. if there was a record of her boarding the flight, she couldn't then show up and say she never got on, there would be too many questions. livia then had to leave her life behind, but i don't think that means she's actually dead in the present.
didn't dan ask her about her current life in a previous episode? and then she didn't want to tell him or something? it's fuzzy, but i kinda remember that. she had also told him that the jumping had stopped when they were together, so did whoever/whatever controls the traveling pull her from the plane, or was she lying all along.
I hope this show lasts long enough to get those answers. this, pushing daisys and reaper are my favorite new ones.
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11-07-2007 @ 2:57PM
Manda said...
I love the title sequence on this show. It's beautiful and the music is perfect. It just puts me in the mood to see more wacky time travel. I was wanting Livia to pop out of the closet and talk to Katie, but no luck. And I love the brother man. He cares. And this show is realistic enough that they know no one in their right minds would believe someone is time traveling unless shown irrefutable proof. He has this father like protectiveness over Dan and his family. He gets pissy, but he's still just trying to figure out what's up so he can try to solve all their problems for them.
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