(S01E13) "It's not a curse. It's a calling." - Dan
"Time changes everything," says the Journeyman official website. In the TV world, ratings change everything because if it weren't for so-so ratings, Journeyman wouldn't be facing cancellation right about now. Let's hope, Rice-A-Roni can change everything too!
What could be the last (gulp!) episode ever of NBC's time-traveling series aired a few hours ago and I'm still in denial that this could be the last we saw of Dan Vasser. At least the creator and writers got the hint that this could be the final episode ever soon enough to make it a potential series finale. Even if we didn't get answers to all our questions (back to that after the jump), we at least got some closure.
Before I get to my review of "Perfedia," let's review the questions I asked at the end of my review of Monday's episode.
- Why Dan and Livia travel? How are all the people they save come together in the end? - We don't know what the end game is but we know they travel to change realities. Langley said that no one was "doing anything." What did he meant by that? Surely someone must decide who needs to be rescued, no?
- How do they travel? - Unknown. We don't know how it is controlled, who decides when they have to go back and for how long, etc.
- Who is behind time-traveling (aka the puppet master)? - Langley said that people are watching him; therefore he is not the puppet master. We don't know who is.
- Is Frank a time-traveler or involved with the organization behind traveling? - Unknown.
- When does traveling stop? Will they have to do it until they die? - It seems sedatives can do the trick. However, it is unknown when traveling stops if you don't take the pills.
Time-traveling
The show's creator said that we would get answers and closure in the finale and he was right. Okay, we didn't get all answers but still, I'm satisfied with what he was able to put in the episode and how "Perfidia" ended. If he had crammed everything in a one-hour episode, we would have complained of answers overload and that things were too rushed. Plus, they needed to leave some things hanging in case a miracle happens and the show is picked up.I already listed above a few of the answers we were given in the episode, so I won't rehash those. It was really interesting to hear Evan explain how he tried to change the future to save his wife and that things turned bad to ugly, thus triggering him to ensure they would never meet. Dan knows how a bump in the past can affect the present/future but hearing how things ended up for Evan was surely a new wakeup call for Dan. I bet he'll be more cautious during his future travels.
Another important piece of information Evan said was that if your traveling self meets your past self, it'll go really bad. This, once again, reminds me of the Back to the Future movies when Doc Brown tells Marty that meeting your other self it could create a tear in the space-time continuum. We know that when Evan bumped into his other self, it ended up having him sent to the cuckoo's nest and that the sedatives prevented him from traveling. Is it what broke the "system" Langley talked about? Yet another thing to ponder on.
Langley also told Dan that he was the last time-traveler. Dan said no and refused to say who else was traveling. After hearing that and remembering what Livia and Dan told each other before Livia last disappeared, I wondered if Langley's statement was accurate at the precise moment he said it. Could it be that this was Livia's last travel? Bear with me a second. I suspect that when a traveler dies another is "hired." So, as stated in the episode, when Evan died, Dan started to travel. So what if Livia's last mission was to be by Dan's side while he helped Evan reunite with his lost love and then die? When she completed that last task, maybe she was freed from her traveling duties? Another theory could be that Livia is part of the system breaking down; she sort of fell through a crack so Langley thinks she's not a traveler anymore when in fact she is. If Livia did indeed fell in one of the system's cracks, maybe that's why she can travel outside of her lifetime? Then again, maybe she is still alive in 2007! She did say "I'm supposed to be dead" when she was in 2007 but we know she never got on that plane so maybe her older self is hiding somewhere around the world.... another unanswered question! What do you think? Let your voice be heard in comments.
Dan and Katie
This was a key episode for Dan and Katie. She wanted to get her husband and life back, yet still be supportive. To make things more complicated for Katie, her sister kept pushing for Katie to buy a new house. He wanted his life back too but, after hearing what Evan and Langley had to say, Dan decided he needed to answer his calling. After talking it over and Dan ensuring he would live up to his "I'll always come home" promise from the premiere, Katie decided to "leave the light on." That couple is definitely one of the best on TV nowadays: they are supportive of one another, through problems and heartaches. We need more of those. And what a fantastic way to end the episode by having Katie finally see her husband vanish?
Other tidbits of interest:
- Evan recognized Livia as a time traveler because of her shoes. I would have loved to see her shoes at that point to make my own assessment because, most of the time if not always, Livia appears in clothes that fit 2007 and not her own time.
- "Theresa is a big upgrade over the last one." - Katie to Jack. This statement and his reply make me think Jack never dated someone seriously since he broke up with Katie years ago. Theresa may or may not be an upgrade when compared to Katie but I think she is better suited to Jack than Katie was.
What comes next?
- We wait. Until the network confirms that the show is officially gone, there is still some hope. Let your voice be heard! Contact NBC, send Rice-A-Roni, and overload NBC.com's Journeyman's board.
- Another fun thing would be to write up fanfiction about what comes next. Personally, I'll pretend that Livia arrived in the past (her present) just in time for her wedding and that she lived happily ever after with Henry and was traveling free. I want Jack and Theresa to be together and raise their child. As for Dan, I will envision that he continued his travels without altering his own future with Katie and Zack and that they had a second child, Caroline.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
12-20-2007 @ 7:33AM
Cyantre said...
The series overall was fantastic and it would be so amazing if it were renewed. I'm going to do my part with each campaign and hope it makes a difference in the long run.
Though this episode may not have been the best, I'm sort-of glad it wasn't. If it was, then I'd miss it even more if it didn't come back next season. Much like the sedatives talked about in the episode, that what I felt this episode was in a sense.
As far as "this might be a series finale" episodes go, this was one of the best. It answered just enough questions to satisfy faithful viewers. I don't know if the show will continue, but I plan to "leave the light on" for Journeyman.
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12-20-2007 @ 7:42AM
Taximike said...
I thought it was neat that the character Evan was named after the lead in the movie The Butterfly Effect. They both needed to go back in time to "un-meet" their wife/girlfriend after their time travels directly led to their deaths. Cool tribute.
12-20-2007 @ 7:46AM
Cyantre said...
You're right, I didn't recognize the name tribute, but I definitely noticed the similarity of how, to keep the one they loved from being killed they made the difficult choice to never meet them in the first place.
Shows this good deserve more than 13 episodes!
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12-20-2007 @ 8:57PM
Jrnyvoice said...
Wow, great post. I feel the same way. I was GLUED to the TV every Monday that Journeyman has been on. It's got people you actually care about. I loved the scene where after Dan changed reality, he had a daughter after coming back from traveling. Here's this cute little girl that SHOULD be named Zach. I could go on and on about the thought provoking stories this show opened up...it's really a non-linear show. They can change things any time they want...which makes the viewer want to guess and guess and keep tuning in. It's the best show this season as every actor seemed believable, even small parts. Well directed, the films are well lit, warm colors and sharp details. the effects are clean and not hokey/cheesy either! How you could possibly "can" this series into 13 episodes is beyond me. It screams to go on another season for sure...HECK, Sliders, and Quantum Leap made it multiple seasons....This is such an update in the genre of time traveling. PLEASE consider me and my wife a HUGE vote for renewing this enjoyable show!!!!
12-20-2007 @ 7:57AM
David said...
A very satisfying series finale for a show which I thought got better over ... um ... time. It's still a bit too Quantum Leapish for my taste, but the relationships among characters are pretty compelling. I thought the last scene, while predictable, was still touching.
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12-20-2007 @ 8:18AM
Thomas said...
Why has Dan not looked Livia up? Either in person or at least in records? He wouldn't have to tell the time travelling Livia anything but it's the first thing I would do and I'm not even an investigative journalist!
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12-20-2007 @ 8:25AM
Rogphi said...
I truly hope this series can come back, whilst the ending gave me a little closure it still whetted my appetite for future possibilities! Once again, Great Acting and stories that moved the whole thing forward. I too will leave a light on for Journeyman!
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12-20-2007 @ 8:29AM
Tele-Toby said...
~She did say "I'm supposed to be dead" when she was in 2007 but we know she never got on that plane so maybe her older self is hiding somewhere around the world.... another unanswered question!~
Wasn't it that she was on the plane, but must have traveled back to her own time before the actual crash and that's why her body wasn't found? If she was never on that plane, the FAA and the airlines would have known, right? So no one would have thought her dead.
I'll miss the show but it went out with style and grace, moreso than some TV shows with planned finales! I like to think Dan will still be out there, doing his wibbley wobbley timey wimey thing - but we just won't get the chance to watch him do it.....
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12-20-2007 @ 8:46AM
Isabelle Carreau said...
My guess, although I don't remember her exact words to Dan so maybe my guess won't be right, is that she did board the plane but traveled back to her own time before the crash. So she was in the plane which is why she was listed as "dead."
12-20-2007 @ 8:44AM
dennis phillips said...
I'd like to know why Livia does future timetravel and Dan only goes backward.
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12-20-2007 @ 8:48AM
Isabelle Carreau said...
The creator once said that Dan was only traveling in his own lifetime and he hinted that it seemed to be that way for most travelers. This is why my guess (as I mention it in this review) is that Livia either fell through the now-faulty "system's" cracks or she isn't dead in 2007.
12-20-2007 @ 9:56AM
Thomas said...
That doesn't explain why she seems to only travel to her future relative to her age and Dan only travels to his past - Unless Dan doesn't have a future...
12-20-2007 @ 9:57AM
Isabelle Carreau said...
Maybe she does travel to her past but we don't see it on screen because Dan can't travel so far back in time because it's outside of his lifetime.
1-05-2008 @ 6:24PM
Jrnyvoice said...
Now if we can get 21 episodes for next season we'll be able to get the answers we all crave.
12-23-2007 @ 8:30AM
skywaterblue said...
Langley in this episode mentions that his group was formed to explain anomolies such as the Incas making models of airplanes. The time span that would be involved in that jump is way past a human lifespan, so assuming the jumpers throughout history have been responsible for things like that, wouldn't it be safer to say that Livia is the normal jumper and that something is thus weirdly wrong with Dan?
12-23-2007 @ 8:34AM
Isabelle Carreau said...
skywaterblue: I think we (at least most of us) assumed Dan was the normal jumper because earlier this fall the show's creator said that they traveled in their own lifetime. But your theory could still be true. We didn't have a chance to see when Evan traveled before he stopped traveling.
12-20-2007 @ 8:58AM
Nick said...
The nagging problem I have with time travel shows/movies like this is that if he goes back to change the past, does so, then why would he have to go back to change the past in the "new" future?
Yes I DO enjoy the show, I like the characters and the process of them all dealing with Dan's "condition," but it just creates tons of plot holes, since sometimes the future is changed and sometimes it isn't depending on the needs and conveniences of the writer.
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12-20-2007 @ 9:33AM
lauch said...
Ok...for about 40 minutes, I was happy with this episode and then things went south. You could tell that this was "wrap this up in a neat tidy little bow" for us. They gave away too many answers and the whole "last hug" between Dan and Livia about made me throw up a little bit in my mouth...LAME!! Why not just say, "we've been cancelled..so ...see ya!"
Langley all of a sudden coming around was horrid timing..out of character. The discussion between Dan and Katie was just as horrid..all that pent up tension and anger from both sides..and we get THIS?
I'm sorry....it was just horrible after the "episode" as I call it, to throw everything at you quickly, with no reason, other than to try to wrap things up in case this were the last episode.
I honestly would rather have a bunch of strings hanging open in the wind than this piece of junk writing.
If you're not going to tie up loose ends with good timing and proper resolution which coincides with the characters personalities...then don't do it at all.
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12-20-2007 @ 9:41AM
Joe said...
You've got to remember that there's some higher power at work with Dan here. So maybe he's slowly being taught how he can change things in his past by having small changes, or even big changes (Zach for Caroline) that affect little else. We heard from Evan and saw from Emily and Blowback that when Dan messes with the system, he's being tested.
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12-20-2007 @ 10:50AM
Brad said...
I thought this was the best new show of the year, and kept getting better throughout the season.
I will be sending my rice-a-roni, but a better idea might be to send light bulbs to symbolize "keeping the light on" for Journeyman. (just make sure they are not GE bulbs)
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