Journeyman Episode 106 Review -- "Double Down"
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Jason Toomey
A talented--though still aspiring--fantasy novelist, Jason spends many hours a day lost in dark, tumultuous worlds filled with magic, adventure, and cute sword wielding girls. Born the humble son of a shipper, his affinity for math paved the way for his ascension to dual-class Engineer/Writer (levels 20 and 25, respectively), allowing him to pay the mortgage as a technical writer while he awaits the publishing deal that will one day declare him, once and for all, the Pumpkin King. [Jason's Blog] By Jason Toomey
Published on 11/7/2007
Things hit a little close to home this week as Dan inadvertently involves his past self in witness assassination plot(spoilers beneath cut)...
"You're here to save you."
Overview:
Things hit a little close to home this week as Dan inadvertently involves his past self in witness assassination plot.
If last week started slow, this week is ready to make up for it from the start. While helping the witness escape, Dan drops his work ID badge in the street, leading the would-be killers back to his past self looking for retribution. To complicate matters, the day Dan journeys back to this week is the day he and Katie have that special "fall-in-love" moment, which among other things, eventually leads to little Zack entering the world.
Back in present time, Jack discovers the McCleen cash Dan has hidden in his closet (Zack thought it would serve as an excellent source of pizza money while Jack was babysitting), and the tentative trust forged last week comes apart in a betrayed rush. Jack uses his connections to track one of the bills, discovers its less than legal origins, and unfortunately attracts some federal attention.
With Livia's help, Dan is able to save his past self--and the witness from a second assassination attempt--and also manage to keep his special codependent hallmark series moment with Katie from disappearing into a squiggly water ripple effect. Again, Livia selflessly fights off her jealously and loneliness to help Dan keep his life on track, made all the more heart tugging after we watch the would-be couple share a night of catching up on a stakeout outside Dan's old apartment.
In the end, all is right again. Well, back to where it was, anyway.
Thoughts:
We see almost nothing of the "putting right what once went wrong" subplot this week, as almost the entirety of the episode is focused on Dan repairing the damage done while aiding the witness. This was a really nice change in momentum and focus, and I think I really needed that this week. To be honest, after last week's episode, my excitement for Journeyman took a bit of a hit. Not that it was a bad episode, but it just left me starting this week with what can only be described as a "meh" attitude.
As the episode began this week, I had the expectation of, "ok, what family dynamic are we going to learn about this week?" Thankfully, that feeling dissipated quickly. This week raised the stakes with these trips back. The danger level felt clicked up a few notches, and the way the show seems to be sticking to the main story arc (like a Heroes or Lost) and pulling away from a subplot of the week format (like a Law and Order or Quantum Leap).
One thing that concerns me is Dan's apparent cluelessness. He and Livia have some nice moments this week, but as much as we see Livia quietly suffering her jealousy and loneliness, Dan just seems oblivious. We sort of got a token "this must be hard for you" this week, but most of the time he seems to act like she must be well over their temporal non-breakup. I realize that he's most likely avoiding his true feelings. Deep down he's probably angry she left or feeling guilty over what this means for things with Katie (probably a healthy dose of both), and the writers--as well as the character--just aren't ready to bring that out yet. Still, I'd like to see him make more of an effort. "That was the moment we both," pause for dreamy sigh, "kinda knew..." Wow, Dan, why not just let her borrow the mix tapes you guys made for each other on the honeymoon?
Livia's oh-so-convenient trip back to Dan's closet in the present could be read one of two ways. Either it’s a painfully contrived, suspension of disbelief dispelling, deux ex machina moment, or it’s a subtle clue that these trips through time aren't in any way random. I immediately latched on to the latter (only contemplating the former as I began dissecting the episode for this review) and believe that was the writers' intent. These little clues--like the professor's smug speech a few episodes ago--go a long way toward keeping all of these fantastic elements believable.
One thing I was hoping for was for Livia to just pop out of the closet and ask Katie for help. It seemed like an amazing moment waiting to happen--I doubt Katie would be as oblivious to the lovelorn expression Livia has etched on her face. I am sure we'll get that confrontation at some point.
Great Moments:
Things hit a little close to home this week as Dan inadvertently involves his past self in witness assassination plot.
If last week started slow, this week is ready to make up for it from the start. While helping the witness escape, Dan drops his work ID badge in the street, leading the would-be killers back to his past self looking for retribution. To complicate matters, the day Dan journeys back to this week is the day he and Katie have that special "fall-in-love" moment, which among other things, eventually leads to little Zack entering the world.
Back in present time, Jack discovers the McCleen cash Dan has hidden in his closet (Zack thought it would serve as an excellent source of pizza money while Jack was babysitting), and the tentative trust forged last week comes apart in a betrayed rush. Jack uses his connections to track one of the bills, discovers its less than legal origins, and unfortunately attracts some federal attention.
With Livia's help, Dan is able to save his past self--and the witness from a second assassination attempt--and also manage to keep his special codependent hallmark series moment with Katie from disappearing into a squiggly water ripple effect. Again, Livia selflessly fights off her jealously and loneliness to help Dan keep his life on track, made all the more heart tugging after we watch the would-be couple share a night of catching up on a stakeout outside Dan's old apartment.
In the end, all is right again. Well, back to where it was, anyway.
Thoughts:
We see almost nothing of the "putting right what once went wrong" subplot this week, as almost the entirety of the episode is focused on Dan repairing the damage done while aiding the witness. This was a really nice change in momentum and focus, and I think I really needed that this week. To be honest, after last week's episode, my excitement for Journeyman took a bit of a hit. Not that it was a bad episode, but it just left me starting this week with what can only be described as a "meh" attitude.
As the episode began this week, I had the expectation of, "ok, what family dynamic are we going to learn about this week?" Thankfully, that feeling dissipated quickly. This week raised the stakes with these trips back. The danger level felt clicked up a few notches, and the way the show seems to be sticking to the main story arc (like a Heroes or Lost) and pulling away from a subplot of the week format (like a Law and Order or Quantum Leap).
One thing that concerns me is Dan's apparent cluelessness. He and Livia have some nice moments this week, but as much as we see Livia quietly suffering her jealousy and loneliness, Dan just seems oblivious. We sort of got a token "this must be hard for you" this week, but most of the time he seems to act like she must be well over their temporal non-breakup. I realize that he's most likely avoiding his true feelings. Deep down he's probably angry she left or feeling guilty over what this means for things with Katie (probably a healthy dose of both), and the writers--as well as the character--just aren't ready to bring that out yet. Still, I'd like to see him make more of an effort. "That was the moment we both," pause for dreamy sigh, "kinda knew..." Wow, Dan, why not just let her borrow the mix tapes you guys made for each other on the honeymoon?
Livia's oh-so-convenient trip back to Dan's closet in the present could be read one of two ways. Either it’s a painfully contrived, suspension of disbelief dispelling, deux ex machina moment, or it’s a subtle clue that these trips through time aren't in any way random. I immediately latched on to the latter (only contemplating the former as I began dissecting the episode for this review) and believe that was the writers' intent. These little clues--like the professor's smug speech a few episodes ago--go a long way toward keeping all of these fantastic elements believable.
One thing I was hoping for was for Livia to just pop out of the closet and ask Katie for help. It seemed like an amazing moment waiting to happen--I doubt Katie would be as oblivious to the lovelorn expression Livia has etched on her face. I am sure we'll get that confrontation at some point.
Great Moments:
- I loved the Livia point of view scene this week. It was nice to see her for a few moments not playing mentor, and her panicked, "Think, Livia, what the hell am I here for" moment was perfectly executed.
- Jack "turning" on Dan this week was also nicely done. I think after last week's episode--which gave us some insight into Jack and Dan's relationship and succeeded in painting Jack in a more positive light--this seemed less an act of betrayal as one of frustration.
- If it's not too confusing, the lack of a Spider-findeR wrap up this week was a nice non-moment. As I said before, what I really loved about this episode was that it made these "putting right what once went wrong" tasks firmly in the background. The fact that we don't even find out who that witness was or what the court case was about--although I imagine we'll find out when the DVD box set comes out--really drives that home.