Journeyman

I don't know why I've chosen to blog about this now. Maybe it's 'cause I got one of my friends hooked on the show the other day and I feel that validates my high regard for the show. Maybe it's for an excuse to link a YouTube video of its theme song, which I love. Maybe it's 'cause it's getting late and my brain has stopped functioning so I just feel like blabbing about whatever.

The show had a short 13 episode run on NBC last year. It had the slot after Heroes, but Journeyman always had low ratings, prompting it to be canceled early. Journeyman was such a wonderful show that it deeply saddened me when it ended, and yet Heroes still lives! There is no justice in this world. But, we should consider ourselves lucky that the writer's strike occurred last season, as it probably enabled the final episodes of Journeyman to be aired since the networks were running out of others things to show.

So what is Journeyman about? I guess at the surface it's about a San Franciscan named Dan Vasser who inexplicably and uncontrollably begins to jump to the past. He has no control over when and where he jumps to, but each time he visits the past he's there to learn or do something that will change the present for the better. It's not always obvious to him or the viewers what he's supposed to accomplish, but there is always a purpose. Something must be pulling his strings.

Ok, now you're probably wondering to yourself, "Ugh, a show about time traveling? There are going to be so many plot holes, and paradoxes, and contradictions!" Well, normally I'd agree with you (ie Heroes), and to some extent do, but it's not the time traveling aspect of the show that makes it so compelling. It's how this burden and duty affects Dan and his family life (wife and son). We become emotionally invested in his struggle to keep his family together, while he tries to perform a seemingly noble duty. He has little warning when he jumps to the past, and when he returns back to the present, the amount of time that has since elapsed varies, so that he becomes unreliable as a husband and father. I'm not saying there aren't plot holes or time traveling oopsies, but the rest of the show is so good that the little mistakes aren't enough to detract from the show.

For example, one episode Dan and his young son are at a flea market and suddenly Dan vanishes into the past. His son is lost in a sea of people. Dan can no longer risk taking his son out alone, such as to a football game, lest he vanishes again. In one episode, something he does in the past changes the gender of his kid. Dan retains all of his memories, but his wife and daughter have new ones. Can you imagine the pain if you know in your heart and mind that your child is a boy, yet your wife has only ever known her child to be a girl? What would it mean for Dan to "fix" the present? This little girl would cease to exist. How much we care as viewers is a testament to the acting. Kevin McKidd is awesome.

I know I kinda brushed off time traveling earlier, with the exception of how it creates a burden on Dan's life. There's actually a really nice sci-fi mystery element to the show. Remember, Dan doesn't control his time traveling, so something or someone is sending him to locations and times with a purpose. Dan is also not the only time traveler. He's aided by his ex-fiance Livia, who has been time traveling long before him. Btw, the name of the actress who plays Livia is Moon Bloodgood. What an awesome name. As the series progresses, the mystery of his time traveling begins to unfold. Unfortunately, we won't ever get to complete this journey. I can only take solace in that the final episode ended on such a wonderful moment and great note that it will forever be awesome in my memories.

I'm sure I've convinced you that Journeyman is worth watching. And you're in luck! All 13 episodes are on Hulu.

Now, for the theme music:


The mix of Chinese and Western instruments is really a cool touch.