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« David's Traveler Blog
Q&A
We're three episodes into the season, and it's "question and answer" time here at Dave's Traveler blog. But first, a big thanks to all of you who come back every week to check out the show. We had a great hold from last week's premiere, and ABC will take notice of that. Also, I appreciate the blog comments. Great to hear your theories and your passion for the series. As a reward, I'm going to dip my hand into my fishbowl here and pick out our first question. Here we go:
1. What are the show's future chances currently like? Please tell me there is some hope for a second season. — Posted by lswanson63
Starting off with a big one. I can only tell you what I've been told by ABC. It's up to the fans. I think that there are a lot of people afraid to engage this show because there have been so many serialized shows cancelled after three episodes this year. Well, do not be afraid to engage Traveler. I've been told by ABC that they will run all eight episodes this summer. But we need to build our audience if we want to come back for a second season. So if you like the show, please do two things: Contact ABC scheduling and show your support with an e-mail. Then tell your friends to start watching the show and do the same. We have an incredibly loyal fan base, as evidenced by the hold in the ratings from last week. We've got our best episodes yet to come... now that Will is alive, things really get fun. In addition, you will find answers to your questions, no matter what happens, even if I have to answer them myself on this blog.
2. Regardless of who Will really is, and how he came to be a part of Jay's and Tyler's lives, how much of Will's friendships with the guys was actually real? I'm wondering if the show is going to address Will's true feelings about Jay and Tyler as people and as friends, despite everything else that has and will continue to go on. — Posted by spartygirl1822
Spartygirl has hit the proverbial nail on the head. We will certainly be exploring this issue, as friendship, betrayal and the nature of identity are the central themes of the show. Will has returned with a mission of his own, but you can expect to see his path cross with Jay and Tyler. And it won't be an easy reunion.
3. I'm wondering if Tyler's "ex"-girlfriend has something to do with it... and who was the man that ran into Kim? Who was the man in the limo? — Posted by Biyanka
A lot of people have been asking about Nell. This is actually pretty funny as it's something our editor first noticed when he cut together the flashback scene in the library. I wish I could say it was intentional. But I'm an honest guy, and I will admit it was never intended to play that way. It's one of those great accidents that happen on set when someone finds something in the moment and it adds to the episode. As for the man who ran into Kim, you'll learn more about him in two weeks. And the man in the limo, played by Neal McDonough, is a key player in the Drexler conspiracy. More on him later.
4. How difficult was it for you to rewrite the episodes when the order was cut from 13 to 8? — Posted by losky2
Excellent question. We were literally about to start prepping Episode 8 of 13 when we found out our order had been shortened. It was November. By then, many of the serialized shows of the fall had ended in a bloodbath of cancellations. ABC listened to the chief audience complaint: These shows don't need 22 episodes to tell their stories. And they made the great Traveler experiment. We were cut to 8. One result? One hell of a season finale. We suddenly sandwiched five episodes of story ideas into one last blowout. The other result... reshoots. We had to literally retrofit our story lines from the first six episodes to fit the season-long arc. It made for the craziest month of my life. Just ask my wife. Or better yet, don't. She's still a bit angry about November.
5. And where has The Porter (Billy Mayo) been? He helped our boys a great deal in the first episode, but he's been MIA since. — Posted by Casey Marsella
This is from Casey's series blog. I hope you're checking it out. Casey does a great weekly analysis of the show's twists and turns. Thanks, Casey. Anyway, "The Porter." He is one of my favorite characters. A guardian angel? Or a bad guy with an angle? Well, you're about to see a whole lot more of him in the next two episodes. Why haven't you seen him since? Storytelling-wise, you need to use your omnipotent heroes sparingly. A little of these guys goes a long way. On the economic end of things, when we make guest-star deals in television, they are done for a specific number of episodes... unless you're Lost and you have enough money to hire everybody full-time. Because of this, we were forced to use Billy Mayo, the man who plays The Porter with all that strength, in a judicious manner.
6. Why hasn't Neal McDonough been given on-screen credit for his role as Homeland Security mystery man? His name isn't shown at any time, either at the beginning or the end, and he's now had two appearances, albeit short one-liners. But he still has a speaking role for which credit should be given. And he's a well-known actor! — Posted by jfkscw2
Neal is the man. The Mystery Man. Everyone perks up when he comes on screen. But you found the rub when you said "short one-liners," aka cameos. Just as big movie stars often do uncredited cameos in features, Neal is kind of doing that for us. But don't worry. He gets much more involved. And he will get credit when his character has a name. For now, enjoy those cameos. I know Neal enjoyed doing them.
7. There's got to be more behind this elaborate, two-year setup than just stealing art, priceless or not. Something an examination of the painting(s) would show that could bring down the president or expose some national secret? — Posted by Nunovyer Bidness
Nunovyer Bidness, love the screen name. You are the only person on all of the message boards I check who has caught on to the painting. Where are those TiVos, people? Anyone do a screen grab to see what that painting is? I'm not saying it's the secret to the whole series. But it opens some pretty hefty doors. Thanks for the observation, Nunovyer.
In closing, a few words about this week's episode, "The Out." Check out Jay's and Tyler's MySpace pages: (myspace.com/jayatyale and myspace.com/tyleratyale). They come into play in next week's show as our guys make it to Will's hometown of Deer Harbor, Maine. Once there, they start to discover the extent of Will's network. It's some fun, Hitchcockian madness in a small town. Enjoy, and keep spreading the good Traveler word. Let's make some noise next week with the ratings!
See you down the road,
Dave
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Jun 8, 2007 3:31 PM
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How do we "contact ABC scheduling and show your support with an email"? Do you have an address?
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Jun 8, 2007 9:12 PM
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Thanks for posting. It's been an entertaining ride thus far. And I LOVE Neal McDonough.
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Jun 9, 2007 10:42 AM
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I'm behind you all the way, Dave. And I'm turning my co-workers and their families on to Traveler as well! Thanks for the Q&A - maybe we'll have more as the series develops?
I feel about Traveler like I did 24 during other seasons (just not this last one)..... I can't wait to see what happens next!
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Jun 9, 2007 12:04 PM
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If you want to contact ABC (which I already had my friends who are also fans of Traveler do), you can go to:
http://abc.go.com/site/contactus.html
Dave, I did a freeze frame on the painting, and it is John Trumbull's Declaration of Independence "an iconic 12- by 18-foot painting in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda which depicts the presentation of the draft of the Declaration to Congress." (also found on the $2 bill - thanks Wikipedia!)
I must be dumb, but that doesn't mean anything to me. Is the painting that Will had an evil replica? Forgery? Am I even on the right track?
Regardless, I may not be the brightest fan, but I enjoy following along as the plot develops. Good to hear that we at least have these 8 for sure. It sure looked from the previews that Jay ends up shot next week? I hope not!
ps) I also thought Nell was in on it too, the way she was trying to keep Tyler from meeting up with Will. It was awfully suspicious. Are you sure she is not? 
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Jun 9, 2007 1:21 PM
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Thanks for the link - I just sent my 2 cents in......
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Jun 9, 2007 7:56 PM
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Hey, at least I got the show a mention in Matt Roush's TV Guide column, and a link to their Traveler web site. 
I didn't like his answer though.
I've been making the rounds emailing everyone under the sun. I just can't believe that ABC had so little faith in such an imaginative, smart tv show. But I guess I'd rather watch Lost, Heroes and 24 over American Idol or Dancing with the Stars. What do I know?
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Jun 11, 2007 12:24 AM
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lswanson63--it's not just you! I'd rather watch any scripted show over Dancing With the Stars or American Idol (and don't get me started on The Search for the Next Pussycat Doll). I am so grateful for Traveler this summer! Even with cable there's not a whole lot to watch in the summer, and as hot as it's been I'd rather be home watching something really good!
Well, I recognized the Trumbull painting when I saw it (I work in DC, they'd kick me out if I didn't recognize it). Of course, my first thought was, duh, this painting can't have been in the Drexler, doesn't everyone know it's in the Rotunda? So, in suspending disbelief I didn't look too closely at it. Plus, I have a really small TV screen, so I miss out on those types of details anyway. I did a quick Google search for it and did find out one bit of trivia--John Adams is standing on Thomas Jefferson's foot in the Trumbull, which made me laugh. (Here's a link if anyone else wants to see it: http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/images/trumbull-large1.jpg).
But that's probably not what you're alluding to, Dave. My guess is that the secret of the painting has nothing to do with the actual painting or painter, but maybe there's some clue on the one Will was holding; some insignia or stamp or something? Or maybe there's something underneath the paint that you would need to see on an X-ray or something. Can someone with a better TV check it out? (Okay, I do realize that no one has a TV that could look through the painting like an X-ray, but there must be some sort of clue that we can see.)
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Jun 11, 2007 8:30 AM
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I would also rather watch a smart show like Traveler over any of those dumb reality shows. E mailing ABC...
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Jun 11, 2007 10:08 AM
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Traveler is an awesome show. It's hard to believe that ABC plans on axing it because other series bombed. Well, what about Heroes and Lost? They are series shows and do rather well. It took Lost awhile before it got popular...word of mouth helped it along. And, it's too bad Traveler had to be on during the summer, they should have saved this exciting series for the Fall.
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Jun 11, 2007 12:02 PM
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Hey, I'll watch Traveler whenever it is on - fall or summer!
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Jun 11, 2007 12:13 PM
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Sara, I agree. I live reality so why watch it on TV? Traveler is a good-old fashioned buddy show that keeps you on the edge of your seat!
Dave, if they plan to end the series already with only 8 episodes...I read that the last episode will be a cliffhanger...how fair is that to ABC's viewers? They had better not do that to us. Grrrr
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Jun 11, 2007 1:29 PM
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Serialized drama never does seem to get its fair share of attention by the networks. The failure of other shows are not due to the 'genre' but rather to the ability to keep things moving at a fast pace and yet draw the audience into caring about the characters. 24 may be losing steam because unless you only love Jack, your heart will be broken as your favorite character gets a bullet to the forehead. Hmm...
This show is about two friends thrown to the wolves without anyone to help them, other than the porter at the hotel who was not all he seemed to be. The girl friends are interesting as well, and the suspense is more around who is trying to kill them than 'if' they will be caught by the FBI.
It seemed to me that whomever had them in the van had planned on killing them one way or the other before the van was hit in the side.
Both characters have stole my heart, and I don't want this to end with an 8 episode 'event'. TNT already did that to me with Crusade, airing the show as a SPECIAL series, and viewers did not find out until later that the network was airing the show 'already cancelled.'
I've sent my email to ABC. I've been spreading the word at work. I've been talking to my friends about this show. I definitely want to see more!!
It feels like something bigger is at work than a painting. I wonder how deep this is in the government and who in our FBI group of investigators can be trusted.
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Jun 11, 2007 5:47 PM
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It's a good show, especially considering the lack of good shows over the summer. My husband says that it is the only thing he is looking forward to watching and I have to agree with him.
I was glad to see some publicity about the show this week. Hopefully, it will catch on and catch ABC's attention. (I am emailing them in just a minute.) There is a good solid cast and are lots of interesting twists and turns in the story. We are looking forward to tonight's episode- more to talk about tomorrow. I am a Lost fan who is glad to have something interesting to watch and speculate about during the Lost hiatus.
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Jun 13, 2007 9:06 AM
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