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Episode Recap: "Year of the Rabbit"
A new episode of Journeyman set things in motion this week by bringing us right into Dan's latest trip. With the Spin Doctors playing in the background, we could only assume it is some time in the early '90s. Dan makes his way into a bar to find a younger version of his wife reporting the news on TV. He learns the year is actually 1994 before getting interrupted by a woman sitting at the bar who is waiting for a blind date. Just as the two get acquainted, the woman's angry ex busts into the bar and attacks Dan. Thus begins another mission for the Journeyman.
In 2007, Katie is preparing for a benefit that she desperately hopes her husband will be around to attend. Their marriage has been on the rocks since the start of these adventures and has only worsened when she discovered that Dan has been seeing Lyvia on his trips back in time. Though she's starting to come around with the whole time-traveling thing, she can't help but feel jealous that Dan has been in contact with his first love. When he vanishes once again, she turns to his brother (and her ex) Jack to get her to the benefit on time.
As Dan continues to trek back to the '90s, his mission starts to become clear. The woman he had met at the bar in 1994 is now engaged to her blind date and is being stalked by the same creepy ex who beat up Dan during their first encounter. After doing some research in present day, Dan learns the woman was murdered and her ex was arrested for the crime. However, all is not what it seems. In a trip back to 1998, Dan sees the same woman get a gun pulled on her by her fiancé, who seems to be after a disk she has. Dan prevents the woman from being shot and as they escape together, he returns to present day, a few hours late to his wife's benefit, looking bloody and disheveled. At the party, he's confronted by his brother, who is still in the dark about what Dan's been going through. Cue another trip back to 1998.
Dan frantically tries to reach the woman he's been sent to save. He watches Lyvia interact with past Katie in an attempt to distract her from seeing Dan. Dan and Lyvia chat again. (I missed what they said due to a test with the emergency broadcast system... can someone fill me in?) Dan catches up with his mission's stalker ex and enlists his help to save her from her new man. They arrive just in time to watch her shoot her fiancé. Dan uses the gun he had taken from the past earlier and plants it in the hands of the victim. He finds himself back at his wife's benefit, just in time to make things right for this week.
I was completely baffled with the turn the show took in this episode. In each of the previous episodes we learned that Dan's missions all went on to do important things for humanity. In this episode, the woman was involved in a project with online stocks. They spent no time explaining exactly how this helps in present day, as we were not given any kind of update with what the woman currently does in 2007. I have to say, this is probably the worst of the episodes so far. We had more of Lyvia being the jealous ex and a much less interesting mission than usual. The only engaging plot point was Dan looking into the phenomenon of particles moving faster than the speed of light. He was put in contact with a scientist who was somehow able to call him while he was in the past. Hopefully this little twist will add that certain something that seems to be missing from the show.
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Oct 16, 2007 1:28 AM
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Yes the mystery of how this is happening to Dan deepened just a bit..
This show has me hooked..
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Oct 16, 2007 2:05 AM
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I have the same reaction increasingly each week watching this show: I really don't care much about the "task of the week." I want to see more about Dan and Jack and Katie and Livia. I think the other "magic stuff" is hindered by the fact that he only ever travels into the VERY recent past. I think it's just laziness on the part of the show. They wanted to to a time-travel show without having to do a lot of research and continuity work.
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Oct 16, 2007 7:23 AM
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I think the writer of this blog missed the point of the mission this week. This mission was truly to save someone from a wrongful convication. First the cop, and then the woman.
I also think a lot of you are way too hard on this show. It is an entertaining watch each week. Don't get me wrong, I think this show has some flaws. Dan's wife Katie is just not a likeable character in my opinion. I don't feel any chemistry between them, and she just does not seem very nice. You would think she would be a little more concerned every time he disappears and returns. Instead, she is just angry that he wasn't able to attend her event or he left without fixing the plumbing. Like he had a choice.
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Oct 16, 2007 8:15 AM
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I got the wrongful conviction thing but I just don't see how it helped the bigger picture. Each episode previously, Dan helped someone who went on to help a lot more people. This episode he went back just to keep the wrong person from getting locked up. I think at 4 episodes in the writers could have still found interesting ways to stick to the formula they started with. And I totally agree with the comment about staying only in the recent past. Though I suspect its so they can still interact with the people Dan knows in the present. I'm starting to think Dan's actions in the past may be what brings him and Katie together eventually. I'm still interested in the show but I'm just waiting for a really exciting mission.
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Oct 16, 2007 9:17 AM
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I honestly can't believe that I like this show. It is so not me and yet I enjoy it every week. I'm so interested in finding out why he can do this, how Lyvia can do this and why all of a sudden at this point in Dan's life did this come about. Does Lyvia have something to do with his traveling and why does she talk about his present like she can't travel there and find out for herself? How did he get that future call in the past? That was cool!
I like Katie but his brother Jack can be annoying and how is it that he is older than Dan when clearly Dan looks much older than Jack. Bygones!
Next weeks previews shows a really interesting event that could hurt Dan's family. I think that looks like a cool mission!
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Oct 16, 2007 9:44 AM
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I agree Adam. I was looking for the same payoff we had gotten previously. I am actually still confused because he really did not go back to stop a wrong conviction. He created the scenario that caused the wrong conviction.
The ex-boyfriend cop never did go to jail for the crime. He was released due to lack of evidence against him for her shooting. It was only after Dan saved her life that she was subsequently wrongfully convicted in the future. Her wrongful conviction would have been a result of events Dan had already changed. He then went back and corrected her wrong conviction.
At first, we did find out that she founded Ultramart (or something like that.) Maybe they do not have to go on to do something for humanity; maybe it is just helping someone with great promise.
One thing this show has going for it is that I am not interested in anything else in its time period. I still think it is an uneven show, but will continue to tune in to have something to watch at that hour.
Heygirl96 - I also agree with you that Dan's wife is not all that likeable. If my significant other was taking trips back in time, I would not be concerned about who is going to escort me to my benefit dinner. I realize it is a big inconvenience to have a husband that just disappears at any given time, but it is completely out of his control.
The one thing that did pique my interest last night was the phone call from the guy at the lab.
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Oct 16, 2007 10:13 AM
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IMO this was the best episode yet. I think a lot of people are way too hard on Katie. What sets this series apart from other time travel shows like Quantum Leap, is that it actually takes a serious look at how being tossed around in time would effect a person's life and relationships. I think that Katie is behaving in a very realistic way. This is a big adjustment, to say the least. Yes she's jealous, but she's also afraid for Dan's life. She's annoyed that he wasn't there to escort her to the event, but when he does show up, he's obviously physically and emotionally disheveled and packing a gun. In spite of her own distress, she still covers for him. I also think that this show is taking a more realistic view of marriage than most. You have two people totally devoted to one another, but it’s still hard, especially when the totally unexpected enters into the mix.
As for going further back in time, the show might eventually get there, but for now this show's center isn't time travel, but relationships. Each one of Dan's assignments has dealt with the central theme of broken relationships and how they affect the bigger picture; which is exactly the situation that Dan is dealing with in his own life. This show truly stands out from just about anything I've seen before. I hope that NBC knows what it has and decides to invest in it. I think it’s a classic already.
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Oct 16, 2007 10:16 AM
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Get rid of the whole Livia angle and this show would be much better. In the past episodes, she's only been marginally helpful. She gave him a watch last week. This week she distracted Katie so Dan could pass by unnoticed. I really don't like her character. The writers really need to step it up and let us know what's going on in a hurry. I've just about given this show all the length of rope I can. It's about to hang itself.
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Oct 16, 2007 10:16 AM
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I think the scientist (Elliot?) could add a whole new dimension to the show. He must know a lot more about time travel than he's letting on if he contacted Dan in the past. Finally, Dan may have someone who knows what's happening to him and maybe teach him how to control it. Hopefully, we'll get to meet this scientist soon!
I think Katie has a lot more chemistry with Jack than Dan, anyway. There lies trouble.
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Oct 16, 2007 11:06 AM
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I think that this is one of the best of the new fall shows, but honestly I feel like they're overdoing the hurt and anger of Katie the current wife. In every scene they have together she is tight lipped and cold to him. (Except the sex in the closet scene last night, where she was still mad at him).
Why would he put up with that? He has no control, and she isn't understanding? As a reporter herself, and former girlfreind of the brother policeman/detective, she should have some experience with that life, and be able to adjust her expectations accordingly. Also, that poor kid, I think he only sees his dad when the parents are fighting.
Here is what I see: Dan has a boss who is always pushing him - we don't see him pleased with his work; his current wife is pissy and self absorbed, and his brother thinks he is gambling again. What does this guy have in his life that is good? Only the ex-wife in the past. I wouldn't blame him if he decided to stay in 1989. I hope that this show lightens up on that storyline some.
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Oct 16, 2007 11:21 AM
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Juanita loved your post like your take on it!
Huntress I to kidnof thinkkate has more chemistrywith jack than Dan soem lingerign feleigns stil lthere. but hte nof coruse I'ma Ree ddiamodn fan and Kevin is till ver new to me as an actor so that may color intoit.
It was suggested Livia travel to 2007
to see what's happening with Dan but if for ehr like for Dan the time travelling is not controlled by the traveler it's not like she can just decide I want to go to 2007.
I did like that Dan got a call from the scientist about the tachyons both in the past and the present!
I have to admit I am really curious about the past history of jack/kate/dan and how and why Katie and Jack broke up after Livia's death? and how and why she then ended up married to Dan.
I like Livia and it does pose kind of an interesting dilemma being in love with one woman in the past and in love and married with a child with anothr woman in the present. If he acts on his feelings for Livia in the past does it ? would it? affect his present /future with kate?
So far I'm really enjoying the "journey" I'm taking with Journeyman sure there may be seem flaws in the show but even great shows like Lost or Alias, Heroes etc. I have some flaws some weak points. I don't know if there is even such a thing as "perfect" show that doesn't have some flaws.
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Oct 16, 2007 11:25 AM
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I enjoy this show for some strange reason. I think it has something to do with a man that is clearly flawed trying to do good in society (past and future) while still dealing with his own personal demons.
If NBC and the public were expecting this show to be NBCs version of Grey's Anatomy (ABC) or House (Fox) they were mistaken. However, the show does have promise from my pov to become a major hit if they just change things up a bit. I think the show needs to start having a balance b/w time traveling and Dan doing his day to day stuff. Or make it where he meets people in the present and then goes back in time to help them changing their "present" for the better.
Can someone answer 3 questions for me:
(1) Did Lyvia ever explain if she survived the crash or not? Because I thought she mentioned she traveled back during the flight before it crashed or am I mistaken?
(2) How did Dan and Katie hook up? I know it happened after Lyvia died but wasn't Katie still with Jack at the time?
(3)What happened to Dan and Jack's parents?
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Oct 16, 2007 11:35 AM
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Juanita - I agree, I think Katie's anger is being portrayed realistically. The enormous pressure on her to endure these unexplained absences while also worrying about him, keeping the household going, caring for their son, keeping the brother at bay, and thoughts of her husband and ex love meeting "in the ether" have GOT to weigh a person down.
Plus, she realizes she's not the fun, exciting, time travelling love of Dan's life... she's the one at home, dealing with the more mundane tasks like fixing the plumbing and getting dinner ready... that's sure to make someone feel inferior.
I loved this episode. I like how they pick their music. The Spin Doctors' Two Princes... how fitting. Melissa having her ex and this new guy. How funny the impression of each guy changed with each trip Dan took back. Also, the song jives with Katie, Dan and Jack. "Marry him or marry me... I'm the one that loves ya baby, can't you see?"
Previously, Melissa's ex (the cop) was charged with her murder and it ruined his life. After Dan's first trip, William was dead and Melissa's life ruined. I think the difference he made in the last trip was that he brought Melissa and her ex back together. When he softly called out to her to "drop the gun, honey." The way she looked at him... you could tell this was going to bond them again.
I mean, does every trip have to "save the world?" Can't Dan also just make a difference in smaller ways?
Adam, you didn't miss much during your EAS break. Dan just mentioned that he was back on the same night again to Lyvia and that he needed to find Melissa but didn't know where she lived. And that he wanted to dispose of the gun. She urged him to keep it ("You might need it"). And he did... planting it on William to solidify Melissa's self-defense claim. That's all I can really recall.
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Oct 16, 2007 11:39 AM
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harris4 - I remember Lyvia saying she traveled before the plane crashed, too. I think it was in the pilot. And I kind of got the impression that at some point Jack was going through something (drinking?) and Katie turned to Dan for support. But that and Lyvia's death seem to have overlapped a lot and I'd love to get more clarification on the relationships. Can't remember any mention of Dan and JAck's parents.
And, like Daesey, I thought the point ended up being bringing Melissa and her ex back together. Guess Dan shouldn't have beat him up in the first scene!
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Oct 16, 2007 11:58 AM
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