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"Friendly Skies" Episode Recap
It's Monday night and time for another zany trip through time with the Journeyman.
After last week's premiere, it seemed like Dan's wife actually bought into his story about traveling back in time to help Neil Gaines' son come into existence. This week, Katie shifted her suspicion of drug use to something a little more serious: a brain tumor. Apparently a week had passed without any more "delusions" of time travel but just to be on the safe side, they went to see a neurologist before heading off on a well-needed vacation. Shortly after take off however, our man Dan was back to his old tricks.
This time, his leap back took him to the swingin' '70s on board an airplane where a pregnant woman was about to give birth. I'm really enjoying how the writers are re-creating the past by tossing in random things like Conquest of the Planet of the Apes as the in-flight movie or just the fact that people were allowed to smoke on airplanes back then. There were overly friendly flight attendants (or "stewardesses" as they were called.) Even the children playing with toy guns is something you would never see on any airplane today. By the way, anyone notice the headline on the newspaper? "Ford Cabinet Shakeup Continues"... with the subtext "Cheney, Chief of Staff; Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense." A nice way of showing us that things ain't that different after all.
In the mean time, Katie Vasser, the time traveler's wife, dealt with some drama in 2007 when the flight crew grew suspicious of the missing passenger seated next to her. While Dan delivered a healthy baby girl, his wife was subjected to some intense questioning from airport security. Dan returned just in the nick of time to save his wife from being shipped off to Guantanamo.
As Dan and Katie returned home from an exhausting day and a failed attempt to get a little downtime, Dan was off once again. He awoke to Lyvia standing over him, but before he could ask any questions, the reunited couple had a long embrace. In this little encounter, we didn't get much out of Lyvia. She told him to start carrying old phones, expired currency, but apparently no citrus (it explodes... naturally!). Dan quickly got back on track with his mission, this time in the 1980s, and got to know the woman he helped almost a decade earlier.
Following this short trip back, Dan returns to 2007 and begins prepping for his next journey. He also decides to wander into work for a bit. He uses his resources at the news desk to check on his latest mission and her whereabouts in present day. It turns out Diana Bloom is dead. He then eagerly tries to force a trip back.
Back in the '90s, Dan helps Diana's daughter meet her father, who turns out to be a complete bastard. He insists the girl's mother was just a one-night stand and forces money into her hands to prevent future attempts to contact him. In a last-ditch effort to save his present-day marriage before another trip back, Dan gets his brother to take care of his son while he and his wife try once more at that vacation. Before he could make any progress though, he finds himself on another airplane in 1995. He finds Lyvia once again and jumps right into some hardcore questioning. She seems to be more interested in his present life than giving him any resolution to the situation they both find themselves in.
As Lyvia vanishes again, Dan takes her seat on the flight directly next to the a-hole father that denied his own daughter only a year earlier. Turns out he now has leukemia and is in need of a bone-marrow transplant. Dan lands and tracks down Diana's now drug-addicted daughter and convinces her to give her deadbeat dad a final shot at redemption. The big twist at the end of the episode is that the bone-marrow transplant is not actually for the deadbeat dad but for another patient who goes on to fly humanitarian missions to Darfur.
Now that we're two episodes into this show, it seems like each episode will be about Dan fixing broken families while his own is on the verge of falling apart. After last week, I was kinda hoping Katie would suspend her disbelief, buy into her husband's little game, and maybe actually help him solve some of the cases. However, it seems like he'll have to do a bit more convincing than burying an engagement ring or completely vanishing from an airplane midflight.
I was also pretty disappointed we didn't get more out of Lyvia. I understand that the writers can't reveal everything at once but at least give us something to work with. If we're to believe Lyvia has been time-traveling since her supposed death, how has she not learned a thing about the purpose behind these missions? Judging by the comments last week, this episode was the make-or-break for most people watching, and something tells me it was a bit of a disappointment for those viewers who were on the fence.
I, however, will continue on this crazy ride in the hopes of getting some retribution for my dedicated viewing. I just hope I don't end up having to watch the rest of the season on the Web when, and if, the network decides to pull the plug. I've still got my doubts!
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Oct 2, 2007 12:47 AM
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I was also hoping for more information from Lyvia, but you could tell that he didn't want to give her any information when she asked him who he married.
As an aisde, what a painful situation with the current wife and the dead fiancee! We haven't even gotten to that yet. It'll be a heck of a bomb when it is revealed to the women.
I agree about the present day wife - I want her to help him with understanding his little missions. I hope his brother getting the $20 bill in the past will help create some more peace in present day time as well.
I'm good with going along for a ride with this show. It has given me enough and I'll record it regularly.
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Oct 2, 2007 3:58 AM
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I'm sticking with it also.
I did think the brain tumor and MRI were ridiculous. You would suspect a brain tumor if the guy just thought he was time-traveling, but she knows he disappears and was given proof that he had time-traveled. Don't think a brain tumor is going to cause that!
Otherwise, I'm liking that each episode is a story all wrapped up that hour, rather than continuing on....although the basis, the why of it all, does continue. It's the intrigue of that that keeps me watching.
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Oct 2, 2007 4:23 AM
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About the MRI ... he had major headaches, too. I'd check it out as well!
I like this show, but I don't love it. I'll keep watching, but I bet most of America won't. Good luck, Journeyman!
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Oct 2, 2007 8:41 AM
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I love time travel...books, movies, TV shows. Not this one, though. The show is boring and convoluted, plus there's almost zero payback at the end of the hour. I don't think this show will last, especially since it's up against CSI: Miami.
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Oct 2, 2007 8:43 AM
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I am glad your recaps are so thorough Adam, because I think I am pretty much done with this one. It is nice that I can keep up with the story through your blog and all of the comments that follow though.
I wonder if the more his wife experiences his sudden and inexplicable disappearances, if she will eventually be able to somehow actively assist him. I think it would be more interesting to have her help him rather than just play the anxious but supportive wife.
I did not have as much trouble hearing the dialog over the soundtrack this week, but there were still spots I had to rewind and listen to over again. I was happy to hear I was not the only one last week though.
I do hope the show stays on the air for all of you. I was not too happy when I got into The Nine last year and it got pulled very early on.
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Oct 2, 2007 8:47 AM
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I think Katie totally does buy into Dan's time travels. Didn't you notice how she covered for him time and again and only got really pissed when he missed the dinner party? I think she's struggling with how to deal - just like we all would.
As for the payoff, I need them to be bigger, not just a conversation between Dan and whomever. I think that's what's needed to keep the viewers coming back each week. I like that each travel Dan takes serves a greater purpose - it's a great premise. But we need a more obvious payoff in the end. The way it's written now makes for good reading, not good watching.
And what the hell is up with Lyvia? She's making these trips as well and doesn't think she should share some inside info with Dan? I get that we need to keep some things a secret, but c'mon! I was ready to jump through the TV and pin her in place and make her answer Dan's questions!
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Oct 2, 2007 9:12 AM
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Well so far I'm still enjoying the show yes I have some questions but like Lost , heroes etc. If we learned everything in the beginning would there be any need to continue this the questions and the search for answers pehaps not unlike Dan's Journeys during which he has to find out why he has been sent back what he needs to do.
I find myself intrigued by the backstory of Dan, Livia,kate & jack.I assume Jack's drinking problem led to his breakup with kate and so she turned to Dan after Livia died? In find msyelf wanting to know more about jack but that's beause I'm a reed diamond fan I suppose.
I dohope thsi show doenst go the way of Daybreak and other series and end up being continued online instead of a tv broadcast. I cant' watch videos on mhycomputer. I'm still hoping Daybreak will come out on DVD!
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Oct 2, 2007 9:33 AM
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I loved that his brother was the one chasing him down after the "fake" $20 incident. I loved the whole scene in his apartment when he was hiding... and seeing the interaction between the two couples. How both women knew him so well.
I love that he's sort of a "Guardian Angel" for these people he's sent to throughout their lives.
I love all the intersecting stories (like how Billy Marble, the kid he took to coffee while the girl and her dad talked, ended up being the recipient of her life-saving bone marrow).
I love how the show illustrates that good deeds sometimes go beyond that one act you do... that maybe some small kind act you do for one person has a ripple effect and might mean life or death for someone else.
That each of our lives touch others, even if indirectly and our actions, good or bad, matter in the grand scheme of things.
Very uplifting show.
I'm in.
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Oct 2, 2007 10:44 AM
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Break for me.
Though, as it follows Heroes and there's nothing really on following, I'll likely still catch it from time to time.
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Oct 2, 2007 12:02 PM
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Like daesey and others, I'm along for the ride. IMO,Journeyman is one of the very few new shows that show any kind of promise. I'm not seeing any breakout hits like Ugly Betty was last year.
Although the music gives us a sense of where in time Dan has landed, I agree with jayhawk; it was too loud again at times.
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Oct 2, 2007 12:16 PM
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I'm definitely in. Geez, folks, you have to give a show more than two eps before giving up.
I really like the show - with the caveat that I'm not quite sure how they'll keep the mysteries coming once the reveal of what is happening to Lyvia and Dan comes (and they can't drag that out TOO long). Dan will also have to resolve his feelings between his wife and Lyvia too, and that also can't be dragged out TOO long.
They probably have that planned out though. I have high hopes for the show and I hope NBC will give it every chance to succeed in the death slot.
I also hope that NBC doesn't overrate the supposed bump that Heroes would give Journeyman. It's really not that hard to change the channel, and it IS up against CSI: Miami. A lot of folks probably DVR it, as was the case with other thoughtful shows like Invasion and Jericho.
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Oct 2, 2007 12:36 PM
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Love the show and will continue to enjoy the ride. I don't think the reason of why he is travelling is as important as others do. I just the like the journeys with the people he helps. His wife is really trying but I don't know how they are going to make it. She doesn't trust him enough and that is linked to the way they got together. DeeBee hit the nail on the head IMO but we shall see.
If the comments from last week to this week are any indication of viewer interest, Journeyman may be in trouble. Can't wait until the day when I can control my own viewing and not have to depend on network execs!
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Oct 2, 2007 12:41 PM
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I'm definitely sticking with this one.
Some of the dialogue is a bit 'off'though; like when he runs into the mother the first itme after the birth and she recognizes him... "Yeah, that was me."
Just didn't seem like a natural response to me... no biggie though.
I am completely convinced that Katie's had her eye on Dan from the beginning. Every scene we've had with her in the past has her eyeing him, or asking about him... I don't trust her. And no, I don't have a good reason for that.
Lyvia: answer a damn question once in a while. And if she didn't know why she was there, how did she know why Dan was there? Or why the 'Lukemia Father of the Year' was there and how it related to Dan?
Confused... but hooked.
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Oct 2, 2007 12:44 PM
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To me, it feels like Dan is Lyvia's mission... like she's his "guardian angel" as he is for others.
Or maybe she's his "Al"
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Oct 2, 2007 12:51 PM
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