What this is ...

[apocalypsos]

... is me pimping Journeyman.

I know a lot of you gave up on Journeyman based on the pilot, which confused some people from a few of the complaints I've heard and struck some people as being too much like Quantum Leap/Early Edition/whatever other time travel or vaguely related TV show they could come up with, which ... oh, man, SO MUCH NO. So this is where I beg you to give it a chance because what started out with potential has turned into almost my favorite show all season. (And they're threatening to cancel it! Make 'em stop, damn it!)

I'm going to try to keep this as spoiler-free as possible, but it's really hard so it's going to be touch and go.

The plot goes a little something like this: Dan Vasser (Kevin McKidd) is a busy reporter with a stay-at-home former-TV-newswoman wife (Gretchen Egolf) and an adorable little boy. Before his marriage to Katie -- who used to date his brother Jack (Reed Diamond) -- Dan was with Livia (Moon Bloodgood, quite possibly my favorite actress name EVER), a stunning lawyer who was ultimately lost in a plane crash. Dan is also a recovering gambling addict. One day he gets a sudden headache and vanishes, reappearing in another time in the past and helping a person back there. He has no idea why he is doing this, no control over when he goes or who he helps or where he lands. His mission every week is to track a single individual and help them in the past to improve their current situation. His visits to the past usually go in order -- for example, he might hit 1980, 1984, 1985, and 1989 -- and might include something large like saving their life or something small like simply directing them to go into another room they might not normally have entered. But everything he does in the past leads to change in the future.

Journeyman has no big bad -- so far, although I was contemplating last night what might be done with the "bad leaper" concept here. What causes the conflict here is the relationships, and they're all acted wonderfully. Katie used to date Jack, and he still holds somewhat of a torch for her. Jack suspects Dan's new secrets involves his past gambling problems, or something worse. Dan runs into those he loves in the past -- Katie, Jack, Livia -- on a regular basis, meaning sometimes seeing the woman he used to love and then coming home to a wife he also loves who knows about his travels into the past.

There is also a fabulous attention to detail in this show, not only in costumes and set design in Dan's travels to the past but also in the mythology and continuity. The kinds of things other shows would normally gloss over simply for a throwaway line end up coming up as plot points later in very useful ways. A good example from the last new episode was a pipe bursting a few episodes back that called for a plumber to come to the house, with disastrous results. The crew of the show do an awesome job of having their plot devices have meaning when they might be handwaved on other shows. It's satisfying after seeing some shows go season after season without answering or addressing major questions.

This is the link to the torrent for the pilot. I do plan to upload every episode sometime in the next week, so you will have that to watch as well.

All I ask is that you give the show a chance so that the next time they have a new episode (if they don't cancel it by then, DAMN IT) maybe they might have some new viewers thanks to this.

Comments

[trinity_clare]

Here I go with the excuse: It might not be anything like the other time travel TV shows, but it's a hell of a lot like The Time-Traveler's Wife.

[akamarykate.livejournal.com]

This came across an email list I belong to (yes, they still exist)--just FYI:

"This just in from “Journeyman” mastermind Kevin Falls:
Journeyman Fans--
NBC has decided to air the 12th episode ("Perfidia") on Wednesday, December
19th at ten o'clock. That means our 10th episode will air on Monday the 10th
("Home by Another Way"), the 11th will air on 17th ("The Hanged Man").
The decision to air the 12th episode had a lot to do with
the passion of our fans through SaveJourneyman.net ..."

Article on Ain't It Cool
Save Journeyman site

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Maybe, but Henry didn't have a mission, just an illness, and he continually interacted with Claire all the time. Dan, on the other hand, has a reason for his travels -- he is there to do a job, and running into his loved ones is something he usually avoids. The execution looks the same currently, although there's got to be a higher power or organization involved with Dan's jumps here that they have yet to reveal, whereas with Henry it was a naturally occurring phenomenon.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

*clutches show protectively* They take my show away from me and I will HURT THEM.

[akamarykate.livejournal.com]

I will help you!

[trinity_clare]

Hmm, I suppose that's true. If I have time I'll try to catch a couple episodes, I guess.

[jillybinks.livejournal.com]

I also believe (as of last week this was true) that whole episodes of the entire season can be viewed on nbc.com and that nbc reads those stats as interest in the show.

[squee1123.livejournal.com]

Journeyman IS a good show. Half the time I don't actually pay attention but it always plays in the background, at least.

So there's that bit of help.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

They weren't counting them according to the last news article I saw. And besides, downloading them off NBC.com won't help the striking writers, either. (I was suggesting it before but fuck it, if they're not even going to count the 'net views ... *sigh*)

Plus, people outside the US can't get them through NBC's website, if I'm remembering correctly.

[jillybinks.livejournal.com]

Oh, well yeah, if its not going to count for the view ratings and it's harming the writers, then yeah, not a good idea. I retract my suggestion!

I do agree the show is wonderful, however, and should be watched. *nods*

[oriundus.livejournal.com]

Yeah. What you said. Exactly.

I didn't think much of the pilot, but was a little intrigued as to where they were going with the story - and now there is SO much backstory and the little subplots and attention to detail is just amazing. And if they do cancel we'll never know where it was all leading and that would be just. so. wrong.

[wiredwizard.livejournal.com]

I dunno, TP. I'm a huge fan of time travel shows, but I just couldn't watch this one. I tried a few times & always ended up changing the channel after about 5 minutes. Sorry, I tried. =(

[pie-is-good.livejournal.com]

I just wish it was on a different night. I'm so burned out on television on Mondays, and it's even worse this week because now I have to watch the 9pm NBC spot for Life which is the show I am completely adoring beyond all reason this season.

[kurukami.livejournal.com]

I'd join that. Journeyman is by a substantial margin the best new show out there this season, and the intricacy, characterization, and simply phenomenal writing place it head and shoulders above pretty much every other series, new or established. There will be much rage should it be cancelled!

[trinag.livejournal.com]

Oh man, thank you so much for the news. I'm pretty sure that they'll be cancelling it after showing the 12th show, but I at least wanted to see all the episodes they shot. I love this show and I really wish more Nielsen families did too.

[jtersesk.livejournal.com]

I REALLY hope they don't take it away from me! The thing with his brother and the gambling obsession was getting on my nerves, but other than that I think it's really well crafted and I enjoy it thoroughly. :)

Anyway, HELLS YEAH watch it!

[lekilitook.livejournal.com]

Journeyman is a great show. They better not cancel it. I watch it every week on tv.