So with the episode of what looks to be the final one of the series, we are given a treat. This one throws in some nice curve balls, but also gives us some nice answers as well. Let’s start with the past.
Dan wakes up in the North Bay Psychiatric Hospital mental institution not very far from the present: September of 2007. He meets a man named Evan Pattison, who claims to be just like Dan: he time travels. According to Evan, he met a girl named Laura back when he was in college but their relationship is currently very complicated.
After convincing Dan that he is a time traveler, Dan stages a distraction so Evan can escape from . Dan travels back into the present shortly thereafter.
When Dan encounters Evan again with Livia at his side, Evan is attempting to get in contact with Laura. It turns out that she’s married to a mayoral candidate who is seeking re-election into the office.
After Livia runs a distraction, Evan is able to talk to Laura, who struggles to remember anything that Evan tells her, although she seems touched by Evan in a way she cannot understand. This leads Dan to believe that Evan is not really able to time travel and needs to return to North Bay.
It also turns out that after this encounter, Evan jaywalks across the street to catch up with Laura but is killed on the street. Dan and Livia are able to convince him not to give chase, but resulting in another way that Evan will die: a gunshot wound.
The next time they find each other, Evan has convinced Dan that he is the real deal. Evan shows Dan a tape from 2004 showing Evan and Laura winning a salsa dancing competition to the song Perfidia. He explains that they were married for 25 years until one day, a man he pissed off in the past killed Laura in retaliation (does that not sound familiar?).
One day, Evan happened to travel back to the time period that he and Laura first met each other. To save Laura from her certain death, he alters the past so that he and Laura never meet.
Evan regrets his decision. So much so, in fact, that when Dan tells Evan that sneaking into the Vogel residence to propose to Laura will result in him being shot to death, yields nothing. Evan does not feel he needs to live beyond this day because the world does not make sense without her.
Now that they are convinced, Dan believes he must attempt to get Evan and Laura back together. Livia is reluctant, but goes along with the plan. At the reception that Laura is at, Evan is able to talk more in-depth with Laura.
Struggling at first, Dan gives a little helping hand by getting the band to play Perfidia, to which Evan and Laura begin their salsa dance. Laura slightly remembers Evan, but as the dance goes on, she begins to rediscover the love they had. While she remembers the past or not is unknown, although she does leave her husband in the present. Evan is not able to know this as right after their dance he collapses from a heart attack and dies.
We learn that Evan’s fate is to die that day no matter what. While the result is the same, Evan’s path to his death has differed significantly. Livia and Dan say their goodbyes, believing that they will not see each other for a while. At this time, they see Dan at the first time he time travels, which is right after Evan Pattison dies.
The Present
Meanwhile, in the present, Jack continues his pursuit of the truth and why his brother is traveling. He confronts Elliot Langley in the parking lot in the morning and attempts to squeeze information out of him. Langley denies every last bit of information. Jack swears they are not through.
True to his word, Jack crashes Langley’s lecture at a local college. Langley is once again reluctant to say anything and Jack is escorted out of the hall.
Katie continues to have troubles of her own. While continuing with her struggles of Dan and his traveling, her sister is not giving her much in terms of help. She is attempting to persuade Katie to have a backup plan, which involves another house in another country. Katie rebuts her advances at this idea as her sister leaves from her visit.
Also, we find some answers from Elliot Langley to Dan and Livia’s traveling. Turns out that Langley’s constant denials when there are other people around about knowing Dan is that he knows he is being watched. He is afraid to expose that Dan has a unique ability and use it for a less-than-beneficial cause.
According to Langley, he first discovered time traveling when he was looking for answers to historic anomalies, such as a replica of a model airplane during Incan times, and that while it is unknown how many people do, Langley knows there are only a small number of people that share Dan’s ability to travel in time.
While there were a small number to begin with, Langley believes that Dan is the only remaining time traveler. Dan begins to explain that Livia is another aside from he and Pattison, but Langley does not seem to have knowledge of her. Remember what Langley said about being watched, Dan decides not to divulge the information.
Dan tells Katie that the sedatives that they gave to Evan seem to stop his time travel. Katie is all for getting a prescription so Dan can stop traveling, but Dan is reluctant. He explains his feeling that the traveling and the ability to alter peoples’ lives is a calling and he will continue to do it.
Defeated, Katie attempts to reaffirm his statement from the beginning of the season: that he’ll always come home. Dan does so. Katie replies that she will leave the light on for him.
In the morning, as Dan gets ready to travel again, he calls out Katie’s name, who wakes up just in time to see Dan disappear back into the past, fulfilling her wishes that she see him in the act.
Some little tidbits from this episode:
+ Their second meeting in the past, Livia was just about to get married. She is distraught over the pressure of getting married, but assists Dan in his mission as always.
+ Livia has told Henry, her husband-to-be, that she travels. She said she would not make the same mistake twice.
+ Katie talks to Jack about Theresa’s pregnancy. Katie claims he upgraded, but Jack reveals that he finally accepted that he cannot find an equal to Katie, and has moved on.
Final Thoughts
This seems to be a farewell episode to Journeyman. The show started out a little slow and I guess didn’t really give the viewers any satisfaction to stay tuned in after Heroes.
I enjoyed this show thoroughly and felt that it gained momentum as time went on and went out with a bang. There is always a little chance for the show to return, although the chance is very slim.
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