Journeyman: Game Three

ORIGINAL EPISODES, MONDAYS @ 10PM ON NBC

Welcome back to the show that's about to be cancelled. Unfortunately, after looking through the ratings the past couple weeks (which have slowly declined since the pilot) and the fact that we are talking about a show on NBC (known to give the axe to decent shows without giving them a chance), my intuition is telling me that "Journeyman" may not be around too much longer unless something changes. So I beg each and every one of you who reads this review to please at least give the show a chance. I won't mess with you and pretend this is the best show on tv, but it certainly is very far from the worst. If you watched this week's episode I'm sure you'll agree.

One of the big stories this season has been that Dan used to be engaged to Livia until one day her plane crashed and her body was never found. At some point after her death Dan started to become very close to his brother's wife, Kattie. His brother apparently made some very serious mistakes at that time and today Katie and Dan are happily married for seven years with a son. It turns out that Livia didn't actually die in the plane crash. Before she met Dan she was a traveler too but during their relationship it stopped; well until the plane crash. Since then Livia has been traveling while Dan moved on and married Katie. Last week Livia found out Dan was married but not who his wife was. This week Katie asked Dan point blank if he's ever run into anyone he knows and he lied. At the very end of the episode Katie found out that Livia and Dan have run into each other when he travels back.

Needless to say, after finding out this information Katie is not happy. If Dan had been honest he might have saved himself a lot of trouble. My point in all this explanation is that this is a fantastic storyline. It's suspenseful, intriguing, and heartbreaking. Although this show is centered around the time travel, the romantic edge and personal relationships at stake give it a unique perspective. Next week's episode shows the aftermath of this information coming out and it doesn't look that good for Dan. Although it's tragic what happened to his relationship with Livia, I find myself hoping Dan and Katie can work it out. They seem to genuinely love each other and although Livia is actually alive his life and his heart belong with Katie.

The individual episode stories that take place with Dan going back in time to change the outcome of someones life are also great. Each week he travels back and runs into the same person again and again. As he meets them each time he's supposed to figure out what to change in that persons life so their future turns out differently. This week he needed to make sure Alan Pratt, a gambling addict, experienced the 1989 San Francisco earthquake so he could realize his life wasn't over and work to turn it around. After surviving a near-death experience Allan paid off the gambling debts and became a famous lawyer who exonerated 150 prisoners who were wrongfully convicted using DNA evidence to show their innocence.

"Journeyman" has been consistent in it's quality and I hope more people pick up on just how good this show is before it's too late. NBC tends to cancel shows the moment they lose momentum, so please give it a shot before it's too late.