By Jennifer Larson

I have been looking forward to this show all summer long. When I began seeing the clips, I immediately thought it was a take on the amazing book “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” but now that I have seen the show, it also brings to mind one of my all-time-favorites, QUANTEM LEAP. The show centers on journalist Dan Vasser (Kevin McKidd) who begins to mysteriously travel to the past and alter the paths of people’s lives. The kicker here is the fact that these alterations aren’t always for the better. Add to that the fact that he has to somehow explain his absences, which can last up to days at a time, to his loving wife and son. And you thought you had it rough because you have to explain to your wife why you were two hours late getting home last night.

In tonight’s premiere episode, Dan is inexplicable transported to the 1980s. Actually he travels in time but not in space, because he wakes up in his own home, only it’s his home 20 years in the past. As you can imagine, the family living in it at the time aren’t too happy to see a strange man wondering around their house in his pajamas. Of course they aren’t nearly as confused as poor Dan is. Traveling back to 1987 had to be a shock to his senses as well. I mean how would you like to go back and revisit that era’s fashion? I know I personally burned all of my bangle bracelets and day-glo attire. Let’s just hope bringing back artifacts from the past isn’t part of his experience.

By all appearances Dan has the perfect life. A beautiful and loving wife, an adorable little boy, and a nice house, but right off the bat we sense some tension. Dan’s first experience at traveling back in time turns out to be the last moment he saw his ex-fiancé who died shortly thereafter. I’ve had some ex-boyfriends who couldn’t seem to let go of a past love, but that’s ridiculous. But that little jump into the past only lasted a few moments, his next one kept him away for two days. During his absence, we find out that things may not be what they seem, which explains why everybody in his life assumes he’s slacking off instead of taking his disappearances seriously. It’s so frustrating when everybody you love would rather believe you’re a crack head than you keep getting thrown back in time, especially considering this poor schmuck is trying to save a man’s life. Of course the man in question can’t help explain things because he lives in the year 1987.


Meanwhile, Dan’s ex fiancé keeps showing up wherever he is sent to, so who’s he really supposed to save? Things get even trickier than that, when Dan runs into the dead fiancée herself. Ok, it’s a little confusing, but apparently she never died because she too got swept into the past right before the ill-fated plane she was on went down. Unfortunately she doesn’t seem to have any more answers than he does. That’s a buzz kill, because Dan now believes that his real objective is to save the aforementioned man’s wife and son, whom he finds out are killed in a fire in 1997. Wow there seems to be a lot of death and destruction wherever this time traveler goes. What I can’t figure out is if he’s the cause in some way, or the one meant to fix it? Whichever the case may be, it appears he won’t be able to stay in his time for any extended period unless he figures it out.


Ultimately the mystery is solved, at least for this episode. The guy Dan saved from 1987, was going to end up murdering his wife and son in 1997, a son who ends up to be something pretty spectacular. As it turns out, that son may be the reason for Dan’s time travels. But now that he’s saved the boy’s life, can he save his own? Well he sure makes an impressive attempt to, when he buries his wife’s new wedding ring under the deck of his house in 1997. After coming home to a cold reception in 2007, he uncovers his handiwork to prove to her he isn’t crazy. All ends up well in tonight’s installment of JOURNEYMAN, but something tells me bigger trouble lies ahead. That is if the show lasts. Personally, I enjoyed it, but all this jumping back and forth may prove to be a little confusing for the masses – and I include myself in that group. If that does happen, I just hope this show doesn’t go the way of others like DAYBREAK by not explaining how and why these things are happening. For now, I’ll just sit back and enjoy the ride.