It's really interesting to see Dan learning, like in Episode 3, that just because he can time travel to help people, doesn't mean he gets to decide much about it. It was sad to see him so upset he couldn't save his boss's sister and do anything to help/stop the disaster of the earthquake.

I think he won't give up trying to do other things though, which will certainly keep his traveling interesting. I'm getting more and more curious what it means that so far only he and his ex-fiancee are the ones who can time-travel. Does that mean they have some unavoidable connection that's going to mess with his life and marriage even more?

I think this is a very interesting aspect of the show as well. I keep thinking back to the premiere episode and how what he needs to do has to be primarily followed by instinct or intuition, whether or not it makes a lot of sense, because there is a much larger picture in mind.

I mean, how twisted was it that he needed to save a guys life, a man who would eventually try to kill his son, only to have to play a part in that man's death later. You would think that the shortcut to all that was to have allowed him to commit suicide, but that's not the case. It wasn't about that man, it was about that man's son and the millions of lives that son could eventually save. Thus, that man had to live in order to have a son to begin with. There's no way that Dan could have known or predicted that was what that Journey was all about (even knowing what he knows now).

And I believe that was what Livia was trying to get across to Dan in Game Three, when she was telling him he had to trust his instincts and that messing with that actually makes things worse. There's a much larger purpose for his Journey, one that goes beyond the here and now (of his Journey). Even if he could have saved his boss's sister, saving the other man's life played a larger role in helping a larger number of people. I'm not saying that the sister isn't important, but there always seems to be a bigger picture. And I really like that!

But like stephie was saying, it's hard not to imagine Dan wanting some control over what is going on in his Journeys, especially when it appears that he can do something about something that he knows happens between the Journey and the present. It's just ingrained in our human nature to try and fix the wrongs when we have an opportunity. I think this most definitely sets up a very interesting internal struggle for our main character and that in itself can add a lot of depth to the show. I hope the writers decide to play off of that.

I wonder about him and Livia being time travelers. I haven't spent a lot of time on the Journeyman threads yet, so I'm sure these are already questions that have been asked, but I wonder if they are other Traveler's out there and who are they? Why do they have this ability? Why does it start and stop from time to time (For Livia, it stopped while she was dating Dan. For Dan it started somewhere in the middle of his life and for what reason?)? I'm hoping (and I'm pretty sure) that these questions will be answered as the show progresses. It's definitely keeping me on my toes.

Yep, I agree.
I think that the writers probably will.
The previews for next week mention Dan having an ethical dilema along those lines.



Yeah, those are some of the big questions, for sure.
Especially the one about 'are there any other time-travelers out there?'
I hope we get some answers.

'Game Three' also brought up that Dan can't control when he goes on his journeys. He knew where he was going but didn't go when he wanted to (in the present). I wonder if this is something he will later be able to control or is there someone else controlling it. If it is someone else, they have a sick sense of humor. Before his shower... With no shoes on...

this show is great!...

anyways, im not sure if anybody knows but what can Dan bring back to time?..."it seems" like whatever he possesses, he can bring back with him, ex: the wrench, cell phone, gun....

im wondering if he can bring back a person with him?????

one thing i did notice that could be a flaw (episode 3), was when right before he went back in time, he wrote "sorry" in his bathroom using a lipstick and when he left the lipstick didnt travel back??...if anything he possesses right before he goes back to time goes with him, why didnt the lipstick tag along??

just food for thought...

Good idea to start a thread about this. I made a similar comment on a different thread but no one really ran with it.

Anyway it seems that whatever is 'in Dan's possesion' goes with him. So far I think the wrench (not including himself & clothes) was biggest object he's taken with him. Thus far I don't think he has been touching anybody while he's been leaving and I think this has been purposeful. I think the writers are probably leaving that as a storyline option later. Now whether or not they actually use I guess we'll see.

I guess based on what we know so far its a spacial limit to what goes with Dan but you're right about the lipstick in Ep 4 unless he dropped it when his head started to hurt. It cuts so we don't really see what happsened.

I think we got that answer in last Monday's episode. Looks like there is at least one other traveler. I can't wait until that develops further.



You know, I was just wondering about that. What if one time he holds onto Katie. Will she travel with him? And she (and noone else of consequence for that matter) has ever had him disappear while in their presence.

yeah, i didnt think about him dropping the lipstick...good catch

Well, he can't bring back a car, but I wonder what the largest item he can bring is? Does it have to do with mass, volume, or somethin else?

^^^^ Hmmm, maybe it's because the care created a space, therefore it was treated like a room rather than an object, so it was something he traveled out of rather than with.

Honestly, I have no idea what I'm talking about.

Well it is obvious that who ever is controlling the time travelling has a fashion sense. Everyone knows that the lipstick did not match Dan's belt - a big no no. This would also account for Livia's style while she is back in time too...

We got an intriguing clue tonight when Dan jumped at the Farmer's Market. (Ferry Building FM, very cool, BTW). He was carrying his son on his shoulder when he jumped, but his son stayed in the present. Does that mean he cannot bring people back with him?

Or did his son get knocked off of his shoulder just before he jumped? That would be something of a cheap dodge by the writers, if that were the case.

Also, I had just begun to wonder why no one ever sees Dan jump, even when he does it in a crowded situation. Then his son suddenly sees him jump. Perhaps his son can see Dan jump, but no one else can? We already know there's some weird thing going on with Dan and his Dad, perhaps the time-travel thing runs in the family?

I was reminded a bit of an old sci-fi book called "The War of Oblivion" or something like that. In this story, someone invents a device called the "Time-Space Separator," or "Tisser" for short. You point the Tisser at a person or an object, and that target not only disappears from the time-space continuum, but the continuum closes up around them to amend the universe as if they had never existed. So no one notices when the targets begin disappearing. Perhaps something like that happens to Dan, which is why witnesses never notice him disappearing. Of course, it can't be exactly like in the book, or his wife would forget she was married while Dan is on a journey, which does not happen. But something along those lines.

I agree about it running in the family but it skipped Jack

I thought he put Zack down to get his hat, and then he 'tripped'.

Interesting thought about no one else seeing him take off. I just chalked it up to the people in the crowd just being really self absorbed.

Zach saw his "magic" which makes me wonder why nobody else has, especially this episode when he ported in the middle of the newsroom... no wonder the paper is going down hill with that crew of keen observers.

And yes he was holding Zach's hand when Zach dropped his hat and when dan reached for it he ported, takeing the hat with him by the way.

I am torn on weather jack knowing would help or hurt the cause.... right now he's such a pain in the butt, sending that cop to the house looking for a gun toteing tuxedo guy. He either needs to get on board or Dan goes back and pushes him into a trolly car when they were kids.

I think Jack knows there dad travelled and will see that Dan does too now

So were assuming that Dan's dad can travel like him when he was alive? Right? I really hope it's not someone else controlling Dan's Journey's. I like the fact that it happens to Dan sporadically. I would
really love to see him learn to control it in the future. There has to be way. Also, how did the scientist from Livermore labs call Dan in the past on his old phone??? Crazy! I love it!

Hahaha

Here is an idea, in story form, to give Dan control. First he accidentally discovers that attitude affects his time leap.

Dan is distracted (more than before), with a need to go back to a specific time. He soon finds that the place in the past is wrong and then it goes wrong!

Dan steps into the rings of image distortions, the full screen is white.

The white remains with white noise.
Livia “Dan?”. (A faded shift to the new scene at the edges of the screen. )

Dan “What?”
Livia “Dan” (edges of the screen darken more into more of the new scene).
Dan “Where?”
Livia “Reach!” (White noise is quieter but with low pulsing rhythms one at the rate of a rapid heart beat, maybe others more at the pace of walking sounds and others that of passing cars.

The light is now a cloud on “Jack Kerouak Alley” in front of the “City Lights Book Store”. Farther down the alley, an edge of another cloud is seen. (There are no pedestrians or moving cars.)

Dan “What am I? “

Livia “Find me”. The two clouds, each, have human profiles. The second cloud moves into the first cloud and the clouds fade into the exact images of Livia pulling Dan by the foot. Cars and pedestrians are moving with distinct street noises.

Dan “ Wha Happen?”

Livia “Focus on the first thing you see. That sometimes happens to me when I had wanted something else. Just go with it!”

“So what was that?”
“I think the cloud is our refusal to focus on this moment. It kept you from being in one place at one time.”

Dan “We have some control, with our intent!”

Livia “Intentions, (Livia looks him up and down) make us more out of control. So, why are we here?”

Later they might find that by un-focusing time and position they become mostly invisible to non-time-travelers.