Wow, that would have been a great episode of "Traveler" — if it hadn't also been the series finale. Instead of leaving us with a neatly wrapped-up story, we got even more questions. Pretty much everything else I could say is a spoiler, so I think we'd better just read more
The commercial for tonight's episode of "Traveler" promises that questions will be answered — and I certainly hope the good folks in ABC's promo department aren't just messing with me when they say that. The show that surprised me by becoming one of my must-watch summer series concludes tonight, and while I've already accepted that there are lots of developments from this fast-paced, eight episode serial that I'll just never understand, I'll settle for learning who Will is and why he was supposed to kill his best friends. That's not asking too much, right? To watch the preview, read more
Only one more episode of "Traveler" to go, and I'm beginning to accept that I'm not ever going to understand everything that happens in this show. But "The Reunion" was yet another fun ride with yet another major twist at the end, so let's get to it.
Lots more, so read more
As "Traveler" hurtles toward its season finale, the episodes are starting to be more closely balanced between Jay and Tyler's story and Will's, leading me to believe that there's going to be a massive smackdown between the three of them. So I'd just like to go on record now as saying that if they just hug and make up, it will be the lamest series ending ever.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. This week's episode starts with Jay and Tyler heading back to New York, where Jay ever-so-helpfully reminds us it's dangerous to be because people haven't forgotten about the Drexler bombing. Well, maybe they shouldn't be talking about it in public, then, huh? There was lots more wacky logic in this week's episode, so read more
For me, last week's episode of "Traveler" marked a shift in the way I think about the show. It's not just a fun summer time-waster anymore; it's actually good. But I'm getting a little nervous about how the show is going to wrap up. Tonight marks episode six in the show's scheduled eight-episode run, and there's still so much we don't know. Why does Homeland Security want Jay and Tyler dead? Why was Will being interrogated on a sound stage? What do Tyler and Jay's fathers have to do with all of this? And who is Will, anyway?
From the looks of the preview clip for tonight's installment, it looks like we'll once again be getting more questions than answers — in addition to yet another new character, Eddie. But hey, Jay and Tyler are back to running (and panting overly loudly) through the streets, and that's got to count for something, right? To watch the clip for yourself, read more
This week's episode of "Traveler" was the most action-packed hour yet, and for the first time, I'm actually a little sad that this show will (presumably) be ending for good in just a few weeks. I've grown attached to Jay and Tyler, but this week also featured a heavy dose of Will, the reason I liked this show in the first place.
This week jumped back and forth between Jay and Tyler's story and Will's interrogation, so there was a lot going on. Here's my take on what happened:
Lots more, so read more
I realized last night that I no longer have a clue what's happening on "Traveler." I don't know who's good, who's bad and who's just creepy; I don't know who's telling the truth and who's lying. And in that way, I guess the show has managed to put me in the shoes of Jay and Tyler, as their lives start to feel even more unhinged.
But what I love most about "Traveler" at this point is the final two minutes of every episode. In the first episode, Tyler's dad reveals that he's been on the phone with someone mysterious. In the second, the scary Homeland Security guy appears. In the third, we learn that Will's alive. And in the fourth ... well, I'll get to that in a second. First, here are a few of my thoughts on "The Out":
To talk more about Daniel Taft and that crazy ending, read more
One thing I noticed watching last night's second episode of "Traveler": That show moves fast! So much happens that I could hardly believe every time it was time for another commercial break. The downside of that is that too much seemed to happen on this week's episode, and it was hard to keep track of all the twists and turns. Still, "Traveler" is a mystery that I'm having fun trying to solve.
In case you missed the first episode, here's a quick rundown: Jay, Tyler and Will were grad school friends and roommates who decide to take a road trip before starting their professional lives. At an art museum in New York, Will encourages the guys to pull a prank by rollerblading through the museum. He says he'll be behind them filming, but instead, he tells Jay he's "sorry I had to do this" just before the museum blows up. The two end up as suspects in a terrorist plot, and nobody can find any trace of Will, not even a photograph. Jay wants to reason with the FBI while Tyler wants to run; in the end, thanks to help from several mysterious characters and following the death of a few FBI agents, the two set off for Tyler's rich dad's house somewhere in the country.
That's where the second episode picks up, so to talk about it, read more
Watching the pilot of "Traveler," ABC's serial thriller that debuts tonight, I had the sense that we'd seen this kind of show before. It's a serial in the vein of "Day Break" or "Kidnapped" — and, well, we know what happened to them. So maybe it's best for "Traveler" that it never made it to the air until now. Summer shows have a lower threshold for ratings success, and maybe "Traveler" will be that rare serial that actually gets to tie up all its plot points before getting yanked off the air.
"Traveler" tells the story of three friends — Jay, Tyler and the unfortunately named Will Traveler — who set off on a post-grad school road trip. In New York, they decide to pull a prank in an art museum by rollerblading down the stairs; Will stays behind to film the other two. They're supposed to meet up outside, but then Jay gets a call from Will, who says "I'm sorry I had to do this." Then the museum blows up, and the next thing they know, Jay and Tyler have their faces plastered on television as suspected terrorists — and Will is gone.
The story goes in two different directions from there: one following Jay and Tyler as they decide whether to turn themselves in or run from the FBI, one piecing together their memories of Will as they try to figure out why he'd frame them. For more on the show, and to watch the first 10 minutes, read more
I have high hopes for ABC's summer series "Traveler," which centers around two buddies who get framed for a terrorist act by a third friend. So I was excited to see that the show — which wasn't scheduled to start until May 30 — will be getting a special premiere after the May 10 episode of "Grey's Anatomy." The show will then move to its regular 10 p.m. Wednesday slot on May 30 with a second airing of the pilot episode.
The move means that "Men in Trees" is done for the season, but it's expected that the remaining five episodes will be shown in the fall, giving the show an extra-long second season.
"Traveler" is directed by David Nutter, who also directed episodes of "X-Files" and "Roswell," and it has a similarly mysterious plot. Three friends are on a road trip when they decide to prank an art museum in New York by rollerblading through it. Two take off down the stairs; the third, Will, stays behind to film them. But as soon as the other two make it out of the museum, they get a call from Will, who says "I'm sorry I had to do this." The museum immediately blows up, and within minutes, the video of the two friends running away is plastered all over television. It looks pretty heavy for a summer series, but it could be a welcome change of pace from all the reality fare the networks have planned. I got my hands on a copy of the pilot, so I'll check it out and let you know what I think; for now, you can see a preview video if you read more
