My Review of Fellow Travelers: "Beyond Measure"

 

Written by Dee Johnson 

Directed by Uta Briesewitz

Hawk (to Jackson): "There's nothing wrong with you. You're gonna be fine. We're all gonna be fine."

After five episodes in a largely 1950s setting, this episode finally decided to move things a bit further ahead by throwing us into the late 1960s. To recap, Senator Smith killed him, Hawk and Lucy got married and Tim joined the army.

At the start of this episode, Tim's time in the army had not only seen him becoming staunchly anti war but his actions in one of his protests with Father Lawrence in Baltimore led to him becoming a wanted man. That alone meant a reunion.

Well, a reunion somewhat facilitated by Marcus who contacted Hawk about Tim's predicament. Over a decade might have passed but it didn't stop Hawk from going out of his way to actively Tim, in spite of the latter being a bit resistant to his ex lover's help. 

Tim stayed in a cabin while Hawk tried to find a way to get Father Lawrence to take the rap for the anti war protest. It didn't take long for Hawk's son, Jackson (Etienne Kellici) to find him and for the two of them to bond with one another. 

Jackson got a lot of focus in this episode with both him and Hawk largely at odds, until the last scene. While Tim's presence might have upset Lucy, he did manage to reunite Hawk and Jackson before turning himself into the police. 

As for Marcus, when he wasn't putting Hawk and Tim back into contact with each other, he was looking after his father. Not surprising Marcus's father was unaware he was gay and thought Frankie was a strange name for a girl. Frankie on the other hand had his own plot that would take him to San Francisco. Yes, between episodes, both him and Marcus had broken up and this episode didn't reunite them.

- Lucy had no problem telling Tim that she burned one of his letters to Hawk. She also admitted to an affair from her past.

- It seemed like Marcus was asking out that woman who was looking after his father. 

- Lucy's mother was definitely aware of Hawk's extramarital affair. It also seemed like they were hinting at mental health issues for Jackson.

- Chronology: Mostly 1968 in Washington and Baltimore as well as 1986 San Francisco.

Beyond Measure was a nice way to shake up the timeline and one that was definitely needed. Hawk's family dynamic might have been on a shaky ground but in his own way, I do believe that he loves them as much as he does Tim. There was some truly brilliant scenes here.

Rating: 9 out of 10