La Brea: “The Journey” An Excuse To Keep The Series Going

La Brea’s season two finale, “The Journey,” is a series of excuses to avoid ending the series there and then. Although the two-hour conclusion does include more than enough reasons to justify a third season, such as Eve’s time-traveling cliffhanger, an array of new auroras from different times pouring into 10,000 B.C., how Scott’s job interview plays into the Lazarus Project, Veronica’s pregnancy, and the reveal that Gavin has a sister, certain things hold the finale back.

If there is one thing sure about La Brea, it is that the show’s premise relies on keeping most of the central characters in 10,000 B.C., which means avoiding every opportunity to return home until the show is ready to end. Given that, as an audience, there is an understanding that La Brea is a series of obstacles that stand in the way of everyone returning home.

However, “The Journey” comes so close to delivering everyone back to their time that the only excuse not to is simply that the show is not ready to end yet.

Finding the second portal could have been an arc devoted to season three, as Silas had teased that finding it would not be so simple. Silas’ claim is sorely false, considering how easily the group finds it. However, La Brea goes the distance by getting everyone within easy reach of their way home, only to take it away once again.

While previous episodes have highlighted that La Brea‘s biggest story problem is in the obstacles and hesitations that prolong everyone’s return home, “The Journey” never does anything to suggest that is not the case.

There are things to be intrigued by and excited about in the upcoming third season. But, the episode itself is one explanation after another that hinders the potential of delivering everyone a within-reach happy ending.