Travelers star Patrick Gilmore on David’s turbulent season 3

Travelers season 3 is its wildest yet, and Patrick Gilmore spoke to Netflix Life about what it was like to make the show’s third (and final!) season.

There’s not another sci-fi series quite like Travelers, which is now streaming its third season on Netflix. The time-traveling drama has characters all over the place and constantly trying to sort out their own reality, and Patrick Gilmore is well acquainted with its craziness.

Patrick portrays David Mailer, the social worker who handles Marcy’s (MacKenzie Porter) case and ends up falling in love with her. The third season put more of a focus on his character, as David got his own episode—and it was one of the show’s most intense.

Netflix Life connected with the actor to talk about the experience of making Travelers, which was unfortunately cancelled by the streaming service on Friday. But you can still stream the current season, and the complete series, which any sci-fi fan absolutely should.

Learn more about Patrick Gilmore and Travelers in our interview below, then jump into Travelers season 3 now on Netflix.

Netflix Life: What was your reaction when you found out that David was going to have such a big episode in this season of Travelers?

Patrick Gilmore: I knew what was going to happen before I knew the name of the episode. Earlier on in the season, I had been in the production office, just getting something signed or paperwork. I typically always pop into [creator] Brad Wright’s office and we have a little sit-down and chat.

On this particular day, he was like hey, by the way, I just wanted to let you know where we’re headed this season. And he told me and I don’t want to give you my reaction, because that might be spoilers.

But I will say once he was done, both Brad and I sat in silence for a good two minutes, just kind of mulling over what he had planned—and we pulled it off.

NL: The finale is possibly the biggest episode of Travelers ever. Especially given what happens to David, did you have a clue where it was all going to end up?

PG: He told me the last three episodes of season 3 so I kind of knew how it was going to end and he gave me a sense of how we would continue. Every season I read the finale and go, how the hell are you going to get us out of this one?

NL: What was the most interesting thing about playing David? What kept you wanting to come back to Travelers every season?

PG: I think—[and] you see this a lot in season 3—his capacity to trust in Marcy and time. I think that’s what fascinates me the most because it’s so unlike me. He really believes wherever we’re headed, it’s to a good place as far as our intentions go.

He believes in humankind; that’s why he’s a social worker. He believes the best in strangers and obviously, he puts all of his belief in Marcy. He trusts so easily and openly and honestly, even when everything else is pointing the other way. That’s probably his greatest weakness.

NL: Being on Netflix and being so intricate, Travelers is built for binge-watching. Do you watch the season an episode at a time, or do you binge-watch it?

PG: I had the option to get screeners to watch [the episodes], but I wanted to wait till everyone else saw it as well. I’ve watched the first two episodes, and I kind of watch it with one foot out the door, because it’s always awkward watching yourself and your friends. I see what I’ve done right and what I’ve done wrong.

NL: What else is next for Patrick Gilmore?

PG: I did a show called Jann for CTV that’s going to be coming out in March. That’s one of my first full-out comedies that I’ve done, so I’m really excited about that, especially with the people I work with. That’s going to be a treat, especially for Canadians because of Jann Arden, who is a sweetheart. Then season 4 of You Me Her wrapped up a few weeks ago. It was a busy 2018, so that means it’s going to be a fun 2019 for me.

The third season of Travelers is streaming on Netflix now. Learn more about every original series on Netflix in the Netflix Originals category at Netflix Life.