And so it started with broken glass and oranges strewn across the road.
Among the loud cacophony of chaos and other frantic scenes. (Am I the only one who immediately thought about that famous John Locke orange eating scene?)
We are immediately made aware of the scope of the event and it grows obvious as the show moves forward that this is not localized to the city of LA (but we already knew that so it wasn't really a surprise). I was struck by the devastation. Well done boys and girls, you really nailed that one! High rises with plumes of acrid smoke. Blaring car horns. Alarms piercing the air. I swear I heard Shannon Rutherford's hysterical screams louder than any other. And what's with the man in his tidy whiteys standing in the middle of the street? And the kangaroo? I have a feeling that the kangaroo could be interesting.
I am not going to recap what happened because you saw what I saw. I will probably post a recap after I've watched the episode again on the weekend. I'm going to quickly outline some of the characters and what we've learned about them, then post some things I saw and a few questions.
We learn a few important facts as we watch the four hours prior to the event.
Mark Benford is an FBI agent. He is married to Olivia, a surgeon and together they have a daughter named Charlie (Charlotte?). He is also a recovering alcoholic and his sponsor, Aaron Stark, is an electrician who's daughter was basically obliterated in Afghanistan (more on that later).
Dimitri, Mark's partner, is young and about to be married. He's not sure if he wants the first dance with his new wife to be to the song "Islands in the Stream" (I'm not sure I'd want that either). He didn't have a vision at all.
Bryce Varley is an intern who works for Olivia Benford. He has some issues and was standing on a pier with a gun to his head when the global event occurred. It saved his life and gave him the means to move past whatever it was that had taken him to that point of despair. I'm interested in two things with this character:
1. What was happening in his life that led him to believe his only option was to take his own life?
2. What did he see that has caused an instant and total U-turn of attitude?
Janice Hawk and Stan Wedeck also work at the FBI with Mark and Dimitri. Janice appears to be a details person, gathering info for others to analyze. Stan, I think, is their boss. He shares a future memory with a co-worker in London, England, which, when verified, serves as a catalyst to begin collecting details of everyone's visions in an effort to learn more.
Nicole Kirby is Mark and Olivia's babysitter. I haven't thought much about this character yet and am not sure exactly where, in the grand scheme of things, she will fit in. I do think, however, that her vision has left her shaken and unsure.
Lloyd Simcoe, the father of the boy Olivia operates on and the man in her vision and her living room. We don't know much about him yet, but he is about to experience some major sorrow as he deals with his wife's death on the 401 and his son's recovery.
Aaron Stark really interests me and his vision is either false hope, a cruel twisted trick of the brain playing on his dearest wish, or it is the truth. Either way, I just know he will be experiencing some major emotions that may send him back into the arms of a bottle of Southern Comfort. Tracy was a soldier who was killed and the only apparent way to identify her was through DNA. Aaron's vision saw him in the Middle East rescuing his daughter. What? Wait! She's supposed to be dead! This really interests me because I like to see a bit of governmental conspiracy mixed in and I already have a thousand questions about poor Tracy.
Last, but not least is the shadowy figure in the ball park. We all saw him and once I swallowed my heart and recovered from the aha moment (I kind of suspected something like that would happen from the preview) my brain went into hyper speculation. I'm not going to say anything yet because I want to re-watch it again, but I have an idea we will be seeing a few more of these people who seem to have been immune to what ever it was that incapacitated most all of humanity.
Flashforward mirrors what we have seen on LOST. Relax, not the events but the main idea is the same. Free will as opposed to fate. When presented with a glimpse of your future, do you accept that it will happen no matter what, or do you have the free will to make changes and thus creating a different future for yourself? Can you change what appears to be your destiny or will you arrive at that future regardless of what you do to avoid it?
WHAT I NOTICED
- Red Panda was on the cork board, and on the bus, but Mark didn't recall it. Is that significant? I'm not sure, but I found this when I googled. Could just be a shameless plug, but it's worth noting.
- The friendship bracelet Charlie made for her father is one of the first things that begin to come true. However, I think that it is just a bracelet and NOT a harbinger of bad things to come.
- Robert J Sawyer, the author who's 2000 novel Flashforward the show was loosely based upon, appears in the hospital after the event. He was standing behind Olivia when she was talking to Mark on the cell.
- As soon as I saw the swing set I immediately thought of LOST and the swing set that has played such a prominent role on the island.
- Did you notice the ad for Oceanic Airlines? I can't make out what is written beside the plane, but really, "A Perfect Safety Record"? Who are they kidding? Or, is it a clue for us LOST addicts as to how the first episode of LOST will play out?
- Did you notice? The license plate on the black SUV Mark and Dimitri were chasing was 8QR722Y and the plate on their car was 4DOQ678? I noticed the Q's, but I doubt it has any significance.
- Did you catch that? As the camera pans back from the pier there are two bright spots in the sky close to each other. Could be a reflection on the camera, but I think otherwise.
MY FAVORITE QUOTES:
"You're afraid your future will happen. I'm afraid mine won't" Aaron Stark
I think this will be the mantra of the show. Some people saw a future filled with hope and happiness while others saw something bleak and ominous. It will be interesting to see how each character begins to remember more of their visions and how they interpret them.
"Just because we saw it, it doesn't mean it has to happen" Mark Benford
QUESTIONS
- Why didn't Dimitri have a vision? Some have speculated that those who were sleeping at the time of the event may not have seen a vision, but Dimitri was awake, and full of adrenaline during that chase, so that can't be the reason.
- Who was the Shadowy Figure at the ball park? There is some speculation and I have my thoughts, but I'm going to hang on for a bit on this one.
- Who is the blond woman Dimitri arrested and brought in and will she provide a possible clue? "WE had nothing to do with this" she had said, so who was she working with and how big was that dirty bomb they were planning?
- Where did the kangaroo come from?
- What is the Blue Hand and what is the significance of the charred doll?
- Who was trying to kill Mark in his vision and why did it look like they were wearing Joker masks?
- Was the cause of the global flashforward man made? Could that be possible? In the book the cause of the FF was addressed on page one, and I'm going to let you go buy or borrow the book and read it if you're interested. Gotta support a fellow Canadian, right?
I really liked No More Bad Days and am eager to see where the next episode leads us. Could this be the new LOST and it's replacement?
NO WAY, DUDE!
LOST is unique and is in a category all by itself. There will be no other show like it. But that's okay. All I need is a show that encourages me to think, speculate and learn. A show that allows me to be entertained and doesn't preach to me. I need a show that has it's feet deeply rooted in reality while it's head is reaching for the clouds and seeking possibilities beyond the practical boundaries.
To me, FLASHFORWARD has potential as it develops and we see more visions, more consequences of the blackout, how characters cope with the event and what they do about what they saw!
Let me know what you think. Will FF survive the silly season? Will you be able to tolerate it, or will you grab the remote and change to the History Channel to watch reruns of Ice Road Truckers. Will you be willing to invest your time in this premise, or do you feel robbed and want your hour back?
