Scary Monsters and Super Creeps

I know who the super creep is in this show and I like him. Simon is arrogantly charming in his superior brilliance. If Dominic Monahan wanted to do something completely opposite to his last role as Charlie Pace, he's found it. Self confidence just oozes from his pores!

Simon is super smart and uses that to his advantage in many ways. On the train, a rather luxurious train at that, he picks up a woman by telling her that he knows what caused the GBO. At her skepticism he tells her to do a google image search for "brilliant physicist" and laughs at the first image that comes up. He's posing in silver underwear and holding goggles in front of his privates. He impresses her by mentioning the Double Slit Experiment and explaining the Schrodinger's Cat Thought Thought experiment.

I'm not going to explain either one here, and I'm not entirely sure where this takes us in regards to the cause of the GBO, but I have a feeling we'll learn more as time goes by.

Simon gets what he wants and in the aftermath of "lovin" he reveals his own vision. Maybe he's the scary monster as well, because when he described his vision he took a certain pleasure to make sure to point out how satisfied he was that he had killed the man with the neck as thick as an ox.

I found it interesting that as Simon was explaining Schrodinger's Cat to the blond, Olivia was fighting to save Janice's life. At one point Simon mentions that it is the observer's decision if the cat is alive or dead, and we see Janice crashing, possibly on the verge of death. Olivia saves Janice and is napping when Stan, Mark and the rest of the team arrive at the hospital. Security is heightened at the hospital with armed guards everywhere to keep Janice safe, so Stan tells everyone to leave the hospital and get some rest.

Dimitri and Al decide to check on the dead guys. While the forensic coroner is checking the bodies for anything to ID they dead assailants using a black light, they notice a blue hand on the one guy's hand. Suddenly Dimitri has faith in Mark's big board of clues and convinces Al to help him find the source of the blue hand by promising to buy him a sandwich at that Cuban place. Al's in and they head to Baltimore street, where they find a blue hand on the stop sign.

Olivia and Mark decide they have been dealing with their future in the wrong way. Olivia decides they need to live in the moment and not be so focused on what may or may not happen in the future. It's busy at the hospital and Olivia sends Mark home to take Charlie our to trick or treat. At the same time, Bryce reminds Lloyd that the kids in the hospital are allowed to dress up and go from room to room trick or treating as well. Lloyd rushes out to get his son the only costume left in his size...a pimp costume, complete with Flava Flave clock. I'm sorry, but I thought the choice of costume was rather inappropriate for a child as young as Dylan.

I'm not sure about hospitals in your area, but ours keeps it's doors locked. Both on the wards and, especially after regular hours, the main doors. There is no patient access to the emergency rooms either. I am having a very very difficult time with Dylan just wandering away from the hospital and getting on the bus to find "his house too". The whole scenario felt forced and totally unnecessary to me. I understand why, I just don't accept it.

Mark and Obi Wan take Charlie out trick or treating and they see a kangaroo. I love Charlie's reaction and the dumbfounded look on Mark's and Aaron's faces.

There is something about the kangaroo, it has a significance that I have yet to ascertain, but am I the only one to notice that every time Mark sees that Kangaroo, he encounters yet another distraction that leads him back to his big cork board of clues? And it did, too, as Mark sees three men dressed in black and wearing masks exactly like he saw in his vision. He calls out to them and they scatter. Mark chases one of them to a graveyard and tackles the guy. The masks came from the 99 cents store? He's about to grill the teen when Nicole calls. They have a visitor.

Nichole explains that Dylan just walked into the house and made himself comfortable. She found his hospital bracelet and called Olivia, who was in surgery, but managed to get a message to his father, who shows up to collect his wayward child. And this is where we see the possible beginning of the end for Mark and Olivia as they each react to the other with distrust and a fatalism that surprised me. Both accusing the other of lying, keeping secrets and not trusting. It certainly was a sad scene.

On the up side, I really loved the expressions of recognition on all the parties' faces as they all realized who was who and what was happening.

Dimitri and Al are following the blue hand clue and find their first hand on a stop sign. They figure out how to follow the hands. The hand itself points in a direction and the number of fingers on the hand designate how many blocks to travel. Remember the house at the end of the block with the big yard and gated driveway, was falling apart and all the kids thought was haunted? Yeah, that's the one and this house was no exception to the rule. Inside Al and Dimitri find dead bodies, one with its hand painted blue. They also find a connection to Al's vision in the form of identification of Ian Rutherford.

In Al's vision he is in London working on "the Rutherford case". Al's vision is starting to come true as well.

After returning his son to the hospital, Lloyd leaves to go home and get some rest. He is a man with a lot on his mind. As he gets into his car and goes to start it, Simon pops up from the back seat, asking Lloyd why he hasn't been returning his calls. Lloyd tells Simon that he doesn't want anything to do with him or them (I'm assuming he means the rest of the people involved with the experiment). "Our little experiment killed 20 million people, Simon"

QUOTABLE QUOTES:

"That is the coolest costume ever!" - Charlie Binford when she spots the kangaroo.

"I have a theory, but the science is complicated" - Simon

"I'm a complicated girl" - Mystery blond on the train

"According to the Mosiac, we're 1/2 a million strong" - mystery woman explaining that her vision had her at Times Square

"There are already two dozen agents working on this, who didn't have a grenade launched at them last night.." - Stan to Dimitri

"Mark talks about D Gibbons, Suspect Zero, the crows...for the first time outside of this office, and then eight hours later......" - Dimitri explaining why China is a dead end.

QUESTIONS:

Why was Simon taking the train? Does he have an aversion to flying, or is he afraid another blackout will occur?

How convenient was it that the woman was on the train and had all the right answers to intrigue Simon? I'm wondering who she is.

When is Mark going to realize the kangaroo is a clue and is it on his big cork board of clues?

Did Nichole ever create that sketch of her killer?

Will Lloyd seek disciplinary action against the hospital for allowing his son to slip out the doors and disappear into the night?

Will Janice prove that the flashes can be changed? Or will she suddenly decide that she wants to have a baby and how will she go about it? I have a theory, but I'm not quite ready to share that yet.

Lloyd seems like a pretty decent guy and appears to have a conscience, which is why he is bothered by the experiment. I'm positive they are connected to Suspect Zero, and possibly many others who were awake during the GBO. I just can't make the connection.

How cool was Nichole's costume? I think I saw someone dressed up like that on Saturday night come to my house!

JUST ONE MORE THING

I really am having a problem with the way the writers used Dylan to force the circumstances between Mark and Olivia. Not only was his costume tasteless, but the whole scenario of him wandering away from the hospital and boarding a bus just couldn't happen, could it? This really bothers me if it could happen. Wouldn't the security guards be keeping an eye on the entrances and exits that weren't locked? Why isn't Lloyd making a big noise about how easy it was for his kid to wander off? I know I would be freaking and the cops would be everywhere!

I am also having difficulty believing how Mark and Olivia could just accuse the each other of things that haven't happened. I was appalled that Olivia would dismiss the danger of her vision coming true and yet almost insists that Mark's had greater odds of happening. I have to admit to feeling more for Mark than Olivia after that. Mark's reaction to finding the possible future lover in his living room was more understandable than Olivia's reaction to Mark's "coming clean". He didn't have to tell her the truth, but he did, and her reaction was hardly supportive.

So, what did you think of Scary Monster's and Super Creeps?

You know what to do. Either answer on FB or in the comment section.

Screencaps courtesy of ODI and FanPop.

137 SEKUNDEN

137 Sekunden will probably not be ranked in my top ten of favorite episodes when all is said and done. That does not mean, however, that it wasn't a good episode. If you are not a fan of FF by now, chances are, you will not become one. Flashforward is a procedural in that the main story and characters will develop over time with clues and questions being presented and answered slowly. The nice thing about FF is that they deal with one "stranger's" vision each episode that adds to the clues on Marks board.

In order to keep from being confused I'm going to record my thoughts on a linear basis, as it happened, so to speak, because much of tonight's episode ties together.

The episode begins by showing us that the babysitter is still awol, and Olivia and Mark are deciding who's able to collect Charlie from school. Mark volunteers as he answers the door. It's Aaron Stark, and Mark lied to Olivia why he's there. In Mark's home office, he tells Aaron about Charlie's knowledge of D. Gibbons and expresses his fear and worry. Aaron advises him to ensure Charlie is protected at all times if he thinks she could be in danger.

Dimitri tries to get information from the mysterious female caller, who tells him that he will be shot three times in the chest. When he tries to trace the call, he finds that she has taken steps to remain anonymous by routing the call through several locations at the same time.

Mark and Janice and a co-worker are sifting through files submitted to the FBI from around the world and find an interesting tidbit about Rudolf Geyer, who has requested a meeting specifically with Mark. They are about to discount it when Mark sees a photo of Geyer. He remembers it from his vision and thinks he should follow up, convincing Stan Wedeck to allow him and Janice to go to Germany.

Rudolf Geyer is a prisoner, serving time for Nazi war crimes, after eluding capture for several decades and even living in the United States. He thinks he knows what caused the GBO.

Dimitri's fiancee, Zoey, is finally able to leave Seattle, flying home to LA with the president of the airline. That man was rather nervous, don't you think? And did you notice? They were the practically the only two on the plane! That's some consumer confidence happening right there.

Olivia shares lunch with Felicia Wedeck, Stan's wife. Felicia tells her about her vision of putting a little boy to bed, who calls her Mommy. While they don't have children at home, and the boy is a stranger to her, she has to believe that she will be that child's mother if he needs her.

In Germany, Mark an Janice meet with Rudolf Geyer and his attorney. It is clear the Geyer wants something in return for his information. He wants to be released and be allowed to return to the US. Despite the objections from both Janice and the prison Warden, Mark agrees under the condition that Geyer provide trustworthy information.

At first Geyer spouts various symbolisms, asking Janice if she's homosexual because she wears a ring on her left thumb. He talks about how Kaballah says that everything has hidden meanings, and tries to explain Hebrew letters' number designations. Mark cuts him off an demands something that can be corroborated.

Geyer tells Mark of his vision. He is returning to the US and speaks to a customs official named Jerome Murphy, whom he tells he has a murder to thank for his return home. The grin Geyer wears in his vision is creepy and I immediately recall "everything has a hidden meaning". But I'm not ready to put two and two together. More on that later.

Dimitri is sent to find Jerome Murphy, who corroborates the vision. He also reveals that it was his vision that inspired him to apply to become a customs official. Right now he's sitting in his living room in his underwear. That makes two men we've seen in their underwear! I'm not sure I can take another. Anyway, as Dimitri is leaving he trips over a bong, but doesn't bust Jerome and thus, allowing the future to happen.

Zoey and Dimitri share an intimate reunion, where she tells him of their wedding on the beach in Hawaii. Dimitri lies and tells her that he saw the same thing, so they decide to set their wedding date to April 28th, 2010.

Aaron Stark visits his ex-wife (I thought she was dead, oops) and tries to convince her to sign an affidavit that requests Tracy's remains be exhumed and more DNA testing be performed. Kate freaks and tosses him out of the bar. Aaron calls Mark for a favor, and despite the illegality of it, Mark agrees to help. Dimitri delivers the court order for the exhumation.

Now that Mark is assured that Geyer's information is corroborated and trustworthy, he promised the old Nazi his freedom, much to the vocal objections from Janice and the warden. Geyer then tells them what happened after his vision and the many dead crows in the courtyard of the prison. He explains that he doesn't know how many crows died worldwide in the event, then slides a book about birds across the table.

THE SLY GEEZER SCAMMED THEM!

Or so it would seem.

The agents and families attend a delayed memorial service for the agents who died during the GBO. Felicia Wedeck is there and she spots the boy in her vision, sitting in the front row with what appears to be a Muslim woman. The boy's name is Attaf.

At the after party Dimitri makes a toast to their absent friends and comments how these memorials must be happening all over the world, which inspires Mark. He and Janice return to the office to check on possible reports of massive crow deaths, which is when they stumble upon an event that occurred in Ganwar, Somalia in 1991. The also discover an interesting fact: Just after the crows fell from the sky dead, all the humans in the area experienced a blackout!

IT HAS HAPPENED BEFORE!

The final scene shows a flashback, of sorts, as a boy herds his goats and a massive flock of crows fall out of the sky, The boy runs up a hill and stands beside a tower. The sky has turned yellow. Coming from the top of the tower there appears to be smoke or some sort of steam.

OBSERVATIONS and QUESTIONS:

At first when Geyer mentioned that a murder had helped him return to be released and return to the US, I thought he might have some sort of clue that might solve or avoid Dimitiri's murder. Hey, Ruddy was a Nazi and was serving time for crimes too horrible to contemplate, right? But then I remembered my visit to the Tower of London, and the tour guide telling us that a flock of crows or ravens is referred to as a murder. It wasn't an actual murder of a human being, but a murder of crows that helped secure Geyer's release.

The Benfords must have more than one phone line into their home. Is it so unusual for Aaron to visit his friend that Olivia would comment on it?

When we see the overhead view of SeaTac airport and then learn that Zoey's plane is about to take off, was I the only one who wondered how the aircraft was going to take off with that plane plunked in the middle of the tarmac? (see above picture) What does the plane do, speed up, hop over the broken fuselage then continue down the runway and lift off?

When the DNA tests come back and it is certain that the remains belong to Tracy, Did Aaron re inter her remains before going to see his ex-wife? Speaking of Tracy's remains, Aaron said that she weighed only 35lbs upon her repatriation. It's a long shot, but do you think Tracy may have lost a leg in the explosion and someone took her and saved her life? All the marines found was her leg? Made ya think about that, didn't I?

If Tracy really is dead, does that mean that many of the flashes could be false?

Mark seems to be getting really good at telling Olivia lies or omitting critical information. He hasn't told her about Charlie's vision and his fear for her safety? I'm no expert andmy status as a single mom might preclude me here, but I'd think that two parents working to keep their kid safe is way better than a paranoid one and a clueless one.

Felicia was dressed in scrubs, so I'm assuming she works in the medical profession.

Was the blackout event in Ganwar Somalia in 1991 a test leading up to the GBO? If it was man made, who's responsible? Does Rudolf Geyer know?

Initially I thought the tower was used to signal the call to prayer. Somalia is a Muslim country. What's was that smokey substance being emitted from the tower?

If Demitri is killed on March 15th, who is Zoey marrying on that beach in Hawaii? Ghosts of boyfriends past?

Is Geyer is connected to who caused the GBO? Could he possibly have helped to create the GBO with research while eluding capture?

How does Felicia come to be the little boys mother? Where is his mother?

Where is the babysitter and why hasn't she called?

Could Janice be Jewish? Her animosity toward Geyer was barely concealed, and she does have the tattoo of three circles on her arm. Could her family have escaped the Nazi's, gone into hiding and, as a private memorial, all descendants get that tattoo to remind them of where they came from?

Could Janice be homosexual, which would explain her surprise at being pregnant. (I'm not thinking this one, but I thought I'd slip it in).

And finally;

WHEN DO WE SEE DOM?

I'll add my favorite quotes either tonight or tomorrow, after watching again. If you have any, let me know.

Screencaps courtesy of The ODI

WHITE TO PLAY - Or It's Your Move Bobby Fisher

Once again, I am not going to write a complete recap of the episode.

I'd like to cover Charlie's revelations first, though, as I think that her vision will connect Dylan's, Olivia's and Mark's visions and validate some points for their futures.

As White To Play began and I saw the children laying on the ground, unconscious, I thought we were seeing Charlie's vision. But alas, it was only a more updated version of Ring Around The Rosie. In the post GBO version the children fall down, mimicking the GBO and then jump up and ask each other what they saw. The fact that Charlie doesn't take part in the game is telling. After all, from what we have seen and heard, Charlie had one of the more ominous visions that we know of. It is at this point we get confirmation that neither Olivia nor Mark saw their own daughter in their visions, which is downright terrifying to think about.

I want to quickly touch on the symbolism of the children singing Ring Around The Rosie first of all. It is a nursery rhyme that was commonly chanted during the Plague and was designed to teach the illiterate and uneducated about the spread of the killer disease. It could be nothing, but my first thought was that we were seeing the rapid spread of "Flashforwarditis" as humanity comes to terms with what they saw.

Charlie recognizes Dylan while at the hospital with her mother. Her panic and concern are very real and painful to watch. This validates, to Olivia, what she herself saw in her own vision and connects the man on her couch to the boy in the hospital bed. Later, Charlie reveals that there was also a man in her vision and that he is a very bad man. His name is D. Gibbons, the man her father is hunting.

This leads me to suspect that this D. Gibbons has possibly kidnapped the children and could he be using them as a means to force either Mark or Lloyd Simcoe to do something? We will find out, I'm sure, in the coming months.

The FBI is our next stop on this milk run of facts and things are getting interesting here. Many people didn't believe that Stan Wedeck was telling the truth about being in a meeting when he described his vision last week. I need to rewatch because I am confused by what I saw. I know that both his present (the time of the flash) and his future involved the porcelain throne, it's afterward that confuses me. Was it in his flash that he performs CPR on the agent who drowned in the urinal, or after he awoke from the flash? I'm thinking the later, but I'm not sure.


We meet the Assistant Director of Homeland Security, who arrives to find out why a field office took it upon themselves to actually investigate something. How assuming of them to spend millions of dollars collecting and comparing visions in an effort to figure out what caused the GBO! Her tune quickly changes as they reveal Shadow Man in the ballpark in Detroit. Now, like all governmental processes, you know who is going to take credit for this don't you?

Didi Gibbons arrives at the FBI, six cupcakes in hand. It was unclear if she was brought in or came of her own volition, but I'm going with a voluntary action here. If she were brought in would she have grabbed a six pack of cupcakes? I doubt it. But her story was interesting and led to some rather interesting facts.

Basically Didi Gibbons' vision shows her on the phone arguing with the credit card company about a charge to her account that she did not make. Happens all the time, right? I know it's happened to me. The charge was in Pigeon, Utah and Didi has never been to Pigeon Utah. What was interesting was her argument that the FBI, specifically Mark Benford and Dimitri Noh, had already dealt with this problem.

This leads Mark and Dimitri to check on Pigeon, Utah and find that a bus ticket was purchased using a credit card. In Pigeon they meet Sheriff Keegan, who had had the bus depot staked out for the arrival of D. Gibbons. Just when Dimitri has Mark convinced it's a wild goose chase, mark notices the doll manufacturing company and questions it. Sheriff Keegan's explanation that it's bankrupt and empty, plus Mark's memory of the burned doll's head, prompts them to break in. It's not so empty after all as they watch a shadow cross the office above several times.

Was I the only one who thought the dolls hanging was way too creepy? I literally shuddered at the sight. And I gasped when the little red light went on as Mark stepped on the pressure pad. It's rigged, I thought.

What we see in the office is startling. Several computers immersed in what looks to be water. A chess game on a computer screen. It's the aftermath that provides Mark with the chess piece and the photos of the burned doll. However, D. Gibbons, escapes through what looks to be a dumbwaiter shaft just before the place explodes.

Later we learn that the computers were used to hack into numerous systems around the world, even the FBI's own Mosaic site. The FBI conclude that someone else is investigating the GBO, but for what purpose we've yet to learn.

Dimitri is still an enigma to me, but certain things are becoming clear very slowly. Like Charlie, I think Dimitri will be a key to help unlock the mystery of the GBO. He and Janis have a quiet moment where they talk about their futures and she convinces Dimitri to add his flash to the Mosaic along with her. Maybe someone out there will have an answer for them both.

It's a bit shocking when Dimitri gets the call. A woman named Nhadra Udaya (?) tells him that she was reading in the bureau news that he had been murdered on 10 March, 2010! Man that sucks for Dimmitri. So, the question for him is, does he work toward changing that future or will what he does cause the murder? Can he change what appears to be his fate?

Which beings us to what the man in the doll factory muttered just before he set the place to blazes.

He who foresees calamities, suffers them twice fold.

It's a quote by Bishop Porteous (I googled it) and it's pretty self explanatory, isn't it?
However, I have a thought. Bear with me. I carry a spare tire on the back of my Jeep. In the winter I carry booster cables, a small tool box and a first aid kit. I also carry chocolate bars and a few candles. It's called preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best in any situation. Just because we prepare for the worst does not mean it is going to happen. Hey, that sounds just like what Mark said to Olivia! I've driven may thousands of kilometres without a flat tire and rarely needed to pull out, and use, the first aid kit. But is doesn't hurt to be forewarned and forearmed than completely helpless should a situation arise, right?


THINGS I NOTICED:

• The FBI traced cell phone activity and found that the cell phone they took from the doll factory called the man in the ball park 30 seconds into the GBO.
• Since the military is patrolling and guarding certain areas of LA, we can assume that all large cities are under Martial Law
• Olivia is adamant that she will not allow her flash to come true and is doing everything she can to avoid Lloyd Simcoe
• Dylan took news of his mother's death much better than his father did. A bit too accepting, if you ask me
• There is obviously a conspiracy afoot with the revelation that more than one person was awake during the GBO. I think the GBO was a test run for something bigger.

A FEW QUESTIONS:

1. Why didn't Olivia and Mark see their daughter in their visions? Are they so caught up in their own futures that they forget their daughter?
2. Will Dylan's vision of the future include Charlie and the bad D. Gibbons?
3. Does Stan Wedeck wonder why both his future and his present (during the flash) involves the porcelain throne?
4. In light of the phone call telling him of his pending death, does Dimitri end his engagement? Will he seek solace with Janis, thus making her pregnant?
5. Will Didi Gibbins keep bringing cupcakes to the FBI?
6. Does the FBI allow all it's visitors to see sensitive materials. I saw the way Didi's eyes quickly scanned what was on the computer screen at Janice's desk. Never trust muffin men and cupcake ladies.
7. By burning the bracelet his daughter had made for him, has Mark already changed the future?
8. Why didn't Lloyd recognize Olivia if they are lovers in the future, or did he just stare at the fireplace for 2 minutes and 17 seconds? Talk about dull. Even Stan's flash was more exciting.
9. Who is Nhadra Udaya and where was she calling from?
10. Where has the babysitter disappeared to?
11. Will the circuit judge forgive the FBI for the death of his daughter-in-law? She didn't have a flash either and now she's dead.
12. When will we see Dominic Monahan?

On the thought of Dominic Monahan. His character's name is Simon and I don't think he'll be a very good person. I think also we will see him with Lloyd Simcoe. Not sure why I have that feeling, but I thought I'd get it out there.

I have some thoughts on Aaron Stark. He seems to be the character of reason and I'd like to do him justice, so I'm going to do a separate post on his role in this episode. It will likely be up tomorrow or Saturday.

What were your thoughts? What did you see?