Nichole! Who knows?

Just a couple of quick polls ahead of tonight's episode. The above picture is of the man "drowning" Nichole. Now, check out the facial features of the priest pictured below. What do you think?

Below is a shot of the mystery woman who will apparently change Bryce's life for the better. There are many speculations regarding her identity. I think it's Nichole. Who do you think it is?

Either leave a comment below, or answer my Facebook poll.

The Black Swan

I want to summarize the whole "Black Swan" idea, first of all, because it is important and we see several examples of the theory in play during this episode.

Basically, until the late 17th Century, people believed that Swans were only white. This is because they had never seen a Swan of any other colour. Then along comes this black swan. Apparently it shook the then scientific world to it's knees. Until then, a black swan didn't exist. It did, but based on past observances, and the fact that no one had seen one before, it wasn't even considered a possibility.

So, when there is a high impact event so huge that it is beyond our human understanding, something we have been unable to plan for, it is called a 'black swan event.' There are no indications from the past to predict the event of the future.

And we all rely so heavily on our logical reasoning, our ability to use inductive reasoning to predict future events based on facts of past events) that we sometimes fail to prepare for the unexpected.

Which explains why no one but Mark was so interested in the event of 1991 in Somalia. It was so unreal, and only one small black swan, that not even the boss, Stan, could grasp the possibility that Somalia could be the key that unlocks the mystery of the GBO. But more on the Black Swan events later.

I knew immediately that we were looking at a flashback to the instant of the GBO (okay, they did point us in that direction with the obligatory 14 Days Ago title page). I giggled at the music. Was that Bjork singing? I think so and it was so funny as people started to drop. Another example of the chaos that the GBO caused. Here we have a lovely serene day at the park. A homeless dude looking for lunch in the trash bin. Some grown man walking with a green balloon. Cyclists getting their exercise. Couples walking along the waterside.

And then they all fall down, planes in the sky crash into each other and a bus speeds perilously close to the couple napping by the water on it's way into the lake.

At the end of the 137 seconds, we see two people in the bus, about to die if they don't get out. The man is unbelievably calm as he helps the woman kick out the window and swim to the surface.

Cut to the present and that same man is sitting on a hospital bed telling them where he was when the GBO occurred. Olivia is surprised that Ned Ned (yeah, I don't get it either but I'm going to let it roll) didn't come to the hospital immediately. He calmly tells her that he didn't NEED the hospital then. At Bryce's prompting, Ned tells them of his flash.

He's in a dance club, he's wearing leather pants, he's confident and by the way, his skin is black. I probably wasn't the only one thinking; "Yeah, riiiiight". But this episode is called the Black Swan for a reason, and I promise, we will get to it. If you haven't already.

Zoey and Dimitri meet for breakfast at a quiet coffee house and Zoey gently reminds him that he hasn't charged Alda Hertzog with anything yet and he can't keep her locked up without charges for much longer. She tells him he is almost out of time for holding her without charges.

I loved that Mark was playing with his daughter and almost spit my International Delights Cinnamon Coffee across the room when he was pretending to pretend to have a British accent! And the Eggbert reference was a hilarious shout out to Joseph Feinnes' amazing performances in many Shakespeare plays.

Nichole shares a quiet breakfast with Aaron Stark and we learn that Tracy had once been Nichole's babysitter. We also learn that Aaron suggested Nichole as a babysitter for Charlie. While Nichole doesn't tell him of her vision, Aaron tries to ease her troubled mind.

Olivia and Bryce are discussing the problem of Ned. This is where we begin to see a clear example of the Black Swan Theory. Olivia is obsessed with not allowing her vision to happen that she is becoming consumed by it, which in turn, affects how she sees and deals with her patients. She fails to expect the unexpected. Bryce has accepted his vision and is using it to help guide him in his present day decisions.

Ned is very ill. He is bleeding internally and needs surgery. Bryce, however, does a little research on pigment diseases and causes of pigment discolouration. He attempts to tell Olivia of his findings, but she is so rooted in her need to avoid the future that she misses the obvious and insists on operating.

Mark, Stan and Al Gough are discussing the Somalia incident in 1991. Mark and Al can't get any information from the CIA regarding the blackout in Somalia, so Stand tells them they have to move on. Mark and Al discuss a hacker they'd busted a while back. Yup, I too think they will use this hacker to get into the CIA database, most illegally of course, to get the information they need. I think Somalia may be part of the key that unlocks the mystery of the GBO.

Dimitri is interrogating Alda Hertzog, the blond terrorist they were chasing when the GBO occurred. It is through Alda that the Black Swan Theory is explained. Since I've already summarized it earlier, I'm not going to go into it again. Needless to say, this has got to be one of my favorite scenes. We see Dimitri's rapid wit.

Alda admits to very little, but tells Dimitri that she's just a pawn in the game and that it is her associates that they really want. Okay, I just loved Dimitri's rapid response! "Honey, your associates died on the day of the blackout. They're super dead." Ha ha ha ha. I was laughing so hard at that line I missed her response...the second time I watched it. She redirects Dimitri to a restaurant in Indio California and reminds him that he is running out of time.

Dimitri has a chip on his shoulder that's the size of a giant grandfather clock and it's about chime nice and loud in his ear!

He convinces Stan that they need to follow up on Alda's lead, reminding them that they all had cases before the GBO. Stan agrees and sends Mark and Dimitri to the restaurant in Indio to investigate. Once there they realize that they may have been given a bum steer, until the manager hollers to the cook to get the FBI guys some burgers, which is when the fun begins.

The cook takes off like a shot and, of course, Mark and Dimitri give chase through a trailer park, no less. Mark finally tackles him and they search him. He's carrying a case full of high grade weed and is arrested. Mark and Dimitri fight, and finally Dimitri tells his partner about the mysterious phone call and his supposed murder. Again, Mark tries to reassure his partner by telling him that just because someone says it's going to happen, it doesn't need to come true.

Yay, Nichole is back and this makes not just Charlie happy, but her parents as well. Her vision was very troubling to her and after seeing it, I can understand why. She saw her own murder by drowning. And the guy who is drowning her looks familiar, but I just can't put a name to his face...yet. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.

Nichole visits the priest of her church, which she doesn't attend as regularly as her sister, Paige. She fears that she is being punished in the future for something she hasn't yet done and wants to counter that by becoming more involved with her church. What priest would turn down help, even in the hardest of times when everyone is seeking redemption by volunteering?

Bryce continues his research on pigment colour change and realizes that Ned exhibits all the symptoms of Addison's Disease. His calm demeanor in the face of danger indicate a lack of adrenalin. The internal bleeding not stopping. Pigment change. Olivia doesn't want to hear it (can we say unable to prepare for the unexpected) and preps for surgery, during which Ned crashes, and she realizes that Bryce was right. She administers hydrocortizone and brings Ned back to the land of the living.

As Ned was crashing I had the most unbelievable thought and shared it with my daughter. What if Ned dies on the table and his organs are donated. What if one of those organs went to a black guy, who, on April 29th was in a club celebrating his recovery? My daughter almost wet herself laughing at the thought.

Lloyd Simcoe finally faces facts and goes to his ex-wife's house to find out more about his son. It's sad walk through the house as he sees photos of his family, the calendar on the fridge with all of Dylan's appointments, his toys, his books. Lloyd spots a book about magic and takes it.

He uses the magic to reach his son, who then, finally calls him daddy. We also get to see Lloyd's vision. He is in a room that is unfamiliar to him, he sees his son's toys on the floor and there is a woman, but that is all. He doesn't see the woman because as his head turns, he wakes up.

Mark asks Al to find the hacker. He's ready to find out what's going on and it appears that he's not above breaking the law to do it. He thinks the CIA has information that they need.

Nichole and Mark talk about her vision and she spills it all. Since she saw her killer's face, Mark promises to send over a police artist to help her create a composite sketch. He will help her, he promises.

The very last scene we see it the one I've been waiting for and anticipating for weeks now. It did not disappoint me.

Lloyd Simcoe is at the hospital and growing more comfortable being with his son. His cell phone rings. It's Simon. Simon wants him back at the lab working. I couldn't quite make out exactly what he said, but it appears that whatever Loyd and Simon are doing either caused the GBO, or they are trying to avoid another one from happening. Either way, it looks like Lloyd knows more than he's letting on, or maybe what he realizes.

Simon is played by Dominic Monahan! Oh Boy, I think, this is going to get interesting.

WHAT I SAW (or noticed):

The dude with the green balloon must have been trying to re-enact a scene from his childhood. How many grown men do you see walking around holding a balloon?

I have feared that Olivia's determination to avoid her vision would endanger her patients, and finally we got to see it. Both Dylan, whom she transferred to Physiotherapy with an infection, and Ned both nearly paid an ultimate price for her obstinacy.

There's something not quite right about that priest, and what the heck is he thinking just giving a girl who is deeply troubled the brush off and, to ease her rejection, a T-shirt? I don't like this guy. I need to see another view of him, because my first thought was that it was him drowning Nichole.

Six passports for Alda Hertzog? The lady reminds me of Ben from Lost. Do all evil people speak a gazillion foreign languages?

Speaking of LOST, a friend of mine pointed out how Ned's calm demeanor was so Ben Linus like. Thanks, Yaba, I caught that and felt shivers run up my spine. Do you think he was told to play it that way? Great catch Yaba.

Alda Hertzog knows more than she's is letting on, but not enough to warrant them keeping her locked up.

As Mark is talking to Alda and she is talking about the Black Swan Theory, he remembers the kangaroo hopping down the street on the day of the GBO, then we see the kangaroo in Dylan's bedroom.

QUOTES:

This episode was full of them!

"Whatever we saw, we saw it for a reason"

"All I can hear is the clock ticking. Everyday! What do I do?"

"You get some help. You get past the fear and then you fight!"

I was expecting this:

"Just take the battery out of the clock, you dummy"

"You're wasting your energy on trying to find what or who caused the blackout. The more important question is why"

"If you tell me where this light went, I'll tell you where it came from"

"It's time I got out of the dark"

"The future saved me"

screencaps courtesy of SeanyB at flashforwardbog.net

Let me know what you saw. Did I miss something? Is there something that you think is important?

What are your expectations for Simon? Were you as excited as I was to see him?

What does he have in store for us?

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

Aaron Stark - A Character Study

At first I looked upon Aaron Stark as a supporting character. It appeared that he was there to be Mark Benford's sounding board, the man who helps to keep the recovering alcoholic on the straight and narrow. A quiet, soft spoken man who dispenses bits of wisdom here and there, usually at the moment when Mark would need them most. He was Mark's Jiminy Cricket.

Quickly I came to realize the error of my ways. Aaron Stark could well be the voice of reason in a world that has been shaken to its very foundations by a force no one yet understands. In a time where confusion and uncertainty is the norm, despite every one's efforts to at least appear normal, I have a feeling that Aaron will be the man to put it all into proper perspective.

Our Mr. Stark is a lineman, so I'm assuming he knows a awful lot about electricity. A widower, he lost his daughter Tracy two years prior to the GBO and has not been able to come to terms with the deaths of the women in his life. Having fallen into the abyss of alcoholism, Aaron is now sober and struggling to remain that way. His belief that sobriety is the only way has helped his friend Mark join the AA program, Aaron as his sponsor.

Aaron's FF provides the conflict for his character. As far as he knows, his daughter is dead. Her minimal remains having been identified by DNA, Aaron has struggled to accept the loss of his daughter. Just as he's ready to let go of the denial, he gets a snippet of his future that tells him his daughter is not only alive, but in need of his help.

Hence the conflict. How does one reconcile the supposed proven fact that someone they love is gone to the vision that tells them that their grief may have premature and unnecessary? In short, Aaron has gone from stoic acceptance to cautious hope. I'm left to wonder where and how he will find his daughter, because I'm sure he will not let the vision rest at the back of his mind for too long. At some point very soon I expect Aaron Stark to leave LA in order to go find his daughter, battling the nagging doubt that his was a vision of error along the way. I see a future of both hope and heartache for Aaron Stark.

I only hope he doesn't lose his anchor and drift away.

NOTABLE QUOTES: So far

"You're afraid your future will happen. I'm afraid mine won't."

"Look at these people. Everyone of them is dealing with the same thing we are; the future. The only difference is, most of them don't have a support group to them cope with what they saw. Maybe it was good. Maybe it was bad. Maybe it was inexplicable.

The point is, it happened to everyone, every single human on the planet. I saw my daughter alive. Explain that! You can walk up to any of these strangers and ask, "What did you see?", and they'd know exactly what you were talking about. When in the history of the world has that ever happened?

We're all profits now"

And, one of my favorites:

"Even if this future stuff is real, maybe it's a blessing in disguise......Ghost of Christmas future crap...."

Kind of says it all, doesn't it?

He could be my favorite of all the charaters.

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?

NO MORE GOOD DAYS - WHAT I SAW!

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?

SEVEN DAYS!

Seven. Seven days until Flashforward premiers! Dom says "Say Cheese!" Are you getting excited?

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