What I’m Watching: Flash Forward

Flash Forward: Season 1, Episode 9 “Believe” (C)

My experiences with would-be lovers whose only interactions occur with subtitles is that they’re not going to work out. It didn’t work so well for Jack on “Lost,” and, on top of that, the storyline of a new character who only speaks in subtitles often feels hopelessly disconnected (Hiro on “Heroes”) unless both parties speak the language (Sun and Jin on “Lost”). Either way, it’s not terribly interesting, and devoting an entire episode to Bryce feels like a real waste, especially considering not one other plotline actually moves forward. The investigation into the woman who called Demetri to tell him he’s going to die hasn’t gone far, and there’s nothing on the front of the tattooed villains, Lloyd, or Simon. Instead, the action is focused on the main characters and how the flash forwards are continuing to tear them apart, with Mark offending both Stan and Aaron by accusing them of betraying him. This show needs to think more about the big picture – who cares about Bryce learning a new language and Aaron watching his daughter slip off the wagon? The show had some solid opening sequences for a few weeks there with slow-motion flashbacks to the day of the flash forwards, and this episode started out potentially intriguing with the title cards indicating “two weeks before the flash forwards” and so on, but seeing only Bryce in that light doesn’t cut it. This show needs a major revelation, and soon, otherwise it’s not going to get anywhere.