What I’m Watching: Flash Forward

Flash Forward: Season 1, Episode 10 “A561984” (C)

Two major revelations in this episode, one audiences already knew but the characters on the show didn’t and the other which audiences now know but characters have no clue about, try to make this episode seem important, but neither of them really work too well in their execution. While Lloyd’s confession to having caused the blackout has a great deal of seriousness to it, it’s just not that plausible, both because Simon wouldn’t let him be the one to deliver the news if he really believed Lloyd would take full responsibility and because the whole world was watching this press conference with two minor scientists who wouldn’t necessarily have had anything interesting or worthwhile to say. The ominous medical personnel on hand to help the friendless Lloyd transport his son to better care were obviously planning something malicious, and that Olivia really is one brave doctor to put herself in harm’s way. Simon’s efforts to work with the FBI are more interesting, especially since he seemed like the clear villain a few weeks ago but now appears much more innocent after being taken down a peg by the revelation that his some one beat him to the punch with his defining invention. It’s fun to see Michael Ealy as an obnoxious kind of smooth operator rather than his do-gooder FBI agent on “Sleeper Cell,” and his interactions with Mark were probably the most intriguing of the episode. Mark’s inability to just let things happen and his need to cause trouble by pointing a gun to his suspect’s head when she very calmly and peacefully declined to answer any more questions is just annoying. Clearly he’ll be back on the case by the time the flash forwards actually took place, and this setback is temporary. The fact that Nhadra knows D. Gibbons is pretty monumental and does imply that everything really is connected. We’ll have to wait a long time to find out what’s going on, however, since “Flash Forward” won’t be back on the air until March 4th.