What I’m Watching: Flash Forward

Flash Forward: Season 1, Episode 12 “Blowback” (C+)

After a strong start last week, this episode isn’t nearly as promising, and indicates that this show is falling back into old, unfortunate routines. It’s going the “Lost” route of ignoring last week’s plotlines, namely anything to do with Simon, in favor of forgotten threads from weeks and weeks ago. Some of them are particularly less interesting than others, and two of those make up the bulk of this week’s story. I’m really not certain why we care about Aaron’s past at all, since all it really does is show how he has a temper, which seems pretty damn clear when he hangs the guy upside down in the living room. Even if his daughter is connected to what’s going on with the blackouts, he’s not. His flashbacks are just unnecessary and a waste of time, and the only way it’s even going to be partially justified is if he is the one who ultimately helps Mark solve the case. Still, it would be nice to have some of the storytelling do itself instead of trying to demonstrate it too specifically with flashbacks about Aaron being in prison. Obviously the guy he spoke to was going to turn Tracy in, and he would be well advised to operate with at least a little bit of discretion. Having James Remar join the show is great since he’s an excellent actor and hopefully he’ll be able to enhance his character and that whole plotline. Zoe’s meddling in everything involving Mosaic is just as annoying, but not as much as the predictable ending of the episode. Of course the gun is gone! You don’t file something away in a devastatingly slow process if you want to make sure you don’t lose it. It’s not all bad – I’m increasingly impressed with Vogel and the fact that he is the one who suggests circumventing the law in order to facilitate getting answers. The music is also still terrific, just like in the pilot, and makes the show seem a whole lot more exciting than it actually is.