What I’m Watching: Flash Forward (Series Finale)

Flash Forward: Season 1, Episode 22 “Future Shock” (C)

It’s difficult to evaluate the final episode of this show since it was so clearly intended to be a season finale designed to provoke new questions and establish a new pull for another season. Unlike the last ever episode of “Pushing Daisies,” however, nothing was done to try and wrap up any of the show’s story arcs at the last minute after the show was officially cancelled. Perhaps it’s a way of leaving the story open and refusing to seal off its universe forever, but it’s still a flawed ending. In many ways, the resolution is cheating, since some things don’t quite happen as they had appeared in the flash forwards – like Nicole being strangled and Gedeck sitting on the toilet without his gun drawn – without any sort of explanation. It made me think of a great episode of “The X-Files” called “Monday” where the same day occurs over and over again, but instead of adhering to the same chain of events, something minor happens slightly differently every time the day starts over. It’s a cool idea, but nothing about this season suggests that it makes any sense. Why did Demetri not see anything in his flash forward and why did Gough see himself as alive while Olivia still ended up in bed with Lloyd? The logic is clumsy at best, and Mark’s discovery that another blackout was going to happen in fourteen minutes sure didn’t help matters much. Seeing a glimpse of Charlie’s flash forward raises an infinite number of questions that will never be answered. I think it would have been much better to just see everyone fall down again and then cut to black. Certain elements proved expectedly completely irrelevant – I’m looking at you, Bryce and Keiko – and nothing really tied this episode together, except the conclusion that you can’t prevent the future. Except you can. But not really. This show doesn’t have any idea what it’s talking about in the slightest sense, and having Lloyd explain math problems isn’t going to cut it. An awesome pilot and a small handful of good episodes does not a lasting show make. Farewell, “Flash Forward.” It’s been a bumpy and less than satisfactory ride.

Series grade: C+
Series MVP: James Callis as Gabriel
Best episode: “No More Good Days” (Pilot)

What I’m Watching: Flash Forward (The Penultimate Episode)

Flash Forward: Season 1, Episode 21 “Countdown” (C+)

For the second-to-last episode of a season, this really isn’t much to write home about. Even if the writers didn’t know that the show wouldn’t live to see a second season, this is really just a waste of an episode. To defend it, it’s much like the recent “Lost” episode “Across the Sea” which spent its entire time underlining one point rather than progressing the story forward. In this case, it’s the notion that the future is inevitable, and it’s the character’s knowledge of what’s to come that makes it so. After Hellinger ominously announce that he’s seen this day more times than he can remember, he tells Mark that he’s going to lose his cool and beat him up, and that’s when things are going to fall apart for Mark. Since Mark thinks he’s going to be able to beat him, he becomes so angry when he’s not able to that he’s blinded by his rage and disappointment that he goes nuts on Hellinger anyway. By the time he’s given the flask by the man who says he saw himself quitting drinking in his flash forward, he’s succumbed to the fact that he can’t possibly do anything to avoid his fate. Sure, some characters aren’t in the right place, like Lloyd, but the general idea is on track. This episode didn’t offer anything new or startling, however, and the only reason to tune in next week is to see how it all plays out. Demetri’s confession to Zoe about sleeping with Janis isn’t terribly interesting since I’ve never found Zoe to be a compelling part of the story, and presumably Demetri still has time to get shot by the time that Zoe is strolling down that beach without him. Let’s hope that next week provides some closure, but I’m not keeping my fingers crossed.

What I’m Watching: Flash Forward

Flash Forward: Season 1, Episode 20 “The Negotiation” (B+)

Starting off with Gedeck repeating the opening narration at first seemed very much like the same thing over again, even though it’s more effective the tenth time around than it should be, but there was a fun twist: tomorrow is D-Day, the day seen by people in their flash forwards. Getting to this moment is a great thing, and Aaron’s excitement at the sun coming back and him being close to his daughter exemplified the sense of anticipation that has developed after twenty episodes of preparing for the future. There’s still some unfortunate happenings, like Janis’ boss telling her “questions get you killed, sweetie” in order to just further delay any answers, and stupid, purely unnecessary flashbacks just like on “V” last week. Fortunately, this show does do action scenes very well, and this episode was full of them. Having Mark pose as Gabriel was a great plan, and hopefully that should help the FBI prevent another blackout. Gabriel’s repeated proclamation of “can’t touch this” does manage to get serious so quickly, and it’s intense how much he freaks out when Demetri comes into the room because he’s supposed to be dead. The award for the best guest spot of this episode, however, goes not to James Callis, but instead to the lovely Annabeth Gish, who I had thought had been tossed away after just one episode but instead is back as Lita to handle Simon. Turning to Janis for help is definitely a good move for Simon, and I’m interested to see where it goes.

Don’t get too attached, though, since ABC has elected not to renew “Flash Forward” for a second season. Two more episodes and that’s it. How do you feel about that news?

What I’m Watching: Flash Forward

Flash Forward: Season 1, Episode 19 “Course Correction” (B)

One thing this show does exceptionally well is portray how the blackout itself happened. It’s interesting to see exactly how the blackout actually started, and the beginning scene in this episode was very well-done. I especially love when they all fall down as the blackout occurs. In this episode, however, the overarching theme is that things all still inevitable, no matter how hard everyone works to ensure that events don’t pan out as the flash-forwards predicted. That’s not a catch-all, however, since the now-deceased Gough doesn’t get a phone call about a death and Demetri is much more alive than he is supposed to be. But otherwise pretty much everything is persisting despite the best efforts of the FBI. It all seems rather inconsequential compared to the threat of another impending blackout coming up, regardless of what Lloyd and Olivia may have concluded. I’m far more interested in what Simon is up to, going rogue and pursuing a plan of his own in terms of how to resolve things with the group that has been manipulating his life. Mark’s discovery that Simon is in fact Suspect Zero couldn’t be more poorly-timed, and there’s likely going to be a major confrontation between the good guys and the bad guys on this show soon. The most fascinating part of the show continues to be Gabriel. His freak-out scene where he yells about not liking pickles, lettuce, and onions but ultimately calms down because he likes tomatoes was terrific, and James Callis is so incredibly good in this role.

What I’m Watching: Flash Forward

Flash Forward: Season 1, Episode 18 “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” (B-)

So Janis isn’t really a mole, at least not for the bad guys. Instead, the shiest of all the FBI agents is actually a triple agent, contacted by the real good guys before the bad guys talked to her to warn her and prepare her to be used as a spy spying on the guys who thinks she’s spying for them. It’s not actually as confusing as I’ve just written it here, but I don’t think poor Janice seems capable of keeping up with it. At least it was finally addressed and explained that she was a mole, but I still don’t fully buy it. I do like the fact that Vogel is the one who serves as her handler, since it’s always good to have someone on the inside helping out a triple agent. It also serves to solidify the fact that Vogel is a good guy, even though he’s from another department and often seems like he wants to hold the whole investigation up. I will say that I am absolutely thrilled about the new character played by James Callis, Gabriel. Callis is fascinating in such a different role, and it’s such a completely intriguing character. I’m not as sure why Vreede is bringing Olivia around with him as if she’s an actual agent and not a civilian. I’m eager to see how Gabriel connects to everything, and whether his constant flashing forward has led to his time-traveling and therefore appearing in Olivia’s past as a result of his actions in the present. I’m very curious to see that, though I have a feeling that it won’t make as much sense as I think it will.

What I’m Watching: Flash Forward

Flash Forward: Season 1, Episode 16 “The Garden of Forking Paths” (B+)

This episode really had a nice, brisk pace to it accompanied by some terrific music. More importantly, it doesn’t feel like a major letdown or sloppy contrivance that Demetri doesn’t die on March 15th, since he came so close and it’s now been established, thanks in part to the late, not-so-great Dyson Frost, that multiple futures are possible. It seemed for a while like Frost’s own machinations would lead to Demetri’s demise, but as it turns out, it’s likely that he prevented it and ensured his own by coming out into the open and trying so hard to make Demetri a vulnerable target instead of letting fate play its own hand. It might have made more sense for the villains in question to hire someone they didn’t have to spring out of jail to take Frost out, but promises are promises, so therefore it appears it had to be Alda. I like the incorporation of Barry Shabaka Henley, who plays Agent Vreede, into the main arc of the storyline. His decision to have Olivia accompany him on his investigation at first doesn’t track, but at the coffee stand it seems much clearer. I’m most excited about the introduction of the mysterious character who seems able to flash forward played by James Callis, best known as Gaius Baltar on “Battlestar Galactica.” He’s portraying such an extraordinarily different and, dare I say, much more fascinating personality (and that’s saying a lot), and I’m eager to see more of him now that Frost is out of the picture.

What I’m Watching: Flash Forward

Flash Forward: Season 1, Episode 15 “Let No Man Put Asunder” (B+)

This episode serves, more than any other before it, to unite all of the assorted, unconnected threads on this show and bring them all together to create some sense of purpose. The Vice-President tasking Gedeck to uncover more about Jericho was intriguing, and having Gedeck send Aaron in to Afghanistan, unbeknownst to even Mark, was cool. After being far away and shrouded in darkness for so long, Dyson Frost, the man formerly known as D. Gibbons, sure is popping up a lot these days. It’s hard to tell what he’s up to, especially because sitting down next to the young child of an FBI agent at an amusement park is quite a leap from abducting an FBI agent, a major crime in itself but hardly as despicable. The notion of the flash forwards as writing the future rather than simply predicting it is back with Olivia and Lloyd getting closer by remembering how they felt about each other in their flash forwards. That was always one of the more interesting parts of this show, far more intriguing, in fact, than the science behind what actually caused the blackout. One big problem I do have with this episode is the lack of any reference to Janis’ duplicity. She’s suddenly back to her normal quiet self, and she doesn’t seem bad at all. More importantly, I don’t understand why she doesn’t just kill Demetri herself since she so easily could have numerous times in this episode. The reveal that she is pregnant is hard to read since it’s likely true since she saw it in her flash forward, but her telling Demetri the truth doesn’t make much sense.

What I’m Watching: Flash Forward

Flash Forward: Season 1, Episode 14 “Queen Sacrifice” (C-)

At first I was irritated with the fact that this show appeared to have employed the unfair trick of having a previously unseen character be the mole since it’s really cheating. I would have much preferred that to the second reveal that came afterward. Making sweet, harmless Janis a traitor doesn’t make any sense, and of course she changes completely the moment that Simon discovers her identity, as if she’s been hiding another personality all along. This constant need to have moles, not to mention multiple moles, is something that I think has been popularized by “24” and really detracts from the validity and believability of the drama. Sometimes there can just be bad guys and the good guys don’t need to be bad too. It’s a storytelling crutch that is extremely annoying, and it doesn’t really have much of a place on this show. That was quite a crash dive the motorcycle took into the water, though. That was pretty much the highlight of the episode, by far. Bringing Keiko back into the storyline is hardly necessary, especially since she hasn’t appeared for five episodes and could easily have been swept under the rug and dismissed from the show’s memory. Bryce is too busy trying to make out with Nicole, another unconnected and uninteresting character the show seems intent on spotlighting for no apparent reason. What happened to Aaron? The newly renamed Dyson Frost calling Mark is a sign that maybe there is something positive ahead, but it certainly took him long enough.

What I’m Watching: Flash Forward

Flash Forward: Season 1, Episode 14 “Better Angels” (C+)

While I know that Simon did say that going into Somalia without a gun was crazy, doesn’t it seem a bit suspicious and unlikely that the team literally came across an executioner without mere minutes of landing in Somalia? Couldn’t they have picked a less volatile place to land? Why so much of the screen time in the episode is spent in Somalia is also a mystery, almost as big as the reason for the flash-forwards (alright, not quite as big). But all of the focus on Somalia makes everything else seem much less important, even the major revelation that Vogel was reporting that Mark had been killed in the future. There’s not even one mention of Aaron and his whole plotline, further fueling this show’s mimicry of “Lost” in its complete avoidance of a major arc or two in each episode, returning to each only every couple of episodes. Demetri’s joke of “I will make you gayer” and his entire discussion with Janis about her baby references a number of dormant plot points, and even though that scene cut pretty quick at the end, it’s possible that there was some impregnating going on there, which would be interesting. Demetri does have much more pressing things to worry about, however, namely D Gibbons talking to him from a message recorded in 1991. The big shocker is a cool twist but I doubt they can back it up with any kind of logic. It would appear that D Gibbons can see the entire future or something to that effect, since his ability to start a conversation via pre-recorded footage would depend on him knowing what Demetri’s response would be. We’ll have to wait until next week to find out, although something tells me that, the way things are going, we may have to wait two weeks if next week takes place fully out of Somalia.

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.

What I'm Watching: Flash Forward (Spring Premiere)

Flash Forward: Season 1, Episodes 11 & 12 "Revelation Zero, Parts 1 & 2" (B+)

If ever there's been an opening sequence that makes me completely change my opinion about a series for the better, this was it. The amazing start with a visual recap of what happened during the blackout accompanied by Gil Bellows' narrating voice reminded me of the coincidence-heavy opening to the film "Magnolia" and took me back to fantastic memories of the pilot. The greatest part of this episode is the way that it takes a barely seen character and makes him absolutely central to the show's overarching story. I'm sure some wlll disagree with me, but after this episode, I'm convinced that Simon Campos is a much better role for actor Dominic Monaghan than Charlie Pace ever was. He's able to display a far wider range of emotions here, appearing first as an emotionless violent bad guy but now demonstrating that he's more than capable of lying but also demonstrating a seemingly true desire to help rather than hurt people. I'll admit that I'm more than a bit confused about the identity of Ricky Jay's character, Uncle Teddy, and how he and Simon apparently have known each other all their lives. The fact that the name he introduced himself to Lloyd under had "floss" as part of it was silly, as was his tirade about knowing that he's the villain because he exhibits traits typical of villains. Still, the reveal that Simon was the man at the stadium who was awake during the blackout was cool, though I'm a bit suspicious that a mere ring could enable him to remain conscious. I totally thought it was going to be some liquid concoction that he would have to drink. Trying to reason out how the blackout led to flash forwards has never been a strong suit of this show, and focusing more on the action makes it a lot better. Even if the future is dictating a bit too much of the present, as evidenced by Mark plowing his car through a door just because the future told him to do it, there is something cool about him piecing together Lloyd and Simon's location by the evidence he later found in the future. I'm also glad that Michael Ealy is sticking around as Marshall Vogel, and he'll surely butt heads with the newly reinstated (or so it seems) Mark. Paula Newsome, who also appeared in this week's episode of "Parenthood," as Mark's FBI therapist is another great addition, and just one of the many signs that the future looks bright for the second half of this show's first season.

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.

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.

What I’m Watching: Flash Forward

Flash Forward: Season 1, Episode 8 “Rules of the Game” (C)

There’s a point at which toying with the world as if it’s meaningless enough to be decided over a card game becomes impossibly irritating. This show reached that point relatively quickly, as the previously relatively unseen Simon comes onto the scene full force to meddle with Lloyd’s livelihood and exert his mysteriously-amassed medical knowledge to conveniently insert himself into situations that shouldn’t really involve him. The fact that Lloyd cheated at the supposedly fateful game seems remarkably out of character for the righteous do-gooder weighed down by a guilty conscience, but it appears it was the only way to stop the evil-oozing Simon. These characters really are defined as black-and-white, and the attempts to make the heroes seem flawed and potentially corruptible (killing to avoid being killed, for instance), don’t really work. Gough’s death as a way of transforming people’s outlook on the future would be better displayed by looking at the populace as a whole rather than just the members of the team. Aaron’s daughter’s presence is even less germane this episode as the one connective tissue to the primary storyline, Mark, is seen as a threat when we know that he’s anything but and can be implicitly trusted over any character on the show. In short, Gough’s monumental act of self-sacrifice last week should have paved the way for a far more coherent and well-grounded follow-up, and this episode is hardly that. Perhaps it’s time for Mark to meet Simon and they can talk about the fate of the world.

What I’m Watching: Flash Forward

Flash Forward: Season 1, Episode 7 “The Gift” (B-)

So here’s where the show gets really interesting – trying to determine whether the future can in fact be changed. This episode deserves credit for actually taking on that question, even if events aren’t ultimately affected. The Blue Hand club, while some of what’s going on there seems rather depraved, is quite interesting in concept, and especially in how the three FBI agents look at it in terms of what it represents. Gough’s decision to pull the trigger during Russian roulette without a moment’s hesitation was superbly intense and a great way to incorporate the recurring character that hasn’t had a major part in events up until this point except as Demetri’s partner. He’s obviously plays a major part in this episode, and his suicide may be a game-changer for both the investigation and the show itself. I was absolutely expecting him to get saved by a safety net or scaffolding in place somewhere, but the definitive picture of him lying motionless on the ground indicates that this really happened. The fact that he was actually able to end his life is a monumental step and was quite a shocking event. The identity of the Blue Hand key figure was a nice revelation as well, showcasing actor Callum Keith Rennie ("Battlestar Galactica," "Californication"), who’s simply perfect for this role. Bringing babysitter Nicole back into the fold should hopefully be interesting, but it seems a bit random and her spontaneous spurting of Japanese feels a bit too convenient. Aaron’s entire storyline and the end-of-episode reappearance of his daughter isn’t connected to a single thing, and while it’s gratifying for him, it’s should be hardly a surprise, for him and for the audience, and just doesn’t relate to anything on the show, which makes it feel very…unimportant.

What I’m Watching: Flash Forward

Flash Forward: Season 1, Episode 6 “Scary Monsters and Super Creeps” (B)

A show like this really doesn’t need a Halloween episode, especially if it really only functions as an opportunity for Dylan to escape from the hospital and for Mark to embarrass himself again by chasing after people wearing masks. While Aaron’s Obi-Wan Kenobi costume looks normal on him, Mark dressing up just seems unnecessary, especially with the teeth. It’s just too light for the tone of the show, especially the other two major plotlines in this episode. Demetri and Gough’s search feels straight out of an episode of “CSI,” and in this case, it’s a good thing because it amps up the tempo of the show. The addition of Dominic Monaghan to the cast is fantastic because he’s really creepy. Putting a face behind the mystery of the flash forwards is great, and Monaghan brings a quietly threatening demeanor to the character. His end-of-episode meeting with Lloyd is good in that it connects him to the rest of the cast, but having him on his own on the train for most of it is effective at establishing him as a wild card. The most worthwhile moment of this episode is the inevitable meeting of Mark and Lloyd, and the look on Mark’s face when he realizes what’s going on is one of absolute fury. The characters are still allowing their lives to be ruled by what they saw in their flash forwards, but it’s compelling to see how it plays out. Dylan is certainly a bit of an odd kid, but his journey to the Benford household produced a pretty stunning scene.

What I’m Watching: Flash Forward

Flash Forward: Season 1, Episode 5 “Give Me Some Truth” (C)

It’s not just the characters’ lives that are being molded and ruled by the flash forwards, it’s also the show itself. Characters are headed in these foreshadowed directions because that’s where they think they have to end up. The obsession with the FBI investigation into the flash forwards is really starting to get in the way of any sort of progress. It’s like in horror movies when some seemingly more knowledgeable authority figure tells the protagonist that there’s nothing to be worried about, and what that means is that they’ll be the first to die, at the moment that they realize their mistake far too late. It’s a waste of such great talent for Glynn Turman (“In Treatment”) to be given a mundane role as a prosecutor without any sort of edge or compelling dialogue. The fact that the prosecutors categorize Mark’s recollection of his flash forward as hazy is wrong since he remembers so much vivid detail of what he saw, and it’s merely a cheap way of prompting Mark to reveal the fact that he was drinking in the future. Stan has just become a far more intriguing character, and the fact that he tried to blackmail the President of the United States, his close friend played by the superb Peter Coyote (“The Inside”), is almost as crazy as the fact that POTUS seems like the one who ordered the whole team to be taken out! The fact that Janis is a lesbian and that Navi Rawat is really creepy is hardly interesting or relevant, and it’s especially clear with her that knowing the future isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. There can never be any surprises, and even though Janis took a bullet, it’s clear that she’s not dead because she just can’t be.

What I’m Watching: Flash Forward

Flash Forward: Season 1, Episode 4 “Black Swan” (B)

Fortunately there’s no mention of any kind of religious phenomena as the reasoning behind any of the science fiction elements here, but there’s also not much progress made. The opening sequence was well done, and I think that showing different people’s experiences before and after the flash forwards is just as intriguing as the flash forwards themselves, and certainly much more fascinating than the events that transpire well after the flash forwards occurred (see “The Nine” for why focusing primarily on the after-aftermath doesn’t work well). Olivia’s determination not to let her life be ruled by what everyone saw in their flash forwards is interesting in the way it clashes with everyone else’s ceaseless obsession with what the predetermined future holds for them. The central patient’s logic that he knew he had no reason to be scared because he was alive in his flash forward was cool, and I think it’s that kind of thinking that will enhance the show and keep it going strong rather than all of the characters’ likely futile efforts to prevent the inevitable future from coming to be. Babysitter Nicole has been made intriguing as a character as a result of the rather violent and seemingly meaningful flash forward she had, and it’s great that such a minor character is being given such a tremendous showcase. It’s a bit of a disappointment that future Olivia-lover Lloyd didn’t see her in his flash forward, but he’s now so central to the plot as his phone conversation with one Charlie (Dominic Monaghan) reveals that he was part of the group that made the world black out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds. That’s a big surprise, and it’s great to have Monaghan ("Lost") on board, especially as a seeming super-villain.

Take Three: Flash Forward

Flash Forward: Season 1, Episode 3 “137 Sekunden” (B-)

This show is starting to flail a little. A fascinating series premiere presented lots of unsolved mysteries, but once things start to be revealed, some of the magic disappears. It’s not that knowing too much is a problem, it’s that what’s behind the curtain isn’t as interesting as it initially seemed. The spiritual reasoning behind the amount of time the flash-forwards lasted and the way that the Nazi prisoner calculated it using the values of the Hebrew letters in the world Kabbalah give the show a far more religious feel than it should have. It’s science fiction, and it feels too much like faith and spirituality. The incorporation of a Nazi prisoner also didn’t feel quite right, and his very speedy extradition seemed forced. All these flash-forwards become a self-fulfilling prophecy, especially the clues Mark ends up having on his wall. The note that said “137 Sekunden” (the title of this episode) is weird, because Mark would likely just write it in English instead of in the native German that he doesn’t understand. It’s far more intriguing if it’s written in a foreign language, but it’s just too extravagant. The search for the truth is, to be honest, far more interesting than the future-looking romances of Demetri and Zoey, and the path towards an alcoholic relapse for Aaron. There’s still hope for this show, but “Lost” only attributed island-related spiritual journeys to a few of its cast members and focused far more on the time-bending nature of the show. This series could benefit from doing the same.

Round Two: Flash Forward

Flash Forward: Season 1, Episode 2 “White to Play” (B+)

It’s nearly impossible for the second episode of this hot new series to live up to the spectacular opener from last week. Fortunately, while it’s not quite as stunning or incredible, it’s still a strong continuation of the story and a signal that the show should have a positive future ahead of it. After airing a fantastic pilot, “The Nine” quickly went downhill because it focused on the less interesting post-holdup story rather than the actual bank robbery itself. The same kind of risk exists here, where the show could falter if it spends too much time on whatever viewers find less compelling, whether it’s the flash forwards or the current investigation leading up to it. The show seems to have settled more on the latter, which is probably a good idea because it leaves more to be discovered later while still delighting in finding little clues and Easter eggs along the way. Demetri’s concern about not having seen anything in his flash forward continues to be the engaging storyline, and the surprise appearance by the fantastic Shohreh Aghdashloo confirming that he’ll soon be dead. The comic relief provided by the otherwise very serious Courtney B. Vance is a nice occasional break from the appropriately tense drama. It’s clear that the focus of the series will be on troubled couple Mark and Olivia, and the very eerie relevance of their daughter and her visions is quite intriguing. I hope we’ll see more of Michael Massee, who played villain Ira Gaines in the first season of “24,” as the mastermind of the plot who orchestrated that incredible exit from all of the agents surrounding his warehouse. This plot will be sure to unfold slowly, though I’m fairly certain that it will be an exciting ride. Do you agree?