An Evening with ‘FlashForward’ at the Paley Festival (2010)

For fans of the television show FlashForward, it comes as no surprise to hear the show described as ambitious and addictive. From the very start, the show landed on the television landscape with a “shock and awe” campaign with the premise of a worldwide blackout during which each person saw a vision of their future. It is a show that challenged the viewer to think about the complex struggle of free will versus destiny.

So in recognition of FlashForward, the cast and creators were invited to share an evening of celebration at the Paley Festival on March 11th. Attending the panel were cast members: Joseph Fiennes, Sonya Walger, Jack Davenport, Dominic Monaghan, John Cho, Gabrielle Union, Courtney B. Vance, Christine Woods, Zachary Knighton, Peyton List and Michael Ealy, as well as executive producer Jessika Borsiczky and creator Brannon Braga; and moderating the panel was Craig Tomashoff of TV Guide. (Brian F. O’Byrne was not able to attend as he was filming that evening.)

As a special treat for the audience, 20 minutes of the upcoming 2-hour return premiere of FlashForward which airs March 18th on ABC was shown. The episode “Revelation Zero” did a wonderful job re-introducing the characters and the doomsday-clock counting down to April 29th when each character’s flashforward visions may come true. Revealed in that episode was the significance and value of “future forecasting” which is akin to printing money as would be a priceless resource. Also making cool appearances in the upcoming episode are Gil Bellows (who faithful Ally McBeal viewers may recognize), a window washer given a new chance at life, and Neil Jackson (best known as Sasha Beloff to Make It or Break It fans). As a heads-up to viewers, it should be noted that there was one scene that may upset a few people as it depicts a burning Bible. But trust me when I say the upcoming 2-hour return premiere is a wild, adrenaline-pumping ride and you will not want to miss it.

Talking a little about what to expect for the 2nd half of the season for FlashForward, executive producer Jessika Borsiczky shared that they had already started thinking about ways to adapt the show as it went along, particularly with so many characters and so many layers. So, while they stuck to their overall plan, they have had to adjust to fine-tune the show a bit. Accordingly, coming up in the next 12 episodes (which includes 2-hour return premiere and the 2-hour finale) they aim to have big answers in every episode and to delve deeper into the characters. They will also be accelerating the pacing to help keep their audience engaged. Jessika noted that the show is intended to be a mirror for life in a lot of ways and that the characters are always going to be struggling to find answers and look for meanings behind things. But it will never be completely simple. She also cautioned that for those who think they know the ending because they have read the book, they are in for a surprise. (Michael Ealy, who joined the series later than the rest of the cast, was completely surprised that the show was even based on a book!)

When asked about whether they are worried about having a serialized television show at this particular time, creator/producer Brannon Braga responded, “You can’t go into a show thinking like that.” Jessika also added, “There’s only so much you can control… You can control how big the show is, you can control the vision for the show and getting to work with the people you want to work with. You can’t really go into someone’s house and force them to turn on the TV.” Which prompted Brannon to half-jokingly plead, “Please watch the show and tell all your friends — we are begging you!”

While FlashForward” was originally developed for HBO, ABC was the most passionate about it and vied strongly for it. However, ABC’s tenacity has been a mixed blessing for ABC immediately had heightened expectations that it would become as successful as Lost. So, as Brannon noted, “It’s a double-edged sword. It’s amazing to have ABC’s [strong support] … On the other hand, it’s better to be the ‘come-from-behind underdog.’” He also conceded, “There were a lot of expectations for the show to do extremely well.” Because the show was spotlighted as the next big thing, the advertising was everywhere. However, for those working on the show, they are so deeply involved with filming that it was hard to take notice of the rising tide of total saturation and overwhelming expectations. Sonya Walger did note that she sensed a specialness about show when she was working on the pilot and that she could instinctively feel that it just had the right mix of ingredients. She also shared, “It has that ‘it’ factor … It also has spectacularly great writing.”

Michael Ealy piped in to add that he felt the show was something special when he saw the final scene at the end of the pilot with Suspect Zero was walking around the stadium. And John Cho said he knew that the show was something special once he found out that they were able to get the music rights to the song “Like a Rolling Stone” – for it showed that people were actually backing the show and its vision. Jack Davenport noted that for him, “I love how the concept is huge, but it doesn’t overwhelm everything.” For the show at its core is about the characters who bring it to life.

When asked whether the actors themselves ever stop to consider the weighty themes of the show, most responded that they are too busy learning their lines and working to really think about it. But Dominic Monaghan humorously said, “Those questions are heavy. I don’t know if I want to talk about my belief in God in front of a whole bunch of very charming strangers … I might get ousted — I might never work in this town again!”

As far as casting the show, because FlashForward was the first pilot filmed last year, all the actors were the producer’s first choices. Though Brannon did clarify with a bit of a smile, “Every person we cast was our first choice – except two.” “Well, really one,” Jessika said looking pointedly at Dominic. While Dominic merely grinned broadly, Brannon explained, “We had to beg Dominic to do the show.” To which Dominic happily exclaimed, “Yep!” Dominic also noted that he was pitched an entirely different story for the show, and once he agreed to be on the show, it was a completely rewritten! However, gauging from the beaming expression on his face, he was not very upset about it. Brannon and Jessika both said that, in the end, they just knew that this particular group of actors would work great together. “But the love affair between Courtney and Jack is new!” Jessika teasingly added, making a playful reference to
Courtney B. Vance and Jack Davenport’s outrageous attempts to hijack the panel by slowly rubbing each other’s legs in an attempt to show how much the cast “loves” each other.

When queried how much they actors themselves know about their characters and the show, the actors ruefully admitted that they typically only read their scenes. Additionally, the producers/writers do not want the actors to know too much about their characters as it helps keep the scenes real. As a result, the actors are never sure if they will be around for the next episode and are constantly checking with the writers whether they will still be alive. One good example was Joe saying that when he read the script about his character being the one to murder John Cho’s character, he immediately thought, “I shouldn’t have read that!” Jack Davenport also admitted that once he found out that the pilot script was completely different than the book, in which his character was the main character and that he would only be appearing in 5 seconds of the pilot, he kept rewinding and rewatching that tiny bit just to remind himself that he was actually a part of the show.

When asked what finally persuaded him to take a role in television, Joe said he had always been interested in working in television, and more particularly after he had done a pilot with Ryan Murphy, which unfortunately did not get picked up. But it was at that point he began actively looking into television roles. And once he read the script for FlashForward, he jumped at the chance because he thought it was an audacious premise and just loved the writing. For him, it is all about the writing. He explained that, from his perspective, theatrical film work is entirely too predictable and thus one of the major attractions of television is that the storylines and characters are much more flexible and unpredictable as the writers are free to accentuate a story or character and then pull back as necessary. John Cho also noted that the distance between film and television has become shorter and shorter as the level and quality of writing talent has become higher.

As to whether he is finding it difficult to juggle both a major film career and a television series, John said, “There’s two jobs that I care about and two stories that I care about.” He is clearly delighted to be working on both FlashForward and the Star Trek sequel. He quipped, “It’s so much money…[I’m] trying to jam all the boxes into my car!”

When asked about the differences in filming Lost versus FlashForward, Dominic Monaghan noted that one distinct difference is that one is filmed on an island and he also noted that the characters he plays are vastly different. He felt the character Charlie on Lost was very reactionary and frantic; whereas, Simon on FlashForward just pushes through with his ideas, while using very specific words and physicality. He also noted, “I tend to base the characters I play on animals — and Charlie is kind of a monkey — Simon is a praying mantis — and those animals are very, very different. Whatever job I’m in is kind of where my focus is… [it’s hard] to jump back into something else, which I have done recently with Lost and then to come back into FlashForward.” Sonya Walger also shared that she feels like the character Penny on Lost and Olivia on FlashForward are practically the same — except that Penny is British, which posed a slightly awkward moment when she recently returned to film on Lost. For it was only after she filmed an entire scene that she was told, “You remember Penny’s English, right?” Sonya was pretty mortified, but had to laugh over such a blatant oversight on her part.

During the panel each cast member was asked to either analyze or give some advice to their character on the show, so Courtney assessed that his character Stanford Wedeck is so in-control that he is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Jack noted that Lloyd Simcoe is less overwhelmed by the “why’s and wherefore’s” but is entirely guilt-racked and conflicted.

Then Dominic analyzed Simon Campos as arrogant with a one-track mind, who feels no guilt, and who does not feel responsible even if he ultimately were responsible for the black-out. He also noted that even though Simon has lots of issues; therapy would be wasted on him. Dominic shared that his character Simon is so dark that he really struggles to get rid of that feeling at the end of the work day. It is an overwhelmingly dark persona that is hard to shed.

Christine said that she would urge her character Janis Hawk to open up because Janis is too cold and work driven.

Gabrielle said that her character Zoe Adata is like a bad Bridezilla and that she could see Zoe pulling a Weekend at Bernie’s and dragging Demetri’s corpse to their wedding. Gabrielle said she feels that Zoe needs to focus more on the man and not the event. Adding to the comedic revelry of the evening, Gabrielle leaned over to hug her co-star John Cho while impishly saying, “Our characters have formed a love bond.” To which John slyly added, “You know what I’m saying, it’s a sexual bridge!”

As far as his character, John noted that Demetri Noh only sees people as good and bad and that he really needs to learn that there are other categories. Then Joe noted that Mark Benford needs to lighten up and have a drink. (He was just kidding of course!) Michael shared that as to his character, Marshall Vogel, a therapist would only strive to be more like Marshall because Marshall is so fundamentally good at his core. Sonya then commented that Olivia Benford needs a big cry and that is really all she needs. Zach said as far as Bryce, he has a problem simply because his name is “Bryce Varley” and that Bryce needs to hear that there is more to life than girls and to chill out. Finally, Peyton said of her character Nicole Kirby that she needs to live it up because she may not be here forever and life is short.

Returning to the structure of the series, one of the burning questions everyone seemed to want to know about was what was the significance of the April 29th date – the date that everyone saw in their flashforwards – which creator/producer Brannon Braga sheepishly admitted that he chose at random because it sounded cool. Also, in the novel, he explained the flashforwards were set 20 years later and that would not have fit within the time limitations of television.

Then when asked what it was like to work with the kangaroo in the pilot and in the Halloween episode “Scary Monsters and Super Creeps,” Joe said he felt like he wanted to put on a set of boxing gloves and go a round or two with it, but he was not allowed near it. Which prompted Brannon to explain that the kangaroo was actually quite aggressive and they had to keep it on a tight leash so it would not attack Joe. But, mysteriously, the 2nd time they worked with it, the kangaroo was super mellow — so they suspect it was a different kangaroo.

As far as how different it is to film the “flashforwards” versus the regular scenes, Jessika explained that “each flash forward is filmed differently … but in the language of the show.” For example, in Joe’s flashforward, they actually used a different type of camera to create the drunk and disoriented effect. They also used a different vernacular and language so that those scenes are visually different and individualized. Then for Olivia’s vision, they used flares so that the vision was not entirely in focus, making it appear a bit more unusual and soft. Gabrielle also shared that she had not been told that in her flashforward it was a funeral and not a wedding, so when she first filmed the scene she was all happy and hand-waving like a happy bride. It was not until afterwards that they told her that it was actually a funeral and they had to reshoot the entire scene. As for Jack, he is delighted to not have to do anymore flashforward scenes. He laughingly explained, “Shirtless is a two syllable word to the writers — to me it is like 9,000 sit-ups!”

As to what to look for when the series returns, there will be additional appearances by Ricky Jay, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Seth McFarlane. Jessika cryptically explained, “Ricky Jay plays a big part on the show and I don’t want to say too much about it but he has a really cool part… We’ve now dangled a pretty big mystery about [Shohreh’s character]… I can’t say when or whether it will be this season, but she’s on our come back list.”

Then responding to a fan question about why they elected to use a different building to film the scene in which Agent Gough jumped from the top of the FBI building, they explained that the DWP building they normally use was simply not tall enough for the stuntman, so they had to use another building. But they quickly added that they love filming at the DWP building because it is so beautiful architecturally.

When asked if they read or check-out fan-sites, the actors all said that they don’t, but the producers said that they do, but they watch out for chat-rooms because there is too much conflicting information. Mostly, they just love the immediacy of seeing the fans’ reaction while the show is airing. They had no idea that the show would turn into such a phenomenon. It is not just a show, it is a fan obsession. Additionally, Jessika noted, “It’s fantastic to see that our show triggers a creative impulse in other people.”

As far as the longevity of the show, it really depends on whether the viewers return when the show does. Right now the network is standing strongly behind the show — which is demonstrated by the one-hour clip show which will air Tuesday, March 16th and the 2-hour return premiere episode on Thursday, March 18th. Both episodes do a great job at re-introducing the characters and the story to the television audience. Plus, the remaining 12 episodes (14 hours worth) will build towards a satisfying ending in which most, if not all, the questions will be answered. As for the resolution of this current season, Jessika was quick to reassure that there is a satisfying ending to the first season and concluded with, “We’re anticipating getting to do this for a long time.”

And on that last final positive note, it remains to be seen where the show will go from here or how much longer we will have a chance to enjoy the mysteries it has in store. Be sure to tune in tonight, Thursday, March 18th for the return of FlashForward on ABC.

Where to find this article:

http://nicegirlstv.com/2010/03/18/an-evening-with-flashforward-at-the-paley-festival/

Christine Woods and Gabrielle Union - (c) Photo by Jennifer Schadel

Everything you need to know about ‘FlashForward’ which returns March 18th– what answers we have gotten and what questions remain?

When “FlashForward” first aired last September, it was heralded as the next big sci-fi sensation. However, as the episodes unveiled, the series proved to be a bit more difficult to track than originally anticipated. So the intricate storylines and heavy sci-fi basis (alternate realities) quickly left the viewers confused. Added to the fact that the series has been on hiatus since early December, many viewers may not really remember that the series is actually returning on March 18, 2010. Fortunately, ABC believes strongly in the show and has granted it not only a 1 hour clip-show to refresher viewers on Tuesday, March 16th, it also granted a 2 hour premiere to help re-introduce the characters and story to the returning fans as it rolls out the remaining 14 episodes starting on March 18th. Thus, this article aims to be a helpful primer on what has happened so far: where our characters left off and what will the show (hopefully) be addressing as it
enters the back stretch of its freshman year.

ORIGINAL PREMISE

“FlashForward” is based on the premise that the entire world came to a screeching halt for over two minutes during which time there was a global black-out and nearly every person experienced some kind of cosmic phenomenon where they were able to glimpse where they would be and what they would be doing 6 months into the future – a “flashforward,” if you will. For some, this preview of their lives was terrifying and, for some, it was miraculous. The question of “what did you see?” followed by the hope and/or fear of whether those visions will come true has captivated the entire planet. People are no longer living for today and the future they make; they are living for the future that they saw in their visions.

With the rest of the world preoccupied, world leaders and government agencies struggle to figure out what caused the black-out and whether there is a sinister purpose behind it. Fueled by vital clues provided by piecing together the bits and pieces of what people saw in their visions, the FBI began tracking the individuals who were behind the black-out, what their ultimate motive was for it and whether it will happen again. The FBI’s Mosaic Investigation had begun to yield fruit once they discovered that this was not the first time such a black-out had occurred — though it remains to be seen whether the “flashforward” visions had ever occurred before as well.

Racing against the clock as the flashforwards begin to come true, the story follows our heroes who are struggling against the dual-pull of fate versus their visions.

THE HEROES

At the heart of the show is a family: the Benfords, which consists of Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes) and his wife Olivia (Sonya Walger) and their daughter, Charlie (Lennon Wynn). Mark is an FBI agent whose flashforward vision gave him the initial clues he needed to set up the Mosaic Investigation. However, Mark is also a recovering alcoholic who fears what he saw in his vision: he was drunk and there were armed men searching to kill him. In turn, Olivia is a doctor and her vision was equally disturbing: she saw herself involved with another man – who she later found out was Lloyd Simcoe, the father of one of her patients. As for their daughter Charlie, who is 6 years old, all she could only say about her vision was that “there are no more good days” and that “D. Gibbons is a bad man.”

Another family whose fate is intertwined with the Benfords is the Simcoes: Lloyd Simcoe (Jack Davenport) and his son Dylan (Ryan Wynott). Lloyd is a physicist who believes he is responsible for causing the black-out. Plus, in his vision he saw himself talking on the phone – he did not see Olivia, though he has since found out about it when he recognized the Benford’s home while searching for his son Dylan (who went missing from the hospital, ending up at the Benford home). Dylan is Lloyd’s autistic son whose mother was killed during the black-out and, significantly, Dylan’s vision showed him being in the Benford house where he saw Charlie.

The third family deeply involved is the Starks: Aaron Stark (Brian F. O’Bryne) and his daughter Tracy (Genevieve Cortese). Aaron is Mark’s AA sponsor and in his vision he saw his daughter recovering from injuries in Afghanistan – a daughter whose funeral he had attended a few years before. Tracy miraculously appears several episodes into the series and appeared to be on the run from a mercenary group who she witnessed committing war crimes in Afghanistan.

Then closely associated with Lloyd Simcoe is Simon Campos (Dominic Monaghan), a genius quantum physicist and Lloyd’s shady business partner who may be more deeply involved in the conspiracy than he has let on. In a particularly creepy vision, Simon saw himself strangling someone in his flashforward.

Also crucial to the story is Mark’s FBI partner, Demetri Noh (John Cho) and Demetri’s fiancée Zoe (Gabrielle Union). Demetri did not have a flashforward and has since found out that he will be murdered on March 15, 2010. Demetri’s fiancée Zoe initially believed that in her vision she was at their wedding on the beach, but later, to her horror, found out that she was actually attending Demetri’s funeral.

Then at Olivia’s work, there is Bryce Varley (Zachary Knighton), a fellow doctor working at the hospital. Bryce was on the verge of shooting himself when his flashforward occurred which revealed that in 6 months he would be sitting in a restaurant awaiting the woman of his dreams. This revelation has revitalized Bryce and given him a new purpose in his life, despite the fact that he is dying from cancer.

Other key players are FBI agent Janis Hawk (Christine Woods) and her partner FBI agent Al Gough (Lee Thompson Young). In Janis’ flashforward she saw herself nearly 4 months pregnant – which seemed impossible as she does not date men. As for the doomed Al Gough, his flashforward haunted him so much (even more than Demetri’s) that he took drastic measures to ensure that his vision did not come true and stepped off the top of a building. Al wanted to remind them that they all have free-will – and he proved that the future is not set in stone and can be changed.

Last, but not least, is the Benford’s babysitter, Nicole Kirby (Peyton List). Nicole’s vision was also very disturbing and she too is desperate to prevent it from becoming a reality — she saw herself being strangled in her flashforward. But, in an effort to take back her life, she embraced life and took a job working part-time at the hospital with Olivia and Bryce.

An interesting side-effect of the flashforwards is that all these individuals’ lives have become even more entangled than they could have ever imagined.

THE VILLAINS

With only 10 episodes having aired so far, there has been surprisingly little information about the villains on the show. To date, only two have been revealed and not a single one has an identifiable face. Those are: Suspect Zero and D. Gibbons.

Suspect Zero was caught on videotape as he was seen strolling through a football stadium while everyone else had collapsed during the black-out. So far, he is the only human known to be conscious during those mysterious two minutes. It is believed that he knew in advance about the black-out and was not affected by it. It is also suspected that he is the one ultimately responsible for the black-out for some nefarious purpose not yet revealed.

As for D. Gibbons, Mark Benford saw the name “D. Gibbons” on a card in his flashforward and subsequent investigation led to a woman named Didi Gibbons whose identity had been stolen by a D. Gibbons. In tracking the unknown D. Gibbons, the FBI stumbled across a warehouse filled with dolls, which exploded before any further useful information could be gleaned.

Finally, prior to going on Winter hiatus, a group known as the Blue Hand Group surfaced as having potentially evil intentions and knowledge of what caused the black-out, though it is not yet clear if they are actually part of the larger conspiracy or are merely a group of suicidal people who did not have flashforwards – self-proclaimed “already ghosts.” There are indications that some of the people behind the black-out may be using this group as a front to cloak their true activities.

THE INVESTIGATION

Even after 10 episodes, the Mosaic Investigation seems to be slowly peeling away layer by layer what happened and who was involved, all the while the doomsday-clock is ticking down to April 29, 2010 – the date everyone saw in their flashforwards.

One of the key witnesses may be Nhadra Udaya (Shohreh Aghdashloo), who Mark and Demetri tried to extract from Hong Kong after she revealed that Mark is the one who will murder his partner. When Mark asked her how she knew this for a fact when it had not yet happened, Nhadra provided him with the number A561984 – the serial number off of Mark’s gun. But Nhadra is protected by some truly powerful people as the CIA intervened on her behalf to prevent Mark and Demetri from bringing her back to the United States.

Another person-of-interest is Alda Hertzog (Rachel Roberts), who was actually in FBI custody at the time of the black-out and who seems to have a lot of knowledge about who was behind it. Alda has let it slip that she may be connected to those responsible and knows more than she has shared about what is really going on. But getting her or anyone else associated with Suspect Zero or D. Gibbons to share what they know has proven difficult.

Also game-changing was the discovery that a smaller version of the black-out had occurred in 1991, 18 years earlier in Somalia. Referred to as the Ganwar Incident, this precursor black-out may hold the key as to who is behind the black-out and why.

THE SURPRISES

One of the biggest surprises was when Al Gough proved that he can change the future by sacrificing himself. Due to his death, whatever he saw in his vision will now not happen and there are bound to be ripple-effects from his death. Especially since there are perhaps things that Al was supposed to do that he will now not do and those ripples will affect what may happen to everyone else.

Another shocking surprise was learning that it was Mark who would murder his partner Demetri. But closer analysis of what Nhadra actually said is that it was Mark’s gun that would be used to murder Demetri. Thus, it is not known whether Mark is the one who actually pulls the trigger.

And despite everyone’s best efforts to prevent the more horrific flashforward visions from coming true, the visions appear to have some element of being self-fulfilling prophecies. In which case, how can they possibly avoid them from coming true?

REMAINING QUESTIONS

Besides the obvious questions of: who is responsible for the black-out and why, there remain a number of questions to be answered, such as:

Will each person’s flashforward come true? Can they prevent their visions from occurring? Will Demetri still be murdered? Can Demetri and Nicole be saved from being killed? Will Olivia still leave Mark for Lloyd? Will that be what ultimately pushes Mark back into being a full-blown alcoholic? What persuades Aaron and Tracy to go to Afghanistan? What exactly are those tall silos in Somalia? Are they transmitters or gas emission devices? Or are they specialized pulse lasers for a plasma afterburner like Simon asserted? Why was there a similar black-out in 1991? What is the significance of the dead crows found in Somalia other than it marks when a black-out has occurred? Did Al’s gift to Celia by taking his own life to spare hers and actually make a difference, or will she die some other way? Will Mark be the one who shoots and kills Demetri? Will Senator Joyce Clemente (Barbara Williams) actually become President by April 29, 2010? What is up with the rings in the suitcase and why were there supposed to be 7 of them? What happened to the 7th ring? Is it the same ring that Suspect Zero was wearing during the black-out? Why was Lloyd kidnapped? And what happens on April 29, 2010 that makes that date so significant? Who is the FBI mole? What were the mercenaries up to in Afghanistan that has Tracy so terrified? Is Demetri actually a bad-guy and that is why Mark shoots him? Is Demetri the mole? If Mark has been relieved of his duties with the FBI and stripped of his badge and gun, does that mean someone else uses his gun to kill Demetri? How was D. Gibbons able to invent Simon’s invention a year before he invented it? Is it actually possible for two simultaneous versions of reality to exist in the time-space continuum?

THE FUTURE

As “FlashForward” returns, we are hopeful that it will answer most if not all the lingering questions during the next 14 episodes. Without a firm commitment from ABC for a 2nd season, it would behoove the writers to have a cheatsheet of their own of the questions remaining and work on answering them rapidly. As for the show itself, if all these questions are answered and by some miracle the ratings come back strong, then a 2nd season is foreseeable. In which case, what mysteries will there be to address for a 2nd season? Will there be another black-out with more visions of another alternate future? Will that be the reset-button for the next season? Clearly, there are a lot questions looming on the horizon both within the show concerning the fates of the character and outside of the show concerning its own fate. Let us hope that both are resolved satisfactorily, if not spectacularly. It is after all a show worthy of going out with as much a bang as it arrived on the television landscape.

Review of ‘FlashForward’ – Scary Monsters and Super Creeps

It was a Halloween to remember with kangaroos and blue-handed bodies

In “Scary Monsters and Super Creeps,” the show attempted to answer the question:  “What caused the flashforwards?”   Alas, the answer was perhaps more confounding than the question.  For as Simon (Dominic Monaghan) attempted to explain quantum mechanics in simple terms to the blonde on the train, we were all left scratching our heads over how Schrodinger’s Cat Theory actually worked.  In Simon’s example, you have to imagine that in your hand you are holding a tiny cat and a poisoned sardine, and if you fold your hand closed, the cat is given two choices: either the cat eats the poisoned sardine and dies, or it doesn’t and lives.  You will not know until you open your hand which option the cat chose. Thus, it is up to the cat to decide if it wants to live or die.  It is only after you (the observer) open your hand that you will discover the cat’s fate — and quantum physics says that until you open your hand both eventualities occur at the
same time.  But, according to Schrodinger’s Cat Theory, the miracle of quantum mechanics is that the observer gets to decide.

This is a mind-bender.  Are there two parallel realities?  Is it up to each of us to decide which reality will exist?  However, applying Schrodinger’s Cat Theory, as the woman noted, “The cat had already made up its mind.”

Also following this vein, the series seems to be focusing on whether each character will choose to eat the poisoned sardine or not.  Does each move forward to make their visions a reality or move away and resist their visions to become a reality?  Mark (Joseph Fiennes) and Olivia (Sonya Walger) are pushing against allowing their visions from coming true.  Mark does not want to return to his dark days of alcoholism and a failed marriage, and Olivia does not want to abandon her marriage and find love with another man she does not know.  Additionally, Demetri (John Cho) does not want his vision to come true either, for he does not want to be murdered.

However, in contrast, while Janis (Christine Woods) had initially struggled against her vision, after being shot she appears to have reconsidered her views on having a child.  For she clearly did want to have a child as she wept over the possibility that the scar tissue from her gun shot wound and surgery may prevent her from ever getting pregnant.

Also, rather interesting is, as Olivia noted, the flashfowards are a distraction.  Everyone is obsessed by what they saw.  But Olivia, while haunted by what she saw, firmly rejected it and announced, “Today is all we have.  I don’t want to miss it.”  But can one truly choose their destiny, or is it predetermined?

What Worked

It was a nice Easter-egg moment, to have Mark, Aaron (Brian F. O’Byrne) and Charlie (Lennon Wynn) see the kangaroo while out trick-or-treating.  In astonishment Aaron said, “Was that a kangaroo?”  To which Mark’s daughter, Charlie, exclaimed, “That is the best costume I’ve ever seen!”

It was also a nice nod to “Firefly” using the “blue hand” clues to lead the FBI from the assassin who tried to kill Janis to the stickers found on the street signs to the house with the bodies, one of which had a blue hand.  Not being deterred from doing his job, Demetri embraced the clue from Mark’s vision about the “blue hand” on the Mosaic board.  However, though he was clearly disturbed by how prophetically true that clue turned out to be.  Also, after finding the identification on one of the bodies, Agent Gough (Lee Thompson Young) realized that this was the Rutherford case, the one he had seen documents for in his flashforward.  It was eerie as he said, “It begins tonight.”

As they were being rapidly propelled in the direction of the flashforward visions coming true, Mark finally admitted to Olivia about seeing himself drinking in his flashforward.  His vehement denial, “Don’t condemn me for something I haven’t done yet!” was out of frustration as he rallied against a future he did not choose.  But it was Olivia’s angry response to his outburst that was truly revealing, “Did you even hear what you just said?  You’ve been punishing me this whole time for an imaginary relationship.  But when it comes back to you, you want to be let off the hook.” She further explained how his vision was so much worse, “Your past with all the drinking is real.  That still hurts.  I’m not going through it again.  It’s not about the drinking.  It’s about trust and we don’t trust each other anymore.”  And so begins the slow unraveling of their marriage as the seeds of distrust and doubt are sown.

Similarly, we watched with dual fascination and horror as Dylan (Ryan Wynott) announced, “It’s my house too” and walked right into the Benford house like it was his own.  That combined with the fact Dylan was greeted so casually by Charlie was chilling.  Thus, when Lloyd (Jack Davenport) arrived to pick him up and recognized the living room from his vision, there were simultaneous looks of dawning realization on Mark, Olivia and Lloyd’s faces.  With a look of horror mingled with wonder, Lloyd said, “You’re her.”  To which Mark sharply replied, “Not yet!”

Despite the awkward confrontation at the Benford home, it was later quite touching when Dylan asked, “Is it going to be Halloween again tomorrow?” and Lloyd quietly replied, “No, just today.” Then Dylan’s response of, “Good. ‘Cause it was kind of scary” and Lloyd’s thoughtful, “Yeah.  Yes, it was” spoke volumes about a man who may or may not be the big bad villain behind the black-out and flashfowards. That followed by the endearing moment where Dylan said, “Thanks for coming to get me, Daddy,” just melted our hearts.  Surely Lloyd cannot be the villain in the story after all.

What Didn’t Work

Was it necessary to completely vilify Simon?  The first time we saw him, we learned he was responsible for the black-out.  Then after seeing him try to seduce the woman on the train, he uses the pick-up line, “I know what caused the flashforward.”  His further elaboration was practically nauseating, “It was you.  Whenever a heavenly body carries such an intense force of attraction, the universe just goes bananas.  Your dark energy could bring about another catastrophe at any moment.”   All this combined with his revelation of what he saw in his flashforward, he saw himself killing another man by strangling him with his bare hands, and his subsequent, “Aren’t you glad you asked?” did nothing to redeem him whatsoever.  Even more disturbing was when Lloyd called Simon on his callousness and said, “Our experiment killed 20 million people, Simon.  What more is there to say?”  It certainly left a bad taste in my mouth.  This is a character to be despised, feared and hated with every fiber of our being.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

‘Scary Monsters and Super Creeps’ was written by Seth Hoffman and Quinton Peeples, and directed by Bobby Roth. ‘FlashForward’ stars Joseph Fiennes, Sonya Walger, John Cho, Gabrielle Union, Courtney B. Vance, Lee Thompson Young, Gina Torres, Jack Davenport, Brian F. O’Byrne, Peyton List, Christine Woods, Zachary Knighton, Dominic Monaghan, Ryan Wynott, Lennon Wynn. ‘FlashForward’ airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on ABC.

 

Review of “FlashForward – Gimme Some Truth”

The truth never sets anyone free, it just shackles them to a nightmare

Following the premise, “What if it happened before?” Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes) enlisted fellow FBI Agent Al Gough (Lee Thompson Young) to contact a hacker to get CIA satellite imagery on Somalia from December 1990 – and they got just what they needed: photos showing several tall pylons in the middle of nowhere in Somalia. However, before they can run down this lead, the team is called to Washington, D.C. to answer to a Senate Intelligence Committee who is vetting each intelligence branch to determine which one should run point on the black-out investigation. It wants to consolidate money and data under one government branch. Thus, the FBI has to justify its Mosaic investigation or they could lose their funding.

With an admonishment from Stanford Wedeck (Courtney B. Vance), “Just keep your mouth shut. If you tell anyone else about this, we are DOA,” Benford must hide what he saw in his flashforward vision about his drinking. For once anyone hears that he was impaired at the time, it casts doubt on the credibility of the FBI’s entire investigation. But, at the Senate Intelligence Committee hearings, everyone subjected is to lie detector testing because the “CIA believes this was a targeted event designed to bring about the collapse of our government.” Despite passing the lie detector test, Mark is asked to testify before the committee and, while subject to cross-examination before the committee, he revealed that he was investigating crow attrition (the mass death of crows) as a sign that the black-out was not an isolated incident and may have happened before. He was also forced to reveal that he saw masked gunmen coming to kill him in his vision, which he felt validated the Mosaic investigation as it must have yielded fruit or why would anyone want to kill him. But when asked, “Why is everything in your recollection so hazy and disjointed?” Mark could not give an adequate answer as to why he could not remember more than 30 seconds or so, when everyone else could remember in startling clarity every moment of their 2 minute and 17 second visions. He only continued to state that the Mosaic investigation is a way to construct a picture of what the world will look like in 6 months and it has proven more reliable than theories that the black-out was due to the work of aliens, pharmaceutical companies, or China.

Unbenownst to Mark, Senator Joyce Clemente (Barbara Williams) had a personal ax to grind. As she reminded Wedeck, if only she could prove what he did 6 years ago, she would be the President of the United States. But then she cryptically said, “If you sit by the river long enough, you’ll see the bodies of your enemies float by,” and shared that in her flashforward vision, she saw herself as President. It was chilling as she said, “As impossible as that may be, it’s a nice thought, isn’t it?” But it was also prophetic.

For Wedeck is friends with President Dave Segovia (Peter Coyote) and he knew that by playing the right card, he could secure their funding and make this Senate investigation go away. So when the President told Wedeck, “The Chinese view chaos as opportunity and the black-out gives me a chance to pay you back” and offered Wedeck the Director of Homeland Security position, we knew that this was when Wedeck was going to play his card. The President had a deep dark secret: a mistress who bore him a son. After Wedeck blackmailed him into making the Senate hearings disappear, the President said, “So no more Boy Scout. How did you find her?” Wedeck simply replied, “Well, I was the bagman who paid her a quarter of a million dollars.” To which the President coldly remarked, “You weren’t just comfortable in the mud – you enjoyed being there. You can only play this card once you know. Are you sure you want to play it now?” Wedeck
quietly replied, “Now is all I’ve got.” And just like that, Clemente’s vision came true. She got the Vice President nomination which opened up after the prior V.P. was killed during the black-out. And the Senate inquiry screeched to a halt as the FBI was selected as the branch to receive the investigative funding and to run the primary investigation of the black-out.

In a telling bit of foreshadowing, when asked about his flashforward, the President said the he was following the example of other world leaders and not revealing what he saw. He also reminded everyone that it is time to be “thinking about the present, not the future – we have too much to do.” However, we saw that the President had been woken up by a Secret Service agent who said, “Mr. President, sorry to disturb you, but something is happening.” What exactly did the President see? That is the real story yet to be revealed.

What Worked

The opening and closing scenes of the episode were riveting. Watching the simultaneous attacks on Mark, Demetri (John Cho), Wedeck, and Janis (Christine Wood) while on opposite sides of the country was a thrilling adrenaline rush. It was perfectly executed and perhaps a lethal strike. While Mark, Demetri and Wedeck were under attack and a rocket propelled grenade blew up their car in the parking garage, Janis faced her attacker and managed to efficiently defend herself until she was shot and left lying in a pool of blood on the street. It was gripping and nerve-wracking. The cliff-hanger ending was particularly well done.

Also surprisingly handled was the conversation between Janis and her lover, Maya (Navi Rawat), who asked her, “Do you date guys too? I Mosaic’d you. It’s way better than Google-stalking.” For Maya had seen what Janis had posted about seeing herself pregnant in 6 months. After Janis was shot, we are left to wonder whether her vision will come true after all.

What Didn’t Work

While it had to come out sooner or later, it felt clumsy the way Olivia (Sonya Walger) found out that Mark had been drinking in his flashforward. It was entirely too convenient to have Aaron (Brian F. O’Byrne) hanging around their house and she just happened to overhear him on the phone with Mark reminding him to go to an AA meeting while in D.C. Then later Olivia just happened to receive a text message from an unknown caller which read, “Mark was drinking in his flashforward.” Given how Olivia reacted, it felt a bit like she was looking for excuses to make her flashforward vision come true. Maybe the future is not yet set in stone and it needs a little push perhaps?

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

‘Gimme Some Truth’ teleplay was written by Dawn Prestwich and Nicole Yorkin with story by Barbara Nance, and directed by Michael Rymer. ‘FlashForward’ stars Joseph Fiennes, Sonya Walger, John Cho, Gabrielle Union, Courtney B. Vance, Gina Torres, Jack Davenport, Brian F. O’Byrne, Peyton List, Christine Woods, Zachary Knighton, Dominic Monaghan, Ryan Wynott. ‘FlashForward’ airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on ABC.

 

Review of ‘FlashForward’ – Black Swan

Lulled into a false sense of security

This episode was by far the most surprising to date.  It lulled you into thinking this was the same thing we had begun to expect over the course of the last few episodes, and then out of the blue, it delivered a blow not seen coming.  It was not even a death-blow.  It was just a major shocker.  The “black swan” was not Ned (Keir O’Donnell), the guy who thought he was going to turn into an African American; the “black swan” was Lloyd Simcoe (Jack Davenport).  I guess it is true when they say the best way to hide something is to hide it in plain sight.  For I never once suspected that Lloyd had anything to do with the blackout.  Thus, seeing the final scene of the episode where he takes the call from Simon (Dominic Monaghan) was a surprise.  The hair on the back of my neck and arms rose as I heard Simon tell him, “Talking to me is one of those little inconveniences you’re going to have to put up with now that we’re responsible for the single greatest disaster in human history.”

As continuity goes, it was cool to see Alda Hertzog (Rachel Roberts) again — the blonde terrorist that Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes) and Demetri Noh (John Cho) had been chasing at the time of the blackout.  She fooled them by cryptically telling Demetri that his time was running out and then sending them on a wild-goose chase.  (Side-note:  There’s a lot of bird references in this show with crows, black swans and now geese.)  As riveting as the interrogation scenes were, it was rather mind-numbing to watch them actually go to Indio to the restaurant and chase a petty drug dealer.  However, Alda, for all her resistance to answering their questions, was actually a fount of information.  Alda was the one that ultimately gave us two significant clues.  The first was about the “black swan” theory.  She explained that a black swan is something so out of the ordinary that it is used to describe events beyond the realm of the ordinary.  The second clue she provided was regarding the Sufi parable about an old man and a young boy with a candle and the old man asks the boy where the light comes from –  and the young boy blows out the candle and tells the old man, “if you tell me where the light went, I will tell you where it came from.”  The black-out and the reveal that Lloyd Simcoe was involved with it were the “black swan moments.”  As for the significance of the Sufi parable, perhaps that was to illustrate that it does not matter how the black-out occurred and that they needed to focus on the why it happened. For Alda told Mark, “you’re ignoring the most profound question:  why?”  It is not “who” or “how” that really matter, but the question of “why.”  Like with the boy and the candle, the disappearing light is not the point.  The point is that it happened.  Thus, accept it and address the more pertinent question.

With so many cryptic clues slowly being unveiled, it is clear that the visions everyone experienced during the black-out are stressing them out to their breaking points.  Even Demetri said, “all I can hear is the clock-ticking everyday.”  And with everyone so preoccupied, surely they cannot be doing their jobs effectively.   Thus, it creates a window of opportunity for criminal activity to go uncheck or unnoticed simply because everyone is so distracted.  Maybe that was the point of the black-out.  Like a magician’s trick, while everyone’s attention is focused elsewhere, they can get away with anything.  The black-out is a long-term distraction.  For, as Mark told Demetri, “we can use what we saw to stop what we saw.  We can solve your murder before it happens.”  By effectively taking Demetri and Mark’s attention off of their other investigative work, the diversion is complete.

What Worked

Before learning he was the bad-guy, it was adorable watching Lloyd read Dylan (Ryan Wynott) his favorite book, “The Magician’s Handbook” and acting out all the characters in order to connect with Dylan.

As for the hospital patient, Ned, who had Addison’s disease, it was funny to see how as much as Olivia (Soyna Walger) wanted to ignore all the signs that were revealed in Ned’s flashforward, like her efforts to send Dylan to the PT Department, it kept boomeranging back to her.  Also interesting was Ned’s analysis that, “all that worrying kept me from being the me I am supposed to be.”  It was like watching a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Another fascinating reveal was finding out that Nicole (Peyton List), the awol baby-sitter, knew Aaron (Brian F. O’Byrne) and it was based on his recommendation she got the job with the Benfords.  Adding another layer to her story was learning that in Nicole’s flashforward she saw herself being drowned by an unknown assailant.  That was just bizarre – for her to witness her own death.  Just as horrific was her revelation that she saw, “someone drowning me and I felt like I deserved it.”  What on earth does that poor girl do to deserve such a fate, let alone feel that needed to atone for whatever she would do in the future that justified being murdered?!  It is mind-bending.

What Didn’t Work

It was ludicrous that the priest that Nicole went to see for guidance kept a box of live crickets in his desk drawer and turned her away after giving her a t-shirt  The world feels a bit off-kilter with that kind of behavior.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

‘Black Swan’ was written by Lisa Zerling and Scott M. Gimple and directed by Michael Rymer. ‘FlashForward’ stars Joseph Fiennes, Sonya Walger, John Cho, Gabrielle Union, Courtney B. Vance, Gina Torres, Jack Davenport, Brian F. O’Byrne, Peyton List, Christine Woods, Zachary Knighton, Dominic Monaghan, Ryan Wynott. ‘FlashForward’ airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on ABC.

 

Discovering the new TV series “FlashForward”

Having had the unique opportunity to attend a sneak-peek screening of ABC’s new television series FlashForward, I can say without a doubt that it is utterly riveting. From the first moment it is an adrenaline rush of calamitous events that occur on a seemingly normal day when the entire planet comes to a stand-still. For 2 minutes and 17 seconds, every living human-being blacks-out and falls to the ground. This is disastrous for those driving cars, flying planes, operating machinery, surfing along the coast, or who are in the middle of a critical surgery. When they awake, the world has literally fallen apart. But it is not merely a disaster show. It is about what happened during those mysterious 2 minutes and 17 seconds. For everyone was not simply unconscious, they were given a glimpse of their future. They were able to see exactly where they would be in 6 months – what they were doing and who they were doing it with. The real story is about whether each will see their vision of the future come true. For some, that is horrifying and for others, it is everything they have prayed and hoped for.

Initially, the central characters are a FBI agent, Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes), his partner, Demetri Noh (John Cho), his boss, Stan Wedeck (Courtney B. Vance), and his wife, Olivia Benford (Sonya Walger, better known as Penny from Lost). They are the characters that we are first introduced to and whose flashbacks we experience. It is also Benford who first clues in that there may be a conspiracy afoot as his flashback revealed to him that he was investigating the flashforward event in relation to something called the Mosaic Collective. For his partner, Demetri, he has a more alarming realization, he did not experience a flashforward vision which leads him to believe that he may not be alive in six months. Then for Benford’s wife, Olivia, her vision was perhaps the most disturbing of all as she saw herself having a romantic liaison with another man – a man she has not even met yet. For all of these individuals, their visions have not brought them peace and comfort in what lies ahead. To the contrary, they will do everything they can to prevent their visions from coming true.

However, for a small handful of supporting characters, their visions brought them hope and peace. Benford’s AA sponsor saw a vision of his daughter alive, who he thought he had buried after a war-related tragedy. One of Benford and Demetri’s unit saw a vision of herself pregnant and she does not yet even have a boyfriend. And for Olivia’s co-worker, he had nearly committed suicide right before the flashforward event, and he saw a vision of his life where he was happy and alive. For these individuals, they are very much looking forward to the futures they beheld. So whether the visions are a blessing or a curse remains to be seen.

Rounding out the cast are: Lloyd Simcoe (Jack Davenport), Bryce Varley (Zachary Knighton), Nicole (Peyton List), Simon (Dominic Monaghan, also from Lost), Aaron Stark (Brían F. O’Byrne), Zoey (Gabrielle Union), Janis Hawk (Christine Woods), Vlad Petrov (Adam Tsekhman); and making special appearances as recurring characters are Seth MacFarlane (creator/writer of The Family Guy) and Alex Kingston (best known for her role on ER and recently seen as River Song in Doctor Who).

Finally, for those looking to expand on the Easter-egg laden experience of FlashForward, David S. Goyer announced the debut of Red Panda Resources, an internet fan-driven forum he has sponsored for the series.

Watch for FlashForward which debuts on Thursday, September 24, 2009, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on ABC. (The pilot was written and directed by David S. Goyer – known as the man who relaunched the successful Batman franchise. Also executive producing are Brannon Braga, Jessika Borsiczky Goyer, Vince Gerardis, and Ralph Vicinanza. FlashForward is based on the 1999 Prix Aurora Award-winning book FlashForward by Canadian science fiction writer Robert J. Sawyer.)

Related article:

http://nicegirlstv.com/2009/09/24/flashforward-flashes-on-our-screens/