The Curse of the Vanishing 18 Million: Where has the sci-fi audience gone?

On January 16, 1995, UPN launched its brand new television network simultaneously with the 2 hour premiere of the new “Star Trek” series “Voyager.” An unprecedented 18 million viewers tuned in; and when “Voyager” ended in 2001, 8.81 million viewers watched. That same year, “Star Trek: Enterprise” debuted to 12.54 million viewers, which slid to 3.8 million viewers when it concluded in 2005. Even the popular “Star Trek: Next Generation” ended with a scant 4.0 million viewers in 1994 after a successful 7 year run during which it ratings fluctuated between 8.5 to 11.5 million.

With the proliferation of new television networks, increasing timeslot competition, and a larger variety of niche markets, it was believed that much of the failing science fiction audience retention could be blamed on a multitude of factors.

Yet despite the declining sci-fi audience, premiere ratings for sci-fi shows remained at an all-time high. In 2004, “Lost” premiered to 18.65 million viewers; in 2006, “Heroes” premiered to 14.1 million viewers; in 2008, “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” premiered to 18.3 million viewers; and in 2009, “FlashForward” debuted to 12.47 million viewers. Remarkably, the premiere numbers for sci-fi series were still showing a strong interest in science fiction television.

But it is the end ratings that tell a startling story. When “Lost” concluded in May 2010, it pulled in 13.56 million viewers, a bump from its previous low of 8.7 million. When “Heroes” ended in February 2010, it only pulled in 4.41 million viewers. When “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” ended in spring 2009, it got 3.6 million viewers. And when “FlashForward” ended in May 2010, it only got 4.96 million viewers.

How is it that sci-fi shows that debut to 18 million viewers end with less than one-half its original audience? Fans and non-fans are quick to point out the slip in writing quality, which creates retention problems. But I hazard to speculate that it is not merely a disillusionment with writing quality, but rather it is the lack of commitment by sci-fi fans.

As we have seen time and time again, there is a vast array of inferior television shows populating the TV landscape. There are shows that viewers lament over and over again that are not TV-worthy at all. Yet incredibly, they pull in high and consistent viewership. It is not quality that drives viewers away, it is the lack of commitment. Sci-fi fans are simply not willing to commit to their series. They do not have patience to allow storylines and characters to develop. They want their instant gratification and if it does not meet up to their impossibly high standards, then they are gone.

However, by doing so, they are virtually guaranteeing the death knell of sci-fi television. What television programmers are looking for is consistency. They want to know that the viewers they have lured into checking out a new show will stick around. They need to know that their product will provide a guaranteed number of viewers so that they can sell their advertising ad space. But because sci-fi shows start strong and then rapidly decline, it is difficult to find out what the average viewership base will be. It is that continual erosion that leads to quick cancellation, shifting timeslots and crazy gimmicks to attract back viewers.

Loyal fans of sci-fi shows want to blame studios for the lack of promotion of the shows, but if anything, studios have gone overboard to promote their shows. Premiere ratings validate that more than adequate promotion was given. When sci-fi shows debut to 14 to 18 million viewers, clearly the promotion machine has done its job.

What is not working is the dedication of the sci-fi fans. Current sci-fi shows such as “Stargate: Universe” and “Fringe” are at the top of their game. Creatively, they are providing some of the finest sci-fi stories ever to grace the television screen. Yet viewership is at an all-time low. “Fringe” went from a debut of 9.13 million viewers to an all-time time high of 13.27 to now only pulling in 5.13 million viewers. “Stargate: Universe” debuted at 2.34 million viewers and now only pulls in 1.09 million viewers.

As a fan, it does not matter how often the broadcast network may shift a show around, switching nights or timeslots — for I know, no matter when it is on, I will be there. Yet, clearly, the ratings show that not all viewers feel the same. For some reason, despite the writing quality becoming better, ratings continue to decline.

So it is not about the quality of the show. It therefore must be the viewers. Why are they not tuning in? Are they preferring to watch other non-science fiction shows? They cannot blame conflicting sci-fi loyalties as “Fringe” competes with “CSI,” “Nikita,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The Office.” “Stargate: Universe” competes with “Raising Hope,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” and “Life Unexpected.” If anything, television programmers have made it easy for fans to watch sci-fi shows. So why aren’t the sci-fi fans tuning in? Surely, the 9:00 p.m. timeslot on Tuesdays and Thursdays is not so difficult a time to be home or to tune-in. Why did “Stargate: Universe” pull in over 1 million more viewers on a Friday night (a.k.a. “The Death Slot”) than on a Tuesday?

It is unfathomable. To each sci-fi fan who says that there are no good sci-fi shows on television, I respond: then you are just not watching.

And this is not the first time that sci-fi fans have cut-their-own-throat, so to speak. Iconic sci-fi shows such as “Star Trek,” “Battlestar Galactica” and even fan-favorite “Firefly” were all cancelled because of the lack of viewers. Yet years later, and sometimes  decades later, these shows are the most consistently heralded “best science fiction” shows ever. So what happened? It is a simple formula: if the sci-fi fans do not watch, the show dies.

I am constantly amazed at the ratings for Syfy’s Saturday night sci-fi specials. While the concepts are cool, they really lack the storyline and character development that warrant rave reviews. Yet, incredibly, sci-fi fans are tuning-in on Saturday nights and watching the special of the week — in record numbers that put the ratings of finer sci-fi shows to shame. I posit that it is simply because it is low commitment that sci-fi fans are tuning in. If a serialized sci-fi series was put on at 9:00 p.m. on Saturday nights, the fans would avoid it like the plague. It would be too much commitment. But because they can tune in for just two hours, the average sci-fi fan figures it is okay to watch.

Since when did sci-fi fans have commitment problems? Has it always been an issue or is this a recent trend? Given the retention problems since the 1995 debut of “Star Trek: Voyager,” I am speculating that it has become a problem since 1995. The way we interact with the world has changed dramatically in the past 15 years. We have witnessed the launch and complete global domination of the internet, the growing popularity of video games, and economic recessions that have eradicated our faith in stability in the world. It has become all too easy to “check-out.” We are no longer glued to our television sets for entertainment with steep competition from internet entertainment and video games; and our viewing priorities have changed. With the world around us shifting with uncertainty at all times, many feel that they cannot take the time to commit to television shows. They want something mindless and easy to slip in and out of.

This is one argument. But it still does not explain why non-science fiction shows are still pulling in record numbers in the ratings. Why is only science fiction showing such dramatic retention loss? My speculation is: sci-fi viewers lack commitment. They are not patient. Science fiction is not all about action — explosions, gun fights, space wars. Science fiction is about stories and the characters we get to know along the way. That takes time to set-up and establish. Not each episode of a serialized sci-fi show will be action-filled. There will be times that episodes will be plodding, filled with exposition and yet at the same time laying the foundation and cookie-crumbs for later episodes. Story arcs take time to develop. Characters do not emerge as heroes in the first episode. The best science fiction shows took their time and unpeeled layer after layer until it revealed the hidden gem within. Did anyone know after watching one hour of “Battlestar Galactica’s” initial six hour mini-series that it would become the mesmerizing, gripping story that kept us enthralled for 4 seasons? If you are being honest, then the answer is “no.” It was simply too soon to tell. The same could be said of just about any other amazing sci-fi series. Good stories take time and commitment.

It is time that sci-fi fans realized this basic tenant of story-telling: all good things come to those that wait. It is time for sci-fi fans to embrace commitment and watch sci-fi shows with a tenacity that shows the world that we are behind our shows for better or worse. If we do not want sci-fi to die on television, we need to commit to it. Make time, make an effort and be a sci-fi fan dedicated to ensuring longevity for the entire genre — or it will be too late and there will be no sci-fi shows left to watch.

Do not let the curse of the vanishing 18 million viewers be the legacy of science fiction.

Is Lost Irreplaceable? As the Epic Sci-Fi Adventure Concludes, Will Another Genre Show Fill Its Shoes?

As noted in several of my prior columns, “The Grieving Season Continues: Mourning the Loss of Last Season’s Sci-Fi Shows Cut Down Before Their Time,” “Is This The End of Sci-Fi TV?” and “When Sci-Fi Shows Fall Beneath the Guillotine,” there has been a steady erosion of sci-fi fans from genre shows in the past few years. It has led to the quiet cancellation of nearly 75% of all sci-fi shows since 2008. It has also prompted many shows to seek out mutually agreed upon end-dates in order to conclude their stories with dignity and endings that will make the fans happy.

But more noticeable is the loss of “Lost.” Unlike its predecessors and comrades in the sci-fi realm, “Lost” did something utterly remarkable. It crossed television boundaries and amassed a viewership of over 21 million viewers in its first season. Even as viewership began to decline in its later years, it never dipped below 9 million viewers – a number that most current sci-fi shows cannot even come close to. While newcomers “V” and “FlashForward” initially drew in excess of 14 million and 12 million viewers respectively, they were unable to retain those viewers and now are currently drawing an average of 5 million viewers – less than one half within their first seasons. The same holds true with “Heroes” which exceeded 16 million in its freshman year, and currently only pulls in only 4 million viewers. Another noticeable drop was “Fringe” which exceeded 13 million also in its first season but slid to an embarrassing 6 million viewers in its second season (though it has since rebounded back up to 9 million viewers). So “Lost” did the unthinkable: it pulled in over 20 million viewers for its first and second seasons, and managed to exceed 15 million viewers during its third and fourth seasons. While it has slipped to less than one half of its original viewership, it is still the king of the sci-fi realm when it comes to ratings. It not only delivers eyeballs, it delivers the right kind. In today’s television climate, it is not just the number of viewers watching, it must be the coveted demographic: the 18 to 49 year olds. Those with supposedly the most disposable income and thus, are more desirable by advertisers. And in demographic ratings, “Lost” is an unparalleled sci-fi juggernaut. It ranked 12th in its first season, rose to 6th in its fourth season and 11th in its fifth season. Any way you look at it from a ratings perspective, “Lost” was a force to be reckoned with.

Then when every entertainment reviewer and magazine did their Top 10 Shows of the Past Decade lists at the beginning of this year, “Lost” was the one show that was on everyone’s list. It was also the only sci-fi show that was on everyone’s list. A few more forward-thinking television connoisseurs included “Battlestar Galactica,” but as far as everyone was concerned, “Lost” belonged on all the lists. TV Guide ranked it 5th and Entertainment Weekly ranked it 2nd; and television reviewers from Televisionary to TVaddict all made sure that “Lost” was prominently on their Top 10 lists. It did not matter where you looked, “Lost” was there. For what would the past 7 years and 6 television seasons been without the captivating “Lost”?

In addition to being record breaking, “Lost” was ground-breaking. It introduced a large cast and with each season it only continued to add to its list of regular and recurring characters – and we were fascinated by each and every one of them. With the use of the now famous flash-backs, flash-forwards and sideways-flashes, “Lost” introduced us to the lives of a whole host of castaways, zealots and innocent bystanders as it unfolded a complex tapestry of storylines. And who knew that a story about a bunch of airplane crash survivors stranded on a mysterious island would ultimately end up with them pitted in an ancient battle of good versus evil involving the seemingly omniscient Jacob and the murderous Black Smoke Monster? That was simply unforeseeable. It has been a dazzling journey.

So it begs the question: What is next? What show can possibly replace it in the hearts and minds of the fans and viewers? It is unfathomable that another television show could reach the pinnacle of “Lost’s” achievement and success – or even invoke the same level of passion and zealous advocacy (fervor) of the sci-fi fans. While touted as the next “Lost,” “FlashForward” could not sustain audience interest beyond its initial cool premise. Criticized for being too distant and uncaring, it quickly fell out of favor with viewers. Another ambitious launch was the remake of the sci-fi darling “V.” But like “FlashForward,” once the initial allure wore off, the viewing audience vanished faster than before. So what is putting off the viewers? More than likely it is cumbersome, entangled storylines that viewers cannot get a grasp on – and too many characters — so it is unclear who the hero is — and there is no identifiable “heart.”

In “Lost,” the series started with Jack Sheppard and audiences latched onto him as the hero. The heart of the story was multi-pronged as viewers fell in love with Hurley, the blossoming love between Charlie and Claire, and the rich romantic triangle of Jack, Kate and Sawyer. Neither “V” nor “FlashForward” could provide those key ingredients. An epic sci-fi story requires three key ingredients: a hero, a heart and a romance.

Looking forward, there are a few remaining sci-fi shows which may attempt to fill “Lost’s” shoes. There is “Fringe” which offers all three ingredients: a hero (Olivia), a heart (Walter), and a romance (Olivia and Peter). But due to the complexities of its ultra hard-core sci-fi story base, it is unlikely that it will generate the fervor of “Lost.” “Lost” was simply more accessible to a larger number of viewers. It carefully hid its hard-core sci-fi aspects to be revealed at a later date. Instead, it focused on a mystifying tragedy, an airplane crash on a seemingly deserted island with a lurking monster in the distance. It was not relying on the creature-feature of the week plot device, it was relying on drawing the viewers into a mysterious world and turning over the cards one by one to reveal what it was truly about. While some may argue that such serialized storytelling scared off almost 50% of “Lost’s” viewers, I say that for over 3 seasons, “Lost” pulled in 15 million viewers and today still pulls in over 9 million viewers. It is still the number one ranked sci-fi show on television and ranks easily within the top 20 of all television shows. The slow serialized storytelling is only a deterrent to those viewers looking for a quick-fix. For the rest of the viewers, they were happy to tune-in for the long-haul and enjoy the journey.

So if it is not to be “Fringe,” then what? If there is not a show currently on air that can rival “Lost’s” rabid fandom and appeal, what could conceivably be on the horizon? With pilot season under way and as we await the final results of both May sweeps and the television upfronts where the networks announce their new shows and fall slate of television programming, which upcoming shows could be the next “Lost”? Not being privy to what the networks have in store, it is hard to guess. A few television pilots that may have a chance of actually making it onto the broadcast schedule are: “Terra Nova” from Fox (marketed as a dino-drama by Steven Spielberg), “The Event” from NBC (a conspiracy theory thriller) and “No Ordinary Family” from ABC. But a dino-drama sounds a lot like the British series “Primeval,” “The Event” sounds a lot like “FlashForward,” and “No Ordinary Family” sounds a lot like “Heroes” – and none of those shows could come close to being the monstrous hit that “Lost” was. I would love to be surprised and will undoubtedly give each of these shows a chance, but will other viewers? Has “Lost” spoiled the viewing audience forever? Was it simply so unexpected and original that viewers were captivated and gave it a chance?

And did anyone truly see that “Lost” was going to be as big as it was? I can vividly recall sitting in a room with 4,000 other people at Comic-Con watching the pilot in July 2004 two months before it debuted on ABC. I had no idea what to expect. I had just heard that J.J. Abrams, from “Alias” and “Felicity” had a new TV show coming out. On sheer name-recognition alone, the fans assembled and watched. An hour or so later, and “Lost” was a buzz-word that had captured everyone’s attention. It became the most talked about new television show and debuted to some of the highest ratings that ABC had seen in over 10 years. It was virtually an overnight sensation. And it was all anyone could talk about. Six seasons later, as the show is wrapping up its long journey, it is still all anyone can talk about.

But daring to be a rebel, I will posit one possible show that may take “Lost’s” place: “Doctor Who.” The British television series has been around for over 35 years, and when re-launched in 2005 it came back more popular than before and ever since it has steadily pulled in an average of 10 million viewers in the U.K. The only thing that really stops it from competing with “Lost” is that “Doctor Who” currently only draws about 1.2 million viewers in the U.S, which is actually the same number of viewers who watch “Lost” in the U.K. So drawing a comparison between the two massively popular sci-fi shows, both draw approximately 11.2 viewers, if you count their viewership in the U.S. and the U.K. – “Lost” is just more popular in the U.S. and “Doctor Who” is more popular in the U.K.

After weighing their viewership as equal and the fact that “Doctor Who” has successfully recast its principal lead actor with yet another reincarnation of the character, “Doctor Who” stands in a position to continue long after “Lost” is gone. “Doctor Who” simply has time on its side to continue wooing more viewers and growing its audience base. Its fans are also perhaps more devoted than those of “Lost,” as “Doctor Who’s” ratings have only gone up as “Lost’s” have declined in the past 5 years. Due to these two factors alone, time and increasing ratings, it is conceivable that “Doctor Who” could eclipse “Lost.”

However, it is doubtful that “Doctor Who” could ever take away from the critical achievement of “Lost,” which won six Emmy Awards in its first season and has been a steady Emmy Award contender ever since. Additionally, “Lost” scooped up the Golden Globe for Best Dramatic Television Series in its first year and a 2008 Peabody Award. While “Doctor Who” has been a steady nominee at the BAFTA’s since its debut, it has not yet received the level of critical acclaim that “Lost” has already achieved. But given time, it could.

The other thing that “Doctor Who” has that may cross-boundaries and lure viewers is that it has all three of the magical ingredients: a hero (The Doctor), a heart (Amy Pond) and a potential romance. While never a staple of the “Doctor Who” lore, recent years have seen some experimentation with The Doctor being a romantic lead, as well as a dashing time-traveling adventurer. Whether new show-runner Steven Moffat will continue down this particular storyline with the Eleventh Doctor also remains to be seen.  But as evidenced by “Lost,” romance sells. What would “Lost” have been without the Jack-Kate-Sawyer triangle? Would viewers have been half as obsessed if it were not for the wondering over the fate of the core couples? Surely, Charlie and Claire, Penny and Desmond and Sun and Jin have also played a key part in attracting and retaining viewers. It has been said that an adventure is but only half an adventure without a taste of romance. So with so many factors weighing in its favor, “Doctor Who” could be the next “Lost.”

But it is just not quite there yet. So, as we say goodbye to “Lost,” it is with heavy hearts. We not only mourn the show that took us to new heights of entertainment, we shall fret that there will be nothing to take its place. “Lost” introduced us to a world of wonder, characters we fell in love with, and an adventure that is ending too soon. It will be missed — for some shows are simply irreplaceable.

Related article:  “DOCTOR WHO Taps Into Its Inner Shakespeare”

Related article: “Reflections on DOCTOR WHO (Series 6, Part 1) and Its Shocking Revelations”

Related article: “Candid Interviews with Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Toby Whithouse About Their DOCTOR WHO Adventures”

Related article: “Arthur Darvill Previews DOCTOR WHO and Shares The Challenges of Being The Doctor’s Companion”

Related article:  “The Doctor and River Song: Time Travelers Caught Up in the Ultimate Star-Crossed Love Affair on DOCTOR WHO”

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.

When sci-fi television shows fall beneath the guillotine

 

 

 

Why some shows are allowed a dignified death and others are killed-off without warning

While shows like “Dollhouse,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Stargate SG-1,” and “Stargate: Atlantis” and even “Lost” are given the opportunity to conclude their series with some semblance of a storyline wrap-up, more frequently networks just unceremoniously yank sci-fi shows off the air without the dignity of a proper send-off or good-bye – “Firefly” being perhaps one of the more glaring examples.

With Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse” airing its final episode last month, this is a perfect time to analyze how sci-fi shows are treated by the networks when their time has come. Fortunately, with “Dollhouse,” Joss was given advance notice that Fox was not going to be picking-up the back 9 episodes of the 2nd season and it allowed Joss the opportunity to wrap up the series – unlike when Fox abruptly cancelled “Firefly” a mere 8 years before, which ended with Fox airing “Firefly’s” 2 hour pilot as its swan song; a maneuver that still has fans scratching their heads in bewilderment. I mean who airs the 2 hour pilot after a show has been cancelled? It’s like rubbing it in the fans’ faces that a terrific show was forever gone.

But even with the chance to tack on an ending to the series, “Dollhouse” felt like it was rushing to its conclusion and the 1 hour finale left a disjointed feeling for many who felt like it was trying to tie up the show with a bow on top. Unfortunately, the show’s mythology and various character back-stories were never explored properly in the haste to conclude the show. But like several other shows prematurely killed-off before their time (e.g., “Pushing Dairies” or “Eli Stone”), there is only so much a creator/writer can do to tie it all together, working within the time-constraints and miniscule budget allowed to conclude a series.

“Lost” may be the exception as ABC clearly committed to an end date several seasons before its conclusion and appears to have spared no expense. It is arguable that “Battlestar Galactica” was also allowed the luxury of a decent amount of time to conclude its saga as Syfy also allowed them to select an end date to end the series. But for anyone who watched the 2 hour tie-in “The Plan,” you can plainly see that Syfy was keeping a tight reign on the budget in order to tie-up the extraneous storyline on what the Cylons were really up to – what was their master plan. So “Lost” is an example of a network fully standing behind its creative product and providing it with a properly funded good-bye. “Battlestar Galactica” (the series) too was given just enough time, but it is dubious whether they were granted sufficient funding to really go out in style. (Imagine what “The Plan” would have looked like with ABC’s money behind it.) But “Lost” and “Battlestar Galactica” are the exceptions and not the rule.

As noted previously in my prior article: “The Grieving Season Continues: Mourning the Loss of Last Season’s Sci-Fi Shows Cut Down Before Their Time,” the past television season has been particularly blood-thirsty in killing off many sci-fi television shows – a record 16 sci-fi shows have been cancelled. Of those 16, only two had scheduled end-dates (“Lost” and “Battlestar Galactica”) and the remaining 14 were simply terminated without notice. Those shows cruelly decapitated were: “Dollhouse,” “Defying Gravity,” “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” “Stargate: Atlantis,” “My Own Worst Enemy,” “Reaper,” “Kings,” “Kyle XY,” “Pushing Daisies,” “Eli Stone,” “Eastwick,” “Life on Mars” (U.S. version), “Merlin” (while it still airs in the U.K., it was not picked-up for a 2nd season in U.S. by NBC, though it was just announced that Syfy has agreed to air its 2nd season), and “Primeval” (it was initially cancelled and then re-picked up by the BBC six months later after further financing was secured).

As the 2009-2010 season is not yet over, it is conceivable that another 6 sci-fi shows will also suffer a similar fate in the next few months: “Heroes” which may not be picked up for its 5th season after a lack-luster year of ratings; “V” and/or “FlashForward” which may not have the ratings power to convince ABC to grant them 2nd seasons; “Demons” which also did not garner the critical acclaim and ratings that the BBC was hoping for and ended after just one season, “Saving Grace” which TNT has already announced will be ending after this next season; and possibly the British version of “Torchwood,” which the BBC has been reluctant to pick up for a 4th season and Russell T. Davies has announced that he plans to make an American version of the series (furthermore, with its lead John Barrowman currently moonlighting on “Desperate Housewives,” the show’s fate is certainly dubious and uncertain).

So with 22 sci-fi shows vanishing off the television landscape, it may leave you wondering what exactly is left. Here it is, the sci-fi shows still standing are: “Caprica,” “Stargate Universe,” “Warehouse 13,” “Eureka,” “Sanctuary,” “Doctor Who,” “Being Human,” “Fringe,” “Chuck,” “Smallville,” “Supernatural,” “Vampire Diaries,” “True Blood,” “Legend of the Seeker” and “Being Erica.” (NOTE: I know there is some debate as to whether fantasy-based shows should be considered under the genre umbrella as “sci-fi,” but for purposes of this article, they are being included.)

However, in a sign that not all is well in its world, J.J. Abrams has allegedly requested an end date from Fox for the series “Fringe.” This is ominous as Fox has not been known for its generosity in time-table or budget for forecasting the end of its shows. Rather, it prefers the guillotine-method: any show not worthy of its time and money is immediately pulled off its schedule. So the blood-letting is likely to continue if there is not some way to successfully triage the dozen or so sci-fi shows still left.

Also, in light of the fact that “Heroes” ended its 4th season on a minor cliff-hanger with Claire Bennett revealing her unique abilities to the world and with the ratings having fallen to a precipitous low of just barely 4 million viewers, there is little hope that the show will return for a 5th season. So how will fans react then knowing full well that they did not get an ending worthy of the show they loved? Will NBC allow it to return for a limited number of episodes to wrap-up the series, like CBS did with “Jericho”? Or will NBC simply turn its back on a show that has earned it hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue and garnered it accolades for such risk-taking programming? Fans and critics have debated whether even allowing “Heroes” to wrap-up would be satisfying enough. After all, the show has become a shadow of its former self creatively, evidenced by the hemorrhaging of viewers. So is an opportunity to wrap-up the characters’ storylines even necessary? Or should the show be allowed to fall off the radar without much fan-fare or notice? And has the death knell sounded with the recent news that Tim Kring is working on another series that may be picked up for this Fall? Surely if the creator of the show has jumped ship, it is an ominous sign that the show is ready to be fitted for a coffin.

And what about the ABC shows “V” and “FlashForward”? Should they too be allowed to air their remaining episodes and quietly be put to bed as well? Or should ABC make an effort to revitalize these shows and pledge its commitment towards a second season for both? With the loss of both David Goyer and Marc Guggenheim as show runners from “FlashForward,” the triaging seems too little and too late. The powerhouse visioneers have abandoned ship. Is all hope gone for what was supposed to be two of the biggest sci-fi sensations in years on television?

And if any of these shows are canceled, will they too be allowed a dignified death or will they simply fall beneath the guillotine as the network screams “off with their head!” (Hopefully Lewis Carroll doesn’t turn over in his grave with the liberal borrowing of that particularly visual reference.) And if any of our beloved sci-fi shows are canceled, what do we as fans do? Do we cry for hours and vow never to watch the mean ole network ever again? Do we sit in shock for months denying it ever happened? Do we immediately start “save our show” campaigns in order to get it re-picked up by the network or by another supposedly sci-fi friendly network? Or do we take the time to grieve quietly and say a proper good-bye to the television show that struck a chord within our soul?

Thus, this begs the question: should creators and network executives have built in expiration dates for sci-fi series? Is the open-ended sci-fi series a thing of the past? Will viewers actually stick around and commit to a series if they know exactly when it will end? Is built-in “obsolescence” the dawn of a new era of sci-fi television? Is this the only way to guarantee death-with-dignity for a sci-fi series?

As unimaginable as it is, perhaps planning for obsolescence (a definite “end” date) is preferable to watching our TV shows decapitated without warning in the increasingly mercurial arena of television ratings. There certainly is an argument for planned-obsolescence versus letting our beloved shows fall beneath the guillotine for not every TV show is allowed the time and money to actually end the way they want.

To answer the question: why are some shows allowed a dignified death and others are killed-off without warning? The answer comes down to one simple factor: money. No network wants to pay for the show that is losing money and viewers faster than it can recoup its investment. It used to be that a television show did not get out of the red and into the black until it hit the magical 100th episode mark – hence, the big celebration when any show makes it that far. Thus, if a network does not believe that a show will actually make it to that point, it will cut its losses and try to invest its money in another show that will make it that far. As for why some networks are more generous with allowing a show to wrap-up its storyline, well, that is perhaps because they see a monetary value in concluding a series so that it will sell successfully as a DVD box set. And sometimes, it is because the network simply feels it is the right thing to do so it does not upset the fans and viewers. After all, if viewers believe from the get-go that the network will just keep killing off shows without allowing them to conclude a storyline, the viewers may not bother tuning into new shows at all. It is a difficult decision, but ultimately the smarter network plans for cancellation and treats both the show and the viewers who watched it with respect.

So whether the future answer should be that sci-fi shows have pre-planned end-dates or planned for obsolescence, sci-fi viewers must simply be more vigilant for there is still no guarantee that their shows will not vanish without a trace. The guillotine will continue to fall suddenly and without discrimination. Sci-fi television remains a dying genre.

The Best of Sci-Fi Television From 2009

Remembering the sci-fi episodes which had us on the edge of our seats, rolling with laughter and weeping with joy

At the end of each year, it is popular to be inundated with top ten lists of just about everything: the best television shows, the best actors, the best quotes, and just the best of the best.  So rather than just compile a list of ten shows or episodes that stood out from the pack in this past year, I instead opted to select one episode from each sci-fi television show that stood out and deserves special recognition from 2009.

No matter how anyone felt about it, “Battlestar Galactica – Daybreak: Part 2” was a work of art.  It was the epic episode everyone had been waiting for: where Galactica and its crew mounted one last stand in order to rescue the child Hera from the clutches of the Cylons.  The showdown was tense, nail-biting, painful and never more bittersweet than when the survivors found themselves face to face with the long sought after Earth.  The ensuing good-byes as each parted ways towards their final destiny was even more heart-breaking.  But like those conflicting feelings of each character, those feelings were mirrored by the fans around the globe saying their good-byes to one of the most controversial and lauded shows on television.  Our hearts may grieve, but we were lucky to enjoy such an astounding journey.

The name Joss Whedon has been associated with ground-breaking, cult television for over a decade.  Thus, it was with surprise that when Joss unveiled his latest creation “Dollhouse” —  which left the viewers were stunned by its complacency.  While titillating and thought-provoking, something was clearly missing:  it had no heart.  It was not until the episode  “Belonging” that we felt the chill of recognition.  This was the classic Joss Whedon we all knew and loved.  The episode was the darkest to date as it recounted how Sierra was taken captive and enslaved in the Dollhouse.  But with the least likely of champions at her back, Adelle and Topher, it was a tale of vengeance and awakening conscience.  The show had taken long enough, but once it found its true path, the fans rejoiced.  Another bittersweet moment since it came on the heels of the news of the show’s cancellation.  Another reminder at how fleeting success is in this volatile industry.  Enjoy it while it lasts.

Having now established itself as the popcorn king of summer television, “Eureka” returned this past summer with a delicious confection in the episode “Welcome Back Carter.”  The introduction of Sheriff Andy, a robot in a box, as Carter’s replacement was a clever and humorous look at the pro’s and con’s of having a robot try to take the place of a human being.  Using the Wizard of Oz mythology as a framework, this episode brought back the charm and innocence that has made “Eureka” such a pleasure to watch over the years.

After dazzling everyone with its flash of brilliance in its pilot episode, “FlashForward” raised the ante on itself in the episode “The Gift.”  While investigating the Blue Hand Club (a sly nod to the blue-handed men of Joss Whedon’s long-gone but not forgotten “Firefly” series), Agent Al Gough took matters into his own hands to prove to everyone that their fates were not predetermined as he took his own life.  With the simple act of stepping off a building, his sacrifice was mesmerizing and mind-boggling.  He gave them all back their free-will.  It was powerful and riveting.

Still reeling from the revelation that William Bell had been hiding in an alternate dimension at the end of its first season, “Fringe” embraced its walk on the wild side and gave us the episode, “A New Day in an Old Town” where everything was not as it seemed to be.  Plus, with Olivia suffering from not only her auto accident injuries, but also a fractured psyche, the balance of power shifted as Peter took up the reins of the Fringe Division.  We were also introduced to shape-shifter Charlie, who hid in plain sight just waiting to strike.  With all these surprises, the show rose to a new level of excitement and suspense.

While written off by many critics, none could disagree that in the episode “Cold Snap,” “Heroes” had regained some of its glossy allure. The episode sparkled from start to finish, offering not only an apparent major death, but also a major revelation. It was a loving reminder of why we all fell in love with the show in the first place and why it deserves to be remembered for its highs more than its lows. Seeing Tracy Strauss shatter into a million tiny pieces was tragic and stunning. Her heart may have been frozen, but she melted ours.

It may have lasted but one short season, but “Life on Mars” (the American version) was a dazzling array of science fiction subtly buried under all those ‘70’s clothes. In the episode “Let All the Children Boogie,” it embraced its silly decadence and let us glimpse the fun frivolity at the heart of the show. It also offered a phenomenal cameo by Broadway star Cheyenne Jackson who nearly swept Annie off her feet. And if you saw the series all the way through, you will know exactly why this show deserves to be on this list.

In an episode that deserves every rave review and award of recognition it can get, “Lost” reminded us why it is king of primetime drama with the episode “The Incident.” In a searing performance by Elizabeth Mitchell tangling with one nasty nuclear bomb, this episode rose to new heights for the sterling drama. Flash-forward, flack-back or simply jumping around the timeline, “Lost” deserves its pedestal. It can bring us to tears or awe us with its audacity.

A newcomer in the sci-fi realm, “Sanctuary” is still finding its legs. But in a no-holds barred episode “End of Nights, Part 2,” it dared to stake its claim as a contender to be reckoned with. It took its characters and gave them each the fight of their lives and bravely struck down not one, but two of its own cherished characters. It felt premature, but still resonated loudly with its willingness to raise the stakes.

Continuing in its quest to fulfill its iconic legacy, “Smallville” ended its eighth season breaking our hearts. In the episode “Doomsday,” it was not the big explosive battle between Clark Kent and Doomsday that we remember. It was Jimmy Olsen’s swan song and his loving gift for his bride that we cannot forget. If there was any character who was deemed untouchable, it was Jimmy Olsen and yet “Smallville” dared to change a key piece of mythology by striking him down. It was brave, gutsy and seemingly unforgivable, yet it pulled it off beautifully.

Another fresh-face rising in the ranks of sci-fi television, “Stargate Universe” tackled the big shoes left by its predecessors and strove to make its own mark in sci-fi television. In the episode “Justice,” it did just that. Unmasking Dr. Rush as the villain and leaving him stranded on a deserted planet was shocking and left us breathless for more. It posed the question: does the crime fit the punishment — and we are still wondering. What an outstanding way to declare its independence and individuality.

Though many would wonder at its place on this list, “Supernatural” has always been a sci-fi sibling challenging the way we see the world around us through a distinct lens of good versus evil. Departing briefly from its somber theme and tone in the episode “Changing Channels,” it took a decidedly humorous turn and brilliantly unleashed its comedic core. It invoked side-splitting laughter and we were amused as the Winchester boys danced to the Trickster’s tune in order to woo another minion of evil to their cause. Proving that laughter is the best medicine, it was a pure devilish delight.

With tenacity rarely seen on television, the scrappy upstart “Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles” sought to secure its place in another iconic legacy. In the episode “Today is the Day, Part 2,” we glimpsed the man that John Connor would one day become as he stared into Jesse’s lost eyes debating whether her death was justified. As the series struggled under the weight of its intricate mythology, it never shined so bright as when we saw the lengths they would go to in order to preserve the future of the human race. Fortunately, it preserved its human heart in the process.

With echoes of yesterday hanging over it, it was with a dash of surreal ingenuity that the new series “V” stepped outside the long shadow of its predecessor and with the pivotal performances of its lead characters walking the tight-rope of finely tuned writing, the “Pilot” episode captured the imagination of another generation of sci-fi fans. As it unmasked a familiar face as the enemy, we all gasped with horror and wonder. It was a nice twist to an old tale and immediately set itself apart as a show to watch.

Last, but not least, the summer sensation “Warehouse 13” made everyone take notice when it ratcheted up the tension and risk-level in the episode “Implosion.” It was classic sci-fi at its best with implosion grenades and an invisibility sword. It was also the episode in which the characters finally began working together as a team and the audience became invested in their survival. It also steadily broke ratings and became the most watch sci-fi show in Syfy’s history. Not bad for a rookie.

Special mention should be made of Syfy’s “Alice” and the 2 hour pilot episode of “Caprica” which was released early on DVD to whet the fans’ appetites as they mourned the end of their beloved “Battlestar Galactica.” Both offered up unique and intriguing tales on already established science fiction canon and provided glimpses into worlds that we would love to spend more time in. They also were simply glorious to behold.

It should also be noted that “Doctor Who” and “Torchwood” were omitted, not because they are not the best shows in sci-fi, but because both did not have regular seasons in 2009. Rather both had television events instead. Thus, it was impossible to pick out the “best episode” when offered as television events or mini-series. Thus, like “Alice” and “Caprica,” “Doctor Who” and “Torchwood” deserve special recognition for being simply extraordinary in their entirety.

2009 was an epic year in science fiction with no less than a dozen sci-fi shows falling prey to audience erosion and the ever increasing network budget cuts. But it also saw some extraordinary moments that deserve to be remembered. So as we look back at 2009, let us remember the good and not just the bad. Let us remember the moments that made us laugh, made us cry and made us eternally grateful that they happened at all.

Related article:

http://airlockalpha.com/feature/6987/tv-watchtower-my-sci-fi-favorites-from-2009.html

Is This End of Sci-Fi on Television?

Now I Lay Thee Down To Sleep:  Are We at the Dawn of the Downfall of Sci-Fi Television?

With the recent cancellations of Joss Whedon’s “The Dollhouse” and ABC’s “Defying Gravity,” we are reminded yet again that television is not a gentle mistress for sci-fi television shows.

In fact, this is a bad time to be a sci-fi show on television. Television audiences just are not as forgiving and patient as they used to be. They do not want to wait for storylines to be slowly developed and then unpeeled layer after layer. They just want to have the onion cracked right open and to see what is inside. Alas, the only thing inside is but a nugget of what the real story is about. Just like a human life is not just about how a person died, a sci-fi story is not just about the last 15 minutes. A life is a journey. And that is what makes a story interesting – getting there is not just half the fun, it is the fun.

So when I hear people say that they could not follow “Lost” or just want to know all the answers to the questions posed, I am astounded. What good is it to list a set of answers to questions if it is not given some kind of framework to illustrate the importance or significance of the questions and the answers to each. One of the biggest and best questions from “Lost” has been: what is the monster? One day they just may tell us and we are going to be disappointed.

It is like pulling back the curtain in the “Wizard of Oz” and finding there is only an old man pulling all the levers. The story was much more exciting when Dorothy thought there was this magnificent Wizard of Oz who was the most powerful and magical being in the realm. And one day we will finally find out if Sylar is a good guy or bad guy on “Heroes” and we will feel just as unsatisfied with that answer as well. For it has been a roller-coaster of a ride wondering what the hell Sylar would do next. Was he going to help them or kill them in the end?

And one day Lex Luthor will rise up and be the notorious villain of comic-book lore. But watching the past 9 seasons of “Smallville,” I am grateful for the chance to see how Lex and Clark may have once been friends and how that disintegrated as Lex became more and more greedy and suspicious of what Clark may be hiding.

No, in sci-fi, it is the journey that is the most fascinating aspect of the story. One cannot simply read a book’s introduction and the last two pages, and in television, one cannot just have the opening credits and the closing scene. Nothing would make sense. We would not have the privilege and joy of discovering each character, their backstory and their path of self-discovery and see the importance of how they relate to one another. Life is not just about beginnings and endings. It is all the stuff in between that counts.

Yet more and more, television audiences are refusing to be satisfied with anything more than just the beginning and end. It is as if they were corrupted by the MTV-era and anything longer that 7 minutes is just too long and their inherent inability to sit still demands that they turn the channel or move on to the next pretty, shiny toy. However, seven minutes just is not enough to tell a story properly.

If you look back at any great television series (whether sci-fi or not), it was not just the first episode that was great or even the last episode. Somewhere in between there were these moments of greatness that no one ever saw coming. For “Heroes,” it was “Company Man.” For “Lost,” it was “Through the Looking Glass.” For “BSG,” it was “33.” And for virtually every show there is, you could name the one stand-out episode that was somewhere in the middle of that show’s journey.

But that one episode would have been nothing but for the episodes leading up to it. Each had carefully laid the foundation of the characters and how they related to one another that made those episodes all that much more climatic and amazing. No, the art of storytelling is laying the foundation. Just like a house cannot exist with just a hanging chandelier; for it must have a solid foundation, sturdy walls, a weatherproof roof and a few glistening windows. In sci-fi, a clever story has all the same elements. It has a strong foundation (the initial premise of the show), sturdy walls (the bare bones or turning points of the story), a weatherproof roof (an overall arcing story of where it is going), glistening windows (an array of interesting characters) and a whole lot of nails, boards, drywall, and paint. All these ingredients are necessary to build a home and all are just as equally necessary to build a sci-fi television series. If you leave one
out or skimp on the quality, all you have then is a shoddy home, or no home at all if the building inspectors deem it unfit for habitation.

These days the viewing audience is simply too impatient to allow for proper “homebuilding” (e.g., storytelling). We are the children of the “Me-generation” and the “I want it right now” generation. No patience. It is all about instant gratification. But nothing worthwhile can be achieved so quickly or by taking short-cuts. Recent examples would be the new television shows “FlashForward” and “V.” It is astounding how quickly viewers turned the channel once they realized they were not getting any fast answers. They wanted it right now, or they just tuned out. It is appalling.

One of the most highly regarded books of all time is Tolstoy’s “War and Peace.” It is 1,475 pages long. God forbid someone ever told Tolstoy that people simply never take the time to read a book that long and he needed to shorten it to an acceptable length – like maybe 200 pages.

I posit that  science-fiction storytelling requires the same patience. It takes time to develop great stories and epic characters. It is only by taking the long journey with them that we appreciate all the exquisite attributes and their contributions along the way. It is also because we undertook the long arduous journey together that the pay off is that more rewarding. There is simply no greater joy than when finally reaching the end after a momentous journey.

So for all the impatient “I’ve got to have it now” television viewers I say this: you are missing out on the greatest story(ies) you’ll ever know simply because you had no patience to wait and discover where it went.

It is like opening your Christmas gifts the day after Thanksgiving. There is no joy in rushing things. Let the holidays unfold and wait patiently for Christmas morning. Watching all those glittering packages sit under the tree just builds the anticipation. And so it is with a sci-fi show, enjoy peeling back each exquisite layer. Cherish each and every character. Practice patience. Only then will you reap the reward having savored each and every moment of it.

So as we continue to hold wakes for the shows of yester year, mourning the loss of beloved “friends” that brought joy to our lives, we sit at sci-fi’s deathbed. For surely, shows like “Heroes,” “Fringe,” “V” and “FlashForward” will be next on the chopping block. Viewer-erosion is a sure fire way to foretell imminent cancellation. And with “Heroes” having fallen from a once regular viewership of 13 million to 5 million, “Fringe” from 12 million to 7 million, “V” from 14 million to 9 million and “FlashForward” from 11 million to 6 million, it is not hard to see the writing on the wall. Say your prayers or send you last-ditch pleas to networks, as I can hear the sound of the death bells tolling. Sci-fi television is surely at death’s door.

It is too soon to tell for such series, like “Stargate Universe,” “Sanctuary,” “Smallville,” or “Supernatural.” But, like “Lost” which closes the book on its 6 year journey next May, perhaps “Smallville” (which will be ending its ninth season) and “Supernatural” (which will be ending its fifth season) will also bow gracefully into the night.

That leaves shows such as “Stargate Universe,” “Sanctuary,” “Doctor Who,” “Torchwood,” “Eureka,” and “Warehouse 13” being the last holdouts of the sci-fi television era. We can only hope and pray that “Caprica” (the “Battlestar Galactica” prequel) captures enough of an audience to give it some legs. There is a sci-fi legacy that needs to be upheld. Let’s not have 2010 be the year that sci-fi television died.

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.

 

Spotlight on: Sonya Walger

As one of the break-out stars of the new hot ABC series “FlashForward,” Sonya Walger has been gaining notoriety for the last couple of years playing Penelope Widmore on “Lost.”

But before her attention-grabbing success on “Lost” and “FlashForward,” Sonya was a steadily working television performer.  After doing short stints on such shows as “Heat of the Sun,” “Misdomer Murders,” “The Vice” and “Goodnight Sweetheart” in 1998 and 1999, Sonya scored a big break being cast as Donna Barnes in the series “The Mind of the Married Man.”  Unfortunately, that role lasted only one season and she was back to steadily working in both film and television roles; the most noteworthy was being cast as Nicole Noone in made-for-television movie, “The Librarian: Quest for the Spear.”

But 2004 was a really good year for Sonya.  That was the year she gained traction and momentum in her career and, in between 2004 through 2006, she appeared in ten episodes of “CSI: New York” as Jane Parsons and five episodes of the series “Sleeper Cell” as Special Agent Patrice Sexner, which was quickly followed with a ten episode stint in 2007 on the ground-breaking series “Tell Me You Love Me.”  But it was in 2006 in which lightening struck when she was cast as Desmond’s star-crossed lover, Penny, in the ABC phenom “Lost.”  It was only 11 electrifying episodes, but with the line “not Penny’s boat” scribbled across Charlie’s hand as he sacrificed himself to convey that dire message to the rest of the castaways, Penny suddenly became a lightening rod for fans to latch onto.  Unlike any other romantic pairing on the series, Penny and Desmond were always portrayed as destined to be together and the writers were generous enough to play up their epic romance.

While the Penny-Desmond storyline is ongoing through the final season of Lost, which will be broadcast starting in January 2010, Sonya was not content to sit around. She quickly scored a recurring role on the short-lived series Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles as Michelle Dixon, Charlie Dixon’s doomed wife.

Then in a bold career move and with a masterful stroke of luck, Sonya landed the lead role in the red-hot ABC series FlashForward playing Olivia Benford, wife of Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes), the morally conflicted doctor who is uncertain if she wants her flashforward vision of her future to come true — for in her vision she saw herself involved with another man. Sonya’s portrayal is perfectly nuanced as we see her determination to remain faithful to her husband and marriage in the face of temptation and the mechanisms of fate. Sonya also radiates such a heart of goodness and loving warmth that the audience is drawn to her whenever she is on screen.

It will be a pleasure to watch as Sonya continues to explore her character, Olivia, in FlashForward and to see what surprises lie in store on Lost.  ABC has picked a winner with this radiant actress and it is a delight to be blessed with her presence on two hot series that will play back-to-back through this upcoming season.

FlashForward airs Thursdays on ABC at 8/7c.

Related article:

http://nicegirlstv.com/2009/10/22/spotlight-on-sonya-walger/