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.
