"FlashForward" on ABC

[mel]

Re: "Flash Forward" on ABC

ABC Orders Full Season of 'FlashForward'

Sci-fi thriller has performed solidly in 8 p.m. time slot, topping the once-dominant 'Survivor' on CBS

Link: http://www.broadcastingcable.com/art...hp?rssid=20065

Good news.

[helen]

Re: "Flash Forward" on ABC

In this series the blackout first happens on October 6, 2009, with the flash forwarding at some point in April 29 2010. Tonight's episode takes place 14 days after the blackout, but it does show a flash back to the blackout event where a bus ends up in pond.

[helen]

Re: "Flash Forward" on ABC

Did notice that when the bus ended up in the pond there was a bright light appearing in the sky sort of close to the horizon.

[salmoned]

Re: "Flash Forward" on ABC

This latest episode was just a continuation of mediocrity. Everyone assumes the LA office investigation is solely based on the protagonist's flashforward, completely disregarding the results already gleaned (that at least 2 persons were not blacked out, the crow deaths, mosaic cross-confirmations, etc.). Those results speak much louder than anyone's flashforward ever could. Whatever initiated that investigation is irrelevant in the face of those results. Why does no one mention that in the congressional hearings?

Apparently, some secret governmental agency is following the investigation with an eye toward derailing it. Oooh, gunfire! It's like hotsauce on cream of wheat. Spicy, but still cream of wheat.

As well, everyone in this show has unresolved issues that are as interesting as watching corn grow. Let's get on with the storyline and minimize the distractions, please!

[helen]

Re: "Flash Forward" on ABC

So there is a group that caused the blackouts from which 20 million people died. So was the flashforwards part of the plan or just a side effect?

[anapuni808]

Re: "Flash Forward" on ABC

If folks think the show is mediocre, or don't like the show, we have the option to change channels. That's one of the joys of TV - we can turn it off. Unless we are watching PBS or cable, we really shouldn't expect too much stimulation.

There are those of us out here who are very "low-brow", like me. I'm enjoying the show and am glad they will have a full season. I watch the show as entertainment (like all network TV) and don't need it to have any great social relativity or be intellectually stimulating. It's ENTERTAINMENT, not reality!

[salmoned]

Re: "FlashForward" on ABC

Huh? If it's not intellectually stimulating, how is it entertaining? If it doesn't stimulate your mind, then it must be only stimulating your eyes and ears, eh? I'll agree, that's fairly low-brow. Either way, not worthy of comment, eh?

Without some suspension of disbelief, facilitated by plausible human actions and reactions, I can't really enjoy this program, except as an example of what shouldn't be aired. It only feeds moronic behavior, making the world a little bit worse whenever someone watches it for it's 'entertainment value' (stimulation of eyes and ears).

[pzarquon]

Re: "FlashForward" on ABC

I think it's perfectly reasonable to think critically about entertainment, and don't want to sell short network television just because it's not PBS. The fact of the matter is, "FlashForward" was put forward as a smart sci-fi show in the vein of "LOST," supposedly worthy of analysis and thought (at least moreso than you'd devote to "CSI: Wherever"). If it were a procedural, or sitcom, I'd surely agree it wouldn't be worth talking about.

I'm still watching "FlashForward," because part of me wants it to succeed, but I come away each episode annoyed as much as I am entertained. Weaknesses that, I think, can be addressed to make it the show it wants to be, which is the show I'd really like to be watching. And while there is a lot of discussion about "FlashForward" out there, I'm afraid much of it is in the same vein. "FlashForward" is trying too hard to be something else, when it's begging to just breathe and be itself.

My primary complaints are technical. For one, the show wants to appeal to smart people, but treats its audience as idiots. I now can't help but laugh every time we see the same snippets of character flashforward, from the pilot episode, in nearly every subsequent episode. It could be a drinking game. With about 40 minutes of storytelling time each week, why waste 20 percent of it with recycled material? Has anyone watching forgotten that Olivia (Sonia Walger's character) was with another man, or that Mark had fallen off the wagon?

Secondly, the "big reveals" are too heavily telegraphed, downright anvilicious, where again the show "talks down" to the audience each time as if to say, "did you catch that? let's emphasize it more with slow-mo, moody lighting, and swelling music."

The Houston Chronicle has a writer recap and review each episode, and his commentary is spot-on in this respect. His advice to the writers from way back on the second episode of "FlashForward" covers all the things that I think are holding this show back from being good.

[salmoned]

Re: "FlashForward" on ABC

Heard here! I'll never buy that 'anvilicious' word, tho, no matter how hard you promote it.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: "FlashForward" on ABC

Haven't seen the show - but while channel-surfing last night, we stopped on it at the end ... because our ears caught Rufus Wainwright's take on "Across The Universe."

[helen]

Re: "FlashForward" on ABC

They seem to have a montage of the various characters' lives with a different musical background near the end of the episode. As far as the series itself there is a flaw in one of the premise, that people who are entering their experiences into the FBI's Mosaic Collective, there is no way to verify what people are entering are true. Or at least no character in the series has made that statement yet.

[anapuni808]

Re: "FlashForward" on ABC

that was almost the best part of the show last nite! (oops - this is in reply to Leo Lakio's post)

[Leo Lakio]

Re: "FlashForward" on ABC

that was almost the best part of the show last nite! (oops - this is in reply to Leo Lakio's post)

I'm glad that's what we caught, then!

(We will be seeing Mr. Wainwright with the Seattle Symphony in a week.)

[helen]

Re: "FlashForward" on ABC

I missed last week's episode and about the first 5 minutes of tonight's episode but according to character Aaron he said he exhumed his daughter's grave 2 months ago, so the series time line is either in December or January.

[helen]

Re: "FlashForward" on ABC

Tonight's episode takes place in December. Mark and Demetri go to Hong Kong to find the woman who called to warn Demetri. Lloyd and Simon go public that their physics research may have caused the blackouts.

New episodes of this series will be shown in March.