Link and more info:

http://abc.go.com/primetime/flashforward/index?pn=index


Debuts Thu Sept 24th 8/7c

A mysterious global event causes everyone to blackout simultaneously for two minutes and seventeen seconds,
and each person sees a glimpse of their lives six months from now.
________________________________________________________

FlashForward is actually the trailer I saw in a movie theater (not NBC's Day One). And yes, they did throw a bunch of money into this pilot. It's from the producers of Lost and looks very promising. It even features the actress who played 'Penny'.

It definitely has the "Lost" formula and even its title is inspired from our favorite castaway show. Though it remains to be seen if audiences will have the patience for yet another show with a dragged-out mystery. I'm definitely on board....

A mysterious global event causes everyone to blackout simultaneously for two minutes and seventeen seconds, and each person sees a glimpse of their lives six months from now.I just got my glimpse. In six months, FlashForward will be canceled......

I have to agree with Ken on this, based on how brutally heavily serialized shows have been treated in recent years by the viewing audience. LOST caught on fast, before people realized they'd gotten invested in a sci-fi show. I'd love to see FF succeed, and I'm on board for as long as it lasts. But I don't have much hope.

This sounds very familiar to the book by Robert J. Sawyer:

http://www.amazon.com/Flashforward-Robert-J-Sawyer/dp/0812580346/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248710229&sr=8-1

Looks intriguing!

This sounds like a very interesting concept. Can I assume it is it based on the book above, and not just an amazing coincidence?

I'll be surprised if it will last, but I'll be watching.

This sounds like a very interesting concept. Can I assume it is it based on the book above, and not just an amazing coincidence?

I'll be surprised if it will last, but I'll be watching.

It sounds very familiar to the premise of the book but that could just be a coincidence. I don't know if Sawyer has anything to do with the series.

In the book, the flashforward was 20 years instead of 6 months in the series. If you didn't see anything during the flashforward, it meant that you would be dead at that point in the future. The event was caused by a high-energy physics experiment in the book.

The book is definitely interesting and worth reading.

Yes, I enjoyed the Robert Sawyer book and would also recommend it.

As for the TV series -- my flashforward is only two months, and has me DVRing the show and trying it out. Unfortunately, I also recognize that the odds are stacked against this show.

Odds are, this show will tank, but Defying Gravity will likely survive. :mad: ABC already has two "Grey's" shows; why is a third (DG) needed?

There is a name for this- it is called alchoholism.

This sounds like a very interesting concept. Can I assume it is it based on the book above, and not just an amazing coincidence?

I'll be surprised if it will last, but I'll be watching.

It is based on the book according to an article in The Vancouver Sun (http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Future+imperfect+hopes+Flash+Forward+will+stop+time+save+net work/1609763/story.html), the book's author, Robert Sawyer is Canadian.

I'm on ABC's email list for updates on their shows (the few shows they have I actually care about, such as "Lost").

Looks like they've just added a new one to that list, lol. They just sent a new email about their fall schedule, which included a link where you can watch the first 17 minutes of "Flash Forward," and I'M HOOKED already! It goes up against "CSI," I think, so I'll be doing more time shifting, lol, but I think I'll be watching CSI live, because I definitely wanna be able to run and re-run this one so I can re-watch things -- looks like it's gonna have more little things you have to "catch" than any show since "Lost." Looks like it's gonna be A LOT like "Lost" in some ways, except even MORE of a mystery.

I can't wait!
Jeff

It's ABC and I know better then tune in. They will move it around and if it has any semblance of quality, which I'm not so sure of, they will cancel it in a few weeks.

Jaded? Me?

This show is doomed. It looks good, it seems to be a scifi/mystery type of show. And they pair it with Grey's ****ing Anatomy on Thursday!! I get the feeling this is going to follow the same path as Life On Mars did last year.

Why is ABC so stoopid?? A show like this would be PERFECT to pair with Lost. But no, they put it with Grey's Anatomy. What a poor business decision to think teen age soap watchers would also watch this show.

And of course it is on ABC. Call that strike two against it. Just like Eli Stone, Boston Legal and many others, if this show is a quality show it will be dumped to Saturday night in the summer and Wipeout or Primetime will fill it's old time period.

Then again, Matt, do you know how hard I had to search to find THIS thread? And THEN, since there hadn't been a posting on it since July 28, AVS' bot considered it a "dead thread" and made me click a little box acknowledging that I realized I may be responding to a "dead thread" before I could post.

And I have the UTMOST RESPECT for AVS (unlike ABC, which I agree with you on, along with CBS, NBC -- and ESPECIALLY FOX, lol). My point is that ABC actually DID leave "Lost" in pretty much the same place MOST of the time and most of ITS problems stemmed from changes in story pacing and direction that didn't hold the audience -- UNTIL they revamped it and set an END-DATE.

Of course I never quit watching, and actually enjoyed whatever direction they took it. But I can see where some folks got upset that with so many unanswered questions with the existing cast members, they just kept adding more without answering the existing ones... I felt there were reasons for adding the new characters and story lines that had to do with the existing ones, and I think I was right, but then I have A LOT more patience with serialized shows than a lot of people.

"Flash Forward" looks to have a good cast, good concept -- GREAT art direction and staging -- really looks like ALL of L.A. is in shambles. I see a lot of potential... Then again, considering the time slot it's going to be in, it faces STIFF competition.
Jeff

In one of FF's trailers, some agency was investigating the cause of the phenomenon. It was hard to tell, but while viewing various security camera footage during the 2.5 minute "blackout", it looked as though they may have discovered someone concious and moving about.

So I'm wondering if the incident is man-made....

It's them DANGED ALIENS again, rezzy! :eek:

Dem shore iz pesky critters! :p:D

It's SOMETHING that happens at a ballpark. I saw that much. They were reviewing camera footage from a major-league baseball game (at least that's what it looked like), and the FBI agent (I know that's what she was because I watched the 17-minute preview, and she was one in that) pointed it out. The male star is an agent who was on a stake-out. He and his partner were following an SVU with three suspects who "made them" and it had turned into a chase, and they were mid-chase when the blackout happened. His wife is a doctor who was mid-surgery at the time. Courtney Vance plays the local FBI director he works for. John Cho plays his partner. I recognized him and his wife, but I don't know either actor's name.
Jeff

This show is doomed. It looks good, it seems to be a scifi/mystery type of show. And they pair it with Grey's ****ing Anatomy on Thursday!! I get the feeling this is going to follow the same path as Life On Mars did last year.

It's not like Grey's is the lead-in. But it was certainly stupid to put the most promising of ABC's new series on Thursday night at all, when every network is fielding a solid competitor.

This show should be on Tuesday at 8pm where it might have a chance to grow rather than Shark Tank, which was doomed to fail before it even began regardless of time slot. And if they had put it on Tuesday, they could've paired it with Lost mid-season after Dancing with the Stars finishes.

I'll never understand why every network thinks they have to fight tooth and nail for Thursday. Sure, it's a valuable night for advertisers, but I'd rather have a ratings leader on Tuesday or Wednesday night than a series of failed efforts on Thursdays. Even Fox was foolish enough to get in the game this year.

Who knows, Matt?

It's almost like they're competing to see WHO can get the highest-rated, or most-promising show CANCELED! I mean, NOW it's "C.S.I." vs. "Law & Order" vs. "Bones" vs. "Flash Forward!" GEESH, I like ALL of those shows! Good thing I have TWO dual DVRs, huh? :rolleyes: "Bones" even had Cyndi Lauper on its first episode, last night, as a Taro Card reader, lol!

I don't know about this show. It seems like a great movie plot, but how do you make a whole series that goes for more than 1 season about this? Same way with Life on Mars I guess. I liked that show, because I love time-travel plots, but I just didn't see how the story could last more than 1 season, which of course it did not.

I don't know about this show. It seems like a great movie plot, but how do you make a whole series that goes for more than 1 season about this?

People said the same thing about LOST. ;)

They copied Lost! Lost invented FlashForwards!

lol!

Hoffs Drawlar

I just got my glimpse. In six months, FlashForward will be canceled...... LOL.

I certainly hope not. Finished the screener of the pilot, last week, and I'm hooked. They're doing a pretty good job of building a mystery involving whodunit and why. They get right to the blackout and, for TV, the CGI mayhem scenes are pretty good. (Screener was in SD, so it might look cheesy in HD). And, yeah, each character has a glimpse into their future. What you don't see in the promos is the present-day groundwork that will lead to some of those futures. And how some of the characters find other people who were in their flashes and discover they had the SAME flash. Very "Lost"-esque. Not all of the flashes are serious. One is rather humorous:
The FBI director-guy's entire flash seems to be him sitting on the toilet reading the newspaper. He's too embarrassed to admit it.

And, the first episode ends with a rather intriguing Detroit connection.

I kind of agree that it'll probably get canceled. And I think JJ Abrams could have done a much better job with this. But I'm gonna give it a few episodes just becuase the blonde is cute and I gotta see how that Detroit thing works out.


Doc

I just got my glimpse. In six months, FlashForward will be canceled......

I'm going to be watching this show but certainly won't get my hopes up.
Will enjoy it for however long it lasts, however brief that maybe.
This seems to be the standard MO for most network shows nowadays.
Here today gone tomorrow.

The whole key to whether it survives or not is how well it does right out of the gate. With all the advance hype it's been getting as well as other promotion (I've seen billboards in Charlotte), awareness should be high. Serialized shows don't usually build too much audience on what they begin with, so a fast start is essential. Even LOST has been steadily bleeding viewers since it's first season, down maybe a third or more from what it started with. Maybe they should have premiered it after the first DWTS episode (since ABC doesn't have NFL football anymore), then repeated or continued it in its permanent Thursday berth.

That sounds like a good plan they didn't have to me, too, Skip.

That's how I got hooked on Alias... It premiered on a Sunday night, but there was something else I usually watched Sunday nights, and the preview hadn't really impressed me, so I missed it... They replayed it on a Tuesday after another show I watched -- don't even remember what, any more, but there was nothing else I cared to watch on right then, so I decided to leave the channel there and was hooked from then on.

That spoiler is FUNNY, DrDon. How did you get an advance screening? Just the 17-minute teaser they're running online was plenty to hook me, as I said above. And obviously, while this thread had NO action since late July, there MUST be plenty of interest because as soon as I posted to it, the new posts started coming back in like gangbusters.

I really FAIL to see how this show is any kind of rip-off or copy of "Lost." Just because it has some sort of premonitions in it, or a hint of time travel? Come on. How many OTHER shows, movies and books have that???

Is "Macbeth" a rip-off of Homer's "Odyssey?" :rolleyes:

How did you get an advance screening? I'm in the business.

I really FAIL to see how this show is any kind of rip-off or copy of "Lost." If anything, it borrows some of the elements that got us all hooked on "Lost" before it went awry. I can't tell from the flashes, but I sense that a lot of them will puzzle-piece together, such as when we saw Sayid on a television program in the background during (I think) Jack's flashback. And piecing together the flashes gives them insight as to what happened. Thing is, once they get to April 2010, it'll have to happen all over again for there to be a second season, I'd think.

If anything, it borrows some of the elements that got us all hooked on "Lost" before it went awry.

One man's awry is another's awesome. ;)

+1 Skippy... "Lost" NEVER went "awry" for me, either.

I loved getting to know the second set of survivors -- and "the others."

And Ben Linus has got to be one of the best villains in TV history -- SO duplicitous -- then again, speaking of "duplicitous," that character who "played Locke" at the end of last season REALLY "takes the cake," huh?

One man's awry is another's awesome. ;)So there's no mistake, I personally fall into the "awesome" category. Still a huge fan. :)

Can't wait to see what people think of the new "V." First ep of that is pretty good, too.

So, if it is based on the book, did vpn75 spoil the cause in his post above?

That's how I got hooked on Alias...Yeah, it helped that it had a great pilot episode. Jenn had me 30 seconds in.....

Yeah, it helped that it had a great pilot episode. Jenn had me 30 seconds in.....

No kidding, Rezzy! That was my first exposure to Jennifer Garner (probably the first for most people), and I was picking my jaw up off the floor!

I still think she's a great actress, and enjoy all the sitcoms she does these days, but I miss seeing her in the sort of high-tension action-drama she did in "Alias," especially when she was in a really tight spot -- and that pilot was something else! When, AFTER having a molar pulled with no anesthesia, she freed herself and STILL kicked the guy's butt -- along with all his henchmen -- and it looked BELIEVABLE. Mmmmm! Riveting!

If "Flash Forward" can pull of that sort of tension and action -- or scenes with the sort of impact the first time they heard and "saw" the jungle monster in "Lost," or when Sawyer shot the polar bear, amongst others, I think it'll hold an audience.

As for VPN spoiling the show, or not -- I scrolled up to see what the post was -- I'd read them all, but wasn't sure which one that was... I'd say that's possible, but then again even if that's EXACTLY what happened in THIS show, it can still be quite a fascinating drama seeing how they get there and just WHY it all happened -- was it deliberate or accidental -- that sort of thing.
Jeff

So, if it is based on the book, did vpn75 spoil the cause in his post above?I don't think so. The characters seem to be pursuing leads that point toward the deliberate. The Detroit scene amplifies that theory. That will probably be the one everyone's talking about in this thread once the show airs. There is also one flash-forward we'll all be grabbing screen shots of to study.

I don't know about this show. It seems like a great movie plot, but how do you make a whole series that goes for more than 1 season about this?
My first thought was just the opposite. You have an entire planet full of people who's future life was shown and can be the subject of an individual episode. Perfect vehicle for guest stars. The event can be replayed in an infinite number of ways in different locations. (obviously not as drawn out as the original. But how about in the middle of a crime scene or sporting event or from the space shuttle which might be imune, etc) The difference between success and failure is how well they tie in the investigation aspect to the individual stories.

So unless the show doesn't follow a "real-time" timeline, what happens 6 months from now, AFTER the supposed time to which people got a glimpse?

So unless the show doesn't follow a "real-time" timeline, what happens 6 months from now, AFTER the supposed time to which people got a glimpse?They do call out the date by name, so I'd think they have to follow it through. Otherwise, it's going to sound silly talking about April 2010 once that date's gone by. If I were writing the show, that's when I'd have everyone pass out for ANOTHER two minutes and flash forward a whole year. The new flashes happen second week of May (sweeps!) and become the cliffhanger for next fall.

But then, I don't write episodic television. :D

Of course "Lost" was far different in that it involved only a limited set of people isolated on an island -- all of whom were presumed dead to the rest of the world. That said, four years after the show started, the date on the show was only three months past the date the show started (which was the ACTUAL DATE the show started).

So it IS possible "Flash Forward" could do something like that -- especially since the whole world will know it's ABSOLUTE FICTION unless there really IS a blackout of everyone worldwide this week (quite doubtful, of course). That said, I don't see how NOT having an actual-date "reset" this coming April 10 will be a problem for the show -- if that creates such a BIG PROBLEM for most audience members then they can just "jump" the whole show into an alternate universe, which more and more physicists seem to believe exist ad infinitum, anyway -- OR the event JUMPED everyone INTO an "alternate universe." At any rate, I very much agree each episode can be one individual's memories of the event, which can take years -- they can even spend years just getting past that first day, as people explore their individual memories, if they so choose -- or flashing back and forth to that day.

At any rate, it's not hard to imagine a variety of ways this show can easily "survive" past April 10.
Jeff

I don't know about this show. It seems like a great movie plot, but how do you make a whole series that goes for more than 1 season about this? Same way with Life on Mars I guess. I liked that show, because I love time-travel plots, but I just didn't see how the story could last more than 1 season, which of course it did not.

I am so excited for this show but my gf keep complaining "its like a movie, its not a show, im not watching it, why isn't it a movie?"

Speaking of "shows that are like movies," who watched "Eastwick" tonight?

I watched the original movie, with Jack Nicholson, Cher, Michelle Pfeifer and Susan Sarandon SEVERAL times on pay cable back in the late 80s and through the 90s (and probably even a time or two this decade, but it's still been a while, so I don't remember too many specifics about the early parts of the movie -- I even had to look it up to remember who the third witch was -- didn't remember Susie, shucks).

I also didn't remember that Veronica Cartright was in the movie, as well as in the new TV show, although I don't think she's playing the same character (don't hold me to that). At any rate, those of you who are making "flash-forward" predictions about short lives should take a look at "Eastwick." Nice cast, and they really JUMPED into it, moving almost as fast in that first, 1-hour episode as if it WERE the movie -- but I just DON'T see it -- thought it was pretty weak, regardless of Jaime Ray Newman and Rebecca Rojmin and several other great casting choices... Sort of looks like a "Desperate Housewives of Eastwick" to me, except with most of the husbands missing... Really POOR replacement for "Pushing Daisies," for which I was THRILLED to see Kristin Chenowith won an Emmy as Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy!

If you wanna talk about ABC making idiotic choices, cancelling "Pushing Daisies" was a doosy!

As for your girlfriend, goonstopher, try explaining to her the concept of a night-time SERIAL -- a show that is LONGER than a movie, as it takes the entire season, or even MANY seasons, to tell its story -- maybe THEN she'll get it.
Jeff

The whole key to whether it survives or not is how well it does right out of the gate.

I totally agree. If you go back and re-watch the first ever episode of Lost, IMO it still blows you away. If FF can pull this off as well, they should have enough steam to at least get them through a season.

Reading the USA Today review, they said the premiere is a great made-for-TV movie, but question whether it has lasting value. The biggest question, they say, that will keep viewers interested--at least for a while--is whether the things the characters see in their flash actually must come to pass or can be changed.

Should be interesting. I'll give it a shot.

The fact that none of the characters flashes involved experiencing deja vu tells me ..well, I don't know what it tells me. You'd think at least one of them would have had a flash where they said "OMG, this is what I saw when I passed out six months ago!!"

I'm overthinking this, aren't I?

The fact that none of the characters flashes involved experiencing deja vu tells me ..well, I don't know what it tells me. You'd think at least one of them would have had a flash where they said "OMG, this is what I saw when I passed out six months ago!!"

I'm overthinking this, aren't I?

I'm not sure "deja vu" is the appropriate expression for something like that. It would be a circular combination of deja vu and a premonition; not sure we have a word for that. Yet. ;)

Really looking forward to this one. Four hours to go!

So unless the show doesn't follow a "real-time" timeline, what happens 6 months from now, AFTER the supposed time to which people got a glimpse?This quote from Brannon Braga the executive producer, from way back in early Dec of last year, explains it. New flash each season I guess:

Brannon Braga, the onetime Star Trek executive producer, says that his ABC sci-fi pilot Flash Forward—in which the Earth's inhabitants have a simultaneous glimpse of their futures, then must live with the consequences—is designed to reset itself each season, starting with a new flash and ending when the premonitions come true.

"Yeah, the structure's not dissimilar from 24 [on which Braga is a co-executive producer], and we want to reset the show at the end of each year, where we'll do another flash forward at the end of the first season, and then potentially another flash forward at the end of the second season, each one kind of resetting the core characters' visions of the future and introducing new characters," Braga said in an exclusive interview on Tuesday, Dec. 6, at the Hollywood premiere party for 24's seventh season, which kicks off this weekend.


And this from the end of the article sounds somewhat reassuring:

The show also has a long-term vision, Braga says. "It's so early in the game, [but] we have a lot planned," he says. "We have a lot we want to do. Before we sold the show, we sat down, and we were like, 'This is a big idea. We want to have as much as we can planned for the duration of the show in case it does go. We don't want to be winging it.'"

http://scifiwire.com/2009/01/brannon-braga-says-flash-forward-will-reset-a-la-24.php


ron

Good stuff.

I was thinking this would be very Lost-esque, but it was more 'Armageddon' than anything. The pilot is quite epic in scope. However, I think its mystery is more suited for one, possibly two seasons only; I don't see many sitting still for four or five seasons like they've done for Lost.

And I'm glad Michael Giaccino didn't score this, as it would have likely sounded just like the music from our favorite castaway show.

Anyway, the pilot will be encored tomorrow night (Fri.)

Rather disappointing given all the hype. And the CGI effects of LA looked cheesy to me. If future episodes concentrate on the event itself and how it occurred I will continue following it. It looks, however, like it might rapidly sink into just a soap opera of peoples relationships with each other and if so then I will bail. Not that a good drama can't come from such a plot track, but there did not seem anything unique about these particular people.

Two things of particular note. First almost all the characters just immediately assumed that they actually did see the future. Very little questioning of how this was remotely possible. Not at all believable. Likewise, no one seemed at all interested in how the injured boy knew Olivia's name. Again, this doesn't seem believable.

Ok, it is fantasy, but set in a "real world." That is fine, but as discussed repeatedly in this forum, fantasy must be internally consistent and we don't know yet if they can pull this off. I hope so because I would love to see a new series that really keeps me wanting to see the next episode. The extended "preview" of future episodes did not give me a lot of hope.

fafner

Why does April 2010 have to be a deal breaker? I'm not sold that it does for a few reasons . . .

1. Getting to April 2010 may only be the tip of the iceberg. What proceeds from the events of April 2010 should be able to fuel the show's later run.

2. The title doesn't have to drive the entire premise of the show. I mean, hell, the people on Lost haven't really been "lost" for two seasons now (although, in fairness, the double-meaning still applies to everyone at the end of season 5).

3. While it would probably turn into a shark jumping moment, they could always have another flash. Can't see how that could lead to good writing, but if the ratings are there and the writers run out of story, no one will hesitate to go that direction.

4. It wouldn't be the first show to start in the present and then proceed at a pace slower than 1-to-1 to our world.

BTW, did anyone notice the Oceanic billboard? I'm never flying that 'airlines'!
:p

BTW, did anyone notice the Oceanic billboard? I'm never flying that 'airlines'!
:p

Yes, and another ad for something called 'Red Panda', that I swear I've seen somewhere before...

April 29, 2010 is a Thursday. That's probably not a coincidence.

1. Getting to April 2010 may only be the tip of the iceberg. What proceeds from the events of April 2010 should be able to fuel the show's later run.Completely agreed.

I will give it a shot. It moved along at a good pace with interesting characters. I thought there was too much unnecessary camera movement—circling endlessly around the FEDs at one point. When it becomes noticeable, it jars the viewer back to reality. The artistic intent is lost and reminds us that we’re watching a drama.

April 29, 2010 is a Thursday. That's probably not a coincidence.

Completely agreed.

Possibly, Matt... Then again, this type of show USUALLY starts on the same date as the REAL date of the show -- at least "LOST" did. But in the case of "Flash Forward," the calendar they set up on the big cork board clearly showed the "event" happens Tuesday, Oct. 6.

I wonder if the producers originally thought this show would be scheduled for a Tuesday run and that would be its premiere date, or if that's just a date they settled on? It struck me as a bit odd. I know I kept thinking all through the episode, every time someone said the whole world had seen "six months into the future," that April 29, 2010 is a little more than 7 months from now. Seeing the initial date on the calendar fixed that A LITTLE BIT -- but it's still closer to 7 months than 6 -- 6 months, 2 weeks, 2 days... Hmmm, I'm not going to get a calendar out and start counting right now, but I'm sure someone will find something significant in the number of days, somewhere, lol.

Also, based on the "previews of coming attractions," did anyone ELSE get the impression that the "man in black" in the Detroit stadium will turn out to be Dominic Monaghan of "Lost" fame? I know he's scheduled to be a cast member and they showed him saying he knows what caused it.
Jeff

The pilot wasn't too bad, but if it turns out that people from the future have caused this to happen to change the future for the better I swear will scream "Lame The 4400 Ripoff."

I sort of grabbed me, I wasn't going to watch but it sucked me in.

There were lots of little extraneous things that may or may not mean anything. A Kangaroo in LA hopping down the street? Oceanic Airlines, and the insult of the Detroit stadium being the Oxide Super Stadium. Yes we all know Detroit is the rust bowl but don't rub our noses in it. That was almost enough to kill my season pass.

Ya know, I enjoyed the pilot episode. Kept me interested throughout the show. I do agree that if it turns out to be people from the future causing this to save themselves, I will be disappointed. However, as it stands so far, I will be tuning in next week.:)

I liked the show tonight - better than I thought it would be - not fantastic but it was interesting and had some powerful moments. Hope it keeps throwing in some jarring moments - the early disaster scene was reminiscent of the early moments of LOST. Yes the CGI was a bit obvious - but it's just a TV show - not a feature film where they can spend days processing a shot.

No, of course it wasn't anyone from the future... It was that danged supermagnetic thingamajiggy going off on the "island" in "Lost." It finally hit "supercritical." :eek:

That's why the Dominic Monaghan character is the only one who knows what happened! ;)

See how fast I figured this whole thing out. :p

I just can't figure out why Penny is now married to an FBI agent... whatever happened to Derrick? MAN this stuff is just TOO cornfusling!!! :D

^^^
M-Theory dude ... alternate universes :D

No, of course it wasn't anyone from the future... It was that danged supermagnetic thingamajiggy going off on the "island" in "Lost." It finally hit "supercritical." :eek:

That's why the Dominic Monaghan character is the only one who knows what happened! ;)

See how fast I figured this whole thing out. :p

I just can't figure out why Penny is now married to an FBI agent... whatever happened to Derrick? MAN this stuff is just TOO cornfusling!!! :D

And why is the guy that looks like Richard's brother an FBI agent? And I could swear I saw the Smoke Monster hanging out by one of the explosions ... :eek:

BTW, did anyone notice the Oceanic billboard? I'm never flying that 'airlines'!
:p

"Perfect safety record"

There was more blurb about destiny on the billboard but couldn't make that out.

Well, I'm in so far. The casting is good and the episode moved along nicely. The premise is intriguing, but it's so unbelievably high concept the payoff might not be able to live up to the expectation.

And when I saw the ending figure in black I immediately jumped to Dark City. A coincidence that also in Dark City at a certain time all the humans are put all the people to sleep by shadowy dark figures?

And in another coincidence (but not quite so funny) my idiotic TWC DVR decided it would blackout during the first 2 minutes and not record the show. :rolleyes:

^^^
M-Theory dude ... alternate universes :D

What REALLY gets ME about M theory (only one of several names it goes by), is that its implication for virtually limitless alternate universes possibly existing in essentially the SAME space as ours, simply slightly "out of phase" with us, is still being thrown around in SCIENCE FICTION shows like it's some sort of wild Sci-Fi imagining, YET many of the greatest minds in physics TRULY BELIEVE this is THE TRUTH at this point, and are FEVERISHLY seeking some way to prove it.

So what we're seeing on shows such as "Fringe" as science fiction today very well COULD be science FACT before we have another president, even -- certainly before our next mission to the moon! These are truly exciting times in science!
Jeff

There was enough happening in the opening sequence to be me interested, and stick with it through the rest of the show.

I can see where some people have called this the "Lost Wanna Be", but it could work. I don't particularly care about any of the characters so far, but that may develop in time.

I can see where some people have called this the "Lost Wanna Be", but it could work. I don't particularly care about any of the characters so far, but that may develop in time.

One of the things that's made the characters on LOST compelling is that we know them so well because of the flashback formula. We've had far more backstory on them than typical one or two-note TV characters. We've just been introduced to these folks, and they all seem likable enough. I particularly like the lead guy. That's the toughest for a show like this (remember 'Bionic Woman'?), and they got that one right. We'll care about them more as we get to know them better.

Anyway, terrific opener. Glad to see the networks taking another chance at complex, expensive, long-form serialized sci-fi, my favorite stuff. Hope it opened big!

[QUOTE=fafner;17241696]
Likewise, no one seemed at all interested in how the injured boy knew Olivia's name. Again, this doesn't seem believable.

/QUOTE]

Isn't "daddy's (future) girlfriend" good enough for now? It's not like the doctor had nothing else to think about at the time.

Remind me please...Did the fiance of the partner (who had no flashback), tell him that her flash showed them married?

I may be in the minority, but I didn't care for it much. It seemed very 'forced' to me, and as previously mentioned, the reactions of people to the flash seemd disconnected from reality.

I'm going to give it another 2-3 episodes and if it doesn't get me by then, I'm out.

It'll probably keep going though, because whenever I like a brand new show it gets canceled after few episodes ie. Driven with Nathan Fillion, and Sons and daughters with the O-face guy from Office Space.

It was a decent start. There is a bit of a quality difference between this and Lost - mostly in the dramatic scenes.
Hopefully this will mature into something great.

-R

So either the writers screwed up again (as usual) or alternate universe is in play:

The FBI leader said in his flashforward from april 29, 2010 he was reading a newspaper that said the rays completed a sweep of the redsox.
But the problem with that is the redsox are playing a series with the bluejays on april 28, 2010.
So how can his paper from april 29 covering april 28 events say the sox swept the rays ?

That stuff just really bugs me....again if alternate universe doesnt come into play.

Well it was definitely an interesting pilot, albiet the effects were a little awkward. I like the "Oceanic Airlines" billboard and the fact that two actors from Lost have moved over. :)

So I wonder who will be the first to screen grab all the frames from the flash and post them for us to overanalyze? Ha ha... So it seems we will be following along in real time and the season finale will be the day they flashed forward to...a la April 29?

Um, yah...so, I'm not sure about this one. I think it is intriguing enough to watch and already compelling enough for me to want to know how it will resolve, but at the end, I was wondering if I would just be better off waiting for the season to end and watching it on DVD. It is so movie-esque, maybe it would be better to sit down and watch it like one.

P.S. A little OT: But I noticed for the first time last night that ABC shows are starting with "An ABC Studios Production". Nothing big...just noticed it....

i don't know if this has been mentioned yet, but i read in Entertainment Weekly that the creators pitched this with at least 5 year story arc...so, they know where they'll be going with it should they survive that long. i personally haven't watched the pilot yet (it's on the TiVO), but plan to this weekend...it took a backseat to the NBC comedies and college football on ESPN last night.

That's good to hear, at least. X-Files is a good example of what can happen when you DON'T have a plan for a heavily serialized drama. Also the beginning half of season 3 on LOST...before they new their end date.

I enjoyed the pilot, but like some have said I thought the characters figured things out a little too quickly. It would be cool if as they get closer to the day some people deliberately stage things to give their past selves a chance to change thing.

So either the writers screwed up again (as usual) or alternate universe is in play:

The FBI leader said in his flashforward from april 29, 2010 he was reading a newspaper that said the rays completed a sweep of the redsox.
But the problem with that is the redsox are playing a series with the bluejays on april 28, 2010.
So how can his paper from april 29 covering april 28 events say the sox swept the rays ?

That stuff just really bugs me....again if alternate universe doesnt come into play.I thought (and checked) the same thing. However, the 2010 MLB regular season schedule was just released a few weeks ago, and I'm sure the pilot episode was filmed long before that.

Two words: Dharma Initiative

I thought (and checked) the same thing. However, the 2010 MLB regular season schedule was just released a few weeks ago, and I'm sure the pilot episode was filmed long before that.

Well then they shouldve thought of that & used something else. ;)

But i am rooting for alternate timeline.

Two words: Dharma Initiative

Two words: Greg Initiative

One of the things that's made the characters on LOST compelling is that we know them so well because of the flashback formula. We've had far more backstory on them than typical one or two-note TV characters. We've just been introduced to these folks, and they all seem likable enough. I particularly like the lead guy. That's the toughest for a show like this (remember 'Bionic Woman'?), and they got that one right. We'll care about them more as we get to know them better.

Anyway, terrific opener. Glad to see the networks taking another chance at complex, expensive, long-form serialized sci-fi, my favorite stuff. Hope it opened big!

If you are advocating for "flashbacks" in Flash Forward, I would strongly disagree. The flashbacks in Lost have always annoyed me greatly. I want to see a story progress, not regress. Everyone in every drama has a backstory and rarely is it necessary or interesting to present in "real time." If FF goes this way, I am out sooner rather than later.

Separately, how do you figure that FF will be expensive. Other than paying LA to shut down the freeways for a period of time, I saw little that would not be seen in any TV drama. Also there was nothing in the previous indicating that there will be any special effects or anything else would be particularly expensive.

fafner

If you are advocating for "flashbacks" in Flash Forward, I would strongly disagree. The flashbacks in Lost have always annoyed me greatly. I want to see a story progress, not regress. Everyone in every drama has a backstory and rarely is it necessary or interesting to present in "real time." If FF goes this way, I am out sooner rather than later.

I wasn't advocating flashbacks for Flash Forward, simply stating that's one of the reasons why we feel like we know the characters on LOST so well. I don't know how they plan to develop these characters on this show. As for LOST's flashbacks, they've been an integral part of how that story has been told, part of the fundemental DNA of the show. They move the plotline forward as well as fill in character's backstories.

Separately, how do you figure that FF will be expensive. Other than paying LA to shut down the freeways for a period of time, I saw little that would not be seen in any TV drama. Also there was nothing in the previous indicating that there will be any special effects or anything else would be particularly expensive.

Looked expensive to me and yes, I realize this was the pilot. It will be at least equal to any of the broadcast procedurals in cost, I suspect. All that vfx and CGI takes dollars and time. There's a big, sprawling cast, lots of location shooting, etc. You wouldn't be able to do this show, or 'Fringe', on a cablenet and get the same quality.

I have a feeling that without the slam bang of the Special Effects of the first show, they'll be at least a 20% dropoff in ratings soon.

Third place by mid-October ?

I enjoyed it...really interested to see how everything pans out...

Excluding the FX, I thought the writing for the show was pretty bad. Right from the start with the lines about the multiple-penis for girls it wasn't all that great.

This show reminds me sort of "V" The Series, (of which there will be a remake of this year anyways).

I wasn't advocating flashbacks for Flash Forward, simply stating that's one of the reasons why we feel like we know the characters on LOST so well. I don't know how they plan to develop these characters on this show. As for LOST's flashbacks, they've been an integral part of how that story has been told, part of the fundemental DNA of the show. They move the plotline forward as well as fill in character's backstories.



Looked expensive to me and yes, I realize this was the pilot. It will be at least equal to any of the broadcast procedurals in cost, I suspect. All that vfx and CGI takes dollars and time. There's a big, sprawling cast, lots of location shooting, etc. You wouldn't be able to do this show, or 'Fringe', on a cablenet and get the same quality.

EXACTLY, Skipdrive -- I'm sorry if the flashbacks in "Lost" bother some people, but they're VERY integral to the story as they not only fill in the character and motivations of central characters, they show the LINKS between the characters exactly WHEN the show creators want the audience to learn how they're linked -- and they're ALL linked, although NONE of them know it in the beginning (other than those who are married, of course). Early on, a lot of those flashbacks seemed a lot like just "filler material," but there was always a reason for everything. Being that the show was as well done as it was, I always assumed everything was IN the show for a REASON, not just to "fill space."

The same can be done with "Flash Forward." It can use both forward and backward flashes for whatever purposes are necessary to make the story more compelling...

And here's a thought to raise the hairs on the back of your neck, dcowboy7 -- what IF MLB changes the schedule for some reason and the Rays and the Sox end up playing each other that week, after all -- and the Rays end up sweeping them, lol?

But I'll settle for the alternate universe, too, since many of the best minds in physics are now CONVINCED of Multiverses.
Jeff

And here's a thought to raise the hairs on the back of your neck, dcowboy7 -- what IF MLB changes the schedule for some reason and the Rays and the Sox end up playing each other that week, after all -- and the Rays end up sweeping them, lol?I'm just hoping Kobe Bryant was watching and decides to quit playing until after April 29th for fear he will tear a knee ligament. Gives the rest of the Western Conference a better chance to advance in the playoffs....


ron

I thought it was okay. They had waaaaaay too many laughably bad clichéd moments for me to take it seriously, but it's an interesting enough premise for me to keep watching...for now anyway.

Some "lol" worthy scenes:

1. Dude running in slo-mo to the overly dramatic music to get to the hospital.

2. The "bad-guy" in the stadium in the black trench coat (of course), turning around one last time before he walks off.

3. The FBI agents watching a video in a room one scene, then, for some reason, they go to the middle of the building in the next scene to continue the conversation, and stand in a circle while the camera pans around them to discuss what happened. LOL...they couldn't do that in the room they were just in?

4. Babysitter: I think god did this.
FBI Dude: Why?
Babysitter: To punish us.

LMFAO! There was a whole lot of cheese in this pilot. Hopefully it goes away, otherwise I'll be dropping it. Fast.

I'm just hoping Kobe Bryant was watching and decides to quit playing until after April 29th for fear he will tear a knee ligament. Gives the rest of the Western Conference a better chance to advance in the playoffs....


As one of many consequences of the event, the sports gambling world would be thrown completely into chaos. Nobody could be sure what future outcomes others may have seen. The Vegas casino's sports books as well as your neighborhood bar bookies would be hurtin' cowboys. :p

2. The "bad-guy" in the stadium in the black trench coat (of course), turning around one last time before he walks off.

Just please don't use that tired old TV trope of "enhancing security camera footage" to get a better look at him. We AVS'ers really hate that. :p


4. Babysitter: I think god did this.
FBI Dude: Why?
Babysitter: To punish us.

LMFAO! There was a whole lot of cheese in this pilot.

Not cheesy or surprising at all, IMO. I suspect a whole lot of people would be reacting the same way. From the time we first climbed down from the trees and created sentient social groups, men have always fallen back on religion to explain natural events they didn't understand. If the crops failed, it was because God was angry, etc. And an event like this would be just as confounding - and unexplainable - to modern man as those earlier catastrophes were to our less enlightened ancestors.

Not cheesy or surprising at all, IMO. I suspect a whole lot of people would be reacting the same way.

Well, I wasn't necessarily just talking about the line, but it was the delivery, the way it was shot...dude was just sitting on the stairs, and the way it was acted...it was weird. I lol'ed hard. I remember that. :p

Something else this show reminded me of - Daybreak

Anyway, terrific opener. Glad to see the networks taking another chance at complex, expensive, long-form serialized sci-fi, my favorite stuff. Hope it opened big!Since Lost wraps in the spring, they're planning on stretching this out for a while. I just don't know if the viewing public is willing to watch through another drawn-out mystery for 4 or 5 more seasons. And yeah, there was a bit of cheese there, but they still have my attention. For now.

Two words: Greg Initiative

Too funny.

As for the little cross-overs with Lost, I like it a lot. Shows with Easter Eggs tend to be fun. Watchers of Fringe spend a lot of man power spotting the Observer every episode. I actually wish more shows had Easter Eggs.

I find it hard it believe people are comparing this with Lost. It has nowhere near the production values- FX or writing wise. Actually I find it quite insipid and downright stupid- for example:

Why is the LA office of the FBI seemingly in charge of this whole investigation and why is there no explanation?

Also, you mean to tell me out of everywhere in the world there just happens to be one person in the world conscious during those 2 minutes and they just happen to be in a place where there's a videocamera?

I find it hard it believe people are comparing this with Lost. It has nowhere near the production values- FX or writing wise. Actually I find it quite insipid and downright stupid- for example:

Why is the LA office of the FBI seemingly in charge of this whole investigation and why is there no explanation?

Also, you mean to tell me out of everywhere in the world there just happens to be one person in the world conscious during those 2 minutes and they just happen to be in a place where there's a videocamera?



I find the comparison stupid since this show is way better than LOST on all levels.
LOST had potential but became tedious and I stopped watching after the whole boring Hatch story arc started .
Fast Forward is refreshing and compelling and has a more 24ish quality ..:D

I like it and think its an interesting idea for a series. I'm a little puzzled by some of the destruction. I get the car wrecks and plane crashes. But all the fires? How many people are there in LA in skyscapers with blow torches or other sources of heat that could start all those fires in 2 minutes 17 seconds? Passing out with a cigarette could cause fires here and there--but some of the shots had CG flames out of every building. I even thought I saw a shot of the Eiffel tower on fire (or am I confused?)

I like it and think its an interesting idea for a series. I'm a little puzzled by some of the destruction. I get the car wrecks and plane crashes. But all the fires? How many people are there in LA in skyscapers with blow torches or other sources of heat that could start all those fires in 2 minutes 17 seconds? Passing out with a cigarette could cause fires here and there--but some of the shots had CG flames out of every building. I even thought I saw a shot of the Eiffel tower on fire (or am I confused?)

I think it was Big Ben that was on fire. The Eifel Tower was just lit up (I believe).

As for all the carnage . . . It's more than a little bit overboard, especially considering how thoroughly automated a lot of rail and air systems now are. Heck, even a lot of boat travel is more robotic than most people realize. Most of the really bad stuff would have occurred on the expressways. And even there, the vast majority of potential fatalities would have been averted by modern safety systems.

One would sort of assume that in this scenario the worst victims would have been airplanes just beginning the process of landing. Probably the next biggest source of fatalities would have been vehicles near tractor trailers. I could see some ugly situations in tunnels. Maybe somewhere a couple ferrys collide or such.

It's hard to think this scenario would leave millions dead. Maybe tens of thousands. And it certainly would not leave every city skyline burning.

Perhaps my greatest gripe was the exploding helicopter crash. Frankly, I don't know who in Hollywood is dumb enough to keep depicting these. Most helicopter accidents result in a vehicle falling like a dead bird from the sky.

But, obviously some whiz thought we needed more carnage. So, they ginned it up.

you mean to tell me out of everywhere in the world there just happens to be one person in the world conscious during those 2 minutes and they just happen to be in a place where there's a videocamera?

If you're in an urban area anywhere on this planet, there's a decent chance you got caught on camera.

Now, admittedly, the suspect isn't doing himself any favors by going to a heavily monitored venue like a ballpark. But, if you're asking what are the odds that anyone who was awake at the time would be caught on camera, I'd like those odds. Especially if you figure we're talking about a sizable operation.

I'm willing to give the writers the benefit of the doubt up until they explain the guy who is awake. Now, if they get to a point where they're saying a handful of people did all this, then I might stop watching.

Any show that has Peter Griffin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jX-luFkgMY) working for the FBI is going in my DVR rotation.;)


http://prayingtodarwin.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/peter_griffin.jpg

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/8/2009/05/340x_sethflashforward.jpg

Can't stand that guy; is he going to provide the comic-relief?

Also, you mean to tell me out of everywhere in the world there just happens to be one person in the world conscious during those 2 minutes and they just happen to be in a place where there's a videocamera?Unless this guy is just some evil wizard or something, there's probably 'others' who have yet to be spotted on cam.





I find the comparison stupid since this show is way better than LOST on all levels.Umm....yeah....

Unless this guy is just some evil wizard or something, there's probably 'others' who have yet to be spotted on cam.Remember, it wasn't me who came to that conclusion, it was the geniuses running the US govt. (from LA):confused: who did.

What would have been cooler was if they used a satellite and zoomed in on someone in the bush (in say Australia), rather than using a lame old ballpark cam to catch someone in the act having a cold-one.

I think it was Big Ben that was on fire. The Eifel Tower was just lit up (I believe).

As for all the carnage . . . It's more than a little bit overboard, especially considering how thoroughly automated a lot of rail and air systems now are. Heck, even a lot of boat travel is more robotic than most people realize. Most of the really bad stuff would have occurred on the expressways. And even there, the vast majority of potential fatalities would have been averted by modern safety systems.

One would sort of assume that in this scenario the worst victims would have been airplanes just beginning the process of landing. Probably the next biggest source of fatalities would have been vehicles near tractor trailers. I could see some ugly situations in tunnels. Maybe somewhere a couple ferrys collide or such.

It's hard to think this scenario would leave millions dead. Maybe tens of thousands. And it certainly would not leave every city skyline burning.

Perhaps my greatest gripe was the exploding helicopter crash. Frankly, I don't know who in Hollywood is dumb enough to keep depicting these. Most helicopter accidents result in a vehicle falling like a dead bird from the sky.

But, obviously some whiz thought we needed more carnage. So, they ginned it up.

MeowMeow, I absolutely find all the CARnage on the highways believable, as even 30 seconds or so of total unconsciousness of everyone would likely cause pretty much all moving highway traffic everywhere to collide... Certainly, more than two minutes' worth would... In that much time, essentially everyone would either come to a complete stop or floor it, depending on how their foot/feet reacted when they blacked out, and it's pretty certain that the random way that would occur in most heavy traffic situations would result in pileups almost everywhere.

As for fire coming out of most tall buildings, that IS a bit hard to swallow -- especially in California, where it's almost illegal to smoke at home now, lol -- however it is conceivable that people walking in offices would fall and trip over electrical cords, knock over drinks and coffee into computers and fax machines and so forth and thus cause at least a FEW fires.

As for that helicopter, what I saw was a helicopter that had essentially crashed into the side of a building, and perhaps as the pilots woke up and attempted to get it going again THAT'S when it exploded and fell to the roof of the lower part of the building. I also think that pretty much any helicopter WOULD have crashed, as I don't think they have autopilots like planes do, but I agree that most of them would have likely done a spin sorts of straight down.

At any rate, it's by matter of degree, primarily, I think -- with maybe a bit "over-the-top" on the burning building stuff... On the flip side, the guy who found himself spread across the power pole in that precarious position, I find it hard to believe he got himself out of that without getting electrocuted.
Jeff

MeowMeow, I absolutely find all the CARnage on the highways believable, as even 30 seconds or so of total unconsciousness of everyone would likely cause pretty much all moving highway traffic everywhere to collide... Certainly, more than two minutes' worth would... In that much time, essentially everyone would either come to a complete stop or floor it, depending on how their foot/feet reacted when they blacked out, and it's pretty certain that the random way that would occur in most heavy traffic situations would result in pileups almost everywhere.

I could definitely buy the accidents on the side streets. On the other hand, I don't think you'd be seeing a whole lot of accidents on the 110 in downtown LA, because chances are no one would have been moving. Or they would have been moving at like 1 mph. lol It would suck to be the folks at the end of the line in that traffic though.

Oh--what's up with Demitri? (the FBI guy's partner) Why wasn't he in the car when everyone woke up. He was some distance away--I wonder if he was awake and is part of the mystery

Oh--what's up with Demitri? (the FBI guy's partner) Why wasn't he in the car when everyone woke up. He was some distance away--I wonder if he was awake and is part of the mystery

That struck me as odd too. I would have been like, "Harold (he'll always be Harold to me), why didn't you help me out of the car?"

Also, you mean to tell me out of everywhere in the world there just happens to be one person in the world conscious during those 2 minutes and they just happen to be in a place where there's a videocamera?

One person?

According to the early reviews there are many people who appeared awake.

I really liked the pilot. Sure the burning buildings were a little over the top, but it was certainly dramatic, and I didn't mind it at all.

I'll definitely be tuning in to watch.

As for all the carnage . . . It's more than a little bit overboard, especially considering how thoroughly automated a lot of rail and air systems now are. Heck, even a lot of boat travel is more robotic than most people realize. Most of the really bad stuff would have occurred on the expressways. And even there, the vast majority of potential fatalities would have been averted by modern safety systems.

One would sort of assume that in this scenario the worst victims would have been airplanes just beginning the process of landing. Probably the next biggest source of fatalities would have been vehicles near tractor trailers. I could see some ugly situations in tunnels. Maybe somewhere a couple ferrys collide or such.

CAT III Autopilot systems - Aircraft.Lands.Self.

That struck me as odd too. I would have been like, "Harold (he'll always be Harold to me), why didn't you help me out of the car?"

You mean Sulu 2.0, right? ;) I like the guy so I might be biased, but I noticed he was still putting on his seat belt before the event, so for now I just figure he got thrown from the car. That said, he probably should have been a bit more hurt than the usual cut-on-forehead treatment.

Ball one.

I love it how they Flash Forwarded to what was the date...April 10 or 20, 2010? As they did I was thinking to myself (they assume the show is going to be on that long...:D)

So either the writers screwed up again (as usual) or alternate universe is in play:

The FBI leader said in his flashforward from april 29, 2010 he was reading a newspaper that said the rays completed a sweep of the redsox.
But the problem with that is the redsox are playing a series with the bluejays on april 28, 2010.
So how can his paper from april 29 covering april 28 events say the sox swept the rays ?

That stuff just really bugs me....again if alternate universe doesnt come into play.
You can probably blame that on "unreliable narrator", seeing as how he lied about his flash-forward to his coworkers. He said he was in a meeting, but his vision showed him obviously sitting on the toilet.

That immediately had the effect on me that I now second guess everyone's visions. Unless we actually see what their vision is, there is no reason to believe everyone is telling the truth about what they see.

I haven't read the thread b/c I don't want spoilers, but was there a new ep yesterday (Friday). My DVR only recorded one ep frpm Thursday.

I haven't read the thread b/c I don't want spoilers, but was there a new ep yesterday (Friday). My DVR only recorded one ep frpm Thursday.

The ep yesterday was just a replay of the ep from Thursday.

I haven't read the thread b/c I don't want spoilers, but was there a new ep yesterday (Friday). My DVR only recorded one ep frpm Thursday.

It was a replay of the earlier one, you didn't miss anything.

I think I'm in this for as long as it lasts, hopefully it makes to its end run, but I have a few doubts about FBI guy's partner (J.Cho). Could it be that he:
- lied about not having a FF
- actually does die hence his not having a FF
- is one of the people trying to kill his partner?
His expression and deflection of questions/discussion about the FF intially seemed very odd. I think he knows more than he is letting on. Like previous poster who says he doubts most of the FFs that people are reporting, I'm skeptical.
That said, I hope its makes it to the reported five year run. Let's watch!

I absolutely loved this show. It was fresh and new. Loved the concept. I had goose bumps when they showed the one gut not unconscious. I am definitely in this for the long run.

I really liked the pilot. Sure the burning buildings were a little over the top, but it was certainly dramatic, and I didn't mind it at all.

I'll definitely be tuning in to watch.

Could be the burning buildings came from all those helipcoters chasing OJ, et. al, crashing into them :)

Separately, strange that the main character went home so early...if he were really running the investigation, he surely would have stayed at least well into the night.

The more I think about the pilot and read the comments here, the more I think the writers/directors/producers seem like relative amateurs.

fafner

If you think about it too hard, the writing/acting really wasn't that strong, but it certainly has an interesting premise.

Why is the LA office of the FBI seemingly in charge of this whole investigation and why is there no explanation?

It was never said he was running the investigation for the entire FBI. He's just leading the task force for the local office. After Sept. 11th every FBI office immediately set up a task force to investigate local leads that could help the official investigation later. That's all that I got the sense happened here.


Also, you mean to tell me out of everywhere in the world there just happens to be one person in the world conscious during those 2 minutes and they just happen to be in a place where there's a videocamera?

From the time I hit the highway on my way to work to the time I enter my office door, I'm on camera. That's just the world we live in.

Just because the agent assumed this was the only guy awake doesn't mean he is. And you're also assuming the guy was trying not to be captured on camera.

Also, you mean to tell me out of everywhere in the world there just happens to be one person in the world conscious during those 2 minutes and they just happen to be in a place where there's a videocamera? Lions game. Happens every week.

I watched the pilot finally, and I think the premises is very compelling with great potential for drama and intrigue. However, the execution is below par for the people responsible for Lost. I thought the Lost pilot was much more dramatic and pulled me in right away.

It has the same problem with scope as many disaster stories of this type: we have this huge global phenomenal but a tiny group of characters dealing with it. It's fine if you're just showing the effect of the disaster (you HAVE to make it about SOME individuals), but here these are presumably the people who will somehow figure this thing out and they feel too peripheral.

The f/x feels a little cheap. The characters themselves aren't very interesting or charismatic. The technical details are annoying. "Let's create a website where people can post their FFs". Hmm, like twitter and a zillion other FF social networking sites that will pop up about 2 hrs after it happens? And the FBI techie who scoured through practically all the videos in the world? I always hate the TV/movie trope that the CIA/NSA/DoD have access to every single PC/camera/cell phone in the world and can process them all in reasonable time. Would've been more believable if they'd said 'hey this is the top video on youtube' and we tracked it down and for now it looks to be genuine. Or this footage was captured by USAF __ drone that happened to be tracking _______ at the time.

Still, I'm going to watch it b/c I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff :-)

Lions game. Happens every week.

I think there may have been a bunch of conscious folks there today, eh Doc? I understand a miracle happened. :p

I think there may have been a bunch of conscious folks there today, eh Doc? I understand a miracle happened. :p Same result. Only, this time ...they fainted. :D

[i]LOL[/b]

The Lions did WHAT?!?!? I don't even WATCH football and I knew about it, lol.

Yeah, my feeling is that FBI techie chickadee WAS just scanning through every video feed she could find where there were A LOT of people, just to see what she could see, and came upon that one in Detroit -- and I got the DISTINCT impression that guy was NOT trying to hide from the cameras -- he either didn't care, or he WANTED to give the investigative forces something to keep them up at night.

HOWEVER, considering she's in Los Angeles, and that was in Detroit, it's STILL a bit hard to swallow that she'd have gotten to footage of Detroit that soon, unless ALL she was looking at was specific large gatherings, such as stadiums. Otherwise, if you consider just HOW MANY camera feeds there are to view of areas with "lots of people," going West to East, North to South, between Los Angeles and Detroit, it's simply MIND BOGGLING -- including 7 of the 10 largest cities in America along the way (and that's not counting San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas, Salt Lake, Kansas City, St. Louis, New Orleans, Atlanta, Nashville, Memphis, Indianapolis, Cincinatti, Cleveland or Columbus -- I'm sure I missed a few bigguns).

Still, I'm gonna "roll with it." She had SOME reason to be looking at video from a stadium in Detroit... I'll use the reason a friend of mine always used to like to give when I'd ask, why they heck did "he, she, they do THAT" in a TV show or movie... "It's IN THE SCRIPT!" :p

Words to live by,
Jeff

Excluding the FX, I thought the writing for the show was pretty bad. Right from the start with the lines about the multiple-penis for girls it wasn't all that great.


What got me was that the joke about parents worrying about a boys penis is an old joke by a stand up comic (Bill Engvall? Bill Cosby? Can't remember)

The writers thought they could slip that one in, but it was most definatley not an original line.

I think just because someone re-uses part of another writer's material in part of their material like that doesn't make it them "trying to slip a fast one past ya." Most of us have heard that line before. I doubt it was original with Cosby, or Engvall, or whoever, either.

Comics and writers borrow from each other all the time. It's only plaigarism when you do it in huge chunks. Comedians say there are only 7 jokes, told a multitude of different ways. I've never actually heard or read what the 7 jokes are, but I'll take their word for it. Writing teachers say there are only four basic stories. Man against God, Man against Man, Man against the Elements/Nature and Man against Himself. Everything else is a variation on one or a combination of those themes.

How good or how bad a story is comes down to how well or poorly someone exploits those various themes. I think we need to take a breath and give this show a few episodes to settle in and see where it's going.
Jeff

I thought it was an interesting pilot episode. It has potential, depends on how they execute the next few episodes.

Hey, my entire family gave it a thumbs up. That doesn't happen often. It may not be perfect, but it was enjoyable.

The Lions did WHAT?!?!? I don't even WATCH football and I knew about it, lol.

Yeah, my feeling is that FBI techie chickadee WAS just scanning through every video feed she could find where there were A LOT of people, just to see what she could see, and came upon that one in Detroit -- and I got the DISTINCT impression that guy was NOT trying to hide from the cameras -- he either didn't care, or he WANTED to give the investigative forces something to keep them up at night.

HOWEVER, considering she's in Los Angeles, and that was in Detroit, it's STILL a bit hard to swallow that she'd have gotten to footage of Detroit that soon, unless ALL she was looking at was specific large gatherings, such as stadiums. Otherwise, if you consider just HOW MANY camera feeds there are to view of areas with "lots of people," going West to East, North to South, between Los Angeles and Detroit, it's simply MIND BOGGLING -- including 7 of the 10 largest cities in America along the way (and that's not counting San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas, Salt Lake, Kansas City, St. Louis, New Orleans, Atlanta, Nashville, Memphis, Indianapolis, Cincinatti, Cleveland or Columbus -- I'm sure I missed a few bigguns).

Still, I'm gonna "roll with it." She had SOME reason to be looking at video from a stadium in Detroit... I'll use the reason a friend of mine always used to like to give when I'd ask, why they heck did "he, she, they do THAT" in a TV show or movie... "It's IN THE SCRIPT!" :p

Words to live by,
Jeff

Yes, many cities and stadiums, but, I don't think every stadium from LA to Detroit was filled to capacity at exactly the same time on the same day, though it was a baseball stadium which do have a high probability of having a game during the day--but how big a crowd during a workday afternoon?
And you did note the interesting part: did he make a mistake and was seen, or did he want to be seen; his slow walk towards the exit seems to work towards your conclusion, and thankfully he didn't look at the camera and wink as most cliche'd shows would do.

This show sort of reminds me of another show that was on ABC a couple years ago that I personally thought was awesome, but that only lasted about 7 episodes. They thankfully put the last 6 (after a long delay) on the web. I'm speaking of Daybreak.

CAT III Autopilot systems - Aircraft.Lands.Self.

So that's it. All the planes are safe unless Sully passed out just before the geese hit.

his slow walk towards the exit seems to work towards your conclusion, and thankfully he didn't look at the camera and wink as most cliche'd shows would do.

If you can knockout everyone on the planet, why not flaunt it? I would have opted for guys in animal costumes doing a conga line. Why wink when you can dance!?

So that's it. All the planes are safe unless Sully passed out just before the geese hit.



If you can knockout everyone on the planet, why not flaunt it? I would have opted for guys in animal costumes doing a conga line. Why wink when you can dance!?

YESSSSSSSS, and finishing the Conga Line by turning and MOONING the camera -- bare-butt, of course! :rolleyes:

Seriously, I really think we've RUN OUT of fodder to discuss about Episode 1 if we've degenerated to THIS point, lol. Truthfully, there really aren't all that many points to discuss yet, as so much of it was just sort of "taking in all the destruction."

I think the comment about the four main FBI characters discussing the event in the office, then walking and stopping near the exit in a sort of circle (square?) and formulating "a plan" while the camera pans around them was a bit of nitpicking, as that's the way real people do things... You're in your office, you're discussing something, it's time to leave and you're still walking and talking and then suddenly someone hits on a "really big idea" and everyone STOPS to discuss it... As for the camera panning around them at that point, I didn't really notice that part, but if it did, well that might be a bit cheesy. But in REAL LIFE, the rest is exactly the way people DO THINGS.

I've "been there, done that, got the T-shirt," so to speak.
Jeff

I thought the depictions of the aftermath were as "realistic" as you could get considering what happened. At first everyone would be mighty confused and the public safety & rescue apparatus would lick its wounds and gradually gear up and start helping the injured, clearing away the debris, repairing the damage, etc. As more information started to trickle in, then pour in, various hypothesis and theories would gradually begin to be developed to try to explain what had happened. The biggest worry would be, as the show suggests, will it happen again? My only quibble is the FBI probably wouldn't be the federal agency taking the lead. The President would likely appoint a blue-ribbon task force composed of leaders of a dozen different fields and disciplines, all coordinating with the same folks in other nations. But TV loves the FBI. ;)

Certainly, physicists would be among the first to be called by the authorities; we haven't really seen that yet. And equally certainly, religious cults would begin to develop, as the filmmakers explored in the top-flight sci-fi flick of last year, "Children of Men". Entire new movements would likely develop. It's a fascinating scenario, ripe for dramatic exploration. This show could be very good if they handle these issues intelligently.

Your comment about the religious cults reminds me to comment about someone's complaint about the teenage girl saying it was God punishing us. I thought that was a VERY natural guilt response from a teenager who was sneaking sex while she was supposed to be babysitting -- especially if it was the first time she'd done that (which in the story it appeared it was).

She may have other things she feels guilty about, as well. Anyone with a religious background that's grounded in God punishing the wicked will have at least SOME propensity to want to use this as being a "punishment from God," which means there will likely be MILLIONS of people in this country, alone, following that theme after such an event, with millions more saying it was a "sign from God." Anyone who finds those sort of assertions in the story disingenuous hasn't been around very many people, I don't think.
Jeff

Well, all I can say is if they do more than a tiny bit on religious nuts, I will be out of here so fast my dvr will not know what hit it. I have no interest in that angle of the story, though in reality it would have an impact.

I will watch as they explore and sift through things, but if it gets too much off that track, I will loose interest very quickly.

The entire time I was watching this, I kept wondering why they didn't call in the Fringe division to investigate.

:)

Seriously, I thought it was a worthy entry episode. I'm intrigued enough to continue watching.

Incredibly interesting premise and I will continue to watch. I hope they expand the view of the event out past LA and into more of the country. What did the President experience? What did other VIPs experience?

Of course this could easily delve into some spiritual connotation given the nature of the incident, but that doesn't mean it will. Punishment? I don't see how; it's not like half the population died or anything.

Who did this won't be revealed for some time to come. How they did it is what I'd like to know. Maybe it's the Lost island... :p

I think the nature of the reason the babysitter (who was pretty hot btw) thought it was "punishment from God" may be revealed when we eventually see her "flashforward."

I think the nature of the reason the babysitter (who was pretty hot btw) thought it was "punishment from God" may be revealed when we eventually see her "flashforward."

Maybe she saw herself on a reality show about having 8 kids or something...:eek::D

Maybe she saw herself on a reality show about having 8 kids or something...:eek::D

And, suffering through an STD!

Ha! The L.A. (FBI) field office is chided for assuming investigation of the incident by a govt. official.

I was surprised they didn't zoom in on "suspect zero" and make his face come clearly into focus; looks as though that may happen next week. Don't know how that's possible with some lo-res surveillance camera. Why does that stadium only have one camera, anyway? :rolleyes:

And it was shockingly sloppy for that alarm to be tripped. You'd think those guys would've been a lot more professional than that.


"I don't think we're the only ones investigating the flashes."
Really, Sherlock? The writing is still a bit weak, but hoping it gets tighter as it goes forward.

All I know is... "D Gibbons is a baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad man!" :p

It would have really blown my mind had the female sturgeon (Penny) flashed fwd to see Desmond as her unknon future lover.

"sturgeon," huh? Whatcha drinkin' up there on the New Hampshire seacoast, Phil? :D Wanna float some down my way? :cool:

Ruh-Roe :p

It would have really blown my mind had the female sturgeon (Penny) flashed fwd to see Desmond as her unknon future lover.

Why does Penny keep kissing Richard? :confused:

Seriously, I actually like her better as Penny... I really like her British accent (I have NO IDEA what her REAL accent is -- I've learned there's NO TELLING what an actor's real accent is until you see them interviewed -- saw Ryan Kwanten from "True Blood" on one of the late-night shows and he's an AUSSIE! I'd NEVER have guessed THAT!)

At any rate, I love this actress as a Brit, and for some reason she just looked prettier as Penny... I guess it's just the difference between portraying a billionaire's daughter and a "female sturgeon," lol. One thing I WILL SAY for those female sturgeons, though -- they give really GOOD caviar! :p (or so I've read -- never actually tasted the stuff). :cool:

Ha! The L.A. (FBI) field office is chided for assuming investigation of the incident by a govt. official.

I was surprised they didn't zoom in on "suspect zero" and make his face come clearly into focus; looks as though that may happen next week. Don't know how that's possible with some lo-res surveillance camera. Why does that stadium only have one camera, anyway? :rolleyes:

And it was shockingly sloppy for that alarm to be tripped. You'd think those guys would've been a lot more professional than that.


"I don't think we're the only ones investigating the flashes."
Really, Sherlock? The writing is still a bit weak, but hoping it gets tighter as it goes forward.
Really that was completely ridiculous, and the first person we meet who didn't have a flash forward other than the FBI guy, well guess what, she dies - Oh No! :rolleyes:

I have to say that the other FBI dude, played by Joseph Fiennes, is way overacting, I'm having a hard time believing in his emotions, his obsession with his wife's FWD seems over the top to me. The best acting so far has come from Walger(Penny) and Christine Woods, the female FBI agent.

They are moving the story along though, hopefully the character writing will get better, or they downplay the characters and focus on the story instead, but I'm already done with FBI guy's angst over his wife and the kid's father, if I don't see anymore of that I'll be happy.

Well I just finished watching tonight's episode of "Fringe," which I'd DVRd -- and I think I know what happened on "FlashForward." It was those "aliens" on "Fringe" what did it -- yaknow, those FREAKS from that alternate universe! They needed everyone out of it for 137 seconds (137 is a PRIME NUMBER, yaknow -- primes are VITAL to all us science geeks!) so they could do all KINDS of freaky sneaky geeky eeky experiments on certain people and nobody would know who got experimented on and who didn't -- and they could KILL people they wanted killed and make them look like just part of the "tragedy" and nobody would know... Yeah, THAT'S the TICKET! <mad panting look of excitement!>

Walter Bishop and William Bell are gonna pop in any day now to try to save us from a collision of two universes! :eek::p:D

I really enjoyed the episode. I was afraid it would turn into more soap-opera, with the investigation taking a backseat or being the "minor" part of the story. I'm glad to see the investigation is still the primary story.

Yeah there are plot holes and some bad acting, but it's not that horrible. And the FBI boss' "meeting' scenes crack me up.

Enjoying it so far.

So, I've never really quit on a show like this before, but 30 minutes into the 2nd episode I was done. Last week, I was on the fence about whether I wanted to keep up with another heavily serialized drama. Like many others, the premise was enough to bring me back. But last night sent me over. I'm going to wait for the DVD sets for this show. I don't know, I just felt like 20 of the 30 minutes I watched was just a recap of the premiere. I can't handle that snail's pace. There's more than enough to watch on Thursday's packed night, so the proverbial fat has been cut.

This may be the worst directed show around. I know these actors aren't that bad. They can't be. But every line comes off as natural as a Spanish soap opera.

-R

I was ambivalent at the first episode but I like the show more after the 2nd episode. I'm giving it a chance for the writers, who have improvements needed, to find their groove.

What bothers me about the show's premise... Guys flash fwd to find themselves in embarrasing positions like on the can or drowning in a urinal. So, why not say to yourself, "Self, at 10 PM April whatever I do, don't be in the frakin mens room at 10 PM. Take care of personal needs at 9PM instead"??? How hard is that? Maybe this implies that future events are malleable.

As to Noh, the show gives new meaning to the Ides of March. I say he's the father of the other agent's baby. She gives him a sympathy frak.

Loved the LOST type of beginning, the disorienting for the viewer faux blackout, and the ending with the scary concluding statement by the daughter. I think that she and the autistic boy will get kidnapped by the bad guy.

So, I've never really quit on a show like this before, but 30 minutes into the 2nd episode I was done. Last week, I was on the fence about whether I wanted to keep up with another heavily serialized drama. Like many others, the premise was enough to bring me back. But last night sent me over. I'm going to wait for the DVD sets for this show. I don't know, I just felt like 20 of the 30 minutes I watched was just a recap of the premiere. I can't handle that snail's pace. There's more than enough to watch on Thursday's packed night, so the proverbial fat has been cut.

Same here… but it only took me 10 minutes. I was seriously on the fence about this show in the beginning, and the first episode and scene reminded me too much of Lost. I don’t know if I’m just tired of these types of shows but I honestly didn’t want to invest in another show of this caliber.

Well, I enjoyed the second ep as much as the first, and don't see any of the acting or directorial shortcomings that several here do. It seems to be competently produced to me, and it looks like they're propelling the plotline along relatively quickly (well, compared to LOST), already piling up clues. I have a few quibbles - there's more damage to the city's buildings than would likely occur in such a situation (although the CGI aerial shots are cool), and it looks like they're going to pull the ol' "enhance the low-rez security camera footage" trick, but they're minor and don't really distract. It's serialized sci-fi with high production values, and we don't get many of those mixed in with all the cop/doc procedurals and reality shows littering the prime-time line-up. And when we do, they don't seem to last very long (LOST excepted). This series has loads of potential, and there are a whole bunch of shows I'd cut out of my queue before this one. Don't see much so far that's not to like.

What made Lost compelling to me was that is started out with a very real-world, probable scenario (a plane crashes on a tropical island) and THEN, once we're invested in the story and grounded in the characters, begins to interject all the supernatural elements. At that point we're willing to follow them anywhere.

FlashForward begins with high concept, supernatural elements, which makes it more difficult to relate to the characters because, let's face it, what they're going through is absurd. Add some sub-par acting and cliche-ridden dialogue and you have a show that, for me, just isn't working.

The closing line by the daughter hooked me for next week...though it was an incredibly Lost-esque ending line...

I don't know...jury is out...premise is great but the execution is lacking.

The closing line by the daughter hooked me for next week...though it was an incredibly Lost-esque ending line...

...and that's the hook for me. Big mystery and an effort to put the clues together to make sense of what happened. It's actually pretty smart of ABC to try and get the same audience hooked early that will be looking for something to replace Lost once it wraps up next year.

I do have to agree that I haven't actually bonded with any of the characters so far, but that may come in time.

Some things bother me a little, that I hope will get "better" in future episodes, an example:

It seems odd that all the "Main" investigation, footwork & leads of the blackout all seem to be in the lap of & centered around a little FBI field office in CA, & the employees there...
There was even a line in the 2nd ep when they were researching on a computer, saw something & said, to effect of , " Wow, you really think someone else might be investigating the blackout too?"
I thought - " No, of course there are no agencies or task forces in Washington, NY, London, at Universities, other gvmt agencies, or Moscow, that might actually be looking into this at all".

Some things bother me a little, that I hope will get "better" in future episodes, an example:

It seems odd that all the "Main" investigation, footwork & leads of the blackout all seem to be in the lap of & centered around a little FBI field office in CA, & the employees there...
There was even a line in the 2nd ep when they were researching on a computer, saw something & said, to effect of , " Wow, you really think someone else might be investigating the blackout too?"
I thought - " No, of course there are no agencies or task forces in Washington, NY, London, at Universities, other gvmt agencies, or Moscow, that might actually be looking into this at all".

Too funny. My reaction as well. The concept and "Penny's" hotness (forget her non-LOST character name will let me give the show its next couple episodes to hook me. To their credit they did have the Homegirl Security official call them on it, somewhat lamely.

But ABC's episode hiatus won't help the show's ratings and could jeapordize its future.

Ratings are out at tvbythenumbers. Looks like a 10% dropoff, but tied with Survivor for first place (3.7 for the 18-49 demo).

I guess that's good.

What bothers me about the show's premise... Guys flash fwd to find themselves in embarrasing positions like on the can or drowning in a urinal. So, why not say to yourself, "Self, at 10 PM April whatever I do, don't be in the frakin mens room at 10 PM. Take care of personal needs at 9PM instead"??? How hard is that? Maybe this implies that future events are malleable.


The guy wasn't drowning in the urinal din his flas forward, it was when he woke up and cam out of the stall he found the guy drowning from when he passed out

...and that's the hook for me. Big mystery and an effort to put the clues together to make sense of what happened. It's actually pretty smart of ABC to try and get the same audience hooked early that will be looking for something to replace Lost once it wraps up next year.
-snip-


Same with me. I've got a DVR that's almost full with a 2-month backlog but I couldn't stop myself from watching this show. I'm fascinated by the mystery. The problem I see is that the writers take an easy way out, forgetting about some of the fascinating details that make this a true head-scratcher. IF those writers can maintain some sort of integrity I will be hooked (assuming the show lasts, which is a BIG if).

The guy wasn't drowning in the urinal din his flas forward, it was when he woke up and cam out of the stall he found the guy drowning from when he passed out

Yes, I stand corrected.

My original question remains...why will the FBI boss allow himself to be in that embarrasing taking a crap position next April? Or will he? Is the future subject to change?

Yes, I stand corrected.

My original question remains...why will the FBI boss allow himself to be in that embarrasing taking a crap position next April? Or will he? Is the future subject to change?

Uhm...sorry, but what was so embarrassing or bad about his flash forward that he should avoid it? He was just taking a crap. It's not like anything happened....nobody walked in...he wasn't caught doing something he shouldn't be. He didn't look down to see a bomb attached to the toilet or anything like that.

There's no reason for him to avoid taking a crap at that time, as far as I can tell. Just a crap like any other thousands he's taken or will take, right?

If anything, he knows he will be "safe" during that time if he's in the bathroom. Who knows what the alternative would be? Maybe there's some drastic "correction" event that will happen if you avoid your future (like if he chooses to do something else, he gets hit by a car or falls down some stairs or chokes on his meatball). Better to just go take a crap and be safe...just like in his Flash Forward.

I still think there is something in the paper he was reading that will be a clue and he will recall it later: "yes, I was in the crapper, but I remember reading this headline..." type-thing.

Uhm...sorry, but what was so embarrassing or bad about his flash forward that he should avoid it? He was just taking a crap. It's not like anything happened....nobody walked in...he wasn't caught doing something he shouldn't be. He didn't look down to see a bomb attached to the toilet or anything like that.

There's no reason for him to avoid taking a crap at that time, as far as I can tell. Just a crap like any other thousands he's taken or will take, right?

If anything, he knows he will be "safe" during that time if he's in the bathroom. Who knows what the alternative would be....maybe there's some drastic event that will happen if you avoid your future (like he gets hit by a car or falls down some stairs or chokes on his meatball). Better to just go take a crap and be safe...
What's scary is that he was doing in the future the exact same thing he was doing when the flashforward occurred, that in itself is a bit disturbing. :p

Well, he does have a point that billions of people know when the flash-forward events were, so the likelihood of every flash forward occurring as scheduled seems strange. Like nobody (as far as we know) flashed forward to panic in the streets or anything or sitting around watching a countdown on the TV....like there probably would be.

As to Noh, the show gives new meaning to the Ides of March. I say he's the father of the other agent's baby. She gives him a sympathy frak.LOL; I briefly thought the same thing.

What's scary is that he was doing in the future the exact same thing he was doing when the flashforward occurred, that in itself is a bit disturbing. :p

It could just mean that he is REALLY regular. :D

It could just mean that he is REALLY regular. :D

I'll say, whoa!! :p

You know, I was with them up to the giant novelty-size chess piece. WTF?

The baby doll thing, fine. Weird for weird's sake is usually lame, but whatever. But, to double down on weird for weird's sake within the same scene . . . really?

Also, Joseph Fiennes is out of his element here. He feels like a stage actor in every scene. Which is worse, because his wife (Penny from Lost) is someone I like a lot. They don't work well together, because Fiennes is too wooden.

The show has some wins. John Cho rocks, as always. I think most of the actors in the field office get the job done well. The general premise is excellent. The basic mystery is decent, and could become very compelling with the right twist.

This is a show I want to like. I really want to like it a lot. But, it's trying to hard to lose the audience. Fiennes isn't good for this role. The need for the outlandish clues (baby doll, chess piece) dulls the show a lot.

I'll probably keep watching, if because nothing else FlashForward does make a good fit before I turn over to Fox and watch Fringe (admittedly, another show I had serious doubts about at this stage).

Hopefully the writers feel out what is good and bad with the show. Less Fiennes. More Cho and the rest of the office. More straight-up story, less of the clues pulled out of a bad horror movie.

why will the FBI boss allow himself to be in that embarrasing taking a crap position next April?

Possible scenarios:

1. Food poisoning.

2. He's on the Lemon Colon Cleanse Diet. He thought cleaning out his colon would help him avoid this scenario, but -- haha! -- colon blasting is a force to be reckoned with.

3. He's just a weak, weak man.

4. As mentioned, some people can't function if they're not regular.

5. He stops giving a crap about the future, and therefore he takes a crap in the future.

Exactly. He just might decide to get a large Frosty, then realize (too late) he should've went for the junior size instead. Whatever he eats that evening, he'll have to make a run right about 9:58PM. When you gotta go, you gotta go. Then again, he could simply put on an adult-sized diaper and tough it out.

Although I seriously doubt it's the case, when we heard "D Gibbons" speak just before he unleashed the firestorm in that warehouse, it sounded an awful lot like Rutger Hauer. At one time, beginning, perhaps, with "The Hitcher," Hauer was primo at playing this type of character.

In truth it was likely Dominic Monaghan, but it sounded like Hauer.
Jeff

Although I seriously doubt it's the case, when we heard "D Gibbons" speak just before he unleashed the firestorm in that warehouse, it sounded an awful lot like Rutger Hauer. At one time, beginning, perhaps, with "The Hitcher," Hauer was primo at playing this type of character.

In truth it was likely Dominic Monaghan, but it sounded like Hauer.
Jeff

Did he say ""I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die..." Great stuff, love that film... :)

Oh yeah... but the original, narrated version was better than the director's cut to me -- MUCH BETTER. It gave it A LOT more of a "noirish" feel. I'll never understand why Ridley Scott doesn't see it that way. The first time I got a chance to see the director's cut, I was expecting something even better, and was really let down.

I thought Harrison Ford's voice-overs in the original were a big part of the film -- and I especially didn't like the ABRUPT ending in the director's cut. Hauer's and Darryl Hannah's role and acting in the movie were both outstanding, as well.
Jeff

I wonder if the persons in the flashforwards knew that they were a flashforward? That is if you knew the exact time and date that would be flashed to...you have a big board with all you know at that futre date knowing that yourself back 6 months ago will see this. You just keep repeating this every April (forgot date) 2010 at 1100 until eventually you have the case figured out.
Now I got a headache.

Again this FF happened on oct 5 2009 but the tigers arent even home that day....the reg season is over.

I think they dropped a big clue already about the flash-forward, and why people saw themeselves experiencing future events for the first time.

Because they weren't seeing "themselves". :eek:

Aaron (Mark's AA sponsor) mentioned that in his flashback he saw his deceased daughter alive. He didn't know how that could be. I think the answer is that they didn't see their futures. They saw the futures of another version of themselves in an alternate universe. (Yep, here we go again. Love me some alternate universes (as some of you may recall). :D )

So, here's my theory: An accident at the particle collider at Cern (where D.Gibbons made one of his pre-flash phone calls) caused the two universes to briefly "mix". People got a glimpse of a future that wasn't theirs. I think the show will slowly tease that out over this first season. Of course, it may happen quickly (in the course of the show). That Aaron clue was huge, IMO.

If alternate universe theory does play a part in this show, it has more than a passing resemblance to 'Fringe'. Even down the lead actress's name, Olivia. Couldn't they have given her a different name, ferpetesake? :p

Oh yeah... but the original, narrated version was better than the director's cut to me -- MUCH BETTER. It gave it A LOT more of a "noirish" feel. I'll never understand why Ridley Scott doesn't see it that way. The first time I got a chance to see the director's cut, I was expecting something even better, and was really let down.

I thought Harrison Ford's voice-overs in the original were a big part of the film -- and I especially didn't like the ABRUPT ending in the director's cut. Hauer's and Darryl Hannah's role and acting in the movie were both outstanding, as well.
Jeff

I agree completely; always liked the theatrical version the best mainly because of the voiceover, which I felt gave needed background info for audience members who had never read "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" (which was nearly everybody). Others disagree. Ford also recited it in a world-weary near-monotone, which he did because he really didn't want to do it, but it was perfect for the world-weary character.

Oh, and Deckard was not a replicant. People disagree about that, too. ;) :p

They saw the futures of another version of themselves in an alternate universe.


- well it would explain the tigers home game.
- or maybe the sponsor was sooooo drunk he just thought he saw the daughter.
- is that mark guy gonna have that "i need a shave, i have a headache & im gonna puke" expression thru the entire shows run.
- finally dawned on me the sick kids dad is from pirates of the caribbean....he got killed in potc3 by octopuss guy.

Again this FF happened on oct 5 2009 but the tigers arent even home that day....the reg season is over.

But it's the Post Season, right? In fact, they have a game tomorrow (the 4th) against the White Sox.

Maybe that game gets rained out and they play on the 5th instead (admittedly I will sortof be freaked out if that occurs).

I just rewatched that scene and it certainly doesn't look like Comerica Park anyways...Comerica has that very distinctive looking scoreboard, and the one in the show doesn't. Of course, it's not like there's another big baseball park in Detroit, and I am not familiar enough with ballparks to recognize which one they actually used for the show.

Or maybe it's just a TV show and we don't need to think that hard about it.

Or maybe it's just a TV show and we don't need to think that hard about it.

You are correct in that you are not supposed to think with network TV.:)

Unless some power forces people to live their Falshes (everyone spontaneously forgets what they were doing during the Flash), it seems that they have to be of possible futures. As the deadline approaches, half the people on the planet will be deliberately trying to make their flash come true (selling their only car to get money to travel to a particular destination) while the other half will do something to prevent it.

The most common flash in the east coast in the USA at 10 at night on a work day would be watching Jay Leno's monalogue. Just think how he could mess with people by changing it on purpose. (his Flash would be delivering it, so he already knows the jokes he is supposed to tell). A waiter could just seat everyone at a different table.


I have this odd feeling that something creepy is going to happen to the group of people that live their Flash, or the group that doesn't.

Rather disappointing given all the hype. And the CGI effects of LA looked cheesy to me. If future episodes concentrate on the event itself and how it occurred I will continue following it. It looks, however, like it might rapidly sink into just a soap opera of peoples relationships with each other and if so then I will bail. Not that a good drama can't come from such a plot track, but there did not seem anything unique about these particular people.

Two things of particular note. First almost all the characters just immediately assumed that they actually did see the future. Very little questioning of how this was remotely possible. Not at all believable. Likewise, no one seemed at all interested in how the injured boy knew Olivia's name. Again, this doesn't seem believable.

Ok, it is fantasy, but set in a "real world." That is fine, but as discussed repeatedly in this forum, fantasy must be internally consistent and we don't know yet if they can pull this off. I hope so because I would love to see a new series that really keeps me wanting to see the next episode. The extended "preview" of future episodes did not give me a lot of hope.

fafner
As to the injured boy knowing the surgeon's name, I wonder if his autism has something more to do with it? Maybe he saw/felt more than others did?

Judy

- finally dawned on me the sick kids dad is from pirates of the caribbean....he got killed in potc3 by octopuss guy.

Forget the character's name but he was in the BBC series Coupling.

I am enjoying the show, but I can't imagine it will last more than one season. What happens after the show reaches April 30, 2010?

2 eps in and it's in danger already. I like the cast but they need to get a move on already. If only Olivia Dunham were there with Walter, this would be solved already.

What happens after the show reaches April 30, 2010?Another flash? The writers certainly need to tighten up, as well as the actors stepping it up a bit. Particularly the lead, but I'm still on board so far....

According to an article in todays Detroit Free Press on David S. Goyer, he is quoted as saying, "by the end of the first season, virtually every single mystery that we've put on the table will be solved," with the exception of what actually caused the blackouts.
They want to reserve that for a couple of seasons (they have enough story arcs for five seasons). Find it at www.freep.com. Hopes that helps

I thought "what caused the blackouts" was the mystery. So, Goyer kinda just told us to not expect many answers this season, at least not any I care about. Sorry, but the second episode was a big disappointment. Nothing really happened, the cupcake ladies story didn't make sense. It was like the whole episode was just filler to get us to the littler girls revelation at the end. Not giving up yet but, if this is the way each episode is going to play out, then I will be jumping ship pretty soon.

This is not Lost, there are not a number of mysteries to be solved here and the producers are crazy to even think that. Weather or not the vision come true is not a mystery IMO and they will just play out (or not) over time. The only mystery to be solved in this show is who/what caused the blackouts and why. So, they are basically going to create a bunch of side mysteries to keep your mind off the big one so they can drag this thing out. It may have worked to hook me with Lost but, so far, it is not working for FF.

What happens after the show reaches April 30, 2010?Everyone involved with the show forgets it ever existed and it starts all over again.:p

I am enjoying the show, but I can't imagine it will last more than one season. What happens after the show reaches April 30, 2010?

A continuing vision and mesh of alternate universes?

Silly me, I though LOST was confusing.

I thought "what caused the blackouts" was the mystery. So, Goyer kinda just told us to not expect many answers this season, at least not any I care about. Sorry, but the second episode was a big disappointment. Nothing really happened, the cupcake ladies story didn't make sense. It was like the whole episode was just filler to get us to the littler girls revelation at the end. Not giving up yet but, if this is the way each episode is going to play out, then I will be jumping ship pretty soon.

This is not Lost, there are not a number of mysteries to be solved here and the producers are crazy to even think that. Weather or not the vision come true is not a mystery IMO and they will just play out (or not) over time. The only mystery to be solved in this show is who/what caused the blackouts and why. So, they are basically going to create a bunch of side mysteries to keep your mind off the big one so they can drag this thing out. It may have worked to hook me with Lost but, so far, it is not working for FF.

Can anyone say "Twin Peaks???" :p

Silly me, I though LOST was confusing.

Lost was never confusing. They got lazy. Especially once they went deep into the time travel plot.

You know what would've made this show better for me? If they'd just waited for Lost to finish and put the Lost characters and writers/producers in the FFWverse.

Let's see: Locke = FBI chief, Jack = special agent slash spine surgeon, Kate = Dr. "Penny", Sawyer = the other man, Sun & Jin = pregnant FBI woman and soon to be dead FBI guy, Hurley = cupcake person of interest, Ben = suspect zero.

But it's the Post Season, right? In fact, they have a game tomorrow (the 4th) against the White Sox.

Maybe that game gets rained out and they play on the 5th instead (admittedly I will sortof be freaked out if that occurs).

I just rewatched that scene and it certainly doesn't look like Comerica Park anyways...Comerica has that very distinctive looking scoreboard, and the one in the show doesn't. Of course, it's not like there's another big baseball park in Detroit, and I am not familiar enough with ballparks to recognize which one they actually used for the show.

Or maybe it's just a TV show and we don't need to think that hard about it.

Nope no game in detroit monday.

Or maybe the writers are just dopey & screwed up as usual.

This thread is classic. lol First, we have all the folks coming on here to say how they stopped watching the show at THIS point. Then we have all the people who are threatening to not watch the show if this, this and that happens or doesn't happen. Then all the detail people kicking in about Tigers playing or not playing, about too much damage, about who is investigating or not.

As for me I'm more interested in discussing what is going down with the FFs. The FBI agent leading the investigation is building his board (which looks like something off of Heroes, btw) based upon what he remembers of it in his FF. It almost seems like a self fulfilling prophecy, kind of like a loop in some ways. He picks out the doll picture because it was in his FF which at some point helps him to consider the doll factory. What comes first the chicken or the egg? I'm anxious to see how it plays out. The premise of the show is so intriguing to my shallow mind. :)

^^
Agreed. And the point you make about whether he is building the board from evidence or building it from stuff in his FF is very intriguing. It's the ol' time travel paradox thing.

I'm very curious to see where it's heading and what they will do when the date approaches. Lots of ways to approach it....I am personally hoping the "event" is something that actually happens on April 30th, which sent everyone back in time, resulting in the blackout once they arrived back here. The "flashforward" then would actually just be a memory of the last 2min 17 seconds before the event happened.

Of course, in my scenario/hypothesis above, they are then stuck in a loop and keep traveling back to October 5th over and over until they can stop the event. Like that Star Trek TNG episode (Cause And Effect) or the show Day Break. Season 2 could easily be "Attempt #2 at stopping the event" perhaps remembering a bit more information than round 1 or having different characters, etc.

The point is, there are lots of possibilities, and I'm not writing the show off. Sucked me in right away.

And nobody cares about the stupid baseball game (except nit-pickers)

Yaknowhy nit pickers are always so danged ticked off about everything???

They spend all this time picking nits, and all they end up with is sore fingers and lint all over their fingernails, and stuck in their whiskers and all over their clothes, that they don't know what to do with, so then they just have to keep picking at it... It's like the sore that never heals because they keep picking at the scab.

How about leave the little scabs alone and see what the body does with them?
Jeff

Lost was never confusing. They got lazy. Especially once they went deep into the time travel plot.

That's an absurd statement. There's nothing lazy about that show, and time travel was always one of the many planned devices\complexities of the story since it's inception.

That's an absurd statement...:rolleyes:

I know nothing about Lost, never watched an episode, for no particular reason. Maybe that’s why I don’t understand the constant comparisons, the reason why it is the benchmark for Flash Forward.

Regardless, I’m sick of reading the references every time I come to this thread. I wish it were more about this show. Whatever, :rolleyes: there’s no stopping the force of that fan base.

And nobody cares about the stupid baseball game (except nit-pickers)You mean this isn't a documentary? And all this time....


ron

:rolleyes:

I know nothing about Lost, never watched an episode, for no particular reason. Maybe that’s why I don’t understand the constant comparisons, the reason why it is the benchmark for Flash Forward.

Regardless, I’m sick of reading the references every time I come to this thread. I wish it were more about this show. Whatever, :rolleyes: there’s no stopping the force of that fan base.

You're just in the WRONG THREAD, dude! You can't be in ANY sci-fi thread these days that deals with a sci-fi show -- especially one on ABC that deals with aspects of time travel or "future sight" -- that WON'T continually reference "Lost."

The assumption is that anyone who hasn't been watching "Lost" and is in a thread like THIS has been LOST for the past four years. :p

Seriously, this show should be able to stand on its own without the comparisons, BUT it DOES have at least TWO actors from "Lost" on it, and some other associations, I think. And if you haven't ever seen "Lost," but you even half-way enjoy this show, I suggest you rent or buy the DVDs and see what you've been missing.
Jeff

You're just in the WRONG THREAD, dude!
The assumption is that anyone who hasn't been watching "Lost" and is in a thread like THIS has been LOST for the past four years. :p

...if you haven't ever seen "Lost," but you even half-way enjoy this show, I suggest you rent or buy the DVDs and see what you've been missing.
Jeff:D


Yeah, yeah, I know, it's on my "to do" list. :p

I'm worried about the show. I thought there would be a lot more speculation and musings about the nature of the black-out, and what the future visions might mean. I suppose they are going to dribble that stuff out over the season and probably had some pressure to put "action" up front, but I think they failed on both points.

The characters never really deal with any action, no accident victim saves in the first ep or gun battles in the second (standing there waiting for grenades to go off doesn't count), and yet they don't seem to interested in the possibilities of the visions, aside from a general "want/don't want it to come true" attitude.

Hopefully they start doing cool things, like plotting out folks who had no vision to predict a major disaster (most folks living in a specific city had no vision, thus they all must die in some disaster), addressing how much better Asia is doing at this point since they were all asleep, the religious implications, whether the visions showed a future ignorant of the vision or taking the vision into account, and how scared folks would be to do ANYTHING in case another blackout occurs.

Instead, it seems like all the characters took a collective sigh, shrugged their shoulders, and got on with their lives. I applaud their dedication to their work, but more disruption of daily life ought to be more apparant.

FWIW, I bet the guy with the soldier daughter will find out she is a POW and the DNA was incorrect/faked somehow.

As it stands, I think the show would have worked better had the black-out been limited to a single city, something that could still be interesting, but not as globally catastrophic if they were not planning on dealing with that catastrophe in detail. I dunno, I'm sure the book was more detailed. Does the show follow it in any way past the basic premise?

FWIW, I bet the guy with the soldier daughter will find out she is a POW and the DNA was incorrect/faked somehow.

Nah, he will be dead. That’s why he sees her. It’s the “afterlife” so to speak, where he’s re-hooking up with her, in that FF. ;)

Nah, he will be dead. That’s why he sees her. It’s the “afterlife” so to speak, where he’s re-hooking up with her, in that FF. ;)

If he's dead, then how come she's all wounded and stuff and lying on a dirty cot in what looks like a makeshift refuge hospital? I mean, shouldn't they be floating on clouds playing harps and stuff? :rolleyes: Then again, maybe that's just the first step towards fire and brimstone??? :eek:

Frankly, I agree with whoever said she's probably a POW. I think she was maybe on some secret mission doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing, somewhere she wasn't supposed to be, and when she got captured, rather than admit to it the Army faked her death until such time as they could either retrieve her or confirm her death. It certainly wouldn't be the first time the military and/or CIA has done something like that.
Jeff

If he's dead, then how come she's all wounded and stuff and lying on a dirty cot in what looks like a makeshift refuge hospital?:D Well, as a newbee prognosticator ;) in these sci-fi type threads, I’m sticking with he’s dead (Jim), despite the hospital surroundings. I’m repeating it here to get full credit when we finally find out-- several years from now. :eek::p Yeah, several years, since you guys keep referencing Lost, I figure that’s how long this thing will take to evolve, assuming it’s a hit... :D

WOW - I have avoided this thread until I was able to catch up, so I watched the first two epis of FF the past two nights. After the second epi, I asked my wife how she liked it, and she said it was excellent, and I agreed with her.

Now I am trying to figure out how I could have been so wrong about this show! Seriously, I have had a completely OPPOSITE reaction to the series so far than most of the rest of you have had. I think the writing has been very good, the story has been very good (with a few minor complaints that I am willing to overlook right now). I have thought the acting has been excellent. The image of the guy in the baseball stadium gave me the chills. The discussion about the guy on the toilet and his vision (of himself on the toilet), and then afterward when he found the guy floating in the urinal and had to give him mouth-to-mouth. That had me rolling!

I guess I am just easy to please, or not critical enough, or whatever. I have enjoyed the show immensely so far.

And kudos to the posts that discussed the time paradox. Everything that Mark(? - Joseph Fiennes) seems to have on his board is on his board because he saw it in the vision. Chicken egg situation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lna2XWbHGPE

The visions themselves take into account that the visions happened (otherwise the doctor never would have met the new guy, new guys wife wouldn't be dead, etc). Also all the deaths would have to affect the future so if the visions didn't represent the future with the visions occuring lots of them would be instantly invalid. Maybe we will get to the world of the future before the visions were sent and see what someone was trying to correct.

How About "Penny" actress Sonya Walger?

3 Straight shows involving some kind of time travel...

Terminator TSCC
Lost
Flashforward..

She certainly likes the subject..

Capt. Kathryn Janeway of "Star Trek: Voyager" from the episode "Futures End: Part 1" had a great line on timetravel:

"Ever since my first day as a Starfleet captain, I swore I'd never let myself get caught in one of these Godforsaken paradoxes.
The past is the future, the future is the past, it all gives me a headache."

What time travel? So far we have no inkling of anyone traveling through time. We don't even know if these visions are from the future or an alternate universe future. My guess is the latter, but we'll get a better idea of where the writers are taking us over the next few episodes.

:D Well, as a newbee prognosticator ;) in these sci-fi type threads, I’m sticking with he’s dead (Jim), despite the hospital surroundings. I’m repeating it here to get full credit when we finally find out-- several years from now. :eek::p Yeah, several years, since you guys keep referencing Lost, I figure that’s how long this thing will take to evolve, assuming it’s a hit... :DThis show is really supposed to be Lost's replacement as someone already mentioned, since that show wraps up in the spring. Plus FF is from the same producers of that "other" show, hence the near-constant comparisons.

This show is really supposed to be Lost's replacement as someone already mentioned, since that show wraps up in the spring. Plus FF is from the same producers of that "other" show, hence the near-constant comparisons.If it is they're going to have to really ramp up production values, and fast- it doesn't compare to either of J.J. Abram's show's: Lost or Fringe. I wonder what the budget is per show?

As for the time travel idea, how do we know it's not mass-hypnosis or something along those lines (it probably won't be but who knows)? All electronics were still working during the "Flash Forward" so that is a possibility.

Really? Nazi's and Kaballa all in the same scene. It was 65 years ago for pete's sake. You just can't use Nazi in anything modern anymore. Beyond stupid.

Oh, and you got to love Harold Lee looking fondly on the bong. Of course he knows what it is. Probably thinking about his buddy Kumar.

oh, and you got to love harold lee looking fondly on the bong. Of course he knows what it is. Probably thinking about his buddy kumar.
lol

Enjoying this show. :) The ending was interesting...but elusive.

Was THAT what that was out there in the middle of the African desert -- a GIANT BONG?!?!? Well that would explain A LOT OF THINGS!!! :p

Seriously, it looked like some sort of super-fancy EMP generator, except that maybe it works at a brain-wave level -- and it's toxic to crows. And I assume most of you know that a "flock" of crows is more correctly known as "a murder of crows." (There was an OUTSTANDING murder mystery movie starring Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Tom Berringer in 1998 by that name -- I highly reccomend it to anyone who likes a good mystery/thriller!)

At any rate, yes, there are still some Nazi war criminals in prison (and a few supposedly still on the loose), and so I don't see why that's a "lame" story line, and I DO think the information he gave the FBI agent was VITAL to his investigation... The thing is, however, that unless the Nazi were somehow involved, there was no way he could have known about the 1991 African incident and therefore he couldn't have known just how vital that piece of information might turn out to be.

PLUS, whoever did that in 1991 likely covered their tracks so well there's no trail to follow 18 years later... But at least it's something. They may be able to find out who was working there in 1991; who had work contracts, who imported technology and what they imported, to a certain extent... I'd say this has, at the very least, broadened the net, so to speak.

As for Geyer getting out of prison and coming back to America, well, maybe there's a way to "fix things" for him once he gets here... At any rate, when this show went to an old man in a German prison having to be visited by an FBI agent as part of the investigation, I REALLY started feeling "Fringy," lol... If he gets out of there via some sort of "transporter machine," even I might delete my DVR subscription.

ASIDE: LOTS of ads for the new "V" tonight. I kept kindasorta recognizing the alien Star of "V" but could place her ONLY as "that attractive woman in all those Target ads," lol, until I went to IMDB and saw it's Morena Baccarin -- MAN her looks change with her hair style! All this time I've been seeing her in Target ads and didn't know that was her! She's SO hot! I hope the show's as hot as she (and co-star Elizabeth Mitchell) are. Looks like many of "Lost's" stars have new jobs in place before the final season even begins to air.
Jeff

Is this show choppy/stuttery for everyone else? Like when I'm watching it it looks like I'm trying to watch 1080p on a computer that just can't handle it.

I'm guessing it's just my local ABC station, but that seems kind of odd considering none of their other shows are like this. It gives me a headache.

ASIDE: LOTS of ads for the new "V" tonight. I kept kindasorta recognizing the alien Star of "V" but could place her ONLY as "that attractive woman in all those Target ads," lol, until I went to IMDB and saw it's Morena Baccarin -- MAN her looks change with her hair style! All this time I've been seeing her in Target ads and didn't know that was her! She's SO hot! I hope the show's as hot as she (and co-star Elizabeth Mitchell) are. Looks like many of "Lost's" stars have new jobs in place before the final season even begins to air.Jeff

She looks so much better with long hair.

She looks so much better with long hair.


Really, well I'm a sucker for short hair on women, so go figure. There's no accounting for taste. :)

Anyway.....if I'm not mistaken have questions now been raised that maybe some of the FFs won't happen, or at least are inconsistent; e.g. the guy who dug up the remains of his daughter, the wedding on the beach?

This somewhat reminds me of an old Twilight Zone episode with Capt. Kirk (er, William Shatner) about couples trapped in a roadside diner, feeding coins into fortune-telling machines, paralyzed by the predictions. Shatner and his wife, deciding not to let their life be controlled by a string of "predictions".

Will be interesting to see how the characters in FF handle these visions; even if they (the predictions) are not pre-ordained, some of them may be paranoid enough to actually act so as to make them come true.

Hopefully they start doing cool things, like plotting out folks who had no vision to predict a major disaster (most folks living in a specific city had no vision, thus they all must die in some disaster)

You're right, that would be a really cool idea. The mention of most of Asia being asleep would be neat too. Hopefully the writers are as creative as you are ;)

Anyway.....if I'm not mistaken have questions now been raised that maybe some of the FFs won't happen, or at least are inconsistent; e.g. the guy who dug up the remains of his daughter, the wedding on the beach?


It's not inconsistent if it were a vision of an alternate universe - events could be entirely consistent with what has/will happen there. That said, I'm wondering how Aaron could have been so certain so quickly that the remains he exhumed were that of his daughter. DNA testing takes some time, does it not?

Sure did open up a new can of worms with the earlier event, eh? Looks like someone was practicing. :eek:

But one thing I'm a little shaky on. Rudolph Geyer had two visions? One of the dead crows in the prison yard, and one of him entering the U.S. They had to occur on different dates. What's up with that? Or, maybe he said one was his vision and one was just a dream and I missed it.

It's not inconsistent if it were a vision of an alternate universe - events could be entirely consistent with what has/will happen there. That said, I'm wondering how Aaron could have been so certain so quickly that the remains he exhumed were that of his daughter. DNA testing takes some time, does it not?

Sure did open up a new can of worms with the earlier event, eh? Looks like someone was practicing. :eek:

But one thing I'm a little shaky on. Rudolph Geyer had two visions? One of the dead crows in the prison yard, and one of him entering the U.S. They had to occur on different dates. What's up with that? Or, maybe he said one was his vision and one was just a dream and I missed it.

The vision of him entering the US was just that, the flash forward. He saw the crows out his window when he woke up from his flash forward - which, by the way, would have been about 7-8 am.

The vision of him entering the US was just that, the flash forward. He saw the crows out his window when he woke up from his flash forward - which, by the way, would have been about 7-8 am.

Ah, of course. Thanks. Need a second cup o' java this morning.

There is something very shallow about this show. The quick jump into the "conspiracy" seems to have left the heart out of this show. The conspiracy itself is OK, but there is not one single character I care that much about. So far the only genuine moments I have felt is the guy having to admit he was sitting on the john during the flash forward.

There is something very shallow about this show. The quick jump into the "conspiracy" seems to have left the heart out of this show. The conspiracy itself is OK, but there is not one single character I care that much about. So far the only genuine moments I have felt is the guy having to admit he was sitting on the john during the flash forward.

I agree completely. I'm watching the show, and liking it well enough, but not as much as I had hoped to. I feel that, in theory, I should be really interested in this type of plot and sci-fi happenings, but it's just not grabbing me yet. I haven't really started to care about any of the characters yet. It is still early in the series, though. That may change down the line.

What frustrates me most so far is that everything seems to be playing like self-fulfilling prophecies. They investigate a lead because it was something from a flashforward of them investigating said lead. There's nothing else causing them to look at it. The customs agent applies for a customs job because he saw himself with a customs job. He had no plans to do so otherwise.

I don't mind fate (like Lost, or BSG to an extent), but if this show is relying solely on circular logic, I'll be quite annoyed.

Well, after the clarity brought about by my second cup o' joe, it seems as if people are wanting the show to be everything all at once. They've set a big table; it takes time to sample every dish.

Now, that said, do I feel that the characters are anywhere close to being as interesting or as richly drawn as those on, say, LOST? No, but it's still early. They're still working on establishing a very complex plotline, and satisfying character development will take a little longer to emerge. I do like the lead guy Mark, though. He's had the most important vision, which is a helluva responsibility (and he can't even drink!), and they really have very few other leads to go on other than his vision. And it does look to be increasingly relevant to the investigation. If he seems a bit obsessed, seems like he has a right to be.

I liked this episode of FlashForward okay, but afterward, I watched Fringe and found that MUCH more interesting and meaty. FlashFoward seemed shallow in comparison.

I liked this episode of FlashForward okay, but afterward, I watched Fringe and found that MUCH more interesting and meaty. FlashFoward seemed shallow in comparison.I don't know, I watched about five ep of fringe before deciding I didn't have time to follow it and so far I've been much more intrigued by FF even after only three ep. How "meaty" can a show be after only three ep? Same thing with character development. Perhaps people are somewhat swayed in their comparisons because their retrospect feelings of other shows are colored by having watched for one or more full seasons?


ron

So , did Dimetri ("Harold") arrest the soon-to-be customs agent, in an attempt to change an outcome? He seemed to think a bit on what the soon-to-be agent said, and then they cut the scene.

Dimetri's fiancee said she saw Dimetri in her flash forward. But Dimetri wasn't in the part of her flash forward that was shown. So. maybe she incorrectly assumed Dimetri was there because it was a wedding?

Dimetri's fiancee said she saw Dimetri in her flash forward. But Dimetri wasn't in the part of her flash forward that was shown. So. maybe she incorrectly assumed Dimetri was there because it was a wedding?I wondered about the same thing as they "conveniently" didn't show the group on the beach close up to see him. Damn it, more and more questions and no answers. I bet the writers are just winging it and have no idea where they're going. This show sucks ;)


ron

There were a lot of reminders of Dmitri's fate that gave me some slight chills: his conversation with his fiancee, the eulogy, the difficulty in finding the source of the call.

I like that these inconsistencies in FFs are being thrown in. I imagine though, that for at least the dad looking for his daughter, there will be something else to make him resume his search, despite proof to the contrary.

An aside, IMO Morena does look better with long hair, as she did in Serenity.

An aside, IMO Morena does look better with long hair, as she did in Serenity.

Yeah, cause Morena Baccarin is just hideous with the short hair. Sure. It would be worse than kissing a bass.

Nazi's and Kaballa all in the same scene. It was 65 years ago for pete's sake. You just can't use Nazi in anything modern anymore. Beyond stupid.

Indeed. Is there going to be a point where FlashForward stops trying to lose the audience? I only watched FF because the computer was teenagers-occupied territory last night.

Three straight episodes of dubious quality. You know, Fringe had a similar start last year, but I think there was a difference. Fringe's first season, even in its very worst episodes, had a sort of MST3K fun quality to it. Also, you could catch the inklings of a decent show and some good acting as it went along.

FlashForward, so far, is coming off as just too dumb to even breathe. Every so often it has a great moment (like the guy walking around the stadium), but then it regresses (Nazis? Really?!). And the cast just doesn't gel at all. It's a random sampling of fairly good actors collecting a paycheck.

Look, about the Nazi thing - it was about finding the most repulsive guy who was still intelligent enough to be credible. It raised the stakes for Mark and the team and heightened the drama. And Nazi's are still around - some incarcerated, some still loose - as someone pointed out above. I suppose they could have used a pedophile, they're dependable super-villains too, but there's nothing wrong with turning to ol' reliable Nazis when you want to introduce a really, really bad guy. Cop procedurals do it all the time.

That's an absurd statement. There's nothing lazy about that show, and time travel was always one of the many planned devices\complexities of the story since it's inception.

First rule of science-fiction: all time travel stories are lazy, except for ones that incorporate a character with the last name Tannen.

Cop procedurals do it all the time.

This is a defense? My gawd! Why not just up and say, "Well, I saw it done once on iCarly, so it's cool."

Three straight episodes of dubious quality. You know, Fringe had a similar start last year, but I think there was a difference. Fringe's first season, even in its very worst episodes, had a sort of MST3K fun quality to it. Also, you could catch the inklings of a decent show and some good acting as it went along.

FlashForward, so far, is coming off as just too dumb to even breathe. Every so often it has a great moment (like the guy walking around the stadium), but then it regresses (Nazis? Really?!). And the cast just doesn't gel at all. It's a random sampling of fairly good actors collecting a paycheck.One person's "fun quality" is another person's serious groanage. The first five or so ep of fringe I watched were downright pathetic. I imagine it's gotten better but at least for me it had a very dubious start.


ron

I do like the lead guy Mark, though. He's had the most important vision, which is a helluva responsibility (and he can't even drink!), and they really have very few other leads to go on other than his vision. And it does look to be increasingly relevant to the investigation. If he seems a bit obsessed, seems like he has a right to be.Wow....he's the one I care about the least. Frak it, out of 6 billion people, the meat of things seem to fall cleanly on the shoulders of an FBI agent? Would've been more interesting if it happened to instead, say, an old hobo; a lot funnier, anyway.
:rolleyes:

Wow....he's the one I care about the least. Frak it, out of 6 billion people, the meat of things seem to fall cleanly on the shoulders of an FBI agent? Would've been more interesting if it happened to instead, say, an old hobo; a lot funnier, anyway.
:rolleyes:

Could a hobo have marshaled the resources necessary to pursue this phenomenon? Anyway, Mark was a rank and file agent - nothing special - until the blackout, so he's kind of an "everyman" suddenly "selected" for a higher purpose. Pretty common in dramatic literature. And as I mentioned earlier, TV sho' nuff loves 'em some FBI. They're the go-to federal agency for investigating anything unusual.

Could a hobo have marshaled the resources necessary to pursue this phenomenon?A drunken hobo who was ex-FBI could. :p But the premise then would be comedic/sci-fi; maybe average viewers would go for that. I still like this show, but hoping it grows on me fast!

A very good premise. Screwed-up by not good writing.

With a lead FBI agent who looks like something you would find in the gutter with his head on the curb. And lots of close-ups. Can anyone pronounce "FBI dress code"?

By the way there is NO science in this "sci-fi" program. Try fantasy.

Crows are dying all over the planet and the only one who notices is a 86 yr old Nazi?

Did I get it wrong or did the blackout occur at 11 am Pacific time and some characters had flash forwards that were late at night?

I really would like to see some sci-fi on tv written by and for people of at least average intelligence but this is not it. So disappointing.

I will definitely give V a shot. I think Morena is very beautiful. Maybe the writing won't be a total disaster.

One person's "fun quality" is another person's serious groanage. The first five or so ep of fringe I watched were downright pathetic. I imagine it's gotten better but at least for me it had a very dubious start.

With Fringe you're talking about a show that tries very hard to stay on this side of serious while also constantly flirting with campy. A lot of the show's depth of seriousness is delivered by John Noble, who does an incredible job of making Walter lovable, despite the fact Walter tortured small children for experiments that might trigger the apocalypse.

In that sense, Fringe is a lot like House. It's show largely anchored by one strong actor. People either love it, warts and all, or they hate it. Not of a lot of fence-sitters.

Wow....he's the one I care about the least. Frak it, out of 6 billion people, the meat of things seem to fall cleanly on the shoulders of an FBI agent? Would've been more interesting if it happened to instead, say, an old hobo; a lot funnier, anyway.

Much agreed. I generally like Joseph Fiennes, but he is waaaaay wrong for this show. The cast just doesn't gel. It just feels like a lot of good actors stapled together.

I think Morena is very beautiful.

We'll review that statement after she swallows a guinea pig whole.

I like Morena with long hair; I like her with short hair. I think a woman can be attractive with either style... Some women can even pull of a completely shaved head and still be HOT -- and I think Morena could!

My first preference is blue-eyed blondes, but Morena Baccarin is someone who breaks that rule for me IN SPADES, lol... Even as the evil Orisi Adria on "Stargate: SG1," I may have been tempted to find a "way to worship her," if you catch my drift. :D

As for "Flash Forward," I still like the show and like its premise. I haven't checked the ratings, but ABC re-aired Thursday's show again Friday night, so they may be feeling it needs a bit of a boost. I do have to agree the characters aren't really "gelling" like they should be. While the show's OK, and the premise and they mystery are great -- and the acting isn't half bad -- you really DON'T feel a personal connection with ANY of the characters at this point -- not even John Cho's character, who is pretty sure he's going to die in March...

Not to beat that dead horse too much, but by three episodes into "Lost," not only were we all "mystified," everyone also already had at least two or three characters they identified with and were rooting for, and probably at least one or two they didn't like, as well... And some (like Kate), they just weren't sure about (we WANTED to like her, but were sort of afraid to, as well).

Even when they show the characters in this show in times of personal crisis or crisis of conscience, such as deciding what to do with Herr Geyer, it just comes off very "wooden," sort of like Al Gore's famoust 2000 Democratic Convention Macarena, except not funny.

I'm here for the duration, even though it does mean I'm having to do double time-shifting for that time slot on Thursday nights... But they really DO need to figure out a way to make the characters more "relatable" to the audience.
Jeff

A very good premise. Screwed-up by not good writing.

With a lead FBI agent who looks like something you would find in the gutter with his head on the curb. And lots of close-ups. Can anyone pronounce "FBI dress code"?

By the way there is NO science in this "sci-fi" program. Try fantasy.

I am trying to get the gist of the criticism here. Of all the scifi on television, when has ANYTHING, really, been based on anything remotely plausible. And furthermore, why should that affect your enjoyment of the show negatively?

Crows are dying all over the planet and the only one who notices is a 86 yr old Nazi?
Yeah, that bothered me as well.

Did I get it wrong or did the blackout occur at 11 am Pacific time and some characters had flash forwards that were late at night?


Again, I am trying to make sense of your criticism. Yes, the flash forward happened at 11am pacific time. But the visions were of 10pm pacific time on April 29, 2010, which is NIGHT TIME, believe it or not! To me, it seems they have been, for the most part, very consistent with the time. The only thing that has bothered me about the time, so far, is that the one agent was getting a sonogram at the time. Really, what doctor's office is open at 10pm. But of course, this assumes that she was still in California at this time. She could easily have been further west when she was having the sonogram - there is no indication of what local time it is in her vision.

I really would like to see some sci-fi on tv written by and for people of at least average intelligence but this is not it. So disappointing.

Still trying to figure out how you think anything has been inconsistent. But it seems to me that you are criticizing the show as being dumb, but you are the one that is not following it correctly.

I will definitely give V a shot. I think Morena is very beautiful. Maybe the writing won't be a total disaster.

As I said before, my wife and I absolutely love this new show. I have had, mostly, the complete opposite reaction to it than pretty much everyone on these boards.

Again, I am trying to make sense of your criticism. Yes, the flash forward happened at 11pm pacific time. But the visions were of 10pm pacific time on April 29, 2010, which is NIGHT TIME, believe it or not! To me, it seems they have been, for the most part, very consistent with the time. The only thing that has bothered me about the time, so far, is that the one agent was getting a sonogram at the time. Really, what doctor's office is open at 10pm. But of course, this assumes that she was still in California at this time. She could easily have been further west when she was having the sonogram - there is no indication of what local time it is in her vision.




The flash forward happened during the day, not at night.

I still dont like the fact that the tigers were playing on monday oct 5 at 1:00pm their time....that just wouldnt happen.