FlashForward: "No More Good Days" and "White to Play"

May Contain Minor Spoilers concerning the first 2 episodes of the series.








I started watching FlashForward yesterday, after having seen a good number of actors I liked in commercials, and once I was paying attention, started noticing what appeared to be a very solid cast. So I mentioned my interest in a couple places, and after hearing from someone that they'd seen and liked it, I decided that was good enough for me to try.

And the first two episodes have kept me on the edge of my seat. Not a dull moment yet.
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The producers definitely made some of their stylistic decisions by watching the success of Lost and going

"HEY! Let's do THAT
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But more like this!!!!
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And we can make the storyline almost as confusing but not quite as bad!!" That's what they said.

And then they said, "Okay, main character...

Now, everyone loves the frak out of Jack Shephard











So we shall create Mark Benford!!! ----->






And he shallst be equally concerned looking and stubble-afflicted!"

Ok, now it sounds like I'm making fun of the series, but it really is great so far. I just find myself seeing a lot of parallels to Lost. And really, why not copy success?

Such as:

--Lost----------------------------------------------FlashForward--












Plus they grabbed Dominic Monaghan and Sonya Walger.

Alright, so as far as actual content and review goes:
The basic premise of the series is that for SOME reason in the first episode, at 11:00am on whatever day it is in the Fall of 2009, every single person on the entire planet loses consciousness for exactly 2 minutes and 17 seconds and has a vision or "flash forward" to their lives on April 29, 2010.

Okay, "that's very cool," you say, "but I'm not feeling super drawn in or concerned for anyone." Well, they draw you in with the above scene of catastrophe. Because when EVERYONE takes an involuntary nap at the same time, what happens on the highways? The swimmers? The helicopter and plane pilots? Bad things!
So essentially, the plot takes on two forms: The first of which is our main man Mark Benford, played by Joe Fiennes, attempting to track down who's responsible for the worldwide event. (He's leading the investigation because of leads he sees in his "flash forward" as they start to call the visions); The second plot line being the characters in the show dealing with the implications of having seen a glimpse into their own futures. Some see happy events while others see terrible futures that they're determined never to let happen, but still terrified of.


Having a large, diverse cast is great for this show, as the mystery can be solved piece by piece as more people come forward with their flashes. This also makes it easy for the producers to add more characters, because if someone comes forward with a critically important flash, they become a part of the "Mosaic" (as the characters refer to the piecemeal picture of the future that they're assembling).
The fact that the "flash forward" event happened to everyone in the world also gives the show those themes of widespread confusion and teamwork that everyone loves so much in Lost. Oh, and another thing about Lost. A veteran viewer of the vastly popular desert island tale of Jack and friends will feel quite comfortable with the format of these flashes, as they are used in a very similar fashion to the flashbacks used constantly throughout all 5 seasons of Lost: They're a source of secret information that the audience shares only with the characters seeing them, as well as a source of shocking information. How many times is the viewer left on the edge of their seat after seeing that pivotal event in a flashback to someone's previous life near the end of an episode of Lost? Well the same technique goes into use in FlashForward. Information gets revealed (via flash) very carefully and bit by bit, to keep the audience wanting more and watching more.


As far as characters go, I wouldn't say the group on FlashForward is terribly interesting so far. The hero is a well-off cop and recovering alcoholic with a doctor for a wife..... The creators were able to add a few redeeming quirks here and there though, so the characters don't come off as humdrum. Their storylines and dilemmas overshadow any need for alternative characteristics thus far, and if things go well, will create some more riveting character traits.


Overall, while watching this show so far, I'm noticing many parallels to other popular shows, but I don't at all feel like I'm watching an episode of Lost while mesmerized by the action and intrigue going on on FlashForward. The producers grabbed a lot of proven effective techniques and made it their own creation. Their own, so far worth watching, creation. Joe Fiennes is excellent, with or without the British accent from Shakespeare in Love. And these days I really respect John Cho as an actor. Maybe some day in the next couple years people can stop saying "Hey! It's that guy from Harold and Kumar!" when they see him in TV and movies.

So yeah, if you have a little extra time in the next few days, and ESPECIALLY if you're a fan of Lost, queue this show up on ABC.
I hope to watch the pilot of V tonight and maybe write something about that tomorrow.