Lower Decks

FlashForward is one of ABC’s biggest new shows.  Loosely based on the novel by Robert J. Sawyer, it tells the story of a world where everyone, at the same time, blacks out for exactly 137 seconds.  In that time, virtually everyone has an image of themselves six months in the future.  It’s an interesting concept, but I’m here to answer one question.  If we “flashforwarded” six months, what would this show’s future be?

The answer to that question should be “going strong” – although, as I’ll add in a minute, the show isn’t giving itself a lot to work with.

I’ll begin with a brief synopsis.  The pilot episode follows, primarily, FBI agent Mark Benford (played by Ralph Fiennes’ brother Joseph) as the blackouts happen.  Mark and partner Demitri (John Cho) are investigating a terror suspect when a high-speed chase breaks out.  During the chase, the flashforwards happen, and both agents are caught up in the chaos.  As you would expect, driver-less vehicles have led to countless accidents (car wrecks, helicopters crashing into buildings, plane crashes, etc) and mayhem.  Mark and Demitri try to keep everyone calm, but they’re also able to apprehend their suspect, an unidentified woman who might know more than we think.

Mark, however, has one of the more interesting flashforwards.  He sees himself monitoring a giant board referring to a case called “Mosaic.”  He knows, somehow, that Mosaic is the investigation into the flashforwards, and because of his knowledge, he and Demitri are assigned to investigate what happened.  Throughout the episode, the world discovers that people were given a glimpse into the future six months…however impossible that sounds.

The problem for Demitri is that he didn’t have a flashforward – he simply blacked out.  He assumes, despite no evidence, that it means he will die before six months pass.  Which kinda puts a damper on the wedding he’s planning.

We also get to meet Olivia (played by Sonya Walger, a bit player from two of my favorite shows, LOST and The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Mark’s wife and a doctor, who witnesses herself having an affair with a man she’s never met.  Olivia is a doctor who has a loyal (although strained) relationship with Mark, who is also a recovering alcoholic.  Although she doesn’t find out, the man that Olivia saw is the father of a young boy brought into her ER.  The “predestined lovers” idea has a very 4400 vibe to me, and I’m interested in seeing how they pull it off.

In addition, we meet Mark’s AA sponsor Aaron (Brian F. O’Byrne).  Aaron is a bit of a mess since his daughter was killed in combat, but he actually sees her in his flashforward, leading him to believe that someone made a mistake in identifying her body.  The vision gives him hope, and he gives one of the best lines in the episode, summarizing the show in a lot of ways – “You’re afraid your flashforward will come true.  I’m afraid mine won’t.”

And that’s basically where the show is taking us.  Some people, like Olivia, don’t want their flashforwards to come true, and they’ll probably spend their time trying to avoid that fate (or simply disbelieving it).  Mark, even though he starts the investigation he saw in his vision, believes that they might have been a warning so that they can alter the future.  He has an interest in stopping them since, outside of his wife’s affair, he sees himself relapsing into his alcoholism in his own flashforward.

Other people, besides Aaron, have positive visions.  A female FBI agent sees herself having a pre-natal sonogram despite not having a boyfriend, and Bryce (Zachary Knighton), a doctor who was planning on killing himself when the flashforwards happened, believes the visions were a gift.  He sees himself, alive and well, in the future, and it turns his life around.  He decides that it isn’t in fate’s hands for him to die, and he starts living a renewed life.

I haven’t read the book, but I know that the series is only slightly based on it.  One of the biggest changes, outside of the characters themselves, is the moment in the future that everyone sees.  The book’s flashforward takes place 21 years in the future, while the series has only a six month jump.  While 21 years is a bit too much for a series, six months doesn’t seem like a long enough time.

I realize that LOSTwas able to do four seasons in a few months, it’s very rare to have a series locked into such a small timeframe.  Maybe the flashforward’s time period will happen sooner than the series finale (heck, it could even be season one’s finale), but I imagine that’s what the series is building to.  For some reason, it makes me think the show is only designed to go a couple of seasons (perhaps a bit like LOST or Prison Break).

That being said, I really thought the show worked.  You get an idea about the chaos caused by the event, but it doesn’t overwhelm the show.  I’m sure we’ll get a lot more fallout in coming episodes, but the show is about the characters and how the flashforward will impact their lives – not the event itself.  I was a bit surprised, however, that we didn’t meet anyone directly impacted by what happened (someone whose relative, perhaps, who died in a wreck that happened during the blackouts).  I imagine they’d have a unique perspective on the event, but maybe we’ll meet someone like that soon.

The episode ends with an interesting reveal.  After going through surveillance videos from across the world, the FBI finds video from a baseball game.  The entire stadium is passed out, but you can see a blurry image of a man walking during the blackout.  The man is casually walking, as if he’s not surprised that 30,000 people blacked out, and I’m guessing his identity will also be a huge plot point in the series.

All in all, I think it’s a show I’m looking forward to following.  It’s definitely an interesting premise, and I look forward to seeing where they’ll take it.  I watched the extended promo at the end of the episode, and it looks like they have a lot of compelling ideas coming up.  And, if you watched, Dominic Monaghan (Charlie from LOST) will make an appearance, and his character looks very promising.

This was one of the shows I was looking forward to watching, and it didn’t really disappoint.  I recommend it, and I hope you’ll watch along with me this season.