So, is FlashForward the show that’s going to help you survive when Lost wraps up its run? That’s the hype behind the series that premiered last night. But let’s separate the hype from the show itself.
The big-cast drama — from Joseph Fiennes’ fine lead-role portrayal of a recovering-alcoholic investigator to Seth McFarlane’s excellent cameo as a hardboiled FBI agent — certainly maintained a go-for-this-ride momentum as its twisty gimmick was presented. Seven billion people blacking out for two minutes, 17 seconds, seeing “memories and events that haven’t occurred yet,” in April 2010: it’s undeniably intriguing, right?
There were some ideas I couldn’t quite buy. The notion that Fiennes and his crew will create website called Mosaic to record and examine everyone’s memories seemed like a website that will keep crashing every day until April 2010. And the wall that Fiennes gets a glimpse at, push-pinned with clues: Didn’t Charlie on NBC’s long-gone Life have one of those; wasn’t it very Usual Suspects-y? But the premise and the acting — including the superb Sonya Walger (from Lost, from HBO’s Tell Me You Love Me) as Fiennes’ wife — was far above the usual sort of semi-sci-fi this series is attempting. I’m certainly hooked, for a while, at least.
What did you think? Or as the ABC ads say, “What did you see?”
I enjoyed it a lot. It had some down moments…pretty much anything at the FBI building, which felt very ‘procedural’, but otherwise it was good. I’m also not sold on some of the casting yet, though Joseph and Sonya were fantastic.
Loved it! Love the premise, love the characters, love the acting. Will it replace LOST? I don’t know. I think it’s more of a comfort to know that if this show succeeds, LOST fans will have an outlet to fall back on once LOST goes away.
http://www.flashforwardaddicts.com
http://www.lostaddictsblog.com
So glad to see that you settled on which show to follow for your new blog. I can’t wait to read your insights on this show as well.
Thanks Jenn!
I thought it was really great and will continue watching.
I enjoyed it. I know I am going to have to suspend belief to really enjoy the concept but that is part of the enjoyment of escapism TV.
Oh and loved the Lost easter eggs.
I’ll keep watching, I thought it was a cool premise and the cast is wonderful. I like the fact that the date they all saw is within the first season. It’ll be interesting to see if there’s a new “flash” every year or if year 2 will just be about dealing with the consequences of the first one.
That’s what I was curious about…can this sustain more than a season’s worth of plot?
Guggenheim and Goyer have both said that they have planned out for like 3 years, so they have plenty of stuff to last them for a while.
That’s what I assumed at first too js, but then I started thinking and who says they will reach the flash forward date in the first season, or even the second? I took Lost 4 seasons to move through 100 days of island time.
I recall reading somewhere (maybe EW?) that were going to get to the flashforward date this season.
They said they would reach the date in the first season. They’ll be airing an episode on April 29, 2010 that takes place on April 29, 2010 (the day of the flashforward).
Ah, good to know. Just a thought I had.
I thought the pilot was a great start. Of course the Lost comparisons are inevitable, and its creator David Goyer is admittedly a big fan of the Lost series, but I think we should let it unfold and see how it holds up as it’s own show. Afterall, this is the guy who helped write the Dark Knight movie. It’ll be fun to see what develops from here on out.
I am hooked for now….. but even though this is a drama, if it doesn’t get a little less dark, maybe just by making us love the characters a little more like I do on Lost, then it will probably lose me at some point.
Um…What show did you watch? I’ll admit the premise is intriguing, but Goyer wrote some of the worst dialogue I ever heard. I cringed at everything Jon Cho said.
I totally agree with this. I was cringing at the dialogue as well and it disappointed me. I won’t be tuning in again.
I agree that while the episode was solid, some of the dialogue wasn’t great.
I agree, the dialogue made it unwatchable for me. And I love Joe Feinnes. I won’t watch it again.
You know you really can’t have it both ways. I’m sure a lot of the people saying they won’t watch it again after just one episode are also the people complaining that networks cancel series too soon, before they give them a chance to build. You just have to give it time! If I just Lost on the first ep I saw (the first one with Sun and Jin, that was almost entirely in Korean) I’d seriously be missing out right now! Anyway, I LOVED the premiere, and can’t wait to see how it unfolds. Although, the guy who was going to kill himself will have to grow on me.
well, nothing to worry about there, since **SPOILER** if these flashforwards are to be believed, his character will be dead by April.
If you want to hear really Craptastic bad dialogue watch ABC’s other new show “The Forgotten” it makes the dialogue in “Flashforward” seem like Shakespeare, Sh@t it makes “Baywatch” seem like Shakespeare, just horrible, words can not describe how horrible it was!
I was SO disappointed in “the forgotten”. I’m giving it one more episdoe…
I am so glad somebody else felt that way – thought it was just me!!
I liked it a lot. I’m not going to say that I’m stuck on it for the whole season, but if they play it out properly, and don’t ask more questions than they can answer, this can definitely become a great series.
There are already many people concerned about the premise and direction of the show, but I remember the same when a little show called LOST premiered. On the other hand, look at the strong premiere of Heroes and where that show has gone as of late. FlashForward definitely has promise. Will it fill the void that LOST leaves now and will eventually leave when it finishes this spring? I’m not sure anything will.
amen to that brother! LOST is one -of-a-kind — but this show still gave me the chills.
YES!! i am hooked. i am hoping this will kinda fill the void when lost leaves. btw seeing that ocanic airlines billboard made me do two things. 1. I AM SO EXCITED FOR LOST. and 2. even though its not as incredible as lost is, its nice to know it may still be here when lost leaves us
About the Oceanic billboard, did you see the text claiming that they have a perfect safety record! Does this series only take place after the Lost Incident reboot?
The Oceanic billboard was the only LOST easter egg I actually caught, even though I was looking. What else was there?
There was also a LOST Ad on a bus while Mark was walking down the street in L.A. post Flash. You can only see the “ST” of the LOGO but it is impossible to mistake as anything else! lol
Oh, and it’s weird seeing “Penny” as an American!
I went to a preview screening and Goyer said that there were other billboards/signs there they had to cover up so they decided to do it with Oceanic billboards/signs.
This show tried to be a combination of Lost, Grey’s Anatomy and CSI. As a result, there was nothing original to it. I lost interest in about 10 mins.
Your a douche….
Agreed. 10 whole minutes? I guess there was an “According to Jim” repeat you needed to watch.
Um how was it Grey’s Anatomy? Oh you mean the fact that there were scenes in a hospital? Yeah, because that never happens on any other show.
Spot-on observation, Bob. When the polar bear charged at David Caruso while Katherine Heigl had sex with her dead boyfriend, I kept thinking I’d seen this kind of thing before…….
Bwahahahahahahaha!
Its promising for a pilot,Fiennes and Walger were fantastic. Cho was good as well.Also the chick from amd men was there as well! What more can you want?
What those two agents saw on the security tape from the baseball game was pretty interesting! I had been wondering what was there after seeing the commercials.
You mean the ballpark security tape scene the agent came across after reviewing footage from hundreds of live webcams from around the world in just a matter of hours?
Haha, what a plot hole. STILL, if it weren’t for that creepy security tape twist, I probably wouldn’t be tuning in next week.
I can’t believe there were that many people at a Tigers game.
LOL RK – I thought the same thing! “Wow, that Tigers game is really packed, especially considering they it’s November, and the season is over!” (6 months to April 29th)
They are getting huge crowds at Tiger games. Where have U been?
They are NOT getting huge crowds at Tigers games when baseball season is over.
Never heard of World Series?
I know who the stranger is! Magglio Ordonez! Because he surely hasn’t shown up at the plate this year.
mscisluv, 6 months before April would be October..
Exactly, it is October 6 month before April.
And Mags is hitting almost 300,
so it ain’t him. lol
Im hooked for now as well. I thought it was great but whats gonna happen in April when the flashfowards happen? How much show are we gonna have left? Its kinda like LOST in that sense cause we didn’t know what would happen to the show once they got off the Island. But we Lostie’s know how well that went “We have to go back!” Did anyone else see that shout out to LOST in FlashFoward? There was an Oceanic billboard about 10 mins into the show!