Catching up with FlashForward

Being sick sucks, but the backlog of TV marches on. After a great premiere, the next two episodes of FlashForward dipped into the boring end of the scale, so it was easier to stick with NBC comedies and Sunday cartoons. However, I <3 my readers, so I'm going back to do back to back FlashForwards.

First of all, "Black Swan" takes the show back to the money scene; the day of the Blackout. Bjork's "It's Oh So Quiet" is such a great song, and it's used to great effect here, showing another take on the Blackout. The shot of the bus casually going into the pond was nicely done, as was the quiet horror of people drowning before they could even tell what was going on. The delightfully quirky Mr. Ned Ned (Pushing Daisies shoutout?) escapes, then checks into the hospital with mystery illness, as well as promises of blackness in his future.

Agent Sulu, on the other hand, decided to be an FBI agent in this episode, and interrogates Bin Blondin (remember her?) long enough to get a lead on a burger shack in Indio (not India, as I thought it would be), where they chase Da Ali G Show through a haunted house of a trailer park (complete with live chase music on the trumpet!), and tackle the suspect into the only body of water within 20 miles. If only all terror suspects carried a metal box helpfully labeled "Yellowcake" on it! Alas, it's just filled with weed. Demitri reveals the date of his death though, and him and Agent The Other Guy share a moment, and finally get back to the "can they change their future" theme from episode 1.

Ahhh...British Guy didn't see Dr. Dharma's face in his flashforward. They finally addressed that, it's about time. Ned Ned isn't worried about surgery because of his flashforward...I have this weird feeling that he dies on the table and gives his eyes to a black guy, but that opens a whole new creepy door. Nicole the Slutty Babysitter turns to the worst priest ever, but she gets a need t-shirt at least. That's one of my problems with the show so far (halfway into episode 4); all the characters they introduced in the beginning, then shuffling most of them aside until now. Anyway, back to the show.

Hmm, Ned's crashing on the table...flirted with the chance to kill off someone and change the future, but Brice's Addison's diagnosis wins out in the end. Good scene though.

Also a good scene between Bin Blondin and Agent Binford (I'll try to remember that name), and some allegory weirdness about a Black Swan (we have title!). Time to stir up the global conspiracy pot again. At least it hasn't hit LOST levels of mysteriousness yet. Yet.

Speak of the devil: CHARLIE!!! I mean, SIMON!!! And he did it! But did what? Man, this show knows how to end an episode. Okay, "Gimme Some Truth" coming right up!

Actually, a couple of quick thoughts before the next episode: I wonder what the flashforwards of world leaders would be. Or gamblers. That's all.

And we start right off with a cold open/cliffhanger, car explosion, and then a "39 Hours Earlier" tag. In class, we call that "narrative complexity". Interesting idea though, taking a polygraph test about a memory of a vision of the future. I would think that something like that would make the machine explode. Wow, "Chinese fire drill" and masturbating in the same episode. ABC is becoming FOX before our eyes. Hey, the FBI guy is playing basketball with the President. Nice reveal, and now I'm really curious about his flashforward.

Well, that's convenient, they answered my question right after the commercial. I love instant gratification (of episodes I waited 3 days to watch). An incident, but no details, and a general "no comment" from all world leaders. Doc Brown would approve.

Not to get a political on you, but the scene in the restaurant with the gay FBI agent (I really need to write down these damn names, for reals), and her Kumite buddy was really well played. Good job ABC!

Butterfield! Nice! The idea of the Blackout as a weapon is an interesting theory, although it's presented as crackpot here...but with CHARLIE lurking in the background, who knows? INTRIGUE!!! Widdick? That's his name? Anyway, Courtney B. Vance has been offered Director of Homeland Security, then Senator Clemente drops a big heap of veiled references to a the past in his lap as they spar back and forth. Hmm, she saw herself as President, the President saw himself in bed...but was he the President? Former Presidents are still referred to as "Mr. President" after they leave office. Interesting, even if political drama does give me a headache. Well, there is a VP spot open, and the President did mention Clemente having a full plate. I guess we know his pick now.

Binford's testimony is awesome, in that it sounds so silly under questioning. Yes, that's the point, but it's still awesome. Then, we get mysterious structures in Somalia that look mostly like Tesla towers from Command and Conquer: Red Alert. Agent "Girl"'s galpal Mosaic-stalks her and finds out about the baby, and things get...tense. Meanwhile, Widdick has a nerdy nerdy kid in Washington. Oops, never mind, the President does, and Widdick was the payoff man. And he's playing hardball...

And Night Ranger karaoke brings the show right back to Awesometown! Binford finally admits that he was drinking in his flashforward. Hmm, and now his wife knows, due to a mysterious text. INTRIGUE!!!

And we finally get back to the open, with the Asian hit squad trying to take out our Mosaic pals, including Agent Almost Preggo back at home. Nice bit of action at the end, and a really nice scene with Agent (Okay, I'm looking up her damn name now) Janis Hawk using her flashforward as motivation to stay alive after being shot. Although seriously, the alarm clock driving around in her blood is about the creepiest thing EVER. Wow. Seriously.

Anyway, two good episodes lay out some more backstory, touch on some of the forgotten characters, and give us a couple dashes of conspiracy for good measure. I'm back on the bandwagon, we'll see for how long.