Dear Former FlashForward Viewers,
FlashForward is clearly in trouble. This once-popular series is currently in a ratings downward spiral, which seems to be, in large part, due to viewer frustration with the show’s pacing and the speed at which it doles out answers about its many mysteries. Many people are, perhaps, uncomfortably reminded of Lost and worry that they will have to devote years of their life to the show, never knowing if definitive or satisfying resolution will ever come. This, then, is an open letter to you, written in the hopes of enticing you back to give FlashForward another chance, because with the two-hour premiere that just aired last Thursday and is currently available to view at the official website (Episodes 11 and 12), the majority of these concerns have been addressed.
The episode is entitled “Revelation Zero (Pts 1 and 2),” and when the writers decided to name it that, they weren’t kidding. This episode provides a slew of answers that should more than satisfy viewer concerns that they were being yanked around by a writing staff making it all up as they go along. Over the course of the series’ prolonged hiatus, I had grown very concerned when I learned that new series showrunners had been hired and that they were planning on revealing a great deal of the mysteries in the return episode. The former is rarely a good indication that a series’ artistic integrity can be maintained, and the latter seemed like they might be caving into network demands to alter their storytelling methods. After watching “Revelation Zero,” however, I am no longer worried. Answers were presented organically and clearly, while neither making it all even more confusing a la Lost nor closing off the series’ mysteries all together.
Without giving spoilers, by the end of the two-hour episode, you will have learned crucial things such as:
- Why Demetri (John Cho) and his fiancee, Zoey’s (Gabrielle Union) flashforwards don’t match up.
- Why Simon (Dominic Monaghan) and Lloyd’s (Jack Davenport) flashforwards don’t match up.
- The identity of the man in the baseball stadium who didn’t black out, and how he was able to do that.
- Whether Simon is a villain or not.
- Who Mark (Joseph Fiennes) was speaking to on the phone in his flashforward.
- The identity of the mysterious villain who seemed to be controlling the masked men.
- What really caused the blackout and flashforwards.
The fantastic thing about these revelations is that they act as a sort-of good faith contract between the show’s writers and its viewers. It rewards those who have stuck with the show for its first twelve episodes, promises them that the writers are not in this simply to confuse them, and demonstrates that their series mythology is much more approachable and less convoluted than many other cult series.
At the same time, mysteries do remain. Now that the major puzzle pieces have been assembled, we can move on to the next, deeper level of mystery: Why and Who? We now know what caused the disaster to befall, but the series’ Big Bad and his or her or their motivations for doing so remain unexplored. We also don’t yet know how each flashforward event will come to occur. See, Lost, you can give clear answers and still maintain a compelling story, without spinning each mystery into so many new mysteries, they can’t possibly all be resolved. Additionally, Simon emerges over the two-hour episode as the most fascinating character on the series. I can’t wait to see where they go with him next.
So, if you were a FlashForward viewer at the start of the series but drifted away, this is the time to come back. As previously mentioned, you can use the above link to watch Episodes 11 and 12, which aired last Thursday, and be all caught up for this Thursday’s episode at 8 PM eastern time on ABC. Meanwhile, if you’d like to catch up on earlier episodes, they are available on DVD. Help save a truly brilliant series that deserves an audience. Mythology-based series that actually provide answers don’t come around every day.
Regards,
Rob
Buy:
FlashForward: Season One, Part One
Related posts:
- FlashForward: “No More Good Days”
- Lost 6.16: “The End” ~ The Spoiler-Free Review
- Dial V for Visitors
- Lost: “LA X” – An Un-Review
- Battlestar Galactica: "No Exit"
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Amen to that! Nice to see some good press for Flashforward!
Why Demetri (John Cho) and his fiancee, Zoey’s (Gabrielle Union) flashforwards don’t match up.
Hang on… I think I must have missed this!
Otherwise, I’ve always felt like there was forward (hehe) momentum on this show and never felt like it was teasing me. I still assume that these episodes were shot before the retooling happened (they are part of the initial 13 ep order, after all) – since some showrunners are smart enough to make their first 13 episodes satisfying in case that’s all they get.
Either way, it was a great return after so many months off! It’s more plot driven than I would like (ie. I feel for the characters, but I don’t think they are compelling – though Simon certainly is now), but I’m glad it’s still around. And look forward (hehehe, urgh) to seeing how the first season plays out – even if that’s all we get.