After four months, ABC’s Lost-esque drama FlashForward finally makes its way back on the air. With production being halted, losing both original showrunners and their episode order cut by one, we’re finally able to see what the now-retooled series has in store for us. When we last left the show, Demetri Noh (John Cho) finds out that Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes) is the one that will kill him, Lloyd Simcoe (Jack Davenport) and Simon Campos (Dominic Monaghan) announced to the world that they were the reason for the blackouts and consequently results in an abduction attempt that leaves Benford’s wife, Olivia (Sonya Walger), battered and bruised with Simcoe taken away. ReviewAs the show starts, we’re introduced to a one-time window washer, now minister, speaking to a group about how God intervened during the blackout to save his life so that he’ll be able to tell his story and help people. This is one of many new characters introduced in the course off the episode and, from the looks of it, they’ll not only be around for a while, but also play a role in the events to come. When it comes the Benford, Noh and all the characters we’re familiar with, we’ll see them continue with their investigation, but this time something’s different; they’re actually getting answers – and fast. While I know that’s not exactly the best description of what occurs, you’ll soon understand just how hard it is to speak about anything in this episode without spoiling it.
Compared to an old episode of FlashForward, it’s night and day. While it previously took weeks to obtain the smallest amount of information, events now happen pretty quickly. If feels… refreshing. The once drawn-out scenes are now replaced by fast-paced storytelling. The only thing, if any, that will stick out is the poorly placed plug for the Palm Pre. I’ll spoil it for you, “Hey, this looks like a case for the Palm Pre.” In case you’re worried that FlashForward will continue withholding answers to the shows most important questions, take a look at a short list of what’s revealed. (It would have been longer, but I didn’t want to spoiler anything for you – or have ABC angry at me. If you’d like to find out more, checkout out what Dominic Monaghan has to say about what’s coming up on FlashForward.)
- What, if any, role Lloyd Simcoe and Simon Campos had in the blackout.
- A clearer view of what Mark Benford saw in his flash forward.
- Who suspect zero is, what he was doing at the stadium and why he wasn’t affected by the blackout.
From the two-hour premiere it’s hard to distinguish whether or not the overhaul of FlashForward was successful. While many questions were answered and the plot finally started to progress, it will be the episodes to follow that will establish whether this is a new, refreshing, direction that will continue or solely an attempt to bring in viewers once lost to recover from its ratings decline.
What did you think of the return of FlashForward? Was it everything you hoped it would be? Will continue to watch? Catch FlashForward Thursday’s @8pm on ABC Follow me on Twitter @anthonyocasio
