"All I can tell you is..." "I'd rather not say..." "I don't want to give anything away..."

Over the last week, I've chatted with both David Goyer and Brannon Braga. They're both lovely gentleman. But on the subject of FLASHFORWARD, they're as cryptic as a magic 8-ball.

This, of course, is the way it should be when you're doing press out front of a new sci-fi drama that combines the bewildering mystery of LOST with the procedural intrigue of LAW & ORDER. Why let on more than you're willing to disclose in the show's initial hour? Wouldn't that signal a lack of confidence to the wide, demographically-diverse audience you're trying to hook?

Though Herc may not agree, I think Goyer and Brannon have every reason to be upbeat about the commercial prospects for FLASHFORWARD. Yes, the pilot sets up a bit like LOST, particularly in its opening eighteen minutes as we get to know the ensemble cast through their reaction to the universal 137-second blackout that a) leaves nearly everyone on the planet with a jumble of foreknowledge from the not-that-far-off date of April 29, 2010, and b) results in a shitload of carnage (activities to avoid when the big blackout occurs: driving next to a fuel truck, screwing your boyfriend in the living room of your employer's house, skydiving). But Goyer's direction is so assured that you quickly get past the similarities with Abrams's show (even after an unnecessary nod to Oceanic Airlines), and find yourself enveloped in the busy goings-on in FLASHFORWARD's world.

And that's one aspect that is especially deserving of praise. I keep having to stop and remind myself that, yes, over the course of eighteen minutes, Goyer shows us the post-flashforward devastation, backtracks to introduce most of the principal cast as they go about their pre-flashforward day, and then catches us up to where the episode began. That's a lot to cram into eighteen minutes, but Goyer and Braga pull it off without breaking a sweat - and without stranding us with a collection of banal, chess-piece characters.

Given that the pilot episode centers on the addled investigation of the flashforward, you might figure that Joseph Fiennes's FBI agent, Mark Benford, will act as the show's protagonist. According to Braga, that's a safe assumption. For now. But he cautions that the show is such a "wild concept" that it could possibly subvert this notion. Does this mean Benford - whose premonition finds him guzzling booze at night in the FBI office (alarming as he's a recovering alcoholic), pouring over a byzantine set of clues (pause frame-by-frame and collect 'em all!), and, finally, dodging laser sights from unidentifiable gunmen - could turn out to be a bad guy or meet an untimely (i.e. unpredicted) demise?

"All I can tell you is the show is just starting, and it stars Joseph Fiennes."

Thanks, Brannon.

If the show is going to play by its own rules, Benford will almost certainly be around for his 4/29/10 reckoning. As for his partner, Demtri Noh (John Cho), one of the few folks who didn't experience a flashforward, all signs point to dead. I suppose they could confirm this hypothesis by interrogating terminally ill individuals on death's door to see if they saw anything, but for those who don't subscribe to predetermination (a concept that promises to get a heavy workout in this series), an absence of foresight shouldn't automatically point to a bad end.

As for who caused the worldwide blackout (if someone caused it) and why they did it, rest assured that those questions will be answered. As for when we'll find out, here's the definitive word from Braga.

"That in itself is a balancing act. You want to sustain the mystery, but not to the point that people become frustrated with the mystery."

So by midseason? Before the 4/29/10 episode? The season finale (which, by the way, will not be the 4/29/10 episode)?

"I'd rather not say."

According to both Braga and Goyer, they do know the answer to these questions. They know where the finish line is. And they also know how to expand the narrative if the show catches on to such an extent that ABC wants more than, say, five seasons. Part of this plan could involve internationally-produced spinoffs (e.g. FLASHFORWARD ENGLAND or FLASHFORWARD BRAZIL), all of which could conceivably dovetail in some kind of worldwide series finale.

But this is a long, long way off. They hope. And even though they have a carefully-plotted roadmap, they're open to deviation. How much? They'd "rather not say", but Braga indicates that the online reaction - particularly those of AICN's talkbackers - could very well play a part in their decision making. Yes, even after those many contentious seasons of VOYAGER and ENTERPRISE, when talkbackers were pillorying him (and producer Rick Berman) for doing to STAR TREK what Joseph Tura did to Shakespeare, Braga still finds value/amusement in your comments.

"I'm definitely interested in what people have to say," says Braga. "With STAR TREK in particular, after an episode would air, you couldn't wait to get online and see what people thought. It's very valuable. And you can discern between people who are just being nasty and people who have thoughtful comments to make, or people who are nine years old and twenty-nine years old. There are some scathing, scathing comments, but you just can't take any of it personally. If you do, it'll drive you crazy."

For those of you eager to help determine the course of FLASHFORWARD this year, you should know that Braga's involvement might be somewhat limited due to the fact that he will be writing and executive producing the upcoming season of 24. For the most part, it sounds like the running of the show will be up to Goyer and his producing partners, Marc Guggenheim and Jessika Borsiczky. I have no idea if they read the talkbacks.

But I do, and I'm curious to hear what you guys think about the pilot. Right now, FLASHFORWARD looks to be a much more grounded and narratively streamlined piece of science-fiction than LOST. And while Herc's criticism that the show has yet to establish a likable, multi-dimensional character is legit, I'm certainly interested in learning more about Zachary Bryce's suicidal surgeon or Sonya Walger's soon-to-be-unfaithful wife. Am I worried that their character arcs might proceed along a boilerplate, soap-operaish trajectory (ala the unwatchable, screaming-to-be-canceled HEROES)? Absolutely. We already know the identity of Walger's paramour: he's a grieving father, not some predatory lout. So if Fiennes gets obsessed with the flashforward investigation and turns back to the bottle, it would follow that Walger would leave him for another, decent man. This would be utterly, drepressingly conventional.

But Goyer and Braga are smart fellas, and they're at least saying the right things about respecting the intelligence of the audience. There's so much potential in this premise; they know that this is their moment to create great television. They've already got one terrific pilot under their belt. I can't wait to see where they go from here.

Faithfully submitted,

Mr. Beaks

P.S. One thing we do know is that they're not done introducing characters. Familiar faces like Dominic Monaghan, Jack Davenport and Gabrielle Union will be joining the cast over the next few weeks.