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Mr. Beaks Believes In The Potential Of David Goyer And Brannon Braga's FLASHFORWARD!
SPOILER ALERT !!
"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.
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Show looks good, but holy hell Thursday nights are packed with good shows! Spread that shit around, networks!
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But then what about Survivor? Ohh god why is this happening!
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...but will probably give this a shot tonight before Fringe. Can't be worse than reality TV.
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will be cancelled really soon.
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Then I can watch all the episodes in a few days without waiting.
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a one trope pony
*Hey! Lets make a show with time being the main premise* -
The commercials and premise are just interesting enough. It's worth noting that outside of True Blood, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Lost, (I tried Damages and it was good for awhile, but eventually I ditched it) I record no series. So they hooked me enough to look it up in the DirecTV guide and hit the little round R, that's a lot better than the vast majority of series TV. Now, if too many episodes pile up (or if the ratings stink and it gets pulled before I ever watch, always a distinct possibility these days), then all bets are off.
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Sep 24, 2009 3:36:42 PM CDT
Maybe when and what time would be a good thing to have
by quin the eskimo
sheesh
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It's worse than a soap.
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after 6 weeks, I will warehouse the remaining eps on DVR until I hear word of a 2nd season. Then I'll catch up.
I learned my lesson with Invasion - dont jump into a show with both feet.
and the only Trek Shows I didn't faithfully watch were Voyager and Enterprise. Voyager was Gilligans Island in space and once you caught on that they would not get home until the finale, it just seemed like a waste of time. And Enterprise lacked the production values and felt more like an episode of Xena in space. (which I would actually watch, ironically).
I think the Braga hate is mostly people on the internet trying to get a lot of attention by throwing angry fits; the prize for them is to get Braga to mention their usernames on the Tonight Show (isnt that right, DG_DB?) -
And all but the hardcore have bailed on Lost.
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exec: get me someone to make us a "lost."
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Seriously. Flash Forward was "interesting" at best. And seriously, John Locke's first flashback was more grounded than anything in Flash Forward's first hour. It's a weak copy. Oh yeah. And it was the Hadron Collider at CERN that caused the flash forward.
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Sep 24, 2009 4:36:21 PM CDT
Locke: "If it doesn't have leg-humping robots, it's shit"
by mattmanbegins
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Braga is a hack. He nearly killed the Star Trek franchise.
Goyer has talent having written both of the Dark Knight movies.
This sound mostly like Goyer's baby.
I'll watch.
I'm going to be watching Supernatural afterwards anyway.
Might as well make it a two hour block. -
Goyer and Braga think people will be hooked by the mystery?THERE IS NO FUCKING MYSTERY!The series is based on a 10 year old book by Robert J. Sawyer. Goyer, Braga meet internet. Duh!
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Sep 24, 2009 5:06:05 PM CDT
Bragabomination DID say everything HE knows about the show
by chromedome
Goyer keeps him on Starbucks runs for cast and crew--the only way to keep Braga from from destroying this show like he did on Trek after Trek.Funny that he reads the TBs, but doesn't get that the negative people are negative about him because of his proven track-record of substandard garbage.I will give this show a chance in spite of the fact that his name is on it, only because Goyer has some credibility. But if it starts fuming with that Braga smell, well, that will be it for me.
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On one hand, they give the impression like they know what they're doing from the beginning, unlike Lost, so we *might* not have a repeat of the shit that was Lost's second and third seasons.On the other hand: Braga. I don't think I can trust anything that guy has done since Voyager....
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That's the explanation in the book. The TV show is already quite different. It doesn't look like they're going in that direction.And I only had a few minutes with Goyer, so no load-swallowing this time. Braga on the other hand... yum!
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"For anyone who's that interested and wants to read the book, they're going to read a great book, but it will be a different experience. There are things in the book that will happen, but a lot won't. The book won't ruin it."
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I remember an interview he did with Rick Berman after Enterprise was canceled. He joked they didn't really know who "Future Guy" was as if this was funny. His contempt and passive aggressiveness for his viewers practically blew up my TV set.
Whereas guys like Abrams and Whedon are beloved, I just don't think Brannon has ever thought it was cool to be on the same level as his audience and I think that's always hurt his products.
It makes it hard for me to invest time in this show. If it gets canceled, is Braga going to say "I have no idea what the mystery was. Ha ha ha!" -
...tell me where were you...Rodney King riot anniversary? Hitler and Eva Brauns wedding anniversary? Master P's birthday? (Thanks to wiki on the last one)
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And I'm not saying that as an "attack." I'm trying to say... we're not going to care about your shows... if you don't care about them. Or your viewers...
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While I was participating in some anarchy!
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adverts are getting good coverage n uk tv hyping it as from the network that brought you lost. fennes i like, sonya wagner i like cho, he is the fucking man and i want to see more of him.
if its truly a global then yeah, you need to get people all across the world, nice segway into bringing in alex kingston, although the black guy who was in London with her seemed a bit well dull.
jack davenport ok cool, although really if sonya wagner was going to meet him, surely the first thing id say is i thought about you in the future, not going to happen, im passing this case off to one of my colleagues. laters!
the iraq side polt with the AA sponser * meh*, although nice to see that chick from supernatrual in there, i dont really feel im going to be gripped by this subplot
watch your plots, keep continuity tight. hopefully we'll still see la as a mess cause this kinda mass stuff doesnt go away quickly and a lot more departments and offices involved cause its a global occurrence. and remember one of the things that pissed us off about lost was we the viewers kept on thinking why the hell don't they just speak to each other. speak to the guys at lost, they know how to keep it together!
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You'd think Beaks would remember to put those minor details somewhere in here right?
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did some excellent work on star trek, yeah he ran that series into the ground, what do you expect when you've been on a series that long. but man he did some good stuff. i thought threshold was a good pilot , until it became standard mystery of the week without the mystery. his work on 24 is pretty much there, im sure he's bound by their rulebook. i'd say he's got a lot riding on this. and since it's his baby he's one of the guys in charge, if it turns to shit there's no one else to blame.
saying that the pilot i felt was good, a tad slow in some respects, needs a bit more mystery. more cho! -
but I wonder if they can maintain a disaster scenario on a TV budget. That is the worst crime of American TV... a lot of money is spent on the pilot, but then the series looks weak in comparison because the per second budget for a 44 min regular episode is much less.
Good cast... especially Courtney B Vance, but I wonder if the "cool" FBI agents and the "hot" hospital staff shtick will get a little dull.
Time will tell. But the the premise does have promise.
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...show!!! There is only so much they can squeeze-out of this before the drama and the concept goes stale and audiences lose interest. This sounds like a great set-up for a movie, a prologue--I know as I wrote something similar before, but I also had my set-up concept backed-up with something, a concept which is a lot stronger than the intro--something that I doubt these guys thought to do!!!
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Fuck off you loser. Go watch Halloween II again.
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Kudos to you on finding a way to work a mention of Supernatrual into this talkback, although I see you had to misspell it to slip it past whatever filter Herc has in place.
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Then please give us some FNL insight. I think you'd dig that show.
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Just had discussions with Goyer and Braga regarding this show. I can't do what Herc does. (That said, I do love FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS.)
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I strongly believe that five seasons should be the limit for ANY dramatic show.
If the plan going in to the pilot is to do five seasons, the producers should stick to it and NOT pad anything out.
For examples of why extending the story would be a bad thing, just watch Season 2 of Lost or any season of the X-Files after season 5.
Please, Mr. Goyer and Mr. Braga- Strike a deal with ABC to end the show how you originally planned it. Don't pad anything out. Tell the story how you imagined it.
That said, I really like the idea of international spin-offs that culminate in one over-arching multi-series finale. Do THAT if the powers-that-be want more.
I can't wait for tonight's pilot and can already tell that this is going to be one of my favorite shows post-Lost. Just please, please PLEASE don't stretch the story out further than it needs to be stretched. -
That totally bounced me out of the show seeing him pop up. I hope he gets killed off soon... he's too distracting.
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LOL!!!! Ok, definately riffing on LOST and apparently talkbacks!
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I'll take five season of that thank you.
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Sep 24, 2009 8:03:10 PM CDT
I just passed out for 2 minute, 17 seconds!
by flurryofchocolateglazedkrispykremedonuts
Saw a vision of April 29th, 2010. Last episode of FlashForward was on and I'm ignoring it as I read on this site that FlashForward has been cancelled
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For a while, it seemed like the rest of the ep would just be everybody discussing their visions, but that ending saved it. Hopefully, it will be a good show and will go the distance.
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I'll tune in again just because everything else I watch is midseason (24, Lost, Chuck...). It would be neat if the cast of the book showed up to take responsibility.
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I think it is Interesting and a fresh, I will be watching
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solid 1st episode.. i'm defintely excited about the possibilities with this show. pretty good acting all around ...and the story moved along pretty nicely. not a lot of unnecessary melodrama. TV right now is a bleak landscape right now ... hopefully this show will be a winner..
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Frankly I think they should leave it at the five seasons, I don't feel the idea of spin off shows, I hate when channels do that I mean for example the god awful CSI:Miami....... Personally I thought this was going to be a 1 season show, like everything would lead up to the date of everyone's vision and it would end. BUT! If they can keep it interesting and not make it feel like it had to be extended with filler episodes to keep the 5 season promise. Then it will be fine.
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Locke, you really should insult me with movies I've actually seen. Unless you're referring to the original Halloween II... in which case... you got me.
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You think everything sucks. Go to a Buffy forum and whine about something.
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...instead they crammed most of the premise into the first 15 minutes. The whole world goes night-night for 2m17s and the show doesn't stop and savour this for 2 hours? The characters on the show didn't seem "mind blown" enough. It needed more gravitas injected into it. And did anyone else think the flashbacks looked to much like CSI/Criminal Mind crime recreations? I'm still going to invest more hours into this show but I wish they'd invested more into the first 2 hours. Lost did more with a plane crash than FF did with a global disaster.
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Robert J Sawyer, the guy who wrote the book, is here in Saskatoon, Canada, being a writer-in-residence at the local particle collider. Maybe he's behind it all. Maybe that was him at Tigers stadium in-*blacks out*
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so what happens after the 04/29/2010 episode?...where does the show go from there?...another flashforward to another date in the future?...I know that the book the show is based on had the characters flashforwarding 21 years in the future which made more sense...why did the TV show change it to only 6 months in the future?...I thought they would drag out the flash forward 04/29/2010 date until the end of the series..so in that respect things will be moving quickly...but again where does the show go once that 'future' date becomes the present
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Nice leads with Fiennes and Cho, and Courtney B. and Walger are nice supporting pieces. I think that the overall cast is a bit too large in a "Lost" kind of way, and they should trim it down to more of an X-file size cast. Anyone catch that V promo and not think that Morenna Baccarin is the hottest piece of ass on the planet? I don't think my wife is going to be able to walk right tomorrow, after, I cue that one up on the PVR again.
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Sep 24, 2009 9:57:22 PM CDT
Yes, Morenna Baccarin is the hottest piece of ass on the planet
by br1947
or several other planets. I'm sure there are many browncoats that agree!
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she needs to grow her hair out...that short look takes away from her hotness
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So Fiennes' wife is willing to reveal her very traumatic vision to him (she thinks she's fated to be unfaithful to him) but he's not wiling to share his own vision of him going back to the booze (which they already both agreed could be something that WOULD make her leave him)? And she hasn't even bothered to ask him what he saw? Aaargh.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashforward_(novel)
It is pretty heavy sci-fi/philosophy, with LOTS of physics (I hardly understand the plot synopsis) so I'm sure they are going to dumb this down for TV audiences... -
Sep 24, 2009 10:27:53 PM CDT
Sorry, didn't see the novel has already been mentioned...
by guntermonkey
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This show is stillborn.
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And she'd still make me weep with horny intensity.
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The characters didn't always act quite as intelligently as a real person would, and some of the dialogue was dopey, but overall, very good stuff. I found myself reeling from the possibilities of such an event. I hope it lasts at least a season or two.
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I just got back from enjoying the first ep with the author of the book this show is based on, Canadian sci fi guru Robert Sawyer. While the show diverges significantly from the book, he was pleased that Goyer and Bragga actually pitched it to him, instead of the usual route of taking a good sci fi tale with depth, buying the rights, and then shredding it. Sawyer spoke at length about the 10 year process to get this on the screen. How often do you hear the author actually be happy with a book to tv or movie adaptation?
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She looks anorexic.
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All the city destruction looked VERY impressive for a tv production. Barely any of the cg stood out, most of it was pretty awesome and seamless.
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It should look good - apparently its the most expensive new show on tv this year.
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"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." are you FUCKING KIDDING! jumpin a bit ahead there don't ya think!? i thought the pilot was good,not great. i do see this show having potential,and i also see the Lost similarities. I'm a huge Lost fan,but I'll be the first to admit they drag many of the mysteries on too long ,and give the characters unnecessary development ie Jack's tattoos,Locke growing dope,etc. even the flashforwards in Lost dragged on too long. i think this new show will probably last 2 seasons
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Saving it for the DVD release?
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Bored me to tears. No thanks.
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Sawyer did mention that the Lost writers room is right across the hall from the Flashforward writers room. Maybe they leave the doors open.
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Arf Arf!!
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Not bad... I'll give it a season watch.
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That family with the drunk guy and his whore doctor wife from lost (who I really never wanted to see again) are the least interesting thing in the premise, so put your pawns forward and pray for a good endgame. Clearly Cho's backstory is fascinating because he is cool and Koreans (did I mention my wife is a hot Korean?) are happening now. Why take a premise I originally thought was really shitty and then changed my mind about 20 minutes in and decided was worth my attention. But then you go and focus on the least interesting people in the story - the drunk and the whore - so I changed my mind AGAIN? Until...until? Until that douche who does the voices from family guy (a show I really couldn't give a shit about, but the guy apparently owns fox and has taken some b team position on this thing, so I'm thinking, what does he know that I don't?) shows up along with John Cho (yeah, Koreans - like in Lost...awesome) and then...I don't know, now I'm not so sure again. I really don't want to spend much of my waking life watching that dipshit soap opera family fall apart (yawn) but there are some interesting opportunities here and they have a five year plan (excellent - every show should plan to be gone in exactly five years...including The Office and The Simpsons). So, I'm in.
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Melodramatic stuff, especially the slow motion bits. If it stays too dour, this could end up going the way of The Nine. It is obviously a catastrophic event, I just don't want the show to become one note.
That said, the cast is excellent, and the core idea really grabs you. I'll definitely give it a shot for the next few weeks. -
I really think they should just make this a one season show. All these extended dramas like Lost and BSG (to a point) drag on so long that they lose all forward momentum. 24 is able to have so many seasons because they're all self-contained, but this show has the kind of premise I'd like to see resolved in one season and be over with.
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Way too hard
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I agree that they are trying too hard to be like LOST...it's way too obvious...ABC probably tells the writers every day to make this show the next LOST...all the ads and reviews online are proclaiming it as that too...sorry but this show ain't no LOST
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The scene with him and the woman he just dragged out of the Escalade? Absolutely awful. The rest of the cast is solid. The slo mo was a bit much, but I didn't have problems with the direction. I enjoy where the story is going. It's interesting it's not a date five or more years down the line. The ending was great as well. I'll definitely be back next week. Not to mention, I really dug the music in a few key scenes.
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it's already better than Heroes.
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...was so f-ing obvious. I knew exactly where it was from, who gave it to him and when it was going to happen. I must have seen it in my own 2 minute flash-forward when I fell asleep during the show...?
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Sep 25, 2009 1:30:54 AM CDT
I Thought Seth McFarlene Was Supposed To Be In The New "V"?
by media messiah
I could have sworn I saw him in scenes for that show?
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That's too obvious. (Like all the asshats saying that the Losties were in purgatory during the first season: morons!) He could be simply unconscious: drugged, beaten, coma, etc. Or he could have been blindfolded in a soundproof sensory-deprivation tank under the ground. (and on drugs!) Death is never the answer if it's so easy that they give it away as soon as they think of it on the show...(So he's NOT dead!)O n the whole, it was interesting, but it didn't "WOW" me like Lost did during it's pilot, and if all the "revelations" on the show are as lame as the bracelet was tonight, then it's doomed...
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...and it belongs to Morenna Baccarin! (Wow!) Love, love, LOVE the short hair! I will be watching that show with bells on now, no matter how much it sucks! (and if she can unhinge her jaw snake-style and swallow a rat whole? Oh, baby! I might have just found the girl of my wet dreams!)
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Seth MacFarlane in Flashforward.
Mike Myers in Inglourious Basterds.
Tyler Perry in Star Trek.
So it makes sense that this mediocre show is already in the company of this year's other overrated fanboy successes. -
Unless they plan on having global blackouts every episode, that iPocalypse we got tonight will be it for big set pieces. They probably blew their wad (finance-wise) on this opener to bring in the eyeballs and it'll all be soapy talking heads from here on (maybe with the occasional car chase, gunfight etc., & of course recycled stock cgi shots of ruined buildings from this episode.)
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The plane crash that rudely introduced our stranded castaways to the wonders of LOST island. After that big set piece it was talking heads, running, and ominously shaking palm trees. Oh, and a cloud of black nanobots and then a looking down into a dark shaft for most of a season.
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The first season of Lost set up the mysterious, what was the hatch, why does the island kill people and help others. Why does Locke walk wen he was in a wheelchair before. Why is Hurley cursed. Why is Jack seeing his father on the island? Who was the French Woman. What was with that big cable going out to sea? Who were the hillbillies on the boat that kidnapped Walt.
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Granted, I've been trying to justify watching the show since day one. If you aren't going to convince someone to watch now, you never will.
Just let them keep their head in the sand one more year and everything'll be back to normal. -
we learned Hurley was crazy, the hatch was an old computer station, the Egyptian symbols, Ben and the Others, The French Woman and her team, Richard Alpert, What happened off island when the plane crashed? Why can't they communicate to the mainland, etc.
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I've never seen a single episode of Buffy all the way through. I can't wait to see what random show you come up with next for me. "Hey Mattman, have fun watching Happy Days reruns!" By the way, I watch Lost religiously. Care to hurl any insults at me over that?
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And he didn't black out. The "I have no memories" is a trick. Why else was he so far away after the crash? I don't buy he'd just wander off. He was up to something, the bad guys bought him off with White Castle burgers.
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I don't think so. But it's possible. IMDB (normally somewhat reliable) doesn't even list his appearance on Flashforward, so the fact they don't mention V is not dissuasive.
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Good call on Cho. Weakest part of the cast, at least in the pilot. And I hope the least interesting Fiennes (boozer)/Walger (adulterer) plot points don't overwhelm and detract from the central mystery.
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The interview was conducted by some other site. Herc linked to it in the previous Flashforward TB after I asked the same question. I though it was gonna be something cool like the Q&A with Stallone. Too bad.
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You did catch it said:
"Oceanic Airlines - Perfect Safety Record"
..as in ..maybe a hint? Like as of 2009, Oceanic has had NO planes crash. flight 815 landed. bum bum bum! -
Thanks, Herc for telling the truth.
This show looks nowhere near as good as LOST. The flashforwards are boring, premise is wasted, blablabla. I could go on and on.
Truth is this show sucks donkey balls. The lazily copied ideas from LOST and misleading advertising are the only things that can save this crap. Again, thanks, Herc. Shame on you Beaks, shame on you. -
This is why Cocks Broken Leg is the laugh of the AICN talkbacks. He just gives us material. Its that bad.
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BTW, we still have thr LOST season finale talkback going and we've addressed the alternate timeline since well, comic con in JULY. If you've seen the footage from comic con, you might know, (well, probably not).
If ya wanna keep up with the LOST pros, here we are: http://www.aintitcool.com/talkback_display/41067 -
I'm in!
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pffft. right now look at that talkback node 41067 at comment_2665515 then maybe take your own advice. someone has a poor memory..
Hornswaggle
Anyways ..that was just some mrbeaks goosing but maybe adjust your sarcasm detector. it seems off. -
May 15th, 2009 10:23:23 AM
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..those damn rip-off Dead Sea Cosmetic booths in the mall where the imported workers accost and scam you as you try to swiftly walk by are enough reason right there to dislike Israelis... but let's try not to be haters, shall we?
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I'm in! Thought it was entertaining enough. But what was with all the buildings on fire? I saw the one had a helicopter crash into it, but were there really that many people playing with fire in the surrounding buildings when they blacked out that there would be that many visible fires? Anyone else notice this?
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I really wanted to like this show. But, am I supposed to buy that on the day of the largest global disaster in the history of man there would be only 2 FBI agents working late that night, and one of 'em has to call his girlfriend to tell her he's working late!?! Really!?!
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If you watch the previews for coming weeks episodes you will catch another blackout. A bus heads into a lake and you notice people lying unconscious all around and then you cut into the bus and everyone is slumped over.
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Previews show the FBI babe having a lesbian kiss with some woman. So I guess she gets artificially inseminated.
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I mean they really need to discuss more concerning the chaos and marshall law. I mean come on Goyers 852 airlines in North America down, multiply by 100 passengers (conservative) and thats almost a 100,000 dead. Plus all the car fatalities, my guess is somewhere around 2 million dead in U.S. alone. I sure hope in future episodes they show troops on the streets, curfews, mass funerals, etc. to give background to the new chaotic world outside.
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Start a series. When the writers write themselves into holes, just do a flash forward or a have a meteor knock the world off its axis and you got an "intriguing" series.
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thats the kind've idea tim kring should've had - well he kinda did but heroes origins died in the womb, so...
about to watch flashforward, well i have always sunny and fringe to see too. fringe first coz last weeks explained nothing about olivia's trip into The Zone. -
Sep 25, 2009 10:55:25 AM CDT
They should have milked the world passing out thing for the full
by richierich
... judging from the previews, it looks like they'll be showing some of those shots throughout the season (bus into water thing, plane crashes, etc).
I'm excited for this show and will watch faithfully. Mind you I said the same thing about Heroes and look at that train wreck. Don't fuck it up guys! -
What I wrote is that "They should have milked the world passing out thing for the full two hours but...". Anyway, carry on.
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At some during the ensuing 4 hours after the 'event', I would find time to hit the men's room and wash the bloody smear off my forehead - maybe get some gauze on it or something.
At some time PRIOR to the 4 hour delayed business meeting at the FBI, I would have mentioned the 'visions' instead of just offering a 'hey now that you mention it...' when someone else just happens to bring the topic up.
The main character had this magically reappearing jacket throughout the F/X scenes. As a viewer, it took me 4 minutes AFTER the blackouts to theorize that by simply AVOIDING the conditions within the visions, they could be prevented. Looks like the main character doesn't catch onto this until the middle of episode 2. How does a guy this slow get charged to lead a task force (of THREE PEOPLE?!) investigating a global psychological phenomenon. If the other two were Mulder and Scully, okay then maybe I'd buy it. But Sulu 2.0 and generic brunette #352? I dont see their expertise on display here. oh wait, she has powerful google ninja skills to find every security camera on the internet to find one guy at a football game who didn't fall down go boom. -
Haven't y'all seen the title of Lost 6.1: "LAX". That means it's a complete re-set of the show and 815 is going to land as scheduled at LAX. (That's my theory at least) So where do we go from there? Are all the dead people back? (Charlie, Boone, Shannon, Ana-Lucia, Libby, Eko and various "red-shirts") And not all of the Lost questions have been answered, there's still quite a few left. My biggest question: who are "Adam & Eve"? All my money's on Jack and Kate, mostly because they were the ones who initially discovered the bodies (some eerie irony, there!) and also because Kate specifically says in that same episode to Jack: "I don't want to be Eve." (Major irony and I'm betting then when the time comes, she will most definitely WANT to be Eve) Here's another one: who initially broadcast the radio transmission of the numbers on the Island? The transmission that brought Rousseau and her crew to the island, that Hurley's institute friend got from the man who heard them on a boat? Essentially, whoever first transmits the numbers knows that by doing so it will possibly set all of the chain of events in place: Hurley winning the lottery, bringing down 815, etc. Spooky, eh? I can't wait for season 6!
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It's bait. That plus actors from Lost = trying to make people think they are tied together so they watch. It's a cheap ploy, but it will work. Guaranteed.
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Kudos to ABC for trying (and mostly succeeding) in the series launch. Holy fuck! It seems like Dancing With the Stars and other retarded crap are taking over the networks. Flash Forward had very good acting, average script, good production values... They get a season pass on my DVR. Between this and "Modern Family", I think ABC is off to a fine start this year.
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LOST will NOT do a complete reboot...makes no sense...then the previous 5 seasons mean nothing...all the people that died will mean nothing if you just bring everybody back...it's a cheat...the writers are way too smart to do that
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...discussing all this. Was it in Saskatoon?
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Some seriously lame and lazy writing.... Millions of people must have died worldwide, just in air and auto accidents.... the streets are littered with wrecks and corpses, the wounded must be lined up outside the hospital.... yet, by the end of the night, the fbi agent and his wife are home all snuggly in bed. Like they just had a bad day at the office or something. Like the mess was all cleaned up in a few hours, and life went back to normal. How'd they even get home? Streets wouldn't be driveable for days, or even weeks. Wonder if they'll even address the deathtoll; I doubt it. One of those shows (like Heroes), where the world only exists where the characters are right then. You know, on a stage, instead of a real world. I hate that crap.
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Sep 25, 2009 4:06:41 PM CDT
STARGATE UNIVERSE !!! EiGHT DaYS LeFT!! FOR REAL AMERICANS ONLY!
by dioxholsterreturns
STARGATE UNIVERSE !!! EiGHT DaYS LeFT!! FOR REAL AMERICANS ONLY!!!
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Okay, everyone knows exactly when the Flash takes place, right? Wouldn't everyone on the planet just be counting down and waiting for the big event six months later, kinda like New Years Eve? Wouldn't most of the Flash Forwards be of people going, "It's here!" and then sitting around like dumb asses?
Second, the cops wife's Flash is of her being with the father of the kid who recognizes her and knows her name. Presumably the father has a similiar Flash. How does the kid know her name? The kid wasn't there.
Minor gripes (time travel concepts always come with a grip of headaches) for what was a pretty decent show.
I'll watch week two. -
It's a definite possibility. The conundrum could be that the 815ers have their island memories intact after the reboot and now they have to make it the same as it ever was...
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guess u missed the space in the title of lost 6.1.... its "LA X" not LAX....which means even if 815 lands in L.A...something is off.
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gotta disagree....true blood is fracking amazing..everything thats not a comedy is a soap of some sort...lost is a soap, trek was a soap...etc.... i know ur tryin to make points about certain things with certain people in here, but i learned a long time ago, when someone is dense and dumb, theres no convincing them otherwise...u will just get flamed, which i see theyre doing..
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I think HBO and those movie sites should be free by now. We get the DVDs anyway.
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It looks like you're right about the spacing in the title. (It's not so clear on imdb) I'll stand by my theory for now, however...
Also, new titles for episodes 6.2-3 and 6.4: "What Kate Does" and "The Substitute" -
Lets see: The dirty bomb terrorist is a 20 something blonde beauty; the other women are all 20 something lookers all under 120 lbs. JUST LIKE REAL LIFE! The two cops look more at home in a gay porn video than what real cops look like. Sorry, but I wanna see a show where people are'nt all model wanna-be's.
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Just the way it is. Might as well get used to it.
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Tell that to George Costanza and Louie DePalma.
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Do we really want to know how fucked up the lives of our main characters are going to be in April 2010 and then have to tune in every week to watch it happen? With 12/12/12 on the horizon, this show endorses current cultural fears and general malaise instead of running contrary. As such, it will only be ordinary when it could have been special. People want contrary. Contrary = Hit. We want special. We want hope. Potential and possibility are more scintillating than refried DOOM -- and, really, how many more versions of 'things-are-going-to-get-real-shitty-and-there's-not-a-damn-thing-you-can-do-about-it-but-glue-your-ass-to-your-easy-chair-and-pant-for-44-minutes-a-week' can we take? Watching the lives of characters I like getting worse every week pulls the plug on this for me. But hey, at least there's SUICIDE GUY. Maybe they'll beef up his role. Mr. -- "Dudes, I was gonna like kill myself til I saw a vision." Gimme a fuckin' break or better yet give HIM a fucking break in the back and give me a real character in his place. Signed -- Wanting to Love This Show But...
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I'm smart. And ironically the next day (April 30th) is my b-day.
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"there's MORE to the kangaroo, REMEMBER IT. Go to the website and learn more... blah blah blah"
They didn;t need to do this with LOST, why do they feel the need to point us to the red herrings this time? isn't the audience supposed to be the same target as Lost? -
How many times did they show the scene of the policeman in the future taking a swig from the bottle. Seemed like they reminded the audience about once every 10 min. We will be able to watch this long after we age and get alzheimer's and still be able to keep up. For now it would make a great drinking game. Take a swig when the cop takes a swig or anything else they repeat ad nausem.
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The series doesn't seem to be a remake.
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ABC learned a lesson from Lost: the show is too smart. It's a very dense mythology, with multiple characters and plots. And people are stupid. If they can't understand what's going on they'll tune out. Lost is a hit. Barely. There's a very loyal core audience, but it's no CSI. The ratings have declined steadily over the years, partly because the show just keeps getting harder to follow, especially for newbies. I think it may be one of the best shows ever made, as far as narrative structure, plot, characters, and setting. But it's definitely a "cult" show. ABC wants to hook people early with Flashforward so it will be spoonfeeding the plot to everyone. They want a big hit, not a cult hit. So, it's going to be dumbed down...
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in a long, long, long time. I wasn't even going to watch it, but since it was right before Supernatural I decided to catch it and wow, totally blown away. I like Joseph Fienne's character setup, I like his wife... I guess I like everyone, which is unsual. Normally there is someone I don't like, like Torv in Fringe, which is why I've been recording Fringe and watcing Supernatural live and going back when I have time to catch up on Fringe. Flashforward is my new favorite show.
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Ishould know by now how cynical everyone is on this website. Maybe you guys watch too much TV. I barely watch any because most of the stories are boring and I have better things to do. I never watched Heros or Lost because I'm not a big fan of ensemble shows. They parcel out information too slowly since there are so many characters to cover, so I just pass. Sure, they were a little heavy handed at time (like with the drinking flashbacks) but in general I thought as a whole the pilot was well acted, well written and well directed.
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...I just don't like any of the characters. And there's simply nothing more important in a TV show than likable/interesting characters.
Also, one of the big things that attracted me to Lost was the location. I've been to most of the major cities of the world, except LA, because movies/TV shows make it out to be the ugliest city in the world. Hell, Cleveland is more eye catching to me. LA is just a dump of a sprawl and shows automatically lose points with me when they take place there.
Still, that last scene with the stadium security footage has me interested enough to check it out again. Hopefully it continues to hold my interest more than Fringe did. -
but the series (or at least the pilot) comes up short with plain vanilla, boring, uninspired (and uninspiring) directing, hideous, mood-destroying lighting and awful writing. Also, while the cast is solid, their acting comes off stiff (moslty because of the bad directing and writing). So far Flashforward is tedious and ponderous. I'm hoping it'll get better over time though...
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Did you ask them why no one in their flashforward was expecting the flash to happen at that moment? Ive let this issue become a huge torn in hte side with this show and i hope they get round it nicely.
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Ever heard of a show called THE SOPRANOS? If that show was on a major network, all the people would be 20 something models. If I want to be suspended in a work of fiction for an hour, I want the producers to show me real-looking and acting people in a fictional world. If I want models, I can watch THE HILLS or some such bullshit. Also, I believe the longest running show on TV was GUNSMOKE. I dont recall a bunch of pretty boy actors in that show running around without their shirts on to satisfy some gay douchebag producer. MASH? Nope, no pretty people. NYPD BLUE? Nope. CHEERS? If you want a realistic show, use real looking people or go watch DESPERATE HOUSEWIFES.
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They shouldn't have been figuring half of the shit out til the end of the season. Totally could have drawn out the confusion, mass chaos/martial law throughout the first season, w/ them finally discovering the 04/10 date and the guy still standing in Detroit by the finale.
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