Flash Forward: No More Good Days

By Lisa Fary

With Lost ending in 2010, ABC is already laying the groundwork for a replacement hit, and their biggest hopes are pinned on Flash Forward. Unfortunately, it would be a better show if Lost had never happened.

flashforward-1The sight of Shakespeare in Love (star Joseph Fiennes), coming to amid wreckage, fire, and confusion in Los Angeles was a copy of Jack coming to amid wreckage, fire, and confusion on Craphole Island.

Given that everyone on Earth had a flash forward, this could easily fall into flash forward of the week territory, similar to the way Lost fell into flashback of the week.

Flash Forward even has a worldwide conspiracy behind the event that, like the Dharma Initiative, the Others, and the Other Others will eventually collapse beneath the weight of its own mythology.

For 2 minutes and 17 seconds, everyone on Earth passes out, regardless of what they’re doing. During that time, everyone had a vision of themselves six months in the future. When the world comes to, it chaos. Almost 900 planes crashed in the United States alone, one of them Air Force Two. Millions more cars crashed. Patients died on operating tables.

Shakespeare in Love, along with New Sulu (John Cho), are FBI agents having a good old fashioned, Hollywood car chase when they flash forward. In his vision, Shakes is working the Flash Forward case, called Mosaic. He’s drinking, which is a big deal because, just minutes before, he was shown at an AA meeting. Then guys with masks and guns show up to kill him and. . .

flashforward-disaster

Wakey, wakey! He comes to in his Lost disaster scene. By the end of the day, Shakes, New Sulu, and The Token Girl have been assigned to investigate.

Because when a global catastrophe like this occurs, it’s totally up to thee people in the FBI’s Los Angeles office to figure it out. The President wouldn’t assign a task force or have Homeland Security take charge. There’d be no cooperation with MI5 or Interpol or the United Nations.

Nope. Just three people in an LA office with a website, a cork board, and some index cards.

flashforward-2After that, it degenerated into a talky drama. Shakespeare in Love is worried about his drinking in the future. New Sulu is worried about being dead in the future. A frolicking babysitter is upset because she thinks the event was punishment from god.

Then back to wedding songs and crying types of sadness while Shakespeare in Love and his wife, Desmond’s Penny, share their visions. Shakes holds back about his future!drinking, while Penny  confesses a future!affair.

Obviously, I wasn’t riveted. Couldn’t really even give it my undivided attention. Instead, I wound up looking at Target.com, deciding which Anna Sui dress to buy as a birthday gift to myself. This one, this one, or this one?

Lisa Fary is a graduate of the creative writing program at Florida State University and holds an advanced degree in Special Education. Her earliest influences are Princess Leia, Rainbow Bright, Astronaut Barbie, and her 6th grade teacher, Ms. Palmer. She’s angry that it’s almost 2010 and she still doesn’t have a hovercraft, but will accept a jetpack as consolation. That jetpack had better be pink with a rhinestone monogram.

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4 Comments

  1. I was scared that this show was gonna feel like Lost, but wow, it really sounds like Lost lite. I'm kinda glad I missed it. Did John Cho look pretty, at least?

    As far as the Anna Sui dresses go, they're all super cute (the last one has a shiny sparkly collar thing!) but I'd say the first one. It reminds me of a modern Biba dress, and wearing gray allows you more room to wear brightly colored accessories, like pink/red leggings or something. Basically, it has the possibilty of being very classy and very fun. Versibility is always good for a dress. :)

  2. I was scared that this show was gonna feel like Lost, but wow, it really sounds like Lost lite. I’m kinda glad I missed it. Did John Cho look pretty, at least?

    As far as the Anna Sui dresses go, they’re all super cute (the last one has a shiny sparkly collar thing!) but I’d say the first one. It reminds me of a modern Biba dress, and wearing gray allows you more room to wear brightly colored accessories, like pink/red leggings or something. Basically, it has the possibilty of being very classy and very fun. Versatility is always good for a dress. :)

  3. FlashForward

    If you missed FlashForward and don’t have DVR, you can check it out again tonight at 8pm EST on ABC!
    To keep up with the latest about the show, join FlashForward on Facebook: http://bit.ly/4vneT4

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