Flash Forward Review:
Series Premiere

Paste Rating

regrettable

Your Rating

Sixty minutes after Flash Forward premiered on ABC, the jury is still out on what kind of show this is going to be. The premise sounds more clever than compelling: Everyone across the globe blacks out for two minutes and 17 seconds, experiencing a vision of their lives six months in the future. But at times, the pilot teases the kind of brain-straining drama that reaches into Lost territory.

Like Lost, the show begins with a bang, but instead of a plane crash on an island, it's a gigantic car pileup in Los Angeles. The blackouts lead to mass casualties. We see a helicopter crash into a building, surfers drown, planes come down (including the vice-president's), and a kangaroo somehow escapes from a zoo. FBI agent Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes) is trying to figure out who or what is behind this strange, global penomenon, which caused seven billion people's consciousness jumped forward to April 29, 2010.

And like Lost, the episode asks way more questions than it answers. Benford's vision was of a bulletin board with clues, so he becomes lead investigator on the task force to find out what happened. Seemingly meaningless notecards are all that he has to go on. And the visions of the future bring up new domestic problems—the alcoholic Benford was drinking, and his wife Olivia (Sonya Walger) was with another man. The one person who doesn't black out is captured on a grainy security camera at a Detroit Tigers baseball game, that for some reason one of the main FBI agents happened to be looking at.

And I'm still trying to figure out how the kid in the ER knew Olivia; even though Olivia will be dating the kid's father in the future, Olivia didn't see the kid there. The likelihood that the kid happened to be looking at something that would identify Olivia seems like a stretch.

The previews for the upcoming season revealed one more similarity to Lost—Dominic Monaghan joins the cast as someone who claims to know what caused the flash forwards. The previews also reveal that the world will basically be split into those hoping for the visions to come true and those trying to prevent them.

It seems to be headed in an interesting direction, but whether it's any fun getting there is still uncertain. But in a season packed with new procedural cop/doctor/lawyer shows, I'll certainly give it bonus points for an original premise. Peering into my own future, I think I'll still be watching in six months.

Flash Forward airs Thursdays at 8pm on ABC.

More TV Reviews:
Modern Family Series Premiere Review
Mercy Series Premiere Review
House Season 6 Premiere Review

TV

Mercy Review: "Can We Get That Drink Now?" (Episode 1.01)

TV

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Review: "The Gang Hits the Road" (Episode 5.02)

10 Comments

Click to leave a comment.

By TV Obsessed on September 25, 2009

The episode was all exposition, but the unraveling of everyone's flash forward was really engaging. The cinematography was brilliant especially with the first act, and the final scene kept me wanting more. I reviewed the episode on my blog.

http://th3tvobsessed.blogspot.com/2009/09/abcs-flash-forward-next-big-hit.html

By bsmith on September 25, 2009

the kid in the er knew who olivia was because he saw her in his flash forward ...as his stepmother- they didn't show it, but it is implied.

By Gailen David on September 25, 2009

I really liked the show. Never watched "Lost", so I can't compare it to that. Looking forward to next show!

By FlashForward on September 25, 2009

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

By TRS on September 25, 2009

But Olivia didn't see the kid in her FlashForward, so how would he have seen her?

By TV Junkie on September 25, 2009

In the flash we say Olivia upstairs looking down at the kid's dad. We don't know where the kid was. He could have been out of Olivia's line of sight but still in a position to see her. Also I remember Olivia being troubled that in her flash she could feel that she had strong feelings for the guy and her husband saying he felt fear. So it stands to reason that the kid remembered his recognition of Olivia from his flash.

By Susan on September 26, 2009

I found the show memorizing, the effects great, and will be watching. Alone. My husband watched the first episode and was not impressed. When the kangaroo appeared, he said "Polar bear, anyone?", and then when Monaghan appeared in the preview for the next episode, he said "What, now they have the damned f...ing Hobbit Lost guy?" So, suffice it to say, not a fan... Clearly, the disappointments of Lost still sting him...

By Person of Interest on September 29, 2009

I was teetering on taking the show serious, then I saw the brilliant and hilarious Seth Macfarlane of Family Guy on there. But the previews for the rest of the season drew me back in.

By Andy T. on October 1, 2009

a question about Demetri - he was in the FBI car with Mark Benford , chasing the van, just before the black out, right? and after the black out he was in that car no more, few moments later we saw him on the other side of the highway shouting to Mark. strange. how is that possible? maybe he didn't black out? maybe he and that young woman had something to do with the whole story?

By ashleigh on October 2, 2009

First of all, is it actually possible to find a review of FlashForward without it being compared to Lost? Some of my friends who are major Lost fans didn't like it and another friend of mine who i had to force to watch the pilot, because she hates Lost, thought it was fantastic. Just because the two shows have non-linear narratives and happen to star the same actor does not make them alike.

Secondly, i am extremely excited about the next episode i thought the pilot was totally gripping and it is a great story.

Susan: How could anyone be disappointed by Lost? It is unfair to judge that it has had moments that are unexplained and asks more questions than gives answers but that is the whole point of the show to keep you guessing until this final season which will allegedly reveal all.

Andy T: I think Demetri did black out and could have got out of the car before Mark because not everyone got up at the same time but it would be interesting if he had something to do with it because if i hadnt seen my future i would have reacted alot worse than he did, however if it was to do with that girl it wouldn't make sense for him to drag her to the FBI and start yelling that she did something.

bsmith: The boy didn't actually have to be in the room with his father and Olivia, he could have been in bed with a photograph of the three of them with him because he would recognise her and get all the feelings of love and whatnot.

:) i am alreaady obsessed.