Sometimes terrible ideas turn out to be complete masterstrokes. Think about it, someone once pitched this idea to a Television executive; a show about one person pointing at a few other people until they win some money. Sure they might have jazzed the speech up a bit but essentially that’s the format. Turns out that idea was the infuriatingly successful Deal Or No Deal? What happens when the opposite occurs, is FlashForward.With the human race given a window into their possible futures, is their fate already determined and if the future has already happened, how can it be changed? The concept is mind boggling and not in the way that having 300minutes and unlimited texts for £15 a month is apparently, “mind boggling”, according to that idiot girl they cut out of the T-Mobile adverts.
Frustratingly this idea is being mercilessly gobbled up by Wheetabix style acting that is so bland and forced its almost impossible to swallow any serious scene without laughing to yourself. What this program needs, is Noel Edmonds! Just imagine him with his little goatee and floral patterned shirts, running around L.A, desperately trying to stop a future where Mr Blobby with a top hat and mustache reveals himself as the orchestrator of the FlashForwards.
Filled with characters devoid of any personality and with very few action sequences it is hard to watch at times. This week around two minutes was devoted to an entirely emotionless scene where recently widowed father Lloyd enters the house of the dead wife we’ve never even seen to the backdrop of sombre music. Thankfully having Sky Plussed the episode I was able to skip at least half of those two wasted minutes.
The terrorist suspect, last seen in the series opener, comes to the forefront of the FBI’s investigation into the mass blackouts after being interrogated by Demetri and Benford. As it happens, the cause of the global phenomenon stems from a much larger group of conspirators than first thought. Instead of asking how the event happened Benford is told to ask why?
His wife Olivia, having seen a future she does not wish to come true, refuses to accept the flash forwards as fact, to the risk of a patient with Addison’s disease. Having almost killed the man Olivia sort of says, whoops and its all forgotten.
The major twist, well I say twist, its more like slight left given the rather obvious set up, is that Lloyd turns out to be part of the global conspiracy. Receiving a phone call from a superior (Dominic Monaghan) he is told he has more work to do. I suspect he is under some duress but that remains to be seen in future and hopefully better episodes.
