Those frustrated with the slow roll out of revelations so far in FlashForward will likely be quite satisfied with ‘A561984.’ In the episode we see Lloyd and Simon take responsibility for the blackout, learn more about Demetri’s murder and the woman who phoned him, see D. Gibbons and learn about those strange pylons in Somalia. All together, these are some pretty significant reveals.
In ‘A561984,’ Agents Benford and Noh headed to Hong Kong against the explicit instructions of their boss, Wedeck. They are there in search of that mysterious woman who telephoned Demetri and told him that he would be murdered. It is from this point onwards that things start to get silly.
Having determined that the woman they are looking for is Persian, the pair strike upon the idea that the most logical place to look for her would be at a Persian restaurant. Moments after suggesting this, Mark is able to point out just such a restaurant across the street and they head across to make inquiries.
Now here comes the truly ludicrous part. Mark asks the waiter in the restaurant whether he recognizes the woman – he claims he does not. So Mark decides to threaten this man with the full force of the American secret services. Umm… What? Absolutely no evidence to suggest that this waiter really knows her and he would risk a serious diplomatic (and criminal) incident on the chance that he does?
But of course this is FlashForward; a television show in which people can be tracked down across continents by the background music playing in a minute long cell phone call. Of course the Persian woman would be a regular at this particular Persian restaurant.
To call this contrived and convenient would be something of an understatement. The plot requires the pair to find out some information so logic is forgotten and both seem to lose all sense of reason.
When they finally find the woman again and speak with her the information she reveals constitutes a genuine surprise, even though it seems strange nobody considers the likely alternate explanations that will occur to most of the audience. Then it takes a further turn for the ridiculous when the pair decides that the best way to get more information out of her would be to kidnap her at gunpoint.
Now the thing is that the sequence actually is pretty well shot and moves at a fast pace so it is pretty exciting. It just doesn’t make any sense. If Mark is so worked up over Demetri’s murder that he is prepared to put his career on the line to help him, wouldn’t he think twice before escalating a situation when they are surrounded by armed agents?
Much more satisfying are the scenes back in Los Angeles in which Demetri’s fiancé, Zoey, figures out the meaning of her own flashforward. In an episode which is dominated by some high-tempo set pieces, Zoey’s storyline stands out because of its softer, more emotional tone and a great performance by Gabrielle Union.
All of this is set against the backdrop of Lloyd and Simon making their dramatic revelation that they might be responsible for the global blackout in a press conference. During the conference however Lloyd goes off script and appears to take full responsibility, causing the event to disintegrate into chaos.
After weeks of these two characters telling each other how they’re responsible for the ‘greatest human disaster in history,’ it is something of a relief to see the pair actually saying that to someone else. The sequence causes a split between the pair with Simon heading off to Los Angeles to help the FBI investigation.
In previous weeks I’ve lamented Simon because he has often seemed too self-conscious a character who is forced to deliver some ridiculous dialogue. Finally given an extended opportunity to interact with characters other than Lloyd, he begins to take on a bit more form as the emphasis shifts from his appearing enigmatic to getting involved in the story. It also helps that this episode shows his overblown ego being punctured by Wedeck in one of the funniest scenes the series has managed to date.
Less cooperative is Lloyd who seems shaken up by the violent outburst from the media during his statement. Much of the episode revolves around his trying to make sure his son is safe which, predictably, brought him back to the hospital and into the path of Olivia.
As in Mark’s story, there seems to be a sudden, dramatic character shift. I can ignore Olivia admiring Lloyd for coming clean, though it seems a little odd given he was saying he was responsible for the deaths of millions but the two begin to flirt with one another. This is a bizarre and sudden shift given that she has been desperate to save her marriage last time we saw her and very wary of being around him. While the two characters clearly share much in common, it is hard to believe Olivia would let herself get close enough to him to find out.
Which brings us to the episode’s closing scene. Most will see the twist coming as it is hinted at strongly in the moments leading up to it, but it is executed well and proves quite exciting. It is definitely a “what happens next” moment, though perhaps not a big enough one to overcome the three month gap until the next episode.
‘A561984’ is one of the most action-packed episodes of FlashForward to date but to my mind this as much a problem as it is cause to celebrate. Frequently characters appear to be making decisions because it was what the plot demanded rather than because of their established characters or the situation they were in. Once again good luck plays an enormous part in enabling the plot to move forward smoothly.
I do appreciate the boost to FlashForward’s pacing and the decision to dole out a number of small revelations in this episode, even though only one was a genuine shock. If the show can sustain this pace in future episodes in addition to working to build up its characters then it would be considerably stronger as a result.
– Aidan Brack
