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Talk Back: Series Premiere of ABC's "FlashForward"

What did you see?

I've been talking about FlashForward for nearly a year now since my initial review of the series' pilot script back in November to my recent advance review of the first episode. But now that the series has launched, I'm curious to see just what you thought of FlashForward and its prospects for success.

Were you lured in by the mystery of the global blackout and the flashforwards experienced by the main characters? Did you compare it to Lost or do you see the two series as distinct and separate entities? Do you think that FlashForward is a worthy successor to the mythology-based Lost in any event?

Did you find Joseph Fiennes a compelling series lead or was he lacking in charisma? Are you intrigued by the characters' backstories? Did you find the dialogue realistic or clunky? Was there a bit too much exposition in the opening hour? What do you make of the twist ending? What's up with that kangaroo, which producers have said is a "thing"?

And, most importantly, will you come back next week and watch another episode?

Talk back here.

Next week on FlashForward (""White to Play"), Mark and Demetri head to Utah to track down a suspect who may be connected to the global blackout; Olivia comes face-to-face with the man from her vision; Mark and Olivia's daughter, Charlie, has trouble dealing with the aftermath of her flashforward.

Comments

Bella Spruce said…
It's definitely not Lost but the show does have a lot of intriguing elements. Joseph Fiennes did an adequate job but I was more interested in some of the other characters. I thought the scenes showcasing the chaos after the blackout were pretty impressive. (Loved the kangaroo.) Overall, I thought it was engaging and I'll be tuning in next week.
Piper said…
A little clunky here and there but still a great first episode. I love the cast and can't wait until Dominic Monaghan's character appears!
Unknown said…
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
Anonymous said…
John Cho cannot act, Joe is way too dramatic at times (especially his face when he's hugging his daughter at the end) and the writing and directing were not great. hopefully the next few eps won't be Goyer. He's so overrated. Batman is all the Nolans, not him. One more thing, for a show that keep saying they're not Lost and don't want to be Lost.... that opening was soooooo Lost it was a bit pathetic. The way the reveal happens in the book is much much better.
Anonymous said…
Of all the new shows this season my lowest expectations where with this one, I was surprise.

My only question is how this show is going to make it over one season, the flash forward is only 6 moths ahead. So i'm already questioning if i be back for next season, but i will watch next week.

The only thing i will not like to fly the airline in the billboard ad. ;-)

JP
HipHopAnonymous said…
Bitterly disappointed. That was my reaction.

Granted I'm a fan of the Sawyer novel, so my expectations were a bit high, but I found the pilot to be really lifeless and overdone.

I blame the unimaginative script and David Goyer's B-movie sensibilities as a director. I'm surprised ABC allowed him to direct the pilot given its importance and his mediocre track record as a director (Blade III, The Unborn, Threshold). The performances were all over the place, too many scenes were contrived and on the nose, the dialogue unconvincing, and worst of all there was just no sense of story pacing. The whole ep felt like the opening catastrophe, with one scene piling into the next like cars in a traffic accident.

I found it interesting to go back and reread Jace's script review (from way back when) after the fact. Seems like every problem that existed in the script was actually exacerbated in the final product instead of avoided or improved upon.

ABC needs to just stop trying to find the next LOST. All these second-rate imitations are becoming a genre unto itself.
kat said…
I was out last night so I set DVR for FlashForward, Fringe, Community, Mentalist and Project Runway (whew!). The only show I was interested enough to stay up and start watching at 10 was FlashForward. I am glad I did because I enjoyed the pilot. I am very interested to see what will happen so will be turning in next week. Having been burned a couple of times by the networks, I just hope enough people feel the same way and we can get to the end of the season!
Unknown said…
I found myself comparing it with the book (which I really enjoyed), so I was glad to see they're diverging a great deal.

Yes, the script was all over the place, and yes, it's somewhat unavoidable since we're dealing with time "travel." But still, the director must be able to find a way to make it smoother.

Still, we enjoyed it, and I'm hopeful that the writers will hit their stride and polish this rough gem.
jmixont said…
Overall, I enjoyed it and plan to keep watching. They had a lot to shove into the 1st ep, which I think led to things feeling a bit stilted at times. Fiennes was kind of blah, but I think that's a writing thing. I enjoyed the writing-things-we-don't-mean bit...that was cute and felt authentic. I kind of wish they hadn't teased that one person remained awake, though. I think they could have waited an ep or two for that.
RikerDonegal said…
I liked it.

I thought it was well-made and had a good cast. As a huge fan of Braga/Goyer (Threshold, 24, Voyager, Blade III, etc.) I came in with high hopes. And they were pretty much met.

The most human dilemma was the one faced by Olvia (will she cheat on her husband?) and that was the one that stayed with me most, after the closing credits.

The cliff-hanger was good, too. Definitely want to see what was going on (during that 2mins17sec) so I guess I'll be around for the rest of the season.
Sue said…
I liked it. It pulled me in from the get-go. I definitely see the Lost similarities with the flying, flaming debris, total chaos, etc., but that's where the similiarities end for me.

I find the idea that everyone had the same "flash forward" to the same point in time - and some didn't "see" anything - intriguing. There is alot that can be done with this concept, so I'm interested to see how it plays out.

Yes, I've added the series to my DVR schedule.

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