Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Initial Thoughts & Theories - FlashForward, Episode 1.01: "No More Good Days"



Hello, and welcome to both my Lost and new FlashForward friends! Before I get started with episode analysis, I want to provide a brief outline of my plans and policy for this blog, which are very similar to how I operate my Lost site: 

  • I will not only avoid spoilers at all costs for FlashForward, I will never post any here. 
  • The primary focus of this blog will be purely speculative analysis of each episode. I will also post related news about the series. 
  • I will not be analyzing the differences and similarities between FF and Lost week after week; I have a feeling that many other sites will, and that is their prerogative.  
  • I never visit message boards/forums or other FlashForward sites before compiling and then sharing thoughts of my own here every week; I aim to post my theories as soon as possible following new episodes.
  • All comments will be moderated; I completely encourage and appreciate feedback, but merely ask that it is constructive when you disagree with a theory, etc.

So let's stretch out some red string and try to map out what on earth we saw in the first ever hour of FlashForward, "No More Good Days."


I imagine that like many of you, I find myself with far more questions than answers after only one episode...


NOT Lost


Let's get this right out of the way - I have seen every single episode of Lost at least 3 times, and have studied and written about that series extensively for five years now. I do not think FlashForward is anything like Lost, nor was it intended to be.  





The obvious nods to its predecessor in the FlashForward pilot (an Oceanic billboard being the most blatant) are acknowledgements; gestures of appreciation for paving the road, for creating a television environment where a show of this magnitude can be made and thrive with rabid fan and network support. FlashForward is staffed by an entirely different creative and production team, with no Lost crossover. My hope is that fans of both series' will eventually stop comparing Dom Monaghan and Sonya Walger from their former Lost roles and embrace their new FlashForward characters with an open mind and fresh slate.


Mark Benford's Bulletin Board


There are many items on the board in Benford's flash; here is what I was able to catch, and initial thoughts about some of them:

  • case file: photo of Nhadra Udaya, a Middle Eastern woman
  • evidence sheet: Joel Act Cough or Gough, dated 11/2/08
  • map: Baltimore noted on post-it
  • note: 137 Sekunden (German for 137 seconds; 2:17, the duration of the blackout)
  • note: Blue Hand 
  • note: D. Gibbons (nod to Watchmen author Dave Gibbons)
  • note: Owners Markings
  • note: three star tattoo (matching the ink on the assassin's arm during Benford's vision)
  • painting/postcard: nude man posing, thinking
  • photo: burned baby doll with bullet nearby (taken by Salt Lake City CSI)
  • photo: older white male
  • Red Panda Resources sticker
  • red string connecting various items
  • textbook illustration: nude women
  • UK passport (belonging to Simcoe or Simon, perhaps?)
  • wooden chess piece

Benford's FlashForward


One of the more intriguing elements of Benford's vision was a very quick flash of the masks that the assassins with laser weapons are wearing...before they were put on. Benford briefly remembers seeing the masks hanging up somewhere, but not on his bulletin board. 


Given that April 29, 2010 is very clearly marked as D-Day on Benford's calendar in his office, and that the rest of the FBI building seemed vacated during his vision, I look forward to finding out where his team and family are at that exact moment.


Oranges


Blame it on film class. I automatically link the appearance of oranges on the small and big screen with pending death, thanks to the Godfather trilogy. Vito perused the citrus and they shot him down. Sonny passed an OJ billboard right before getting murdered at the tollbooth. Michael had an orange in his hand when he was killed. 


Thus...I was not surprised to see that there was an orange stand on the side of the road where Benford and Noh awoke from the blackout to mass destruction and death. 


Original Suspects


Two of the three original suspects that Benford and Noh were pursuing in the black SUV right before the blackout are now dead, but we have to ponder whether their possible involvement as well. It seems they are domestic terrorists and that a suitcase was involved, and so of course I want to know what it contained and if it is a significant clue.


Animals


By my count, we witnessed two animals alive and well after the blackout occurred, a dog in a car and a kangaroo in the street. On the other hand, a bird crashed into a window in London and died. I am curious to discover what, if anything, the animals of the world experienced during those two minutes besides disorientation. The kangaroo's incongruous presence in the streets of Los Angeles is obviously quite significant, and I expect it will be addressed before season's end. 


Charlie Benford


I don't know about you, but I can't wait to find out what Olivia and Mark's daughter saw during those two minutes. 





She is the one who dreamt about "no more good days," and perhaps the key to Mark's future is embedded in his daughters flashforward rather than on his bulletin board...


Demetri Noh


So far, Demetri is the only person we've met who did not experience a flashforward during the blackout. My gut reaction is that he was chosen or saved, and serves a very important purpose as the world attempts to unravel what they collectively saw and experienced. Noh is assuming that his lack of vision results from the fact that he is not alive in six months time, but perhaps he plays a role that has yet to be revealed to even him. 





Another possible hint that his circumstances may differ from others is that he was not where he was supposed to be upon waking up from the blackout; he should have been upside down in the car with Benford, but was inexplicably standing across the freeway instead. 


Aaron Stark


I love the possibilities introduced with Stark's flashforward; that his previously deceased daughter is still alive. A simple answer would be mistaken DNA identity...but I seriously doubt that any answers on this show will be easy or simple. That she was in the military and he is a recovering addict are necessary and complicated layers to what may become the most touching storyline in season one. 


Dr. Bryce Varley


We are introduced to this character during his darkest hour, and I would hope that we find out exactly why this successful, good looking young doctor was about to kill himself. Given that we do not know anything about him, my first thought was that perhaps he knew about or was involved with what caused the blackout. 


After he awoke from the blackout, Bryce went to rescue a surfer but seemingly left his gun sitting on the pier...which was rather populated, including small children. Irrelevant?


Suspect Zero


I do not believe that he was the only person on earth who was awake during the blackout, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he triggered that last step to make it happen. If I had to guess, there were other Suspects worldwide who were in locations outside of security camera perimeters during the blackout, all somehow immune to the experience they created and caused.
---


I loved the pilot episode of FlashForward; it was incredibly shot and well crafted from start to finish.  This is a stellar cast working with a very strong creative team, and the potential for the series is both exciting and wide open. From a story standpoint, more than anything, I look forward to finding out IF they can change the future and how they go about doing so. 


Thank you so much for joining me, and apologies for the delay with this first round. Although I will not be posting theories and thoughts immediately following each episode, I aim to do so within a few days of when they air every week. As the season progresses, I hope to delve deeper with regard to theorizing, and provide more photos to accompany the posts as well. 


I would love to hear from YOU; let me know what you thought about the premiere, Easter Eggs I may have missed, theories about characters, etc. Feel free to leave comments below!  


-Jo

10 comments:

Roxanna said...

Hello :)
First of all I want to say that I am new to your blog. I only recently found your Lost blog after this year's ComicCon. I am excited that you are dedicating a blog to FlashForward.

I want to thank you again for emphasizing that this is not Lost. I am so excited to see where this new and creative show will take us this season.

The biggest mystery that I have is one you addressed. Why was Demitri away from his partner, and did that cause him to not have a flashforward? I am wondering if there are others who did not experience a flashforward. I suppose that's where the Mosaic Collective comes in!

That is all I will write about for now. Oh, and I am also looking forward to seeing what little Charlie Benford experienced. It's a pretty big deal for a child to say she dreamt about "no more good days."

Looking forward to the rest of this experience! Until next time! :)

rachie said...

huge fan of your lost blog...follow you on twitter (one of my favorite twitterers!), and excited that you've created a flashforward blog.

i found the video of suspect zero to be VERY creepy. i also don't believe he was the only person on earth awake during the blackout. my guess is also that there are other suspects worldwide. curious. not sure if others found it as creepy as i did, but it sent a chill up my spine. it reminded me of the feeling i got watching the movie "signs" when you see an alien walking in the background of the birthday party in brazil. not that i think these suspects are aliens - i don't think the two are related at all - just that it was THAT creepy to me.

love the chemistry between sonya walger and joseph fiennes. it was easy for me to see her as olivia instead of thinking of her as penny.

and this may be silly, explained elsewhere, or totally obvious - but here's my question anyway.

they've had a flashforward to april 2010. that's mere months away. what happens to the show when we actually get to april 2010? could there be a second season? does that end it for good? perhaps it's meant as a one season show?

Robin said...

I wanted to definitely repeat the thanks for not comparing this show to Lost. That's what I am constantly hearing all over the media these days. Whether the pilot was as good as the Lost pilot. How strange it is that Penny and Olivia's child are both named Charlie. How the kangaroo could be like Kate's horse. Whether the two shows take place in the same universe and they're keeping it hush-hush. The rumors go on and on and led me to think how the show would have done better without the Oceanic billboard and casting actors from Lost. But I like how you said that at least the Oceanic sign was more of an acknowledgment to Lost paving the way for a show like this to exist. Much like how Lost is constantly giving props to TV, movies and books that paved the way for that show to exist.

Now about the show, I have to say I was a little worried about how this show would be delivered and received after reading the book. I was also wondering if I spoiled myself as well, but the book had such a trippy and incredibly sci-fi ending that I think they would have to go for something different at the end of this show. But then the last scene of the episode happened with Suspect Zero being introduced and I am happy to know now that ALL BETS ARE OFF!

I can't wait to see where this show goes. Glad to join you on the journey, Jo. (That was too many j's.)

Bombard said...

Good observations. I didn't pay much attention to Demetri being out of place after the "event", there probably is going to be an interesting reason for that. I'm still leaning towards him being dead as the reason he blacked out instead of flashing forward, but not much to go on with only an hour of show. If he's not dead in the future, then I wonder what people who will be dead experienced during the flash forward? As for the Kangaroo, it was revealed in a video pod cast that it initially was just a random, fun idea, but now they have other plans for it since everyone seemed to love it. very minor spoilers: http://www.hulu.com/watch/98717/flashforward-flashcard-10-the-kangaroo

Anonymous said...

I am glad that you started this blog. I have been following your lost blog for about 6 months and really enjoy it. I am sure that I will enjoy this blog as well. Really like the way your format it. It is a very easy read. Thanks for all your time and work. I really appreciate it.

Janis

Lisa (UFN) said...

I too found the footage of the person who had not blacked out to be incredibly creepy. I almost thought that he was going to turn and stare directly at the camera and do something menacing.

Also, the little boy who comes into the ER knows Olivia's name. He had a creepy quality about him as well. He was really in a "daze," just like Charlie. It's almost like these kids know more, or had more intense visions, than the adults.

I enjoyed the show, but did not really connect until the last 20 minutes or so. I hope the characters have more of a chance to show who they really are in upcoming episodes.

Robert said...

Not to belabor the Lost comparisons, but as I noted before, other items seen in Benford's flash includes images of a Swan and a Hydra. At what point is a shout-out more than just a shout-out? Also, isn't there a Gregory Benford who is a noted scientist/sci-fi writer, one of whose main themes is time travel/shifts?

Anonymous said...

hey did any of you notice that its dimitres handwriting on the post-its in marks flashforward? interesting!

Mike_D said...

Hello Jo--

I found this after being a huge fan of your Lost site.

"Given that April 29, 2010 is very clearly marked as D-Day on Benford's calendar in his office, and that the rest of the FBI building seemed vacated during his vision, I look forward to finding out where his team and family are at that exact moment."

In the book, the reason everybody seemed to be doing leisure activities in their FF's was because international governments declared it a holiday, since a) that was the day their FF's shown and b) another FF was scheduled by CERN.

I think the kangaroo is nothing more than an escaped zoo animal--maybe from the back of a truck transporting him from Australia.

Thanks!
Mike

Forward Thinker said...

Hi! I'm a big fan of FF and am really enjoying your analysis! Thanks for your what you bring to the party.
K