Finally.
Finally someone on FlashForward did something to take control of their future. Certainly, it wasn’t in the happiest of fashions, but I think it was a big step forward for the show. It also seems like it is going to be a catalyst for a lot of the characters as the show progresses. At the end of the day, it also made for a pretty darn good episode, one of the better installments of the show to date.
This episode provided an answer to one of the biggest questions raised so far: can the future seen in the flashforwards be changed? As Al’s suicide showed, it most certainly can. We’ve been wondering for weeks now if all the flashes were going to come true. If destiny was written in stone or if any of the characters had control. After tonight’s installment, the question has thankfully been answered, and I think the show will be better because of it.
I’m a little sad to see Al go, and it was definitely in a dramatic fashion, but as I said, I’m glad that someone finally took matters into their own hands. I’m certainly not condoning suicide, but it seemed, in this instance at least, to be the only way. As Al was standing on the ledge, I made a little pact with myself. If he didn’t hurl himself off the roof, I was going to be done with this show. After all, we’ve already seen people thinking about changing the future and doing nothing. I can only be teased for so long. I’m hoping that the revelation of Al’s death will have repercussions with the other characters, particularly those who have seemingly resigned themselves to becoming Destiny’s bitch.
Of course, the most obvious choice here is Demetri, who has spent most of the early season feeling bad for himself and whining about his impending murder. Hopefully now he will see that maybe his fiancee really did see him on that beach (although we still haven’t gotten a good look at her flash), and realize that he should take control of his destiny.
It also seemed like Al’s death had a big effect on Mark. He rushed back into Olivia’s arms and appeared to want to reconnect with his wife. Hopefully the unwarranted melodrama that we’ve seen from the Benfords (particularly last week) will be replaced with an empowerment, knowing that they control their own futures.
What did you think of this week’s episode. Was it too extreme for you or are you excited about the new possibilities?
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Nov 05, 2009 @ 21:51 EST5EDT
Okay, Al changed his future. I think that’s the way the show had to go. In fiction, knowing the future with certainty kills any suspense. Without suspense, the story gets boring because it’s predictable. So to breath some life into the gasping series, they had to make the future changeable.
But this creates a problem, which they will probably just ignore. If they only saw possible futures, then what exactly was the flashforward? How did so many people see the same flashforward which involved others? How did the mysterious experiment create flashforwards for people which weren’t real? Was there a computer somewhere reading minds of everyone on earth and creating alternative futures for them? There’s just no way visions of possible futures could have been manufactured for a world population.
We have to hear about the experiment from Lloyd before we can start to wrap our head around what future people were seeing.
But what about the appearance of Tracy? Is Aaron just starting to go crazy?
isn’t there an inherent flaw in the show’s premise? I mean when the future date arrives … do you really think that people will get caught sitting on the toilet? I mean everyone is going to be awake (and probably partying) when that time comes … which will by default void many of the visions that people have seen of themselves.
*POST AUTHOR*
Well, yes, but they did address this in passing. I forget who it was, but one of the minor characters (maybe Janis’s date?) said that his/her flash showed him/her in times square partying, and it was supposedly like New Year’s eve, counting down to the flashforward moment. Apparently Mosaic confirmed that loads of people would be there.
So… it may be a flaw, but at least it’s one that the writer’s have considered.
If Al thinks he changed the future by suicide, then couldn’t he by definition have changed it another way?
Olivia may still be killed by someone else… he may have interpreted his FF incorrectly.
First of all, I think that Zoey told Demetri from the start that she didn’t actually see his face – this episode she says “I knew you were there.” A major problem with both of their flashes being correct, however, is that that’s pretty soon for her to have moved on to marrying someone else.
Also, as Al stood on the ledge, I was sure that he was going to jump, and land right on Celia, landing himself and her in the hospital, and ultimately killing her in six months time. How funny would that have been? :)