FlashForward

ABC must have been playing a joke on FlashForward viewers this week. Follow along...

The show has often been compared to Lost. That drama aired an infamous episode ("Stranger in a Strange Land," season three) in which Jack traveled abroad, met an Asian woman and got a tattoo.

Many critics consider it the worst episode in Lost history; and producers have cited it as a reason why they demanded a series end date from ABC: so they would no longer be forced to write filler episodes in which nothing happens.

Enter "Believe," last night's horribly uneventual hour of FlashForward. It also involved a man traveling, an Asian woman, and a tattoo. It was also an incredibly boring hour of television.

Similarities to Lost aside, we'll review the episode and ask questions that depict our frustration in a series of bullet points below:

• Why should we care about Bryce and Keiko? The show has barely featured Bryce at all. Then, he and his flash forward are suddenly the main focus of an installment that centers around two people's visions of love, one of whom we've never met before. It's worth repeating: 20 million people died in the blackout. We're expected to muster any interest in the imagined love lives of two strangers after that?
• For the record, FlashForward has now aired nine episode. SEVEN of those concluded with scenes involving characters viewers had never met before that week, and five of those new characters have never returned. (The exceptions are Simon and Suspect Zero.) It's one thing to surprise viewers with a suspenseful ending, but it's another to have those endings continually pile up with no pay-off in the weeks that follow.
• Did Al really kill himself?
• Did Mark really shoot that guy with the tattoo last week?
• We ask these questions because nothing has changed at the FBI, despite the supposed impact of those events when they took place. Mark cried into Olivia's arms last week because they now have a "second chance." So why are they still following leads from his future board? Why does Demetri think he's still gonna die? Al must be chilling in heaven, looking down at his former co-workers and muttering: I died for this?!?!

Nothing harms a show more than inconsistent character behavior and storytelling. But that's the problem FlashForward encounters each week. It can't make up its mind about the future.

Should we be rooting for it to happen? Is the FBI trying to prevent it from happening? Are they trying to determine the cause of the blackouts? Most importantly: why does everyone act as though the future is set in stone?

The series has never done an adequate job of proving these visions will come true. It's simply made the characters talk and act as though it will. That's frustrating enough. But we could forgive FlashForward if these actions were at least interesting and/or tied to major world events.

Last night, however, was nothing but the personal tales of two characters we hardly know. Did anyone out there feel invested in the fortunes of Bryce and Keiko?

How will FlashForward follow up an absolutely terrible episode?

With an installment titled "Believe," during which Bryce searches for the woman in his vision.

Meanwhile, Tracy acts oddly, causing concern for Aaron; and Demetri's colleagues attempt to locate the caller that warned of his impending murder.

In the clip below, the FBI tries to learn more about the ring worn by Suspect Zero on the day of the global blackout:

As always, we'll recap and review this episode after it concludes. We hope we have nicer things to say about it than we did last week.

After watching this week's episode of FlashForward, many questions come to mind. None of them speak very favorably about the show.

First, catch up on events from it by reading through our recap of "Playing Cards with Coyote." Then, see if you can answer the questions below and let us know if you have a different take on what went down...

Why were Lloyd and Simon playing poker?!? There might as well have been a neon sign flashing that read "EPISODE FILLER!" through the poker scenes. Aside from not making any sense - Lloyd was so convinced he needed to tell the world about the blackouts, yet was willing to play cards (with total strangers, no less ) over the decision - this was nothing but a waste of time.

Why does Janis want to get pregnant?!? It's one thing for Mark to follow the clues on his board because he thinks these will provide crucial clues to the blackout. But now Janis is taking the initiative to make her vision come true? Where did that come from? The show asks viewers to be concerned about the future, yet makes its characters act in ways that guarantee its validity. Can anyone explain to us what the FBI is even trying to accomplish right now?

How stupid does FlashForward think we are? Mark see photos of a three-star tattoo on his computer. The episode flashes back to his vision of a guy with that same tattoo infiltrating the FBI offices. Seconds later, he shows up at work, sees another photo of the three-star tattoo AND THE EPISODE FLASHES BACK AGAIN TO HIS VISION OF THE SAME GUY! Were producers afraid we'd have forgotten the connection in that time?

How many episodes will end with new, mysterious bad guys? So far, FlashForward has concluded episodes with Suspect Zero, D. Gibbons, Simon, a kid in Africa, gun-toting Asians and this week's shady ring dude. These all might come together at some point, but for now it seems like the show focuses entirely on cliff-hanger endings, throwing far too many new faces at viewers and assuming these mysteries will make up for the fact that the rest of the hour is lackluster and slow-moving.

Did Jericho play a role in the blackouts? This is an actual question, the only positive development from the hour. Unfortunately, we fear the series will go weeks without mentioning this special, seemingly evil unit of soldiers again.

Okay. Having gotten those complaints out of our system, we feel better. But we're still very much concerned over the future of this show.

Are you? Or do you see hope and intrigue where we see boredom and non-sensical storylines?

Christine Woods plays Janis on FlashForward.

A couple weeks ago, the character was gunned down on the street and we surmised that it would help shake the series up if Janis died, thereby proving that not all future visions come true.

Janis is alive and almost fully well, though - but her co-worker Al jumped to his death last week. How will this affect the show? Woods spoke to TV Guide about that storyline and more:

On the fallout of Al's death: "In terms of the flashforward and changing the future, he gave us a lot of hope. It's sad in a sense that he's gone, but now things could possibly change."

On the return of Janis: "She'll be back this week. She is back at work, business as usual. She's a little taken aback by what's happened with Al. I think that when you almost die, you question a lot about: 'Am I in the right job? Do I have the right life choices? Am I doing the right things with my life?' She questions, but she stays at work."

On Lloyd and Simon: They're the delicious center of the cookie but you see a lot more of them coming up. [Fans will] feel satisfied with how much you get to know them in the next few episodes.

On FlashForward spoilers: "We pump them for information constantly. I think sometimes they just lie to us to put us off the scent a little bit."

You want the wager the fate of millions of people on the outcome of a poker game?

Lloyd poses this question to Simon on Thursday's new episode of FlashForward. The seemingly mad scientist's response: Sure, why not? That's what Gods do, after all.

Indeed, viewers will get more insight into these two character this week, as "Playing Cards with Coyote" attempts to explain why/how their experiment killed 20 million people around the world.

Check out the clip below and remember to return to TV Fanatic every Friday morning for a thorough review of the latest episode...

On this week's episode of FlashForward, viewers bid farewell to Al and said hello Blue Hand associate Jeff Slingerland (Callum Keith Rennie).

The latter won't be the final new character introduced on the series, not by a long shot, says creator David S. Goyer. He told MTV:

"We're introducing quite a few new characters down the line. We have already written [the Somalian boy from episode three] as an adult. We're hoping to have a certain actor play him. We haven't nailed it down yet, but we're crossing our fingers."

Goyer also hinted that Michael K. Williams (Omar from The Wire) would take on that adult role, which would be incredible.

Then there's Miles Fogel a new addition to be played by Michael Ealy.

"He effectively becomes a series regular with [episode ten]," Goyer said of Fogel.

Goyer also confirmed that Slingerland would turn up a couple more times this season; and that episode nine will take Bryce to Japan (as hinted at last night).

"That's the subject of episode nine, which is almost entirely his episode," said Goyer. "We introduce another of our cast members in that one — her name is Keiko. She's from Japan, and I can't say too much more about who she is, but she's involved in Bryce's story."

Alright! Finally, some action took place on this week's episode of FlashForward.

We had been growing a bit frustrated over the pace of the show. Each hour would end on a mysterious, suspenseful note - but when you'd step back and think about what had actually happened, the answer was always: not much.

The conclusion of "The Gift" changed that, however. Follow our link for a full recap and see if you agree with our following review of the episode...

RIP, Al: We had been pushing for Janis to literally bite the bullet a couple weeks ago, excited by the question of how the death of a character that had seen themselves alive in six months would throw the show for an intriguing loop. Looks like she'll make it, but Al isn't coming back from that roof dive. How will the development impact everyone's set belief in the future? We can't wait to find out.

Really, Al? That said, did Al really need to kill himself in order to "change the game," as he put it? Maybe instead of entering the Blue Hand club, he could have suggested a movie to Mark and Demetri instead. Ignore a clue on Mark's board and that also "changes the game," doesn't it? Killing oneself seemed like an unnecessary, drastic way to not give in to the future.

Hello, Tracy: It was nice to see Aaron given more of a focus. His vision of his daughter alive was the most fascinating of anyone's on the show. As he told Mark in the premiere, unlike many other characters, Aaron wants his future to come true. The series has since ignored the opposing views of these friends in regard to their flash forwards. But now we have Al's death changing the game; yet Tracy's life possibly proving its validity. A nice contrast.

Goodbye, rest of the world: This is a problem we've had since the premiere. The show has done a poor job depicting the utter panic that would be ensuing around the globe. 20 million people died in the blackouts. 20 million!!!

The series is obsessed with its core characters and their immediate problems, which pale in comparison to the global catastrophe that just took place. The world should be in chaos and in mourning, making it difficult to care very much if Mark and Olivia stay together. As a side storyline that keeps us invested in these individuals? Sure. But their marital problems are focused on more than any other issue.

Did anyone watch the pilot episode of V? It masterfully introduced its main characters, while setting up a society in general that is clearly reeling from the developments surrounding it. We need more of that on FlashForward.

Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment. Let us know!

On last week's episode of FlashForward, viewers got to know Dominic Monaghan's Simon a bit better.

Turns out, he's a world-respected scientist; he's got some game with the ladies; oh, and he kills a man on April 29, 2010.

Lying in bed with a gorgeous conquest, Simon describes his vision of the future: he's in a parking garage, and his hands are around the throat of an unidentified man. When the man finally stops struggling and loses his life, Simon clearly smiles.

It was an eerie flash forward that raised many questions. Chief among them: who the heck was the victim?!?

Below, we've blown up a few screen caps from the episode and are asking readers for theories on who Simon killed and why. Give us your best guesses!

On the next episode of FlashForward, the FBI tries to take a few steps closer to one major clue from Mark's board.

Mark, Demetri and Al investigate the Blue Hand Club. Before they can see what this organization is all about, however, the must first pass a dangerous test.

See what we mean below:

Browse through our section of FlashForward spoilers for look ahead at this series.

Also, remember to visit TV Fanatic each week for a detailed recap and review of each episode.

This was our favorite episode of FlashForward since the series premiere.

We encourage readers to catch up on events from it, via our recap of "Scary Monsters and Super Creeps," and then check out our full review below. Here's a recap of what we liked so much about the installment:

Charlie, who?!? You often hear actors claim they wish to vary their roles, but few actually. Dominic Monaghan, however, said he was seeking a post-Lost role that was different from his character of Charlie on that ABC hit. It's safe to say he's found it.

Monaghan's Simon is a mysterious, devious character that enjoyed his most screen time yet this season. We have no idea what he's up to, but we're intrigued.

More than mere talk: One complaint we've had about the show is how the characters talk... a lot. They're constantly reciting their visions and wondering if the future will come true or not. But that chit-chat turned into actual tension between Mark and Olivia this week, as secrets were exposted and the couple ended the episode on bad terms. Will this catapult Olivia into the arms of Lloyd? We'll see.

Kangaroo sighting! Why is there a kangaroo hopping around? Is it the same creature Mark saw on the series premiere? Are there other animals roaming the streets of Los Angeles? Fun questions to ponder.

We still wish Janis had actually died. This development would have thrown the show for a loop and it would have been interesting to see how the FBI investigation proceeds, considering there would be proof that not all visions come true.

What did you like or dislike about the episode? Any theories on Simon and Lloyd's connection?