TV Review: FlashForward Pilot

Talk about high concept. You don’t get anymore high concept than the new ABC show FlashForward (one word) from movie producer/writer David S. Goyer (the “Batman Begins” and “Blade” films), who co-writes (with Star Trek’s Brannon Braga) and directs the one-hour FlashForward pilot.

The concept is simple: for exactly two minutes and 17 seconds, everyone in the world blacks out. During that time, they get a glimpse of their future six months from now, for better or worst. The show’s lead is FBI agent Mark Benford (played by British movie actor Joseph Fiennes), who is chasing terrorist suspects with his partner Demetri Noh (“Star Trek’s” John Cho) when the flashforward (as it comes to be called) occurs. The duo wakes up in the middle of the city street, which resembles nothing short of a war zone. Chaos rules. Buildings are on fire, cars overturned, and planes have crashed. Elsewhere, surgeries are botched, suicides are interrupted, and daily life will never be the same again.

The show is based on a novel by Robert J. Sawyer, and aside from the concept, the show seems to diverge greatly from the book. There is no mention of an FBI agent in the book’s synopsis at Amazon.com. Also, in the book the flashfoward went 20 years into the future, and he cause is known – the usual suspects, in this case: scientists conducting an experiment – but in the show the cause is the McGuffin – what caused it, and for what reason?

The first 30 minutes of the one-hour pilot moves along at a break-neck pace, introducing its myriad of characters and dishing out little background nuggets as it goes. The second 30 minutes is a little slower, as it should be, stopping to concentrate on the visions and what it means for each individual person. For some it’s hopeful, for others it spells doom. What does it all mean? That’s the point of the show, of course, to get you to keep tuning in for the answers. Basically, FlashForward is Lost without the island.

As the show’s lead, Mark Benford gets the lion’s share of the character development. A former alcoholic in AA, Mark’s flashfoward has him leading an FBI task force to find the cause of the black out, but he’s also a drunken mess, having fallen off the wagon. To top it off, masked men with machineguns have come to kill him. Fiennes is a good fit for the role, though at times he does look a bit odd running with a gun at his hip. He also sounds a bit like Christopher Lambert for some reason, but maybe he’s just fighting with the accent.

But if Mark’s flashforward is filled with landmines, his partner Demetri’s is even worst – because he didn’t have one. What does it mean if everyone in the world sees their future six months from now, but you don’t? It appears that little question will haunt Demetri, especially since he’s due to marry. (Gabrielle Union, who doesn’t appear in the pilot, plays Demetri’s fiancé.) I’ve mentioned before that seeing Cho as a FBI agent is just … odd. Unfortunately the pilot doesn’t change my opinion; Cho still looks very out of place with a gun and bulletproof vest.

Besides Fiennes and Cho, the show co-stars Sonya Walger as Mark’s doctor wife, Olivia. The couple have a rather novel way of communicating, which is cute and all, but when Olivia reveals her flashfoward, takes on a whole new meaning. Christine Woods is the third agent in Mark’s burgeoning task force, while veteran TV actor Courtney B. Vance is their boss. Previews for upcoming episodes would seem to indicate that former Lost castmate Dominic Monaghan will have a big role in the show, as well as Jack Davenport, a mysterious man who figures prominently into Olivia’s flashforward. And for all you Family Guy fans out there, don’t miss a cameo appearance by the show’s creator, Seth MacFarlane as, of all things, an FBI agent.

In interviews, David Goyer has said that FlashForward is not really a science fiction show except for its premise. That’s probably true, though I suspect when The Answer is finally revealed, it’ll have more than a little dash of sci-fi in it. Lost isn’t really a science fiction show, either, but let’s face it, the things that happen on that show is impossible without turning to sci-fi. I see the same for FlashForward, though time will tell if its impossibly catchy premise will hold viewers for the long haul. After all, you can only tease the audience so long before you have to finally reveal what’s in the hatch.

David S. Goyer (director) / Brannon Braga, David S. Goyer (screenplay)
CAST: Joseph Fiennes … Mark Benford
John Cho … Demetri Noh
Jack Davenport … Lloyd Simcoe
Zachary Knighton … Bryce Varley
Dominic Monaghan … Simon
Brian F. O’Byrne … Aaron Stark
Courtney B. Vance … Stan Wedeck
Sonya Walger … Olivia Benford
Christine Woods … Janis Hawk