Flashforward Thus Far

H: I am frustrated.

A: Pourquoi?

H: I want Flashforward to be great, and it's just ok. It's very, very, very ok.

A: Except Charlie showed up last episode! Oh wait ... I mean "Simon." I keep wanting to call him "Charlie" because of LOST, but now Charlie is that annoying little girl who can't act and holds a weirdy stuffed animal all the time.

H: At this point, I'm expecting Simon to be a good guy that they'll introduce as shady. I don't buy that he caused the blackouts. I'm guessing that the "greatest disaster in human history" that he and Commodore Norrington are responsible for was like ... an embarrassingly lame bowling party.

A: That just made me laugh out loud. I'm thinking that Simon was referring to the blackouts. But I have a feeling they're a part of some minor shady deal that they think somehow caused it, but it has nothing to do with it at all. And we'll find that out in like two months.

H: Hmm. Yeah, that's a good theory. Or maybe they were pawns in a bigger thing involving that freako from the doll factory. Wow, I don't even like saying "doll factory." I feel like that episode dipped into super-cliche. That's kind of how I feel about a lot of the FBI/hospital stuff at this point. Cliche. Am I too harsh?

A: Not really. I just have a lot of hope for this show, therefore I feel slightly bad about knocking it. Today in French class I learned that the word for "doll" is poupée. I wish the factory was called a poupée factory.

H: Now that's original. Ok, here's my basic complaint right now: I'm really intruiged by the blackout and what caused it—that's why I'll keep watching—but I don't really care about the characters yet. Because, as someone pointed out to me the other day, they introduced them with all with their problems up front (drinking, marriage will go bad, guy gets murdered, etc.) before I really ... cared.

A: Yeah! I think you just nailed it on the head. Okay, that was a lame expression. But seriously, I was trying to figure out why I don't enjoy it that much, and that's totally why! I don't care about them yet. Maybe they're trying to be new and creative by doing everything backwards! So then it's like a backwards ... flash ... forward... I don't know. But what I do know is that everyone needs to just start watching Fringe because it's way better.

H: Off the top of your head, give me your two best reasons I should watch Fringe, and we'll see if I'm convinced. Go.

A: Oh my gosh, I could think of a lot more than two. But I'll try these two: 1) One character, who is basically a modern-day mad scientist, is played by John Noble (known to us for his role as Denethor in Lord of the Rings).

2) Every week I have at least one of those "LOST moments" where I hold my head and go "NO!!! NO WAY." And that's followed by at least 10 minutes of daydreaming about theories.

H: I can't say I'm a huge fan of ol' tomato-chomping Denethor, but I miss my LOST moments. Don't have time for a new show right now, but maybe .... maybe when Flashforward finally loses me.

A: I don't think it will lose me. Half because once I start a show, I feel compelled to finish it, and half because I hate not knowing everything. Also, I think the winning-over factor was that huge mysterious tower blowing smoke in Somalia where all the crows died. Was the focus on the tower? Or on the smoke coming out of it? No idea. I might just point out that as I was writing this, Hannah said "Black smoke! LOST!!!!!!!"

H: Hey. I clearly miss it.

A: Don't we all. 93 days, folks.