"Flashforward" vs. "V" NO CONTEST

H: At what moment did you know, for sure, that Flash Forward had jumped the shark?

A: It was the Halloween episode, when everyone completely overreacted about Commodore Norrington being at the house. The house where, in "the future" he would be chillin' on the couch with his new lover, aka, Mark Benford's wife!

H: The Halloween episode pushed me over the edge too, except for me it was the combination of "a Halloween costume episode, seriously?!" and the weird way they use music at the worst times. Every time the FBI guys pull out weapons, it's like OMGYoutube!Fanvid!!!1!

A: Agreed. Also, that weird Blue Hand torturing place? What?! That was so dumb. Why, if you know you're going to die, would you ever go to a club and get tortured? Haven't the writers ever been asked "If you were given one year to live, what would you do?" Clearly no one would say "Join a club with all the other people who have been diagnosed the same way and torture each other." They would go skydiving or swim with dolphins or something. Geeze.

H: If you were given a year to live, what WOULD you do? Besides a re-do of our Fall Fest weekend.

A: Hmmm, I've actually got to. think about this. I think I would go and visit m I knew. No (I HATE yoUR KEYBOARD!!!!!!!) I would visit everyone I knew. No matter where they live. And then I would go home and spend the rest of the time with my family. That, or become a motivational speaker.

H: So you would go find, like, kids from your third grade class? That's how you would spend your time?

A: Oh PUHlease. Just family and friends. What about you?

H: I would take one week of just writing letters and drinking sugary coffee. And then I would blow all my money on a crazy vacation with family and friends. And right before I knew I was going to die, I would yell something like, "And if I'm wrong, then may God strike me dead!!" just to freak everyone out.

A: Epic, man. I totally sound like a stoner. Speaking of which, let's return to Flash Forward vs. V.

H: Here's the nail in the Flash Forward coffin, and I know you'll agree: Dominic Monaghan. I never thought I'd say that; I love the guy. But he is the embodiment of my biggest problem with the show: super cliche. I feel like the writers are just assigning all their favorite movies to each episode. We had a chase through a doll factory. A trip to Germany to talk to a Nazi. And now they want to settle their problems with, what else, a poker game?!?

A: We're assuming that in the next episode, they will either be trying to find someone in a club where lights are flashing and people are dancing and they have to weave through crowds of people, OR crawling through ventilation shafts. And I was going to say a car chase scene, but that happened in the first episode.

H: Also, a scene where a psychopath has hidden bombs all over the city and Mark has to use scraps from his all-encompassing flash forward to find them.

A: Speaking of things being hidden all over a city ... V has me thinking everyone is an alien.

H: I know. I really wasn't expecting to like the show, but I'm intrigued. Great characters.

A: Which is the first thing we said we didn't like about Flash Forward: the characters. I still couldn't care less about them and we just had to Google Mark's name to find out what it was for this post. He's the main character. Meanwhile, by the end of the pilot, I was pretty invested in the V cast. (Not the phone!)

H: I'm also just a sap for anything with Alan Tudyk.

A: Yeah, what a great actor. I first noticed him in A Knight's Tale as a great side character—

H: With great hair.

A: And then again in the TV series Firefly. By his placement in the first episode of V, we're hoping he'll be a main character instead of his usual side role.

H: Yes, just waiting for the Firefly/V crossover fan art to start popping up.

A: You should start that off.

H: You know I can't use photoshop—

A: Audience at home, this is the conversation that really just took place:

A: We could talk about Anna being in Firefly.

H: What? Who is she?

A: She's Inara.

H: ("LOST moment" face)

H: I COMPLETELY didn't recognize her. Wow. I can't believe I didn't see that. I guess she has short hair, and I had just portioned 100 percent of my TV-crossover-alert attention on the whole Wash/Juliet thing.

A: To wrap things up, I actually look forward to watching V in the future and finding out who the aliens are, which ones are good and bad, and how a priest is going to end up dating the main-character-girl.

H: Aaaaaand we don't know anyone's names on this show either. We're going to have to work on that.

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.

Flashforward 1.01 Review

A: Looking back ... on Flashforward.

H: Huge potential. I love it.

A: Okay, let's review/comment on the pilot episode. (Spoilers ahead) You say you love it. Why?

H: I mean, I wasn't crying or laughing out loud or anything, I just see a lot of potential in the storylines they've started. A lot was pretty much straight out of the trailer, so at first I wasn't surprised by much ... but they brought in some great twists near the end. That security camera thing? Creeeeeeeepy.

A: Agreed. I think that was the only part that gave me any emotional attachment to the show. Other reviewers are commenting on the fact that it is a lot like LOST. But there aren't any real connections that I can see except they're both from ABC and they use some of the same actors.

H: Whoa, whoa. I beg to differ. A giant "Oceanic" billboard in the background for like 25 seconds? Plus the whole "can we change our destinies?" theme? I don't think Flashforward is too similar to LOST, but I'm happy it has some similarities. I love LOST, and I feel like Flashforward is LOST's mild-mannered younger brother.

A: You're right, I was just talking about technical things like directors and stuff.

H: Oh, OKAY. Sorry, I don't do that whole technical thing, ADRIENNE.

A: Whatever. But on your note ... anyone see that kangaroo boundin' down the street?? Polar bear in LOST, anyone? OH oh! Here's a theory... maybe a car crashed into a fence at the zoo and it was the kangaroo's cage. Yeah?

H: I'm having a hard time deciding if you're being really sarcastic or really uncreative. Change of subject: my one big complaint for the episode was that slow-mo running shot—you know the one?

A: No... but you're talking to the person who totally missed the "25-second" shot of the Oceanic billboard. All I noticed is that Charlie...oops, I mean Dominic Monaghan showed up in the trailer for next week. By the way, do you think that was a trailer for multiple episodes or just this week's? Because there was a crazy load of stuff going on.

H: Multiple episodes. I didn't see the whole trailer—kind of ran into the other room when I got kicked out of the lounge for The Office—but I know Simon (Monaghan) isn't supposed to show up for a few more episodes.

A: WHAT? Dude, that's like the main reason I'm watching this show.

H: Remember the Entertainment issue I picked up while you were browsing through the hummus?

A: You mean while I was holding freaking everything while you went to the front of the store with the cart to read magazines?! But yes, I do remember squealing over pictures of the cast when we got back.

H: Anyway. It said Dom's character is some kind of super genius who graduated from college at 14 and that he won't show up for a while. I think there was a quote that went something like, "Charlie was a boy. Simon's a man" or something cheesy like that.

A: Speaking of cheesy...you're on first name basis with "Dom" now?

H: Hey, I went through that watch-behind-the-scenes-features-on-Lord-of-the-Rings stage in junior high too, you know. But you didn't see me strutting around in a Meriadoc Brandybuck costume come Halloween.

A: Oh my gosh, we always talk about Lord of the Rings. And Jimmy Fallon. But SPEAKING of connecting Flashforward with a past obsession, Hannah has one of her own... care to elaborate?

H: Well, I assume you're referring to the Jack Davenport Factor, aka, the part of the episode where we all think "Hmm. I haven't heard that velvety voice since Kiera gave the kiss of death to the greatest Pirates of the Caribbean character in the franchise." At least, that's what I was thinking.

A: And I assume you're referring to the part where the hospital boy's dad shows up and we recognize him not only as the doctor's future lover, but Commodore Norrington!?

H: Yeah, I'm not super excited about the first title, there, but I'm excited for him to be on the show. Actually, I'm pretty excited about this whole cast. And I'm hoping John Cho doesn't bow out too soon—I was nervous he would get the axe in the first episode.

A: Yeah, I'm excited about the cast as well; it's a good one. But overall I wasn't super impressed with the first episode. I do want to continue watching it as well because I see the potential. I just felt like I had already seen the first episode because of all the previews.

H: Good point. And, audience at home, here's hoping you're watching with us. More reviews to come.

A: We'll pick back up with what we promised in our previous post: Nerd movie night complete with made-for-TV movies and Lord of the Rings Trivial Pursuit.