Thursday, May 13, 2010

FlashForward Season 1 Episode 20 - The Negotiation

Hello Future Dwellers!  We are drawing near on the end of the first season of FlashForward, possibly the end of the series as well (no word on renewal).   (UPDATE:  I'm halfway through writing the blog and I just read that FlashForward has been cancelled!  Nooooooooooo!!!  Oh well, I may as well finish writing this!)  In my opinion, we got another intense episode leading ever so close to April 29th, D DAY, Flash Day whatever you want to call it.  Looks like next week will be the big day and lots of interesting stuff happened on the EVE of that big day!  (And it'll be very interesting to see what they have planned for the season finale, since it will be "AFTER" this momentous day)   No sense in drawing out my opening, let's just get right into things!

Not much to theorize on in this episode, there were just some decent story lines and plot movement getting the pieces into place for the big event next week.   We had Aaron's rescue mission in Afghanistan, Simon on the run, Janis's double agent dealings, Demetri's pondering over course correction and the advancement of the MOSAIC Investigation plot with Gabriel meeting Mark.  Time to dive in!

Aaron's Rescue Mission / Jericho
Afghanistan
So last we saw of Aaron he had just met up with Khamir who he remembered from his flash forward.  They have tracked down Jericho to the Helmand Province.   

  • Aaron snapped his pictures of the Jericho operation and uploaded them to Stan.   Stan acknowledged that this is an illegal operation and thanked Aaron for his hard work.  And as much as Wedeck tried to stop Aaron from going in, there was no stopping him.

  • Aaron noticed Tracy was being dragged out of a tent and taken somewhere else.   He knew it was time to move.  
  • We next visit them at night where Aaron has a night-vision scope on his sniper and takes the men with Tracy down.  Nice!   Tracy is not in good shape though. 
  • Aaron is convinced that they need to be back in Khandahar because that is what he saw in his flash.  He knew that Khamir would save her.   So they all protested and said it was too dangerous, but they went anyway. 
  • When they arrived at the location, he recognized it from his flash.  It's all coming true!  Do we think some twist of fate will happen here to change Aaron's vision or is the fact that he has been working so hard to make his flash a reality enough to late FATE have its way?  We should find out soon enough! 



Stan takes down The President
Meanwhile, we remember that Stan was helping Aaron out on this operation with orders from Vice President Clemente.  Apparently, the President was involved somehow in this illegal operation with Jericho and Stan called him on it.  So, it turns out that Stan will have a direct impact on Clemente stepping in as President on April 29th.  I thought it would be for the affair and illegitimate child that the President had outside of wedlock. I guess not!   

Simon on the Run

Last we saw of Simon, he knew he was being outed as Suspect Zero after saving Annabelle.  He took the QED device and ran.  
  • We catch up with him at a bar trying to learn his new cover name.  He's all set up with an alias of David Walker, with a passport and everything.  
  • But EVIL LITA (last seen recruiting Janis to the Bad Guy organization) stopped in to tempt Simon with an offer.  Simon found it impossible to resist and had a little "taste" of the messenger girl.  

  • Apparently it was all a scheme to keep him in one place while the BIG GUY...the BIG BAD came to talk to Simon in person.  Apparently, the message Simon sent by killing Dental Flosso was received. 
  • So who is the BIG BAD?   This guy Hellinger.  We saw him a couple episodes back preparing for the Blackout with Dyson Frost and Alda Herzog.  We didn't really have an idea at the time that he was the big henchman.   And, I'm not too sure I'm impressed.  He seems like some kind of #2 guy or something.  But what do I know? 

  • Apparently, Hellinger was behind paying for Simon's education, getting him the job at NLAP and protecting him.  
  • Hellinger tries to get Simon to work for them and tells him that he has nothing to live for.  Now that the whole world has seen the face of the man walking around during the blackout, he cannot go anywhere.  They will let him see his family and they dangled his sister Annabelle in front of him.   
  • Simon wasn't biting, he knows that he is the only one that can "calibrate the accelerator" and cause the next blackout, so they can't kill him.   He tells them that they will receive his response soon enough and he just walks out. 
  • Later on, we see Simon in a sewer retrieving the QED ring which he had clearly hidden.   What's his next move?  It's anyone's guess! 


MOSAIC Crew Advancements

Stan's Speech/New Developments

Stan started off April 28th with talking to his entire FBI team.  Tomorrow is D Day.   The building may come under attack but "WE WILL NOT BACK DOWN!"  It was very Bill Pullman in Independence Day (Yeah, I know...corny movie looking back...but sometimes this show has corny dialogue, so....)  FBI plans to be open for business and he tries to instill confidence in everyone that they will get through this.  He handed out everyone's assignments and we move on.

The big issue of the moment?  Finding Simon Campos.  And what  do you know?  Footage has been leaked to the TV networks of Suspect Zero during the time of the flash.  It was different footage than the FBI had.   It was clearly the bad guys, and they are outing him NOW, the day before 4/29.   Why?  Well, we found out they're trying to bribe him into working for them.



Gabriel DeBriefing


So Gabriel, as he has seen in various flash forwards, has been brought to the FBI and is seen investigating Mark's board.  He is noticing things that are in different places.  Obviously, he talks all over the place so let's give some of the highlights.



  • Mark is introduced to Gabriel and sees that Olivia has been helping him.  Apparently, he will not do anything with her there, so Mark and Olivia are forced to be near each other.  Mark is genuinely happy that she does have to stay. 
  • Mark is introduced to Gabriel's book that has his MOSAIC board in there.  
  • Gabriel refers to Olivia as Olivia Simcoe which disturbs Mark, obviously.  We'll get to that in a second. 
  • On a sidenote: Olivia and Mark have a moment to talk away from Gabriel.  Mark talks about having security detail set up at the house but they'll stay out of view as to not upset Charlie.   Hmm, so is that why Vogel ends up being there at 10pm?  Olivia is not thrilled to be talking about all of these details and there is a hint of the fact that she wishes they moved to Denver when she proposed it.  
  • Gabriel was brought into a conference room to look at pictures of people that have come up in the investigation.  So Kent, the man Dyson shot was at Raven River.  We knew that.  But we also found out that Nhadra was there too!  This would probably explain why she knew the details of Demetri's death that was supposed to happen on 3/15.   
  • They tried to ask Gabriel when the next blackout would be, but he said only Dyson Frost would know that.  
  • The funniest part of the show was when Gabriel recalled the other guy whose picture he drew.  He was the BIG GUY.  What was his name?   "I told you his name.  It's BIG GUY!"   I cracked up at that one.   Good times.  We see the sketch and it is indeed Hellinger.  

  • They run a facial recognition scan on Hellinger.  I don't think they got the results of that one before they bumped into him later though! 



NOTE: It was right about here where I read that the show was cancelled, so if you see me lack focus or details in the following sections, you'll know why! 

Demetri and Course Correction

So Zoey is trying to get Demetri to drop everything for April 29th and take a flight to Hawaii or something.  But Demetri, knowing that he escaped death, wants to be here for his friends on 4/29.  Of course, fate may have other plans for Demetri!

  • When he walked into the briefing room where Gabriel was, Gabe flipped out!  He told Demetri that he was supposed to be dead and NEEDS to be dead for things to progress the way they are supposed to.   Yikes. 
  • This gets in Demetri's head but Mark tries to advise him not to look into it.  He doesn't believe that the future is trying to will itself to happen.  Well, he says that, but the whole OLIVIA SIMCOE thing had him thinking differently. 



Janis Double Agenting



  • It is confirmed!  Demetri is the one that impregnated Janis!  I guess looking back, maybe it wasn't supposed to be such a mystery.  But they should have just come out and said it!  Anyway, he wants to help out.   Janis, whose life is just messed up with working for the enemy and the CIA and everything, told Demetri to just be happy with Zoey.   Of course, she didn't spill all of those beans to him just yet.  
  • Janis meets with Vogel at a Bar and tells him that the Bad Guys want her to kill Mark.  He pretty much tells her that she needs to do it.  Of course, he remembers in his flash that he delivers the news that Mark is dead.   She also needs to deliver something big, which Vogel suggests she does as well. 
  • She meets with her contact (forget her name and don't care now because the show is cancelled!)  and she also tells Janis that she is hanging by a thread.  No more excuses she needs to kill Mark!  Janis said she needs to wait for the right opportunity.  Anyway, she tells them about Gabriel and how she can deliver him.   Contact lady was happy with this.



Moving Gabriel Trickery


So they are planning to move Gabriel to the safehouse and Mark needs to break the news that Olivia can't come to him.

  • Gabriel tells Mark how he sees loose ends on his board.   Mark knows the feeling.   He asks Gabriel about her calling Olivia "Olivia Simcoe" and if that is how it all turns out.   Gabriel says that is what he has seen.   He asks of Olivia will be safe....and Gabriel tells him she would.   Mark seems to be reluctantly content with this information.   Poor guy.  Just trying to do the right thing!  How will it turn out?  Who cares?  We'll never see 12/10/2016 so what's the point?   (am I bitter?  You bet I am!) 
  • Loved Gabriel in the bulletproof vest.  "I'm Bulletproof!!"  
  • Janis makes the call to rat out the van.  
  • But Mark, using his mind reading skills that he does so well, was one step ahead of her and dressed up as Gabriel for the trip!  They pulled a fast one on the bad guys that tried to catch them and turned the tables!   We ended up raiding Hellinger's HQ with computers full of data and everything.  Simon Campos's info was up on screen but Hellinger was able to get to that and delete all of the files.  But in the midst of the shootout, Mark captures Hellinger.  So, this will be their next lead.  





Janis Caught


Like I said, Mark was smart and read into Janis's actions for the past few weeks.  When she ratted out Marcie, he started getting suspicious of Janis and then some of the comments she made when they were planning the Gabriel move, tipped him off further.   Janis came clean that she is CIA and that Vogel recruited her after graduation from the FBI training.   Mark wasn't too thrilled with her, obviously.   Janis told him that they wanted her to kill him.  She did what she had to do.   So, she's all of a sudden off the hook?   Eh who knows?



But she does come clean to Demetri later on.  Demetri wasn't too thrilled with her either, but he knows that he is involved now.  They're all connected.  Him, Her, Zoey, the baby.  It's one big happy mess of a family!   And he walks away.  

Final Scenes


We see Demetri at the Inn where Gabriel is staying.  He asks Gabriel if he was in any of the futures that he saw.  Gabriel told Demetri that he died in all of them.  He said that it's not possible to change the future.  It always ends in the same place.  Lloyd and Olivia and everyone are ending up where they're supposed to be.  Demetri thinks this makes sense.  Hmmm, is he going to be the next to sacrifice himself?   Eh, maybe he knows the show won't get renewed so he'll take a bullet for Mark!

We next see Janis in her bedroom but she is not alone.  Simon has her held at gunpoint.  He tells her to RELAX and that he needs her help!!



To Be Continued for 2 more Weeks! 

So that's it for this week folks!   Definitely lost my blogging mojo halfway through there, but I'm sure you all understand why.  It's all for a lost cause now!  But, at least I can say I recapped an entire series of something!  (since I started LOST in season 2....ooh there's my LOST reference!)    If anyone has any suggestions of what my next blogging venture should be, I'm all ears!  I won't necessarily accept the challenge but I'd like to see what you guys think.   It's going to be hard to latch on to the next LOST.   We won't know what show that would be until after it happens.  I thought this one was our best chance at a good discussion show, but I guess it just wasn't meant to be.  Anyway, continue to follow me on Twitter (check the end credits below), and I'll keep everyone updated when I figure out my next move!  

As for next week, I mentioned before that I'm going to a LOST-related event.  With that Series Finale approaching 5/23, I'm giving it my 100% attention.  I will do my best to get the recap up for the next episode as soon as possible, but I can't make any promises.  Just be patient.  But, I totally understand if you wouldn't want to read about a cancelled show anyway!  

Anyway, that's all I have for now.  Thanks for tuning in each week and giving this a shot!  Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you next week at some point!  

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20 comments:

MJ said...

Yup - it's gotten cancelled! Bastids ! They also canned Better Off Ted - only the funniest show america was not watching.
And yet they kept V ? I watch V - but it's not better tham FF

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Scrubs-FlashForward-Canceled-1018433.aspx

Anonymous said...

I am very disappointed that they are cancelling this show. I loved the general concept but it really never did match up to LOST. I just couldn't get past some of the holes in the story. Just too many things that the FBI would not be stupid enough to do. Makes you wonder if the REAL FBI is that bad? If so, we're all in serious trouble! Thanks as always for your efforts - catch you back at LOST! Cajun QT

Mike V. said...

At least CHUCK got renewed, right!?

Yeah, I agree the show had flaws but we all just loved the concept and kept hoping for it to improve. I thought it was on its way. There definitely were tons of holes and LOST it was not. But oh well, it was worth a shot, right? lol

I guess I could just keep writing about LOST until people get tired of it! :-)

AUStarwars said...

im so upset im like..why bother reading the blog..but i will...cause i still love it..man..im so upset..maybe Si Fi will pick it up or something..man..and they just got annabelle gish on..why do such bad shows get renewed and not this one..only cause ABC put it on a horrible time..i watch V but this is so much better and should have been the follow up..they screwed up real bad with the long break..real bad..G-d i hate TV execs sometimes..

Kelly said...

so mad, but i'm really not surprised.
let's see... what to recap now... i love sons of anarchy but it's not really the lost/flashforward type show. hawaii 5-0 maybe? since it has daniel dae kim (and boomer from BSG)? who knows... TV has been a bit disappointing lately. nothing can compare to lost!
hopefully next season one (or more) of the networks will premiere a great show that won't be canceled.. though from what i've seen so far it's not likely.
in any case i hope you keep blogging because i'll keep reading! thanks for all your great recaps!

Mike V. said...

@AUStarwars...can't disagree with anything you said. It just sucks!

@Kelly - yeah I thought about checking out Hawaii 5 0 but I don't know if that will be a show worth recapping. Seems like it would be more procedural based (self contained episodes.) I just don't know what to do! lol

LOST was a one of a kind show, but I'm sure if I get obsessed enough on some new show, a blog may pop up about it! It will just be a matter of communicating that to people that will be the tough part!

But I appreciate the kind words! :-)

Bryan said...

Pooper scoopers! I just got my wife to watch this show with me and now it's gone... I was looking forward to next week's season finale but now it just sucks since any cliffhangers will stay unresolved FOREVER!

Mike V. said...

Bryan, not that it matters but there are actually 2 episodes left...the finale is on the 27th....but totally agree...we're gonna be left hanging and then that's it! Oh well! Ugh....

Deebo said...

I am sick that FF got cancelled, where is the justice!! Sorry Mike but seeing Chuck renewed made this even tougher to swallow…I will not watch a new show on ABC again

The episode last night was great and the guy who plays the “crazy guy” with glasses is a phenomenal actor…I agree about the FBI acting dumb sometimes, why would the CIA guy expect Janis to kill Mark? RIP FF it was good while it lasted…Mike your Blog made this show so much more enjoyable, Can we please get a Fringe blog or Breaking Bad Addicts!

Bryan said...

Got it, thx Mike. It must be V that has its finale next week.

Mike V. said...

Deebo - Chuck isn't even on ABC so why would it make it tougher? Because NBC is letting a great show live or you just don't like Chuck? lol

I'll have to see if I can catch up on Breaking Bad this summer and see if it's blog worthy! lol As for Fringe...I love the show, but I just don't know about blogging that one either. The problem with both of those shows is I'd be jumping in a few seasons in!

I'd love to start something from scratch like we did here...but we see where that can get us too...with a dead blog 1 year in! :-(

Mike V. said...

Maybe I need to have a more generic blog that could be for various shows...it's just a matter of drawing a crowd there! Or I could just send everyone to Gather.com and post stuff there for moolah! SELL OUT Reel Big Fish style! lol

Deebo said...

I actually despise “Chuck” and their fans due to them spamming NBC related articles but that’s another story lol…Trust me Breaking Bad is more than Blog worthy IMO I think it will go down as the best show in TV history (yeah I said it) I must admit I am being selfish about a Fringe Blog but I have questions I need answered!!

“Sell Out Reel Big Fish Style” LMFAO

I know the budget is pretty big for FF, any chance of it getting picked up somewhere else or is it truly done? The conversation with Janis and Dimertri…was that confirmation that they slept together and/or that it’s his baby?

Mike V. said...

Ugh...Chuck is such a good show. But yeah, I could see how the fans could get annoying. I am not part of the ORGANIZED Renewal Clan that has been supporting the show so crazily. But I do love the show!

I'm sure Breaking Bad is awesome, I'll definitely try to catch up on it! TV History eh? A lot of shows are staking claim for that title right now. Sopranos, The Wire, LOST....(i haven't watched one episode of The Wire yet either lol) I just don't know if I could rank anything above LOST right now though. But I'm a little biased :-) Hey, I love Fringe...and I actually may have referred to it recently as my possible next obsession after LOST. I like it that much! Figures...it's another JJ Abrams product! lol Of course, I have the toughtest time keeping up to date with the eps. I'm 2 behind right now! But I blame my other Blogging duties...if I made it my #1 priority I might be able to make it work! It's just all of those Monster of the Week episodes that would bog down the blogging! (Blog down LOL)

I guess there's always a possibility for FF getting picked up...but I just don't know how much demand there will be for it. I mentioned in the blog that I thought that it was confirmation! (the baby thing)

MJ said...

Mike - should have known you were a Chuck guy ! I love that show as well.

'But Mark, using his mind reading skills that he does so well, was one step ahead of her and dressed up as Gabriel for the trip! ' Besides catching some of Janis's verbal slips when Wedeck was giving his speech to his troops Janis and Vogel exchanged a look - and Mark saw it !

Sad to see it go - but they apparently needed some women writers on FF. First Olivia takes forever to have the 'we all go so you live or get out', then falls for Simcoe in 2 eps. Then Zoe actually believes that Dem - who would not leave town before his March death date - will just leave his FBI job the day of the biggest thing ever ?!? No- these people just write the women stupid ! LOL

As for what you should blog next - Supernatural is probably starting it's last season - so too late. If you catch up to Breaking Bad then maybe that show. But there's not alot of theorizing on that one - it's a great show, but it is pretty much what it is. No mystery really.

Fringe is really the only one with questions not really answered that could make for good debate.

Kelly's suggestion of Sons of Anarchy is a good one - but again not a mystery there to debate either.

Well - I still want to read til the end ! So two more weeks then.

Thanks Mike

Mike V. said...

MJ - Of COURSE I like Chuck. It's an awesome show. Can't wait for Sam Becke..errrrrr Scott Bakula to return either!

BTW, I saw the look exchanged with Janis/Vogel....that was the point of the blog where instead of describing stuff in 5 paragraphs, I thought I'd sum it up into a sarcastic joke because I was P.O.'d that the show was cancelled! LOL

I do agree that the women characters were written kind of ummmm interesting! lol Good points on both!

I never got into Supernatural either, but I've heard it's a great show. That's really the problem with any of these shows...there isn't much to theorize. LOST was such a one of a kind experience...I may be better off picking up more reality TV....there's only one problem...I can't stand it anymore! LOL

As with Fringe...I LOOOOVE the show, but not necessarily to debate much. I just love watching it and where it's going. But yeah, there are certain things that could be discussed. Just not sure what I'm gonna do....but my twitter is always out there if people want to follow....the lost blog isn't goint anywhere (and I'm sure this one will sit out here too)....I'll be sure to update them both if I decide to pick up another blog. Also, I may continue to write for Gather.com so you guys can always check out my posts there too! We'll see if I stay motivated in the POST-LOST World! :-)

You're totally welcome MJ, thanks for being a dedicated reader!

Mike V. said...

Read this on Matt Mitovich's SCOOP column on Fancast.com Be careful if you check out the link...even though questioners asked not to be spoiled by anything Matt has to say about LOST, his vague comments are still kind of spoilerish! Ugh...

"Q: I’m so upset that ‘FlashForward’ has been canceled! Is the May 27 season – now series – finale going to leave us frustrated? – Greg

A: I delivered your question to Christine Woods (aka Janice), and she said that any loose ends be damned, the unexpected series-ender “will leave true fans satisfied.” "



Fancast Q&A

Mike V. said...

Hey Guys, just a reminder that I'm going to that LOST event tonight at the movies so I'm not sure when I'll be getting to the FF Recap or how much effort I'll put into it when I do get around to it! lol But that's understandable, right?! Rest assured though, something WILL get posted at some point! I did hear the final 2 episodes will be really good!

MJ said...

Understandable that you will be late writing up the recap tomorrow.

I've also read that there will be plenty of answers given. Not all as they had hoped to come back next year, but the biggies are closed out.

Mike V. said...

I guess I was kind of hinting that I might not get to it "AT ALL" tomorrow! lol I just don't know if I'll have time. I'll see what I can do! I've pulled off the impossible before. lol

Agreed that the biggies will be closed out! They said they kind of planned the finale out in case it didn't get renewed...so that's kind of cool. We'll see!