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Welcome to the FFB review of the FlashForward season 1 premiere – No More Good Days.
Below the jump we get right to the heart of the matter by looking at the good and the bad from the season opener.
The Good
- The season opener did a good job at introducing us to the characters – we got some good insight into their weaknesses, flaws, ambitions and strengths all in the space on 40-odd minutes. With such a big ensemble I feel it was important that FlashForward gave us access to interesting characters that we could become invested in – so far it looks promising.
- It’s funny – FlashForward actually used a flashback, of sorts, to inform us of where the characters were prior to the immediate aftermath of the Global Blackout. Showing us this small glimpse prior to the event was an unexpected but welcome device. I liked that the episode didn’t take forever to get to the meat of the story but took the time to show us where the character’s were before their life-changing flashes.
- Mark receiving the friendship bracelet from his kid. A nice moment in itself, but I particularly liked that the first piece of Mark’s flash forward fell into place by the end of the episode. He was powerless to stop it and in that moment he realised that by fighting the future, you might well be playing into its hands.
The Bad
- The reaction to the GBO wasn’t always as believable as it could have been. 5 hours after the event people were at home going about their business. I would have expected much more panic and..something!
- The slow-motion running through the city. That really took me out of the episode – it was unnecessary and raised the ‘cheese-factor’ up a notch.
- Teething problems. The episode wasn’t as slick as it could have been. Some of the dialogue and sequences were laboured. It felt like a ‘pilot’, which it obviously is. This isn’t a criticism, as such, more a observation of where the show struggled. I’m more than prepared to give FlashForward at least 6-10 episodes to address some of these early issues.
Overall Impressions
A solid start. I am actually quite relieved at how much I enjoyed the episode because it feels like I’ve been following this show forever. So I needed it to vindicate my decision to start this blog.
I don’t quite think it had to edge of the Fringe season 1 premiere, and it was certainly no-where near the L O S T pilot, but FlashForward gave me reason to feel confident for its long-term development. I’m looking forward to the show settling down into a rhythm and exploring the mythology behind the GBO. I am also keen to see Dominic Monaghan‘s character – for some inexplicable reason I see him being a bit of a Derren Brown type, but you get the impression that ‘Simon‘ will be someone worth keeping an eye on. I’m still wondering why they depicted him like this in the promotional photos!
Best Moment: The cliff-hanger revealing that at least one person didn’t blackout.
Best Performer: Sonya Walger
Episode Rating: 7.5/10
Check back on Monday as we look through our burning questions from No More Good Days!
