Welcome to the FFB review of the FlashForward episode 1.02 – White To Play.
Below the jump we get right to the heart of the matter by looking at the good and the bad from the episode.
THE GOOD
- I didn’t sign up for the relationship angst, but Olivia and Mark’s story has been pretty watchable so far. They’ve taken on a kind of siege mentality – us against the future, mind-set. But the cracks are clear for everyone to see. Olivia is so adamant that she wont leave Mark for another man, and yet that other man and his kid are already entangled in her present, let alone her future. Can you fight the future? I’m eager to find out!
- The opening. I know it was cliched, I know that the “black out” game was a load of crock, but I liked the scope afforded by the Google Earth-style entry into the episode. The Ring O’ Roses song was also creepy (what is it with kids singing that makes just about any song creepy!?) and the lyrics to the rhyme served as a decent metaphor for the global blackout – in that the whole world fell down (well, apart from Mr. Zero and his chum), everyone is connected, and for some (like our friend Dimitri) the GBO is like a plague.
- Lloyd Simcoe. I have to say, I like him! His story about his wife – if true – is pretty tragic, and his scenes with Olivia and his kid are always good to watch. I’m not entirely convinced of his true motivations yet, but that’s part of his appeal.
- I thought the comedic aspect of the episode was good, for the most part. As long as they don’t do it too often. I feel that the show also needs to get a bit more serious on occasions, but for this episode I was happy enough to go with the light-hearted moments – especially Stanford’s flash forward
THE BAD
- The Utah Warehouse raid. I thought they tried too hard to be “cool” here. The cryptic forewarning by the creepy dude came over too forced and ended up hollow. The explosion was more a distraction than anything – maybe I need to watch it again, but how exactly did Mark and Demitri survive that anyway?
- The opening may have alluded to the global scope of the GBO but the episode did little to reflect that crucial idea. It’s only been a few days since the blackout and there also seems to be a lack of anguish, chaos and shock amongst the general population (including our main characters). If the entire world lost consciousness at the same time, seeing visions of their future’s, it would be one of the (if not THE) biggest global event of modern times. I saw none of that in this episode – a few army men patrolling the streets was a token gesture. I’ll give the show time because it’s early days, but I really hope they can address this soon. The world of the show has to feel authentic for viewers to buy into it.
- Racial jokes. I just don’t think it was necessary. Having a Korean person put the cupcake lady right, doesn’t make it right. I know the show has to reflect society, but this felt like a cheap joke just for the sake of it. What did it add to the episode? Will we even see cupcake lady again so that we can see whether or not her insensitivity wanes? Again, I thought this was another case of trying too hard.
Overall Impressions.
I felt this was another solid episode. The shimmers of potential are definitely there, if the creators can find a way to magnify the scale and importance of the GBO and the character’s reaction to it. I found the characters to be slightly less interesting than they were in the season premiere – with the exception of Olivia and Lloyd. I hope that they manage to incorporate greater mythology and more emotion into the series as time goes on.
As for the episode title – White To Play – it’s an interesting one. Difficult to say what it could mean – perhaps it refers to the pieces on a chess board? Are we already looking at a game-like scenario, where certain pieces (characters) have already fallen into place without them even knowing it? Just who is playing who, and what are the rules of the game? Of course, WTP could mean something entirely different, and I’d love to hear some ideas on this.
Best Moment: Stanford Wedeck explaining his flash forward involving urinal mouth to mouth.
Best Performer: Jack Davenport
Episode Rating: 7/10
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