I'm going to try to keep up with this and not abandon it like I did with my LOST blogs. I still have no idea what is going on with this show, but I like it a lot. I hope it keeps up the pace (haha, LOSTIES, no pun intended) and keeps getting better.
I didn't get too much out of the pilot episode, but I didn't get much out of the LOST pilot episode either. Maybe when all is said and done, we'll go back and have an "aha" moment with the first episodes of both these shows. For now, these are my random thoughts...I try to stay away from major spoilers, by the way. I usually try to find out the title of the next episode a few days before it airs, I do watch the trailer for the upcoming epi as well. I don't consider these real spoilers so I will mention them from time to time--just a warning.
FF Pilot intro is just like LOST's Pilot Part 1, right? I mean, you have the weird colors, the brief moment of silence just before the main character thinks to himself, "WTF???"
The camera angles imitating a person looking back and forth and turning around in circles, the confusion, the transition from silence to cacophony, that sudden scream for help--like Shannon screaming really loudly all of a sudden.
I like how there just happen to be oranges all over the place. That's for those of us who are big fans of The ODI and who still believe that the color orange has symbolic significance in the world of LOST. I think...
The cinematography is lush. I like that there is no "theme song". Just the flashback/plane engine sound from LOST. lol...
You're a crappy husband. I hate you.
You know, I like this idea. I see it this way: if you're too superstitious to write "You're a great husband. I love you." then this is what you write instead, because you're always saying the opposite of what you really feel. Otherwise, you'll jinx the good thing you've got. I have heard of people who do this, especially when their partner has a dangerous job or they're just really paranoid.
I guess the surfer we see while Bryce gets ready to kill himself is one of the little clips in the "What Did You See?" promos that aired during commercial breaks earlier this year. That's kinda cool. I do see the slight similarities between Bryce on the pier about to kill himself and Bearded Jack on the bridge trying to do the same thing. But I really want to get away from the constant comparisons to LOST. They're pretty meaningless. Instead, what I want to know is how a person goes from helping and protecting complete strangers every day, to doing something horrible and selfish in front of complete strangers, knowing how much it will hurt them, as innocent bystanders, to witness his grisly suicide? Like, why doesn't he cut his wrists or inhale carbon monoxide in the comfort of his own home? I know that sounds harsh, but why pick such a painful death and why do it in such a public place?
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Islands in the Stream. Haha, I get it. Cute.
Oceanic's perfect safety record. Okay, already. ALTERNATE TIME-LINE. Sigh...
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Amazing car chase scene! I love car chase scenes and crashes (on t.v.).
Why is there so much black in this episode? Surfers all in black, lots of black cars, Bryce, Demetri, Mark, the woman they're chasing all in black, Olivia's scrubs are a dark greyish, blue...
What's with the swirling stars? What do they mean? Is it me or did the Flash (Mark's Flash, anyway) seem more colorful? Sure it was blurry and scratchy like a DHARMA Orientation video, but I distinctly remember more reds and yellows and greens, a contrast from what we see in the very beginning as Mark is waking up, which is a world awash in denim blue, where even the oranges look faded.
Some of Mark's flash and what I noticed (not in order):
BIG DADDY. Bioshock. Plus, there is a wall with photos and red string connecting the important notes. Bioshock already has so many connections to LOST and now FF, would you kindly go check it out (if you haven't already?)
(this is a screencap from a big reveal scene in the game, Bioshock)
BLACK SWAN. I guess this has other meanings besides just being a mascot for all the cheaters in the DHARMA Wants You game. I guess...
BLUE HAND. ? Combine this with the RED PANDA reference and you've got two out of the three colors in the friendship bracelet. Is this of any importance?
APRIL 29TH (429) HAS THE NUMBER 42 IN IT. Also, it's my husband's birthday!
HELP US. I wonder who wrote this and what they were doing at The Crown Cheese Steak.
I'm sorry. I really couldn't help it. (S3, "I Do", if you're wondering)
SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME THE NAME OF THIS PAINTING AND WHAT I AM LOOKING AT, PLEASE! Especially in the foreground of the top photo.
Why, yes, that is THE HYDRA...
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, "MARKFACE". Now you guys can lay off of Jack and his Jackface. ;)
I said I would stop with the LOST references but it looks as though I lied.
Turns out that is a #8 next to the crispy babydoll. But I don't see how that matters, really.
137 Sekunden. Tomorrow's epi (#3).
THE WHITE QUEEN. Another reason to re-read Alice in Wonderland...
Just so you know I checked to make sure which chess piece was in that flash.
Masks. They kind of look like the person in the photo behind Obregon in the Truth Hack photo (see below). Can someone PLEASE tell me who that is?So what do you make of these flashes?
Back to the present. I sincerely want to know how Demetri got from one bridge to the other. That was a long way to be thrown if that is what happened to him. I think something fishy is going on here (hee-hee, see below). This really bothers me. I know it's a small, seemingly trivial matter. But I'm a LOST fan. I want some friggin' answers. Likewise, how did Aaron get himself down from that utility pole without electrocuting himself?And now there are even more oranges... By the way, anyone following the FF ARG and the Truth Hack website--did you notice the oranges and orchids in the background of the home page photo? Niiiice.
(oranges on left, background...purple orchids on right. who's in that photo behind him?)And now, back to Bryce waking up. I was noticing all those bodies floating in the ocean, it reminded me of The Other 48 Days, after Flight 815 crashed into the sea...then I thought...wow, the GB must have killed a lot of people. I would believe maybe even 10% of the entire world's population. So, could that be one of the reasons why the GB was orchestrated by...whomever...if that's even the case? There are those "population control" weirdos in real life, they're pretty extreme, I could see the writers working this into the show in some way. I really want to read the book now, but I don't want to be spoiled!
Mkay, I've just realized that I don't like Bryce and here's why....
I think he's the John Locke of Flash Forward. Here you've got a guy who basically feels like he's got nothing to live for. He's a loser that will not be missed if he kills himself--or so he must believe. Then, somehow this "miracle" happens to him (sound familiar?) and suddenly he's got a new reason to live. We don't even know what he saw in his flash, but it's gotta be good. I think the majority of people are going to see their flashforward as a bad thing, and something to be prevented (just as, on LOST, most people saw the crash as a bad thing and wanted to be rescued from the Island). However, for this guy and a few others, the flash was something so good, they want to be absolutely sure it comes true. They don't want to leave the Island and they'll do whatever it takes to make sure they never do...er, so to speak. I mean, Bryce is basically telling Olivia that the good things he's seen in his future are "meant to be" so he's just going to sit back and enjoy the ride. Ugh. Here we go again....
Charlie is a weird kid. Most little kids are weird already, but that one is not saying what she knows and that bugs me. Just because they're tiny and cute doesn't mean you can trust them! ;) I've seen "White to Play", but I wrote that last bit before I had seen it. I was right! So what does this kid know that she isn't saying? More on that later.
"There was a storm, the horses were scared" The woman that Demetri and Mark were chasing says that about her flashforward. Guess the Feds eventually let her go. Was she even in the 2nd epi? I didn't notice.
Red Panda advert on the bus behind Mark.
RED PANDA INITIATIVE, maybe? It says something about a "...Better Tomorrow". Is this organization going to help those wanting to make sure their flash comes true, or the others who want to prevent it? I want to know more about it.
Demetri says his fiancee, Zoe, is in Seattle, but we still don't know why. I mean, you'd think she'd come home right away. I'd walk back if I had to. And can I just take a minute to say that John Cho is really, really cute? I'm thoroughly enjoying this trend of having an attractive Asian male in almost every new drama series. Not that I prefer one race to any other--I just like to see the networks & producers mixing it up like this. Now please add more Latino and Native American characters and I'll be even happier.
Someone please explain the kangaroo. Does it have anything to do with Australia? Cause...Australia's the key to the whole game. Are red pandas from Australia, too? I wish I had more answers than questions. I don't know enough to make any good guesses, either. All I know is, that kangaroo has got to be important. It kind of made me think of 12 Monkeys. Should probably go watch that again.
The kangaroo also makes me think of Y: The Last Man. On LOST, Hurley is reading volume 3 of that graphic novel during his plane ride to "Guam" in 316. The thing is, Y has many scenes of a chaotic world in which a terrible thing has happened--every man on earth except the main character, Yorick, has died. Part of that story takes place in Australia, too.
Hmm, no one else sees the kangaroo, maybe it's his "spirit guide".
Desperate Housewives ad on another bus. Yuck.
How does Dylan know Olivia's name and why call her "Olivia" instead of "Libby"? Someone on the spoilertv forum pointed this out, and it is still hard for me to wrap my head around it:
If you were with someone else during the flash, they have the same flash you do. Everyone in the world flashed forward to the exact same moment in space(?) and time. We didn't see this kid in Olivia's flash, just his dad. So, that kid had to be within earshot of Olivia and his dad and there has to be a lot more to their combined flash than what we've seen. It lasted about 2 minutes, right? Also, how come he knows her as Olivia and not Libby. And where was Charlie? That's what I really want to know.
Seth McFarlane. I really, truly hate that guy.
Olivia says that Dylan has a brain injury. Is that related to the GB?
877 aircraft went down during the GB (global blackout). I can't even begin to imagine. Was that worldwide or in the US alone?
"Future Echos". They did an episode about that on Red Dwarf. Funny.....
Other people's flashes:
Demetri supposedly has none. I really thought he was just sleeping, but the strange phone call he receives in the next episode might prove me wrong. I hope not. Demetri is one of the only characters I am really interested in right now. And NO it's not just because he's cute.
Stan was on the can. Haha! I'm glad they had at least one character doing something totally normal (if not slightly gross) during their flash. In the next epi we see that during the real time of the flash he was also on the toilet. How strange--either he's getting way too much fiber or not nearly enough! But isn't it around 10pm LA time in everyone's flash? Why is he still at the FBI building and why in the bathroom? Did he just leave Mark's office? Why are they both at work so late?
And another thing...why is Janis at the OBGYN so late? I think she's in another part of the world, maybe she's in England with Al Gough? It's daytime there during the flash. Who knows. I still think that Demetri is the father of her child and he's dead and maybe that is why she's crying during her sonogram. Then again, I suppose it is a rather emotional event. That photo up there really makes me think of "Maternity Leave". Weird.Al & Fiona are in England talking about their FF investigation and a bird crashes into the window. Maybe Walter Lloyd was nearby...
Poor Aaron. "Ghost of Christmas Future". Hm. Interesting choice of words. But I really do feel badly for this character. I know something of what he and real people in that situation must be going through. I lost my cousin in the current war in Iraq. Same thing happened to him, actually. His vehicle was hit by an IED and, like Aaron's daughter Tracy, there wasn't much left of him to bring back and bury. My mom still has this idea that maybe he is still out there somewhere, like they ID'd the wrong person. I have to believe that never happens, that is just crazy talk on my mom's part. I don't know, I'm kind of wary about where the show is going to go with Aaron's story. I really hope it doesn't get too political. I mean they have to know there are a lot of people out there who've lost loved ones the same way Aaron lost his daughter. I definitely want to see how this plays out and find this plotline way more interesting than Bryce's or even Olivia's.
Speaking of Olivia...
Etta James, "At Last". That was my wedding song, too, but I think it's a bit overdone these days. It's pretty much everyone's wedding song now. :(
Hey! I have that same dream about Jack Davenport. How funny! Hahaha...
Daaaaaaavenport. ::discreetly wipes drool from corner of mouth::But seriously, he's hilarious. And he pops up everywhere, it seems. I don't know if I can watch him in such a dramatic role. I keep expecting him to do or say something goofy. Go watch Coupling and you'll see what I mean.
Well, well, well...as if tptb were trying to squeeze in every LOST reference they could, we now see that little Charlie is wearing a t shirt with an orange perch on the front of it.
(there's a better screencap, I know, I'll post it when I have time)Where's the last place you saw an orange perch on tv?
(this is what it looks like...)
Oh yeah.... Um, why? What gives? (that's Jacob's hand, btw)What next, is D. Gibbons going to invite Mark Benford to his office and offer him a glass of MacCutcheon's?
I digress... Oh, that terrible bracelet! How weird. Did Charlie know that her dad would be wearing it whilst terrible things befell him in the future? That kid's like, an Oracle or something. Very strange. I think she's the Walter Lloyd of FF. She'll appear where she doesn't belong and birds will shout out people's names! Btw, the music in this scene is really distracting. Here's what I think about the symbolism of the bracelet. I already mentioned the colors. Aside from that, I think that Mark wearing this bracelet (instead of just telling his daughter "no") can mean that he's resigned to the fact that his fate has been sealed, the glimpse of his future is real, destiny has been written out and cannot be changed...
OR
as a reminder to himself of a possible future, he's seen himself down that road and wants to prevent those things from happening. This bracelet could always remind him of what he could become if he's not careful. He still hast time to make a change that allows him to escape a fate he does not want.
SUSPECT ZERO! How cool! I, too, thought FF was just an okay show until the moment SZ is revealed. Who is that guy? I haven't read any spoilers about it but my guess is that SZ will turn out to be a character played by Dominic Monaghan. I am so thrilled that our Dom might portray the villain in this series. It will be a nice change and you know me, I almost always cheer for the villains.
So why the baseball game, why Detroit, why the GB? And, hello? Why not pretend to be asleep like everyone else when you know you're at a televised sporting event, the cameras are rolling, you know you're going to be caught one way or another. Why not at least crawl away out of there? I mean he/she obviously went to all the trouble of wearing dark clothes and a hood. Still, I really can't wait to find out.
I agree with everyone who found the musical score to be severely lacking in some scenes, and way overdone in the remainder. But let's face it--we've been spoiled for the past 5 years by the amazing score on LOST. Michael Giacchino is simply, a genius. But I do hope the music on FF gets better...
That's it! Thanks for reading my blog! Can't wait till 7pm tomorrow. I'll try to blog "White to Play" before then but I make no promises.... ;)
