Because You Demanded It: The Racialicious Roundtable For Flash Forward
Hosted By Special Correspondent Arturo R. García
[Writer's note: What happened to Heroes, you ask? Stay tuned next week, True Believers. Now, let's roll with the new ...]
The most amazing thing about Flash Forward? Not the Blackout. Not the crows falling from the sky. Not the diverse array of visions being assembled in the Mosaic. Not even Joseph Fiennes’ character being dumb enough to trust Rudolph The Nazi. It’s Al.
See, Al is a classic That Guy character: not one of the major players, not even a major supporting character. He just seems to weave in and out, backing people up as needed. And most of the time, That Guy (or Girl) – that neutral, almost inconsequential character – is played by a white person. But here’s Al, just … being.
And catching up to the show late as I am has been eye-opening: POC characters being COMPETENT! Involved in PRIMARY STORYLINES! And not crying every five minutes! But, I’m glad we seem to be moving past the “What did you see?” stuff and start solving the case already. Let’s see what the ‘Table thinks!
How do you feel about the series’ pace so far?
Mahsino: So I may be in the minority here, but this show doesn’t really do much for me either way. I want to like it, and I don’t hate it -except when they tried to slip Nazis by me. I just don’t care about any of these characters. But now that Ugly Betty is on Friday’s it’s not like I watch anything at that timeslot anyway, so I might as well pull out the Snuggie (don’t judge me) and adjust the snark. And I hate the main character’s wife – btw, that’s how invested I’ve been in this show, that I haven’t bothered to learn anyone but Demetri’sname.
jen*: I, on the other hand, really like the show. But I still hate most of the characters. So far, I’m in it for the story. I understand they’ve gotta make it last, but I’m kinda wondering about the pace. I love Cho on GP, but also really like his character. And his story is way better than Fiennes’. Blech – I basically hate everyone except for Cho, Steve/Norrington, and cutie-patootie Lee Thompson Young (he should get more screen time). BUT! That whole Nazi thing sucked. If people were paying more attention instead of running around like headless chickens, I have confidence *someone* could’ve figured out that bird thing.
Diana: Hasn’t completely grown on me yet, but I’m keeping an open mind. One thing I really didn’t like was Courtney Vance’s character having his flash forward on the toilet. He deserves some more dignity than that. I think Joseph Fiennes is a bit of a tool. But Cho is good and good to look at. I like that he’s with a black woman, although I’m generally lukewarm about Gabrielle Union as an actress. But you can’t have everything you want. Mahsino, I want a Snuggie and one for my little dog too.
Andrea: I stand by my initial recommendation. The pace … considering that it’s 1) trying to establish the collective-consciousness underpinnings of the flash-forwards (and that now cliche message of how we’re all interconnected), 2) the slowness of trying to figure out the story of what happened while folks flash-forwarded (because only that stadium camera caught one (of the few?) who was lurking while everyone else passed out), and 3) we’re also watching many, many potential Butterfly Effects, I have patience with it. Though I’m with Mahsino on one point: I can’t stand the main character’s wife, either. Whatever her name is.
And speaking of pleasant surprises, let’s talk about Demetri and Zoey. Commence the Cho/Union … uh, union love here!
Mahsino: Cho’s back must be tired from all that show carrying he’s been doing. I’ll admit the chemistry is there, but I’m pretty meh about Union’s acting in general (I just cannot forgive the crap Bring It On hath spawned and hold her partially responsible).
Andrea: That’s why it was good to see him laying down and laying down Zoey, too. Wait…::blush::
jen*: Once again – I’m on the other side, Mahsino. I soak up all the cheese from the very craziest of the bazillion Bring It On knockoffs. Except I actually agree about Union’s acting, in this show as well as everything else. (I just have a really high tolerance.) But I’ve felt like we’ve needed more of her on the show just to move the story along. This show has some really cool aspects, seems like it’s equal opportunity, but still looks like even boring white people get more play than hot brown people with really cool stories.
Diana: Again, I like Cho and he makes up for a lot that’s lacking. Does anyone know a black woman named Zoey?
Andrea: Stop that, Diana. No vetting proper names for fictional Black women, Ms. Baddie. Beyond my rah-rah-ing their passionate reunion (again, note the hotel room’s state), what fascinated me was a simple, yet repeated, gesture Cho did: he touched Union’s hair. With all this yakkity-schmack about how Black women don’t want lovers touching our hair, especially if it’s a weave, that was a wonderfully normalizing gesture.
The one character I can do without, honestly, is Aaron Stark. His storyline just seems superfluous.
jen*: ditto.
Mahsino: yeah, I don’t get him.
Diana: Me neither. And seeing dead people has been done already.
Andrea: See, he’s so superfluous, I don’t know who he is. But, by that standard, Heroes would have been cancelled by now.
Ok, who’s the more surprising terrorist: Charlie The Hobbit or friggin’ Steve from Coupling?
Mahsino: I refuse to believe that either of these two had anything to due with the blackouts. They don’t fit the stereotypical brand of terrorist that 24 has made me grow accustomed to, I’m confused.
jen*: Steve. Hmm. But I just am not getting how “terrorists” could cause the entire world to blackout. I know it’s scifi, I just need a speedier route to figuring out the mystery. Give me something in the way of explanation, here.
Diana: Too early to say who’s really a baddie.
Andrea: Agreed, Diana.
Open mic!
Mahsino: I feel like this show is the island for actors of color who’ve payed their dues and haven’t been getting their proper shine. Courtney B. Vance, Lynn Whitfield, Gina Torres, that guy from The Famous Jett Jackson, I see what they’re doing here, now all they need is Keiko Agena, and this show will have me invested for its’ inevitable short life.
jen*: That’s where LTY is from! I knew I’d seen him before. And I forgot about Gina Torres [yay for her!]. But still – their stories are flat and unexplored while we see more of the stubborn lead who unilaterally decided to free a Nazi for sketchy news. I’ll be watching as long as Cho stays alive and they keep moving the story forward. But Shakespeare in Love was eleven years ago, and that really was the last time I had any desire to see Joseph Fiennes. Shoot, I’ve been rooting for his wife to leave him since…ep 1? [Two-hands in the air voting for Lane to come to FF!]
Diana: I like Gina Torres –she seems to rotate around sci-fi themed projects: the Matrix trilogy, Serenity. I’m glad these folks are getting a pay check. Hopefully the story lines will become fuller and more compelling.
Andrea: Which means they need to watch Heroes … as a cautionary tale on how not to treat characters of color.
Well, so far, so good. But the honeymoon for the show may be over sooner than anybody expected. Earlier this week, The Hollywood Reporter, uh, reported that showrunner Marc Guggenheim will be leaving the show. The reason? Ratings are already starting to slip. Can the series maintain its’ momentum? And how long are you willing to wait for it to do so?
Character bios courtesy of Flash Forward Wiki
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of 
Roxie wrote:
imNSho, Union & Cho are the hottest, cutest couple not on HBO. They’re a WMDawwww~ every time I see them.
I agree, there should be more Al/LTY. I’ve loved him since his Famous Jett Jackson days & was mad when Megan Good got on the show for his first kiss THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME!
*ahem*
I also believe that bird thing would’ve/could’ve been figured out w/o freeing a Nazi. I mean, REALLY. Like Fiennes’ partner said “there’s no statue of limitations on evil” BTW, I really like her despite the fact I cannot remember her name. But I cannot remember anyone’s names. She is confident & competent.
I don’t actually hate the wife. I find Fiennes’ characters waffling between “Oh, your flash forward of you being with another man doesn’t /TOTALLY bothers me” to be extremely annoying.
I did wonder about any black women named Zoey (although I do love Z names) and I agree about the touching of her hair. SEE AMERICA, IT CAN BE DONE!
I do think the pace could use a bit of a jolt though.
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 9:23 am ¶
Mary wrote:
The one character I can do without, honestly, is Aaron Stark. His storyline just seems superfluous.
I like the actor playing him – I think after John Cho, he gets the MVP award for getting the most out of some pretty cheesy material. For me, the most useless characters are Dr. Suicide and the babysitter. I would so much prefer their storylines get shaved off in favor of the investigation into the Hobbit-Pirate terrorist alliance.
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 9:32 am ¶
Mia wrote:
Okay I must be going crazy because Ralph Fiennes…. really? seriously?
The show started off cool, you get to check out all the POC featured in the show and yet I wasn’t surprised. These kind of shows don’t hold back- Heroes, Alias, Lost…
But once the blackout took place things started getting…funny. First they had Cho aggressively jacking up the female terrorist thinking she’s responsible and then he tells his partner, “Go check on your family. I’ll take care of this!” I couldn’t help but think about how unfair that is considering both characters have ladies. But instead of Fiennes returning to his partner after getting the okay from his wife- “I hate you.”-, this guy heads over to the office to get to work, with Cho missing the first meeting altogether. And the meeting was laughable.
Out of all the people with blackouts, Fiennes is the only one brave enough to step up and admit to not having a blackout, but having a vision. It was as if everyone was on the toilet at the time and were too embarrassed to say so. I thought to myself, “Way to write around having a black boss. He’s going to always be two steps ahead of the pack.” And of course his partner may very well be dead in six months. Is that so the audience doesn’t invest in his character, or gets more involved so we can cry our eyes out when he dies?
Apart from that, the women all seem to have flash forwards doing what women do best- have babies and set up rooms for more children. “I’m not even seeing anyone.” And it’s always the Nazi’s! “Don’t trust him, he’s dangerous.”
The only thing this show has going for it is Union and Cho; and to be honest, someone will probably Youtube those scenes for me later.
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 9:55 am ¶
malted_tea wrote:
“that guy from The Famous Jett Jackson”
THAT’S why his face is familiar!!
What with all the trailers that started, like, this Spring I really wanted to get into this show.
The premiere’s first few minutes freaked my kids right out so it’s fallen off the radar for me. Glad to see that there’s so many POC and that it hasn’t totally gone the way of Lost. Will try to catch up by reading the Roundups.
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 10:24 am ¶
AJ Plaid wrote:
@Mia–
You got the wrong Fiennes. Joseph’s in Flash Forward; Ralph’s in Harry Potter movies and Schindler’s List playing…a Nazi. Perhaps little bro didn’t have enough juice to get ol’ Ralph back in the SS suit?:P
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 10:30 am ¶
EvilAngelfish wrote:
Popping in to confirm the existence of one real-life black (well, black & white) woman named Zoe (close enough), who went to high school with me. And what about Zoe Kravitz? Seemed more plausible to me than a black woman named Katie (a la Nia Long’s character on the short-lived ‘Big Shots’).
The entire ABC Thursday night line up has the same problem for me: shows with premises I’m into led by characters I can’t stand. I’d probably like this show a whole lot more if it were centered around Dimitri Noh. I guess I’ll give it another episode or two…
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 10:32 am ¶
Thom wrote:
Does anyone know a black woman named Zoey?
Yes. I am related to one.
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 10:42 am ¶
Lola wrote:
don’t forget Zoey Saldana, a black Latina.
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 11:17 am ¶
aimerrouge wrote:
Isn’t the better question, what is an authentic Black woman name?
I hope Diana was joking.
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 11:28 am ¶
Winn wrote:
I’m enjoying the show so far, although I’m unsure how long it will last. But I’m holding out because I must have my Merry…I mean Charlie…I mean, Dominic Monaghan fix. I also love Joseph Fiennes, and although his character is a little annoying and single-minded so far, as an actor he’s done marvelous work on stage and in smaller films since Shakespeare in Love, so I’m willing to go with him. But I agree with everyone; it’s all about John Cho. He’s compelling, charismatic, conflicted, and sexy as hell. Keep him in the forefront, and I’ll stick with you, FF. And although Gabrielle Union is at best a competent actress, she and Cho have marvelous chemistry, and I appreciated an interview with her in which she noted that the fact of their interracial relationship would not be dwelled on but definitely addressed in concrete and hopefully realistic ways.
Despite the credulity detour with the Nazi, I’m still intrigued by the storyline, and all the POC in a variety of settings is refreshing. So here’s hoping FF finds its groove and sticks around for a while, at least until we find out what the hell is going on!
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 11:33 am ¶
dejamorgana wrote:
Has anybody read the book? I did hear it was pretty good, and seems like the premise would work better as a book than a TV series. No idea how similar the story arcs are, though.
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 11:34 am ¶
Shazza wrote:
Actually not only hearing Cho talk about Zoe but hearing that she wanted ‘Islands in the Stream’ to be their wedding song-I was waiting to see a white woman.
And I hope Gina Torres comes back soon. My hubby says he realizes ABC wants this to be the next ‘Lost’ but it hasn’t grabbed him yet either. I’m still giving it a chance. Though I wish Cho was the main character.
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 11:42 am ¶
Roxie wrote:
@aimerrouge: I’m sure she was
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 11:45 am ¶
Persephone wrote:
From the first ep I expected that Stan (Courtney Vance) would be the one-note token black boss, but I think that in the last few episodes he’s had some good moments — I liked his insecurity over giving the eulogy at the funeral, and I liked that he saved that guy’s live in the bathroom and was too embarrassed to tell anybody.
I think the writing needs some work, but I’m sticking with it. Mostly for Sulu. <3
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 11:53 am ¶
7thangel wrote:
fiennes sucks in this, and his character is an asshat. this is why that sorkin dude is good, he’s the one who puts ’shakey in love’s character in check when his messiah complex gets too big. nazi? c’mon, smh.
i don’t mind cho’s character but honestly, that’s because i like cho, not really because of his character. there’s still only one ‘competent’ agent, and that’s fiennes…smdh. and there’s not enough of zoey to love/hate.
sidenote: the babysitter flashforward looks like a bloody baptism. anyways, yawn
as far as the flashforwards, the only other person, besides our main assha,t to have a relevant one, is his annoying daughter (i think annoying runs in that family).
i’ll keep watching it due to my need for sci-fi/fantasy and for some colour in a tv schedule of whiteness. it is one of the better new shows (and better than some sophomore ones as well..*cough.*dollhouse.*cough*) but it needs better writing
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 12:50 pm ¶
Iggles wrote:
Diana: Again, I like Cho and he makes up for a lot that’s lacking. Does anyone know a black woman named Zoey?
Yes! I do. Though I think she spelled it Zoe. And there’s an black latino actress named Zoe Saldana.
Anyway, I’m so happy to see this show getting reviewed on Racialious. I love this show. It’s amazing to see so many POC characters that are fleshed out — not just stereotypes!! ::cough::Stargate Universe::cough.
I have more to write, but I’m at work. Anyway, love this show and all of the characters so far.
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 12:51 pm ¶
Diana wrote:
@Thom–my bad. :]
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 1:44 pm ¶
Diana wrote:
And I was joking. I’m a black woman named Diana and not after Diana Ross either. And my surname is French-Huegenot.
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 1:47 pm ¶
Diana wrote:
Wikipedia has Union’s character as Zoey Andata. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoey_Andata
That’s where I took the spelling came from. Can we read anything into the show’s creators adding a “y” to her name?
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 1:56 pm ¶
Joy wrote:
Yay! This is the first roundtable for a show I watch (I think). I like Cho and Union. I think other characters besides the main guy (brain freeze on his name) will start to be more fully developed – they just had to set us up to get the sow off the ground. Patience People!
@7thangel – leave Dollhouse alone
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 2:20 pm ¶
JC wrote:
I think I’ll start watching the show just for the Blasian couple. This is way out of Hollywood norm but I have a feeling it won’t last – one of them will die soon.
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 2:51 pm ¶
Persia wrote:
“Go check on your family. I’ll take care of this!” I couldn’t help but think about how unfair that is considering both characters have ladies.
Cho’s lady was out of town, though. And he doesn’t have a kid.
I actually like Suicide Doc, much more than Emo Wife or Emo Shakespeare Who’s Not Telling His Wife the Truth. I feel like those two could just disappear from the show tomorrow and we’d have a much better show, instantly.
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 4:26 pm ¶
Persia wrote:
Oh, and I forgot to say– the way Joseph Fiennes’ character seems to be more upset at his wife (who is potentially leaving him due to his own actions) than THE DEATH OF HIS PARTNER bothers me a lot.
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 4:27 pm ¶
gillian wrote:
Agreeing with most here: I like the Demetri character a lot. I’ve always liked John Cho, but I’m really loving him here. Also agree about Gabrielle Union’s acting. It’s often mediocre, but I have a soft spot for her.
As for the rest, I’m really intrigued by the premise of this show, and like Andrea & Winn, I’m willing to be patient with the inconsistencies in plot & character development. I recall that Fringe had similar growing pains last year and I love that show now, so there is hope.
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 4:28 pm ¶
Pika wrote:
I feel compelled to mention that the always marvelous Gina Torres played a character named Zoe in Firefly & Serenity.
But perhaps the character wasn’t written as a particular race, and Gabrielle Union just was the best actor for the part? That would be a huge step forward in the world of casting.
Alas, I’m more concerned about a Korean dude named Demetri!
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 5:05 pm ¶
Melanie wrote:
Surprised that no one has mentioned the HORRIBLE American accents that Olivia (loved her as Penny from LOST) andMark! We know they aren’t American, why can’t they just use their real accents? Can’t stand either whiny character and want to see more of Vance and Torres.
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 5:58 pm ¶
Keith wrote:
What I have seen so far just seems like a paint by numbers version of a J.J. Abrams production.
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 6:09 pm ¶
Renee wrote:
Gotta say that I love this show. I really was not expecting to see so many characters of color. (spoiler) The woman that called to tell Cho (whose name I cannot remember) is a favourite actress of mine. She played Saddams wife in the mini series House of Saddam. That small snippet alone is enough to keep me watching and hoping for more. It is not often you see such diversity in main stream and the plot is fascinating. I am so glad that Racialicious is covering it and I shall be back weekly to read the breakdown.
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 6:40 pm ¶
Penny from Good Time wrote:
Gabrielle Union? Gina Torres?
Dear Networks,
When you don’t show black women in the previews for new shows, I generally don’t bother tuning in. If I find out later that there is one (or more) in the cast and she’s not big and sassy, it pisses me off even more b/c now I am forced to play catch-up.
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 8:49 pm ¶
Danny wrote:
I think the show is alright. I’ m just wondering how the theme will go beyond one season…another blackout maybe?
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 9:12 pm ¶
Tristan wrote:
I was totally shocked that they cut a deal with the Nazi. That episode really had me heated.
I, too, am annoyed by just about every character aside from Noh. I don’t really feel like Cho’s had a chance to flex his dramatic chops yet, but I swear to Gods I will quit this show if he does indeed die.
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 9:27 pm ¶
lizzie (greeneyed fem) wrote:
I really want to like this show. And I love John Cho. He is doing a lot of the carrying — but last week when he lied to Gabrielle Union about what he saw: GAH! What is it with both main dudes lying to their SOs about their blackouts? It’s a soap-opera cliche and I hate it. I want to root for the Cho-Union union and I want to love Cho’s character, but it’s hard when he’s already lying to her.
And yes, more Gina Torres, please! The we’re-American-not-British doctor and agent couple is already wearing thin.
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 9:48 pm ¶
Mary wrote:
The woman that called to tell Cho (whose name I cannot remember) is a favourite actress of mine
Shohreh Aghdashloo!!! Yeah, I was also pretty pumped when she showed up.
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 10:10 pm ¶
JoJo wrote:
Then can we do a roundtable for house.
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 11:29 pm ¶
Cynthia wrote:
I was pleasantly surprised by the show. I like the complexity of the characters, especially the secondary characters. In too many other tv shows, these characters never get developed. I love the show’s human-ness and speaks to true diversity (human being as multi-dimensional. What a concept!) . I love how the trauma of the event seeps into the personal relationships of all the characters and the range of emotions conveyed by the actors.
Interesting, I ignored the show on hulu.com for almost two weeks. Now, I do not miss an episode.
Posted 22 Oct 2009 at 11:56 pm ¶
Iggles wrote:
Tonight’s episode was really good! I won’t spoil any one who hasn’t seen it yet. Plenty of twists. I will say, we can add another minority to cast! This show is super diverse and I’m loving it. I really hope ABC picks it up.
I do find the main guy (played by Joseph Fiennes) a bit grating. I disliked that he did not tell his wife about the drinking in his flashfoward, while punishing her for telling him the truth about what she saw. The wife bugged me last week for the way see was disregarding her patient because she wanted to avoid his father. However, for some weird reason I am rooting for her to get together with the guy she saw in her flashforward. Lol.
Demetri/Zoey – I agree that it’s great to see a blasian couple on TV! In terms of interracial relationships, you rarely see two POC. I love John Cho. He is great on this show and I loved him as Sulu (I saw star trek 5 times).
I like the suicide doctor (his optimism is good), the FBI Director (Courtney Vance is both funny and tough in this role. He owns it), his wife (more Gina Torres please!), the other FBI agent (don’t know all their names yet, but the woman who gets preggers and “Jett Jackson”/Lee Thompson Young).
I don’t really care for the lead guy and the little girl, Charlie.
Posted 23 Oct 2009 at 1:51 am ¶
Bagelsan wrote:
Cosign the Cho love! And the POC love! (If Cho dies I am *out* fer real; partially ’cause it would just be cheap for all this crazy buildup to lead to such a predictable end, and partially because I am shallow and watch this show in large part for the eyecandy.
)
I do find the main guy (played by Joseph Fiennes) a bit grating. I disliked that he did not tell his wife about the drinking in his flashfoward, while punishing her for telling him the truth about what she saw.
I’ve been kinda annoyed at the main guy the whole time, but the part that got me officially switched from “waffling” to “pissed” at his wife too was the surgery scene:
(KIND OF SPOILERS MAYBE!)
Wife: “It’s totally not Addison’s! I’m in massive denial about my marriage!” x1000
(surgery)
Wife: “It’s totally Addison’s.”
surgical team: “You are a GENIUS.”
Wife: “Yeah, I know.”
Give suicide-doctor some damn credit, woman! (Also, I had nooo idea what to think about the Addison’s guy in general. His first scene was cool, with his total calm on the bus, but I felt like they really backpeddled on the significance of his color change. “I’ll be so cool! And I’ll be black!” needed a little more analysis than turning it into a substandard episode of House/i>. :p)
Posted 23 Oct 2009 at 2:36 am ¶
mute wrote:
Aww, I like Aaron Starks character. I like him a lot more than Fiennes or the wife or their kid. In fact, I’m alot more interested in why he had a flashforward of his daughter then whether Fiennes’ marriage breaks up and he gets shot by masked men.
I’m still waiting for this show to come out and grab me, but I guess its silly to think this could develop into another LOST. It suffices for now, but I do think it’s possible I could lose interest. The most fascinating things at this point are those towers in Somalia, whatever’s gonna happen to the president, and Demetri’s non-flashforward.
Like everyone else, I like seeing Demetri and Zoe, although I’m not sure how much chemistry is between Cho and Union.
I saw Glynn Turman’s name in the credits last night. It’d be great to have him as a regular on the show.
Another thing Gina Torres was in was Cleopatra 2525. Did anyone else ever watch that on the WB on Saturdays or was it just me?
On Demetri not having a flashforward: Maybe he’s blind in 6 months?
Posted 23 Oct 2009 at 2:55 am ¶
Ishtar wrote:
Quick note: Gina Torres also played the goddess Glory in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
I’ve seen the first three episodes of FF so far and I like the show but, like most people here, the Joseph Fiennes character irritates the crap out of me. I was really disappointed in the Nazi episode too. I mean, WTF?
Fiennes/Benford brushes off Cho’s/Noh’s concerns about his future death but Benford steadfastly believes in every detail of his own vision. So…his vision has to play out exactly as he saw it? I dunno.
I really like SA Janis Hawk (Christine Woods) – she of the ultrasound flash forward. She’s tough, clever and confident.
Posted 23 Oct 2009 at 5:38 am ¶
Ishtar wrote:
Forgot to say! I’m so glad you’re doing a roundtable on this show.
Also, I second JoJo’s suggestion of a roundtable for House.
Posted 23 Oct 2009 at 5:39 am ¶
Roxie wrote:
@Ishtar: Gina Torres did not play Glory in BtVS. She played Jasmine in Angel
Posted 23 Oct 2009 at 10:00 am ¶
Tamara wrote:
Wow. Look at the awesome responses to this new roundtable. So this means no more FlashForward spillage into Heroes table discussions?
It just means that thread will be even more empty than it already is. *sigh*
Just want to echo some points made/mentioned:
-Gabby Union, while I love her, I’ve never thought she was a ‘great’ actress. Just so-so; she does enough to satisfy, but she’s the same character in every feature from that horrid Neo Ned to Cadillac Records. And in both her character had scenes where she could’ve explored depth and nuance but didn’t. (or she tried and it fell flat…most likely the latter). I love her with Cho. They have chemistry and they look good together; damn good.
-Joseph Fiennes, I cannot care for his character. I feel nothing. He frustrates me; he annoys me.
-Courtney B. Vance, same deal. He’s just…meh.
***I think mostly its the writing. It’s just…it falls short or something. And last night’s eppy, when the Chinese Triad came out of nowhere to take out all the agents at this FBI headquarters (which begs to question, are these hitmen attacking other agencies investigating this ‘happening’ or is it just our Los Angeles bureau that’s targeted?
I guessed the Anglishman with the son who’s sick, the man who will boink Joseph’s wife. I guessed from jump that he was in on “it”; whatever the hell “it” is.
The show’s premise is wonderful; the pace? choppy at times but somehow the momentum maintains. But to be honest, I’m losing interest. It’s not as addictive as some shows. I’m not suffering withdrawals with having to wait another week for it to air… But kudos to the diverse casting and farts of good acting/dialogue/scene, etc.
Posted 23 Oct 2009 at 12:56 pm ¶
7thangel wrote:
the shortcomings come from the writing, although in fiennes case, it’s his acting. he comes off like he’s trying to suppress a poop, it’s annoying. go to the damn bathroom or let one rip.
the lez reveal wasn’t much of a reveal as it was kind of obvious but i did like that there was some affection and kissing.
Posted 23 Oct 2009 at 3:10 pm ¶
Mahsino wrote:
So, I’ve officially turned the corner to liking the show after last nights ep.
But as for a roundtable of House, I think I can go ahead and sum up every episode recap of house for you in 10 steps*:
House gets a case
House doesn’t want the case
Something strange/mysterious/interesting happens
House is interested
Totally unnecessary tests are run that probably wouldn’t be in a real hospital setting
House almost, but not quite solves the case, but the patient gets worse.
His cronies suggest a solution.
7a. one of the proposed diseases is MS
He shoots down said solution.
It’s never MS
Something is said by one of his cronies that makes him suddenly remember some obscure disease from out of nowhere.
He miraculously solves the case and gets all the credit
*Somewhere in between steps one and ten, House gets in a spat with Wilson and Cuddie, tries to avoid clinic duty, and says something racist/sexist because he’s House and he’s "edgy".
End of episode.
The show’s okay, but the formula can only be mocked for so long.
Posted 23 Oct 2009 at 4:45 pm ¶
nemogbr wrote:
Haven’t seen the episodes yet and will catch up to the series as soon as I finish my backlog of viewing.
Thank heavens for the internet tv.
I have noted from friends who find Fiennes American accent wierd.
I suppose the same way I found Hugh Laurie’s American accent in House weird, as well.
The British viewers might get used to it if “Flashforward” gets to have a second season.
Posted 24 Oct 2009 at 10:20 am ¶
jen* wrote:
Mahsino – complete cosign on House. I think I quit watching two yrs ago cuz I was tired of watching the same episode over and over.
My sister just refers to the show as ‘that sexist show where women always get punished for having sex’.
Posted 25 Oct 2009 at 1:53 am ¶
Autumn Love wrote:
I have to say, I really like this show. I don’t love it yet, but I could certainly love it with a few changes. Like most of you, I am not a fan of Fiennes story line. At this point I don’t care if his wife leaves him or if he becomes an alcoholic.
Cho’s storyline is the most interesting. I really think the focus should be on him more than Fiennes. I also love him paired with Union. I personally love Gabrielle, and found out about FF through following her career. I really hope they make her a regular, and their relationship lasts the life of the series.
I need to see more of Vance/Torres as well. I feel these are two phenomenal actors who can tear the right storyline up!
Posted 26 Oct 2009 at 7:50 pm ¶
Orville wrote:
I disagree about people bashing Gabrielle Union`s acting I thought Gabrielle`s performance on FlashForward has been very strong. I also believe Cho and Union have real chemistry. I also feel that Gabrielle`s movie Neo Ned was an amazing acting performance and she got critical success for that film!
Posted 19 Nov 2009 at 2:31 pm ¶