'FlashForward': Renal cell carcinoma and Bob Dylan
I am not sure why "FlashForward" felt the need to give us a Bryce-centered episode. I would argue that Bryce is not the most interesting of characters, but I went into the episode thinking that maybe I would be turned around once I learned more about him. Didn't happen.We learned tonight that four weeks before the blackout, Bryce was depressed. We kind of knew that already, what with his being about to commit suicide when the flash took place. What we didn't know before tonight, though, was that four weeks before the blackout Bryce learned that his stage four renal cell carcinoma had metastasized. Bad news? Yes. Worth ruining someone else's '63 T-Bird? No. Nothing is worth ruining a cherry '63 T-Bird (maybe not even the environment).
Two weeks before the flash, Bryce's flash girl -- Keiko Arahida (probably Keiko anyway, definitely Arahida) -- was flailing in an interview and Bryce was flailing in an operating room. Keiko got her job, Bryce kept his and then they were both oh-so-excited by their flashes and their potential for true happiness.
I apologize -- I can't figure out why Bryce is in the show at all. I see a world in which all the others characters have something to do with the flash -- loving someone that caused it, finding those who caused it, or actually causing it. Bryce is just... there.
Plus, Bryce has to be in the easiest surgical residency program ever. He gets time off without having a fever. He goes to Tokyo when he's supposed to be going to Texas. Is he going to get fired for that? I'm thinking not. I'm happy he wants to meet his one, true, future love, but the other surgical residents in the program need to pick up the slack when he disappears. That's not how you treat other human beings, no matter what you have going on. Serves him right that the future flash restaurant is in L.A., not Tokyo.
Far more interesting to me tonight was Demetri's conversation with Ms. Levy from the NSA. The NSA apparently had a recording of Demetri's call with the mysterious lady who told Demetri about his impending murder, but Levy wasn't going to give up any info. No, instead she wanted to not divulge any information about anything whatsoever with Demetri in the room.
I saw that as the exact sort of thing one branch of the government would do to someone in another branch. Levy had information that could have helped Demetri save his life, but wasn't interested in helping at all, in any way. But, let me ask you, why would she inform the FBI that she had that information if she wasn't willing to part with it? Weird.
Perhaps Levy is just as ridiculous as Mark. Why did Mark assume the text to Olivia about his drinking came from one of the two people he told about his drinking? Why couldn't it have come one of the gunmen who saw him drunk? What kind of FBI guy is he that he couldn't figure that possibility out? He would rather accuse his AA sponsor and his boss than think. Of course, he also told Demetri that they would both being going to Hong Kong right after Wedeck told them not to go -- clearly Mark's not the brightest bulb.
Quick flashes:
- I get where both Aaron and Tracy are coming from with the drinking in the house. Tracy does seem to be drinking a little much, however.
- Wow, what a bogus explanation we got tonight of how the FBI could analyze the ring but not the guy's face. The lady doth protest too much, methinks.
- Dylan's "Shelter from the Storm," good song -- almost makes up for a Bryce-centric episode.
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For those of us starving for real characters and some honest human interaction to latch onto in the midst of all the mystery and bombast, this episode was a welcome change. It's amazing how wildly different people's opinions of the show (and individual episodes) are based on the lens in which they view... whether you want the cold hard action/adventure procedural ala grand puzzle or the character driven "intimate epic" that was promised. I want it to be both. This episode was the break out episode for me...
This show needs the characters and their stories to stand out, otherwise it is all mystery and no reason for us to care.
Maybe I only cared about Bryce's story because I find Keiko so adorable, but I liked this episode. I am totally routing for her, and therefore him. So yeah, I do care.
OH you are so wrong on this! Zachary Knighton stepped up and shone in this episode. Bryce became rootable for and could carry more of the show if needed. So there are some plotholes, but I don't think most of the fans of this storyline noticed. Zachary won us over. He is the breakout star of FlashForward in my eyes.
Plus, this created an interesting loop. The flash forward Bryce and Keiko saw was the end of the journey caused by the flash forward. It is the chicken or the egg question.
I wasn't going to comment, thinking that everyone would agree with Josh regarding how poor this episode was... but after reading the first two comments above I feel I should mention that I agree with Josh -- in fact I thought it was even worse than he did (and a major disappointment after last week's episode which I thought was a great improvement after all of the "blue hand" and "dead crow" filler episodes).
Regarding all of Josh's above questions, virtually all of them can all be addressed with one answer: "because the show is poorly written". Why? Because it can be (and lots of people will still watch and defend it because the TV bar has been set so low these days).
I loved tonight's episode but because it struck me on a personal level. I met a girl in Korea when I was in the Army. We had a passionate affair and we mutually agreed to part ways at the end of my tour. Thing is, I could not forget her. I missed her so much and I could not live without her so I hopped a plane to Seoul (Kimpo actually) and looked for her. I had only her name, her picture and the address where she had worked but had quit a week before I left Korea. Took me a couple of months but I found her...and her new husband. Sometimes, things are not meant to be.
wake up people. its lost, its heroes...its the x files...its us investing our valuable time and being played again by writers who dont have a clue as to what their end game is.
Bobby was in fine voice in the 70's. I've watched that video at work myself on numerous occasions.
It's turning into a soap opera. I was really looking forward to this show, but it's been a disappointment.
I have to agree that there was too much Bryce and too little of the FBI investigation. I'm interested in finding out whether or not the characters' FF do come true, but the writers needs to give us more clues about who/what caused the FF in the first place. It seems like we only get new info about the conspiracy whenever Lloyd and Simon get a lot of screen time. There is too much time being wasted on Aaron/Tracy, Bryce, Nicole, Olivia, etc. I wanted to find out more about how Demetri's mystery caller knew about his murder, etc.
By the way, I do like Bryce's character, and I'm glad he wasn't depressed anymore. It's just that we need more scenes of Mark, Demetri, Janis and Wedeck leading the FBI investigation. Just my opinion, but I think this show would be more interesting if Bryce and Keiko did NOT end up together, despite what they saw in their FF. It would be too easy to say that everyone's fate is pre-determined, blah, blah, blah. I noticed that Nicole seems to be falling for Bryce, but she doesn't want to interfere in his search for Keiko. It would be a nice surprise if Bryce and Nicole ended up being a couple after all her angst about being drowned and his desperate search for his "dream" girl! :-)