FlashForward: Season 1 Episode 9 - Believe

Now that's more like it!  Welcome back Flashers!  I made it no secret that I thought last week's episode was mostly a dud.  There were some pretty interesting things revealed, but coming off of the high the week before, it just didn't add up.  This week?  They changed things up on us.  We got a flashback to before the blackout plus a character-centric storyline.   It was a much-needed slower pace but more interesting at the same time.  I get a little tired when they jump from one storyline to the next in one episode without giving us a chance to digest what is happening!  Sometimes less is more.  And they managed to sneak a nice twist into the end of the episode that has nothing really to do with the MOSAIC Investigation.  It won't go down as the best episode of FlashForward, but it was a solid outing in my book! (or I guess blog!)

So what went down this week?  We get a long-delayed back-story on the reasoning behind Bryce's suicide attempt and his transformation POST-flash.  We meet his Japanese "flame-to-be" Keiko and follow both of their paths towards finding each other (one day).   Mark finds out about the anonymous text to Olivia and starts snooping around for answers.   There are some additional findings on the Flash-Free Rings and also on Demetri's anonymous caller.  Aaron also runs into some issues with the recently returned Tracy.   Let's see what we can break down here:

The Mini-Stories

Aaron and Tracy

We didn't get much with these two in the episode.  But the couple scenes spoke volumes for Aaron's behavior in the rest of the episode.  Aaron discovered an empty bottle of vodka next to Tracy's bed where she was probably passed out drunk.   Later on Tracy cooked some dinner for her father and she sat down to unwind with a bottle of wine.

• We find out that Aaron used to be a military man himself. 
• We found out last week that Aaron doesn't like to have alcohol in his home (as he is an alcoholic).  It was further enforced this week when he told Tracy that she could not drink in the house.  He can't handle it.  Tracy goes off talking about all she has been through, takes her bottle to somewhere else in the house and drinks it.  As we find out later though, this might be more of a concern for his daughter than himself.  
• When Aaron and Mark were on the phone, they discuss Tracy's fear of Jericho.  Mark is looking into it but needs higher security clearance to get any more information.  He mentioned that they have some operation based out of Santa Monica and something about a Think Tank.  Also mentioned in the same breath as Jericho is Blackwater.   Not sure if this was a hint at anything to come, but I figured I'd throw it out there. 

Aftermath of "The Text" unveiling

So Mark gets of the phone with Aaron because someone is calling Olivia's phone.   When he gets Olivia's phone, he misses whoever is calling but then stumbles upon the text that said "Mark was drinking in his flash forward"

• Okay, first of all...WHAT?   Anyone that knows anything about text messages know that a text message might pop up like that on phones when it first arrives, but then you have to ACCESS the texting section of the phone to look at it again.  Wasn't this incident weeks ago with the anonymous text?   I think it was rather convenient that it would just pop up on Mark's phone!   Lazy writing maybe, but it got the ball rolling for this storyline. 
• Olivia told Mark since he already told her about the drinking that she didn't bother to bring it up.  She also said that she didn't know who sent it. 
• Well, that didn't stop Mark from trying to find out.  As we know, there are 2 people we know that he told.  Aaron and Stan.  He first attempts to ask Aaron after an AA meeting.  Keep in mind everything Aaron is dealing with at home and he has to get whiny Mark coming up to him about his problems yet again.  Reenactment:  Mark "Well, I only told 2 people....so...you tell me"   Aaron: "I deal with so much of your crap and your whining and this is trust I get in return?  I'm going to throw some chairs now!"   And he does.  Mark:  "Stay away from my wife!!"  Aaron: "Oh yeah?  Get a new sponsor! And now I'm gonna smack your face 3 times! HA!"  
• So, Mark doesn't get anywhere with Aaron so he moves on to Stan, his boss.  Reenactment 2 (don't try this at home):  Mark "well, uh, you did seem pretty p.o.'d when I told you I WAS LOOOADED OKAY???"   Stan:  "ohhhh no you didn't!  You think I'm going to stoop as far as telling your wife on you when you whine your confession to me!?  Get out of my face!" 
• I know I had a comment or 2 last week suspecting that Stan might be the mole in the office AND the 7th ring bearer.  I'm not sure I'm seeing it.  But WHAT IF Stan was the one that ratted out Mark?  Could he be involved in things more than we think?   It's not like he flat out denied sending the text.  Then again, neither did Aaron.   What WAS Stan doing in that bathroom?  Perhaps he is the one that lets the gunmen in?    Eh, I'm not seeing it.  I like Stan as a good guy, and I like to think he's going to bust in and save Mark on April 29th.   Or even, LIVING Demetri will come in and save him.   
• So then who texted Olivia if it wasn't one of those 2?  Ahhh could it be an ominous 3rd party?   Granted, they were in a bar when Mark blurted out "CAUSE I WAS LOOOOADED OKAY???" so other people could have been listening in.   But what if someone out there KNOWS what people saw somehow?   Sounds a little far fetched too.   If I have to choose between Aaron and Stan, I would say Stan did it.  But if there's a 3rd party option, I would entertain that as well. 
• Later on Mark apologizes to Aaron.  It's the same old speech.  Mark says "I'm under a lot of stress" Aaron says "Dammit Mark you're not the only one!"   It is clarified that Tracy joined the military because she wanted to be like her father.  She got all messed up and returned an alcoholic just like her father.   Aaron blames himself for it all.   He tells Mark he can't be his sponsor anymore, but he wants a friend.  Mark accepts.  awwwww     But if Mark doesn't have a sponsor, how will he not get LOOOOOOADED in April?  Ahhh, cause and effect...

MOSAIC Investigations and Beyond

The one Ring that will FOOL them all! 

As requested by Stan in last week's episode, further information was unveiled about the ring on Suspect Zero's hand.  Of course we have more knowledge that there were 7 rings, but the FBI does not know this!

• Mark asked the question on everyone's mind, why weren't they able to render the face?  The NSA Agent Leevy (sp?) gave some mumbo jumbo excuse about the face being washed out or something.  And that the ring was a reflective surface with hard edges and they were able to render a 3D image of  it.   There was some weird symbol on the ring, one that I think was on the rings we saw last week too.   Unfortunately, with less and less people providing screenshots, I can't put it here! 
• Stan apparently didn't find this information on the ring very helpful, and this Miss Leevy was apparently withholding information because of the current company in the room not making her comfortable. 
• Long story short - Demetri Noh was Red Flagged by the NSA after they intercepted a phone call from overseas.  The very phone call that Demetri received informing him that he's going to die on March 15th.  After some bullying, Demetri convinced the NSA Agent to make a call to retrieve the phone record. 

How to catch an anonymous Caller

You just have to filter everything but the background noise!

• I think we had a back and forth discussion the blog back in episode 3 about what city the woman was calling from.  Well debate is settled.  Agent Vreede recognized the cheesy electronic music as the Symphony of Lights - the world's largest music show, located in HONG KONG! 
• Once again Stan is against sending Mark and Demetri on one of these crazy leads.  (also making him a bit suspicious, but we'll let it go for now)  Stan said he'd put one of his top agents on it though. 
• Mark, growing a set (if Alda could see him now), told Demetri that they're going to Hong Kong anyway!  YEAH MARK!!     Okay, so my wife brings up a good point.  They're going to fly to the large city of Hong Kong and just FIND this woman with no other leads?!?    "Excuse me miss?  Say the word 'Murdered'....THAT's HER!!"   Sure, I'm sure they'll get more information before the next episode, but it seemed like you'd want a better lead than just HONG KONG and the symphony of lights, but what do I know?   

The Tale of Bryce and Keiko

(Part 1) 

4 Weeks Before the Blackout

Well, it becomes immediately clear why Bryce wanted to kill himself.  We find out he has stage 4 Renal Cell Carcinoma, a kidney cancer.

• From discussions with his doctor, we find out that he has been battling this for awhile and that there is not much more that he can do.  He asks how long he has, but we never hear the answer. 
• But from his walk to his car, with all loss of hope, we can tell it's not good news.   He gets in his car, and not even paying attention backs right into a very fancy car (sorry, not a car expert but it was expensive, I know that!)    The drive flips out, Bryce doesn't even say a word.  He just pulls his car up and backs back into the other car 2 or 3 more times, gets out of his car and then walks away.   The man calls the police and yells "You're DEAD!"   Yep, that's the idea buddy. 

2 Week Before the Blackout

We see the woman that Bryce has yet to meet or even see in his flash.

• We find out her name is Keiko later on and that she is interviewing for a job in Tokyo (where she lives) with the Nakahara company.  
• Apparently she built some robotic hand and graduated with top honors as a medical engineer major at the University of Tokyo.  
• But she has role models like Jimi Hendrix, plays guitar and likes salsa dancing too.   The suits weren't too impressed with those facts.   
• She does get the job and there is a surprise party at her house where we see her mother trying to "arrange a match" with a successful business man Ito.  
• And we also find out that the mother is the one really pushing for this big engineering job.  

We rejoin Bryce in Los Angeles, trying to return to his normal life.  He freezes in surgery and Olivia questions his commitment.

Blackout Day

Bryce's Day

• Bryce begins therapy.  He claims that he is not a very good doctor.  He didn't know what he wanted to do and just did it.  And now he has cancer. 
• He does not want to tell anyone about the cancer.  His father died of lung cancer and it was a 3 year chore on the rest of his family. He doesn't want to put anyone through that.   And he doesn't want pity from his co-workers.  The therapist urges that Bryce needs support.
• We see Bryce load the gun, head to the pier and attempt to pull the trigger and the ZAP - FLASHFORWARD!!  We see that he is in some Japanese restaurant and asks for tea.  Keiko comes in with a wheel on her shirt.  "You're really here!  Please sit"  He grabs her hand, there's the tattoo on her arm that means BELIEVE.    They are clearly meeting for the first time but recognize each other from their Flash.   woa...so they would not have met if the flash never happened, but now they're inspired to find each other because of the flash! 

We see Keiko wake up having the same exact flash.  The sink overflowed in the bathroom.  She is very happy about what she saw.

Present Day 

In Japan

• Keiko is miserable at her job.  She has visions from her flash of running with sparks flying all around.   She is mimicking guitar movements while watching and listening to Bob Dylan playing "Shelter From The Storm"
• She is called into a conference with Mr. Nakahara himself and all he wants is for her to serve tea.  Ouch.   
• Keiko stops into a tattoo parlor on her way home.  And remembers having one in her flash.  She asks to get one.  The tattoo guy scoffs at first but she is persistent. 
• Keiko returns home and fights with her mother about quitting and not wanting to be in an arranged marriage.  She says there is someone else out there for her.  She wants someone with imagination.  The Mother is not happy!  She gets so upset with Keiko that she kicks her out of the house. 

Bryce continues his obsession with finding Keiko

• We see all of the paintings in his home and now recognize everything is from his flashforward.  We also see him learning Japanese (much quicker than Jin learned English I must say!  But maybe not as quickly as Hiro learned English on Heroes.  That was record timing!) 
• Bryce throws up.   He is sickly at work as well.  He finally has to come clean to Olivia about the cancer.  Olivia puts all of the pieces together and realizes this is why he wanted to kill himself.   Bryce says that he's in a better place now ("I have something to live for"), and it's just the couple days after the chemo but then he'll be fine.  We also find out that Bryce has had the cancer for a year and had his kidney removed before he started working at the hospital.  
• Bryce and Nicole catch up later.  We get a sense that she kinda has a thing for Bryce and his impressed he's going to great lengths to find this woman.  
• He later talks with a Japanese patient who is apparently aware of Bryce's flash.  Bryce shows her his drawing of the girl.  The woman recognizes the wheel on the shirt from a sushi place just outside of Tokyo.  Bryce thinks this might be the place where he meets her. 
• Olivia makes some calls and finds a specialist trying some advanced experimental treatments in Houston.  She got Bryce an appointment.   Bryce says that he can't sacrifice meeting this girl by getting sick.   Olivia said that this might be what keeps him alive for his Flash and to take a couple days off and to go to Houston.  
• Bryce goes to Tokyo instead to the restaurant with the wheel.   The cook recognizes the picture as Keiko's.
• Bryce gets directions to where he thinks Keiko's home is.  It is indeed her home, but her mother had already kicked her out.  She realizes that this must be the "OTHER MAN" out there for her and tells Bryce nothing.  She says that she does not even know the girl in the picture. 
• He calls Nicole and is clearly upset.  Nicole tries to reassure him that the trip wasn't a waste.  He did get a name, but maybe he needs to be more patient.   I mean, for real!  If he wants his flash to come true, then why is he seeking her out so soon?   But everything happens for a reason right?  Anyway, Bryce thinks he may have misinterpreted his flash.  Maybe it was only a fantasy.  

FINAL SCENE

Bryce returns home.  We see him get off the plane.  But the camera doesn't follow him, it stays on the gate.  Who do we see get off of the very same plane?  But Keiko herself who has gone through a make-over (looking less like the business woman we saw all episode, and more like the woman from the flashes and Bryce's drawings).  She has the tattoo and we see more of her flash.  She is running through the sparks and runs into a restaurant that says "Best of Los Angeles".   Ahhhh, it is a Japanese restaurant but it's in L.A.!!  Nice!

So what now?  Does Bryce keep pursuing her? Does Keiko find Bryce before April 29th?   It sure seems like a first meeting in their flash right?   Why will Mark and Demetri be able to find this woman in Hong Kong immediately after flying there (just guessing) while it will take Keiko and Bryce 5 months to find each other?  These are the things that keep me up at night folks!

So there it is, a straight-forward episode with a nice story about Bryce and his future flame.  Still some advancement of plot in the FBI Investigations and personal lives of Mark and Aaron.   I liked it.  Others may think it was a bit unnecessary, but it's episodes like this that may allow them to stretch things out over a few seasons.

So, next week is Thanksgiving, no new episode thank God!  Not sure how I would have pulled that one off!   But we'll be back in 2 weeks with a new one.  I hear there will probably be a 3 week break over the Christmas/New Years holidays too which means we may only get a couple more before another break.  Hey, it works for me.  I need as many breaks as I can get before January/February!  (Did anyone hear LOST and Idol are both going to be on Tuesdays now?  Ugh, how will I manage this blogging nightmare!?)   Anyway, the next episode looks to be pretty intense based on the previews.  Alas, I won't spoil for those who like to not see any hints of the next episode.

I'll be sure to get some pictures up on last week's and this week's blog if pictures show up anywhere out there.  I Hope everyone in the US has a great Holiday weekend next week and I'll see you back here in 2 weeks!

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FlashForward: Season 1 Episode 8 - Playing Cards With Coyote

After an episode full of lots of details and revelations, there was bound to be a little bit of a letdown right?  Somehow, after Al Gough selflessly sacrificed himself for the benefit of giving the world HOPE, we seem to be right back at square one by the end of the day, with a few twists I guess.  It was a decent episode, but the big reveals at the end weren't nearly as exciting as in previous weeks.  Of course, this is just one man's opinion!   I'm still along for the ride and chomping at the bit for the next episode!  
(Disclaimer: I just had finished watching the season 3 finale of LOST in my rewatch, arguably one of the best episodes of the entire series.  So, I don't think I was going into the latest installment of FlashForward unbiased!)

Still some stuff to discuss, so let's get to it!   So what's the premise of this episode?  It's a new dawn for the POST FLASH world.  Celia has received Al's letter and went public with it.  The world knows that the future can be changed!   Well, it can, but we're finding that it won't be as easy as they think!    Mark and crew follow a lead on the 3 star tattooed man that is after him in his flash (have to say this one ended very predictably!).  Janis returns to the FBI as well!   On the homefront, Olivia and Mark are on the mend after some recent trials, but new challenges are surfacing!   Bryce and Nicole get some airtime separately.  Nothing too significant.  We dive more into the Aaron/Tracy dynamic.  And, yes, there is the whole poker game and battle of wits between Simon and Lloyd.  Some interesting nuggets there!   So, my friends here we go!

Miscellaneous Storylines

Making Up for Lost Time

So Mark and Olivia booked themselves a hotel room on the beach and are taking a little break from their jobs so that they can WORK on their marriage a bit.

• Mark gets Olivia a gift to celebrate their 2nd chance.  The fact that they can change the things they saw.  Olivia says that she never thought they couldn't.    Before Olivia can open, Mark is summoned to work to follow up on a big lead (we'll get there). 
• Later at the hospital, Olivia opens the gift and it just happens to be some lingerie to kickstart some making up!  One catch, it's the exact outfit that she's wearing in her flash. (Yep, when she's with Lloyd!)   Later that night Mark comes home after a run-in with Aaron (we'll mention more later).  He is so shocked that Aaron's vision is coming true that he is losing hope again.   Olivia mentioned that she didn't wear her new outfit because Mark would probably take it right off anyway.  I didn't catch on at first, but they cut to some guy dumping trash.   It must've been at the hospital.  She threw the lingerie out!   She is determined to change her future and tries to convince Mark of the same.   
• This snowballs into another run-in with Lloyd.  But not before Bryce mentions that he sensed something weird between Olivia and Lloyd and before we found out once again that Dylan had some tests to be run before he can leave. 
• Simon is with Lloyd this time and appears to have some doctoral expertise as he reads Dylan's chart to Olivia.  Olivia, much to Lloyd's unhappiness, tells them both that barring any setbacks Dylan should be okay to leave in a couple days.   
• Note: Simon did ask if Lloyd was having any type of relationship with Olivia, and he said it was none of Simon's business.  Well, he didn't come out and just say no!

Nicole Believes in the NEW Future! 

• Bryce apparently informed Olivia about Nicole's flash because now Olivia is worried.  But Nicole tells her not to worry as she knows the future is not written in stone!   She may not drown.   But it didn't stop Nicole from still thinking about it. 
• They also show her pulling a flyer off the bulletin board that says "SANCTUARY - There's a New Way"   Is this different than the church group she wanted to join?   I guess we may find out. 

Operation Hide Tracy

So, Tracy is alive and hiding at Aaron's house.  She doesn't want to reveal anything that happened, she just wants to lay low.  Naturally, Aaron is not having any of it!

• Aaron has to wake Tracy up from a nightmare she is having of the incident in Afghanistan.  Apparently, it's a nightly occurrence.  We find out that she indeed is missing half of her right leg and she has a prosthetic leg in its place that she hopped into when she woke up.  
• Tracy has asked Aaron to not speak to anyone that she is alive and that she is only there to lay low.  But Aaron wants answers.  He has been grieving for 2 years, had her grave exhumed because he was convinced she was alive.  He can't even tell Tracy's mother that she's alive.  His opinion is that 5 months from now they will be together in Afghanistan according to the vision.  Something they both saw, so why not get started working towards it now? 
• She eventually comes around and starts to bring up what happened.  Some was a recap of last week.  The Humvee got attacked, but the kicker was that they were attacked by Jericho PMCs (Private Military Contractors).   Ahh all of that military jargon from last week is coming into focus now!   Jericho works for their military so she can't trust them.  2 weeks before the attack, she was on assignment working long range recon on some village in Afghanistan.  Her orders were to stay covert.  But Jericho was there too.  She saw them wipe out an entire village, killing women and butchering children.   She didn't know why but she told her superior officer.  The end result was she was on the assignment where her Humvee got rocket launched!   Hmmmm....what does destroying a village in Afghanistan have to do with everyone and their FlashForwards?   Could it be this same military crew that was after Mark in his Flash? 
• When they showed the explosion again, they showed Tracy immediately after.  She said she thought she was the only one.  I guess that was in reference to Mike being alive and she didn't know?    
• Mark and Aaron have a meeting in Aaron's car at some point.  Being sworn to secrecy doesn't mean anything between these 2 pals.  Aaron snapped pictures on his cell phone of Tracy.  She seems to be looking at the camera.  I'm not sure why she would LET him take the pictures.  Maybe he put the camera on SILENT snap and she was just looking at him wondering why he had his phone out!  Mark is shocked that Tracy is alive (hence the conversation he has with Olivia that we discussed).  Aaron explains that Tracy is on the run and that she needs help with the whole Jericho business.  Well, that would make sense if Mark gets involved that these guys are tied to the whole invasion of the FBI headquarters.  Of course, the FBI's own actions in this episode may lead to this group's interest in offing Mark Benford or even Demetri Noh!    
• Aaron is back at home and has made some tea for him and Tracy.  She wants the bourbon but knows her father is a recovering alcoholic.   He doesn't waste time telling her that Mark is "in the know"now.  Tracy is not happy about it at all.   Aaron goes back into his speech about how they will both be in Afghanistan, that they'll both be alive in April since they saw it.   We get more information from the flash:  Tracy was laying in a cot and had fallen asleep, there were military people surrounding them, there was some crazy graffiti on the walls and someone called Aaron's name.   He went outside and there was a man concerned for Tracy.  Tall, dark and has a scar.  Tracy recognized the name as Kahmir Dijion (Like the mustard??).  He is the guy that took care of Tracy after the explosion.  
• Kahmir told Aaron "The Accounts have been verified" and Aaron hands him some unknown package. Neither Aaron or Tracy know what the phrase means.  
• Tracy was afraid that Jericho would kill Kahmir if they get to her.  But again Aaron, having the faith on his side, knows that Kahmir will be alive in April.   "I have to trust what I saw!"    
• I guess we will have to wait until next week to see if Tracy goes along with it. 

Can't Read My POKER FACE!
(Just got that song stuck in your head didn't I?)

Lloyd's Email

As Lloyd watches the news, discussing Al Gough's "GIFT" to the world, he has an email drafted up but is hesitating to send.

• The email is addressed to people at "nlap.us.com"  I googled it and nothing of relevance comes up for NLAP.  "National Laboratory Audit Program", "Nebraska Lawyers Assistance Program", "Non-Limited Aeration Process", "Northern Lakes Accommodation Providers".   I guess it could be that first one.  But who knows what that would mean? 
• Keep an eye on these names that were in the email:  Gordon_myhill@nlap.us.com, gabe_glayson@nlap.us.com, philippe_tarhan@nlap.us.com
• The body of the email: "We have to take responsibility" and then referenced a PDF file: //ssw-fileserver1/datassw/documents83478.pdf    Perhaps this document proves that they were behind the blackouts?  
• Lloyd does end up sending the email and then we get a snapshot of his inbox.  Not sure if there's anything significant here:  Liz Coulder is telling him the boss wants to see him ASAP (makes sense, since he's gone missing).  Lots of emails about forms.  Lucas and Lloyd have a 5 email conversation thread going on and he wants the last email resent.   There are emails from Vern evans, bluebikecu, winderfiled co, Steven Thomas, Jake.    Yep, I got nothing obviously.  But you never know when these names will resurface! 

Simon Arrives

So Lloyd is playing more card tricks with Dylan, guesses the right card again (the Ace of Spades) and then Simon arrives to interrupt and finish their conversation.   Here's a question, Simon had Lloyd cornered in a car  weeks ago and they didn't have this conversation yet?  It's like Lloyd said "we're responsible for the deaths of 20 million people" and then Simon said "okay, that makes sense. Have a good day!" and got out of the car!   But anyway, when in ROME (or when on a serialized TV show).

• Anyway, what really has Simon buggered (Sorry all folks in the UK if I spelled that wrong!) is that he caught wind of the email that Lloyd sent a little earlier.  Hmm, I didn't see him on the email, I guess one of those folk clued him in on it? 
• Lloyd used his GO TO line again "Our experiment killed 20 million people!"   Simon brings up a new angle that he still has doubts for the cause.  What does that mean?  He even said they were responsible the first time we met his character!  
• Do we think that other people in their organization were unaware of the "experiment" performed and that is why Lloyd sent some documentation?   Or was the documentation in the email an article about Al Gough's suicide attempting to change the future, which was the straw that broke the camel's back on Lloyd wanting to go public?  
• In either case, that's exactly what Lloyd wants to do.  He wants to go public.  And Simon is not on board with this.  
• Simon mentions that Lloyd is also a prestigious award winning scientist.  A Nobel Finalist and a recipient of the McCarthur prize. 
• Simon decides that the only way to decide the going public vs. laying low debate is by a fine game of Texas Hold'em between the 2 of them, just like in the old days. He explains that the GODS in ancient mythology used to solve debates by games like checkers and chess and mentions that they are god-like because they are responsible for 20 million deaths.  Not sure I'm on board with that analogy but the way Dominic delivered it with the creepy music sold it! 

Let the games begin

So somewhere in Los Angeles there must be an underground Casino where high stakes poker can be played (that or Simon travels with poker tables, chips and dealers wherever he goes).  There are other players there so they must have found a game somewhere.  Anyway, the games begin and we learn a little bit about Simon and Lloyd's takes on the Flash Forwards.

• Simon tells Lloyd that when he loses he won't have to confess to a mass murder.  Everyone looks up at the table.  "Manchester Figure of Speech"  ahhh good times.  
• Some guy at the table brings up some Inevitability Index that is on the news.  Simon calls it rubbish saying that someone made up the idea that the odds of the future happening can be calculated.   Simon believes that Fate is Fate and that they're not responsible.  Also thinks that he's going to win each hand they play bringing up ad infinitum and QED (also brought up by the murder suspects in the FBI investigation).   Q.E.D. is a latin abbreviation for quod erat demonstrandum meaning "which is to be demonstrated"   So if you put it together: which is to be demonstrated endlessly, to infinity?    Well, I see why Simon is saying it in this example.  He's planning to prove that FATE has already been decided and he's going to prove it by winning the game.   Hmm, maybe that's why the men in the FBI investigation said it also.  Maybe they HAD to kill that guy in order for Mark and crew to start investigating them leading to the FLASH that happened.  And that is why they mention Q.E.D. when they're leaving the scene.   Well, we're not quite there yet...let's get back to poker!
• Simon continues his defense to why they shouldn't go public.  He tells Lloyd that they're scientists not attention seeking reality contestants looking for 15 minutes of fame.   Lloyd turns this around on Simon saying he always does this. He slept with someone named Cabrini's wife and called it "electromagnetism" (perhaps a NOD to Dom's past on LOST), fired an assistant and blamed it on Darwin.  blah blah blah. 
• So bottom line from this entire debate.  Simon believes fate is decided, Lloyd believes in free will.   
• One other thing to note, Simon said "you're not the only one who has lost someone" to Lloyd.  This must be referring to Annabelle we learned of last week.  But whoever she is, Lloyd is unaware that Simon has ever cared for anyone. 
• Simon wins a hand and continues saying the game is pointless because he already won.  
• Simon keeps winning, but then offers charity to Lloyd in a winner take all hand.  Lloyd agrees.  Simon, thinking he has the best hand lays down a 4 of a kind of Kings.  Lloyd happily lays down a straight flush and wins.  Doesn't take any of the chips.  Looks like they're going public.  
• We find out that Lloyd's magic tricks are what helped him win.  He cheated and told Simon he doesn't leave things to fate.  Now, if any of us were in Simon's shoes, wouldn't you cry foul for cheating???  But, I guess he knows he has been outsmarted and they're going to go public.   We'll see! 

FBI Happenings

The Investigation
Mark is interrupted from his hotel stay with Olivia for the one lead that would make him head back to work.  There was a homicide, and through the use of technology, they were able to realize from a cell phone video taken at least 20 feet away, that one of the men had a tattoo of 3 stars on his arm.  AMAZING!  I don't even think with the best computers in the world can you render a cell phone video to that degree of detail, but hey when in ROME!  These guys have some technology that we haven't seen since the likes of CTU! (Jack Bauer always is able to do some nifty things with his non-iPhone cell phones even as far back as 2001!)

• Quick interruption - everyone welcome Janis back!  She has a subplot going on the whole episode with Stan.  She wants to take a leave of absence reevaluate her life since getting shot.  She thinks that it was a sign that she was never supposed to get pregnant.   Stan will not let her take a leave and doesn't want her to lose hope on getting pregnant.  "Al's death proves that our choices still matter, now more than ever."  Yeah, but if she goes out of her way to try and get pregnant, wouldn't that be showing that her choices DON'T matter?   By the end of the episode, she's looking into sperm donation.  Well, there's your answer folks, she don't need no MAN in her life!  (sorry for the grammar, it just felt like it had to be done, complete with 4 snaps of the hand in a waving motion)
• Back to the investigation, Mark welcomes Janis back and she has flowers for Olivia for stitching her up. awwww  
• We learn from Dem that the victim, and excuse the spellings, was Neil Parofsky from El Segundo.  The video was shot by an Ingrid Alvarez who saw something passed off before he got shot.   After watching the video, Mark is convinced they need to catch this guy and put him away to change the future.  If he is behind bars, how could he break into the FBI and go after Mark?   (at this point I'm thinking, okay, even if they do catch this guy, who is to say that there is only one man with the tattoo on his arm?  What if it symbolizes an underground organization of military trained militia out to protect some big secret?    But, hey what do I know?)
• They go to talk to Ingird, but apparently there is another murder that the police are investigating.  Ingrid's roommate was killed.  Apparently, these men knew that Ingrid saw something and wanted to take her out, but they got the wrong person.  
• Ingrid discusses what she saw - She was working late at a Bird store.  She saw 3 men in an alley and were in a heated argument.  It got physical so she hid.  She called 911 but they put her on hold (REALLY??).  She then thought to use her phone and filmed the incident.   They were arguing about a brief case which the 2 men took from Parofsky.   She explained the 2 men as best as she could.  One guy had Grey hair, the other was bald and muscular (clearly the one that should stick around and be a menacing foe for future incidents!)   Mark was going to sit Ingrid down with a sketch artist. 
• The other thing Ingrid mentioned was that she heard what she thought sounded like Q.E.D. We discussed this above.  Maybe these men were there for more than just the brief case? 

How to Catch a Killer

• Mark tries to convince Stan that they need to set a trap using Ingrid as bait.  Stan is apprehensive about it.  
• They find out that Parofsky was a chief engineer for some kind of electronics and was suspected of corporate espionage. hmmmm interesting based on what we know by the end of the episode.  
• Mark is convinced that if they get the word out of where Ingrid is, the men may try to killer her again.   He thinks they have a mole in the FBI, and a mole in his vision that let the men in to FBI headquarters.  Didn't we already find out that Agent Vreede forgot to activate the security system or something?   Does that mean he's the mole or that it was an accident that they were able to get in?   I don't think Vreede would be so forthcoming in D.C. about the security system if he was a mole.  But I don't know. 
• Mark, Dem, Janis and Ingrid set up the stakeout.  Janis and Ingrid are inside.  Mark and Dem are in a car outside.   Inside, Ingrid discusses that in her flash forward she is not working at the store anymore.  She was living in New York and working at the Bronx Zoo.  She had already started the paperwork to sell the store after the blackout.  She was planning to change her life for a future that might not even come true.  Al's death changed things for her too (or so she thought).   
• Dem told Mark that he told Zoey about what is supposed to happen to him.  She wants him to quit.  Dem doesn't see the point of waiting around idle until he dies.  He figures with his luck he'll get hit bby a bus anyway. 
• Ingrid said she is going to give Janis one of her cockatoos if they get out of this alive.  Janis refuses though.  
• Then the Breach happens.  The lights go out, Mark and Dem are inside.  Lots of sneakiness is going on.  Then a grey haired man with a 3 star tattoo is sighted.   Demetri yells "FREEZE!!"  The man turns and seems to be reaching for something and Demetri shoots and kills him.  Demetri is distraught.  (in my notes at this point I write again - "maybe the other guy has a tattoo too?"  
• Anyway, Demetri has an internal struggle that maybe Mark set Demetri up to kill this guy to prevent Mark's future from happening.  And that maybe Mark sold Demetri on the fact that it might be the same guy that shoots him on March 15th.  
• Ingrid ends up having to go into Witness Protection because the other man is still alive.  Hmmm, perhaps witness protection takes her to New York as a Zoo employee?   Looks like her future didn't change afterall.  
• Mark goes home (note: no Squirrelio or Charlie in this episode!) and tells his wife that he killed a man tonight.  He had a shot of changing their future and he took it.  Maybe April 29th will just be another day at the office now.  Come on Mark, if April 29th is the season finale, yeah it would be funny if we just see people pushing paper for 44 minutes, but I'm guessing it might be EXPLOSIVE, DRAMATIC and GAME CHANGING!    But for now, Mark is convinced that he has a second chance. 

Suspect Zero

• Janis and Stan look at a re-rendered shot of Suspect Zero.  We now see that he was sporting a ring on his hand.  Stan wants to speed up the rendering process on the hand and try and match the jewelry to the man to catch their suspect! 

I Spy a New Bad Guy
(and potentially Bad Actor)

It's raining, we see military trucks all over the place.  There are big silver cases everywhere, and then a Bald, Muscular man with a brief case.  Oh right, and he has a tattoo with 3 stars on his arm!  DUH!!!  Some man takes the case from Baldy #3 (John Locke, and Sun's boy toy Jae on LOST are Baldies #1 and #2. Sorry, had to do it!) and takes it into some warehouse with some old guy and a desk in the middle of it.   I love when people just have tables set up in the middle of a dark warehouse!  (this guy looks like a familiar actor, but I can't place him right now)

The man opens the briefcase and there are 6 fancy rings inside.  He says there are supposed to be 7.  And then he goes into his little speech "After the Atom Bomb test, a colleague of Oppenheimer said it was a foul and awesome display.  Now we are all sons of bitches", then he shoots the briefcase delivery man and leaves with the briefcase.

Episode Over

Maybe it would have been a more exciting ending if they just showed the 6 rings and said there were supposed to be 7 and the music crescendo'd and the screen goes blank....BOOM LOST!  (whoops wrong show again!)   Maybe it was the delivery of the Atom Bomb speech from this apparently Bigger Bad guy (maybe not the ultimate bad guy...surely, I hope not).   But I just wasn't left with the same feeling I was with all of the other cliffhangers.

But I do like this MAGIC RING concept.  So there were 7 people that were probably immune to the causes of the Blackout.  And one is suspect zero who was roaming around the Detroit stadium.  Is he the one that still has the ring?   Is D. Gibbons one of the Magic Ring wearers?    So then I guess this Parofsky guy designed the rings maybe?  Or stole them?    In any case, I think the 7 ring wearers need a cool name.  Like the Fellowship of the Rings!  Okay, something more evil and sinister, but you get the idea!

So, definitely interesting tidbits of information revealed in the episode, but I gotta say it was a little unbalanced and anti-climatic.   But like I said in the beginning of this long-winded blog posting, after a series of awesome twists in last week's episode, this episode probably didn't have much of a chance of living up to it anyway.   I may be in a minority though.  What did you guys think of the episode?  Please discuss below and see you next week!

Sorry again for no pictures, this is looking like it will be a recurring trend.  I will continue to put them in over the weekend or whenever someone out there posts them!  Until I get my own HD Screen Capturing abilities!  

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FlashForward: Season 1 Episode 7 - The Gift

There was one thing going through my mind during the first of the final sequence of twists that occurred on FlashForward last night:  HE MUST HAVE A TWIN BROTHER!!!   Kidding, of course!   Mental note: if that does happen, I think it will be a safe time to quit writing this blog!    But in the meantime, WELCOME BACK Flashers.  Rumor had it that we wouldn't want to miss this episode and 3 quarters into the episode, I was still wondering why.   It took me about 45 minutes into the episode to remember that they save the best stuff for the end of the episode.  Sure, everything that led up to it was interesting and important in setting up the groundbreaking ending.  But it should be stated that the show has developed a familiar trend of being pretty bottom heavy on the revelations!   Not that I'm complaining.   The show did its job again and has me hooked for another week!

Sidenote: If anyone watched the stellar premiere episode of "V" this week, check out my thoughts as well as updates on LOST on the Mothership of my Blogs.   I wish I had time to dedicate a full-fledged recap to that show as well.  Maybe one day.  But come this spring, I will be pushed to my limits!   - sidenote over


This episode followed Agent Al Gough, who had been more of a minor player until recently, Demetri and Mark as they tried to crack the case of the Blue Hand Group.  Demetri and Zoey run into some troubled waters, Mark and Olivia try to dance around their troubled waters, Bryce meets Nicole and Aaron gets a visitor from Tracey's past.  Let's dig in!

On the Homefront

Demetri and Zoey

• Before leaving for their respective work days, Zoey reminds Demetri that they have an appointment to check out the proofs of their Wedding invitations.  They both talk about how both of their names are easily misspelled (I know I got Demetri right, but not sure about Zoey, come to think of it!)    
• Demetri has been distant since the blackout and completely missed the appointment getting wrapped up with the work (which we'll discuss in a bit).  Zoey calls him out on it, Demetri leaves the argument on a bad note and goes out on his little FBI mission downtown. 
• After a crazy night, he comes back and finally comes clean to Zoey that he didn't see anything in his flash.   Zoey remains convinced that he saw Demetri in his.  So, she thinks they have conflicting visions and she chooses to have faith.   Demetri professes his love for her and how he wants to make her happy, have kids, grow old, the whole 9.     Here's the thing, they showed Zoey's flash yet again and they STILL didn't show Demetri in it.  What gives?   Do we think Zoey is not being honest?   Or is she still just fooling herself?  Or, are we just not seeing all of the flash yet?    I still think Demetri would be an idiot not to go to bed on March 14th with a bulletproof vest on, and leave it on for all of the 15th!  

Mark and Olivia  

• Mark and Olivia are recovering from the grand encounter with Lloyd and Dylan in their home last week.  They fool themselves into thinking everything is okay.   Olivia has to work late and tries to convince Mark of the reasons why.   Mark tells her that he trusts her.  She hesitates and says she trusts him too.   But clearly things are not going well! 
• Lloyd and Olivia have a run-in at the hospital.   Lloyd stops in to thank Olivia for saving Dylan's life and to assure her that he would never come between her and Mark.  He would never want to break up a marriage.  He seems genuine, but there still seems to be something there that they're both trying to avoid.  Olivia continued to remain distant, however.  Clearly they can't stay in this stalemate all season.  They have to up the stakes before April 29th, even if Olivia still sticks with Mark in the end.   So I wonder what will draw them closer together?   
• After a rough day at work where everything is pointing towards the flashes coming true, Mark, Charlie and Olivia are all on the couch.  Charlie convinces her mom to let her stay up a little longer with daddy.  Once Olivia leaves the room, Mark pulls out the waterworks.   oh boy!    stay tuned

Nanny Nicole meets Bryce  

Nicole, still trying to repent for whatever she is being drowned for in the future, decides to volunteer at the hospital Olivia works at.  She is enlisted to shadow Bryce and help him out where necessary, and becomes immediately helpful.

• Well, newsflash, Nicole know Japanese because she lived in Okinawa while her dad was stationed there.  She also took classes in Japanese when she moved back to the states.  She was able to help settle down an older Japanese Lady who had received Sweet Peas, which are a bad omen in Japanese.    
• The whole revelation had Bryce impressed.  I couldn't have been further off with the picture he drew of a woman in his FlashForward.   It's definitely not Janis!  (although, I still liked my theory on that one)   It is a Japanese woman with a Japanese symbol behind her.  Nicole immediately recognized the incomplete letter and finished drawing it.  She said it's the KANJI which means "BELIEVE".  
  

  信

  
  

  
  

  
  
  
    
• Nicole and Bryce must have bonded quickly because she went to Bryce's house where he started discussing his Flash.   He remembers images but just can't put it all together.   Nicole told him to go to Japan to find her which he scoffed at thinking it would be impossible to find her.   So, she advised him to post his story on MOSAIC and she may find him.   Did he really need Nicole to give him that advice?  Janis had to advise Demetri to put his story on MOSAIC.   Don't people know it's the newest thing since Google, developed in-house by the Los Angeles branch of the FBI?   Eh, just a little nitpick, I'm fine with the overkill!    So, I guess we'll just need to stay tuned for a Bryce-centric episode to get more of this story. 

Aaron 

As mentioned earlier, Aaron got a visit from someone in Tracy's Past.   Corporal Mike Willingham to be exact.  He was there as a favor to Tracy.

• Mike acknowledged that he should have contacted Aaron earlier but he had been adjust to normal life and trying to find a job. Apparently, Tracy made a promise with Mike that if anything were to happen to her that he needed to give Aaron back a pocket knife that holds some significance between her and her father.   
• Upon this, Aaron became very emotional since he hadn't seen the knife in 4 years when Tracy deployed.  The kicker?  In his Flashforward he is giving the knife back to her!  
• Mike, not wanting to immediately spoil the moment, returns later to tell the tale of Tracy's death because he didn't want to give Aaron false hope.  We got a "flashback" (first one for flashforward!) to Mike and Tracy in an off road with their Humvee.   Tracy spouted out more military jargon in a minute than most people would in a lifetime.  Tango, Echo, Charlie, Bravo, Jericho...you name it and did I catch a "niner" in there? (actually it was sixer, but you gotta go for the Tommy Boy reference when you can right?)    Seriously, I'm still okay with the overkill!     The people they were chasing stopped and whipped out a rocket launcher.  Mike was able to escape, but Tracy was stuck in the car.    The rocket fires and the Humvee explodes.     However, we do see a shot of Tracy afterwards just lying on the ground with her leg separated.    Remember all of the theories that only "parts" of her were shipped back to the states?    Mike went back to check on her and said he saw her die.  But he also said he had to run, since they were shooting at him.   We'll hold off on theories for this until the end!  
  
  
  ***WARNING: GRAPHIC PICTURE BELOW***
  
  
  
  

• Clearly, this was a blow to Aaron's "faith" in the flashes.  But he quickly recovers and calls Mike out to his place of work.  He told Mike that his story finally gave him some peace and wanted to return the favor.   Aaron gets Mike a job working with him.  awww

Follow the Blue Hand

Dear Celia

The episode opens with shots of a woman named Celia, and a voice over from Agent Al Gough.  We know it's Al in the beginning because A.) it sounds like him and B.) a few episodes back we saw him searching for a Celia on MOSAIC.  Anyway, he is writing a letter to Celia and says that he knows she has 2 young boys (twins) and knows that she didn't have a flashforward.  She ensured her that she is not alone.  They show her picking up a paper from her car that has the website http://www.alreadyghosts.com and shows the Blue Skeleton Hand that we became familiar with last week.  Go ahead, it's a real site, but it just takes you to the official ABC FlashForward site for now. 

Blue Hand Investigation
Well, you certainly can't knock on FlashForward for opening a bunch of mysteries and making us wait for answers.  We got the answers to the Blue Hand quite quickly!   Mark, Al and Demetri are in the elevator about to start their day.  We start this investigation with a little chit chat that seemed unimportant at the time, but Demetri makes a comment that I figured might come back into play eventually.

• Demetri is complaining that everything he says to his fiance is coming out wrong.  He just wants to go back to the way things were before the blackout.   Al reminded him that back in the day he used to crash on his futon until 4am playing Madden Football.  They did a little Madden trash talk of who was better (hey, I still do it, it's fun and you're never too old for it!).  Al accused Demetri of cheating.  But Demetri called it "finding a way to change the game".    You don't just throw a line in like that, without a payoff right?    We'll get there! 
• The trio head into the morgue to investigate the bodies found at the blue hand house.   We get a sidebar that Janis is recovering nicely.  The bodies all have self-inflicted gunshot wounds.  They all of traces of alcohol in their bodies and the girl also had extacy.   Al also mentions that the one man is Ian Rutherford, which Mark immediately recognizes from Al's case in the flashforward.  
• So, Demetri did some research with MOSAIC and the bodies and found out that they're all GHOSTS, the term given to people that did not see anything in their Flash.  He references the website explaining that they gather at events across the globe to embrace the inevitable.  The next meeting is in Los Angeles and is hosted by Dr. Maurice Raynaud.  (A symbolic name passed on to each host and named after some French doctor guy that discovered a disorder commonly known as "blue hands")  
• A voice on the website started blaring out "Tonnight go downtown and check the time".   This was the way to find the death party.  
• I should also note that Fiona Banks has flown in from London.  She mentions to Al that it's nice to meet him again for the first time.   Ahh, you never expect to say that sentence in your life!  We'll get more into Fiona/Al discussions in a bit. 

Already Ghost Death Party

3 FBI guys walk into a bar.  One is wearing a t-shirt of The Police (Mark), one wearing a ridiculous leather jacket (Dem) and the other wearing a cardigan (Al).   Which one stands out?   Ahh good times.  They bust on each other's attire for a bit but then continue to head into the generic "downtown" to find the party.   Oh look, there's a Blue clock on the wall of a building!

• The FBI trio, get by the doorman with the easy password of "we got Dr. Raynaud's invitation".  They all get a blue hand stamp and they roll in to the next challenge.   
• Some crazy old man with a pimp cane and a gun walks in and decides to start an impromptu game of Russian Roulette, by pulling the trigger on himself first.   Intense, but I still think the best TV Russian Roulette has to go to the one in the prison on season 3 of 24.  Wow, that was nuts!   Anyway, one of our FBI guys apparently had to play the game to move on.  Al, knowing that he was alive in his flash, grabbed the gun really quickly and pulls the trigger.   Nothing happens.   After they suggest that there are no bullets in there, the man empties the chamber and hands them a bullet.  Looking more closely at the bullet, it says "Not Today" on the side and is their ticket into the party. 

• Mark finds a book of matches that he immediately recognizes from his "FLASH Board" so he swipes it up.   You have to wonder if that really is going to play a big role in future episodes or if they just planted that in the episode because they had shown it in the pilot episode.   Oh well, moving on! 

• There is a hostess-type lady who is explaining the party and how the Raynaud changes at each gathering. And says there is something for everybody "No Limts, No Fear".
• Okay, so this party was nuts.  There was one guy all wired up to electricity having water thrown on him.  There were many prepared nooses all over the place among lots of other crazy stuff.  Demetri brings up the fact that these people have nothing to lose.  They're dead anyway.   
• Blue hand man arrives and what do you know, it's one of the Cylons from Battlestar Galactica!  (No spoilers please, I'm only in season 1!)  
• Anyway, long story short (too late), Raynaud takes out a gun and is about to shoot himself and the FBI stop them.   He yells out "I want out!  I want it to end!"   Mark, so cool with his one-liners, tells him "Not Today..."   Yeah Mark, you use their own slogan against them!    
• Sidebar: I've been reading lots of complaints about Mark comparing him to Jack on LOST (because there is a large "I hate Jack" fanclub out there).    And well, this episode was probably the best comparison since Mark did some crying!     But, I really don't have issues with either of the leads on the 2 shows.   Especially not Matthew Fox!  He's done some stellar work on LOST!   Let's give Fiennes some more time to ease into his American role before we chastise him!  

Interrogation

So Mark, Demetri and Al begin the interrogation process of Raynaud, who turns out to be Jeff Slingerland.

• Jeff talks about his vision of a bottemless pit of darkness and emptiness, like he never existed.  He said that they all find each other through MOSAIC and gets a one liner in "Couldn't do it without you"!   
• Demetri gets annoyed and starts pressing Jeff for answers on the Blue Hand stamped body of the man who shot Janis.  They get nowhere though.  Jeff explains that everything is mapped out, they could put him in prison it doesn't matter.  He's going to die.  What everyone saw is going to happen.   
• Al is pondering all of this information and then asks the ultimate question "What if you're wrong?"   "You can't escape what's coming, no one can" is Jeff's response.    I think I figured out what their next interrogation strategy will probably be!
• Mark and Demetri have a discussion later on.  Mark tries to crack more jokes saying Raynaud makes Marilyn Manson look like Mr. Rogers.  yikes...   Demetri asks how Mark is going to handle knowing the date of his death.   It's the same old speech.  YOU NEED TO FIGHT!   But I think Demetri gets to Mark this time when he says "everything in the flashes is going to happen. We can't stop it".   He explains how all of the clues they have been following are dead on.   This is what leads to Mark's crying fit at home later, by the way.

Fiona/Al
So, during the day Fiona and Al have some discussions about their flashes and start their Ian Blane Rutherford Case.

• Ian Rutherford: Born in 1984, Father was in aviation, Mother makes cell phone components (hmmm Cell phones.  Lots of theories have already been made around Cell phone towers possibly being used in the blackout)
• Fiona discusses her flash, she doesn't remember anything from the dossier besides Ian's name.  She just remembers Al and the crow hitting the window.  Her heart skipped a beat.  Al got a phone call and she looked over the ledge.  Wait, I thought Al looked over the ledge too?  Didn't we see that last week?   Did something change somehow?  (probably me looking way too much into it)   She wanted to help the bird but there was nothing she could do.
• Fiona asks Al who the call was from.   Al recalls his flash.  It's his attorney and Al is realizing he killed someone (a woman to be exact).  
• Later on Al tries to invite Fiona over for some dirty rice (nope, he actually meant food).  He was going to attempt to make his favorite dish that his mother usually cooks for him.   Fiona is jet lagged and declines.   But Al offers up an idea to change the flashes.   What if they cover the window with tape?  Maybe the bird won't crash into the window.   It's worth a shot, he says.    Finally, someone is trying to change things.  Mark burned the bracelet in episode 2, but this seems more significant.   Oh wait, we're not at the end of the episode yet! 
• So we watch Al cooking his rice at home and sitting alone drinking a beer, left to ponder the future and cry a little bit like his boss, Mark.  

"Changing the Game"

Al comes into work, looking like a dead man walking.  Leaves an envelope on Demetri's desk, tells Demetri to get it into the right hands, and walks the opposite way of Mark and Dem (heading to the conference room).

• In the conference room Stan, Fiona, Mark and Demetri discuss how to break Raynaud.   Stan is advising Mark to change his approach. 
• Demetri opens up the envelope which has a note to Dem "There's always a way out" and a letter to this Celia (ahhh the letter from the beginning of the episode!)   He realizes Al is about to end his life.  
• They find him on the top of the FBI building leaning over the ledge.  

• Al, is determined to change the predestined future.  Demetri tries to tell him that they can find and protect Celia.  He's supposed to be alive 6 months from now.   "But if I'm not here, that means we can change things.  What I saw, what you saw.  It doesn't have to play out that way."  
  
  "I found a way to change the game"   Ahhh, Madden comes back to bite you a new one when you least expect it! 
• And just like that, Al Gough becomes Al Went.   (I had to make at least one joke worse than some of Mark's this episode!)   Al jumps off the building, and just when you think that something might break his fall, we see his lifeless body at the bottom of the building.   RIP Al Gough.  We'll miss you but we'll never forget! 
• Another sidenote: My "Twin Brother" remark in the beginning would never work anyway, because it was AL who had those flashes of the future not any potential twin brother.  So besides being potentially the worst storyline of all time (right up there with Teri Bauer has amnesia and Kim is chased by the Cougar), it's technically not feasible! 

So, we all thought that they would be able to change things right?  But who thought someone would throw themselves off of a building to prove it?   Questions remain though, will Celia still die without Al there?   Will the Rutherford case continue as planned?   Will other people follow Al's lead and try to change their destiny?  

In case you hadn't figured out what I was saying earlier, I'm guessing they're going to use this to their advantage when interrogating Raynaud.  Not a large leap, but they better use his death for something!   In the face of his death, everyone can't help but have a little hope for their own futures.

Aftermath

"Dear Celia, I don't know your last name, I don't know where you live.  But i know you have 2 young boys.  Twins i believe and i know you didn't have a flashforward.  It must be terrifying.  You are not alone.  Your situation is not as hopeless as you think.  Our paths were meant to cross.  I didn't know how, I didn't know when.  But things have changed now.  Things are no longer going to unfold as i had feared.  My gift to you is release from that dread, from the feeling that you're no longer in control.   We will never meet.....live your life, live every day.  Know that the future is unwritten...make the most of it"

• During this montage we watch Fiona back in London as she tapes up the window, following Gough's lead.
• We see Celia playing with her kids and happy. 
• We watch Mark run into the kitchen and strongly hugs Olivia.  Hope has returned!

• We witness Demetri happily spending time with Zoey. 
• Simon, absent from the entire episode, is staring at a bracelet that says "Annabelle".  What is that all about? 
• Aaron is ready to move on with his life, gets out of his truck, walks into the house...and
  
  Tracy is sitting at the table.  "Hi Dad"

WOAAA!   Does this show know how to end an episode or what?  Just when you think you got your jawdropping moment for the week, she rolls in.   Double Game changing episode!     Yes, I figured she'd be in the house, why else would that be the last scene?  

• But how did she get there?  How is she still alive?  What happened to her?  I guess she could have been taken hostage for awhile, but then how did she get free?     
• Notice, they didn't show her left side, so they could be hiding the fact that she's still missing a leg.  That would definitely explain things.
• Just when they give hope that the future can be changed, the other side comes up big with showing us Tracy is alive.   So, there has to be some kind of mixture of the 2.   Everything seems to be pointing towards the information, people and situations from the flashes are very real.  But the decisions that people make can possibly change what's in store.  I'm sure it all ties back to that Schrodinger's Cat philosophy, but I'll wait for it to be explained in layman's terms.   

I still wonder how this show is going to be able to sustain multiple seasons.   But the producers and even the book author himself are very convincing that this show has 3-5 seasons outlined, depending on its success.  (i.e. could be told in 3 seasons, but could be told better in 5).   There is a cliffhanger waiting at the end of season finale that will explain to us how this can continue on.   I thought the same thing about LOST back in the day.  How will it keep going?  They proved me wrong.  And, of course, I thought that Heroes was laid out in a way that it could go on forever!  See how well that worked?   Yikes... (yeah, I'm still watching and not sure why!)  

Anyway, great episode, great ending and looking forward to more!   What did you guys think of the episode?  Discuss away in the comments section below.   I'll see you next week!

11/8 Update: Thanks again to The ODI for the screen captures!  

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