8.31.2010
on dvd: flashforward: the complete series
It's worth noting that FlashForward: The Complete Series is out on DVD today. The ABC sci-fi drama dealt with the repercussions of a global catastrophe in which everyone on earth blacks out simultaneously for two minutes and seventeen seconds... and sees the future. The show was canceled after just one season, but it did at times offer some pretty cool characters, ideas and story moments.
The main reason to watch: John Cho as FBI Agent Demetri Noh, who grapples with the ominous fact that he didn't see anything during the blackout. He's easily one of the most interesting characters in the ensemble (a hell of a lot more likeable than star Joseph Fiennes as Mark Benford), and it was just refreshing to see an attractive, capable, three-dimensional Asian American hero on a prime time network show.
Of course, there were the annoying subplots that insisted on following minor characters like Keiko, played by Yuko Takeuchi, who travels from Japan to Los Angeles to search for her destiny (a boring doctor dude). And when Mark and Demetri's investigation takes a thoroughly unconvincing detour into "Hong Kong," it was, for me, one of the show's laughably bad low points.
FlashForward wasn't perfect. The show had an intriguing premise, but it's the kind of idea that had you wondering how far the writers could keep it going beyond the initial season. It started out fairly strong, floundered around the middle, and picked up steam in the latter half of the season. But even before the final episode aired, ABC had already pulled the plug. It makes you wish the producers had cut the fat and planned for a finite series all along.
Still, it's worth taking a look. The DVD contains all 22 episodes on five discs, plus over an hour's worth of bonus material, including behind-the-scenes featurettes, bloopers, deleted scenes and all that good stuff. At the very least, if you're a John Cho fan, it's a must-see. (And for every fan who wondered what was up with that kangaroo, your questions might just be answered.)