'FlashForward' - Believe
Finally, the answer to why Bryce wanted to commit suicide and why he changed his mind
This review may contain spoilers.
This week we got to meet Keiko (Yuko Takeuchi), FlashForwards newest character. Shes the woman in Bryces (Zachary Knighton) flash forward and shes a mechanical genius that plays the guitar on the side. Sounds pretty perfect right? She brings hope to Bryce, even while hes in stage four cancer, and he brings hope to her when her family has disowned her.
Tired of being exploited by her family and boss in Tokyo, she heads to Los Angeles to follow her dream. Bryce, tired of waiting, heads to Tokyo to try and find her before April 29th, when they see each other in their flash forwards. He doesnt find her, but, little does he know, shes on the plane home with him starting her new life in a new land.
We also learned that Aarons (Brian F. O'Byrne) daughter, Tracy (Geneveive Cortese) has developed a drinking problem as a result of her time in the service, just like he did; a strange family legacy to carry on and one that he is determined to squash.
Aaron adds the fact that Mark (Joseph Fiennes) doesnt trust him to his list of things to worry about this week as well. Someone sent a text to Olivia (Sonya Walger) telling her that Mark is drinking in his flash forward. Mark also blames his boss, Stanford (Courtney B. Vance) for it, and both of them angrily kick him out. In the end, he swallows his pride and apologizes to his friends and coworkers.
Mark took a back seat this week, and we got to focus on some other characters. A nice change and the previews make the next episode (after Thanksgiving) look like its going to be a great one.
What Worked
This episode was much better than last weeks lame attempt at a gambling game. This one delved into Bryce, and explained his suicide attempt finally. He doesnt want to die of cancer, but apparently dying on a pier, surrounded by people and children who would likely never forget seeing a man shot himself, was a better alternative to him. Its certainly not the most graceful way to go out, and thankfully he didnt go through with it.
Demetri (John Cho) and Mark are taking off to Hong Kong, in an attempt to find the woman that warned Demetri of his impending murder. Theyve got a bunch of questions for her, so the next episode is sure to be good!
What Didn't Work
Im sure Keiko is a beautiful and traditional name, but it just makes me think of the killer whale from Free Willy. Its not exactly something I want coming to mind while Im watching FlashForward, especially when its used in such a sweet and beautiful love story. But if that's the worst thing about this episode, it wasn't so bad at all!
Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due
FlashForward stars Joseph Fiennes, John Cho, Jack Davenport, Dominic Monaghan, Sonya Walger, Courtney B. Vance, Zachary Knighton, Brian F. O'Byrne, and Christine Woods. Believe was directed by Michael Nankin and written by David S. Goyer and Brannon Braga.
"FlashForward" airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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