FlashForward - Believe, S01E09

This is the second to last episode of FlashForward before the winter hiatus. The hiatus, if you have not yet heard, is supposed to last a whole lot longer than originally planned, with the show resuming March 4th. There will then be less than 2 weeks before Noh (John Cho)'s supposed murder, and we will be a whole lot closer to April 29th than originally anticipated.

After watching episode 9, that may well be a good thing.

The main arc of the episode followed Bryce (Zachary Knighton) and Keiko (Yuko Takeuchi) from before the black out to present day. I really enjoyed following their story, seeing the pain they suffered and the hope they felt. They're warmth does not even have to be romantic really, because they entire relationship and attachment is based on the hope of a future where they are not stuck where they were when the black out occurred.

But while this storyline was charming and appealing, there were some major flaws. We learned that Bryce has severe cancer, that he'd been getting psychological help, and yet his co-workers had no idea. The hospital would have been informed after he smashed his car repeatedly into that of a jerk who pissed him off. And there's no way that no one would have noticed his previous reactions to the kemo. They knew from the beginning that they wanted to explain his plan to commit suicide, and yet I had had no idea; the plot device seemed only to come to life when it was wanted and needed.

And do I even want to mention the rest of the episode? The other scenes were equally emotional, only they reflected high stress, anger, and fear. Unfortunately, the scenes were kept so short that there was no believable build up. One minute context was being established, the next, someone - Noh, Olivia, Aaron, Mark, etc - was losing their cool and it was near impossible to believe.

But in the end, Bryce and Keiko's story won out. Really, take away all the mystery, the intrigue, or anything else you want and make me feel for the characters, and I will be stuck. Plots can be strong motivators, but if the characters aren't interesting, it doesn't matter. On the other hand, take the most boring storyline, but give it fantastic, appealing characters and they will be the centre of attention.

And so I go to watch the last episode of FlashForward of 2009, and I wonder if I'm going to be breathless with anticipation for March 4th, or simply tune in.