Flash Forward: "White to Play" 10/1 - Grading & Discussion

[Theodore Jay Miller]

There is, indeed, a logical flaw running through the show's depiction of the flashforward. While instances like the above might be explained away, collectively the visions both prove and contradict the idea that the flashforward itself occured in the past of which these visions are the future. Predestination paradoxes like FBI-guy seeing himself investigate the flashforward would seem to imply he saw a future where the flashforward had occured. However, most of the visions imply that these people had no knowledge of the flashforward, no knowledge that their past selves would, at this point, be looking in. If they did, they would be sending themselves back stock market numbers, loto numbers, etc., or else information on things like the case more cogently arranged. By now, everybody knows the exact minutes at which the past catches up with the future, but their future selves were observed unawares, in 'slice of life' moments. I don't know what to make of it, honestly. Confusing.

I had a thought. There are two aspects to the flash-forward:
1) The blackout - everyone falls unconscious for two minutes, and all kinds of disasters occur.
2) The visions - while unconscious, people experience six months in the future.

My idea is that the visions are of the future that would result from (1) only.

For example, as a result of the blackout, Lloyd Simcoe's wife dies, his son is injured, he meets Dr. Olivia Benford, and in six months Lloyd and Olivia would be having an affair. However, having seen that affair in advance, Olivia can now try to change it.

Agent Mark Benford would have been investigating the blackout, not the visions: why everyone passed out for two minutes, why some people were awake during it, etc. During that investigation he'd encounter various things, put them up on the board, and that's what he saw in the vision. But having seen the board in his vision, he might change his actions.

That explains why everyone was acting casually in their visions, not sending back Lotto numbers or anything; as far as they were concerned, April 29, 2010 wasn't anything special, just another day six months after everyone passed out for two minutes. But the visions are now added, and can change what people will be doing on April 29. However, it's not retroactive; people can now hold up Lotto numbers on April 29, but that won't change what they saw in their visions.

 

[Checkmate]

What?

All of the visions were of the exact same period of time the world round. There were no deviations except for those who didn't see anything (due to being asleep, unconscious, or dead) and those who apparently were immune to the effect.

The visions had nothing to do with the blackout itself, though the blackouts were obviously accounted for in these prementions -- as they should have been. It happened, and it affected the world. Regardless, the vast, vast, vast majority of people would have had visions that had nothing to do with it. Heck, even one of the characters on the show proves this to us with his vision of him sitting on his ass on the toliet.

That said, duh, of course most of the visions we get to see had something more directly related with the blackouts because the entire show is revolving around that mystery. Including every single main character. They're all involved, one way or another, with resolving the mystery.

 

[Jaron]

^ Alternately, the visions could be of a future where everyone had a flash forward to, say, April 28, and their actions in that timeline wound up moving the date of the visions. In that case everyone would look at their lottery tickets and spoilers a day early and not even know it.

 

[SalvorHardin]

I just finished watching the first 2 episodes...very interesting show.
I'm looking forward to seeing more of the story unfold.

Any ratings experts know how it is doing ? Does it look like it may survive ?

 

[CaptainSarine]

I just finished watching the first 2 episodes...very interesting show.
I'm looking forward to seeing more of the story unfold.

Any ratings experts know how it is doing ? Does it look like it may survive ?

Not a ratings expert but do know that it was just picked up for a full season by ABC, so looks like it will at least survive until the end of the year