Overall: 8.7
My brain just went all 'splody. Don't get me wrong, though - this is a good thing!
Plot Synopsis:
The official recap can be found here.
Writing: 9.5
By the time this series ends (whether it be years from now or, God forbid, this May), we're seriously going to need a flow chart to keep everything straight. Now, it has been confirmed that Dyson Frost, criminal mastermind, is - or was, rather - himself a puppet of another shadowy entity (probably Jericho). Indeed, it seems that Frost's motives were entirely self-serving - that he was less interested in crippling the entire world than in making sure he escaped his own projected death. Most interesting of all, Frost made sure to plant just the right clue to allow Mark to free Demetri in the event that Frost himself did not survive. I suppose this was Frost's way of sticking it to his keepers. Neat! Meanwhile, we've also learned how Frost - and perhaps those he served - were able to gather so much information from their previous flashforwards - and we've learned that another blackout in the near future is the least of our worries. Apocalypse 2016, anyone? I tell you, this show is totally crack. Almost every week, it drops at least one more maddening bombshell.
A few things do trouble me. For example, I'm pretty sure Janis has killed Simon and buried him somewhere, but it would be nice if the writers would make that a little more clear. Moreover, as someone who wants to have sympathy for Olivia, I find it disappointing that her reasons for betraying Mark have been developed so poorly. As other viewers have pointed out, Lloyd Simcoe is hardly a "safer" choice. Still, the classic suspense formula used in this episode - complete with the ticking clock and the last-second rescue - works very, very well.
Acting: 9.5
I've not always been impressed by Joseph Fiennes or John Cho, but the scenes they have together in this episode feature some of the best work either actor has ever done on this series. In particular, when the gun ultimately fires over Demetri's head, the sense of relief that both Fiennes and Cho portray is magnificently palpable. I also continue to nurse a girlcrush on Gabrielle Union - and I'm rather sad that Michael Massee's time on FlashForward has apparently come to an end, as his rendering of the obsessive mad scientist Dyson Frost has been excellent.
Message: 7.0
This episode stands out more for its action and suspense than for its thematic heft, but it is rather nice that Zoey's deal with Alda Hertzog did not have the best of consequences. After all, such deals frequently don't end well. In addition, this episode once again makes the point that it is not our place to see our possible futures. In fact, looking into the future is rather like looking into the face of God: it may literally drive you insane.
It's unlikely that Janis has killed Simon. His presence in a number of FlashForwards has not, thus far, been altered by events. He and Lloyd were working on the QED as seen by several other people. Now I know the the FlashForwards are POSSIBLE futures...but the show has seen fit to make a lot of them intertwine in dramatic ways. Simon is still alive, IMHO...he has, however, likely fled to avoid getting killed by Jericho. Thus explaining his absence. Janis confronting him was likely an attempt to get him out of the picture (scare him into hiding).
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