Hold Out for the Full Season If You're Going to Invest in Flashforward

Toward the end of LOST’s fifth season, ABC began scattering cryptic flashes throughout the commercials. A kangaroo here, a wedding there, never for more than a couple of seconds, followed by the words “What did you see?” I assumed that these were meant to be mysterious clues for what was coming up in the season finale. Then I found out that they were hinting at another series altogether, one whose very name - Flashforward - seemed designed to snatch up the LOST-loving crowd.

Flashforward did not take its name from LOST; it was based on a book of the same title that predates the desert island drama by several years. Nonetheless, everything from the manner of advertisement and timing of the series introduction to the cast and elements used throughout the show suggests that ABC intended for it to replace LOST as a puzzling serial involving a strange event and a diverse cast of characters. Or at least they wanted it to be a contender, with V also vying for the title. In that contest, V was the victor, though I think most who were hoping for “the next LOST” would say that the drama about deceptive aliens and human revolutionaries doesn’t quite fill in the gap.

Flashforward begins with a global blackout. Nearly everyone on the planet falls unconscious and flashes to a point several months in the future, each seeing a different vision. It doesn’t take long for people to compare notes and discover that all of the flashforwards take place at the same time on the same day. FBI agent Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes) creates a database where people can discuss the contents of their visions, hoping to gradually create a full picture of the events of that day. Meanwhile, individuals grapple with what they saw or didn’t see and, like time-addled Desmond in LOST’s third season, wonder whether the future can be changed - and even if it can, whether the universe will course-correct.

Aside from the premise, which seemed like the television show I’d been waiting for all my life, what drew me to LOST initially was the knowledge that the cast included Dominic Monaghan of Lord of the Rings. He became a major draw again, this time playing Simon Campos, a brilliant scientist with a dark secret. While he definitely has a sinister side, Simon has an undeniable charm, and he becomes much more sympathetic once the series delves into his backstory, which it unfortunately doesn’t do until the “spring season,” which is not included in this set.

Another draw in the cast was Sonya Walger, who played Penny, half of what is arguably the most beloved couple on LOST. Despite the popularity of the Desmond-Penny relationship and the incredible chemistry between Walger and Henry Ian Cusick, she didn’t actually appear in very many episodes, or in very many scenes in those episodes. But as Dr. Olivia Benford, Mark’s wife, she has a large role to play in every episode, interacting to some degree with almost every major character on the show. Her central conflict involves the fact that in her flashforward, she saw herself with another man. When that man, Lloyd Simcoe (Jack Davenport), shows up in her hospital as the father of one of her patients, her valiant efforts to stay away from him begin, though it seems her very attempts to keep him at arm’s length are driving him toward her. It’s strange to see Fiennes and Walger playing Americans, and they really don’t have much chemistry with each other, but that begins to feel intentional as the season goes on.

As in LOST, there are a lot of characters to keep track of, but in this case they are spread out all over L. A. While each character is connected to at least a couple of others, this is no cohesive collective, which makes connecting with individuals a bit harder, since we’re getting so many different stories at once. The largest group can be found in the FBI office, where major players include Mark’s boss Stanford Wedeck (Courtney B. Vance), who is generally cool and collected. An ethical and professional man, he remains a calm voice of reason as tempers flare around him. Janis Hawk (Christine Woods) is a no-nonsense agent who is shocked to see herself pregnant in her flashforward, while hangdog agent Shelly Vreede (Barry Shabaka Henley) is a stalwart fellow who provides subtle comic relief. The most intriguing story among the agents belongs to Mark’s partner, Demetri Noh (John Cho), who does not have a flashforward, seemingly an indication that he will die before the flashforwards take place.

Among the rest, my favorite characters are gruff Aaron Stark (Brian F. O’Byrne), a recovering alcoholic whose flashforward gives him hope of reuniting with his daughter, a solider he believed to be dead, and Olivia’s colleague, gentle, artistic Dr. Bryce Varley (Zachary Knighton), who is driven from the brink of suicide by his vision of a romantic meeting with an unknown Japanese woman.

The setting certainly doesn’t appeal to me as much as LOST; instead of a (mostly) pristine Island wilderness with sidetrips to various locales around the world, we’re rooted in a bustling metropolis that now has a slightly post-apocalyptic feel to it. The overall aura is oppressive, and though there are moments of levity - not to mention two adorable children - I couldn’t quite shake a grim, stifled feeling during most of the episodes I watched, and my attention often wandered. In this first batch of ten episodes, the only ones that completely captivated me were Scary Monsters and Super Creeps, the Halloween episode, which I found refreshingly light-hearted in places and emotionally charged in others, and Believe, the most optimistic of the bunch, which deals primarily with Bryce.

The show’s creators bragged of having a five-year plan for the show, but they failed to keep viewers sufficiently engaged to keep it on the air for more than a year. I’m not sure what they should have done differently; though it certainly didn’t capture my imagination the way LOST did, it did keep me coming back week after week, and I probably would have continued to watch had it been granted a second season. Still, there just seemed to be a certain something lacking when it came to truly caring about these characters, and despite the high caliber of the cast, I rarely felt very emotionally involved.

The season finale was filmed before the series was cancelled, so it ends on a cliffhanger. At the same time, there is a certain degree of resolution as we find out where each of the main characters is and whether his or her flashforward has come to fruition - and if so, whether it was interpreted correctly. I can’t think of any reason to have broken this season up into two DVD sets aside from a money grab. As unsatisfying as it may be to finish watching the series knowing that so much more was planned, Flashforward’s only season is still, in some sense, a complete package. The season really heats up in the second half, so you’ll want to hold off for the complete season set that comes out in the end of August rather than settling for half a season now. So while I wouldn’t recommend this particular set, I do recommend the series as a whole, despite the fact that it never quite lived up to the hype.

Beam Aboard the Starship Enterprise With Zachary Quinto and Company

This weekend, two of my all-time favorite televisions shows are united on the big screen. LOST creator J. J. Abrams helmed the 2009 theatrical reboot of Star Trek, perhaps my most anticipated film of the year, bringing with him fellow LOST head honchos Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk, along with composer Michael Giacchino and Greg Grunberg, whose part in the film, while even tinier than his brief turn as the doomed pilot of Oceanic 815, is certainly memorable, though you'll probably have to consult the credits to figure out who he is. I watched Star Trek regularly with my family when I was growing up, and Spock was one of the first fictional characters I came to adore whole-heartedly. No matter who was involved in this movie, I would have been standing in line on opening night, but the LOST connections sweetened the deal.

From the time I first heard about this new Star Trek, I was pleased by all the attention being lavished upon Spock but slightly nervous about the casting, since Zachary Quinto also plays Sylar, who sadistically sliced open many an unsuspecting head on Heroes before I gave up on the series. I imagine the reason for Quinto getting so much of the spotlight is two-fold: in full regalia (including, of course, the pointy ears), he bears an extraordinary resemblance to the original Spock, and the logical half-Vulcan - the only holdover from the show's first pilot - really is the glue that holds Star Trek together. The more I saw of Quinto's Spock in magazines and late-night interviews, the more I embraced him as Leonard Nimoy's successor, so that by the time my latest issue of Entertainment Weekly arrived with a cover bearing a crystal-clear headshot of New Spock, I could gaze at it enthralled and not be remotely reminded of the hated Heroes villain.

Still, looking the part and acting it are two different things, so I reserved total acceptance until the movie, in which Spock is every bit as central a character as I'd hoped. Quinto's Spock has slightly less control over his emotions than Nimoy's; for the most part, he is the same calmly detached officer, a cool voice of reason rising above the flaring tempers among his crewmates. But there is conflict within him, and never are his human emotions so strongly roused as in matters concerning his mother. The tender relationship the film presents feels like one of many throwbacks to Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Spock, it transpires, is a bit of a mama's boy, but that doesn't stop him from being one of the most brilliant minds Starfleet has ever known.

Quinto conveys each subtle inflection of his genius masterfully while keeping us aware that Spock's feelings are submerged rather than nonexistent. Speaking in a gentle but authoritative tone, he is polite and precise and, when the occasion calls for it, droll. And thankfully, writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman give him plenty of compelling material, not to mention opportunities to whip out many Spock trademarks, including the Vulcan salute, nerve pinch and mind meld and the acknowledgement that something is "fascinating".

Spock also lifts quotes from specific moments in the series and subsequent movies, my favorite of which is the touching "I have been, and always shall be, your friend." This line is uttered not by Quinto but by Nimoy, whose appearance midway through the film is the audacious anchor upon which the plot rests, allowing Abrams wide creative license as he proceeds with the series. The movie is loaded with references meant to appease long-time fans, but Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan offers especially integral inspiration for the plot, from the revenge-driven crusade of tattooed Romulan Nero (Eric Bana) to the unpleasant interrogation method he uses. The nod that excited me the most involves a cocky young James Kirk (Chris Pine) taking a casual bite out of an apple as he takes the Academy's no-win scenario test for the third time.

The movie is hardly a collection of catch-phrases, but each of the major seven characters gets some time in the limelight, and there were cheers in my showing each time the officers uttered a familiar command or exclamation. Keep an ear out for Kirk saying, "Beam me up"; communications officer Uhura (Zoe Saldana) opening hailing frequencies; helmsman Sulu (John Cho) putting the ship into warp speed; ensign Chekov (Anton Yelchin) talking about "wessels" and "Wulcans"; engineer Scotty (Simon Pegg) bellowing, "I'm givin' it all she's got!" and Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban) snapping, "I'm a doctor, not a physicist!" Keep an eye out, meanwhile, for a man of little consequence dressed all in red and a surprising song credit rewarding longtime fans who stick around after the movie is over. Even with my eyes peeled, I missed the cameo of late Last Lecture author Randy Pausch, an avowed Trekker, early in the film; I'm sure that the next time I watch it, I'll catch plenty of other Easter eggs too.

Fans should be pleased with all of these opportunities to prove their prowess, and newcomers aren't likely to be distracted by them. While they miss the fun of the in-jokes, they have the advantage of not constantly comparing new with old and wondering whether these incarnations are betrayals. I have little issue with the acting in terms of these characterizations. More eyebrow-raising are some of the details written into these characters' histories and personalities. The aforementioned critical plot point explains some of the discrepancies, but there's also an extent to which these characters are being reinvented.

This is most evident in the cases of Uhura, Sulu and Chekov, whose personalities were always less developed than the other four. Saldana, who I first saw as an unabashed Trekker in The Terminal, makes sweet Uhura quite a bit feistier, especially in run-ins with Kirk. I appreciate the emphasis on her smarts but found it annoying that demure Uhura evidently wasn't good enough the 21st century. However, I like her much better once she gets on the ship, at which point another surprising aspect of her character emerges. It gels more with the tender, compassionate woman Nichelle Nichols played, and mostly I'm okay with it, though it strikes me as a controversial direction to take. Cho lacks the vocal gravitas to have me entirely convinced that he's Sulu; of the main seven, he's the only one whose casting I question. His role is mostly light, and while he does contribute in important ways on a couple of occasions (I especially like the way his established fondness for fencing is integrated), he seems a little greener to me than he should. Chekov, meanwhile, doesn't seem green enough. In the original series, I tended to think of him as capable but ultimately little more than comical eye candy. This time around, he's a Wesley Crusher-esque wunderkind, just as funny and adorable as always but considerably more indispensable. Of the three second-tier characters, he is my favorite, both then and now.

I had doubts about Karl Urban as the irascible Bones, since I previously knew him as Eomer, who I found just about the most boring character in Lord of the Rings. Then again, he didn't make much of an impression on me in the book, either, so I wasn't sure if that was really the actor's fault. Bones gets almost as much screen time as Kirk does, particularly toward the beginning, and thankfully, my worries were unfounded; he absolutely nails the good doctor's drawl and good-natured crankiness and gets many of the movie's biggest laughs. Particularly funny, especially considering classic Kirk's unending aversion to Sickbay, is the sequence in which he chases Jim around the ship, attempting to administer a series of unwanted treatments. It feels most appropriate that the film establishes the two as firm friends long before they serve together on the Enterprise.

Hot-headed, libidinous Jim Kirk was always my least favorite of the Enterprise Seven. He may have been brave and heroic, but his lack of respect for authority and his arrogance always got on my nerves. Unsurprisingly, the early-twenties version is even more obnoxious. Like everyone else besides Quinto, Pine bears no especially striking physical resemblance to his predecessor, but he captures his mannerisms well. I also have to offer kudos to the writers and young actors alike on the scenes depicting Kirk and Spock in childhood. Rabble-rousing Kirk's (Jimmy Bennett) is hilarious, exhilarating and the first of several action sequences that seem inspired more by Star Wars than Star Trek. Contemplative Spock's (Jacob Kogan) stands in stark contrast, though it also demonstrates the half-Vulcan's struggle to come to terms with his opposing natures, exemplified by an amusing exchange with some older students causing my brother to exclaim, "Spock's bullies would get beat up by the bullies on any other planet in the universe!" Instrumental to Kirk's development this time around is Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood), whose stern but kind mentorly role I love. Greenwood seems a little on the old side to be playing this captain who was in command in the show's original pilot, but the relationship feels believable.

That just leaves Pegg's Scotty, who takes so long to turn up I started to half-wonder if we were going to see him at all. Our introduction to him is a comical highlight, and he continues to steal the screen whenever he pipes up, usually with a cheerful assertion of some sort. I would speculate that of the seven, Pegg had the most fun; the Scottish engineer seems positively giddy throughout most of his all-too-brief appearances. I also like his interaction with one of the movie's few non-humanoid aliens. Few fans would argue with the statement that in the battle of Star Trek versus Star Wars, the latter has the coolest aliens. Abrams and his team seem determined to amend that, or at least remain open to the idea of a more diverse Federation. My favorite example of this is the disgruntled creature who finds himself lodged between Kirk and Uhura in the disastrous bar scene reminiscent of Top Gun in which he meets and puts the moves on her.

Giacchino's stirring score blends neatly with the action most of the time, with some of the more emotional moments containing hints of music we've heard on LOST. The special effects are impeccable, aside from a few moments that seem to be overdoing it just a little. I'm not too used to Jedi-style sword fights and escape from enormous hostile creatures on this series. Those new to the franchise at least aren't likely to complain that the movie lacks action. The movie offers something to love for viewers at any point along the previous Star Trek experience spectrum; as for me, I'm already looking forward to the sequel.

A Movie as Unappetizing as the Greasiest White Castle Burger

I just got back from San Diego, where my family and I soaked up as much of the city as we could in three short days. We weren't left with a whole lot of down time, but after our first long day on our feet, we found ourselves back at our hotel around 9:30. It was too early to go too bed, but we weren't quite up for more adventure. So my brother Nathan and I decided to observe someone else's adventure instead. More precisely, we wanted to watch Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.

I'd never seen the movie before, and wasn't particularly interested, having heard it was pretty crude and having a deeply ingrained prejudice against White Castle burgers thanks to the negative experience of my parents, who lived in Minnesota for a while. Nathan had, however, and he'd found it amusing. At the least, he lauded the title as one of the most informative film titles ever. "Who's it about?" he asked. "Harold and Kumar! What do they do? Go! Where? To White Castle!" Ah, yes. An entire movie boiled down to seven words. Promising.

Harold and Kumar is a typical quest movie, a road trip with the most ridiculous of objects and a ludicrous series of events that transpire before the goal is reached. One of its key players is Harold Lee (John Cho), an awkward, nerdy, soft-spoken Korean-American investment banker with a hopeless crush on Maria (Paula Garces), an attractive young woman who lives in his building. The other is his roommate Kumar Patel (Kal Penn), a smart-alecky young Indian-American genius doing his best to sabotage his father's demands that he attend medical school. Both men are in their early 20s with foul mouths, raging hormones and an excessive fondness for pot.

The epic journey begins one night when Kumar, weary from his latest purposely disastrous interview, complains of hunger and decides, after viewing a commercial unappetizing enough to turn me off White Castle for life, that only those tiny little burgers will satisfy his pangs tonight. Harold, who's overloaded with work, is unenthused but reluctantly agrees to join his friend in his quest, little knowing that what should be a quick half-hour outing will stretch out into a night-long journey fraught with peril.

I kind of like Harold despite his crudeness, which isn't as pronounced as Kumar's. I feel bad for him, getting sucked into this increasingly ridiculous scheme, while I question Kumar's sanity in going to such extreme measures for such shoddy-looking food. But he's a man on a mission; once he decides what he wants, he's going to go for it, doggone it, and in some respect, I guess that's a good thing, because his life has been pretty aimless in all other respects. If he could apply himself to a worthwhile purpose with the fervor with which he pursues these burgers, he'd do pretty well for himself.

It seems the movie is trying to make some bold statements about ethnicity; racially oriented humor gets tossed around throughout the film, not only with the title twosome but also their Jewish buddies Goldstein (David Krumholtz) and Rosenberg (Eddie Kaye Thomas), the members of a club for Asian students and Tarik (Gary Anthony Williams), a man arrested "for being black." One especially uncouth example: an enthusiastic Goldstein describing Katie Holmes' ample bust to Kumar as the opposite of the Holocaust. "See, he's Jewish," my brother informed me, "so he can say that." Maybe the jokes are cutting-edge, but I found them much more emptily vulgar than illuminating.

The car gives them problems throughout their ordeal, particularly when Neil Patrick Harris - who flags them down while wandering aimlessly, walking off the effects of an especially rowdy party - drives off with it when Harold and Kumar are in a convenience store. Whenever he is on screen, the racial humor is replaced with a barrage of uncomfortable references to the Doogie Howser star's sexuality. I'm all for self-effacement, but why Harris would agree to portray himself as such an oversexed burnout is beyond me. I certainly hope his behavior is not an accurate reflection of who he really is; if so, I don't think I want Neil Patrick Harris within a hundred feet of my car...

We watched this movie on TBS, so we were treated to all sorts of very obvious dubbing; that's a good thing, because I don't know if my sensitive ears could have handled to real deal. It didn't take a genius to figure out that half of what they were saying had been sanitized - and what they were saying was bad enough. What they were doing was pretty bad too, from stealing lab coats from a hospital in order to acquire medical marijuana to attempting a three-way tryst with the gorgeous wife of the hideously ugly, psychotic but oh-so-friendly redneck Freakshow (Christopher Meloni), who gives them a lift when their car blows a tire, though I wouldn't say either of them quite deserved all of the misery they racked up during their ridiculous road trip. Harold especially gets the short end of the stick in the movie, though all his unpleasant experiences at least arm him with a little gumption that may just serve him well in certain future interactions. I'm almost happy for him when the inevitable meeting occurs.

But do I recommend the movie? Oh, ecstatically. With all the fervor with which I daydream about those luscious little White Castle burgers.