Tell me your future

FlashForward - "White to Play" (Episode 2)

Agents Benford and Noh press ahead in their investigation of the blackout. The Secretary of Homesland Security sticks her nose into the Los Angeles bureau's goings on. Meanwhile Olivia meets the man in her flashforward.

We're getting more pieces of the puzzle, or literally in this case, more clues pinned to Benford's bulletin board. At the same time, more intrigue has been added with creep-specialist Michael Massee's (see The Crow and others) appearance as a mysterious Man in Black who may know who and what is behind the blackout.

Demetri finds another person who also saw nothing in their flashforward in a Utah sheriff. After she is killed he starts to believe that his death may be inevitable, especially after receiving a phone call from a mysterious woman (played by 24's Shohreh Asgdashloo).

I know they don't want to show their hand right away, but I think they're dragging out the Benford daughter Charlie's nightmare vision a little to much. Yes, she said she didn't want to talk about it, but days have passed now in the story and there are ways to gently coax it out of her. Her parents, especially Agent Benford, need to know what the hell she saw. If they don't get her to squeal by episode three I'm gonna get in the umpire's face.

I loved the humor with FBI A.D. Wedeck finally revealing to Benford that not only did he flashforward to himself sitting on the toilet in the future, but when the blackout occurred he was also sitting on the toilet. It mortified Wedeck and made Benford laugh, something Joseph Fiennes's character needs to remember to do every so often. Chicago Tribune TV critic Maureen Ryan makes a good point that FlashForward lacks a wise-cracking character, like Hurley or Sawyer on Lost, that might counterbalance the usually grim Benford.

Maybe John Cho can channel a little Harold and Kumar-esque madness, since Demetri thinks he's marked for death. Or maybe Dominic Monaghan, soon to join the cast, will get to play jester. The writers should remember that The X-Files, that grimmest and darkest of shows, had Mulder's dry sense of humor, but Scully also lightened up as the show went along. Always balance heavy drama with humor - ask Joss Whedon.