'FlashForward' series finale is one of the worst in TV history
In my flash forward, I throttle whoever was ultimately responsible for one of the most incomprehensible finales in television history.
That would be the finale of "FlashForward," which finished its season and its life on ABC Thursday with a collage of events that made less sense than my 12th grade calculus class, Lindsay Lohan's behavior and 270-pound men in Speedos.
Nor did "FlashForward" have enough loyal fans that it should have wanted to leave any of us - I suspect I'm not alone in my bewilderment - without a more satisfying resolution.
I'll try not to ruin things here for those who have taped the show and not watched it yet, but Thursday night's conclusion cleared up few of the mysteries that "FlashForward" spent the previous 21 episodes developing.
If somewhere in the chaos there was a clear explanation for the genesis of the worldwide blackout that set up the core mystery of the whole show, it sailed right past me.
Over recent weeks I've been willing to tolerate increasing banter about complex mathematical formulas and equations I didn't understand, because I had faith they would ultimately be explained in English.
Of course, I also had faith that Crystal would win "American Idol."
Not all faith is rewarded.
The implicitly promised payoff from "FlashForward" Thursday night was that we had finally reached the moment that almost everyone saw in the "flash forwards" they experienced during the aforementioned blackout.
And yes, the show did reveal whether some of the flash forwards came true, and to what extent. That was fine.
At the same time, however, it introduced a potentially even more cryptic series of apparent time shifts and ambiguous signals about what was happening and what was going to happen, this time over the next five or so years.
It's possible someone with way too much time on his or her hands followed all that, or is sorting it out as we speak. Maybe someone who's suffering withdrawal from the "Lost" finale.
Trouble is, it would be a theoretical exercise, since we'll never know what was really in store for those characters unless the creators of the show reveal where they would have gone had ABC given them a renewal.
Therein, of course, lies the real problem. The "FlashForward" creators started with a five-year story arc, and they apparently filmed Thursday night's season one finale with the expectation ABC would bring the show back at least for season two.
By the time ABC tossed it overboard, the finale was already filmed, with a new cliffhanger obviously designed to give the second season a running start.
Except that second season ran into a wall.
It happens. Prime-time television has little mercy or sentiment.
Still, it would be nice if someone somewhere would admit Thursday night's episode rewarded the modest but devoted fan base of a very good TV show with a whole lot of "Huh?"
Click to viewI'm kinda glad I stopped caring about the show. What was the worst series finale according to you? Granted I've never been a fan but Seinfeld would definitely be on my top list.
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