FlashForward title screen, via Wikipedia

A mysterious global event causes everyone on the planet to simultaneously see, for two minutes and seventeen seconds, his or her life six months in the future. When it is over, many are dead in accidents involving vehicles, aircraft, and any other device needing human control. Everyone who survived is left wondering if what they saw will actually happen.

A Los Angeles FBI agent named Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes) tries to figure out what exactly happened and why it happened. Along with his team, he creates a database of people’s flash forwards from around the world called the Mosaic Collective (for which a website has been launched). Apart from the various catastrophic visions, people also see themselves engaging in unexpected behavior; for example, Benford sees himself drinking again, and his wife Olivia has a vision of herself with another man.

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So there is another new science-fiction series. Well, it’s hard to attribute this series a science-fiction label, as unlike the book, the flash forward that the world experiences is only 6 months away. In the book, it’s 21 years and tied to the CERN Large Hadron Collider as well as the search for the Higgs boson. It’s based on a science-fiction novel of the same name by Robert J. Sawyer. That’s strange. I’ve been thinking about the Higgs boson for the last few days.

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

* * * * *

So a plot tool from Lost has become a TV series in its own right. That’s kind of funny. What’s not funny is how slow the story progresses. Even with Lost, the story moves at a certain pace. The first episode of FlashForward seemed to just crawl along, with nothing really happening at all.

It’s also described as a thriller, but I’d call it a fake-thriller, since none of the thrills are surprising. They are easily predictable. However, the show is beautifully shot. I hope that the next few episodes will move at a quicker pace and we will discover more. No improvement on the pacing. This show was picked up for a full season, but it’s still very slow.

I still can’t believe that Defying Gravity was canceled before this show. Seems like such a waste. At least in Defying Gravity, there is a lot better pacing and the characters are engaging.

As usual, things are moving along very slowly. Janis is alright, Simcoe and Benford finally meet. We learn that Simcoe is behind the flash forwards. He was working with a quantum physicist. I wonder if this is tied to the the search for the Higgs boson with the Large Hadron Collider, like in the book on which this series is based.

This series is faring better than Defying Gravity. It has been given a full first season.

* * * * *

Someone contacted Celia. She finds a flyer for Alreadyghosts.com on her windshield. Demitri is also checking out that website. It’s for people who didn’t have a flashforward, which means that they are dead on that date.

Mark, Demetri and Al are heading to the morgue. They are checking out the Blue Hand dudes. Mark Rutherford is among the deceased.

A corporal who served with Tracy shows up at Erin’s workplace. He gives Erin the lucky knife he gave Tracy 4 years ago. This is the knife that Erin saw himself giving to an injured Tracy in his ff. Mike comes back later on. He says that what Erin saw in his ff isn’t possible because he was with in the HUMVEE with Tracy. Men with a grenade launcher detonated her HUMVEE. He saw her die.

Fiona Banks from MI6 arrives. She’s here because of Rutherford and because she saw herself working on this case with Al. All 3 suicide victims are Ghosts, people who didn’t have a ff. They are a global organization that kind of looks like terror group, since they don’t have anything to live for anymore.

Al says that he received a call from his attorney. In his call, he confesses to killing someone.

Demetri is having some marital problems. It’s because he hasn’t told his fiancée that he didn’t have a ff.

Nicole is volunteering at the hospital. Olivia tells her to shadow Bryce. She’s fluent in Japanese. She’s able to tell Bryce that the Japanese Kanji sign he saw means believe.

Dem, Al and Mark go to a Ghost meeting in LA. Some old dude arrives with a gun. He wants to play some Russian roulette. Mark thought that it was fake, but there was a bullet with “Not Today”. They get into the club. Everything goes. They hear a lion or a tiger in the background. They can do whatever they want. Renaud arrives with his hands covered in blue. A friendly bartender tells Dem that they represent a portal, a gateway, from one understanding to another. The blue hand marks a surrender to the inevitable. They go at him and arrest him. They question him. He says that he finds the ghosts through the Mosaic site. He had a ff. At the club, Mark found a book of matches with “The Blue Hand” on it. It’s the one from his Mosaic board.

Simcoe thanks Olivia. He’s moving on.

Dem is pretty depressed about what is happening. There is nothing that he can do about it. Everything is coming true. He tells her that he didn’t have a ff. She says that she saw him on the beach at their wedding. She wants to believe in hope.

Erin thanks Mike and offers him a job.

Bryce and Nicole are talking. He wants to find the Japanese girl in his ff. She tells him to put it up on Mosaic. Someone she knows might find her.

Al puts a note on Dem’s desk. The note is to Celia. He tells Dem to bring it to the right person. Al leaves. The phone call Al got was to inform him that someone was taken off life support and she died. Celia died. Her boys are going into foster care.

Dem reads the letter. Al has gone up to the roof and is about to jump off. The others run up. He tells them that he found a way to change the game. He leaps off the building.

He must have caused her death someone in the future, which is why she didn’t have a ff. By killing himself, he changes the future.

Erin comes home and finds Tracy waiting for him.

* * * * *

Related Posts

• FlashForward S01E01
• FlashForward S01E02
• FlashForward S01E03
• FlashForward S01E04
• FlashForward S01E05
• FlashForward S01E06

i don’t know how long my subconscious have been yearning for his songs. i remember the Gift, My Destiny, Valentine and all those sweet ballads that were sung by women. i never thought of searching for them until my friend said she recently found out about Jim Brickman. being the curious type and wondering what the person would sound like, i asked her to show me what types of songs he makes. and there i was stunned and awed upon discovering that he does indeed sound very good. at this point i still didn’t recognize him as the one who does the piano on those three songs that i mentioned. so i go home and start my quest to look for more tunes from him and mu cousin was interested in what i was looking for; when she starts getting songs, i get curious too… we both have a similar taste in music, that’s why. so anyways, i told her jim brickman and she was surprised. she said i already heard his songs, so there i go flying off to youtube to check if she’s right. so i search all those familiar songs and voila! they were his songs, i was so happy and kinda dumbfounded to not have searched for the songs earlier.. i guess the name didn’t seem familiar because i assumed it was the female singers’ songs, but they were just featured in his songs. so there you have it. =) and now i’m in a romantic songs phase… it’s all good.

here is a link to his website: jim brickman rocks!! 

this is a new series for Advent and Christmas; the series is called The Gift - unwrapping the true significance of Christmas
our experience When I was about 5 or 6 and my sense of morality was starting to take shape.    I started hearing that there is a threat to this whole Santa Claus story and tradition that quite naturally made me pause when mum tried to push me towards the rather flamboyant old elf’s knee. Along with promise of gifts (or list of gifts) is a threat that’s typified by this:

You better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
I’m telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town

He’s making a list,
Checking it twice;
Gonna find out who’s naughty or nice.
Santa Claus is coming to town…

What?! Well that certainly tinges anticipation with uncertainty, the joy of expectation with a very clear kind of dread. Kind of spoilt it really. It was about then that I noticed a whole bunch of little kids treated the whole sitting on Santa’s knee thing with diffidence at best and sheer terror at worst. Why? Cos their parents seemed confused about whether he was an ogre sitting in judgment or a surprising and generous old benefactor.
Unfortunately we have the same confusion about God; it shows in our songs of old; He’s my harmless, trusted friend who will carry me through the worst of times; He’s the terrifying Judge seated in awesome majesty; the Jesus of the Gospels welcoming little children or the Jesus of Revelations coming in devastating judgement. Does God hold Santa Clause over us?
Who is God in this? Let’s start with Jesus’ own words in Luke 21. Pretty scary stuff. Kind of like 2012 the movie. Events taking place over which we have absolutely no control, in which we are helplessly swept along. What Jesus is showing us is the disastrous Cosmic consequences of human sin and rebellion and how that will come out in the end. That’s the threat – but it’s a threat humanity (us) has lived with since the Garden of Eden, and it is only a threat to those who have yet to embrace the loving mercy of God offered us in Jesus. For see what He says next: Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near! [v.28] Jesus comes with the gift of imperishable life, forming a community of the faithful as the centrepiece of His eternal Kingdom.
This sense of promise carried God’s people through some of their worst moments in exile, hear the words of Isaiah 52, in which the prophet depicts a vision of deliverance for the people of God from all that enslaved them for so long. Through Isaiah, the Spirit of God encourages the people to ready themselves to celebrate, telling them to dress in their best [1], to take a seat of honour [2], to shout and sing [8]. Why is this? Because they are now to be released from the confusing existence of being a people or promise living in painful exile and bondage to ungodly powers. Here is all we hope for, Jesus our liberator returning in answer to all the promises He and the prophets have made, comforting His chosen as He opens the full meaning of the Gift for us, showing the whole Cosmos what the Gift is and what it can do for humanity and the whole Cosmos.
So what should you do? First, as a follower of Jesus the long-promised deliverer, don’t waste time and energy on fear of the future and God’s judgement. God’s plan for us is all good as the events of Christmas and Easter should remind us. So instead give your attention to listening for God’s direction and purpose for you in the now. Embrace the Gift and become a part of it’s unwrapping in the sight of our neighbours and community. Live in the assuring and fertile gardens of love, acceptance and forgiveness, not in the polluted environment of the threat.
Second, if you’re not yet a follower of Jesus, if you haven’t embraced the Gift for yourself, then you are under the threat. You are being shown clearly what the options are. But the news is all good for you too – it is in God’s plan for Jesus to rescue you from any kind of threat to your eternal hope, to draw you into His everlasting Kingdom of light and love. And if you are already a part of that it’s your privilege to make this wonderful reality known to those around you..perhaps more by your kindly action than by words that have an unfortunate tendency to sound so judgemental…though at sometime you may have to speak of what it is that’s driving you.
And at the local church we have a community of people already embraced by and transformed by the realisation of God’s extravagant love for them, a community that has nothing to fear from the threat of the future We are a shelter for the lost and struggling in our communities and neighbourhoods of love, compassion and healing empowered by the living Presence of God. What Gift do you do we have to offer to those who surround us on every side with their dread of the future with or without God?

This Holiday Season….
Image will be giving us an Ultimate Gift that will blow our minds.
Here’s a little preview…

WATCH:

PS:
Attention ALL IMAGE MODELS:
They are casting for this show NOW. =)
Message Ethan Haalan or Lola Baudin.

This afternoon, my baby cried hysterically and rolled on the bed. Trying to get things her way.

What is happening to the world? How can a baby able to accomplish such action in order to get things her way? She is turning into a monster! Help!

http://www.myspace.com/amaliahoje

Even though I live in chilly Northwestern Ontario, the snow has still not fallen! And, yes, I am a little peeved.

Usually the late November snow signals me to bust out the Christmas decorations and movies (can anybody say Elf?!) and indulge in the holiday spirit. But this year I’ve had to create all the spirit myself.

Besides watching Christmas special after special, I’ve turned to cozy holiday books to get myself in the mood, and The Gift, by Cecelia Ahern, is just perfect for the job. Many of you may remember this blockbuster hit from last Christmas season. Well, it was originally a book and I managed to snag myself a bargain copy of the hardcover a couple months ago. I decided to wait for a more appropriate time to bust it out and – seeing the Christmas lights being hung all over time – that time finally arrived!

“The Gift” switches between two seemingly parallel stories. One is of Lou Suffern, an overworked business man who is constantly faced with the conundrum of being in two places at once with his busy life. The other features Raphie, an older policeman (or Garda as they call them in Ireland!) and Turkey Boy, a young boy who threw a turkey through a window and is now at the Garda station. Lou’s story is actually being narrated by Raphie, who is telling Lou’s tale as a warning to Turkey Boy.

Lou’s story essentially begins when he meets Gabe, a homeless man who sits outside Lou’s multi-million dollar office building in Dublin everyday. One day Lou decides to purchase a coffee for Gabe and they end up chatting. Gabe seems very wise and intrigues Lou. Gabe also tips Lou off on a suspicious lunch meeting that Lou’s co-worker and boss had, so Lou decides to get Gabe a job in the mail room of his building. He figures that Gabe will be able to keep his eagle-eyes on Alfred, Lou’s suspicious co-worker and also, that it’s a good deed.

However, once Gabe begins working for Lou’s company, Lou quickly regrets his decision. Gabe magically seems to be able to be in two places at once and everyone else in the office (including Lou’s hard-to-please boss) are beyond impressed. Lou instantly feels threatened and regrets his decision…until Gabe also helps Lou to be in two places at once. Through his journey Lou learns about what is truly important in his life.

I found “The Gift” to be a wonderful, uplifting and perfect Christmas read. It was light-hearted and kept my attention. It is the typical “chick-lit” read and was a great way to relax in between studying for exams. The characters are believable and natural and I found it interesting that Ahern was able to make me feel compassion for both Lou and Gabe, even when Lou resents Gabe.

I think everyone who reads “The Gift” will also learn a lesson about what is truly important in their lives. And there is no better time to appreciate the people around you and blessings you have than this holiday season!

OK, not exactly a holiday video for the increasingly infamous NOLA Bloggers War On Christmas, (aka The Hostilidays) but also because this is the piece I suggested Lou For A Day should stand up on the bar and declaim at Mimi’s if I can scrape off the right-channel music track. And hey, it’s all about the gifts, right? That and the food and the booze. In fact, I think I should make and give everyone bourbon balls this year, which seems the perfect expression of the holiday season.

When I put my baby to sleep each night, I lie down next to her as a signal that it’s time to sleep. She will then crawls towards me and put her little chest on mine. I read in books that babies love to listen to their moms’ heartbeat because it reminds them of being in the womb and that will give them peace. She must be listening to my heartbeat each time she lies on top of me.

I know that it is love at first sight the moment I saw her.

I know that she is a gift from God, a love that cannot be explained.

I know that money can neither buy me love nor experience.

I know that it is priceless, to hear her heartbeat each and every night.

The final part of Sarah Jane adventures this year as just been aired! The dramatic episode, the gift!

What an episode! Very griping couldn’t keep my eyes off the screen!

In this episode we saw Sarah Jane and the gang saving the planet once again! As the leading lady, Miss Smith was forced to face the battle of her life in order to save her son, Luke, and the whole of London from the evil clasp of the Blathereen. The world was being destroying by mutating plants….

That was the last Sarah Jane Adventures for this year! But hopefully will be back next year with a new series! If you’ve missed any episodes then go to the BBC iplayer.

Dont miss tonight on Children in Need at 7:00pm on BBC One, there will be a sneak peek of the Doctor who Christmas special! Don’t miss that!

The first part of the Sarah Jane Adventures Series 3 conclusion, The Gift, has just been aired on BBC One and HD.

We thought that the episode was good but not one of their best. We thought that the wedding of Sarah Jane Smith should of been the last episodes! Tell us what you thought of this episode!

In this episode saw the Slitheen’s rivals, the Blathereen, arrive, declaring peace between the planets. They offered Sarah Jane a gift, one that might just change the future of the human race forever…

Dont miss tomorrows finale as we’ve heard its going to be the biggest and best yet, and we’ve been told that not everybody will make it out alive… Thats tomorrow at 4.35pm on BBC One and BBC HD

For those of you who have not been reading my Thursday Story’s up to now, each year I write a special holiday story, and have done since 1999. I will share one each Thursday until finally just before Christmas I will publish this seasons story.

Today’s is from 2001 and is basically true, as you can read at the end.

THE GIFT (2001)

Driving to work on a Sunday morning, the roads fairly empty at the time of day I started work. Christmas lights still sparkled in the early morning light as I passed by the houses, reminding me it was only 3 days until Christmas day. This was my first day back at work after several days off, and with so little time before Christmas, most people would now be on holiday for the next few days.

When I arrived at work, far from being quiet major problems were waiting for me, and those few members of my shift not on vacation. The morning went by with many conference calls and problem resolving and around lunchtime finally I thought it had all settled down to a quieter day.

Suddenly my phone rang, it was my wife. The baby was sick, she had been crying for the last hour, and in pain. Not only that but when the baby had been sick she had traces of blood in the throw-up. She had phoned the Doctor who had thought it was because of a cold and congestion. Naturally I was worried, our daughter was only seven months old after all, and so very precious to us.

I was getting on with more work, thinking about what was going on, when the phone went again. The Doctor had second thoughts and wanted us to take the baby to the hospital. I would meet them the family there.

I drove not quite knowing where I was going or what I was doing, the area was strange and the worry about what was going on weighing heavy on my mind.

I found the children’s emergency area, arriving before my family. Soon we were all there. The baby was no her normal herself at all, she would not let you put her down, and was crying in pain, as well as constantly dribbling. We were quickly looked at and details taken, then started a long wait until we could be seen. Children and families came and went and still we waited. The our other children were starting to get fractious, we had by this time been waiting almost 3 hours.

At last we were called in, and shown to the smallest cubical out of the ones there were, this was for the two of us, the baby, 2 small children and all the bags and car seats that were needed to port the family around. The staff seeing the children with nothing to do brought them gifts from the hospital Christmas tree, and so we waited.

Another hour, and at last the doctor came to see us. The baby was checked out, and nothing could be found. People still came and went and time continued to pass. At last the doctor came back and advised that they were going to take x-rays of the baby. We talked about what to do, we had been at the hospital for over 4 hours, the children were tired and hungry, and we both knew how long x-rays could take. Neither of us wanted to leave, but though it best if my wife took the baby home, and I stayed.

Very quickly we went to the x-ray area, and after just 10 minutes were back with the plates. The doctor could see nothing on the x-rays, but wanted a second opinion. The Senior Doctor came and examined the baby, and suddenly reported to both myself and the other doctor that she could see something trapped at the back of the babies throat. This explained her pain, and the soaking shoulders I now had from her constant dribbling for the last several hours I had held her.

My heart jumped into my throat, what had she swallowed, what if it moved and lodged across her throat. The surgeon was paged, and I was taken with the baby into another area. I tried to keep her as quiet as possible, the Christmas angels pinned round the walls seemed to look down at her so small in my arms and in so much pain.We moved to behind a curtain, as a major case was coming in, all the time the doctors kept checking on us. Nurses peered in at the beautiful baby, who every now and then let out such a heart rending cry that all stopped to see what was wrong.

The surgeon came and explained what he was to do, it was thought better to operate on the baby to get rid of the obstruction, rather than cause her even more distress, and possible problems by fishing for it. The theater was ready, we went up and met the operating team, where I handed over my beloved daughter to them. I waited in and empty waiting area.

Christmas lights sparkled on windows, and seasons decorations were everywhere. I phoned my now tearful wife, and explained what was going on. Thoughts went to another baby all those years ago, and silent prayers were sent to him. The last words that the anesthetist had said to me as she took the baby , swirled round my head again, and again.

“You are very lucky, 80% of babies who swallow things like this do not even make the hospital”

What would we do if anything happened to her? After all that had happened to us this last year, this would be the end of all and everything if we lost her.

After what seemed an age, but was actually only 20 minutes the doctor returned, holding in his hand a container in which was a small frog foil sticker, as used on cards and presents at Christmas. This was the offending object. The baby was ok, and was waiting for me in the recovery area.

I sat by her bed, waiting for her to recover, trying to smile at the comments of the nurse taking care of her. She was alright, she was safe, a small tear trickled down my face, and my heart smiled at the beauty that was our daughter now safe and sound sleeping next to me.

A half hour later she was awake, and her smiling self, drinking a bottle of juice as if nothing had happened. Once we had been checked out, we left for our drive back home. The Christmas lights now matching the pair of sparkling eyes that sat in the car seat next to me.

We arrived home in the early hours of the morning, safe and sound, but still the words echoed round my mind. 80% of babies never make it to the hospital.

As we hugged each other and the baby, we both realized, never mind what was going to happen in two days time. We had already received the greatest Christmas present we would ever have. The safety and well being of our baby.

Normally I write a Christmas Story, and in fact this year I already had it written just waiting for my to type it out and up load it. That was until we had our own story, this time the story was for real. Victoria is fine now, and shows no ill effects from her operation. It just showed us how lucky we really are.

Barry

BARRY EVA (Storyheart)
Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
“Across the Pond”

Dacă tot a început postul Crăciunului,am hotărât să devin un îngeraş şi să fac fapte bune;;).Azi,fiind orele scurte,i-am cerut voie profei de info să mă lase să merg pană la bibliotecă să împrumut nişte cărţi.Toate bune şi frumoase,iau cărţile şi mă întorc în clasă.O colegă m-a întrebat care e treaba cu biblioteca şi cum poate lua şi ea cărţi.Am fost cu ea să împrumute” Maitreyi” iar după noi vine şi minunatul nostru coleg Andrei.Acesta,văzându-se în bibliotecă,se închină şi spune că e pentru prima dată când intră într-un astfel de loc.Iese după 30 desecunde,evident ).La ora de română,colegele citeau din cărţile de la bibliotecă.Profesoara era şocată ).Sunt meritele mele şi sunt extrem de fericită.

Winter snow is falling down
Children laughing all around
Lights are turning on
Like a fairy tale come true
Sitting by the fire we made
You’re the answer when I prayed
I would find someone
And baby I found you
All I want is to hold you forever
All I need is you more every day
You saved my heart
From being broken apart
You gave your love away
And I’m thankful every day
For the gift
Watching as you softly sleep
What I’d give if I could keep
Just this moment
If only time stood still
But the colors fade away
And the years will make us grey
But baby in my eyes
You’ll still be beautiful
All I want is to hold you forever
All I need is you more every day
You saved my heart
From being broken apart
You gave your love away
And I’m thankful every day
For the gift
All I want is to hold you forever
All I need is you more every day
You saved my heart
From being broken apart
You gave your love away
I can’t find the words to say
That I’m thankful every day
For the gift

Al Gough jumped.

With that, the rules of Flash Forward changed.  People with flashforwards can actually die before their flashforward occurs. Also, this means that people who have had flashforwards might not necessarily live to see them come true.

We find out early in the episode that Celia is left a flyer on her car windshield. It is for www.alreadyghosts.com (which is a real Web site, which directs you to ABC’s home site for Flash Forward). On the back of the flyer, someone wrote “We know you are one of us.” We can also assume that Demetri received the same flyer since we see him surfing that site.

Aaron is visited by a soldier, Mike, who served with his daughter Tracy. He gives Aaron a gift from Tracy: a pocketknife Aaron gave her before she went overseas. Aaron interprets this as a sign that Tracy is still alive.

The FBI team receives a visit from Fiona Banks (Alex Kingston). Al and her discuss their common flashforward. Alex wishes there was a way for her to help the bird that crashed into the window and ease its pain. Al leaves the room in the flashforward to take a call from his attorney uttering the words “I killed her.”

We learn that many people did not have flashforwards. They refer to themselves as “Ghosts.” It seems some entrepreneurial ghosts have set up clubs for this unfortunate group of people. Each meeting has a different Dr. Raynaud. There is an LA club meeting that night.

O.K., I need to do a sidebar here. Again, Flash Forward threw an interesting name at us: Raynaud. In medicine, Raynaud’s phenomenon (pronounced /reɪˈnoʊz/, us dict: rā·nōz′) is a vasospastic disorder causing discoloration of the fingers, toes, and occasionally other extremities. This condition can also cause nails to become brittle with longitudinal ridges. Named for French physician Maurice Raynaud (1834–1881), the cause of the phenomenon is believed to be the result of vasospasms that decrease blood supply to the respective regions. Emotional stress and cold are classic triggers of the phenomenon, and the discoloration follows a characteristic pattern in time: white, blue and red. Viola! The Blue Hand!

Mark, Demetri, and Al head downtown to check out the club. They are handstamped with a blue hand. Once inside, one of them needs to play a game of Russian Roulette with a gun. Thinking that Demetri will take up the slack here since we know he is murdered on March 15th, 2010, it comes as a surprise that Al grabs the gun and plays. Al gets to keep the one bullet in the gun which as written on it “Not Today.”

Once inside the main club area, Mark finds another artifact from his board: a matchbook with “The Blue Hand” scribbled inside.

Aaron is revisited by soldier Mike who tells him he was with Tracy when she died. After their Humvee is bombed, he sees Tracy on the ground with one leg ripped off, apparently looking dead. Perhaps she is only unconscious, but Mike did not have time to take a pulse before he had to run for his life.

Back at The Blue Hand Club, things are really rocking. I don’t know about you, but if I had six months or less to live, getting waterboarded or electrocuted would not be on the top of my list of last things to do. The guys learn that people believe that the blue hand represents “a portal. A gateway from one understanding to another. It marks the surrender to the inevitable.” They stop that night’s Dr. Raynaud from killing himself. His reason for trying to off himself can be found in Nietzsche. “If you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.” Ironically, the potiental cliental for The Blue Hand Club are found using Mosaic.

In what will be a poignant scene after the show, we see Al making him a batch of dirty rice which was one of his favorite meals as a kid.

Demetri comes clean with Zoey about his flashforward. Zoey tries to comfort him in the fact that they have conflicting visions. They can choose which one they want to beleive in.

Aaron gets Mike a job with his company in return for giving him peace.

We wind up the episode with Al leaving Demetri a letter for Celia. We are unsure what Al did to have caused Celia’s death, but obviously it has affected him enough to end his life to save hers. His attorney says it was an accident, but Al keeps insisting it was his fault and he killed her.

So Al jumps saying “I found a way to change the game.”

The episode ends with Aaron walking in his house after work to see his daughter sitting in a chair. “Hi Dad.”

Things we learned this week

Mark Benford was wearing a The Police T-shirt to the Blue Hand Club. While there is some irony in that, I thought it was more interesting it was related to their Ghost in the Machine album.

Who is Annabelle and why does Simon have her bracelet. He was looking at it fondly with a sad look on his face. His child prehaps?

We find out that Nicole speaks Japanese. She is now volunteering at Olivia’s hospital. She knows Japanese culture too (her dad was stationed in Okinawa when she was a little girl). This coincidentally draws Bryce to her and he discusses his flashforward of his mystery girl with her. Nicole is able to help Bryce understand the symbol behind the drawing he has made of the mystery girl. The symbol means “believe.”

Back in London, Fiona puts masking tape on her office window, as Al suggested, so the bird won’t fly into the window and die.

Episode 7 – The Gift

Now after what I thought was quite disappointing last week, I found this episode had more going on and a few interesting moments. Especially the ending (yes I know they try to leave you hanging with the ending this week, but I actually said OMG out loud . . . I really was not expecting that).

I new website was formed for the “Ghosts” people who did not have a flashforward and therefore figured they could actually die any day now. “The Blue Hand Club” was set up for these people to go to. They pretty much done anything they wanted, which included some very crazy things that could indeed kill them.

We are properly introduced to MI6 agent Fiona Banks, who was in Gough’s flashforward, working on a case which is suddenly made. Gough’s flashforward is explored in more detail with and that he feels responsible for a woman’s death leaving her two children behind. When all of this gets on top of him he commits suicide by jumping off the top of the FBI building, in a very emotional scene with Mark, Demetri and others watching on. He done this so that woman would have a chance to live, also showing Demetri that the future can be changed and he should still have hope of a future and living a happy life. I think this also made Mark realise that he can change parts of his and his wifes flashforwards so they do not come true.

I thought that was quite powerful, and also good turning it around that you can change what you saw. It gives a new edge really. As it goes back to well you can change it or you can conform and do everything in your power to make it happen if that will make you feel better about it all.

The moment which made me say OMG was when Aaron’s daughter was sitting in his house at the end. After Mike had told him that he had seen her die, which she was supposed to of died. I really was not expecting to see her sitting their at the end. Very much the reason I cannot wait for the next episode.

I am actually very much looking forward to episode 8 now, I think possibly I am becoming hooked ever so slowly on this show?!?!?

After the strangly named Halloween episode last week, FlashForward got back to the matter at hand with The Gift. Whether you thought that was a good or bad thing is up to you, but after a handful of episodes the show appears to be finally tackling some of the issues that would arise from an event like a global blackout. The Gift also takes the first in-depth look at the argument of free will vs. fate.

The episode opens with a misdirection – not a first for the series. We see a woman with her children as a voice over reads a letter written to her. Celia then discovers a note on her windshield from the Blue Hand group. This leads to a nice segue into one of the mysteries discovered last week – Just what is the Blue Hand?

In the aftermath of the Blue Hand corpses found last week, Agents Mark, Demetri and Al have a new lead on their hands (sorry). The Blue Hand is another clue from Mark’s board. Considering they’ve turned out right so far, the agents take the initiative to see just what they’ve gotten themselves into. One of the dead blue hands relates to Agent Al Gough’s flash – as a result of this we’re privy to the entirety of Agent Al’s flash, and why he’s so upset. Apparently he’s responsible for “her” death, something he hasn’t shared with anyone else - even the British MI-6 agent working the case with him.

Following the Blue Hand lead, the agents find their way to a secret underground meeting. None of them looked or acted too secretly though, which kind of made me laugh. Mark even “blended in” with his Police t-shirt. Apparently the Blue Hands are big fans of Andy Summers. To gain access to the Blue Hand meeting, the agents were asked to play a game of Russian Roulette. Agent Al wasted no time in pulling the trigger, which turned out to be a nice bit of foreshadowing, while at the same time asking a central question – Are the flashes set in stone?

That question is really the central theme of The Gift. Whether it’s the contrast between Demetri and his fiance’s flashes, or the impending doom created by certain character’s flashes, so far our characters have been living as if they were unable to change what they saw. In The Gift we’re given the option of a future that isn’t set in stone. While some believe that the flashes are inevitable, others believe that the flash was just a possible preview of the future.

With that we return to the letter from the opening of the show. It turns out the letter wasn’t Blue Hand related at all, but instead written by Agent Al to a woman yet to die. Agent Al is the first character to distinctly challenge the concept of the flashes in the most extreme was possible. In Al’s mind, if he’s dead, the events of his flash can’t happen. Whether this causes a ripple effect is yet to be seen, but it’s the first time we’ve seen a character directly question the concept of the blackout.

The Gift also contained some side story on the orderly and the Japanese speaking babysitter, but the meat of the side story was with disappearing-accented electrician (Aaron).  It has nothing to do with the story, but where is that guy from anyway? Sometimes he’s got an eastern European accent, some times it’s Bronx, sometimes it’s not there. Aaron has several encounters throughout the episode with a guy who served in the army with his daughter, Tracy. Tracy’s fellow soldier gives Aaron a knife – a knife he will give Tracy in his flash (shades of John Locke/Richard Alpert anyone?). Aaron also receives closure on his daughter – something that is shattered in the final moments of the episode when she shows up sitting at his table.

To me, The Gift was middling. I liked that it finally addressed the first question I’d ask – Is my future set, or can I change it? It took a guy leaping from a building to bring that question to the forefront. At the same time, I found it a bit heavy handed. It seems that the writers give the audience little credit in terms of intelligence. Lines like Mark’s “It’s like a book club…with bullets” keep coming at a steady rate, and they clunk every time. I also have to call out my displeasure in the way the show is using Dom Monaghan. He’s been in 3 or 4 episodes, and he’s seen maybe 5 minutes of screen time. I complained about this last week, and I know it’s picky, but I hate that they’re teasing us with what appears to be a major character. I do think The Gift was a small step in the right direction for the series, but we’ll see how next week follows up.

What makes a great gift? I have seen a certain group of people who place value in the market value of the gift, the more costlier the better. Some others find it in the utility of the gift, whether it serves some purpose to them, is it something that they truly need. Still others, revel in its artistry or aesthetics, one of a beauty par excellence. Still others, like to maintain an exclusivity even in those that are gifted to them, a truly one-of-a-kind piece. And yet others, love the hand-made ones, the ones that show the amount of care and patience a person is willing to spend to show that you are worth it, championing the cause of effort.

Let me ask you, have you ever received a truly wonderful gift? Something that lasts. Lasts through changes in time, space and spirit. Such gifts at first may seem beautiful, or precious and exclusive , or something that contains care and effort, or simply a great thing that you can actually use. But later, somewhere that thought hits home, that the gift not only serves these functions but also, touches you somewhere deep below.

The truly great gifts serve to remind you of someone’s good wishes. They serve to perk you up in the darkest of times. They remind you of the best moments in your life. They remind of laughter and sorrow shared. They tell of stories and pranks and embarrassments suffered. They tell of friendship and spirituality. They tell of joy, happiness, bliss, peace, contentment, awe, of chocked up throats and tearful eyes that learn to smile. They tell of gratitude and moments of silent prayer where we truly understand the meaning of selflessness. They are conversations of silence, a warm hand on a cold day, a wacky thought, a strangers smile, words of welcome, a sage advice. And you know, what the truly great gifts are, they are slices of life, not just ours, but the ones that we have been fortunate to share and witness. These gifts are the aftertaste of delicious and inedible memories, that are carried on through time, space and spirit.

I ask you again have you ever received a truly wonderful gift? Chances are, that you have, every single time. Cause your whole life, the whole existence of a person as unique as you, is a but a collected works edition of such wonderful gifts. I thank all those who have gifted me my life, not only its duration, but also its unique fragrance, flavor and memories that will never quite vanish. I thank my dear friend, whose lovely gift made me realize that its not only the physical gift that is important, but the instances. Thanks for yet another, truly wonderful gift.

In no particular order:

1) “The Gift,” Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season Five: I knew there were two more seasons of BtVS, so the whole Buffy dying thing was not supposed to be a surprise. It was not supposed to be so affecting. Sarah Michelle Gellar has a singular talent at crying, and she can usually make me tear up every time she does, but this was different. At the end of the “The Gift,” I mourned for Buffy, not with her. And watching Giles see his Slayer dead, seeing Willow crying, seeing Spike fall absolutely apart… just thinking about it makes me misty. And of course, there’s the famous line that stays with me, especially when I’m feeling depressed: “The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.”

2) “Hero,” Angel, Season One: I agree with Joss Whedon that Doyle did not really fit into the show, although he was certainly likable. So I understand why he had to die. But every time I see him jump to his death, every time I see him melting, every time I see him dying as he tries to unplug the Beacon… he’s a hero. And then they move to the video clip of his “commercial,” and it’s just heartbreaking. Okay, misting again.

3) Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier: We were driving to Florida, and I was reading Rebecca for my seventh grade English class. The narrator was walking down the stairs in her beautiful costume for the party based on the portrait. She doesn’t feel as plain and ordinary as she usually does. She feels like a princess. Then Maxim looks furious and demands that she go back upstairs to change into something plainer. It’s the caterpillar turning into a butterfly and then being crushed beneath an insensitive boot. I cried for about seven full minutes in the car, alarming my mother. It’s the only book that has made me cry at any point (although I teared up at the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows).

4) Air Bud: Shut up. I don’t know why this heartfelt animal movie affected me more than others, but it did. When the boy takes the dog on a ferry to a field and tells him that he can’t stay with the boy, that hurts. Then the boy starts crying and telling the dog that he hates him and doesn’t want him, even though it’s clear he does, and the dog is just staring, uncomprehending. Then the boy throws the basketball really far, the dog goes after it, and the boy runs for the ferry. When the dog brings the basketball back, he doesn’t know where his boy is. I die a little inside every time.

5) “Some Things are Meant to Be” / “Days of Plenty,” Little Women the Musical: I have never actually seen the musical, but I listen to the soundtrack all the time. Over the last four years of going between my home town and my university town (about six hours one way), I’ve had a lot of time to develop emotional resonance when I’m singing in my car. I can call up tears fairly well by inserting myself into the characters I sing as well as drawing on my emotional experiences. So I can drop a few tears enough to indicate sorrow physically, and then I can usually pull back. These two songs together make this nearly impossible. I always make sure that I have a bunch of tissues if I’m going to sing with this soundtrack.

6) Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (movie): This is just a triumvirate of tears. The first thing that gets me going is when Lena stares out at the sea and wonders why she can’t let anyone in, why she can’t let herself go and love. This always hits me where I live because I’m not prone toward opening up, and I sometimes feel the consequences of that. The second thing that gets me is the Tibby/Bailey storyline (Jenna Boyd is going to be big, I know it, and I just love Amber Tamblyn). Death is a scary thing, and watching Tibby adjust to the idea with the audience, well… I needed lots of movie theater napkins. Only to need more when America Ferrara as Carmen started crying when she called her dad about how she feels abandoned. And I just keep watching the movie. You’d think I would learn the first time.

7) The Little Princess (movie): The very end gets my mom and me every time. When Sara is screaming at her dad to remember her, and he just can’t. That’s bad enough. And then he does remember, and you watch it on his face, the heartbreak of realizing what he had forgotten. And then he runs out and yells, “Sara!” God, so much emotion in that. She runs to him and jumps into his arms and they’re both crying in the rain… there I go again, all misty just from the memory. Needless to say, this is another movie I torture myself with now and then.

“For Good,” Wicked the Musical: I cry as I sing this song for two different reasons. Once, I completely lost it while singing it from the perspective of a duet with my brother. It was my first year away, and I’m close with my brother. I think that while I have my moments, he has the ability to be quite the person, so much more liked, so much more successful because he’s more extroverted and has chosen several professions that might be more lucrative than my own choices. I’m just so proud of him. So if I sing for Elphaba, it makes me cry in both sadness and happiness. Other times, I just cry because I feel both the characters inside, two incredibly close friends forever parted.

9) It’s a Wonderful Life: No, I don’t cry when George has his epiphany… or any time in George’s adult life, really. Not that these times aren’t affecting, it’s just that they don’t make me cry. I do cry, however, when George comes back from his dad’s to Mr. Gower’s, and Mr. Gower hits him. Then George tells Mr. Gower what he almost did, and you see Mr. Gower realize his mistake that might have cost lives. He reaches to embrace George, and George backs away in fear, crying, “Don’t hit me, sir.” But Mr. Gower finally embraces him and bursts into tears. It’s just a really powerful scene in such a short amount of time.

10) The Sixth Sense: Seems an unusual choice, yes? It’s because of the end, not the end between Malcolm and his wife, but the end between Cole and his mother. Why am I so affected by mothers who are afraid that they’re not good enough for their children? It’s not like I’m a mother myself. Anyway, when Cole tells his mother about Grandma seeing her dance, and his mother tells him that she asked Grandma whether she makes her mother proud… and the scene ends with his mother knowing what Cole has been through by seeing ghosts, and they’re hugging. It hurts my heart in a good way, that kind of breakthrough.

ETA: 11) An essential one that never fails to make me cry – Moulin Rouge: That last scene in which Satine dies is heartbreaking. And mostly it’s because Ewan MacGregor as Christian breaks down completely. Usually in movies and TV, you see silent tears from men, if any at all. It’s another thing to see a man so hurt that he doesn’t care what he looks like or how he sounds. There’s a moment when the wail he makes is chillingly affective (and effective).

Since we had received this gift one year already.  Really feel guilty for the time I shout at her and release my anger in front of her.  Each time she call ba ba there is inexpressible feeling in the heart.  I really not expect this gift from God but God always extend His mercy and grace to me.  This gift is a memorable of God’s grace and mercy.  I love this gift.  You too.

Welcome author Deb Stover. Deb is here to introduce her new book, The Gift.

Tell me about THE GIFT.

Certain members of the Dearborn Family are born with some variance of an
empathic gift.  Beth’s “gift” manifests in a particularly frightening
manner, by enabling her to experience the final moments of those who’ve died
violently.  As an adult, she chooses a career as a homicide detective,
and–obviously–is very successful.  However, the experience of being
“murdered” repeatedly takes a terrible toll and she turns to alcohol for
solace.  When she hits bottom and seeks treatment for her addiction, she is
convinced the only way she can stay sober is to somehow suppress her
gift-turned-curse by avoiding places where the spirit of someone who died
violently might contact her.  She leaves her position and takes one as a
nomadic insurance investigator.

Her new career keeps her safe and sober for three years.  Convinced her gift
has faded from lack of use, she finally accepts an assignment involving
possible life insurance fraud, which leads her to a small town in eastern
Tennessee.

Ty Malone’s wife, Lorilee, disappeared over seven years ago.  Though the
town and his father-in-law remain convinced she ran away to pursue a career
as a painter in Europe, he has always maintained that the only thing that
could keep his wife away from her children is death.  It’s time to learn the
truth, so he petitions the court to have her declared legally dead.  The
life insurance claim brings investigator Beth Dearborn into his life.

THE GIFT is part mystery, part ghost story, part suspense, part romance,
part thriller.  The novel also touches on the issue of women and alcoholism
on various levels.  Beth is a recovering alcoholic, and the reader will also
meet a character who is a practicing one.

Both Beth and Ty will be forced to face their greatest fears to learn the
truth, and to find happiness.

When did you first begin writing?

I think I was about eight. My first publication was a letter to the editor of the WICHITA EAGLE at age eleven. I majored in Journalism,then worked for a newspaper.  I wrote my first romance manuscript in 1984. It was a monster of almost 200,000 words.  I still need to burn it . . . .  I dabbled for a few more years, then joined RWA and got serious in 1991.  I sold my first book in December 1993. SHADES OF ROSE was published by Kensington in 1995.

What is your writing process and where do you write?

I prefer to write at my desk, mostly for comfort.  Since I have rheumatoid arthritis, ergonomics are extra important.  I have a special keyboard, keyboard tray, chair, mouse, etc.  I love my laptop, but if I spend too much time on it, I pay the price.  I’m typically a very early morning writer–a lark–and often wake hours before dawn to work while the rest of the house is sleeping soundly.  I love quiet, and rarely listen to music while working–especially in first draft.  While editing, I can listen to anything, but in first draft I can’t have any lyrics.  They pull me out of the story.

I’m very much a “pantser”–and I have to say I hate that term.  I much prefer Jo Beverley’s “writing into the mist” description.  I start with a character in a situation, then start writing.  Once I have a global idea of the general plot and the cast of characters, I write a narrative synopsis and send it to my agent.  Once we go to contract, do any revisions to the proposal, if requested, I plunge ahead.  I confess my finished product does not always follow that synopsis verbatim.  And I NEVER outline.  Perish the thought….

What is your favorite thing about writing?  What is your least favorite
thing?

My favorite thing is that it’s my favorite thing.  Okay, seriously, I love  being able to work in my pajamas.  I stagger out of bed in the morning, get my fuzzy slippers and robe, my mug of strong coffee, and plop myself in front of the computer with an adoring dog at my side.  Much better than dressing up and fighting traffic on the freeway.

My least favorite thing would have to be worrying about the business side of this, and promotion.  In a perfect world, writers could just write and not have to worry about numbers and promo and covers and…  ::sigh::

How do you fight writer’s block?

I wish I knew.  Once upon a time, I didn’t believe in writer’s block.  Then life kicked me in the teeth and taught me otherwise when my husband’s cancer came out of remission.  Losing him to cancer gave me a case of “writer’s block” that lasted years.  I’m just now climbing out of that deep, dark hole.  I’m not sure there’s anything a writer can do to fight it, other than
nurture our muse and keep trying.  I finally had to ask my editor to give me a new deadline.  She had left it at, “Whenever you finish it…”  Ha!  I finally said, “If you don’t give me a real deadline, I’ll never finish this book.”  She did and I did.  I guess I’m one of those writers who has to have a deadline to get anything done.

Please name the five movies and the five books you want with you if
stranded on a desert island.

I hate this question.  The thought of being stranded with only five books is pure torture.  I can live without movies, but not books.  Can I trade five movies for five extra books? No…?  Okay, I’ll try.
Books:
1. THE PROMISE OF JENNY JONES by Maggie Osborne
2. GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell
3. Gallaghers of Ardmore Trilogy by Nora Roberts (have them all in 1 book
club hardcover edition–is that cheating?)
4. Three Sisters Island Trilogy by Nora Roberts (same as #3)
5. Boatbuilding: a complete handbook of wooden boat construction
By Howard Irving Chapelle  [  ]

Movies:
1. PRACTICAL MAGIC
2. INDEPENDENCE DAY
3. ROOTS
4. LONESOME DOVE
5. CASTAWAY (I couldn’t find a movie about how to build a boat)

What is your advice to aspiring writers?

It’s your book.  Trust your instincts.  There are no rules.  Critique is a smorgasbord–take what you want and leave what you don’t.  There are a thousand how-to books, workshops, and know-it-alls out there dying to tell you how to do your job.  There is no special handshake.  There is no secret potion.  There is no magic elixir.  You only have yourself, your muse, and the blank screen/Big Chief Tablet/whatever medium you choose.  Keep throwing the spaghetti against the wall until something sticks.

What is next for you?

I am currently at work on the sequel to THE GIFT–working title is THE SECRET.  When you read THE GIFT, you will meet Beth’s cousin, Sam Dearborn. His “gift” manifests in a different way.  He jokingly refers to himself as a “psychic errand boy.”

Happy reading!

To learn more about Deb and her books, visit her website at debstover.com

Its the Halloween show this Wednesday from 8 to 10 pm on Radioloveless at KRUI 89.7fm or listen online here.

1. Suicide, The Second Album (1980) + The First Rehearsal Tapes (rereleased 1998), Creature Feature

2. R.E.M., Dead Letter Office (1987), Burning Hell
3. The Clash, Combat Rock (1982), Straight to Hell
4. Fugazi, 13 Songs (1989), Burning
5. The Misfits, Collection II (1995), Halloween II
6. The Misfits, Collection (1986), Night of the Living Dead
7. Archers of Loaf, Vee Vee (1995), Death in the Park
8. Siouxsie and the Banshees, JuJu (1981), Halloween
9. Joy Division, Still (1981), Dead Souls
10. Beat Happening, Black Candy (1989), Gravedigger Blues
11. The Velvet Underground, Peel Slowly and See (Box Set), The Gift
It’s found originally on White Light/White Heat (1968). The lyrics are written by Lou Reed and recited by John Cale, and the track is mixed in such a way that a short story can be heard in the left speaker while a rock instrumental is heard on the right. Also, the story is creepy as hell and perfect for Halloween.
12. Guided by Voices, Under the Bushes Under the Stars (1996 on Matador), Cut-Out Witch
13. Blue Oyster Cult, Agents of Fortune (1976), (Don’t Fear) The Reaper
14. The Cure, Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me (1987), Tortue
15. Bauhaus, Bela Lugosi’s Dead-single (1979), Bela Lugosi’s Dead
16. Echo and the Bunnymen, Ocean Rain (1984), The Killing Moon

17. Concrete Blonde, Bloodletting (1990), Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)
18. This Mortal Coil, Filigree and Shadow (1986), The Horizon Bleeds and Sucks its Thumb

19. The Murder City Devils, Empty Bottles Broken Hearts (1998), Cradle to the Grave
20. The Birthday Party, Junkyard (1982), Release the Bats
21. Tom Waits, Blue Valentine (1978), Wistlin’ Past the Graveyard

22. The Germs, M.I.A. The Complete Germs (1993), Lexicon Devil
The 7″ of Lexicon Devil was originally released in 1978.
23. Pixies, Come on Pilgrim (1987 off of 4AD), Ed is Dead
24. Sonic Youth, Evol (1986), Expressway to Yr. Skull
25. David Bowie, Scary Monsters (1980), Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)

I have learned so much from God
That I can no longer call myself
a Christian, a Hindu, a Muslim, a Buddhist, a Jew.

The Truth has shared so much of itself with me
that I can no longer call myself a man, a woman, an angel
or even pure soul.

Love has befriended me so completely
It has turned to ash and freed me
of every concept and image
my mind has ever known.

-Hafiz, translated by Daniel Ladinsky in the book *The Gift: Poems by Hafiz the Great Sufi Master