FLASHFORWARD: THE COMPLETE SERIES
DVD release date: August 31, 2010

“On October 6th, the planet blacked out for two minutes and seventeen seconds. The whole world saw the future.” This is the premise behind the television series Flash Forward.

I was intrigued by this series when I first heard of the concept. What would it be like to have seen precisely two minutes and 17 seconds of your on April 29th? The entire concept is so thought-provoking.

The questions I had about the storyline were probably the same that the world would have if this occurrence actually took place. Is that future set in stone? Is there any way to change the future? Would you go out of your way to change the future you saw, or would you make an effort to see if it will occur precisely as you saw in your flashforward? Then, of course, there’s the question of what caused this blackout to occur, and the curiosity in each individual, asking others, “What did you see?”

The final episode of the season took place on April 29th, the day that was seen in the world’s blackout, and this episode also marked the end of the series, as it was not picked up for a second season.

The show was like a soap opera, rather than individual episodes that tell a story and conclude within the hour. Therefore, the last episode does leave some questions unanswered. Despite those incomplete storylines, I felt satisfaction from seeing the whole scenario, from initial blackout and flashforward to the fateful day.

In addition to every episode of the series, there are a few BONUS FEATURES:

Disc 2 has three bonus features, which were previously released as part of volume 1, while the series was still being aired on television.

CREATING CATASTROPHE: THE EFFECTS OF A GLOBAL BLACKOUT (7:05) goes behind the scenes for a fascinating look at the creation of the blackout, complete with cars whizzing out of control, helicopters slamming into buildings, explosions, and of course severed body parts are all included.

The remaining two bonus features on this disc, FLASHFORWARD: A LOOK AHEAD and COULD are nothing more than promos for the series with clips from the upcoming episodes which appear on discs 3-5.

Now let’s flashforward to disc 5, which contains even more bonus features.

There’s the tradition bonus features of DELETED SCENES, ten of them in fact, and BLOOPER REEL (3:12). Don’t blink or you may miss a blooper!

ARCHITECTS OF DESTINY (20:05) is the bonus feature I’ve been waiting for! There’s plenty of behind-the-scenes footage and cast and crew interviews. You’ll also get a peek around the Walt Disney Studios where much of the series was shot. In fact, the recurring hospital is actually the Frank G. Wells building at Disney. More than HOW the series was created, this focuses on what it was like to work on the show.

FLASHFORWARD ON SET delves in a little deeper into what went into the production, focusing on five individual unique scenes.

MEET YUKO (5:48) is about actress the actress Yuko Takeuchi who plays Keiko. Yuko is a popular actress in Japan, and this focuses on her arrival in America and shooting her initial scene in the series. In trying to maintain a realism in casting, a Japanese citizen was chosen to play the character of Keiko who hails from Japan. Although this is not tremendously about the show or its production, I found it quite enjoyable to learn about Yuko.

INTERVIEWS FROM THE MOSAIC COLLECTIVE features four mock interviews with various people around the world, and getting their reactions to the blackout and their flashforward. If you enjoy these, take a look around this menu for hidden items. I found at least a half dozen more!

KANGAROO? (1:58) During the “blackout,” a live kangaroo is seen hopping by, and this brought up the question amongst fans, “Why a kangaroo?” What’s the symbolism? What’s the meaning? Why is it there? After seeing this bonus feature, you're sure to ask, "Why a kangaroo? What's the symbolism? What's the meaning? Why is it there?"

So that’s what’s on the FlashForward: The Complete Series DVD and what you can look forward to seeing in your future if you get this set.