FlashForward Episode 01-20: The Negotiation

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So, we’re finally at the end of April, one day before the blackout.

The episode, unlike all the others so far, doesn’t start with Stan’s “On October 6…” speech.  Instead, we simply get “Previously on Flash Forward.” Confusing, but explained right at the beginning because now Stan is giving the speech to a group of agents (Mark, Janis, etc.) plus Vogel.  He reminds them that tomorrow night is the FF event, and that the building might very well come under attack. They’ll still be open for business, however, because they’re the FBI and that’s how they roll. The director is instituting the highest level of security.  Mark and Dem are coordinating SWAT teams, and Janis and Vreede are in charge of additional “OPS plans.” 

Of course, what he doesn’t say is that he doesn’t know any of this because he was in the bathroom at the time.

When he’s done speaking, Mark gives him an update on Simon.  He’s gone underground with the ring.  To complicate matters, a local television station has just obtained footage of Simon awake during the blackout, from a completely different angle.  It’s a weird one, too, because the shots are clearly made from the inside of the tunnel and there’s no reason for a shot like that a ball game.  Stan’s pissed about a leak, but Mark figures out the angle problem.  The questions the team is left with: 1) Where did it come from and 2) Why now?

Lita finds Simon at a bar, practicing his American accent and new name (David Walker).  She sits down and tells Simon that she knows who he is.  She’s got an offer for him, if he’ll just go with her.

Dem’s on the case of the leaked footage, but when he reaches his desk, he finds Zoey sitting there.  She wants him to take tomorrow off, get on a plane, and go to Hawaii.  He reminds her that he’s connected to the rest of the team, but she insists that, for once, it should be about the two of them.  She’s going to Hawaii tomorrow, she hopes he’ll go with her.  He doesn’t think it’s fair.

Gabriel and Olivia are in Mark’s office.  Gabriel’s freaking out about the board not being in the right positions, and Liv is trying to calm him down.  Mark walks in, introduces himself, and learns that Gabriel’s name for Liv isn’t “Olivia Benford,” it’s “Olivia Simcoe.”  Mark wants him to go back to that, but Gabriel insists on dealing with the board.  He shows Mark his book, and Liv explains that he’s been there multiple times.  Gabriel even says he’s been there with Frost.  Mark wants to debrief him, and Liv goes to leave which causes Gabriel to freak again.  When it becomes obvious that she’s the only one who can get him to cooperate, she opts to stay.

Janis and Vogel meet at another bar, and Janis tells him “it’s over.”  They want her to kill Mark.  She tried to stall by going to DC, but Carlene’s been calling every hour.  Vogel points out that if she says no, they’ll still kill him, and they’ll kill her too.  She agrees, but she still needs something big to give Carlene and her goons.

Back at the office, Dem finally corners Janis about the baby.  Yep, it’s his.  She thanks him for being there when she needed him, but the baby is hers and hers alone.  That’s not okay with Dem, who probably didn’t think to mention the whole sex-with-Janis-while-on-a-trip-to-Somalia thing to Zoey.  I mean, when you think you’re dying before the mama in question starts to show, that’s probably not on the high priority list.

Mark finds Liv pouring soda into a glass so that she can give it to Gabriel.  He’s put everything in place for a home security detail for tomorrow night.  They return to the office and find Gabriel messing with the board. Alone.  He yells for Vreede (who was supposed to be babysitting), and Gabriel declares that if he’s not allowed to mess with the board, then Mark has to make it look right.

In Afghanistan, Aaron and the doctor check out the base where Jericho is holding Tracy.  Aaron’s taking photos to send to the US, and they do a mobile upload from the desert.

Lita and Simon are in a cheap motel, clearly having just gotten “handsy” with each other.  They check the news and find out that Simon’s been identified on the tape.  He asks Lita to run away with him, but since her people have just plasted his photo all over the news,  options are pretty limited as to where.  Lita tells him that Hellinger (their boss) wants to help him.  Simon says that he doesn’t have a boss.  Lita tells him Hellinger has been pulling the strings since forever.  Simon insists on a face to face, and that’s not a problem since Hellinger’s right outside.  It’s Alda’s friend.

Gabriel’s shown pictures of Nahdra (didn’t see that one coming), and the homeless man shot by Dem’s gun.  He confirms that both of them, plus the ones in the pictures I didn’t catch were all at Raven River together. They want to know if Frost ever told them when the next blackout was going to be, but Gabriel doesn’t know.  He does say that sometimes Frost took the “Big Guy” with him on his trips.  He drew a picture on page 15 of the book.  It’s a little cartoonish for someone of Gabriel’s obvious talents, but it’s obviously Hellinger himself.  Dem walks into the room and asks to see Mark for a moment.  This causes a Level 10 freak-out from Gabriel because Dem’s dead.  They were sad.  If he’s alive, it’s not going to work out the way Gabriel saw it. 

Hellinger and Simon share a drink.  Hellinger asks Simon to come home for the 29th, but when Simon refuses, Hellinger sends Lita out for ice.  He knows Simon’s angry (understatement of the year).  Hellinger points out that he’s got nothing now.  If he works for Hellinger, he can arrange for Simon’s work to continue and for him to see Annabelle and the rest of the family from time to time.  Simon’s wondering what the catch is.  There doesn’t appear to be one.  He just knows that they need him because he’s the only one who can calibrate the accelerator.  Simon walks out of the room, taking his hat back from Lita as he goes.

Mark’s encouraged about the Big Guy.  Dem’s not thrilled about the fact that Gabriel’s been insisting that the fact he’s alive Is screwing up the universe.  Dem points out that at 10 tomorrow, they’ve got to go back to the way they’ve been living, not looking ahead.  He’s looking forward to that.  As Lloyd walks into the waiting area and Mark sees him share a smile with Liv, he agrees.  Gabriel’s happy to see Lloyd and Liv together. She asks how the math’s going without Simon, and he admits it’s difficult.  Gabriel starts going on about how there are two parts of the equation.  They need both.

Stan and Aaron talk about the photos Aaron’s uploaded.  He’s done a great job.  Now, Aaron’s determined to going in, guns blazing and grab Tracy.  Stan wants Aaron to wait until he can get the military there to back him up.  Then Aaron sees Jericho agents dragging Tracy into a truck. It’s now or never.

Carlene and Janis meet at a Laundromat.  Carlene’s getting antsy.  Janis points out that she can’t just walk into the FBI and kill her friend.  Carlene wants it done before tomorrow night.  She also asks about Mosaic.  Janis gives up Gabriel’s involvement.  She can give them the safe house details when she gets them. 

Couple of things get wrapped up at once.  1) The footage came to the news station on a flash drive via messenger.  Stan wants the team to review all the security footage and get the messenger’s name.  2) There’s a safe house in Selmar waiting for Gabriel.  The DEA’s using the other option, so Selmar it is.  Since Gabriel’s going to freak (again) if the separate him and Liv, Mark’s in charge of breaking the news.

Stan pulls Liv out of the room, and Mark asks about the “Olivia Simcoe” comment.  Mark wants to know if that’s how it all turns out.  Gabriel thinks so, but when Mark asks if Liv’s going to be safe, he promises that she is. 

Aaron sees Jericho drag Tracy into a field.  The agents are about to kill her, but Aaron snipes them instead.  Aaron and the doctor grab Tracy and move her to a safe house.

Stan’s looking at the photos Aaron sent again.  He then looks at a photo of him and POTUS Dave.  Calling the White House, Stan asks if there’s going to be a problem if he turns the photos over to Clemente.  Dave wants to know why her, and Stan asks if he actually knows what Clemente saw in her FF.  Dave claims that he always knew the call was coming; he just never figured it would come from Stan.  Then he hangs up on Stan.  Undeterred, Stan calls Clemente.

As Vreede, Dem, and Mark prepare to move Gabriel, Janis calls her contacts.  She then takes a long look in the mirror and caresses her stomach. 

The van containing Gabriel is intercepted by a series of vehicles, all containing heavily armed men.  They open the van, and Gabriel freaks out.  Except, it’s not Gabriel…they’ve switched him up with Mark.  They kill/arrest everyone and demand to talk to Big Guy.

Aaron demands that Tracy be driven back to Kandahar.  The doctor is hesitant, but Aaron insists.  He saw them all alive.

Faux Gabriel is driven to the warehouse where he’s welcomed by Hellinger.  Before Mark gets a chance to say anything, the driver (one of Hellinger’s goons) shakes his head. It’s a trap.  As the FBI rushes in, Hellinger’s people start scattering like ants.  He manages to kill the computer, but not before Mark sees Simon’s face on one of them.  Does Simon work for him?  Is he there?

Simon’s not there.  He’s opening up something that appears to be an incinerator, and it looks like he’s about to toss his ring inside.

Janis is walking to her car when she’s confronted by Mark.  He knows she’s been leaking information, so who the hell is signing her paychecks?  Janis cops (‘scuse the pun) to it being the CIA.  Vogel recruited her at Quantico.  She asks how he knew.  It started when she sold out Marcy as the mole, her meetings with Vogel, the fish store…it all stunk.  The real kicker was the Hellinger sting.  They weren’t supposed to know about the kidnapping attempt because they didn’t know where to look for any word of it.  And yet, they did.  Janis blew her cover.  He ask why, and she admits that she’s supposed to be killing him.  He’s not really buying it.  Janis tells him that it’s been three years of hell.  No friends, no love, no one really knows her.  She was doing her job, it has to count. It doesn’t.  No one will ever see past the deception, so she’s officially walking alone now.   She’s cut out of the investigation.  As Mark walks away, she asks him to let her tell Demetri.   That, he agrees to.

Later, Janis does tell Dem.  She apologizes and claims that she never meant to hurt anyone.  He wants to know how it doesn’t affect him because they’ve got this baby coming.  There are two factions here: Zoey and Dem and Janis and baby.  She doesn’t want Dem involved in the “mess” that she made.  He tells her that he already is.

Gabriel’s watching cartoons at the safe house.  Dem walks in, and sits down.  Dem asks if he was alive in any of the futures he saw.  He wasn’t.  Dem thinks it can be changed, but Gabriel doesn’t agree.  Different path; same destination.  Always.  Even Liv and Lloyd are ending up where they’re supposed to be.

Aaron carries tracy into the Kandahar safe house.  He remembers it from his vision, and he’s stoked.

Janis walks into her dark apartment.  A man  pulls a gun on her. It’s Simon.  He wants help.