Three episodes into ABC’s new drama, FlashForward, I’m really digging it. If you’re not familiar with the show, here’s the wacky premise: The entire world simultaneously blacks out for two minutes and 17 seconds. During the blackout, people see “flash forwards” — visions of their lives six months from the blackout. The entire world wakes up terrified by the experience and tasked with cleaning up the carnage that occurs when six billion people fall asleep at the wheel.
I know, it sounds crazy. But here’s the thing; FlashForward is an original premise for a TV show and it deals with some pretty big questions. The characters (and the audience) have to sort through all kinds of existential stuff, and I think it makes for great viewing. Consider the following:
- Some characters don’t like what they see in their flash forwards, leaving them wondering what exactly they saw. Are the flash forwards a definitive picture of what will happen in six months — no matter what — or can they take steps to change the future?
- This leads us to questions of fate, destiny, predestination, predetermination, fatalism, and all that good stuff. Have our lives (and deaths) already been scripted? What role do we play in acting out or changing that script? Even for Christians, these aren’t easy questions.
- The characters who don’t like what they see in their flash forwards often choose to hide these things from their significant others. Obviously, they don’t recognize that sowing seeds of dishonesty in their relationships might be what brings about their unfortunate futures. And while it’s easy to diagnose this problem for TV characters, we sometimes fail to apply it to our lives.
- Some characters loved what they saw in their flash forwards and, as a result, live rejuvenated lives of hope in the present. Of course, this is one of the beautiful truths of Scripture — that hope for tomorrow transforms and empowers us in the present. One character had a gun to his temple when he blacked out, but his flash forward altered his outlook (at least temporarily). This reminds us how important it is to offer hope to those full of despair.
- The uncertainty of the future and the origin of the blackout reminds us that we’re still uncomfortable with mystery. We’ll go to great lengths to “get to the bottom of” things, even if we’d be better served by allowing things to be open-ended.
If you have some room in your TV viewing schedule, allow me to recommend FlashForward. Perhaps it’ll get you thinking about some big questions and how to address those questions both personally and in your church community. In fact, I saw a flash forward in which, six months from now, you’re emphatically thanking me for turning you onto FlashForward. Let’s work toward that future together …
