Bob the Mole

Watching second episode of Flash Forward, the show in which everyone on earth blacked out for 2 minutes and experienced a memory of  April 29, 2010; 10 pm. Which happens to be in the future. As can be expected, people reacted in various ways to their visions. Also, during the blackout a significant proportion of the world's population was driving or operating heavy machinery. With predictable results.

Episode 2 opens with little girl watching a playground full of children lying on the ground playing "blackout" and then jumping up and sharing what they saw in their pretend visions. Then they attack her en masse and demand to know what she saw. When she refuses to say, Aggressive Boy yanks on the stuffed monster she was carrying (at school?) and rips an appendage off. She punches him, gets yelled at by a teacher and then runs out the gates.


Given my copious experience as a small child who spent time in playgrounds, I have to ask if the writers have ever met a real 8-yr old. First off, kids who pretend to see the future will not recount visions like "I saw my family at Disney World!" or "I saw a pony!" unless they are in a Hallmark Original Movie. They are more likely to say "I saw I got a RoboRaptor 9X with motion sensor roar and auto-plate armor for my birthday". Second, what kid is allowed to bring a stuffed animal from home to school and take it into the playground? Third, the dynamic between the kids was completely artificial. Fourth, when 8 year old girls (especially, like this one, who are the only children of adoring parents) have their toys ripped by playground bullies, they don't punch. They cry like a beluga whale with a sprained fin, instantly getting the teacher's attention and getting the perpetrator in trouble.

OK, this is getting long winded. I'm just gonna post this and watch the rest of the episode.