A561984

"A561984"
Episode	Season {{#pad:1|2|0|left}}, Number 10
Air Date	December 3, 2009
Title Image	a Crown Cheese Steak flyer
Written by	David S. Goyer & Scott M. Gimple
Directed by	Michael Nankin
Guest Stars	Shohreh Aghdashloo as Nhadra Udaya Michael Massee as D. Gibbons John Prosky as Mr. Dunkirk Anthony Azizi as Samad James Frain as Gordon Myhill Ivar Brogger as Paul Becker Elizabeth Sung as Saayo Noh Marc Menchaca as Wheeler Mel Rodriguez as Oscar Obregon Karl Herlinger as Quarry with Michael Ealy as Marshall Vogel and Gabrielle Union as Zoey Andata
Co-starring	Ryan Wynott as Dylan Simcoe Kent Shocknek as Hansen Phillip Palmer as Campbell Elise Robertson as Outraged Woman Leslie Ishii as Priest No. 1 John O'Brien as Priest No. 2 Scott Kelly Galbreath as Correspondent No. 1 Suzanne Rico as Correspondent No. 2 Ken Rudulph as Correspondent No. 3
Transcript
Episode Images

"A561984" is the tenth episode of season 1 of FlashForward. It first aired in Australia and the United Kingdom on Monday, November 30, 2009, three days before it aired in the US in the United States on Thursday, December 3, 2009 on ABC.

Summary

Finding Nhadra

Nhadra's Mosaic wall

Nhadra Udaya is in deep thought in her office with the same view through the windows as that seen from the balcony in "White to Play" while she ponders her version of the Mosaic Investigation wall.

In direct violation of Stan Wedeck's orders, Mark Benford and Demetri Noh fly to Hong Kong to find the woman who called Demetri with the warning that he would be murdered on March 15, 2010. Upon landing on December 15, 2009, they are met by Marshall Vogel, who introduces himself as a member of the legal attaché's office in Hong Kong. He tells Mark he should answer his ringing telephone call because it is Wedeck calling. Mark begins introductions and Vogel interrupts, displaying his foreknowledge of the reason for their journey and reminding them that they have come to a country, China, that has been labeled as being responsible for the Global Blackout by the United States Government. Vogel advises Mark and Demetri to return to Los Angeles while they still have jobs. When Mark's phone rings with a second call from Wedeck, he answers it and is promptly reprimanded for flying to Hong Kong; Mark attempts to justify his actions and terminates the call by telling Stan that he had lied to Demetri and told him that Stan had changed his mind about letting them make the trip. He explains to Demetri that if things go badly, Demetri will need to be carrying a weapon.

Finding Nhadra at dinner

The agents begin with linguists information that the mysterious caller is in Hong Kong, is from Tehran, and is London educated; they add to that Demetri's observation that her voice sounds like that of a smoker. With the coerced assistance of a man in a restaurant, they identify the restaurant where the woman routinely has a late supper. They confront the woman, who is eating her meal in the company of four armed men. Nhadra sends one of her men on an unidentified errand. She reluctantly reveals that Mark will be the one to murder Demetri in March using his service weapon, A SIG-Sauer model P226 with the serial number A561984. The situation flies out of control when Mark takes Nhadra into custody as a material witness, an act which is questionable on foreign soil. Marshall Vogel shows up and defuses the situation by telling Nhadra, addressing her by her first name, to have her men lower their weapons. When Mark and Demetri do the same, they are forcefully arrested by the Hong Kong police.

Vogel escorts Mark and Demetri to the airport. When Mark wants to know why Vogel is keeping them away from Nhadra, Vogel responds that they do not need to know what she knows. When Vogel again refers to the legal attaché's office, Mark challenges his statement. Vogel admits to an affiliation with the Central Intelligence Agency. Mark's phone rings again. When he answers, Wedeck tells him that he had seen the video of the confrontation with the police outside the restaurant. He orders Mark to surrender his badge and weapon to Demetri and, after hanging up, Mark complies. While Mark and Demetri are waiting for their flight, Mark assures Demetri that he will not shoot him. Meanwhile we find Nhadra in her office talking with D. Gibbons who entered Hong Kong against her advice.

The Announcement

Lloyd tries to clarify

Lloyd and his associates hold a press conference. Gordon Myhill introduces himself as the director of the National Linear Accelerator Project and tells the audience that they have information about the events of October 6, 2009. While he is making his introductory remarks, Simon Campos cautions Lloyd Simcoe that he is to stay within the talking points the three had discussed. Myhill introduced Lloyd and Simon and Lloyd as the associate directors of the Plasma-Wakefield Program. Lloyd speaks first and discloses that they were experimenting in the production of energy levels that existed just after the Big Bang and they conducted such an experiment at exactly "1100 hours" on October 6. The crowd erupts with questions, but Lloyd is able to calm them until he adds that the scientists believe that their experiment caused the GBO. Oscar Obregon asks if the scientists are taking responsibility for results of the GBO. Lloyd becomes flustered and Simon steps in to say that the results were totally unforeseeable and to remind the audience that scientists conduct experiments all the time without being able to predict the results. Myhill returns to the podium to attempt to conclude the conference and announce that NLAP would be releasing an official statement. Lloyd interrupts his colleague and tries to offer an apology for the GBO, adding that he lost his own wife and that he would give anything to have her back. An outraged woman grabs a security officer's revolver and attempts to shoot Lloyd. Security officers subdue the woman and usher Lloyd and Simon off the stage. Simon accuses Lloyd of losing his objectivity. Lloyd responds that he was trying to be definitive. Simon rejects Lloyd's argument and tells him that if they can not agree on Simon's terms, then they are at war.

Learning about the Blackout

Simon and "his" tower

In a meeting with Stan Wedeck, Simon says that he does not believe his group caused the blackout. When Stan points out that Simon said he did, Simon replies that it was not his choice and that Lloyd Simcoe tends to be emotional. Simon tells Wedeck that he does not know who is responsible, but that he can "divine" the answer if allowed access to the Mosaic files, adding that he has a security clearance. Wedeck rejects Simon's offer until Simon points out that, if the cause of the GBO is believed to be known, the funding for Wedeck's investigation will evaporate. Wedeck offers to meet again the following morning and provided some information to Campos.

In the next meeting, the two are joined by Janis Hawk, who shows images to Simon of Ganwar Region that have supposedly been sterilized to mask the location; Simon immediately identifies the area as Somalia by recognizing the terrain. Simon asks that Janis zoom in on a tower and pronounces that he designed the tower and identifies it as a specialized pulsed laser for a plasma afterburner; he adds that the concept should win a Nobel Prize in about two years. He compliments the agents on the Government's modelling software, explaining that the tower looks real. Campos is taken aback when Janis tells him that it is real. He explains that scientists are still running simulations. Janis tells him that the picture was taken in 1991, a year before he thought of the idea. Simon has trouble believing that anyone else could have come up with his idea and points out that people like him thrive on fame and immortality. He ponders the idea that the person who thought of the existing tower might be both brilliant and reclusive. Wedeck shows Simon a composite drawing of D. Gibbons; he explains that Gibbons has been hacking into high-tech facilities and plays chess. Simon denies knowing Gibbons, but says he will help the FBI find the fugitive because he wants revenge.

Janis' Quest

Janis learns about a clinic

Bryce Varley, thinking he is being surveilled, becomes nervous while Janis Hawk is waiting for Lloyd Simcoe. Janis assures him that he is not the subject of her interest. He tells her that he had heard about her being in the hospital and asks how she is doing. She responds that she is doing well but not well enough to have a baby. She explains that she was having a prenatal sonogram during her Flash. Janis continues that she may just give up the idea. She tells him that she was four months pregnant during the Flash. Bryce asks if she still wants to have a baby. When she says she does, he tells her not to give up. Janis sees Lloyd Simcoe and excuses herself to talk to him.

Later, Janis returns and asks for Bryce's advice on how to proceed. When he starts prescribing a prenatal vitamin, Janis tells him that she is gay and needs to get pregnant without involvement with a man. Bryce tells her about the Cubit Fertility Clinic and a doctor named Jane Parker.

Zoey's Epiphany

Zoey flees the memorial service

Zoey Andata makes what she claims is her last attempt to speak with Demetri Noh's parents; she leaves a message on their telephone telling them that she had seen them at her wedding, assuring them of her love for Demetri and begging them to help the two of them be together. As she finishes, the call, she encounters Paul Becker, a senior partner of her law firm, who asks if she will be attending the memorial for Joyce that evening, even though she did not know Joyce well. Zoey responds that Joyce was friendly to her and she would be there. The two part.

That evening, Zoey is in the group attending the memorial. As the priest reads from Revelation 21:2, Zoey's attention is drawn to a white rose; she relives a portion of her Flash in which she drops a white rose onto the sand of the beach. Realizing that she has mistaken Demetri's memorial service for their wedding, she begins to sob and runs from the room.

The next day she rings the bell at Demetri's parents' home. Mrs. Noh admits her and Zoe explains that she has finally understood her Flash. She asks why the Nohs did not tell Demetri and her what they had seen in their Flashes, Mrs. Noh explains that not talking about it made ther truth less real. She goes on to tell Zoey that they had difficulties with the idea of Zoey marrying their son until they realized from their Flashes how much she loved Demetri. They now wish that the future was Zoey and Demetri marrying instead of Demetri dying. Zoey tells Mrs. Noh that they are going to change the future.

Lloyd Simcoe

Lloyd is taken

After the announcement, Lloyd returns top Angeles Hospital to make arrangements to transfer his son Dylan to another facility. He rejects an offer from Janis for protection from the U. S. Government and encounters a very unsympathetic Mr. Dunkirk, who offers Southland University Hospital as the only option. Lloyd says that Southland less secure than Angeles. Dunkirk becomes critical of Lloyd and suggests his has some guilt for his involvement with the GBO. Lloyd responds that he needs to find a secure facility for his son. Olivia intervenes and suggests Travers, a private children's hospital. Dunkirk continues to be unhelpful, stating that he doubts they have any beds available. Olivia responds that she will make the arrangements. Lloyd admits to Olivia that he can not expect very many people to want to help him in the future. Olivia is successful and brings transfer papers to Lloyd. She asks him if he is sure that there will not be another blackout and he responds that there will not be as long as he and his colleagues do not repeat their experiment. She tells him that she thinks he is brave to have come forward and they discuss the line between bravery and stupidity. Olivia and Lloyd talk about his attending Harvard University and her not attending because she followed Mark to Los Angeles. They discover that, if she had attended, she would have lived next door to him in the building his deceased wife did live in. Lloyd explains the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, in which they may have been neighbors and met in another universe. After a pregnant pause they agree that that is not the world in which they live. After dark, Olivia comes by while Dylan is being wheeled out to what appears to be an ambulance. One of the operators, John, introduces himself and his partner, Reed. When Dylan becomes agitated, Olivia points out that he is autistic. John responds that they have had training. When Dylan becomes agitated a second time, the situation spirals out of control. Olivia calls a security guard. Reed draws a weapon and shoots the guard, then threatens Olivia. Lloyd stands in front of Olivia, but the operators force him into their vehicle and drive away, leaving Olivia and a screaming Dylan behind.

Trivia

Production Notes

Mark and Dimitri, looking up at what Simon and Lloyd have to say about the blackout.

• This was the last episode before the hiatus. The show returned in March 2010.
• This episode premiered in Australia first in the world on November 30, and then the UK three days before it aired in the US.
• Brían F. O'Byrne (Aaron Stark) appears without lines.
• This was the first episode in which Nhadra Udaya's name was used.

Bloopers and Continuity Errors

• The arrival in Hong Kong is shown in an exterior view at Kai Tak Airport which closed in July 1998. The departure exterior view is of the current airport at Chek Lap Kok (the names in English and in Chinese [赤鱲角機場] are visible).
• The screen showing the Blackout Announcement in US has a character composed of a square and a cross which is not a valid Chinese character. The proper translation of Blackout should be “昏迷”, not “停⌧” (the second character is an encoding error).
• The game of chess seen in the flashback to D. Gibbons in the doll factory (while Janis tells Simon what they know about D. Gibbons) differs from the game seen in "White to Play".This may however been done intentionally, while Janis wasn't there in the doll factory.
• Director Keller of the CIA testified in a closed session of Senator Joyce Clemente's committee about his suspicion that China was responsible for the GBO. ("Gimme Some Truth") In this episode, Marshall Vogel comments about "our Government" believing the Chinese to be responsible for the blackout.

Cultural References

Lloyd Simcoe refers to the Many-worlds interpretation by Hugh Everett III. Many-worlds claims to resolve paradoxes such as Schrödinger's Cat, used by Simon Campos while picking up Camille. ("Scary Monsters and Super Creeps")

Literary Techniques

• Irony: Mark is presented as not being aware of the serial number of his issued weapon.
• Epiphany: Zoey realizes that she had completely misunderstood her Flash.

Episode References

• Zoey's revelation that the white in her Flash represented a funeral echoed Suki's complaint in "The Gift" about the white flowers in the hospital room.

Unanswered Questions

Unanswered questions
Do not answer the questions here. Keep the questions open-ended and neutral: do not suggest an answer. Avoid questions that are unlikely to be answered. More details...

Theories for these unanswered questions should go on this article's theory page.

General

• Does Marshall being on a first-name basis with Nhadra indicate the U.S. government is involved with the blackouts/flashforwards?
• If Simon told Lloyd in "Black Swan" that they were responsible for the "greatest disaster in human history," why is he now saying he is not sure they caused the GBO?

Nhadra/D.Gibbons/Suspect Zero

• How do(es) Nhadra/D. Gibbons have information on Mosaic, such as "137 Sekunden"?
• What does Nhadra have to gain for protecting D Gibbons?
• Do have the crows in D. Gibbons' doll factory lab have to do something with the fact that crows were dying en masse during the Global Blackout?
• Is D. Gibbons still trying to beat the same game in chess?

External links

• Episode's article on IMDB