Sorry about the lack of recap last week, but I was engaged in family-related activities. I did, however, watch the episode and I’m intrigued with the introduction of the 7 rings. Provided that it doesn’t result in a whole “one ring to rule them all” situation.

We start four weeks before the blackout, where Bryce and another doctor are looking at scans and seeing that a tumor has metastasized into someone’s liver. The treatment they’re discussing hasn’t stopped the growth. Oh wait, it’s Bryce’s tumor, actually. While Bryce feels fine, the doctor says its not atypical for this type of cancer. Bryce asks how long he has left. So this probably explains why he wanted to kill himself in the pilot.

In the parking garage, Bryce is extremely distracted and smashes into another man’s car. The other drivers out to complain and Bryce just rans his car again and again. Instead of beating up the guy (who’s calling the cops), Bryce just walks away.

Cut to two weeks before the blackout when Keiko (the woman from Bryce’s vision) is putting on lipstick in a bathroom. She gets called into a meeting. She’s a mechanical engineer who works with robotic parts. The older men that she’s speaker to doesn’t seem very impressed when she mentions her love of guitar and salsa dancing. It appears she’s in a job interview for this robotics firm in Japan.

Still two weeks ago, Bryce is kind of distracted while in surgery with Olivia. After the surgery, Bryce apologizes to Olivia, who isn’t convinced he’s committed to being a doctor. Back in Japan, Keiko returns home to a surprise party. Her parents obviously got her family and friends together to celebrate her new job, but Keiko isn’t happy about it (although she says she’s been working at the company for two days). Her mother is also trying to push her into some dates, but Keiko’s having none of it.

In a therapy session Bryce admits he’s not a very good doctor. He admits that he hasn’t really told his family and his colleagues about his cancer. We see Bryce choosing to kill himself on the day of the blackout (walking the pier, taking out the gun, etc). Just as he’s about to pull the trigger we see his flash: he’s sitting in a restaurant, speaking a little Japanese (looks like he’s in Japan). Keiko comes by and he’s very happy to see her. He invites her to join him and he holds her hand and notices a tattoo on her wrist that says “believe” in Japanese characters. He wakes up on the pier and Keiko wakes up in her bathroom (she’s laughing and looks very happy).

In his apartment, Bryce is trying to learn Japanese from tapes, but his lesson gets interrupted by him throwing up. It looks like the cancer is finally getting to him.

Cut to Aaron’s house, where he’s trying to clean while Tracy sleeps. Mark calls, asking about her. He says he’s been looking into Jericho, but it’s very secretive and it’s going to take someone with a higher security clearance than he has to learn more. Olivia’s phone is ringing and Mark bids Aaron goodbye. Meanwhile, Mark notices someone has been sending Olivia texts stating that he was drinking in his flash forward. Olivia exits the shower and says that she’s not concerned about the texts because Mark told her about the drinking.

Later that work, Bryce is obviously ill and Olivia is concerned. Bryce brushes off her concerns, but Olivia realizes something is wrong. He admits that he has cancer and she is shocked. He says she shouldn’t worry because since the black out he “has something to live for”. At the stark house, Tracy cooked for her and Aaron. He’s upset that she’s drinking wine in front of him and doesn’t want her to continue.

Back at the FBI, a team, including Stan, Mark and Dem, are examining enhanced shots of Suspect Zero’s ring, which contains the symbol for ‘alpha’. The NSA lady (Levy) says that they were unable to enhance Zero’s face and says that she’s uncomfortable addressing the group because one of the FBI team members has been red flagged by the NSA. Apparently, the NSA has a recording of the call that lady made to Demetri about his murder and found it suspicious. Dem wants a copy and more information about the caller. Levy agrees to make a call to see if she can release that information.

In Japan, Keiko is sitting at her desk, watching a robotic arm pick up candies. She flashes back to herself running and then watches a Jimi Hendrix video on her computer, trying to learn to play by doing air guitar. A flunky comes by to say the boss needs to see her immediately. She enters a large meeting and is asked to serve tea. The flunky reveals she’s the only woman in the department, so it falls to her to serve the tea. She’s seriously pissed (I’d spit in their tea).

Bryce is practicing Japanese with Nikki, who’s impressed that he’s trying to learn Japanese for someone he’s never met.

After an AA meeting, Mark tells Aaron about the texts Olivia has been getting. Aaron wonders if Mark is accusing him of sending the texts and Mark says he was one of only two people that Mark told about the drinking. Aaron stands up to Mark and tells him to get a new sponsor.

In Japan, Keiko goes into a tattoo parlour and wants to get a tattoo.

Mark tells Stan that he got a copy of Dem’s phone call and asks if he sent Olivia a text. Stan reacts in the same manner as Aaron and tells Mark to bugger off.

Bryce is conversing with a Japanese patient and shows her a photo of Keiko (although he doesn’t know it’s Keiko). The patient recognizes the symbol on Keiko’s shirt as the logo for a restaurant in a town near Tokyo. Olivia stops him in the hall to say he has some options for treatment, including getting into a clinical trial in Houston. Bryce is hesitant and doesn’t want to take a drug that could kill him (since he knows he lives in his flash forward), but Olivia wants him to try.

Cut to the airport....in Japan, where Bryce has arrived.

Bryce heads to the restaurant the patient was telling him about and tries to get a waiter to recognize the lady from his photo. One of the chefs recognizes Keiko from the drawing. Back at home, Keiko is telling her mother that she wants to quit her job and pick her own husband.

Vreede is talking to Mark and Dem about the analysis of Dem’s phone calls and says that the background noise indicates that the lady called from Hong Kong. Stan, however, doesn’t want to send the boys to China. Mark doesn’t care for Stan’s proclamation and tells Dem they’re going anyway.

Bryce goes to Keiko’s house and is greeted by her sister. Keiko mother comes over and Bryce says he’s looking for Keiko. He shows her the photo of Keiko and the mother (realizing that this man might be the one Keiko says she was looking for) denies knowing her.

Bryce calls Nikki, dejected about his trip to Japan. He wonders if he misinterpreted his flash forward and she tells him to come home.

Mark stops by Aaron’s house to apologize for their fight, but Aaron seems more eager to tell Mark off than accept his apology. He says Tracy is back, but she’s not the person she used to be. Aaron insists that he can’t be Mark’s sponsor, but hopes they can be friends.

Bryce returns home and, amazingly, Keiko was on the same plane and has arrived in Los Angeles. In her flash, she was running towards a restaurant, a guitar hanging on her back. Only that restaurant wasn’t in Japan, it was in LA.

Written by: Clarissa
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