They're only useful if you've been gone from the show. Or forgot something. Other than that, no. Unless it's for comedy purpose. Like the Clerks cartoon. episode 2 had a flashback to episode 1. But if it's a clipshow, yes. Because I know the finale will have more money.

Flashbacks can be brilliant and utterly necessary aspects of storytelling, such as in FFVII.

I can't speak for The Walking Dead.

I know without a doubt that storytelling as a concept would suffer greatly without the ability to give us different lenses and windows through time.

I liked Flashback on the Sega Genesis.

He is not talking about that. Those are recaps of things already seen, usually to help the viewer/player remember. Those can also be a meaningful tool, though.

He is talking about flashbacks, which include all flashes to past events which are totally new to the player/viewer. This often involves things like character back stories for more meaningful character development and can sometimes set the stage for major surprises. Hence the FFVII example.

I suppose it's like everything. If they are well done or have a decent twist, they can add a lot of depth to a character or radically affect the story. One of the best flashbacks in videogames is in Bioshock, when Andrew Ryan is giving you the speech of man-slave, and you see Jack having flashbacks of what he thinks it happened and what really happened.

I use both words for both things. Guess I'm weird.

I like the uncharted 3 flashback,

And I LOVE the flashbacks in the Arrow series.

I usually hate them though if they go on too long but I would watch a flashback Arrow spin off show.

Only if it's used well. Fear and loathing in Las Vegas style, actual flashbacks. In games I usually get bored in flash backs. Use it sparingly at key plot moments, not for half an hour of character exposition. That's not a flash.

I'm more annoyed by flash forwards though. Show starts in the middle of the action, looks exciting, then it says 36 hours earlier. Momentum gone, dead stop. Whatever. How to get away with murder takes that to the extreme. Any excitement of what's going to happen is long gone due to how they show a bit more of what's going to happen in every episode.
Mr Robot on the other hand handles it perfectly. Best new show this year.

Lots of times, the device has been used extremely well. Just watch the movie "Memento" which is like 50% flashback and tell me how you feel.

I hated it last night on TWD, mostly because idgaf about Morgan and because I waited a week to see what happens to Glenn and Rick. I'm at like issue 120 something in the comic so I know all about Morgan--as much as I ever care to learn, anyway.

--TWD has just been terrible with their use of flashbacks, anyway. They don't know how to use it effectively. The payoff is never worth it. If rather see a situation go to shit than see a shit situation and then they show how it got there. Takes me out of the story.

It's not a bad device. They just can't seem to figure out how to use it. FFVII did it right, though!