Continuum: Minute Man review

Continuum gives us our first flashback (flash-forward?) of the season, and even more fun surprises!

Show of hands – who thought Freelancer Kiera killed her earlier self at the end of the last episode? Yeah, you did! Don’t feel bad, so did I.

So in “Minute Man,” Kiera needs Alec’s help to solve her own murder and find the true culprit! But which Alec? I was surprised at how blunt Kiera was about her mistrust of “Scar Alec” (which I learned on Twitter is the Continuum writers’ name for the “black hoodie” version), yet only the time-traveling Alec could possibly remain unsuspicious as investigations are made into the CMR archives, which the now camera-less lab houses.

And wasn’t that a neatly written detail: the disabled cameras from the premiere? Can’t have the fancy tech solving the mystery too fast! And the overlapping CMR footage from the two Kieras draws out the investigation even further – enticingly so!

Make a note: the 2060’s will be a bad decade for hairstyles – warn your unborn grandkids! The first flashback of the season, although oddly unrelated to the modern day plot, gave us an interesting look at Kiera before she enlisted in the military and at life in a society where “life credits” pay back the civic debt that each citizen owes. When Kiera saves her mother and sister from arrest for possessing contraband print material, it’s shocking to learn Kiera already planned on signing up to fight “the subversives.” She’s come a long way since then, but it’s interesting to see where her path began.

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Those who missed Kellog’s conniving ways in Season 2 should be pleased with his return. He is the first to figure out on his own that there are two Alecs, and although Kiera did trump him with her knowledge of Escher as Alec’s father, Kellog immediately uses that tidbit of information to keep Emily in line! So slimy but so brilliant…

I’m not sure if Liber8 came out on top this week. Thankfully, Travis and Sonya have devised “a new battle strategy” and have largely abandoned their overt criminal ties in favor of garnering political legitimacy. Jim Martin’s live confession hearkens back to the Season 1 episode where the Exotrol CEO ‘fessed up to robbing her employees’ retirement fund, but it seems an odd move for the future freedom fighters this time. The streaming video is political suicide for their bought-and-paid-for mayor, and his literal suicide makes him even more useless to them. But perhaps they’ve got their “hearts and minds” now and will be moving forward with a more grassroots approach without the help of a city hall stooge.

It’s good to have Garza back with both Sonya and Travis, however contentiously. Interesting that there wasn’t much reaction to Garza telling Travis that the Protector freed her from her plexiglass cage. I for one am rooting for another Kiera-Garza team-up, but at the very least Garza’s returning the favor is a moment to be greatly anticipated.

But it’s Kiera’s current partner that we should be worried about. Thank goodness Carlos is in the loop right away this time, but he’s not taking the death of Kiera – any Kiera – very well at all. Will he be a help or a hindrance as Kiera goes after her killer? The answer is not at the bottom of that whiskey tumbler, Carlos!

All in all, this was a welcome continuation of last week’s episode, and each of the character arcs is headed in an intriguing direction. It’s encouraging to note that I’m as interested in where Liber8 is headed as I am Kiera, Carlos, and Alec. Continuum so far this season has been a very well-rounded presentation.

Want more Continuum discussion? Join me and Dave over at continuumpodcast.com each week for predictions, nitpicks, and plenty of fan interaction!

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Rating:

4 out of 5