Continuum: Minute to Win It review

Remote control cockroaches? Imploding cyborg bank robbers? Lucas must be back! But are we certain he’s not still crazy? Yes, he’s getting shots now, but still. Between his brain manipulation and Sonya’s surgery sans anesthesia, “Minute To Win It” was a delightfully gruesome episode of Continuum.

I guess now we know why Liber8 didn’t care about the consequences for the mayor’s live confession in the last episode. The new battle strategy Travis mentioned earlier is in full effect this week, and it’s great to FINALLY see our terrorists (freedom fighters?) working on a plan that takes full advantage of their future knowledge. Discrediting or exploiting the companies that will one day become the Corporate Congress is brilliant! Kagame was acting as though he was still in 2077 in Season 1, and Travis and Sonya were more like crime bosses influencing an already corrupt political system in Season 2. Things finally seem on track for…wait, we’re not supposed to be rooting for them, are we?

Who can blame me for forgetting who the heroes are? Kiera’s flashback once again shows the Protector in a negative light as she is forced to terminate an unneeded informant. Although it is under protest, Kiera’s history is unsettling and colors her actions in our present.

Alec is hardly the ideal hero either. Our “Darth Alec” of the future makes a brief appearance to bring Emily in on the time travel secret, but his original self is struggling to forgive her for being a spy for Escher, whom he learns is his father: a fact which oddly doesn’t surprise his mother. I took some pleasure in watching Alec inherit Piron, and the legal counsel who gave him a tour of the facilities with all of its marvels was pleasant enough. But this show has made us mistrust everyone! Is this Piron-Sadtech merger simply a quicker path to the corporate-ruled future?

Even Carlos – dear, incorruptible Carlos – is too sullen to be our knight in shining armor. Will someone snap him out of it? Yes, Carlos, you saw your partner with a bullet in her head, but you also have her right here with you. And surely you’ve seen worse in your time as a police officer…like, for example, a rotting CSIS Agent Gardiner. Wait, did Carlos still see that in this timeline?

This is where time travel starts to get confusing, and although I love it, I wonder how many viewers are getting lost in the re-do. Now with the introduction of a mystery device that looks like an ancient Chinese hand grenade from yet another unknown future timeline, I am giddy with confusion. As long as the average viewer is still on board, though, I will feel reassured.

And about that mystery device. Kiera brings it to Katherine and the Freelancers, who are supposedly helping her investigate the murder of her other self. Does she trust these people? They are happy about the changes Dillon has made within the VPD because it is a familiar path to the “correct” history. If she wants to get back to her family, Kiera must agree, but I find myself hoping she’ll see the greater good of a different future. Which means she shouldn’t trust the Freelancers or their possession of an energy-sapping device of unknown origin.

So am I rooting for Liber8? Well, I’m just as glad they lost the mystery device, but I was sad that Kiera and Garza fought. Garza spared the Protector, so now they’re even. But does that mean they won’t be teaming up anymore? Sad face.

And that’s the beauty of Continuum. You just never know who to root for!

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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