Reviews

Continuum, Second Chances, Review

The Season Two premiere of SyFy's Continuum continues the show's tradition of fast-paced action and plot twists!

By Jen Johnson | June 8, 2013 | | 0

What an appropriate title for the first episode of the new season of Continuum! I thoroughly enjoyed the first season of this smart, fast-paced, and surprising series, which ended after only nine episodes with a total cliffhanger (and you can read the season one wrap-up right here). It’s back for Season Two with thirteen episodes, and producer Simon Barry says there will be a much heavier focus on fate, destiny, power and control, with new relationships forming and others falling apart.For those of you new to the series, Continuum follows Vancouver’s City Protective Services officer Kiera Cameron (played by the lovely Rachel Nichols) after she is inadvertently sent back in time just before the execution of a group of terrorists known as Liber8. After traveling from the year 2077 to 2012, she finds an ally in teen techno-geek Alec Sadler (the adorable Erik Knudsen), and teams up with hot detective Carlos Fonnegra (Victor Webster) as Liber8 wreaks havoc on the city. Liber8 is behind nearly every high profile murder and scandal that rocks Vancouver, but their methods and motives aren’t always consistent, and it seems that Sonya Valentine has usurped boyfriend Travis Verta’s favored position under deceased leader Edouard Kagame (Tony Amendola). Sleazy Matt Kellogg (Stephen Lobo) plays to both sides, and has even hooked up with Kiera by the end of the first season. Keep in mind that Kiera has a husband and son waiting for her in the future, but the chances of her getting home look pretty slim at best.The big question is, though, why did future Alec Sadler, Kiera’s husband’s boss, send Kiera back to 2012? And how will this affect their relationship?The season premiere opens with Kiera drugged and imprisoned in a tiny cell. It’s a nightmare brought on by a problem with her CMR, which was implanted when she became an officer. Sonya coldheartedly shoots Travis multiple times in the hospital where Kagame has just been born, and thinks he’s dead, but clearly, he isn’t. I’m thinking this is going to cause some issues between them when he finds her again. Especially since he killed at least four people trying to get out. He’s not happy.Alec abruptly moves out of his house, and has stopped accepting calls from Kiera, who is meeting up with Kellogg again. She needs money to survive in 2012. He has profited handsomely from his knowledge of the past. I’m not sure if he’s being completely sarcastic when he talks to her, but it’s clear that they have a relationship and need each other, no matter what the means are to the end. Still…Kellogg? Ecch. He’s just a…slew of words I can’t use on this website.The next day, the mayor of Vancouver is assassinated in broad daylight. Carlos is called on to get an arrest as soon as possible, so he gets back in touch with Kiera. She’s become sort of a vigilante, working outside the police department, but she agrees to help Carlos, asking who the mayor’s enemies were. In the meantime, Liber8 finds out that Travis is still alive and recovering in a hospital. Garza wants to rescue him, so Liber8 must be in the dark as far as Sonya shooting him. Ahhhh….interesting. There’s already been a lot of unrest in the group. Not sure what’s going to happen when they find out the truth. Agent Gardner shows up at the station looking for Kiera, but the chief of police defends her, and Carlos gets assistant Betty to help him out with some surveillance footage of the assassination. Alec looks for a new job, and his mom visits, confused about his sudden departure and putting his dad’s equipment in storage, but he flat out refuses to explain. Turns out, Kiera was posing as Alec’s mom…how she did that, I have no idea. I’ve seen her go invisible, but I’ve never seen her take on a new physical appearance. Alec quickly figures out what she’s up to (“That bitch!” he yells), gathering information off of his computer with a special drive. That’s what happens when you don’t answer her calls, sucker. He agrees to upload the video for her, and she reconstructs the entire assassination scene in 360 degrees. Gotta love that future technology.Agent Gardner pulls a gun on Kiera when she finds the address of the shooter, and wants answers. She believes someone is trying to get Gardner to think Liber8 pulled off the mayor’s murder…like a rival gang. Kiera wants a jump on the leader, Walford, before the cops get him, mainly to protect Carlos and get things expedited a little more quickly. She goes to a club where she finds the weapon used to kill the mayor, and is about to get killed herself until she mentions the Coalition Kings, who infiltrated the rival gang to try to frame them for the murder. Carlos shows up to save the day, taking Walford in for questioning, even though he denies everything. Prints on the shell? His. Gun? In his safe. Deny, deny, deny.Kiera asks to be an independent agent for the police department, claiming that the fight against Liber8 needs some thinking outside of the box. Turns out that Mr. Martin, Carlos’s friend, will be running for mayor, and is backed by Liber8, even though he’s basically a coward who doesn’t want to know the details (like Garza firing the fatal shot to the mayor’s head). Alec’s stepbrother Julian meets up with Travis in prison; Agent Gardner is aware of this, and wants intel even though these two guys shouldn’t even be in the same facility.In the end, Alec and Kiera meet in person. Alec seems to be more concerned about the message from his future self than the reason Kiera is there in the first place. She gives him the missing wedge to the time travel device, hoping he can figure it out and get her home. A flash forward shows an elderly Alec in 2077, leaving a message to his young self, admitting he has gone down a dark path and that young Alec needs to stop it from happening. At that exact moment, he sends the nightmare through Kiera’s CMR. Creepy.Final review: It’s the first episode of Season 2, and Continuum has already taken a darker, deeper turn. Not much time has passed in between, but the main characters look more battle worn than ever. Alec is taking his future self’s message and analyzing it beyond necessity; all the 2077 Alec wants to do is to help him create a better future, but we’ve seen that 2077 Vancouver is controlled by corporations, giving rise to Liber8. Kiera has gone semi-vigilante; this is apparently going to continue with the blessing of the police department, but it’s good to see her pairing up with Carlos again, even if it’s purely business. I have no idea where this is going right now. Continuum has always been good about plot twists, and I’m sure this season will be no exception.Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all news updates related to the world of geek. And Google+, if that’s your thing!

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