CONTINUUM Leaves Us Hanging "Second Time"

Article first published as CONTINUUM Leaves Us Hanging "Second Time" on TheTVKing.

The Canadian import Continuum, which U.S. viewers get to watch on SyFy, recently brought its second season to a close with "Second Time." It's an episode of big reveals, major developments, heartbreak, and cliffhangers. Thankfully, the show has been picked up for a third year, or it would be a really bad place to stop.

Right off the bat, we learn something new in the future scene at the beginning: Kiera's husband Greg (John Reardon) is involved in old Alec's (William B. Davis) plot to send Liber8 back in time. This is huge! It means Kiera's family isn't just wondering what happened to her. Why did Greg go along with this, and what has he done since to get Kiera back? This is now a plot I want to see.

I understand why Kiera (Rachel Nichols) doesn't suspect Greg is involved in sending her back, though, even though the panic in his face is what tips her off about the time travel device. She turns and sees Kagame (Tony Amendola) pull something from his pocket, and may think Greg has only witnessed the same thing. As such, this new reveal adds to the story, but does still fit in the continuity.

In the past, we recently see Kiera go selfish, abandoning Emily (Magda Apanowicz), who dies, while chasing her chance to get home. Up til now, Kiera is the hero of Continuum, and she makes sacrifices to save others. In a moment of weakness, and it really is just a moment, Kiera puts herself first and tragedy strikes. It's depressing because one cannot really blame Kiera for her actions, and yet we are shown there is a cost of not acting the hero.

Actually, one person may blame Kiera, and that's Alec (Erik Knudsen). It's hard to pinpoint Alec's shifting loyalties in "Second Time," as he seems to be manipulating multiple players in the game. In the end, though, he gets what he ultimately wants, which is the chance to go back in time and save his love, Emily, even though that leaves Kiera abandoned in the present. Alec is not an unselfish hero.

Many stories take their protagonists to a dark place during the journey, a time when they will make the wrong choice and do the wrong thing. Kiera and Alec both go through this at the end of season two, which is OK, because there will be a third season in which they can redeem themselves. Ultimately, they must live up to the unrealistically high standards fans of this type of drama expect them to be, but they can stumble along the way. Which is why "Second Time" doesn't feel like an ending.

That being said, I do hope Alec saves Emily. I absolutely adore Apanowicz in everything I've seen her in, and her passing is predictable and sad. If Alec can reverse this, Continuum will have a chance to bring her back and do something special with the actress, using her as she deserves to be used, rather than wasted in a small arc.

The thing that may end up saving Alec and put him back on the right path, besides Emily, is his family. We now know that Jason (Ian Tracey) is Alec's son, sent back by old Alec, though present-day Alec doesn't know this, believing Jason to be his father. Jason kind of hangs back, observing, but should step in when the time arises to fix things.

I am undecided about Escher (Hugh Dillon), who claims to be Alec's father. We have seen no proof of this, and it's not clear whether Alec believes Escher or just uses Escher to get back in time. As such, Escher remains a wild card, one that cannot be figured out yet.

Kiera's family may be in the future, but she has somebody in this time that cares about her, too, and that's Carlos (Victor Webster). Carlos gives up his life and his career to help Kiera, and then has to go on the run. This exposes a depth to Carlos's feelings about Kiera that was not obvious before. Might Carlos be a real love interest if Kiera decides she is never getting home? Or if she learns of Greg's hand in what befell her?

Carlos is on the run now, and instead of going to Kiera, whom he thinks is going home, he hides out at Julian's (Richard Harmon) house. This is brilliant, with no one ever suspecting Carlos would reach out to the person who has caused him so much trouble professionally. And Julian gets the chance to prove he isn't evil and stands by his peaceful posture by turning the other cheek. This is a really interesting twist, one that should have cool ramifications for both roles.

When season three begins, the most immediate issue will be for Kiera, Jason, and the other time travelers to escape. They are captured and locked up by the freelancers, taken to a secret prison. No one knows where they are, and unless Alec returns, no one may even know they are missing.

This gives all of the people from the future a commonality, which could be beneficial. Kiera has battled with Travis (Roger Cross), who has no love for Kellog (Stephen Lobo). Now, all three (if Travis is alive), along with the other members of Liber8 and Jason, may have to work together, or may just find time to bond in captivity. This could absolutely change the dynamics of the show.

And what of Dillon (Brian Markinson)? He appears to be one of the good guys for so long, but "Second Time" shows him using a new play book. Is he connected to some sinister people? Is he being manipulated? I don't know, but he's on the wrong side of the conflict for now, and looks to be in a position to cause some serious trouble.

Continuum is exactly the type of science fiction show I love. It has an intriguing premise, wonderful characters, fantastic actors, and plot developments that are hard to see coming. It isn't afraid to switch up the rules, or completely change a character's trajectory. There are also multiple time lines and time periods, which makes the story more complex, and thus more rich. Plus, it takes time for awesome fight scenes, such as the one between Kiera and Travis. It has become a must-watch program.

"Second Time" is a pivotal, exciting installment. I look forward to Continuum's return in 2014.

CONTINUUM Doesn't Need "Second Chances"

Article first published as CONTINUUM Season 2 Premiere Review on Seat42F.

Grade: 92%

SyFy’s Candian import CONTINUUM returns tonight for a second season. The premiere, “Second Chances,” picks up a little bit after the first season ended, with several of the primary characters still dealing with what the finale revealed. But a new assassination quickly forces the good guys to pull together, and a new mission is found.

The character development in CONTINUUM is top notch. Each of these people have their own defined motivations, and sometimes that means they work together, and others times they are at odds. Even when one of them cares about someone else, such as Kiera (Rachel Nichols) feeling a kinship with Carlos (Victor Webster), Kiera may still do something Carlos wouldn’t want when the situation arises.

Now that might seem like a “duh!” move for a story to go in, but it’s found far less than one might expect on television today. The best shows know who their personalities are, and construct situations that test these people in interesting ways, putting them in context where they have to choose between realistic, imperfect options. CONTINUUM does this, raising it above many of its peers, leaving a seed of doubt that a person, in the correct situation, might not do right by another at the end of the day.

In “Second Chances,” Kiera is wrapped up in her grief about not going home, and thinking that being a vigilante is the right way to help the world, unfettered by regulation. Alec (Erik Knudsen) also splits off, isolating himself as he tries to deal with the message his future self (William B. Davis) sends him in Kiera’s programming. But both are pushed back into the team when Carlos and Dillon (Brian Markinson) need them, although their actions are not completely altruistic.

I really like the dynamic between Kiera and Kellog (Stephen Lobo). While Kellog certainly has less-than-noble tendencies, he does work more for Kiera than against her. Her falling into bed with him is as much about her loneliness and the connection she feels to him, since they’re both trapped in the past, as it is about Kellog himself. Their relationship is complicated, and while they might eventually make a go at serious romance, once Kiera accepts that she won’t see her husband, Greg (John Reardon), again, that won’t be happening anytime soon.

Of course, you just know that the episode Kiera actually commits to Kellog will be the same installment in which she is reunited with Greg.

At first, I thought CONTINUUM would be a typical crime procedural, with a few science fiction trappings. But season one proved that the series can do much better, weaving a complex tale of terrorists and police, fantastical science, and complicated story, with plots stretching from 2077 back to today. What appears to be a run-of-the-mill law breaker could actually be something much more, and he or she usually is, since this show doesn’t waste its time with stories that don’t have larger implications.

“Second Chances” picks up this sort of thread and runs with it when the Mayor is killed during a press conference. Who is behind it? Liber8? Mobsters? Jim Martin (Tahmoh Penikett), the mayor’s political rival? By the end of the hour, we know, but there is also very clearly more to it than just learning the shooter’s identity.

Liber8 is reeling after the loss of its leader. Sonya (Lexa Doig) thinks she should be in charge, but that’s not readily accepted by the others, as one might predict. If Kagame (Tony Amendola) really did name her his successor, why didn’t he tell the others and smooth the transition? Is Sonya lying? What are her plans for the group?

And there’s still Travis (Roger Cross), who cannot be counted out. I will not reveal exactly what happens with him because it would be too spoilery, but Travis has some major twists in this first hour back.

The biggest unknown factor currently in CONTINUUM remains Agent Gardner (Nicholas Lea). When last we see him, he gets a little of Kiera’s secret, though does not have the ability to understand what he is seeing yet. In this episode, he brilliantly maneuvers a couple of characters together, then just sits back and watches. Someone this cunning and intelligent could prove a real thorn in Kiera’s side, and there’s no telling what he will do when he eventually realizes what he dealing with, which he surely will.

What is most interesting in “Second Chances,” though, is Alec’s message to himself. We know he orchestrates the terrorists and Kiera’s trip to 2012, and we know he is involved in Liber8′s activities. What we don’t know is why, or how to reconcile this man who is Kiera’s friend in both time periods doing something to her that seems so cruel. This premiere doesn’t clear up those things exactly, but it does start down a path of explanation, one that will eventually lay out the entire premise of CONTINUUM.

In all, “Second Chances” is a fantastic return for CONTINUUM, deepening the mythology, and letting the actors really dig into some emotional heft in their characters. It should be a very satisfying sophomore season.

CONTINUUM airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on SyFy.