Continuum has always embraced its strong female characters and this episode provided an epic display of just how much this show cares about the portrayal of strong women. While the Garza and Kiera team-up was epic it wasn’t the only part of the episode. Everyone seemed to be stuck in the middle of opposing forces which was appropriate for the episode that marks the halfway point of the final season.
From the beginning of the series we’ve heard about the great Theseus and the reveal that Julian was the younger version of this future prominent figure changed everyone’s opinion of him as a character. Julian has been through a rollercoaster of changes over the seasons and of late has come to try and fight against his destiny. He went so far as to destroy an early copy of his manifesto right in front of a shocked Lucas who was fanboying over the history he was watching. Julian doesn’t want to become the monster he’s hear stories about, but as Alec pointed out it can’t be as easy as destroying some papers. Chen is still in play and he made arrangements for the manifesto to make its way online. He even encounters Kagame’s mother and a toddler age version of Kagame himself. It is Eduardo’s mother who published the manifesto online at Chen’s urging. Chen knows the impact Julian will have on the future and he wants to ensure that part of the future does not change. He’s backed Julian into the ultimate hard and a rock place situation where there is no good way for Julian to react to what is unfolding around him. Chen has set into motion a self fulfilling prophecy and only Julian has the power to thwart that, but given his past history it may be too much for him to overcome. By the end of the episode he’s even returned to the Kagame home and I for one am quite interested to see how Julian’s story ends. Will he become a hero and visionary in the future or was he always destined to be the monster of futuristic lure?
Julian isn’t the only one with an uncertain future, as Alec tries to find his place in the world. He wants to keep doing good and take down Kellog while he’s at it, so naturally he sought out Carlos for a job at the station. After being hired on after the shortest interview in the history of interviews he also sets a new record for conspiring to keep information way from his new boss. Kiera asked big of him, but of course Alec is going to come through for Kiera and assist her by feeding her info about the case Carlos is working on and keeping Carlos on an information delay. Apparently it’s a trap Alec in the middle kind of day because no sooner than Kiera left on her own mission Carlos asked Alec to spy on her through her CMR in case Kiera’s feelings for Brad get her in a bad spot. It’s not meant to be funny, but the discomfort on Alec’s face makes it hard not to nervously laugh for the poor guy. He is caught smack dab in the middle between his two teammates and friends trying to use him to spy on each other to keep the other safe. Much like Julian he’s in a no win situation, but at least he made the smart choice and chose to support Kiera’s mission. As usual he came through with some brilliant tech to keep Garza in line, but that didn’t necessarily go over so well either. More on that in a minute, but first I have to address Kellog and his new security detail.
Kellog has a not so subtle first meeting with Vasquez (Kyra Zagorsky) as she takes down his entire security detail. She was sent by Future Kellog and fully intends to keep Kellog safe from all threats. She makes herself his own personal bodyguard and Kellog doesn’t seem to put off by the idea. Kyra’s time on
Helix served her well because she handled that take down scene with what seemed like effortless ease. I hope she lands on another series soon because she’s a great actress and has amazing screen presence. She stole the scene from Stephen Lobo and that is no small task given Kellog’s bigger than life personality. The battle of wills between Vasquez and Kiera at the station was epic as each actress held their own and shared dominance of the scene. I hope we get to see these two standoff against one another in a hand to hand fight before the series ends because I think that would be truly epic in nature. With the help of Vasquez and unfortunately lacking evidence the team is forced to let Kellog remain free with his new super futuristic bodyguard at his side. The team is going to have to get creative to take him down.
Carlos so desperately wants to bring all of this to an end, but he is being blocked by red tape on the official police side and he’s being blocked by Kiera on the other side. It was fun to see him hold his own in the scene he shared with Travis and Kiera at the beginning. This is a guy that just wants to do the right thing, but ultimately he may have to change his definition of the right thing if he’s going to protect his city and help stop one of many less than ideal futures. Carlos joins the stuck-in-the-middle club as he tries to do the right thing without even really knowing what that is anymore.
Now for the part that excited me the most. The Kiera and Garza team-up was truly extraordinary and not just because of the writing, but because Rachel and Luvia have a very natural chemistry that helps them portray this frenemy relationship Kiera and Garza have going on. Whether Garza likes it or not she has developed some respect for Kiera and dare I say has even come to think of her as a friend. Since Kiera brought her back into the fold in the last episode Garza has been eager to get back into the fight and see some action. When Kiera needs to do some recon on the facility the future soldiers are using to build some mysterious device she enlists Garza as her backup. It’s amazing how far these two have come from where they were in Season 1. They went from full on enemies to working together for a common goal. I doubt either of them would have believed it had they been told this back in Season 1.
I know Kiera desperately wants to get home, but letting the future soldiers complete their device doesn’t necessarily seem like the best idea ever. I can’t fault Garza for being so fixated on the idea of blowing up the device yet she probably could have gone about it a slightly different way. I did like it when Kiera was ready to fight Garza to stop her. At that moment the women were fighting for the same goal, but with very different paths in mind to achieve their common goal. When they were attacked Garza could have easily abandoned Kiera, but she fought alongside Kiera and as the fight progressed Kiera returned the favor by saving Garza and taking the guy down. Much like Garza could have left Kiera when this fight started it would have been so easy for Kiera to get out of the building and leave Garza behind after Alec incapacitated her. So many times throughout the mission either woman could have abandoned the other, but they stuck together and fought their way out together.
This episode also marks the second time in as many episodes where Rachel has had to carry a costar on her back. While it was obviously Rachel carrying Stephen last week it was a little more uncertain this week, but given how she handled Stephen I imagine it would have been easier for her to hoist Luvia onto her back. They are throwing everything at the actors this final season and they are all rising to the challenge.
As much as I hate to do this it is time to discuss the first big loss of the season as we said goodbye to Lucas. The Liber8 characters have never really been the bad guys, well with Kellog being the possible exception. They were good people with good intentions who got a bit lost in the execution of their plans. I’m by no means saying their tactics were right, because they did murder a lot of innocents, but they thought they were doing everything to create a better future. They were willing to bear the scars so future generations could live in a better world. The Liber8 characters spent the whole series walking a very fine line or morality versus activism which unfortunately moved into the realm of terrorism. As the series began its wind down some of these characters began their journey back to the right side of the moral line. Lucas was the first to fully commit to Kiera’s team as he worked side-by-side with Julian and Alec. He was a valuable member of the team and I believe they even came to think of him as a friend. When he was gunned down the look of horror wasn’t just because Brad committed the act, but because she just watched the execution of a man who she’d come to consider a friend. Lucas gave his life to try and give Kiera and Garza a chance at continuing theirs. His loss will profoundly affect the team and the immediate results were seen in the reactions Kiera and Garza gave in those immediate moments following his passing.
The way Rachel and Luvia played those moments immediately following Lucas being gunned down was nothing short of stunning. Each actress delivered the right emotions for their characters as Kiera dealt with the horror and Garza dealt with the confusion of seeing her long time friend bloody and dead on the floor before her. I can’t forget Brad in all this. I don’t know if it was scripted or how Ryan chose to play the scene, but the lack of emotion Brad portrayed was spot on for the character. While he did seem to understand the magnitude of his actions I also don’t think he’d change a single thing. Brad was in protect Kiera mode and a gun was just shot off right in front of her face, so I can see why he went trigger happy, but knowing she didn’t come alone should have been enough to give him pause before firing off multiple shots. It will be interesting to see where Brad and Kiera go from here after this. Can she ever forgive him? She’s not exactly innocent herself and has taken more than a few lives, but it is different when it was someone you are close with. Brad needs some redemption and with the series rapidly winding down he’d better come up with some epic way to make things right with Kiera. The truly heartbreaking moment came in the car when Garza just wanted to avenge Lucas while Kiera wanted to put distance between them and trouble. I believe Garza pulled that gun on Kiera not as a threat, okay so it was a threat, but as her way of feeling like she was doing something. She never intended to pull that trigger, but it was the act that she needed to perform and in the end she couldn’t lose another friend. Garza cares far more than she wants anyone to know and her true colors showed through in this episode.
I liked how Kiera felt like she was the one responsible for letting Travis know what happened to Lucas. I think the time is coming for Travis to get out and join the final fight. Whether Carlos likes it or not Travis has resources and tactics that will help stop Kellog and the future soldiers. That and Roger Cross is a badass in any fight scene and I want to see him in action again. Travis can help rally the team and help lead the charge. I’m not sure if Carlos will let Travis out, but I wouldn’t put it past Kiera to try and break him out. At this point I think she’d be willing to face Carlos and his wrath if it means a chance at saving the future and getting home.
Omari Newton poured a lot of heart and humanity into Lucas and made it easy for this character to be redeemed. It is that redemption that makes his sudden loss that much more tragic. Both actor and character will be missed as the series nears its end. I have great respect and admiration for Omari and the performances he gave. I hope to see him on another show in the not so distant future. All the actors on
Continuum are phenomenal and I expect to see them all popup on other projects very quickly.
This was an action packed episode with a heartbreaking ending. I hope Kiera and Garza fight together again before the series concludes. It is nice to see Alec being brought into the police force and I look forward to seeing how things play out for him in his new position. At the halfway point of the final season they still have a lot to cram into these final episodes and I for one can’t wait to see how it all ends.
Tune in to SyFy on Friday at 11/10c for the fourth episode of the season, Zero Hour, and if you’re in Canada be sure to tune in to Showcase on the same night at 9et/pt for the fifth episode of the season, The Desperate Hour.
These reviews will be put up according to the SyFy airing which is a week behind the Canadian airing on Showcase. Because of that please respect international viewers who may be a week behind and do not post spoilers or comments for any episode beyond the one being reviewed here.
Hit the comments with your thoughts on this episode. Can Vasquez keep Kellog safe? Will Garza try to avenge Lucas on her own? Will Kiera be able to forgive Brad? Will Alec still one day become the future Alec we know like Julian is becoming Theseus or will he be able to break the cycle?
About the Author - Aimee Hicks
Aimee works for a local newspaper and has a BA in Broadcasting and Cinema. She has been a TV lover since before she really understood what TV was. She has a long list of shows that she loves to watch and can be found on twitter (@ahicks83) live tweeting about each new episode whenever she can. A list of her favorite shows includes (but is not limited to) the following: 12 Monkeys, Orphan Black, Outlander, Chasing Life, Scorpion, The 100, The Night Shift, Bitten, Black Sails, 2 Broke Girls, Arrow, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Continuum, Lost Girl, Faking It, Falling Skies, Finding Carter, Once Upon A Time, Orange Is The New Black, Switched At Birth, The Fosters, The Flash, The Originals, Teen Wolf, Under The Dome, & Z Nation. The upcoming shows she is most excited about are: Supergirl, Dark Matter, UnReal, Blindspot, Lucifer, Legends of Tomorrow, Stitchers, Recovery Road, Shadowhunters, Quantico, Code Black, Heartbreaker, and Chicago Med. She has a large and passionate dislike of ""reality"" TV, especially ""reality"" dating shows, but has a weakness for Americas Got Talent and So You Think You Can Dance. But those two don't really count as ""reality"" shows, at least that's how she justifies those guilty pleasures. She was the original creator and co-founder of LOST Video Island (lostvideo.net) which is still operating under the management of the very capable and skilled group she turned it over to.
You can email her at aimee@spoilertv.com.
