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Continuum: Wasting Time

"Maybe later you could tell me what actually happened here."

This felt like a "getting to know Liber8" episode. Was it "wasting time"?

Travis Verta is a super soldier who needs pituitary goo. Sonya Valentine, the so-called "Queen of Hearts", is heartless and tough, capable of seducing and brain-coring innocent bystanding guys to get said goo for Travis. But I don't think the other Liber8 members love Travis quite so much, since Curtis Chen used Travis's collapse to try and take over leadership of the gang, and was foiled when he stole Kiera's futuristic gun.

(You'd think it would be common knowledge among criminals in the future that if you steal and fire a Protector's gun, it will backfire and kill you. Although now that I'm thinking about it, the only criminals who would know are dead, like Curtis.)

Matthew Kellog appears to be a completely different ball of wax, more of a clever con man than a committed terrorist, and totally out for himself. It took nerve for him to approach Kiera, and he seemed to think he could win her over with his charm and good looks. He even had the nerve to proposition her. Does Kellog really want to stay in 2012, or does he have another agenda? He could be a useful ally now that she's saved his life, but how can Kiera possibly trust anything he ever tells her?

For me, the best part of the episode wasn't Liber8 – it was Kiera's interaction with Alec. Loved the Bluetooth, because it has always bothered me when agents with earwigs walk around talking to someone remotely and no one seems to notice. The rock-paper-scissors thing was really funny, too. Alec is turning into -- strike that, is already -- Kiera's excellent technical support, and they haven't even met yet. (In the present, that is.) If it weren't for Alec, Kiera would be in prison instead of actively hunting down Liber8 and trying her best to fit in at the Vancouver PD.

I liked Carlos Fonnegra this time, too. He may find Kiera's tactics and surprise knowledge confusing, but he believes she is doing the right thing. He was there to back her up and take responsibility for Curtis's death, even though he didn't understand what was going on. I wasn't into Carlos right away during my first time through the series, but I am now. I had to cringe when Curtis was hurting Carlos. That was some extended fight scene.

So now, of our eight original time traveling terrorists, Stefan Jaworski and Curtis Chen are dead, Matthew Kellog has left the fold, and Eduoard Kagame is still missing. That leaves Travis Verta, Sonya Valentine, Lucas Ingram, and Jasmine Garza. Half strength, and it's only episode three.

Bits and pieces:

— There's a flash forward in every episode. This one featured the capture of Sonya Valentine. It also included a transparent overcoat (homage to Blade Runner?) and Kiera saying "I've got a bad feeling about this" (homage to Star Wars?).

— Alec's stepfather, mother, and sullen stepbrother Julian are anti-corporation activists. Alec seems to find their cause only worthy of eye rolling, although he did dutifully attend a meeting.

— Alec's mother is played by Janet Kidder, niece of Margot Kidder. Janet Kidder played a younger version of the same character as Margot Kidder in an episode of La Femme Nikita.

— Kellog was born in 2041, making him either 36, or minus 29.

— While he was ill, Travis looked like his face was covered with pieces of wet toilet paper. He got better way too fast. What happened to the skin sloughing?

— Kiera stole the loose segment of the time traveling Grapefruit of Death out of evidence, which was probably a smart move.

Quotes:

Kiera: (re: Bluetooth) "You realize this is a ridiculous amount of packaging for a very small device."

Alec: "Put it in your ear… and there you go. You just gone from complete crazy person to a legit yuppie, all in one move."

Carlos: "Nice to know even the government drops calls."
Kiera: "Just wait 'til the phone company is the government."
Carlos: "Oooph. That's a scary thought."

Alec: "Sperm."
Kiera: "Sperm."
Carlos: "Sperm?"

Alec: "Oh, that’s right. You don't want Dudley Do-Right to know what you're doing."

Kellog: "I delivered Curtis like room service."
Kiera: "Room service doesn't shoot back."

Better than the previous episode. Two out of four Bluetooths,

Billie
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

3 comments:

  1. Once again, it is the Keira/Alec interactions that made the episode for me.

    I watched some of this when it originally aired, but then became caught up in other things and never went back to it. I am enjoying it a great deal, but am still struggling to keep all the players straight. Thanks, therefore, for the roundup of the eight at the end. It's very helpful.

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  2. It is hard for me to reconcile Alec of the present, who I really like with nasty, controlling Alec of the future. How did he get there? I guess we may find out.

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  3. Kellog's overture was certainly interesting. But honestly, other than personal attachments (like Kiera to her son), why not stay in the past? Vancouver 2012 seems like a much more pleasant place than in 2077, particularly if you're able to make yourself rich by using your knowledge if the future. I did like that we're individualizing the Liber8 crew a bit, though you're right that they seem to be disintegrating awfully fast. Maybe they're not going to be the main opposition throughout the season?

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