Tony Amendola Archives - SciFiEmpire.net

Continuum season 2 starts on Showcase tonight!

Apr 212013

Tonight on Showcase Continuum will be back for its second season with the episode ‘Second Chances’. For those who don’t subscribe to Showcase, Syfy will start airing it from June 7th onward. Syfy Channel for that matter seems to have adopted Continuum as a show of its own. Season 1 may be best considered a rough diamond whose edges need to be smoothed. As it has been a somewhat disappointing year for Science-fiction on TV I am excited with Continuum’s attempt at boldly going were few shows dare to go.

Here is a preview of tonight’s episode…

Second Chances continues immediately were the season 1 finale left off. So I may suggest another viewing of that episode.

Here is a small synopsis of tonight’s episode…

Downtown Vancouver is in ruins after Kagame’s suicide bomb attack at City Plaza. Alec Sadler gets a game-changing email from his future self saying it was him who sent Central Protective Services cop Kiera Cameron and terrorist group Liber8 65 years back in time for a reason. A devastated Kiera goes underground, becoming a vigilante helping out the city’s downtrodden. But when Vancouver’s mayor is suddenly assassinated, Kiera realizes she must rejoin the police department and her partner, Carlos Fonnegra to find the murderer. That she must confront and destroy Liber8 and its minions to preserve the future for her husband and young son, once and for all…or die trying. But she can’t even get a hold of Alec, who is beyond-spooked at the shock email.

As for season 2, from the preview it seems that the creative staff have certainly remedied some of the rough edges of season 1. I am sad that the wonderful character of Kagame (played by Tony Amendola) is dead. However, as it is a time-travel show we might yet see him again. The origins of terrorist group Liber8 still need to be explored further.

Though already introduced in the season 1 finale, Nicholas Lea’s character Agent Gardiner will play at least a recurring role in season 2. Agent Gardiner of course saw Kiera (Rachel Nichols) use technology from the future. It will be exciting to find out how that will unravel in future episodes.

Be sure to make your way back to SciFiEmpire.net tomorrow for the review of ‘Second Chances’.

Source; http://www.showcase.ca/continuum/

Continuum Season Finale Endtime Review!

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Aug 062012

Endtime is the finale of the first season of Continuum. After ten episodes I can categorically say that I want more. Most TV-shows that are considered great have had worse quality first seasons than Continuum, Endtime is in fact the best TV hour since Game of Thrones season 2 episode ‘Blackwater’. I might add that though Continuum started out as a straightforward time-travel show this last episode of the first season is a real mind-fuck that not only sheds new light on earlier events but will also keep fans arguing until the second season.

Rachel Nichols – Kiera Cameron – Continuum

The plot of ‘End time’…

The episode starts with Liber8 members Chen, Travis and Garza performing the terrorist attack in 2076 that we saw at the start of the season. Kagame (Tony Amendola) and Kiera (Rachel Nichols) are watching the destruction nearby, while imprisoned Kagame asks an unseen inmate whether everything went according to plan. In 2012 Kagame and Sonya (Lexa Doig) have a brief conversation while sitting at a pool. Sonya gives him a copy of ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ for his birthday and in return Kagame gives Sonya a letter and a key for an important errand.

Kiera wakes up after spending the night with Kellog (Stephen Lobo) and subsequently manages to open his save and steal the part of the time machine he took. Carlos phones Kiera and tells her an agent Gardiner (Nicholas Lea) is at the police station and wants to talk to her. Kiera agrees to come but is otherwise delayed because an insane person in a park claims to be from the future and warns Kiera of an impending terrorist attack that is said to happen on that very day. Kiera realizes he is talking the truth, apparently he was a guard at the prison in 2077 when he was also pulled into the time-travel device and ended up in 1992 where subsequently the authorities put him in a mental hospital.

Sonya (Lexa Doig) – continuum

Travis Verta meanwhile is anxious about the absence of Sonya and seems to give Liber8′s leader Kagame a hard time. Alec’s stepbrother Julian shows up at the Liber8 hideout and states he has an appointment with Kagame, further confusing Travis. The time-travelling prison guard Jason has managed to persuade Kiera that he can build a time machine to travel back into the future, Jason warns Kiera that there are more time-travelers and calls them ‘freelancers’. Jason specifically mentions a Mr Escher. Kiera manages to contact Alec (Erik Knudsen) after Liber8 has stopped all phone traffic in Vancouver and warns him that Julian might be involved in a terrorist attack today. Alec disobeys Kiera by trying to save Julian but only manages to get himself kidnapped when he follows Julian to the Liber8 hideout. To Travis’s frustration Kagame isn’t at all surprised to see Alec and orders Garza to tie him up while he discusses his planned attack with Julian.

Jason in tin foil hat – continuum

Back at the police station Carlos and Gardiner are still waiting for Kiera to show up and as such Gardiner phones colleagues to try and find out more about the organization called Section 6 for which Kiera states she is working for. After Gardiner seems to have convinced himself that there is no section 6 he concludes that Kiera might be in league with Liber8. While Kagame and Julian are away from the hideout Alec manages to free himself and glance from a map that the intended target of Liber8′s attack. Sonya returns from her errand for Kagame and Travis seems to have had enough of Sonya’s and Kagame’s secretive ways and demands answers from where she has been.

Kiera and Jason go to the office building that were supposedly destroyed in the terrorist attack of 2012 but neither can seem to remember which building was attacked, as such they attempt to convince the tenants of all the building to leave. Kiera contacts inspector Dillon of the VPD to speed up matters. Agent Gardiner takes over the evacuation of the building but seems to doubt the source of Kiera’s information until Carlos sees that Julian has entered the basement of the building in a pick-up truck. After a standoff between the VPD SWAT team and Julian he pushes the detonator of his truck bomb but nothing happens.

Travis Verta (Roger Cross) about to be shot by Sonya (Lexa Doig) – continuum

While Julian is led away by the police Jason congratulates Kiera for changing history. Agent Gardiner meanwhile receives a phone call from a Mr Escher who convinces him that Section 6 is real and that Kiera is working for him. Carlos congratulates Keira on having such powerful friends but Kiera responds confused to this turn of events. While Julian waits in a police car Kagame opens the door and while wearing a police uniform thanks Julian for his courage but says it is for the best that he doesn’t die today. Kagame is spotted by Kiera when he enters another office building. While Kiera tries to disarm Kagame Alec shows up and Kagame states that this was all his idea. In a moment of surprise Kiera allows Kagame to slip away. Alec persuades Kiera that they should vacate the building. Just as they are standing outside Kagame blows himself up and brings down most of the building. Inspector Gardiner watches to his surprise as Kiera and Alec are saved from the falling debris by Kiera’s bodysuit.

Kagame wearing his bomb – Tony Amendola – Continuum

After Kiera and Alec wander out of the rubble agent Gardiner sees Kiera leave through her invisibility cloak. Sonya visits the hospital and on the instructions of Kagame checks to see if his birth did indeed occur on that day. Travis has followed Sonya to the hospital and demands what she is doing. Sonya states that not Julian but Kagame has performed the suicide attack and that she is merely there to make sure that the infant Kagame is being taken care off. Just as Travis seems to be settling in as the new leader of Liber8 Sonya states that Kagame had one more job for her, she pulls a suppressed pistol and shoots Travis dead. As Kiera is back at Jason’s warehouse to see the time-machine he has built he tells her that the entire time-travel episode and even the execution of the Liber8 members was a set up. After Kiera demands to see the time machine Jason reveals it to be no more than a construction of bicycle tires and flashlights, as he puts on an aluminium foil hat it becomes clear to Kiera that despite the fact that he has moments of lucidity Jason is essentially a delusional mental health patient. Kiera seeks comfort with Kellog as she realizes she will probably never be able to make it back to 2077. Kiera questions Kellog on whether he was the Mr Escher that agent Gardiner and Jason were referring to but Kellog denies knowing who that is.

Kiera Cameron (Rachel Nichols) in 2077

In 2077 we see Kagame being held in detention where he is visited by the older Alec Sadler (William B. Davis), much to the irritation of Kagame as he had hoped to kill all of the CEO’s of the world largest conglomerates. The old Alec says that he knew Kagame would launch his attack and that the two of them have more in common then Kagame thinks. Alec Sadler shows him the time-machine and tells him all the events of 2012 that are still going to happen. When Kagame is in his cell he asks a very old Julian if he can trust his step-brother to which the old Julian gives a positive answer. Back in 2012 Alec finally finds the courage to tell Kiera that it was the older Alec who sent Kiera to 2012. The episode ends with Kiera pondering this on Kellog’s boat observing the Vancouver skyline.

Garza – Luvia Peterson – Continuum

Review…

This final episode of the first season of continuum wraps up some storylines in a neat fashion and introduces for season 2 a number of new ones. While it doesn’t really have a cliffhanger the large number of questions that have arisen from this episode is sure to keep fans wanting more Continuum. Below are a small number of those possible questions.

Who is Mr Escher? Is this a reference to M.C. Escher, the noted dutch mathematician? If so, is it a reference about how the timeline of 2012 more or less resembles one of his drawings.

What was Garza going on about when she asks Alec Sadler whether he thinks she is pretty. Garza is known for her mind-fuck attitude but the question was really out-of-place. The question that arises is whether they will know each other in the future.

Is Liber8 still the enemy in season 2, if so will Chen be part of it. If not will Sonya also kill Garza and Lucas.

Does agent Gardiner suspect that Kiera is from the future? Will agent Gardiner be the villain in season 2? Will he interrogate Chen about the future?

Does Julian spend the rest of his life in jail because of the failed 2012 terrorist attack?

Now that is has been revealed that the present events of 2012 were preceded by an earlier version of 2012 would it be possible to change the future or are time travellers bound to just making new versions of past time lines?

Old Alec Sadler – William B. Davis – Continuum

The introduction of Nicholas Lea (The X-files) and the retirement of Roger Cross (Travis Verta) and Tony Amendola (Kagame) is somewhat bitter sweet, but they do ensure that the show remains fresh.

Despite my jubilation Continuum as whole does not yet match the quality of this last episode. A lack of humor has been noted by fans who have come used to the X-files and Fringe dialogue being snappy and witty. The thing between Kellog and Kiera also doesn’t work for most fans but I suspect Kiera may be working on Kellog so he will help her more often. For season 2 fans would probably also like to see more of 2077, frankly since the pilot we have seen little more than just a few scenes. The depiction of the year 2077 won kudos with fans and though I am sure it is quite expensive this show can really stand out by moving whole story threads to the future. Perhaps the older version of 2012 might also be exciting.

Several characters such as inspector Dillon, Betty Robertson and even Carlos Fonnegra have remained underused in the first season. I hope to see more of them with proper storylines. Carlos’s miraculous recovery while otherwise being somewhat absent in this episode was also noted.

Some fans have become irate over the fact that Continuum has yet to be renewed for another season and though I have advocated patience I am sure that season 2 is a sure thing. Season 2 of Continuum is certainly number one on my list of most anticipated TV, even before Fringe’s final season and season 2 of Person of Interest.

Score; 9.5 / 10.

Source; www.syfy.com/continuum/

Agent Gardiner (Nicholas Lea) – continuum

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Continuum Season 1 Finale ‘End Times’ Preview!

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Aug 012012

Rachel Nichols as Kiera Cameron - End Times - Continuum

Next Sunday the last episode of the first season of Continuum will air on Showcase, the episode is entitled ‘End Times’. The story seems to deal with the possibility of altering history. We already know that the so-called grandfather paradox isn’t valid in the Continuum universe as Kellog’s grandmother was killed yet it didn’t influence his existence. Now, Kiera is going to try and prevent a terrorist attack from happening, and we are really going to find out whether an important event in history can be prevented. From the looks of the stills below and the previous promotional trailer we can see that Liber8 will have all its members in this episode, something that has bugged fans of Continuum for a while now. Victor Webster’s character Carlos Fonnegra will also be in this episode despite being shot badly in the last episode, so we are really going to find out if he remembers Kiera confessing to him that she is from the future.

Most fans seem eager for Showcase to officially announce that Continuum will get a second season but I think that decision will have to wait for a while, don’t forget that this is just a 10-episode season and not one of 24 episodes. The latter relies on a quick decision in order to start the next season’s pre-production. If showcase doesn’t announce a decision willingly after the season finale we could wait months for the official greenlight.

Below are the logline and synopsis for End Times…

Logline.

Kiera races the clock to stop a terrorist attack. Meanwhile, Alec and Julian’s place in history will become defined by the horrific event.

Synopsis.

Kiera must race against the clock when she realizes that in her timeline, today is the day that terrorists bomb a building killing hundreds of innocent people. As she tries to stop the imminent bombing, Liber8 kidnaps her trusty sidekick Alec after he realizes his stepbrother Julian is under their sway.

Here are the promo stills…

Here are also a few set photo’s of End Times…

source; yvrsshoots.com

Continuum Family Time Review!

TV-series 3 Responses »

Jul 302012

Family Time is the ninth and second to last episode of continuum’s first season. Unlike previous episode it is set almost exclusively on Alec’s farm. The episode acts a jump-board to the season finale ‘Endtime’ of next week. As such it offers less action and more drama as multiple plot threads need to be advanced.

Rachel Nichols in Black bodysuit

The plot of Family Time…

Carlos (Victor Webster) and Kiera (Rachel Nichols) have come to visit the farm of Ann Sadler and Roland Randol to investigate the purchase of 1500 kg of ammonium nitrate. Alec (Erik Knudsen) and Kiera are surprised to see each other but Alec diverts suspicion by stating he recognizes Carlos from TV from the time when Carlos was a murder suspect. As Carlos and Alec’s stepfather try to find evidence of the purchase of the ammonium nitrate Alec shows Kiera his ‘setup’. Alec claims that he has almost finished fixing Kiera’s bodysuit but Kiera is more interested in whether Alec is covering for his extended families radical views.

In 2077 Kellog (Stephen Lobo) and his sister are being pursued by authorities after they have stolen thermite detonators which they are intending on giving to Liber8. Kiera is piloting a pursuit plane and fires rockets at them which fatally injures Kellog’s sister.

Kagame & Sonya

Back in 2012 Julian has become aware of Carlos and Kiera’s attempt at finding the ammonium nitrate and tries to block access to a barn. Kiera is immediately suspicious, especially when the barn is locked with a bolt. After Alec cuts the bolt they discover a truck with a bomb made with the ammonium nitrate. Just as Carlos suggests that Roland should be taken into custody 4 of Julian’s show up armed and take everybody hostage. Kiera and Carlos briefly manage to turn the tables on them but Carlos ends up shut in the gut by Julian (Richard Harmon).

Kiera and Carlos are locked up in the pantry while Alec, his mother Ann and Roland are held in the kitchen and attempt to communicate secretly with the police with a mobile phone. Kiera and Carlos attempt one more escape but are again caught, Carlos’s injuries are slowly becoming worse. One of the kidnappers, named Hoyt, shows himself to be a true narcissist and claims to have no qualms about sacrificing the hostages in front of the police even if they themselves were to die subsequently. Julian manages to persuade him that the plan to use the homemade bomb can still work. As the police are suspecting his father Roland to be in charge because of his anti-government views they could lay the blame on him. In order to escape Julian suggests they blow up the propane tank outside and then escape with the truck bomb.

Kiera’s HUD used on Alec Sadler

Meanwhile Kagame and Sonya are watching events unfold on TV. Sonya asks if they should intervene but Kagame suggests otherwise by stating that everything he has become is because of what happened on that farm in the present.

Alec manages to get himself sent to his workroom with one of the hostage takers by stating he has a gun there that Julian can use in the escape attempt. After he manages to stun the hostage taker with Kiera’s bodysuit he activates her implant so she can contact the police on the perimeter and guide them. The SWAT-leader seems hesitant on accepting her advice but he is overruled by Inspector Dillon (Brian Markinson).

Alec manages to convince the hostage taker that his electrocution was accidental, he gains access to the pantry were Kiera and Carlos are held and hands her the bodysuit, now colored black because he thinks geeks would like it better. Carlos meanwhile slips in and out of unconsciousness, Kiera admits to him that she is from the future but it is not known if Carlos has understood her.

After Kiera has donned her bodysuit she starts to systematically knock out the hostage takers with the invisibility camouflage. Hoyt, Julian and two other hostage takers flee to the barn and start a firefight with the SWAT team. Kiera pursues them but is knocked unconscious when Julian manages to blow up the propane tank. The SWAT team now focus on the house where Alec, Roland and his mother held and still suspect Roland of being armed.

Kiera in 2077 – Continuum

Kiera manages to stumble into the barn where Hoyt is attempting to start the truck, after a standoff Kiera is forced to shoot him dead when he raises his gun at her. Julian has slipped back into the house and holds his father Roland at gun point while Alec holds a gun pointed to Julian. Just as Roland has convinced Julian to hand him the gun the SWAT team enter the house and shoot Roland, killing him instantly. Julian manages to escape in the confusion that ensues.

In 2077, Kellog’s sister has died in his arms, Kellog drops the thermite detonators and casually walks into police custody after glancing at Kiera

In 2012 Kiera visits Kellog on his boat and asks for his forgiveness, Kellog says he is not angry with her, he considers Kiera to be the only person he can relate to. Kellog makes romantic advances to Kiera and says she should stop ‘living for a future that might never happened’.

In the last scene of the episode Julian is walking along a street in Vancouver when a phone at a booth begins ringing, as he picks up he hears Kagame’s voice telling him that somebody will pick him up and that he will be taken care off. As such the seeds for another standoff between Julian and Alec has been sown.

Thermite Detonators

Review…

This episode was a significant departure from the format we have become used to. The storyline covers a lot of ground necessary for the season finale. Despite raising the anticipation for that episode considerably this episode does have a number of creative flaws which brings it to the bottom of the pile.

The fact that Julian has suddenly turned in to a terrorist wishing to use a truck bomb seems a bit farfetched and out of character, that he suddenly has a half-dozen heavily armed friends wanting to do the same ‘nuked the fridge’ for me.

Little things such as a ridiculously small lock on the pantry where Kiera and Carlos are being held and the strange tactics used by the SWAT team makes the plot twists feel too contrived. The death of Hoyt was the strangest thing ever as he only got shot in the shoulder. Roland’s death was too predictable but at least it made sure that both Alec and Julian have become committed to their own causes after having lost such a big ‘anchor’ in their lives. Overall, it was as though the writers had to guarantee that everything would be properly set up for the season finale but were at a loss about how to logically connect the dots.

Other issues such as the dimwitted hostage takers and overly aggressive Julian and Hoyt also distracted from the storyline. Kellog’s flashback of 2077 thus felt underused and out of sync with the moral of the 2012 storyline.

I have already mentioned that ‘Family Time’ lays the groundwork for next week’s episode ‘End Times’ and I am eager to see what comes of Kiera’s confession to Carlos. Kagame statement of what happened on the farm seems to have a lot of meaning which I think is a comment about the adverse relationship between Julian and Alec. Overall, the best thing about this episode is the fact that Rachel Nichols once again wears the tight bodysuit as seen in the pilot.

Score; 7.5 / 10.

Source; www.continuumtheseries.com

Next week’s episode of Continuum is entitled End Times and will be the last episode of this season.

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Continuum Family Time Preview UPDATED

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Jul 262012

Rachel Nichols as Kiera Cameron - Family Time - Continuum

Family Time is the second to last episode of Continuum and it seems that it will try to unravel the multitude of plot line and questions that have arisen from the previous 8 episodes. Liber8 and its leader Kagame (Tony Amendola) have finally concluded that Kiera Cameron (Rachel Nichols) has managed to defeat because of the help she got from the present day Alec Sadler (Erik Knudsen), as such they will try and eliminate him (not shown in the screen below). Alec has retrieved a message from his future self from Kiera’s implant that could explain why Liber8 travelled back in time and why Kiera has done so as well. The question is of course whether Alec will tell Kiera of this. Does the message at all say whether it is possible for Kiera to return to the future or is she stuck in an alternate timeline? For Carlos Fonnegra (Victor Webster) there is still the matter of finding out from where Kiera has been getting her information, will he finally find out that she is from the future or are we destined to have a Lois Lane/Clark Kent style relation that will last for the entire series.

For the many fans of the series the biggest question is of course whether Continuum will return for a second season!

Here is the episode synopsis…

While accompanying Carlos on a routine investigation of a farmer who purchased large quantities of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer used in explosives and agriculture, Kiera discovers that the farm is actually the home of Alec. What seemed like a routine check quickly escalates into a tense standoff.

***UPDATE***

Below is a promo trailer for the last four episodes of continuum including Family Time, scenes from this promo reveal a great deal more about the episode than does the synopsis or promo pictures so beware of spoilers.

***UPDATE***

Please enjoy the rest of the promo screens below…

Continuum Ep-8 Playtime Review!

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Jul 232012

This week’s episode of Continuum was the first after a number of great episodes which ‘missed’ the mark. As this being episode 8 and with only 2 more episode to go there was probably a need by the creative staff to fill up the plot in order to lay the groundwork for the season cliffhanger. However, its execution feels a little underdone even if it succeeds in drawing two background characters into the foreground. Playtime does succeed in filling up its 43 minutes with a lot of plot development, just like the rest of Continuum this episode feels really tightly written. It’s major drawback is that it feels too much like a procedural such as CSI and Bones. As the plot of Playtime is rather complicated and because I don’t want to spoiler too much I will just give the highlights.

The plot of Playtime…

After two murder-suicides that are linked to a game developer Kiera (Rachel Nichols) and Carlos (Victor Webster) check out what they might have worked on, detective Betty Robertson joins them and really shows her geeky side with language such as ‘tango’s', meaning targets. Kiera suffers a head injury during a VR game which shuts down her CRM implant, this is the first sign that Liber8 might be involved. Kellog (Stephen Lobo) meanwhile has tracked down Lucas Ingram and though careful observation finds out that Liber8 has trying to manipulate Kiera into following their orders. Kiera’s damaged CRM needs to be rebooted by Alec (Erik Knudsen), while doing this he discovers hidden files in the implant and sets out to decrypt them. Carlos has to question the employees at the software company himself but before he does so he discovers Kellog waiting in a cab outside the police station. He says he is Kiera’s source and informs him that Kiera is in great danger. Kellog later on visits the lead software designer at the game company in order to confront him with his relation with Liber8.

Carlos and Kiera have the same idea, Kagame (Tony Amendola) knows that the game is up and order Lucas to program Kiera so she would eliminate the game designer. A struggle ensues and Kagame observes through Kiera’s implant that Kellog was the one informing Kiera. Lucas than programs Kiera to target Carlos and then to shot herself but Alec has finally managed to gain control of Kiera’s implant and programs her to shut down. Later in the day Carlos tells Kiera that the game programmer was behind the murder suicides in order to discredit a fellow employee. Kiera makes an appointment with Alec to reboot her implant but says ‘it can’t be done tonight’. Kagame and Lucas meanwhile muse who could have stopped Kiera from carrying out her mission, finally Kagame reasons it could have been only one person – Alec Sadler. The last scene of the episode shows Alec having succeeded in decrypting the files he found in Kiera’s implant, one file is addressed to him and is titled ‘READ FIRST!!!!’.

This episode certainly foreshadows what will come from the remaining once. I expect a direct message from the future Alec Sadler for the 2012 version as well as an attempt by Kagame to eliminate the 2012 Alec Sadler.

Review…

While certainly not a bad episode it does feel a little contrived, the idea that contemporary technology can do something like mind-control or photo-realistic virtual reality is ‘jumping the shark’ a little. The episode is also missing crucial characters such as the rest of the Liber8 gang and Carlos’s superior at the VPD. The special effects are compared to the previous episode too few and underdone, it kind off feels like a bottle show from that aspect. This is not unusual as the season cliffhanger often gets the royal treatment. All these factors accumulate to make this the weakest episode since the early days of the season.

Score; 8 / 10.

Source; www.continuumtheseries.com

Next week’s episode is entitled ‘Family Time’ and will probably feature Alec’s Sadler’s stepfather and stepbrother.

Continuum episode 8 ‘Playtime’ Preview! UPDATE Promo trailer

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Jul 192012

Fans of Continuum are slowly starting to wonder why Showcase hasn’t renewed Continuum for a second season, normally this is done when the show is still airing in order to show confidence. However, as Continuum will have a short first season of only 10 episodes it is actually well possible that the decision could be delayed by as much as a few months until production for a second season has to be green lighted. The ratings for continuum hardly tell the complete picture as those are just for Canada and the online income of this series is unknown to anyone but Showcase. My guess is that Continuum will be back for another season and not in the least because other shows have or will end (Eureka and Fringe) and so it won’t have much competition and fans from those series will probably come over to this show (if they haven’t already). Canadian ratings for Continuum have hovered around 400.000 and last weeks episode managed to beat expectations with 427.000 official viewers, so that is some good news at least.

As for this weeks episode of Continuum, entitled ‘Playtime’, here is the synopsis and cast list…

When Kiera and Carlos investigate two mysterious murder-suicides, they quickly realize that both may be the result of a lethal computer program turning video game programmers into killers.

Rachel Nichols - Kiera Cameron

Victor Webster - Detective Carlos Fonnegra

Erik Knudsen - Alec Sadler

Stephen Lobo - Matthew Kellog

Omari Newton - Lucas Ingram

Richard Harmon - Julian Randol

Mike Dopud - Stefan Jaworski

Tony Amendola - Edouard Kagame

Cameron Park - Sad Tech Exec

Evan Frayne - Cole Bartley

Victor Ayala - Copeland

Danny Wattley - Greg Morit

This cast list allows us to see that the friend of Kiera’s husband, the boob-grabber from the last episode, is going to be a regular of the series. I think that will add more tension to the 2077 storyline. Fans are also eager for Kiera’s bodysuit to make a reappearance (with her in it preferably) and I am guessing they won’t be disappointed for long. One oddity on the cast list is the character of Stefan Jaworski, as he was killed off in the pilot I am wondering why he is still on it? Is it just a contractual obligation on the part of Showcase or does Liber8 have a plan.

***UPDATE***

It seems as though my prediction of Jaworski has come true, about a week ago (sorry I missed) Showcase released a trailer of all the last episodes and it includes the character of Jaworski being put on trial in 2077 (in a flash-forward). I must say it seems that the last bunch of episodes of this season will pretty much unravel the entire plot of Continuum.

***UPDATE***

Here are the promo pictures for ‘Playtime’…

Continuum Time’s Up Review!

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Jul 102012

The sixth episode of continuum continues with the new direction that episode 5 started. Now that Edouard Kagame (Tony Amendola) has rejoined Liber8 they have changed their strategy. No longer do they use self-defeating scare tactics but instead they have opted to promote Liber8′s manifesto through manipulating the Occupy like movement seen in the back story. After Liber8 kidnaps a CEO Carlos and Kiera are put on the trail of Liber8 by one of the protestor’s, Alec is reluctant to help Kiera after he has learned that his stepbrother Julian took part in it. Alec’s stepfather Roland also has a larger role in this episode and we quickly see he doesn’t agree with Julian’s sense that violent protest is the only answer to what they both see as a corrupt capitalist system.

Kiera meanwhile suspects that Liber8 had inside help from the company to kidnap the CEO, the chief of security is their prime suspect after they catch him trying to murder the protester that might lead them to Liber8. Inevitable the culprit from inside the company is found to be a boardroom member, who quickly admits this was a scheme to oust the CEO from her job se he can replace her. He also states that Liber8 had no intention of keeping to their end of the bargain and that they merely kidnapped the CEO to put her on ‘trial’.

Kiera meanwhile has flashbacks to 2077 when she and a colleague had to restrain a food riot caused when a conglomerate called Piron hoards food supplies to drive up the price, this visibly shakes her confidence in the system of corporate governance. Liber8′s back story is also further deepened when in a conversation between Sonya and Kagame she mentions the censorship of the corporate bailout of 2010 from future history books. Finally Liber8 decided to punish the CEO by allowing people to vote on the internet on whether she lives or dies. Alec manages to track down Liber8′s hideout but he and Kiera decide to allow detective Robertson to find it herself because Kiera doesn’t have a plausible reason to know where it is.

As Carlos and Kiera reach the hideout and try to rescue the CEO they find that a bomb has been strapped to her and is set to go off in two minutes. Kiera can’t disarm it but suspects that if the CEO admits to any wrong doing than Liber8 will defuse the bomb remotely. After a tense moment in which the CEO admits to cleaning out employee pension funds the bomb does explode but with confetti instead of explosives. Kiera is later informed that from an enormous short-sell Liber8 has managed to make a fortune, he also informs her that Julian was at the demonstration. Kiera asks if he is going to be a problem but he hesitantly says no. A side story reveals how Kellog has managed to get the part of the time machine from Kiera’s flat.

Review…

Time’s Up continue with the fast paced script that we have become used to see in Continuum, this episode is visibly different as it enlarges the cast to include the demonstrators. it is also quite clear now that the show’s creators are goign to use the present economic downturn in this series as a backdrop.

Score; 9 / 10.