Continuum review 4×02: ‘Rush Hour’

Continuum continues to play trust games that no one is winning.

Let’s bitch it out…

In its season debut, Continuum proved that nearly everyone is working towards their own end game and these solo efforts continue in ‘Rush Hour.’ The issue that is that by concealing their own agendas, each character is putting others in danger. At some point these independent initiatives are going to cause major, possible calamitous, problems.

Kiera (Rachel Nichols) remains fixated on getting back to the future to be with her son, so her mission this week is to recover Emily (Magda Apanowicz) and ensure that the time travel pieces remain in her control. As we saw last week Emily has been kidnapped by Kellog (Stephen Lobo), the man who very nearly controls all of the pieces…or will should Emily’s ransom be paid. Kellog begins the episode with a vague, one-sided conversation with his future self, who confirms that he needs to work with the soldiers to ensure a better future. The problem is that Kellog is completely untrustworthy (possibly even to himself) and nothing that we’ve seen of the soldiers or Chen (Terry Chen) suggests that the future should be entrusted to them. Simply consider Marcellus’ (Ty Olsson) condescending remarks when Kellog inquires about the purpose of the expensive list of items the soldiers need, or the very specific building that must be acquired. These people don’t exactly inspire confidence.

Unfortunately our protagonist’s partnerships aren’t much more transparent. In his eagerness to retain some kind of upperhand over his enemy, Alec (Erik Knudsen) embeds tracking code in Kellog’s stolen data, something that is immediately identifies. The issue is that Alec failed to mentioned this to Kiera, who is in the midst of negotiating Emily’s release with Kellog when the betrayal is discovered. Considering she is one of the few people who can reason with the former Liber8 member, Alec’s decision to keep Kiera out of the loop is substantially problematic; good thing Travis (Roger Cross) and Garza (Luvia Petersen) force Kiera to save Kellog’s life with a poison attack or else she might have completely lost his confidence.

Not that Kiera herself is much more forthcoming. The rift between her and Carlos (Victor Webster) continues to mystify me and the sudden reappearance of former Inspector Dillon (Brian Markinson) portends a deepening divide between them. She’s already keeping Carlos in the dark about all of her plans and in his new position there’s only so much leeway he can cut her before he will have to act in an official capacity. As it stands, Dillon’s unwanted arrival will likely test them further since Carlos and Dillon always worked well together. Now that Dillon is working for Kellog, it seems inevitable that Carlos will follow suit, especially if Kiera pushes him away.

At the end of the day, ‘Rush Hour’ is a much stronger episode of Continuum than the premiere because it streamlines its story around a single purpose: the search for Emily. As a result, there’s a much clearer directive and fewer tangential plot lines to distract our attention. With only four episodes remaining, it still feels like there’s a great deal to resolve, so hopefully as we head into the halfway point next week, the end game – particularly with the soldiers – will come into clearer focus. As it stands, the alliances of the last few episodes are uneasy at best, so I fully expect some shocking double-crosses and more than a few murders before Continuum wraps up.

Other Observations:

• The other bond that threatens to break is the one between Brad (Ryan Robbins) and Kiera. I’ll confess that I never fully bought into their romance last season, so I’m not surprised to see the writers pull back on it. The fact that neither completely trusts the other heavily implies that there’s an immediate rupture on the horizon.
• I’m still disappointed at how Julian (Richard Harmon) is being used this season. If anyone’s storyline has been affected by the series’ cancellation and the aborted episode order, it’s Julian; his Theseus arc appeared to have been completely abandoned. Shame, because that seemed like the bedrock of so many interesting developments in the first two seasons. The alt-timeline jump really messed it up.
• This episode continues the series’ longstanding history of great action sequences. Not only is Emily’s escape from custody great, the Carlos vs Travis showdown is exceptional. I’ll confess that I was surprised to see Carlos gain the upper hand with relative ease, though I suppose the car accident could have taken a bite out of Travis’ fighting abilities. Still, it’s a small complaint considering how awesome it is to see the two men go hand to hand in such dramatic fashion. Kudos to the fight choreographer.
• There’s an implicit suggestion that Emily leaves Alec at the end of the episode because she’s pregnant with Jason (Ian Tracey). There’s a clear correlation between her inquiry of Jason in the bathroom and her near immediate announcement to Alec that she’s leaving because she is his Achilles heel. Her statement isn’t untrue – his love for her is a liability – but she’s also proven fairly adept at handling herself (despite being murdered and kidnapped). Still, you could argue that he has a similar fondness with Kiera, so I’m inclined to believe that the real reason Emily is removing herself from danger is because she has discovered that she will soon bear Alec’s child.
• Two weeks running and I’ve left with the same question: what is Chen’s (Terry Chen) agenda? His late in the episode conversation with Kellog reveals that Kellog will eventually have the ability to send Kiera home. How does Chen know this? Is he working for the soldiers or someone else? Please don’t say the Freelancers. Ugh.
• Finally, the most enjoyable moment of the episode occurs when Kellog gnaws on his hand in a sexually frustrated fashion when Kiera arrives to negotiate in the little black dress. It’s delightfully amusing.

Best Lines:

• Kiera (before putting on the assigned outfit): “I am not Matthew Kellog’s dress up doll.”
• Kellog (winking to Kiera after she insists her owes her for saving his life): “You got to kiss me so we’re even”

Your turn: how is this abbreviated fourth season shaping up for you? Do you agree that all of the mistrust will come back to haunt these characters? Should Kiera, Alec and Carlos trust each other more? Is Brad a liability? Can the soldiers be trusted? Can Kellog? Are you disappointed that Thesus has seemingly been dropped? Hoping to see more of Travis before the series finale? Sound off below, but please refrain from posting spoilers if you have watched ahead in Canada.

Continuum airs Fridays at 11pm EST on Syfy.