Courtesy of Showcase / Syfy
Kiera (Rachel Nichols) and Carlos (Victor Webster) uncover a corporate conspiracy that may or may not implicate Inspector Dillon (Brian Markinson).
Let’s bitch it out…
Oh my god, they killed Betty (Jennifer Spence)! Just when we thought that the VPD techie was on the road to salvation, Continuum kills her off in the closing minute of ‘So Do Our Minutes Hasten’.
It’s an unexpected development that comes out of left field because there’s nothing else in this episode to suggest that we’re headed for a violent cliffhanger. The introduction of Grey Point’s assassin, Neelon (Curtis Caravaggio), indicates that the war between Liber8 and the corporations is heating up, but Betty seems like an unlikely victim until the moment she leaves the bar to meet with a source. Clearly Elton (Seth Whittaker) was enough of a threat to Somanto that he had to be eliminated, so his murder makes sense (even if he is/was a complete non-entity, having been introduced and then killed off in the same episode). It’s likely that Betty’s death is a result of two unfortunate coincides: she is name dropped by Kiera on the bug that Neelon leaves at the station and she is at the wrong place, at the wrong time. Her proximity to Elton when Neelon turns up enables him to kill two birds with one stone (figuratively speaking) as Betty gets caught in the crossfire.
Continuum‘s moral ground about who (and what) is right has never been shakier than it is at present. We’ve had many conversations about how well the series balances its competing ideologies so that the conflict is never black and white. ‘So Do Our Minutes Hasten’ takes this to levels previously unseen as the episode finds both Carlos and Kiera beginning to side with Liber8 – or at least identify that some of their beliefs are worth considering. For Carlos this is part of a continuing trend that his storyline has been exploring all season (the death of “his” Kiera contributing to it significantly). For Kiera, this is a new phenomenon and the fact that it comes after the time tripping ‘Waning Minutes’ episode is not insignificant.
As the episode progresses it becomes clear that Somanto is responsible for both Kiera and Carlos’ cases: the murder of a boardroom full of Somanto’s corporate rival Firmatos and the planted leak of Somanto secrets that is publicly disproven on edutainment news program Firing Point. Add to this Dillon’s questionable motives for assigning Liber8 blame for the deadly gas attack, especially his conflict of interest position on Piron’s board of directors, and you have an episode that very clearly questions the power and goals of the corporations. Hell, even Alec (Erik Knudsen) is proven to be a two-faced liar when he fabricates a story about a sick exec in order to fool his board to secure funds for a medical passion project. I mean, good on Alec for being savvy and all, but at the end of the day he’s still propagating the duplicitous corporate tactics that are responsible for a hurting a host of people.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Liber8 comes out looking like a particularly attractive alternative. It doesn’t hurt that the majority of their more radical crew lays low this week – the only member we see is Garza (Luvia Petersen) and she’s more interested in kicking ass (Neelo) and striking deals (Kiera) than causing a raucous. At this point, heading in the final quarter of the season, we’re seeing a clear shift away from the Kiera vs Liber8 politics that have dominated the first two seasons in favour of an opening up of the conflict. As more screentime is dedicated to the nefarious actions of the corporations, the future Kiera thought she knew is becoming more complicated. As a result Continuum continues to push the envelope, unwilling to maintain the status quo in favour of creating ever more compelling and challenging narratives. It’s very exciting.
Other Observations:
- Carlos (Victor Webster) falls for the Somanto plant, Adele (Danielle Kremeniuk) which tells me that a) Carlos needed to get laid and b) Carlos is a lousy cop.
- Adele’s disgrace embarrasses Julian (Richard Harmon) in a way that costs him his TV credibility with Diana (Michelle Harrison) and Firing Point. This makes him easy prey for Garza to recruit and sees Theseus’ return to Liber8 for the first time since last season.
- Kellog (Stephen Lobo) steps up his game after being betrayed by Alec. He plays doll with Jason (Ian Tracey), dressing him up to gather intel on Alec and Piron via surveillance glasses. Meanwhile, the former Liber8 member gets a rude awakening when Curtis (Terry Chen) confronts him in a diner – in what looks like its own recruitment attempt. Now that Curtis is free and determined to “wake” Kiera up, it’s disconcerting that his first stop is Kellog, who’s always been one of the most deceitful characters on the show.
- Finally, hidden among the various other storylines is news that Liber8 has attracted a high level recruit: Dillon’s daughter, Christine. This pays off the gestating plot thread left dangling in 3×05 ’30 Minutes To Air’.
Best Lines:
- Curtis (initiating a phone conversation with Kiera): “Bitch cop. I’m out.”
- Garza (confronting Julian): “I’m not here to tell you about your future, kid. Too many people have already done that. It’s lame.”
Your turn: do you think Kiera’s allegiance is starting to shift? Is Dillon evil? What does Curtis plan to do with Kellog? And are you interested in the increasing role of the corporations in the series? Have at it in the comments below.
Continuum airs Fridays at 10pm EST on Syfy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkAEDF3vwY4