Continuum

This is one of the most creative and imaginative shows on television. It honors the sci-fi genre by actually addressing the questions we must ask ourselves about the future and how our actions in the present will shape it. This is what science fiction, at it's best, is meant for. Instead of depending on elaborate sets and overblown special effects (almost everything is filmed on location in Vancouver) the show leans heavily on good writing and performances and a plot that twists and turns without coming off as totally implausible or absurd.

Although it draws one in with the familiar vocabulary of a police procedural, Continuum isn't a western or a magical fantasy in disguise, but a sobering look at very contemporary questions. Much like the superlative Battlestar Galactica (only with a much smaller budget) it isn't afraid to address scary subjects. And yet it's still fun.

Best performances are by the leads Rachel Nichols and Erik Knudson, with a cast of great supporting actors. Nichols, as Kiera carries us with her admirably through all of the twists and turns. I believe the key here is an admirable restraint that keeps performances focused on creating convincing characters while opening the doorway to a dazzling array of narrative possibilities. Rather than relying on formulas the show gets more interesting as it goes along.

The acting was solid throughout the series. Season 1 was good, season 2 started only okay and became really great, season 3 was somewhat diffuse and muddled, and season 4 was too action-oriented for my taste. I was really excited to see where the story would go after season 2 and it never really went anywhere, certainly not in the many awesome directions it could have which has left me feeling disappointed. Instead of continuing to develop the solid plotlines they started, they spent time on new elements that did not enhance the established plot and actually distracted from it. Worth watching, but could have been much better. Had it been completed as well as it should have I would've rated it 8.5/10.

If you like both detective shows and time travel/alt. reality, then this show is for you. > I knew nothing going into this and I liked it a lot. I even watched it again after awhile passed and I kind of forgot details, and enjoyed it even more. Good story, likeable characters, action, drama, and some comedy.

**minor spoilers only for the first episode for explanation of the series**

This Canadian series caught my eye on a trip up north to Vancouver (where it's actually being filmed), and I'm very glad it did. I was surprised to see a very good cast anchored by Rachel Nichols and sci-fi fans will recognize a lot of faces from other series. This review is only after the pilot episode, so obviously I don't know how the series will turn out, but it looks like a very promising cyberpunk/cop hybrid series.

It is a time travel show in which future corporate "Protector" Kiera Cameron (Nichols) is unwittingly zapped back through time from an evil corporation-run 2077 to present day 2012 when trying to prevent a group of freedom fighters (or terrorists depending on your politics) from escaping execution through some kind of wormhole.

Not realizing the situation, Kiera tries to call for backup using her implants' encrypted transmission but instead reaches young computer genius Alec Sadler who happens to be inventing the future technology in his step father's barn. The escaped prisoners realize that instead of being transported back the six years they were supposed to be in order to stop the evil corporations from taking control, they've been sent back over sixty years.

Unfortunately, when they realize they can't strike against the future evil corporations, they decided the present ones will do just fine! Kiera realizes she must bring in the escapees before they start an all out war in present day Vancouver! Problem is she hasn't been born yet and hence has no jurisdiction. While investigating the transport site, she meets up with Detective Carlos Fonnegra and passes herself off as a Portland detective and the series begins.

It has a lot of cool near future tech like augmented reality eye implants, as well as recording and memory implants. To top it off she comes back wearing her Protector issue smart chameleonware body armor that not only deflects bullets, but provides invisibility cloaking, can interface with computers, and also deliver electric shocks, making Kiera a bit of a super spy in the present day.

A lot of reviews here have argued that Continuum show advances a pro- corporate, anti-democracy viewpoint. It doesn't, but you could be forgiven for thinking that. Most American shows have a clear good guy (the protagonist) and a clear bad guy (the antagonists).

This show, however, follows the Canadian tendency to operate in shades of grey. Continuum presents two opposing factions, and asks the viewer to make up their own mind whether they agree with the protagonist or the antagonists.

I'm not speaking from my own interpretation, but the official stance of the people behind the show. The "choose your side" mentality has been presented repeatedly in an explicit manner, most recently on the Continuum Facebook page, where a post recently asked, "Which side are you on? Team Kiera or Team Liber8?"

The show doesn't choose a side, but instead presents an interesting challenge to viewers which some won't be ready to meet:

The Freedom Fighters (antagonists) use brutal methods to accomplish their goals, but their cause is just.

The protagonist character Kiera operates within the law, uses non- lethal force, does what she thinks is right, and tries to protect people... And yet she champions the cause of despots.

Do you believe in the righteous champion of despotism, or the brutal champions of freedom? ...Or do you side with neither?