Continuum: Last Minute
June 23, 2014 9:26 PM - Season 3, Episode 13 - Subscribe
The season 3 finale. Kiera battles old friends by allying with former enemies. Alec stands on the precipice of power with one man in his way. A season's worth of choices come down to one, unbelievable moment.
I'm looking forward to the season finale tonight in the US. I also hope the show returns for another season (oddly, though, last week's episode sure felt like an "in case we get cancelled" final episode)
I also like the future flashback bits they've been throwing-in this season, especially the episode-long flashback a few weeks ago. It helps to flesh-out Kira's person and time. Honestly, those are my favorite parts of the show. I'd really like them to lose the city police aspect of the show, and go for more sci-fi.
posted by Thorzdad at 2:38 PM on June 27, 2014
I also like the future flashback bits they've been throwing-in this season, especially the episode-long flashback a few weeks ago. It helps to flesh-out Kira's person and time. Honestly, those are my favorite parts of the show. I'd really like them to lose the city police aspect of the show, and go for more sci-fi.
posted by Thorzdad at 2:38 PM on June 27, 2014
I've been dying to talk about this all week, but I'm waiting for the US airing because any serious discussion requires bringing up spoilery stuff.
Best I can do until later: I hope they're not canceled because I still love this show, but the finale did not alleviate my frustration with S3.
I'd really like them to lose the city police aspect of the show, and go for more sci-fi.
The sci-fi stuff has been their best work, but I'm not sure they have the budget to sustain constant 2077 style SFX.
posted by mordax at 4:33 PM on June 27, 2014
Best I can do until later: I hope they're not canceled because I still love this show, but the finale did not alleviate my frustration with S3.
I'd really like them to lose the city police aspect of the show, and go for more sci-fi.
The sci-fi stuff has been their best work, but I'm not sure they have the budget to sustain constant 2077 style SFX.
posted by mordax at 4:33 PM on June 27, 2014
Soooo...Watched the finale. Overall, it was...ok. I thought the death of Alec2 was overly gory, but the show tends to do that.
It seems to me that there were two bits at the end that probably were shot two ways, depending on how the renewal issue went. The first bit was when Alec1 confronts Kellogg in the executive suite. Version 1 (the "we got cancelled" version) would have had security escorting a defeated Kellogg from the premises. Instead, we got Version 2.
The second bit was the very end, when Kira and John set-off the time beacon. Version 1 would be nothing happens. We got Version 2.
This makes me somewhat hopeful that the show will return. Or, maybe, it was a hail-mary cliffhanger to get the fans involved in some kind of letter-writing campaign to win renewal?
The sci-fi stuff has been their best work, but I'm not sure they have the budget to sustain constant 2077 style SFX.
Honestly, though, they don't seem to do a ton of big, costly sfx. The show seems to use a lot of standard sfx in very smart, effective ways. I think they could keep it like that, even with a more sci-fi-focused plotline. I'm really just wanting less of the police procedural aspect of the show.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:41 AM on June 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
It seems to me that there were two bits at the end that probably were shot two ways, depending on how the renewal issue went. The first bit was when Alec1 confronts Kellogg in the executive suite. Version 1 (the "we got cancelled" version) would have had security escorting a defeated Kellogg from the premises. Instead, we got Version 2.
The second bit was the very end, when Kira and John set-off the time beacon. Version 1 would be nothing happens. We got Version 2.
This makes me somewhat hopeful that the show will return. Or, maybe, it was a hail-mary cliffhanger to get the fans involved in some kind of letter-writing campaign to win renewal?
The sci-fi stuff has been their best work, but I'm not sure they have the budget to sustain constant 2077 style SFX.
Honestly, though, they don't seem to do a ton of big, costly sfx. The show seems to use a lot of standard sfx in very smart, effective ways. I think they could keep it like that, even with a more sci-fi-focused plotline. I'm really just wanting less of the police procedural aspect of the show.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:41 AM on June 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
So... man. For once, I feel like a show needed more space to tell its story, instead of less filler.
* Kellogg clearly has everyone under huge, omnipotent surveillance, but it all happened off screen. That's technically fair, as it uses resources he could be presumed to have, but I find it dramatically unsatisfying.
* Kiera/Brad still just sort of... happened. I really would've liked to hear them talk about never going home, instead of whatever that conversation was about how they were 'two sides of an argument,' or whatever the hell that was.
* Kiera working with Liber8 was tons of fun to watch. I've been waiting for another Kiera/Garza teamup since the two of them broke out of the Freelancer compound in the original timeline. The power walk up to Piron really did get a cheer.
However, her simply panning to Travis glossed over a conversation I wanted to hear. She effectively destroyed Liber8 by persuading them that they couldn't change time - in possibly my favorite example of talking a monster to death ever, and what I felt like was a crowning moment for the show itself... but a week later, she's got him back for one last attempt to change time? Backing (an) Alec Sadler? What? Really? It's like Sonya died for nothing.
(I could buy Kiera talking Travis into this, but it's enough of a 180 that not showing it felt like a huge cheat. The only person I bought just throwing down for no reason was Lucas - that was genuinely funny.)
* Alec vs. Alec was definitely over-the-top. It has been all season, but the talk about killing Emily in his arms was kinda much. The differences between the two of them needed a little more explanation. Future!Alec needed to be a smidge more vindictive, or Current!Alec needed to be a little less so. Or, Future!Alec might've called him out on that being bullshit or something. It's like... they lampshaded the whole thing when the two of them met: "If this were Star Trek, we'd fight now." "Well, it's not." Which was cool, except then it was just Star Trek anyway, you know?
* They acted surprised by Future!Alec remaining at Piron... but Kiera had already given him the RFID chip. Why arrange to fool Jacqueline if he wasn't planning on using his juice before leaving? Also, isn't CEO Alec in a better position to help Emily, what with how he funds the police and is posing as the one with the vendetta against her anyway?
* The ending, argh! On the one hand, I agree that it was the 'we'll probably get an S4' ending, which is good.
On the other hand: who are the guys in Halo armor? They're not with Brad, or he would give them a sitrep instead of fleeing. Were they opposing faction troops? Brad never had gear like that. Were they from yet another future timeline, called not because Kiera and Co failed, but because 'time beacons are loud and bring whatever and so do not use them?'
Would've liked, like, two words on that subject simply because it was so WTF.
* TimeJesus is Time-cryptic. "And so it begins," he mumbled. Gah, go away, TimeJesus. Chen has a grudge against Kiera that has layers like an onion, he doesn't need weird religion to keep him trying to knife her, and we especially don't need to replace the Freelancers with a literal deus ex machina who also can't speak at a normal volume.
*sigh*
That said, I want Season 4 already. There are hints of the better show this used to be in here. Carlos citing Commissioner Gordon? I would love to watch Kiera playing Batman to his Gordon. She should be turning invisible and deflecting bullets to fight crime.
I'm also glad a lot of the characters don't want to travel in time anymore, seeing the act itself as toxic... although I'm a little baffled what 'work' the remainder of Liber8 want to do in the old Freelancer compound.
This makes me somewhat hopeful that the show will return. Or, maybe, it was a hail-mary cliffhanger to get the fans involved in some kind of letter-writing campaign to win renewal?
If it is, I'm in despite my complaints. Continuum really did a ton of things right, and I want it to have space to go back to doing them better. I don't remember the last time I typed this much about a TV show. Strong female protagonist, teen genius I didn't hate, wonderful snippets of the future, decent procedural aspects, three dimensional antagonists. It's become a guilty pleasure, but I've caught Continuum before Game of Thrones every week this past season, and frankly? I still feel that's the correct viewing order.
Honestly, though, they don't seem to do a ton of big, costly sfx. The show seems to use a lot of standard sfx in very smart, effective ways. I think they could keep it like that, even with a more sci-fi-focused plotline. I'm really just wanting less of the police procedural aspect of the show.
Yeah, I could get behind that.
posted by mordax at 9:52 AM on June 28, 2014 [2 favorites]
* Kellogg clearly has everyone under huge, omnipotent surveillance, but it all happened off screen. That's technically fair, as it uses resources he could be presumed to have, but I find it dramatically unsatisfying.
* Kiera/Brad still just sort of... happened. I really would've liked to hear them talk about never going home, instead of whatever that conversation was about how they were 'two sides of an argument,' or whatever the hell that was.
* Kiera working with Liber8 was tons of fun to watch. I've been waiting for another Kiera/Garza teamup since the two of them broke out of the Freelancer compound in the original timeline. The power walk up to Piron really did get a cheer.
However, her simply panning to Travis glossed over a conversation I wanted to hear. She effectively destroyed Liber8 by persuading them that they couldn't change time - in possibly my favorite example of talking a monster to death ever, and what I felt like was a crowning moment for the show itself... but a week later, she's got him back for one last attempt to change time? Backing (an) Alec Sadler? What? Really? It's like Sonya died for nothing.
(I could buy Kiera talking Travis into this, but it's enough of a 180 that not showing it felt like a huge cheat. The only person I bought just throwing down for no reason was Lucas - that was genuinely funny.)
* Alec vs. Alec was definitely over-the-top. It has been all season, but the talk about killing Emily in his arms was kinda much. The differences between the two of them needed a little more explanation. Future!Alec needed to be a smidge more vindictive, or Current!Alec needed to be a little less so. Or, Future!Alec might've called him out on that being bullshit or something. It's like... they lampshaded the whole thing when the two of them met: "If this were Star Trek, we'd fight now." "Well, it's not." Which was cool, except then it was just Star Trek anyway, you know?
* They acted surprised by Future!Alec remaining at Piron... but Kiera had already given him the RFID chip. Why arrange to fool Jacqueline if he wasn't planning on using his juice before leaving? Also, isn't CEO Alec in a better position to help Emily, what with how he funds the police and is posing as the one with the vendetta against her anyway?
* The ending, argh! On the one hand, I agree that it was the 'we'll probably get an S4' ending, which is good.
On the other hand: who are the guys in Halo armor? They're not with Brad, or he would give them a sitrep instead of fleeing. Were they opposing faction troops? Brad never had gear like that. Were they from yet another future timeline, called not because Kiera and Co failed, but because 'time beacons are loud and bring whatever and so do not use them?'
Would've liked, like, two words on that subject simply because it was so WTF.
* TimeJesus is Time-cryptic. "And so it begins," he mumbled. Gah, go away, TimeJesus. Chen has a grudge against Kiera that has layers like an onion, he doesn't need weird religion to keep him trying to knife her, and we especially don't need to replace the Freelancers with a literal deus ex machina who also can't speak at a normal volume.
*sigh*
That said, I want Season 4 already. There are hints of the better show this used to be in here. Carlos citing Commissioner Gordon? I would love to watch Kiera playing Batman to his Gordon. She should be turning invisible and deflecting bullets to fight crime.
I'm also glad a lot of the characters don't want to travel in time anymore, seeing the act itself as toxic... although I'm a little baffled what 'work' the remainder of Liber8 want to do in the old Freelancer compound.
This makes me somewhat hopeful that the show will return. Or, maybe, it was a hail-mary cliffhanger to get the fans involved in some kind of letter-writing campaign to win renewal?
If it is, I'm in despite my complaints. Continuum really did a ton of things right, and I want it to have space to go back to doing them better. I don't remember the last time I typed this much about a TV show. Strong female protagonist, teen genius I didn't hate, wonderful snippets of the future, decent procedural aspects, three dimensional antagonists. It's become a guilty pleasure, but I've caught Continuum before Game of Thrones every week this past season, and frankly? I still feel that's the correct viewing order.
Honestly, though, they don't seem to do a ton of big, costly sfx. The show seems to use a lot of standard sfx in very smart, effective ways. I think they could keep it like that, even with a more sci-fi-focused plotline. I'm really just wanting less of the police procedural aspect of the show.
Yeah, I could get behind that.
posted by mordax at 9:52 AM on June 28, 2014 [2 favorites]
Sort of good news, Continuum fans!
The show has (finally!) been renewed for a fourth and final season! Only six episodes, though. Will air sometime in 2015.
posted by Thorzdad at 10:15 AM on December 24, 2014
The show has (finally!) been renewed for a fourth and final season! Only six episodes, though. Will air sometime in 2015.
posted by Thorzdad at 10:15 AM on December 24, 2014
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I found this episode to be tightly plotted, but was sad that they seemed to gloss over last episode's exploding police station.
That ending though! I saw something coming but I wouldn't have guessed that.
No word on if this show will get a season 4. The ratings seem to be down from season 2. But the producer, Simon Barry has said he'd like to go 7 to 10 seasons.
This show went from being a boy genius slash future cop show for the first season and a half, and then shifted into a seriously good sci-fi time travel show, which really gets off and running in the third season. I rewatched a few of the episodes after the finale and commented earlier today about episode 3-11 (especially in it's second half) deserving a Hugo award nomination.
Frequently the episodes of this show start with a future flashback, and those get better and better the more you see the dystopia(s!) awaiting mankind based on time travellers changing events.
posted by Catblack at 10:06 PM on June 23, 2014