Continuum Episode 1.04 Matter Of Time

Shooter · May 28, 2013, 2:58am

Kiera and Carlos investigate the murder of a Professor Martin Ames; a scientist that was working to develop a source of clean energy, which will be fruitful to all humanity, who was found slain while experimenting with a high energy device. It’s apparent that the weapon used to kill him is quite advanced and Kiera believes that it could be the work of Liber8. His graduate student, Shane Mathers offers to help them but finds that all of the professor’s files were stolen. They suspect Dr. Melissa Dobeck, a former partner who split with Ames after a disagreement over ownership of the intellectual property, but she denies having anything to do with it. They hit a brick wall when the military takes over their case on national security grounds. Meanwhile Liber8’s leader, Kagame, suddenly arrives in the present. He’s taken to hospital but quickly sets out to find others in his group. No one knows why he didn’t arrive at the same time as the others and for that matter if anyone else from the future may also be here. Kellog has made a fortune in the stock market - a little advance knowledge can go a long way - and is enjoying his new-found wealth. He extends a helping hand to Maddie, paying off the mortgage on her house. She thinks he may be coming on to her but he assures her that’s not the case - in fact, Maddie is his grandmother, though he doesn’t tell her that. The list of possible suspects in Ames’s demise leads Kiera to a precarious place in her personal journey; where she must decide between doing the right thing to do and the preservation of the future she so desperately wants to go home to.

Please use this thread to discuss the series’ fourth episode Matter Of Time. Rule: Please keep spoilers limited to those revealed during the series up to this episode only.

Shooter · May 28, 2013, 3:26am

The episode opens with Kiera’s husband Greg getting a big promotion at Satech in a “flashback” to the 2070’s. This is not only depicting the clean energy available in the future but also Greg’s success within Satech and why is was on the rise and in a position of power during the Time Travel event. We also learn through the flashback sequences that Kiera had military service and that she refused to join CPS in order to stay home and take care of her son Sam.

Liber8 member Matthew Kellogg continues his quest to live comfortably in 2012 by playing the stock market and betting on sports. By the end of the episode he had purchased a very nice yacht. His obvious fraction from the remaining Liber8 members will be interesting to watch as Edouard Kagame returns to his leadership role.

The peaceful assembly scene at the Sun Yat Sen Gardens that was broken up by CPS meant enough to Kagame that he set his rally point there. The assembly helped describe why he became Liber8 in the first place, pointing out that society was living in a company state where everyone is born with a debt to the corporations to begin with.

As a side note the cgi of mixing 2077 Vancouver with 2012 Vancouver was amazing. Each episode so far has had great future CGI sequences. I look forward to seeing them each time.

Alec mentions his father’s work and notes a couple of times this episode when referring to Kiera’s damaged suit. I’d like to know more about Alec’s father, his work and his death.

For her part Kiera starts to attempt life without her suit. She deliberately turns off her HUD during questioning of Melissa Laroche and the interrogation of Shane Mathews to trust her gut instead of her tech. It felt good to her and she was pretty successful. Again, pointing out that Kiera is very capable and not just superior because she is from the future with technology.

The end of the episode was very heavy with story. We learn that proximity to the time travel device sends people back in time to different points and we are led to wonder who else will be coming through the time portal and when. I’ll reference again the other female CPS officer I pointed out in the pilot as an example. But she was pretty far away so we likely wouldn’t see her for a while.

Alec meets Kiera in person. He seems disturbed by several things including that Kiera let Melissa go, gave Melissa the research back because every school child in the union knows about Laroche energy, and that she turned off her HUD and he wanted to see her damaged suit. He ends up accusing Kiera of playing God, but she is worried that if she makes the wrong decision that millions would be effected. I think we’ll definitely be seeing more of this type of stuff as the series progresses. It is about Time Travel after all.

It was great to see Stargate’s Col Maybourne on screen again. Tom McBeath makes a convincing shady DoD guy in any uniform. I hope we get to see him again soon.