Press+1's Katie Nohr reviews this week's episode of Continuum.

By Katie Nohr

Every once in a while on Continuum we have been getting scenes of Alec’s family, but so far there has only been one episode where they were solidly connected to the main plot. This week’s episode we finally learn the significance of that subplot.

In the future, Kiera pursues two fugitives in a CGI vehicle that looks a lot like a helicopter without the propeller. The fugitives are revealed to be Kellog and an unknown female. Kellog is confused about the chase because he thought the girl was just at a job interview. In actuality, she was stealing detonators for Kagame. This is also a point of confusion for Kellog, because although he apparently knew she had a connection to Liber8 he thought she was done with them. I wonder if this means that she was a member and he was not yet, or if they were both members and quit together? Kellog seems pretty against the idea of her being involved with Liber8, so it is likely he has not joined yet.

Why the girl rejoined Liber8, if she ever even quit, is not revealed because Kiera fires the vehicles weapons at them. The girl is trapped under rubble and appears to be dying. She tells Kellog to run, and to take the detonators to Kagame. The flash-forward ends before we see what he does.

In 2012, Kiera and Carlos’ work has brought them to a farm. They are investigating a suspiciously large order of fertilizer, because the ammonium nitrate in it could be used to make a bomb. Kiera is very excited about their day in the country, and the prospect of seeing farm animals. The future does have much in the way of fresh air and cows. Carlos does not share her enthusiasm.

They approach a man on the farm, who turns out to be Alec’s stepfather Roland Randal. They ask him about the fertilizer, while Kiera pets his horse. Alec comes out around then and asks Kiera what she is doing there. He manages to cover up the slip before Roland can get too suspicious by saying he was talking to Carlos, who he recognises from the news.

Carlos and Roland go to see about Roland’s fertilizer order, but Kiera tells Carlos she is going to keep an eye on ‘the boy’. Alec and Kiera have a bit of a talk once they are alone and Kiera explains that she did not know this was Alec’s farm. Alec offers to show her the barn where he does all his high-tech work, and she is impressed by what she sees. She is especially glad to see her suit, which she has missed. She does wonder, however, why it has changed colour. Alec’s only answer for that is that black is cooler than copper. This seems like a really silly change, and I wonder whether Alec really made it for the frivolous reason he told Kiera. He did get a mysterious message at the end of last week’s episode, and we do not yet know the content of it.

Kiera does not spend very long on small-talk before asking about Roland. Alec says he isn’t involved in anything. She then asks about his stepbrother Julian, who she knows was involved in Liber8’s riot a while back. She goes as far as to scan Alec with her tech to see if he is telling the truth, which Alec can see on his screen. He is understandably offended, given everything he has done to help Kiera since she came to our time.

In the kitchen, Alec’s mom goes through the paperwork for their fertilizer orders to show Carlos they did not order the amount they are accused of. Carlos says he still needs to go look for himself. Roland does not appreciate that his word is not good enough, but agrees to show Carlos to where they keep it.

In his bedroom, Julian is watching Kagame on his computer. Kagame is going on about the rather frightening state of agriculture in the future. Looking out his window, Julian sees Roland and Carlos walking by. He goes down and catches up to them, clearly unhappy about the presence of the police on the farm. Kiera and Alec meet up with them as well.

When they get to the proper shed, there is an unexpected lock on the door. Roland knows nothing about it, and both Alec and Julian deny putting it there. Alec is sent to get bolt cutters, and Kiera asks Roland about Julian’s involvement in the riot. Roland says that Julian has been punished, but it was an error in judgment and nothing more.

When they get the shed open, they find a lot of ammonium nitrate. Roland is told he will be needed for questioning, and then they are ambushed by teenage boys. They are friends of Julian, who had already seemed the likely culprit behind the lock. The teens disarm Kiera and Carlos and hold them at gunpoint. Kiera tries to talk one of them down and then, when Alec’s mom comes outside and distracts them, charges him and takes the gun. Carlos also obtains a weapon from one of the teens, and they are in charge again for a moment. Then Julian pulls a hidden gun and shoots Carlos in the stomach.

Julian and his friends get everyone inside the house and put Kiera and Carlos in the pantry. Carlos is already thinking about how they are going to escape, but Kiera is more concerned with his injury. Alec brings them a medical kit and reports on the situation. Kiera asks for his help in getting them out of there, but Alec points out that the boy standing guard outside can hear everything they say.

Kiera says something about the medical kit being useful, and then we see Alec exiting the pantry. When the guard looks away he hits him over the head with the medical kit, which had been filled with canned goods. He tells Kiera and Carlos to leave while he tries to distract their attackers. He will not be going with them because it would mean leaving his mother.

Back in the kitchen, where Roland and Alec’s mom are being held, some of the teens are acting an awful lot like this is just another afternoon at their friend’s house. They call Alec’s mom ‘Mrs.Randal’, and one of them compliments her on her cake after snacking on it. Their behaviour is not exaggerated in any way, but it is worth noting given the situation. Most of them do not seem to understand how serious it is.

The exceptions to this are Julian, whose family it is being held hostage, and a red-headed teen named Hoyt. Hoyt tells Roland that this is just the next logical step from the things he had been preaching to them at the anti-corporation gatherings he had been hosting.

Kiera and Carlos are sneaking down the hall at this point, so Alec draws attention to himself to keep the others from glancing their way. Roland continues trying to convince the teens that violence is not the right way to go about things, but they are sick of inactivity.

It is suggested that one of the teens go and get the keys from the cops’ car, and Alec is so eager about preventing that that the others know Kiera and Carlos are escaping. They are almost at the car when they are caught. Meanwhile, Alec’s mom manages to call the police while most of the teens are away. She does not get to explain their situation very thoroughly, though.

Once everyone is back inside, Hoyt says they need to tie the prisoners up and leave. Kiera tells him that Carlos won’t make it if they do that, and Julian says they will call him an ambulance from a payphone after they’re gone.

This plan is aborted quickly because the police arrive. Hoyt wants to make a stand, and Julian still wants to get out of there. Kiera, and others in the room, try to talk them out of doing anything violent. Hoyt manages to convince Julian they should hold their ground, though.

It is Julian who comes up with a plan for them to get away and keep the bomb. They will blow up the propane tank outside, making the police think the bomb has already gone off, and run off with the real bomb while they search for bodies. Hoyt points out the problem of the witnesses, but Julian says they won’t be killing anybody.

They decide they need to round up all the guns on the property, and Kiera reminds Alec about the small gun he has in his workshop. This allows Alec to get to his computers under the pretense of looking for it, although a guard is sent with him. Kiera and Carlos are put back in the pantry. Outside, we hear that the police think Roland is the one holding Kiera and Carlos hostage.

In Alec’s workshop, Alec sets Kiera’s suit to shock and then tells his guard he thinks the gun is behind it. Once the other boy is knocked out, Alec contacts Kiera through her tech and she has him connect her to the police outside. Carlos notices and asks who she is talking to, but is ignored. She explains to her and Carlos’ boss, Dillon, everything that is going on. Everything except the fact that Roland is not the perpetrator, since Alec has to cut them off almost as soon as she realizes that is what they think.

Kiera turns her attention to Carlos, who does not look good at all. He is pale, weak, and seems disoriented. She tells him he is going to be alright, and he calls her on the lie. Kiera takes the opportunity to be very truthful with Carlos about some things, although she does not risk anything too earth shattering even given his condition. She tells him about her son and husband, and about how she worries she will not see them again. She also apologizes for lying to him so much and says that she hates doing it. It’s very sweet.

Alec and the boy guarding him, who woke up fairly quickly, get back and deliver the gun to Julian. Alec asks if he can bring some more towels to Carlos, and is given permission. What Alec is really bringing them is Kiera’s suit, which he has hidden under the towels.

The hostage negotiator contacts Julian, assuming he is Roland. Julian goes along with it and uses his father’s name. The negotiator tries to talk him down, and Hoyt pipes up about the corporations and how no one is listening to them.

In the pantry, Carlos has fallen unconscious. Kiera puts on her suit, hides him under some sacks and tells him her plan for getting them out of this. She is going to lead the teens off one at a time and knock them out. This plan goes pretty smoothly at first.

Hoyt and Julian wind up in a gunfight with the police while trying to put Julian’s plan in motion.

Kagame and Sonya watch the whole thing unfold on television. Kagame says that ‘it’s starting’, and Sonya wonders if maybe they should help their young supporters given how dangerous things are. Kagame says no, and also that everything he is will be a result of what is happening on the farm. What exactly he means by this is not explained in this episode.

Back at the farm, Julian manages to blow up the propane tank and Kiera is caught in the explosion. She comes out of it fine, probably thanks to her suit.

Inside, Alec frees his mother and Roland. Julian runs in then, he and Alec end up pointing guns at each other. Julian says he is there to help, but does not lower his weapon.

Kiera is chased by a teen who winds up shooting her. There is no damage because of her suit, and the boy runs away leaving her his gun.

Roland tries to get Julian to surrender. He says that this is all his fault, and that he’ll stand by him, but that it is all over now. Eventually, Julian hands over the gun.

And then the police shoot Roland. You can see it coming, but it still manages to be shocking when it happens. Alec’s mother is distraught. Julian runs away.

Kiera catches up to Hoyt in front of the shed with the bomb in it. Hoyt makes it clear what he plans to do; blow up the bomb killing the police in the area and martyring himself and his comrades. Kiera shoots the teen before he can go through with this.

In the aftermath, Kiera and Alec talk. Kiera tells Alec that Carlos is in critical condition and on his way to the hospital, and also that she is sorry about his dad. Alec quickly corrects her that Roland was his stepfather. It’s pretty cold. He then goes to be with his mother.

Back at the station Kiera learns from Dillon that Carlos will probably be ok, but the day’s events have still taken their toll on her. Having her head hacked into in last week’s episode also affected her in a way that was not resolved before the end credits. She’s 70 years removed from her family, Alec has his own family to attend to, and Carlos is hospitalized; it makes sense that she is feeling alone.

Perhaps this is why we next see her on Kellog’s yacht, asking permission to come aboard. They share a drink, which Kiera downs quickly. She gets impatient with his small-talk, as she usually does, and he points out that it was her that came to him this time. She abruptly changes the topic commenting that she has been there for two of his major losses, his grandmother a few episodes ago and his sister.

The flash-forward from the beginning of the episode continues with the girl – Kellog’s sister – dying. He did not run and make the delivery to Kagame like she wanted him to, but stayed with her to the end. He surrenders to Kiera and the other Protectors, dropping the detonators on the ground.

Kiera, in our time, seems to think herself responsible for the death of Kellog’s sister. Kellog says that the future should be left in the future and that he forgives her. He talks about how they are both alone, because people in 2012 will never be able to relate to them, and starts making a definite move on her. He has been trying to flirt with her for a very long time, but since she has been so unreceptive and he almost seemed to be doing it to annoy her I was still surprised to see things get to this point. She says that she is married, but he says that that is part of a future that might not even happen. He also points out that she was the one who sought him out and proceeded to drink heavily. It looks like something is about to happen, but we cut to Julian before we can see if it does.

Julian is wandering down a road looking lost when he gets a call on a nearby payphone. It is Kagame. Julian is given instructions for how to meet him.

Best Moments

5. A day in the country. In last week’s episode, and the later part of this week’s, we see a lot of troubled/sad Kiera. That is part of why it is so nice to see her happily petting a horse. Although, that is also sad when you think about why this is so exciting for her.

4. Med Kit Knockout. This was a clever trick on Kiera’s part, and well executed by Alec.

3. Kiera reunites with her suit. I do not think I have missed the suit as much as Kiera has, I think she is plenty formidable without it, but it was pretty awesome to see the two of them in action together again.

2. “Maybe it’s best to stop living for a future that might not even happen.” There was something very uncomfortable about this whole scene. Kellog was mostly reinforcing Kiera’s feeling of isolation and trying to talk her out of her mission, and it seemed to be working. I do not believe this will be more than a momentary slip for Kiera, but I’m worried about the consequences of it. Anyways, it’s the discomfort of this scene that makes it engaging. Kiera and Kellog’s scenes together are always some of my favourites.

1. “You’re a lousy liar, but despite all the lies I still trust you.” This was a very touching scene. I hope Carlos gets some answers in the season finale next week.