CONTINUUM Review: “Matter of Time” (Season 1, Episode 4)

The opening scene of each episode of Continuum is not only a glimpse in Kiera’s life in 2077 but a tell-tale sign of what is to come in each episode, setting the stage for what to anticipate as the story progresses and to be surprised by what actually happens.

This time around we get a look inside Kiera’s future home life with her husband Greg and baby son before she becomes a CPS officer and just after her husband was awarded a promotion at work; but before the couple can celebrate his success, the power goes out not only in their building but also in most of the city. It seems the terrorists are at work again and Kiera worries that it could last for hours [and that they are not safe from potential attack by the terrorists], but Greg assures it the power won’t be out for long at all.

As if on cue, we see Kiera in present day Vancouver, struggling to apply mascara in the bathroom of her small hotel room while Alec observes through her CMR. He even gives her make-up tips and we learn that applying makeup is much easier in the future (if only that were true now, right ladies?) But just as she attempts to use the mascara wand once again, the power goes out; but it’s merely a trash truck that has hit a power line near her hotel. No need for worry…

But, just then she gets a call from Carlos about a new case that has landed his way that he thinks is “right up her alley”. Turns out a well-known professor – Martin Ames – has been found dead in his laboratory; and after closer inspection by Carlos and Kiera, it would seem the cause of his death was something that not only burrowed a hole straight through his body but also the next five floors beneath him. Ew, right?

The duo’s investigation leads them directly to Ames’ assistant Shane (guest star Jesse Moss), who explains that the “contraption” the professor was working on is called “Calisto”. It is actually an anti-matter containment machine that could potentially provide the world with an unlimited energy source; but it apparently backfired, causing the professor’s death. While Carlos and Kiera suspect that Shane knows more than his telling them, he points them in the direction of another potential culprit: a man named Vincent, who is part of a ‘radical’ group (called Stop Mad Scientists) who had threatened the professor in the past.

After meeting with Mr. Vincent (guest star Chris Gauthier), Kiera and Carlos learn that he had once worked in the same field until he was turned against what they were doing. He told them “it’s not the science, but the user who is suspect”, claiming his organization is a peaceful one; and while they may have threatened to burn down Professor Ames’ lab, they would never have actually done so. Instead, Mr. Vincent points the finger at Ames’ former colleague and partner – Professor Melissa Dobeck (guest star Mayko Nguyen). Kiera, with help from Alec, discovers that Ames and Dobeck were professors together at the same university then left the department around the same time to form their own companies.

Once again, Carlos and Kiera seem to hit a roadblock were Dobeck claims innocence in the murder, but the neither of them believe her. After much more digging, it turns out that Dobeck was having an affair with Ames’ assistant Shane and they were both involved with the murder so that Dobeck could acquire the patents to Calisto and all of Ames’ material. At first it seemed, Dobeck constructed the whole murder to simply get back at Ames and move forward with his research; but there was a much deeper reason. She learned Ames was going to work with the military on the anti-matter machine and that could have been disastrous (in her opinion). But as it was revealed in the end, Kiera allowed Dobeck to get away (literally with murder) because she learned that Dobeck [once married to her at-the-time fiancée] would actually become (in Kiera’s timeline) Dr. Melissa Larosh, the woman who solved the global energy problem with clean fusion, which she created from the pilfered patents and research from Professor Ames. And while that truth would not become self-evident for decades, Kiera knew she had to learn Dobeck nee Larosh go free or change the future forever.

Elsewhere, it is learned that Kellog is raking up money through his investment broker based on his knowledge of the future, but not all of that endless money is for personal gain. He revisits the house he had been staring in an earlier episode, leaving money for the mother and daughter who live in the house. It would seem the daughter could actually be Kellog’s grandmother, as explained in a scene where the daughter questions his reasons for giving them the money. He tells her he knew her late father and wants to repay a debt to him and then states, “when you have a grandson, and you will, let him jump on the bed and eat lots of candy”.

Also, it would seem that Kagame (recurring player Tony Amendola) has finally arrived in present day – as he was believed to either have perished in the time jump or gotten lost somewhere else in the time jump – showing up in a blaze of light in the middle of the city. After he awakens slightly disoriented in a hospital room, he gathers clothes and leaves posthaste, headed toward the agreed upon rendezvous point with the other members of Liber8. They learn about his arrival by a news report, which is also seen by Carlos and Kiera at the police station.

They all converge on that location, with Kiera getting a short-lived jump on Kagame, who – despite his age – fights her off quite well; but then Travis and the rest of the remaining members of Liber8 show up, using a small baby as collateral. Kiera gives in to save the life of the baby (as well as its mother) just as Carlos, who had circled around in the opposite direction arrives to learn that “they just missed him” per Kiera.

In the last scene, Alec and Kiera finally meet face-to-face in her hotel room – although Alec did break into her room and almost got himself shot because of the illegal entry – and he shares he might have found a way to repair her police uniform based on some details he found in his late father’s research. And, jumping back to the future, Kiera’s husband was right that the black-out only lasted a matter of seconds because of Larosh Energy. How everything comes full circle, huh?

“Matter of Time” is the 4th episode of the debut season of Continuum written by Sam Egan and directed by Mike Rohl. The next new episode of Continuum will air on the Canadian channel Showcase next Sunday, June 24 at 9 PM.

What are your thoughts on this episode? Do you think what Kellog is doing for his family will have bad ramifications on his own future? What Dobeck (nee Larosh) did to the professor could be argued as justifiable homicide, but do you think it was right? Was Kiera correct in her judgment to let Dobeck/Larosh go to save the future? Will the events still play out the same way because of Kiera’s involvement in the case? Please share your thoughts about this episode in the comments section below.