Continuum Review: “Second Listen”

Cameron teams up with Gardiner, Alec’s house becomes a crime scene, and we learn someone’s truth about why future Alec sent Liber8 to the present.

Title: “Second Listen”

Cast and Crew

Directed by David Frazee
Written by Shelley Eriksen

Rachel Nichols as Kiera Cameron
Victor Webster as Carlos Fonnegra
Erik Kundson as Alec Sadler
Magda Apanowicz as Emily
Luvia Petersen as Jasmine Garza
Willam B. Davis as future Alec Sadler
Nicholas Lea as Gardiner
Roger Cross as Travis Verta
Jennifer Spence as Betty Robertson
Stephen Lobo as Matthew Kellog
Raf Rogers as Bickle
Ian Tracey as Jason
Zak Santiago as Miller

Full cast and crew information may be found here.

Premise

Kiera, Alec, and Gardiner try to find the kidnapped bodies, while Jasmine Garza tries to kill Alec Sadler—under orders from his future self.

We also lose a significant character.

High Point

The episode answers questions about future Alec Sadler and his relationship with Jasmine Garza and Liber8, while raising others. What new path, for example. will young Alec establish if allowed to live? Will he be able to build his corporation and still prevent the future we’ve already seen?

On another matter— has Emily developed genuine feelings for Alec?

Low Point

The show has revealed the existence of an ever-growing number of time-travelers. Shouldn’t we see more evidence of their activity? At what point should this show end up looking more like Primer, but with more action?

The Scores:

Originality: 3/6 The most original element involved the use of Alec’s spy-tech.

Effects: 5/6 The ep opens with an impressive CGI sequence, featuring tech that would Tony Stark would approve. You’ll be aware you’re watching CGI, but it has been well-done, and in broad daylight.

Story: 5/6

Acting: 5/6

Emotional Response: 5/6

Production: 6/6.

Overall: 5/6

In total, “Second Listen” receives 34/42

8 replies on “Continuum Review: “Second Listen””

  1. Unless someone in the future has been modifying historical records (not impossible), it’s fairly clear that the timeline has been changed and/or is not the one Kira and Liber8 are from – last week’s episode makes that pretty clear. Of course, that does not mean we have a paradox or other problem. There are other theories of time which allow this sort of thing, like the one used in a particular Denzel Washington movie.

    After this episode, I have the distinct impression that future Alec is up to something much deeper than it appears though it is entirely possible I’m giving the producers too much credit there.

    Regarding the rather large number of time travellers, it does follow that if it was possible once, it must be possible multiple times and if it happened once, it likely happened multiple times. That said, it seems like we might have something along the lines of a temporal police force involved here, a group which may or may not be rogue who is attempting to clean up the time line or keep it on track. (Might work in with my other point about doctored historical records.) Again, I might be giving the producers too much credit, especially given the “vote” on whether Liber8 or “law and order” should win in the season finale.

  2. “Premise

    Kiera, Alec, and Gardiner try to find the kidnapped bodies, while Jasmine Garza tries to kill Alec Sadler—under orders from his future self.

    We also lose a significant character.”

    I always thought the reviews were supposed to be pretty much spoiler free, the premise contains a couple big ones.

      • Well that and losing a significant character :)

        I never really expected Alex to get killed since he’s so integral to the show, however, if I’d read that I might have been expecting Gardiner to get offed which I thought they handled pretty well. Then again maybe you were trying to help the show give the Alex threat some extra jeopardy

        • I never really thought of “someone dies” as much of a spoiler, but I suppose the person who died is something of a logical choice.

          • I know shows do ‘someone dies’ in promos sometimes and I’m sure there’s cases where it makes the episode more suspenseful, but in general I like show deaths to be come as a surprise.

            Though maybe if I read ‘someone dies’ beforehand I would have found the Alec/Garza scenes to be that much suspenseful.

    • I doubt the vote influences anything, however.

      I’d like to think Alec has more complex plans, but the specter of Lost and BSG’s finales still haunt genre television.

      • Future Alec certainly has a plan. I think the question is whether it’s a straightforward 3rd way between law & order and liber8 or something involving this new 3rd party. Actually maybe not a 3rd party since we’ve already got heroes, 2x liber8, body snatchers, and whomever Emily is working for.

        That being said I wish the show would firmly establish what the time travel rules are, I know they’re getting some dramatic tension from the characters uncertainty but I don’t want them to play around with the possibility of replaying events exactly. (I can’t remembered if they ruled it out for certain when they killed an apparent ancestor of Kellog’s)

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