Continuum Review: “The Dying Minutes”

Everyone wants the Halo bracelet, and the various factions come into conflict. Kiera and her killer bond; Sonya Valentine goes out with a bang.

Title: “The Dying Minutes”

Directed by Simon Barry
Written by Shelley Erikson

Rachel Nichols as Kiera Cameron
Erik Kundson as Alec Sadler
Victor Webster as Carlos Fonnegra
Ryan Robbins as Brad Tonkin
Stephen Lobo as Matthew Kellog
Brian Markinson as Inspector Dillon
Omari Newton as Lucas Ingram
Roger Cross as Travis Verta
Luvia Petersen as Jasmine Garza
Lexa Doig as Sonya Valentine
Rachel Crawford as Catherine
Anjali Jay as Jacqueline
Ian Tracey as Jason
Curtis Caravaggio as Neelon
Terry Chen as Curtis Chen
Magda Apanowicz as Emily

Full cast and crew information may be found at the imdb

Premise

Kiera decides she turned over the wrong Alex, and she and Brad plan a jailbreak from the Freelancers’ base.

Carlos feels the police services must be separated from Dillon and his corporate masters—but someone else takes stronger steps first.

High Points

Halo has been designed for medical purposes, but the show immediately addresses its implications for crowd and social control, and other nefarious aims. It becomes an excellent metaphor for anything from cell phones to Facebook.

I could almost overlook how ludicrously quickly the bracelets have become a part of society. It was a prototype, what, two weeks ago?

Low Point

The jailbreak plan, like some of the dialogue, plays as very b-movie. The Freelancers, at least, were prepared.

The Scores:

Originality: 3/6 We’re not quite in Primer, but Continuum remains more aware than most shows of the effects time travel would have. How does one accomplish anything when someone else might go back in time and make changes?

The plot also draws attention to some perennial time-travel conundrums: how do people from variant time-lines even exist together? How does one fight over rival futures?

Effects: 5/6 The episode gives us some better than average fight scenes and some unexpected weapons effects.

Acting: 4/6 Continuum serves its usual range between a-level and b-movie. I like the direction they’ve taken Kiera and Brad, but I wish the actors had more chemistry.

Story: 5/6 Several plots converge this week—but it’s not quite over for this season.

Emotional Response: 5/6

Production: 6/6

Overall: 5/6 I applaud Continuum for following through on its own timewarping premises. Star Trek and Doctor Who reach a broader audience, but their writing is rarely this courageous or remotely this convoluted.

In total, “The Dying Minutes” receives 33/42