I’m still digging into new TV shows. It becomes more hobby than obsession over the summer when I am trying to escape from kid fights. In those moments when I slip into my dusty bedroom and flip on the tube I want to see something that utterly removes me from my world and thrusts me violently into situations and problems I feel intrigued to be watching. Lately I’ve been watching Continuum. The Simon Barry-created police procedural stars Rachel Nichols and Lexa Doig. The latter actress is a sci-fi staple and perfectly cast as the main villain. The story intrigues and the science raises very interesting questions like, what happens if you change the past?
I’ve seen a lot of time travel tropes, key among them being the ‘if my parents die then I am toast’ trope. Nichols character, Kiera Cameron starts the series off by quipping on that old trope. In a matter of episodes we know (or we think we know) if she is right or wrong. I think that is the best part of the show for me. It seeks to challenge these tropes and show what happens when you mess with the past. Now this show is not Defiance, but it is holds your attention for a couple of episodes, which is sensible because every major plot point takes three or more episodes to fully develop. Given its isolated episodic nature (unlike say a Babylon 5), you can drop the show for a few episodes and pick it up when it gets good again without missing the key developments.
I’m going to record Continuum for the new season. I’m hoping it still has the potential to surprise me.