Kiera Cameron has one job — to protect the city of Vancouver in the year 2077. But when she travels back in time to the year 2012, along with a group of terrorists escaping their execution, she has two jobs: (1) to keep the terrorists from changing history and (2) to get back to 2077 and her husband and son.
Continuum is a Canadian science fiction series that I recently discovered on Netflix. At first, I was dismayed by the premise. The protagonist is Kiera Cameron, a “Protector” in 2077, but the Vancouver in this universe is a police state run by big corporations. Keira is outfitted with bionic devices in her eyes and brain that allow her to keep one step ahead of the criminals, as well as a special suit with such abilities as deflecting bullets, emitting electric shocks, and making her invisible. In the first episode, she is seen taking down a man on a subway, telling him to report to a location within 24 hours for punishment. If he doesn’t — well, let’s not go into that here.
The terrorists, on the other hand, want to change the current state of affairs and take down the corporations. Their methods are horrendous; for example, blowing up buildings and killing thousands, but their goals seem right. So who to root for?
Early in the first episode, Kiera and the terrorists are transported to 2012, where she continues hunting them, and in the process makes contact with Alec Sadler, the young computer genius who will, in the future, develop the technology she is currently using. Having already started some of his work, he can talk to Cameron through the device in her head and help her in tracking the terrorists. Later, she forms a relationship with the Vancouver Police, posing as a Federal agent, and helps them fighting this group known as Liber8.
The action on the show switches between the present and flashbacks (flash forwards?) to 2077. From these, we gain more insight into Kiera and her attitudes, the society she was born into, and the reasons she and the terrorists are in the past. In the present, Kiera is getting her first experience with the human rights we now enjoy. Will this change her? If so, and she changes history for the good, her present will change and she may never see her family again.
Continuum is a very engaging series. In addition to Kiera with her allies the VPD, and Liber8, the terrorist group, there are other groups and individuals in the mix, and the viewer is kept guessing as to their motives and whose side they are on. This intricacy of plot, along with excellent writing and acting, is what has kept me watching. There are three seasons now on Netflix, but the fourth and final season is scheduled to be aired sometime this year on Showcase in Canada. The first three seasons also aired on Syfy in the US, but there is no report as to whether they will air Season 4. If not, I hope it will go directly to Netflix, so I can see how it ends. If you’re a scifi fan, Continuum is well worth your time.