CONTINUUM

 SHOWCASE

Continuum is a new sci-fi series from the company that has brought us, amongst other things Dexter, and like Dexter it is original and highly watchable. The story revolves around a police officer from the future (known as a protector) and a gang of eco- terrorists who were about to be executed. However a terrorist attack of some sort hurls them all back from the year 2077 to 2012. Once there the terrorists see a golden opportunity to change the future and the protector does her best to prevent them.

The cast features Rachel Nicholls as Kiera Cameron, who played agent Rebecca locke in The Inside and Rachel Gibson in Alias) Victor Webster (Caleb Brewer in Melrose Place) as Carlos Fonnegra, Eric Knudsen ( Dale Turner in Jericho) plays Alec Sadler and Stephen Lobo as Matthew Kellog ( Randall Brady in Smallville). With an excellent supporting cast this series is well played out.

The basic story is centred on Cameron’s attempts to thwart the intentions of the gang, who see a chance to save the future. In the future people live in mega cities and everything is controlled by technology. The protector’s suit is completely technological and enhances all her senses as well as providing extras such as facial recognition software linked to a population database. The population do not see countryside and their roles are determined by the state. The state is run by large corporations. This gave rise to a group of eco-terrorists called Liberate who fight for “freedom”. Cameron has to learn to adapt to life without her technology. 

As luck would have it she makes an ally of Alec Sandler who just happens to be a tech wizard that has developed a surveillance system that is hacked in to the Homeland Security system (or some such). He picks up Cameron’s signal and acts as her high tech eyes and ears.

She also enlists the help of one of the terrorists, Kellog, who goes solo and decides to make himself rich and enjoy what 2012 has to offer (fresh produce, for example). The only slight flaw to the plot is the ease in which she assimilates herself in to the contemporary police. She bluffs that she was from a different state’s task force and there is a lag between being confronted and Alec Sadler creating the appropriate data records for her. Still, it is a small thing and I am maybe being overcritical. According to details on IMDB there are ten scheduled episodes, all with the word time in the title, a similar touch to The Mentalist, which always has the word red (for red john) in the title. 

I have found that I have been drawn in to the unfolding story and sympathise with the characters. There is plenty of action which is interspersed with “flash forwards” to Cameron’s future (or present from her perspective) that show her work and family life and there are elements of humour. I don’t want to get in to the storyline too much because I am not sure when Continuum is due to air in the UK. I don’t want to spoil things for Sci-Fi fans there. This most certainly deserves a thumbs up and is recommended viewing. Watch out for it.