A Facebook
friend named Tim Bamford who was also one of my original Blogger connections
has been raving about a Canadian science fiction series called “Continuum” and
asked me to take a look at it to see what I thought. Since he and I once
co-hosted a movie review blog (when people cared about reading more than 160
words at a time) and we scarcely agree on movies or TV shows, I was reluctant
to give it a shot.
Turns out I
was right to feel that way. “Continuum” is simply dreadful. And it’s not just
bad drama, it’s also shitty science fiction.
I’m not sure
how things are done on Canadian TV these days—the digital conversion killed my
ability to tune into the CBC, a privilege we Michiganders once took for granted—
but if this is an example, it’s probably for the best that I don’t know. “Continuum”
is one of those shows that would have been considered edgy during the
syndication boom of the early to mid-Nineties, when shows such as “Seven Days”
and “Andromeda” crapped up the airwaves.
Its plot is
nothing special or unique in the genre: Seventy years from now, corporations
control the planet and squash any forms of dissent using a police force known
as “protectors.” Naturally, there is a resistance movement that has been
labeled as terrorists, and they have no problem killing thousands to kill a
couple dozen CEOs. I have no problem with it either as long as they got the
creator of this piece of crap.
In typical pilot
episode fashion, the so-called “bad guys” find a way to escape to the past,
where they plan to change recent history. This was supposed to be a trip six
days into the past but UH-OH, everybody! Looks like they arrived in 2012!
Wonder what madcap weekly antics will ensue now? In case you haven’t guessed,
one of the Protectors is swept up into the time jump as well. Her name is Kiera
Cameron, portrayed by the astoundingly wooden Rachel Nichols. I wanted to believe
she was a Canadian actress, but no such luck. She’s American and she’s
terrible. Most of the other actors aren’t much better, although the great
William B. Davis, who is Canadian, adds his peculiar charm in the few scenes I
saw him in.
Aside from
the wretched acting, there’s also the fact that the show’s moral compass seems
to be spinning wildly out of control. That would be fine if this were a show
such as “Lost” or “Heroes.” But in this instance, we’re expected to give a damn
about a cop whose sole function is to make the world safe for future fascism.
Despite their extremist approach, the so-called villains are really the good
guys. Yet they’re portrayed as complicated bad guys while Cameron gets to be
hero by ensuring humanity will not be free in the future. If she is intended to be a dynamic character –meaning
she changes and grows as time goes by—it isn’t established well enough in the
beginning to hold my interest.
The actions
sequences are listless and paint-by-numbers and the effects work feels flat and
portrait-like. There’s also the melodramatic shooting style, where muted but
pounding music underscores every bit of rancid dialogue. This show is straight
out of the Nineties cliché factory and I can’t believe it made it past a
season.
I made it
through the pilot episode and half of the second one before I yelled, “This
show is so boring!” and turned it off.
Never again,
Tim. Never again!
