Continuum - new Showtime sci-fi

[Yodhrin]

So, I decided to give this show a try, now that Fringe is off the air until its final season, and I'm wondering what everyone else thinks of it?

Frankly, it took me about five minutes to realise that I've more sympathy for the "evil" terrorists than I do for the protagonist(sorry, "I miss my son *blub blub*" is not enough to make me like a character), which doesn't bode well, but I'm hoping that the next few episodes will moderate her corporate fascism, else I'm going to spend the whole series wishing they'd kill her off I mean really, calling a pseudo-police officer who works for a corporate authority in a distopian society and uses truth drugs, torture, and excessive force as a matter of course a Protector?! That's some grade-A doublespeak right there, heh. Maybe it is just me, but a character who threatens to murder entirely innocent family members in order to force a confession isn't one I'm inclined to invest in.

[El_Machinae]

That really might be the point, because it lets her mature from the dystopian future she's from.. Remember, it only took James Cameron two hours to get us to be kind of fond of a soulless killing machine sent from the future to destroy another machine.

[Yodhrin]

That really might be the point, because it lets her mature from the dystopian future she's from.. Remember, it only took James Cameron two hours to get us to be kind of fond of a soulless killing machine sent from the future to destroy another machine.

Well like I said, I hope that's where they take things, but the setup seems to play it pretty straight with her as the "goodie" and Liber8 as the "baddies", even down to the odd cutaway shot to the techie kid smirking when she does something I'd consider pretty objectionable behaviour, and the incident at the police station pretty much guarantees they're not going to provide any basis for her character to mature. Consider also the scene at the beginning with the only sane person in 2077; the academic makes a solid point, is immediately dismissed with an "ivory tower" comment, and then seconds later Liber8 commit an atrocity. If that chain of events is accidental, then they need to sharpen up their writing team, because everything so far suggests this is going to be a thinly veiled endorsement of the whole "ends justify the means" approach to counter-terrorism.

[Yodhrin]

Well that was disappointing, it seems they are going to play it as a straight goodie/baddie dynamic afterall; between the blurb at the beginning of the episode and the way Liber8 are being presented as thugs who use ideology as an excuse for indulging in violence rather than the more interesting(IMO) angle of people who reluctantly use violence in the service of a greater cause, Continuum really does appear to be a "poor man's Deus Ex", a pity considering the decent production values and reasonable cast.

Am I the only one who thinks it's a real shame that TV sci-fi has finally achieved a level where it looks good enough to support futuristic technology, and where networks are willing to spend a reasonable amount of money on it, but in the process they've managed to denude most of the nuance, philosophy, and ethical quandaries?

[El_Machinae]

I think that's the nature of most TV, really. It's rare to find a subtle TV series, instead of just being merely dramatic.

I'm enjoying how many of the guest stars are old Sci-Fi warhorses. It's a lot like Stargate that way! (surprise, surprise!)

[Yodhrin]

I think that's the nature of most TV, really. It's rare to find a subtle TV series, instead of just being merely dramatic.

I'm enjoying how many of the guest stars are old Sci-Fi warhorses. It's a lot like Stargate that way! (surprise, surprise!)

But that's what I mean, it's certainly true of TV, but until recently(excepting Fringe, which is consistently excellent), it wasn't true of sci-fi TV. I think perhaps I might just have been spoiled, virtually every week for my entire lifetime, there's been a new episode of Star Trek or Babylon 5, or even Stargate(which, despite its lighter tone, sometimes had some pretty heavy undertones). To my mind, in their desperate rush to escape the "funny-forehead-of-the-week" stereotype and be considered "serious character drama", the people making the decisions have ended up making Eastenders IN SPAAAAACE.

Stargate Universe is a perfect example; a show that tried so hard to appear as if it were taking itself seriously, to the point that its sole redeeming quality was the character who was ostensibly the "bad guy". Contrast that with Stargate SG1, which could put out episodes that would split your sides...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtjkYF-nv1I

...and also manage to hinge on an interesting bit of hypothetical science and sneak in some basic philosophy as well. I'd give my left ear for that, or something as provocative as episodes like "Drumhead"(ST:TNG), but with the sort of cast and budget of a Continuum or a Lost.

[emma]

I like this show very much... how cool it is!

[bongoplyr]

Unless I missed something, which is entirely possible, I think it's on Showcase, not Showtime. I don't think it's really fair to dismiss a scifi show after one or two episodes. Give it a chance to find its direction. I'm always looking for podcasts covering the scifi shows I watch and I found this one www.continuumpodcast.com .

[Yodhrin]

Well, assuming Captain Onepost there isn't a marketing sockpuppet, I will note that I am capable of giving a show a chance despite not enjoying it initially, were that not the case I wouldn't be an ardent fan of Star Trek and B5, which always had shaky initial seasons. Episode four of Continuum marks the end of that effort in this case; with the return of their leader, Liber8's role as "caricatured moustache-twirling silent-movie baddies" is completed, with one being shown as a complete hypocrite, and the others threatening babies and gleefully toasting the beginning of a campaign of violence. The "corporations = good" rhetoric continued apace, with the only contrary opinion coming from the leader of the aforementioned moustachioed villains(and thus being somewhat diluted), and we've now added ignorant "science = Frankenstein's Monster" themes, complete with a protest group called, and I wish I was joking; "Stop Mad Scientists Now".

Cyberpunk sci-fi being used as a vehicle for pro-corporatism and anti-science Ludditry, the irony would be delicious if it wasn't so painfully depressing.

[ted1138]

It's novelty tv, filled with pretty people, in undemanding plots. I'm sure it'll run and run...

[Cypher]

Im kinda torn about this one. It should suck, its an iffy premise, the opening spiel is silly, and it seems riddled with cliches.

But it somehow works. Its reasonably intelligently written, and has enough substance that I find I enjoy it despite not really being motivated to watch.

[Private_SeeD]

I've been watching this show and it's not that bad, it's an easy watch and passes the time, with all my usual shows coming to an end like House, Terra Nova, soon to be Fringe, I'm glad I've found a new show


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