Summer DVR Dump: Continuum 1.09: "Family Time"

“My name is Kiera Cameron. I have a little boy and a husband I’ll likely never see again. And if I don’t do everything right while I’m here, they may never exist. And the only friend I have, I lie to him every day but I hate it.” - Kiera As we enter the penultimate episode of this season, we finally get some backstory on my favorite would-be terrorist. Kellogg is on the run with his sister, Laura, and he is kind of freaking out. They’re being chased by CPS and he is flipping out on her that he thought she was just going for a job interview. But she stole some detonators. And she’s still involved with Liber8. Kiera tracks them down and basically makes the building collapse on them. Kellogg doesn’t want to leave his sister (she’s stuck under a pillar and obviously dying). He really has not had it very good lately. Watching his grandmother get shot in front of him, losing his sister. Part of me hopes some of the other characters get fleshed out a little more next season. In the present, Kiera and Carlos are heading to the country to check out a suspicious order of ammonium nitrate. Lo and behold, the alleged buyer is Rolland, Alec’s stepdad. After Alec brushes off his surprise at Kiera’s presence, he shows her his set up while Rolland shows Carlos the invoices for the fertilizer they bought. Alec gets kind of grumpy when Kiera starts scanning him (she finds a revolver in the barn). Begrudgingly, after he shows Carlos the invoice for 1/3 of what they think was purchased, Roland leads Carlos to the barn. Kiera and Alec join up with them, as does Julian. In short order things go from bad to worse. They find the extra fertilizer in the barn in a van and Julian’s gun-toting buddies show up and take everyone hostage. Kier and Carlos almost get the situation under control until Julian uses Carlos’ gun to shoot Carlos. And this is maybe why we need some actual gun control. Teenage boys with shotguns does not a good situation make. Kier and Carlos end up locked in a pantry and Carlos is really not doing so hot. The more he’s moved, the faster he bleeds out. Alec at least gets his dad to convince Julian and his pals to send in first aid. And it turns out sort of useful in their escape attempt. While Hoyt (one of Julian’s friends) rambles on about how Rolland was wrong about the revolution, Kiera and Carlos make it to the car. Unfor5tuantely they get caught. While the boys are distracted recapturing their injured hostages, Alec’s mom grabs a cell phone and dials 911 so at least the police know there is a situation. Unfortunately, as Hoyt decides they’ll tie up the hostages and leave quietly and call and ambulance from a payphone, sirens fill the air. They’re now going to start the revolution right then and there. Julian starts to take charge. They’re going to create a diversion by blowing up the propane tank instead of the bomb to trick the cops. Obviously there’s the little snag that all five witnesses now know the getaway plan but Julian won’t’ kill them. It’s not what they’re about. Outside, SWAT and HRT have arrived and they work up a profile on Rolland, noting he’s clean but has been holding anti-corporation rallies. The boys collect all the firepower they have inside and Alec offers to go the pistol from his geek lair. One of the gun-toting boys (who think they’ll be heroes…yeah he’s pretty naïve) goes with him. Alec uses Kiera’s suit to zap his captor and patch Kiera in to Inspector Dillon. Unfortunately, the kid wakes up before Kiera can tell them that Rolland is a hostage, no the leader of the insane brigade. Carlos is really not looking so hot. He’s all pale and clammy and sweaty. And Kiera actually tells him part of the truth for once. But she’s got a plan. Alec grabbed her suit from his workshop and under the guise of bringing more towels to stop the bleeding, slips it to her. Her plan now becomes taking out the kids and get Carlos help. HRT calls the house and Julian says that he is Rolland and that everyone is alive. Then Hoyt starts yelling about how they aren’t afraid to die and no one ever listens to them. And then he threatens to kill everyone if he sees a cop anywhere near the house. Julian shoots the phone and the plan starts going to hell. Kiera takes out the kid guarding the pantry and the jumpy kid that accompanied Alec to the barn. Hoyt and two others go on the offensive and start shooting at the SWAT guys as they approach. I’d say 90% of these guys are going to be dead by the end of this. Kiera follows Julian to the propane tank but he sets it off before she can stop him. Granted, Hoyt and the bomb are really her interest. Back at the house, Alec has called Dillon to let him know the house is clear and SWAT moves in. But Julian comes back, saying he wants to take his dad with him. We get a sort of tense standoff between Julian and Alec leveling guns at each other. But it looks like things may be working out when Rolland convinces Julian to stop the violence and give him the gun. In hindsight, Rolland probably would have been safer not taking the gun since the sniper on the roof shoots him. Julian takes off and Alec and his mom freak out as SWAT busts in. Meanwhile, Kagame and Sonya are watching all of this unfold and Kagame says there is nothing they need to do but that Theseus is starting. Julian is now on the run and Kagame calls him, so they will be meeting up soon. Carlos makes it through surgery so at least he’s going to make it. And Kiera, instead of going home, ends up on Kellogg’s yacht, apologizing for his grandmother and his sister. She seems to always been there when he suffers significant loss. But he doesn’t blame her. Hell, he even forgives her. They have a connection that not many other people will ever understand and maybe they should live for the now because the future they left may never exist. I’m not surprised this close to the end of the season we got to this point with Kiera and Kellogg. It’s been building and I’m happy to see it reach this point. The finale is going to be epic.