Continuum - Identity Crisis


Do you think things will come full circle for Continuum?




Poor Alec, his big moment before the board and, well, they're bored.

It's not easy being a boy genius and it's not easy having a major corporation dumped in your lap.  Oh, and lest we forget, it's not easy when there are two of you running around.

Alec Sadler is having an identity crisis and it is in large part because of his own machinations.  I was actually intrigued and inspired to write this blog post because of the unique wall hanging in the board room.  I think this is at least the third episode in a row where we've seen such art work.  It seems to be a favorite of Alec's father, Stan Escher, and it was the last thing he saw before he died.  (I did some writing about it here.)

To me, the message is things will be coming full circle.

This can take on quite a few meanings.  First of all I have the distinct impression Escher will be back.  Call it a gut feeling.  Why stare at all these circles and have them hanging everywhere in less you feel, "what comes around goes around."  Let me take you back to when Escher was shot.  He knew who Kellog was and it seemed almost preternatural.  Of course if he was capable of time travel he should know everything, first and foremost the things Kellog is capable of.  Yet he made no move to escape Kellog's trap.  Seconds later Emily shot him dead.

If there is another one of you, why bother?  Yes, I'm saying there is another Escher running around.


But let's get back to Alec and his "identity crisis."  The crisis being when your present self runs into your future self.  Alec should have known he could not outsmart himself.  I'll have to admit I thought they'd drag this little "tete a tete" a little while longer.  It was refreshing to see the Alec face off happen so soon.  It certainly ramps up the stakes.

Whom do we sympathize with?  The gallant ragged Alec that launched himself in time to save Emily or the abandoned and distrustful Alec that sees betrayal around every corner?

Present corporate Alec is privy to a lot more information about Emily than future Alec was.  As I said earlier, he also has a lot thrown on his plate.   Add to this he has a shark circling him in the form of Kellog but seems to have thrown in with corporate evil doer/lackey, Inspector Dillon.

This also begs an interesting question, what about the third Alec in the room?

The third Alec being elder Alec of the deep future.  I've always thought he was pretty much responsible for sending Keira back to fix the problems that were of his making.  Regret runs deep.  But wait a minute, now that Keira has come back from the future and Alec has returned as his ragged self then isn't he or both of them responsible for the corporate Alec that is now fast tracking elder Alec's grim future?

Way to go future Keira and Alec, you just created evil corporate full of regret deep future elder Alec.


It's easy to like humble future Alec.  He's a bit of a mess, literally and figuratively.  He's in love and he went as far as to change the past to protect that love.  As we learned Emily has "chosen" him also.  But whoopsy,  therein lies a big problem. I'm pretty sure future Alec (not deep future Alec) doesn't know Emily shot his father.  (Ok, maybe deep future Alec too.)

That could present a problem.

I have a feeling both Alec's would react negatively to that information.  But who's to tell?  Well, for one it could be Kellog if his shark tank tactics don't work.  For another?  How about future Escher?

"Hello son, I've missed you, guess who shot me."

Geez Alec, you really have an identity problem.  You not only ruined Keira's future but your own also.

Is anyone thinking one of these guys has got to go?  Who decides that?  Kellog?  Keira?  Escher? Gulp, Emily?

The Other Identity Crisis

 
Oh man, this one really bothers me.  Poor Carlos.  It was bad enough to dump the whole time travel thing in his lap but he recently (re)discovered Betty as a traitor.  That's not the worst though, the worst is the picture that follows.



His partner Keira is dead.  And this was revealed to him by his partner Keira.

See where I'm going with this?

Carlos has turned to the bottle as he has found it increasingly difficult to resolve the death of the one person he thought he could trust.  No matter how many times new recipe Keira has told him it's the same old her, he is not buying it.


The writers and the director deserve credit for this particularly sad tableau pictured above.  Carlos is framed by the doorway, sitting alone in the half light cold and conflicted.

Depression and drinking is a slippery slope.  How far will Carlos slide?  Will it effect his job performance?  Will her turn on future Keira?  He was poking about Liber8 at the end of last season.  Will he go full revolutionary now?  (Back into the arms of Betty?)

Maybe he will be the one that shoots one of the Alecs.  (Nah, it'll be Emily)

 
This is a great subplot or B storyline.  It may even surpass the A line of Alec vs. Alec.

Continuum has really ramped up the action.  My future and past self can't wait for Friday!












Comments

  1. Hi Dave,
    This show ties me up in knots rather than going around in circles. When Escher died looking at that circle painting it reminded me of another scene that has stuck with me for a long time. In the first Xfiles movie when Terry O'Quinn sits in front of the vending machine bomb waiting for it to explode, making no attempt to escape or disarm it. Fate accepted. Escher seemed to know his fate in that museum scene and I agree with you, another him from another time will pop up somewhere. I think you are right about him contemplating things coming full circle, repeating, etc. I guess it would have been too on the nose to have him stare at an M.C. Escher print.

    I'm not sure how I feel about the show's time travel "get out of death free" card. At least the show is giving duplicate deaths weight. Carlos' reaction to Kiera 1.0's death is heartbreaking. I'm not sure I entirely get his overwhelmed reaction, but I like that it did impact him despite having Kiera 2.0 as a replacement. He's in a downward spiral ala Rust Cole. Likewise when one of the Alecs inevitably dies some part of his innocence is going to die with him. (Unless of course one Alec goes back in time to create the time cop cult.) The 2 Alecs have diverged so much in the space of what, a week? Each having different pieces of the puzzle, but neither seeing the whole. Really interesting stuff.

    Kiera seems to be dealing with the situation rather well, calm cool and empowered in her spiffy new techno suit. I get the feeling that she's due for another derailment.

    Thanks for the post, Lynne
    PS I am trying hard to get caught up on Orphan Black, really!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice X-Files reference, I remember that scene well. (Dammit I want another X-Files movie!) The difference between O'Quinn's character and Escher is Escher's serenity. Or is it detached serenity? O'Quinn's character was sweating bullets because of his treachery. Escher accepted his fate with a strange bemusement. It seems to me he has a card up his sleeve. Or at least his double's sleeve.

    And yes, it would be too on the nose for him to be staring at an Escher print. I can't help but think of that artist every time I hear "Stan's" name. Glad we are on the same page.

    Maybe Carlos should spend 8 years in the Alaskan wild like Rust did in order to get his head straight. Then come back to face his personal Carcosa. (I'm getting a little creeped out just thinking about it.)

    I think Carlos became invested in Keira. You might call it love or at least professional infatuation. She had all the answers and he was suitably impressed. As more information came out about her, he at least respected her passion and her desire to return to her family. No matter how she cheated because of her time travel knowledge and her supersuit. They also went to war togethert and shared the same philosophy about public service and crime fighting. I think he lost his soul mate in some regard.

    (BTW, I think I like the new suit but it does seem a little militaristic. It reminds me of the 7 of 9 suit change.)

    Another derailment for Keira? Awesome! I hope it doesn't overshadow the Alec and Carlos story lines. I don't think I could take it right now anyway. Save it for the end of the season. Great thought.

    Good luck with the OB sojourn. You won't be sorry. Sigh, my love for Tatiana just wiped out all those nasty Carcosa thoughts. (Oops, no, they're back.)





    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey Dave,
    You are probably right about Escher. Doubtful he went to all the trouble of faking a death in a fire to stay hidden from the freelancers, only to slip up and let Kellog kill him. Actor availability could be an issue for the show, but I bet he turns up again later in the season.

    It seems as though this timeline is leading up to the 2077 we are familiar with. If only scar Alec hadn't went back a week, maybe it would have worked out. Kiera will probably ultimately have to decide whether to sacrifice her existence with her family in order to stop the events leading up to regretful evil corporate Alec as you put it. Right now, she doesn't have any notions of doing so.

    Carlos, I really feel for him. He and Kiera had a special bond of friendship with secret knowledge. That got derailed by Kiera 2.0. From his perspective, how many more times could that happen?
    One thing about having multiple versions of a person at the same time that makes my head hurt is trying to grasp what it means to be alive. Is Kiera both alive and dead? It is as if one's existence is smeared across the continuum not technically being alive or dead.

    Thanks for the post
    Chris

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You know Chris, I thought we saw a clue to Escher coming back in the most recent episode. Now I can't remember where. (I should ask my other self.) Wait a minute, I think it was something Kellog said.

      Rewatch!

      "Scar Alec" I like it. Wouldn't deep future Alec know that his traveling back a week would lead to Evil Corporate Alec? What's the point then? Why send back Keira? To make sure he stays evil? That would be a twist. If true, then future Alec would have to be eliminated. This vaults Kellog to our lead future suspect. Spurned by Corporate Alec and betrayed by Scar Alec.

      Now my head hurts.

      I should compile a suspect list into who killed Keira and update it every week. Plus a potential list for who kills Alec.

      You're right, this whole existence thing is quite complicated. "Smeared across the Continuum." Is that purgatory?

      Thank you Chris!



      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts