Continuum: “Second Truths” Means The Point of No Return!

Welcome back Continuum time travelers!

The point of no return is a concept no one wants to come up against in their life. Human beings are inherently obsessed with control, monitoring situations so they turn out in their favor, keeping an eye on any possible outcomes or wild cards.

The unpredictable may be sexy, but it is definitely not in human nature to accept it.  The point of no return, however, marks a moment in a situation that is irrevocable and irreversible.

Second Truths:

We return to 2013 to learn that Kiera (Rachelle Nichols) has been assigned to work with Carlos (Victor Webster) on a murder case.

Their investigation reveals that it is the work of a serial killer. Kiera is somewhat familiar with the case since she had worked on it in the year 2077. One thing she knows is that the case was never solved despite there being a total of 38 victims.

Kiera knows the victims were all killed by child molesters. Their poor bodies had been dumped on an old semi-circular bus route. As Kiera tries to convey these facts to Carlos, he simply cannot fathom where she is getting her information.

Meanwhile, Alec Sadler’ (Erik Knudsen) new relationship with his girlfriend Emily (Magda Apanowicz) seems to be blossoming rather nicely.

The relationship is not as carefree as it appears to be when we saw them together in episode four of the second season.

Matthew Kellog (Stephen Lobo) is shocked when a potentially lucrative deals falls through.

Meanwhile, Inspector Dillon (Brian Markinson) introduces Kiera to a powerful and corrupt businessman named Mr. Escher (Hugh Dillon).

No matter what is done, the course of action being acted upon must continue to whatever end. Even in a show like Syfy’s acquired science fiction series ‘Continuum’, originally broadcast on Showcase in Canada, the point of no return must ultimately be crossed and cannot be avoided – because to attempt to undo what has been done would only convolute the timeline further, (and goodness knows, enough influence is being felt already!)

The term ‘point of no return’ – or ‘PNR’ – originated in air navigation. Known among pilots as the ‘Radius of Action’ formula, the phrase itself signifies when a plane is no longer able to return to its point of origin because it will run out of fuel on the way back.

However, there have been many historical references to a point of ‘no going back’. Many Texans associate the core meaning with Colonel William Travis, leader of the forces at The Alamo.

After learning of General Lopez de Santa Anna’s intentions to murder everyone within the encircled compound, Travis took his sword and drew a line in the sand, saying that everyone who crossed it would committing themselves to fight to the death for the Alamo. While not the ‘point of no return’, the reference here was to the ‘line in the sand’.

In earlier history, Julius Caesar is reported to have said: “Iacta alea est” (Latin “the die is cast”), before leading his armies into the forbidden territory of Italy over the Rubicon river. This was his first move in a civil war against Pompey, against whom he had been building a steady diet of mistrust and frustrations.

By marching across the river, Caesar was committing himself to civil war and a necessary victory. Failure meant execution. The term ‘crossing the Rubicon’ is a popular synonymous phrase with ‘point of no return’ today, as is Caesar’s Latin words. Their origin came from gambling, in which once the dice were rolled all bets were irrevocable.

Coming forward to present day, however, it does not quite matter how you want to phrase it. Line in the sand, Iacta alea est, crossing the Rubicon, or point of no return, the fact remains that Kiera Cameron (Rachel Nichols) has changed the course of history.

It is completely possible to hold the argument that so many changes have been made, what is the point of one more shift, but this change came at great personal risk, vulnerability, and danger. Until now, the world had not truly been aware of time travelers among its denizens, waging a war that is not meant to have been fought for decades.

Carlos Fonnegra (Victor Webster) was drowning under his frustrations and suspicions of Kiera, and too many higher-ups were becoming involved. With Kiera’s desperation to save lives and Liber8 pushing their agenda and their ideals to boiling points, our intrepid Protector was forced to give up the last secret she had: her date of birth.

It was a painful scene to watch. Kiera was trapped in one of her own worst nightmares – a possible victim of a serial killer she had studied in school.

With no hope of rescue, she began to face the idea that everything she had come to do in 2012 was for nothing – and then just as she was beginning to get used to the idea of dying, the tables were turned as she pieced together a way to take out the killer.

Pushing someone to that brink of death and then yanking them back from it is a soul-shattering, life-changing event. The Wraith exploited the daylights out of it in ‘Stargate Atlantis’. Jigsaw made it his life’s mission in the ‘Saw’ franchise. But here on ‘Continuum’, it had a much less pleasurable yet equally cathartic effect.

Kiera, nearly killed by the maniac, finally admitted to herself that everything had gone completely out of her control. Breaking down in tears, she sobbed to Carlos that she now had reason to believe the very reasons she came back to fight for no longer existed – her family, her world, and her own purpose in life. At first skeptical, Carlos finally sat down and asked her to tell him everything – and she began.

When I first began to write for ‘Continuum’, I described Kiera as emotionless, cold, and almost robotic. Thank you so much to the writers of this series and to the dedicated and talented Rachel Nichols for showing me that what I saw was not limitation, but the beginnings of major development.

Kiera’s breakdown in the end of this episode was one of the hardest things I have had to see on TV recently, (second only to Methos’ breakdown in the ‘Highlander’ episode ‘Methuselah’s Gift’), and I found myself not only empathizing with her, but simultaneously proud of her for finally admitting she needed help and vocalizing all of the troubles that she has been carrying within her since the show started.

 

Thanks to Kenn, WormholeRiders Managing Editor for locating episodic images, and audio embedding, and many thanks to you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency!

Please feel free to leave a comment here or if you prefer, click the social media icons below to share this news article. Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WHR on Twitter, WHR on Facebook or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story.

I and the WHR team look forward to and will be Seeing You on The Other Side“!

Thank you.

Regards,

Nayari09 (Pam)