- Joined
- May 9, 2003
- Messages
- 3,103
Continuum Season Three presents the penultimate season of the low-budget Canadian science fiction series on Blu-ray in the best manner it can. The picture and sound quality continue to be quite good, but the series has sadly descended into confusion at this point in its evolution. With the current season, a host of new ideas have been introduced, including multiple timelines and multiple versions of several characters, to the point that it can be difficult to keep track of what is going on. Fans of the series will likely enjoy this set, but casual viewers will find the latest season incomprehensible.
Studio: Universal
Distributed By: N/A
Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HDMA
Subtitles: English SDH
Rating: Not Rated
Run Time: 9 Hr. 31 Min.
Package Includes: Blu-ray
Disc Type: BD50 (dual layer)
Region: ABC
Release Date: 12/23/2014
MSRP: $59.98
The Production Rating: 1.5/5
SOME SPOILERS: As we’ve discussed before, the initial premise for this series was fairly simple – a cop from the future tries to bust some bad guys from the future in the present day while trying not to let the natives know her secret and while trying to get herself back to her own time. There was probably enough material there to keep things going for about a season, maybe a little more. For the second season, the showrunners threw in multiple complications for the terrorist group “Liber8” and a whole different time travelling group called the “Freelancers”, stirring things up and resurrecting characters who have been killed in prior episodes. Other characters were revealed to be various characters’ parents or children, usually at the most outrageous moment. And just as Kiera thought she’d be able to use a time travel device to return home in the second season finale, young Alec used the device himself and jumps into their immediate past. This of course left poor Kiera in the hands of the “Freelancers” at the point the current season begins. But as this season gets underway, we quickly find ourselves dealing with not one but two Alecs, and not one but two Kieras. One Alec is the nice guy we already know, albeit a bit driven. The other one is already the evil Alec we’ve seen William B. Davis play in the future scenes. One Kiera is the one we believe we know right now. The other one is found dead in Alec’s lab, leading to another series of complications. And then there’s the “John Doe” character (Ryan Robbins) who turns out to be from yet another future, soldiers from which arrive in the present just as this season ends. Instead of enriching the story, the continuing complications only serve to convolute the plot. And even with the added complications, there continues not to be any “there there” with this show, and there are too many other, better options available to discerning sci-fi fans. It is therefore unsurprising that Continuum’s parent network in Canada has asked the producers to wrap things up with a short final season of 6 episodes that should air later this year. Simon Barry, the show’s creator, had made comments in the past about going seven seasons, but it’s clear that this idea did not come to fruition. It’s at least decent of Showcase and Shaw Media to allow some closure for fans of the series. In many other cases, fans have been left with shows that end on cliffhangers.
The Blu-ray set includes all thirteen episodes in 1080p HD picture and DTS-HD MA 5.1 sound, along with a greatly reduced spread of extra features from the last time around. This time, there are just two commentaries (for the season premiere and finale), a few additional scenes presented as webisodes and about 30 minutes worth of featurettes.
The discs’ contents are:
DISC ONE
“Minute by Minute” – The third season begins with all the characters discussing a classic Doobie Brothers album. Wait a second. Okay, they actually deal with all the time travel shenanigans that erupted at the end of last season, including two Alecs in a single timeline and a captive Kiera trying to find out what the heck has happened to her. A scene-specific commentary is available, with producer/director Pat Williams and producer/writer Simon Barry. Among other things, they discuss the logistics of the series, including how they could not bring back all of the Freelancers’ captives for the premiere, and how a major character on the series needed to be written out since the actor became unavailable. A webisode scene for this episode (0:57) is included on the disc.
“Minute Man” – A webisode scene for this episode (2:38) is included on the disc.
“Minute to Win It” – A webisode scene for this episode (2:08) is included on the disc.
“Minute Changes” – A webisode scene for this episode (1:46) is included on the disc.
“30 Minutes to Air” – A webisode scene for this episode (1:57) is included on the disc.
Disc One also includes a Previews Menu, with trailers for the DVD and/or Blu-ray releases of Bates Motel, Grimm, Dracula, Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome, Covert Affairs, Alphas and Warehouse 13.
DISC TWO
“Wasted Minute” – A webisode scene for this episode (2:19) is included on the disc.
“Waning Minutes” – This episode mostly takes place in the future, in the period before the events of the series pilot began. A webisode scene for this episode (1:35) is included on the disc.
“So Do Our Minutes Hasten” – A webisode scene for this episode (1:51) is included on the disc.
“Minute of Silence” – This is the episode that brings Kiera into contact with John Doe. Webisode scenes for this episode (5:04) are included on the disc.
“Revolutions Per Minute” – A webisode scene for this episode (1:38) is included on the disc.
DISC THREE
“3 Minutes to Midnight” – A webisode scene for this episode (2:47) is included on the disc.
“The Dying Minutes” – This episode is directed by series creator Simon Barry. A webisode scene for the episode (2:01) is included on the disc.
“Last Minute” – The third season finale once again sees most of the major characters have their situations radically changed, as the two Alecs confront each other and Kiera gets to make some new future friends, in a manner of speaking. A scene-specific commentary is available, with Pat Williams and Simon Barry. The guys discuss how Williams was unable to direct this season finale since he was wearing more of the producer hat while Barry directed the second-to-last episode for the year. A webisode scene (2:02) is included on the disc.
A collection of featurettes is included on the third disc, with the cast and crew discussing their work over the third season. (See Special Features)
Video Rating: 4/5 3D Rating: NA
Audio Rating: 4/5
Special Features Rating: 2.5/5
DISC THREE
Continuum: Behind the Scenes (30:33 Total, 1080p) – This is a collection of four featurettes about the making of the third season. The first one, Point of No Return (6:47), includes comments by Richard Harmon, Erik Knudsen, Rachel Nichols, Luvia Peterson, Omari Newton, Brian Markinson and Jennifer Spence about the direction of this year’s stories. The second one, How Does that Sound? (10:37), focuses on the sound effects and music of the series, with contributions from Supervising Sound Editor Kirby Jinnah, Pat Williams, Simon Barry and composer Jeff Danna. The third one, Making the Cut (8:35) finds Pat Williams and Simon Barry in the editing room. The final one, Two Alecs (4:34), finds Richard Harmon and Erik Knudsen discussing the complexities of Knudsen playing two very different Alecs this season. The featurettes can be viewed on an individual basis or via a “Play All” option.
Subtitles are available in English for the episodes and the featurette. As with the earlier seasons, standard chapter menus are not exactly included here – instead, each episode is itself a chapter. There are chapters within each episode, but they are not itemized in a menu – which means you may have to hunt through an episode if you stop the disc and restart it later.
Overall Rating: 2/5
Reviewed By: Kevin EK
Support HTF when you buy this title: