One of the most interesting and underutilized types of plot, in my opinion, is having a protagonist’s plans fail.

I don’t mean just a setback. I mean an utter, spectacular, catastrophic failure. To have all of their carefully laid schemes come crashing down around them.

As Continuum’s second to last episode begins, Kiera has developed a risky but complete plan to end the threat presented by Kellogg’s future soldiers and get home to her own time. Alec has done the math, and it should work. She just has to rely on Brad and Kellogg holding up their ends of the bargain.

Maybe it’s not surprising that placing her faith in such people doesn’t end well.

Failure is definitely the theme of this episode. Failure of plans, of efforts, of aspiration. But also personal failure, as well. Failure of the characters to be their better selves.

I was so disappointed by the actions of several characters in this episode. Just craven, selfish, irresponsible behaviour all around.

The really ironic thing is that the people who came out of this mess looking the most heroic are Travis and Dillon, which almost makes you wonder if this is Opposite Day. But really it just shows how far the others have fallen.

To be fair, Alec and Carlos still managed to stay true to their principles, for the most part.

I’m not complaining. All of these actions made sense in the context of the characters’ various arcs, it made for good drama, and one of the things I like about Continuum is that it’s a very morally gray show. Often, the “good guys” are no better than the people they oppose.

At this point, though, at least one character has definitely crossed the Rubicon, and I can only look forward to their inevitable (hopefully grizzly) demise.

Another major theme of “The Desperate Hours” is once again throwing doubt on whether Kiera can get home, or if the timeline she came from even still exists in any form.

I’m quite glad of this. It never made much sense to me that Kiera could take her home’s preservation for granted when much of last season was devoted to making clear that her timeline was gone, and her letting go of it. Admittedly, Continuum’s rules regarding time travel are not terribly well explained, but Brad’s very existence seems to show that Kiera’s home is long gone.

I will also say again that I hope Kiera does not ultimately make it home. It would waste a lot of the character development she’s gone through to do date, it wouldn’t make much logical sense, and honestly I don’t think Kiera deserves a perfect shiny happy ending.

Kiera isn’t a very good person. She’s not a monster, but she’s no hero, either — and “The Desperate Hours” proves that quite conclusively. I don’t necessarily want to see Kiera suffer, but I don’t want her to get everything she wants, either.

She just doesn’t deserve it.

My one significant complaint with this episode would be that we see nothing of Curtis or the Traveler, and considering how important they theoretically are and how close we are to the end, I was expecting them to have a role to play.

Overall rating: 8.1/10

“Zero Hour” is also the title of one of my favourite Star Trek episodes.

This “Zero Hour” isn’t quite as good as that “Zero Hour,” but it’s still another strong showing from Continuum.

Eschewing the pulse-pounding action of the last few episodes, “Zero Hour” focuses more on big reveals and evolving the characters’ relationships.

Kiera and Brad’s trust is frayed almost to the breaking point following the death of Lucas, and as evidence mounts that his comrades from the future are planning something terrible, their time as allies might be coming to an end.

Alec, meanwhile, is torn with doubt. He’s terrified that every choice he makes could spawn a new dark future. When the fate of the world, of time itself, rests on your shoulders, how can you ever be sure of anything? Is the future written, or can it be changed, and if so, should it?

As he struggles with these issues, Jason reveals what he already told Emily: that Emily was not his mother. Over Jason’s objections, Alec insists on tracking down and meeting the woman his future self married.

What follows is history’s weirdest — and for Jason, most awkward — family reunion ever. Adds a little levity to what has otherwise been a pretty grim season.

In the end, though, meeting the mother of his son does little to dispel Alec’s doubts. Aid, instead, comes from an unexpected source: Curtis.

Kellogg is burdened with doubts. With the minions of his future self still refusing to offer any answers, he must take matters into his own hands, and he comes to discover there is no one Mathew Kellogg won’t screw over — not even Mathew Kellogg.

Although “Zero Hour” lacked anything that would fit the traditional definition of action, I still found it quite exciting, and the hour flew by.

We got a lot of important revelations in this episode, and it went a long way towards both setting the stage for Continuum’s conclusion and fleshing out the backstory of the series to date. Many questions have been answered.

Also, dat paradox.

I also greatly enjoyed Alec’s arc. In the end, it’s always been about him, and his agonizing over the consequences of his choices gets to the very heart of what Continuum is about.

This is, I think, one of the best things about speculative fiction: the ability to take something we all identify with, and turn it up to eleven.

We’ve all doubted ourselves. We’ve all worried that our choices might prove wrong, that our plans might fail, that we may come to ruin despite our best efforts. How much worse, then, to have the weight of all space-time on your shoulders? To know that the future of the human race is in your hands, and that you already failed once?

Fantastic.

Kellogg’s humbling was also great to see. One wonders if there’s anyone left willing to save him. He’s been pretty good at burning his bridges.

My one complaint about this episode — and season four in general, really — is that I’m not digging the continued tension between Kiera and Brad. It feels like a waste of all their development from last season, and it’s all getting a bit soap opera for my taste.

My weird random thought of the night: I wonder who does the cooking for these big dinners with Kiera, Alec, and Liber8? I can’t see Alec being much of a cook. Kiera’s probably used to robots doing all her cooking, or something. Julian probably only knows how to make gluten-free crap. I’m not sure Jason is allowed near sharp things.

Maybe Garza? Wasn’t she running a restaurant at some point?

Anyway.

Overall rating: 7.8/10