Second Time is the thirteenth and final episode of Season 2, and the 23rd episode overall of the show Continuum.
Synopsis
Kiera races to rescue Alec from himself and preserve her own chance of getting home. Alec must make a difficult decision between solving Kiera's dilemma, or his own.
Recap
In 2077, at SadTech headquarters, Kiera's husband Greg asks his boss that she is pulled from the Liber8 execution assignment the next day. The elderly Alec Sadler promises only "steps will be taken." Sadler then uploads a message into Kiera's CMR, as seen in the first episode of this season. The morning of the execution, Greg is dodgy at home with his wife.
Sadler meets with his team before the execution; the conversation alludes that Sadler is aware of Liber8's plans to disrupt the execution. Sadler also realizes the Freelancers are responsible for murdering his scientist. A younger Jason then approaches what appears to be his own elderly father, promising he won't let him down in pursuing the Freelancer threat.
In 2013, Alec storms into Escher's office, blaming him for Emily's death. At the precinct, Dillon orders Carlos to bring in Kiera while she still has friends in the department. When Kiera calls his cell, Dillon orders Betty to trace the call. As she does, she sends a text; Carlos quietly calls Internal Affairs on Betty.
At Liber8 headquarters, Betty has texted Sonya Kiera's location en route to PIRON. Travis is ready to murder Kellog once again as he bargains for his life, establishing Escher as the ultimate threat to all of their lives if he gets hold of the working time travel sphere. Back at PIRON, Escher reveals that he is actually Alec's father, not Jason. Kiera arrives shortly thereafter; Alec accuses her of being selfish by going after the device and not protecting Emily. Just then, Dillon and VPD storm the office, taking Kiera into custody. Kiera, crushed by Alec's accusations, sees him wink at her before she's escorted out.
At the precinct, Carlos blackmails Betty with his knowledge that she's the Liber8 mole. Dillon interrogates Kiera and she calls him out for his vendetta for absolute power in the department. Carlos interrupts to deliver her CPS service weapon from evidence. He knocks out Dillon and disables the camera, allowing Kiera the chance to escape. Leaving his badge and weapon on his desk, Carlos ends his police career. As he leaves, Betty begs him to reconsider; he instead asks her to join him. An enraged Dillon names Kiera public enemy number one, followed by Carlos as number two.
At Alec's lab, Kiera searches for the device, only to find that Kellog has found it first. She is ready to shoot Kellog for the sphere but he explains that she needs to save Alec since Escher is their greatest threat. He agrees to bring the device to Escher's lab if she saves Alec.
In 2077, Alec talks about his legacy with Jason and what must be done during the execution. Jason calls Alec "father" and agrees to send Liber8 back in time to right his father's wrongs.
At Escher's lab, he shows Alec the fruits of their work. Alec lets Kiera hear through her CMR that Escher plans to set a trap for her at the lab. Alec notices the Freelancer tattoo on Escher's hand; he admits that he was one once and that Alec's mother knew everything. He faked his death to protect his son, but Kiera's arrival changed everything.
Kiera and Travis arrive at PIRON and engage in a brutal, devastating fight that leaves many bodies in their wake. With two CPS suits matched against each other, their fight sprawls through the building and onto the top of an elevator. There, Kiera electrocutes him and Travis's body falls down the shaft. Sonya watches in horror from Alec's lab. When the gang leader goes to shoot Sonya, he is shot by Warren, the Freelancer.
At PIRON, Kellog meets Kiera and asks to come with her back to 2077, since all of his plans have crumbled in the present time. She meets with Alec and is desperate to get back home. He places the sphere in the antimatter power source and programs the device to send her back to 2077. Alec tells her there's a possibility there could be two versions of her in the future. Just then, Escher appears and she realizes that Alec has betrayed her. He informs her that Escher is his father.
In 2077, Jason sets up the execution to fail. Warren tries to stop him, explaining that the Freelancers swore an oath to prevent the perversion of time travel technology.
Before Escher can shoot Kiera, the Freelancers stop him. Kiera begs the Freelancers to let her travel back to her timeline so she can stop all of this from ever happening. While Warren agrees that the situation needs a solution, he indicates that Kiera would remain a "glitch" in the time continuum. He draws his gun on her as the time travel device fully powers up. Alec pushes Kiera out of the way and jumps into the device. As Kiera begs that it be she who travels in time, Alec says only, "I have to save her…" and jumps into the time stream to a destination unknown.
Carlos and Betty pull up to the Sadler family farm, where they seek refuge with Julian. Dillon examines a PIRON proposal to create a privatized police force: the City Protective Services (CPS).
Kiera is sedated and dragged away on a gurney; the sequence thought to be a dream/CMR malfunction from the first episode this season turns out to be reality. Kiera, Garza, Kellog, Sonya, Jason and even a comatose Travis are all held prisoner in glass cages. Warren, Miller and a somehow resurrected Chen discuss the damage done to the time continuum; they believe that Alec is no longer a threat "in this timeline." As they leave, the prisoners scream to be released.
The doors close behind them in this bleak facility, it's location – and more worrisome – it's location in time – unknown.
Credits
Main Cast
- Rachel Nichols as Kiera Cameron
- Victor Webster as Carlos Fonnegra
- Erik Knudsen as Alec Sadler
- Stephen Lobo as Matthew Kellog
- Roger Cross as Travis Verta
- Lexa Doig as Sonya Valentine
- Luvia Petersen as Jasmine Garza
- Omari Newton as Lucas Ingram
Guest Cast
- Jennifer Spence as Betty Robertson
- Richard Harmon as Julian Randol
- John Cassini as Marco
- John Reardon as Greg Cameron
- Ian Tracey as Jason
- William B. Davis as Older Alec Sadler
- Brian Markinson as Inspector Dillon
- Hugh Dillon as Escher
- Mike Dopud as Stefan Jaworski
- Terry Chen as Curtis Chen
- Janet Kidder as Ann Sadler
- Sean Michael Kyer as Sam Cameron
- Zak Santiago as Miller
- Adrian Holmes as Warren
- Bruce Ramsay as Detective Rosicki
- Terry Howson as Warden Hobbs
- Nimet Kanji as The Shooter
- Jai Lee as Piron Guard
- Crystal Mudry as Piron Employee
Quotes
- Greg Cameron: She uncovered a possible Liber8 escape plot involving an explosive device, and a connection to a murdered Sadtech engineer.
- Alec Sadler (Elder): There's something to be said for a cop with determination, integrity,and a desire to uncover the truth. We don't see much of that these days. We're in a delicate position. Leave it with me, I'll see that steps are taken.
- Alec Sadler (Elder): The Liber8 terrorists don't know that we've uncovered their plot. They'll find out too late and the execution will unfold as it must.
- Warden: Why let the charade go so far?
- Alec Sadler (Elder): Because so long as they think they have a chance of escape, we can ferret out their co-conspirators on the outside! Their false hope gives us a powerful means of control. Control I mean to preserve at all costs.That's all for now.
- Alec Sadler (Elder): You have an explanation?
- Female Executive: I had no choice.Ramona Cathers was approached by someone with inside knowledge. She was going to expose us.
- Alec Sadler (Elder): Approached by whom?
- Female Executive: A sect of some kind. Believers. They are aware of your research and claim a dogmatic responsibility to intervene.
- Alec Sadler (Elder): Freelancers.
- Alec Sadler (Elder): When I was your age, younger, I believed in the value of technology.People believe that they are free, but the reality is they've never been more enslaved.
- Jason: So you intend to re-write history using these convicts?
- Alec Sadler (Elder): Liber8 wouldn't exist if it weren't for me.Perhaps they're nothing more than a manifestation of my conscience.
- Jason: What if you're wrong? What if they go back and nothing changes? Plan fails?
- Alec Sadler (Elder): I have to try. To do otherwise... I couldn't live with that. Or die with it.Ensure that the power generator in the room below triggers the device.Send them back.
- Jason: Why me?
- Alec Sadler (Elder): Because you'll inherit my failure if I don't succeed,and I wouldn't wish that on anyone.
- Jason: You can count on me, father.
- Alec Sadler (Young): You're one of them!
- Escher: I used to be. The Freelancers recruited me when I was your age.
- Alec Sadler (Young): So mom knew about everything?
- Escher: No. She thought I'd been murdered. That's why she never said anything to anyone.She was afraid.
- Alec Sadler (Young): And the fire?
- Escher: I wanted out. It wasn't an option.I could handle the Freelancers coming after me, but not the two of you.The death of Mark Sadler made you both safe.Or did until Kiera showed up.
- Alec Sadler (Young): Kiera, what is that supposed to mean?
- Escher: Kiera changed everything.
- Jason: Who are you?
- Warren: A friend. I'm here to prevent you from making a mistake.
- Jason: You have no idea what I'm doing here, friend.
- Warren: In specific terms, no. But I swore an oath to protect the world from those who abuse technology to pervert and exploit the past, the present and the future.