Continuum - News/Discussion/SPOILERS

[Wyrminarrd]

Does the show villify private enterprise? Sure, it's shown that not everything is perfect in the future but it's still possible that the future would have been a lot worse if governments had continued to rule the world, the show seems to present both possibilities.

[knowles2]

That's not what I meant. Less government, more free enterprise; this would provide Americans with a freer future. From what I've read, the future depicted in 2077 is what is going to happen if our government gains too much power. Look around, it's already happening.

Yes the show vilify private enterprise, it also vilifies freedom fighters, cops and geniuses. In fact I find it difficult to think of one groups that isn't vilified in the series. An yes they there more free enterprise in the future but companies are abusing that freedom, more example one company causing artificial food shortages to jack up prices. To much freedom is just as bad as having to little freedom. It interesting that as far we know the freedom fighters/terrorists has the support of one of the people that created the system in 2077.

[Snowman37]

You asked why the "show was villifying private enterprise". If you meant something else, you should have written something else.

I guess I should have added from a production point of view.

And the show does not depict what is going to happen. It merely suggests a possible future. Nothing is carved in stone. Remember, it's just fiction that could possibly happen.

Point is, it's yet another show to vilify private enterprise, as if being successful were a bad thing.

To much freedom is just as bad as...

Ew...

[hedwig]

Point is, it's yet another show to vilify private enterprise, as if being successful were a bad thing.

Which other shows do this? Apparently I'm not watching enough other shows to know.

[techs]

What's up with the show vilifying private enterprise?

Where could you have possibly gotten that idea from?

The show doesn't vilify private enterprise. The show is about whether an effective oligarchy is better than an ineffective democracy.

[techs]

The first season is now showing on Syfy.

The second season is supposed to air in Canada in April. There's a possibility that the 2d season will run on Syfy at that time as well. Unfortunately, the ratings for the show have not been good, and Syfy has cancelled shows for somewhat higher ratings than Continuum has gotten on that network.

Both Lost Girl and Continuum broke records when originally aired in Canada. And both tanked in the ratings on Syfy.
Certainly there were people who downloaded both shows before they aired in the US and that hurt ratings. Yet even when Lost Girl was running at the same time as it was in Canada the Syfy ratings didn't go up.

I suggest the problem is two fold. The first is that the staggered seasons decrease buzz. When the first season aired in Canada of Lost Girl, but Syfy was showing the first season months later, you had groups of people at different points in the story. You couldn't go into a forum and discuss the show because you never knew when someone would post a spoiler.

The second problem is the Syfy network. They have changed their image and viewership drastically. I guess the people who watch Ghost shows don't carry over all that many people to real scifi, Continuum, or well done fantasy, Lost Girl. All many people know of Syfy is reality ghost shows and absolutely terrible Saturday scifi movies. I think there are just not enough people who will give a new Syfy show thats not reality based even a try.

[Spimman]

If someone starts a Continuum thread that has discussions in line with SyFy's airing schedule let me know.

[knowles2]

I guess I should have added from a production point of view.


Point is, it's yet another show to vilify private enterprise, as if being successful were a bad thing.


Ew...

Just look at the banking crises, loosen up regulations just a bit and private enterprise will take them a mile, it happens in almost every industry, if there are corners to be cut, profits to be made, someone, somewhere will do it. The recent horse meat story unfolding in the UK and EU is another example of how you cant take your eyes of private industry, an why now all meat products will be facing regular DNA checks by both government and supermarkets. That story would never have came to light if the Food standards Agencies did not start randomely testing DNA of meats in our food.

Another example is Libor rates, which relied on banks accurately reporting the amounts they were paying to borrow, it turns out virtually every major bank out there was trying to manipulate the rate, which they were able to do because the system relied of trusts and allowing banks freedom from much tougher regulations in the area of reporting Libor.

You could go and on with examples where freedom was allowed and companies took advantage of that freedom to do bad things and increase profits.

[Ian-S]

Point is, it's yet another show to vilify private enterprise, as if being successful were a bad thing.

It's not vilifying, the story is that the Governments of the World went bankrupt and were bailed out by the banks/big business, which in turn lead to the dictatorship type super-state you see in 2077.

Pretty much the opposite of what's just happened in real life, so far...


Just to go OT with Knowles, the FSA (and DEFRA) we sitting back drinking coffee, they never did any random testing of meat, that's why it was able to continue for so long. The only reason we know about it, it because of the Irish doing their jobs properly, our lot couldn't detect the sun in the sky.

[Falcon Horus]

They cancelled "Sanctuary" and they didn't own that. It also wasn't getting good ratings at the time it was cancelled.

That is whole different scenario. Sanctuary was joint owned by SyFy and the Canadian channel that ran it. I think their may have been a 3rd company too. Continnuum is completely produced by a Canadian company.

What he said.

Both Lost Girl and Continuum broke records when originally aired in Canada. And both tanked in the ratings on Syfy.
Certainly there were people who downloaded both shows before they aired in the US and that hurt ratings.

Sure, blame it on the downloaders.

I guess airtime, storyline, people's interests... and what not don't count for much then. Or whether Syfy's a free channel or a paid one.

[Ukko]

It's not vilifying, the story is that the Governments of the World went bankrupt and were bailed out by the banks/big business, which in turn lead to the dictatorship type super-state you see in 2077.

Pretty much the opposite of what's just happened in real life, so far...


Just to go OT with Knowles, the FSA (and DEFRA) we sitting back drinking coffee, they never did any random testing of meat, that's why it was able to continue for so long. The only reason we know about it, it because of the Irish doing their jobs properly, our lot couldn't detect the sun in the sky.

Will you stop it. Actually having watched the show means you know what you're talking about, resulting in you making too much sense. It gives Snowman a headache.

[LtColCarter]

It's not vilifying, the story is that the Governments of the World went bankrupt and were bailed out by the banks/big business, which in turn lead to the dictatorship type super-state you see in 2077.

Pretty much the opposite of what's just happened in real life, so far...


Just to go OT with Knowles, the FSA (and DEFRA) we sitting back drinking coffee, they never did any random testing of meat, that's why it was able to continue for so long. The only reason we know about it, it because of the Irish doing their jobs properly, our lot couldn't detect the sun in the sky.

Funny thing is certain members of congress want to privatize everything...so who knows...we may be headed that way.

[the fifth man]

I really enjoy this show quite a bit. I hope Syfy doesn't drop it from the lineup.

[Ian-S]

Funny thing is certain members of congress want to privatize everything...so who knows...we may be headed that way.

Tell them to look at the UK's history on privatisation in the last 30 years and learn a valuable lesson from our continued failures...

Back OT, I hope my little comment didn't spoil the plot for anyone, it has been a while since I watched but I am pretty sure that's established in the first episode (actually in the opening credits iirc), but sorry if I have let the cat out the bag in some way, it's still worth watching to the end.

I'll use spoilers in future, I sometimes forget how lucky some of us are to see these shows when they air.

[hedwig]

I'm having a hard time finding anything about the Liber8 group to sympathize with. Thus far they've done nothing but steal, murder and destroy everything that gets in their way. I'm not finding a single shred of decency in any of them. I sympathize somewhat with their cause, but not the way they are going about doing anything to further their cause.

Spoiler:

At first I had a bit of sympathy for the woman that got kidnapped, but that went downhill really fast when she admitted what the corporate higher ups had done to the pension plan.

And I've been curious about how Keira is supporting herself. Is she going back to the ATMs and stealing more money? I realize she needs a way to support herself, but she's turned into a thief in order to do that. Does she feel that her own cause justifies that?

I felt very badly for Kellogg when his "grandmother" was shot and killed; that was so unnecessary. However, it was interesting that he didn't disappear when she died. Perhaps, as Alex suggested in an earlier episode, a separate timeline has been created with this time traveling bit.

I don't know why, but I'm thinking that Keira's husband is somehow mixed up in the wrong side of the dispute in 2077. In my opinion, he seems to know more than he's letting Keira know.