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« Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Episode recap: "Pilot"
“You want to stop Skynet? We can go kill it before it's born. You can stop running, stay in one place. Fight.”
—Cameron Phillips
Welcome to the TV Guide Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles blog. Let's get a move on soldier and dive right in shall we?
In a series of camera shots/scenes reminiscent of (and possibly to tie into) Terminator 2: Judgment Day (T2) we are presented with the open road, fate... time... the future... moving ever forward with a voice over from Sarah Connor herself. This is a dream of Sarah's or rather her nightmare, now modified because of the events in T2: while running away, John, her son, is shot in the back by a Terminator while Sarah can do nothing. It ends with a nuclear explosion and the Terminator choking Sarah.
The date is 8/24/99. Sarah awakens and decides that she and her son must now move on. Not sure what spurs her forward (the dream or the feeling that she is getting too comfortable with her fiancé/her life). She tells John it's not safe anymore and they leave. Her fiancé, Charley, reports them missing, and we are introduced to FBI Agent James Ellison, who shares with Charley all the juicy details about her past that Sarah forgot to mention. Later with an updated photo and info, Agent Ellison revised Sarah's record in the criminal database which secretly triggers a PC in another location to activate —glowing red eyes stare into that monitor...
The date is 9/6/99. The Connors have set up shop in a new town in New Mexico. In his new school, John meets a fellow student named Cameron Phillips, who appears to have some interest in John. In class the next day, a new teacher, Cromartie, appears and takes role call and hidden from view, starts cutting into his thigh. After 'John Reese' says “here,” the teacher removes a gun from his thigh and starts shooting with Cameron caught in the line of fire. John scrambles out the back window with Cromartie in close pursuit. Just as John is about to get shot, the not dead Cameron drives into the Terminator with a pick-up truck and says those famous words, “Come with me if you want to live.” Upon hearing the news reports about the school shooting, Sarah scouts the location and is taken captive by Cromartie, who then tricks John into coming 'home.' At the house, John is shot walking into the door but as it turns out, its Cameron in disguise and the two Terminators brawl. The Connors flee the rampage in the house while Cameron disables Cromartie for a short time. The group hides out and Cameron reveals that Skynet still goes online but doesn't know who designed it.
The date is 9/9/99. The group heads to the Dyson residence to ask Mile's widow if she was aware of anyone with knowledge of Mile's research. Cromartie makes an appearance and the Connors plus one take one of Dyson's vehicles, backs it into the Terminator and peels out of there. Cromartie pursues on foot and ends up shooting Sarah in the shoulder. As he runs past their original vehicle, Cameron triggers a remote explosive that stops Cromatie... for now. Cameron takes them to a bank vault where she reveals that she has been back in time since 1963 and helped to engineer the vault. Seemingly attempting a bank robbery, Cameron orders one of the tellers to seal them all in the vault. While in there she reveals that the vault is a time machine that can take them into the future. Cromartie attempts to break into the vault as Cameron prepares the machine. Just as he gets through the damaged door, he is destroyed by Sarah and then the Connors plus one are teleported into the future.
The date is 9/2007. The group appears, naked in the middle of a highway. Since it's 2007, a cell phone video of the incident is recorded and shared with the news media. Cameron tells them that this is where they will begin their search for the genesis of Skynet.
Commentary/opinions:
I wasn't really sure if I would like the series (I'm still unsure); however, I was impressed by the pilot and the premise of moving the storyline into the present day (well, almost present day). Not sure how this storyline will work as a series, but I think it's going to be fun trying to find out.
Sadly, John reminds me of Claire from Heroes (funny since Thomas Dekker was on Heroes). Sarah drills into him the rule “keep your head down” etc. but the next day at class, John blabbing away to Cameron. Seriously, John (and Claire): keep your mouths shut!
Skynet's creation: I'm totally unclear as to how Skynet could come to be created, especially after the events of T2. However, as I watched the pilot for a second time, one scenario came to mind: could their time travel from 1999 to 2007 have been the cause for the creation of Skynet? I present the following as evidence based on the facts (as I think I know them) that only living beings (or Terminators) can be transported with everything else being destroyed or left behind (?) in the process. 1) The time machine was left behind. Was it destroyed as a result of it's use? 2) Cromartie's parts were left behind (at least his body, possibly his head too) 3) Was the super gun left behind?
No more use of the line “Come with me if you want to live” and no more glowy eyes (unless absolutely necessary). There seemed to be a lot of abandoned warehouses in this episode...
Exactly what type of Terminator is Cameron? John immediately picks up on this besides her being 'different' (or is it that he forgets that she is a cyborg). At first the only trait you can notice is that she can eat (or simulate it) but there's more. She is more verbose than the previous models, plus she seems to have all the courtesies down pat: she sincerely thanks John in the classroom and says “please” when holding up the bank. Perhaps her 36+ years back in time has done this to her or is she something more? Notice how her vision was in full color as opposed to Cromartie? Finally, is Cameron a homage to James?
Any Firefly/Serenity fans think “River” when Cameron stole that gun from the guard's holster or when she was beating up those guys in the car?
Loved how Cromartie analyzed the SWAT team to have a threat of “none.” Did you see his injured ear while he was standing there?
I believe the episode was coming full circle when Sarah tells Cameron that she fears she will lose John because of all the running which reflects in her nightmare from the beginning of the episode.
What's the deal with all these Britsh actress' playing Americans nowadays? Off the top of my head, Lena Headley playing Sarah Connor, Anna Friel as Chuck on Pushing Daises and Michelle Ryan as Jamie Sommers on Bionic Woman. I kid, I kid!
Quotes:
Sarah: "No one is ever safe! Half an hour, plus the guns... I'll make
pancakes."
Cromartie: “Class dismissed”
Cameron: “Neat trick.”
Sarah: “Is it nuclear?”
Cameron: “No... not really.”
Sarah and John (in unison): “No one is ever safe.”
Things to look for:
I attempted to crecord everything that I could see on the various PC monitors and reports presented in the episode (there's probably more that I missed). Enjoy!
The newspaper clipping about Mile's death appears to really be about US troop movements. The first paragraph has some mention of “Cyberdyne.”
Sarah's picture on the FBI/hospital file reads the following:
Connor, Sarah 081191-pdgy Pescadero State Hospital 349-5.C
Her FBI profile has the following info listed (not complete):
KNOWN ALIASES: Sarah Reese. Age: 33. HT: 5'4". WT: 110. HAIR: Black EYES: Green
MARKS/TATTOOS: Puncture scarring front and back right shoulder.
Multiple combat scars.
KNOWN ASSOICATES: Charley Dixon, fiancé. John Connor, son, 15.
FEDERAL WARRANTS: Murder, attempted murder. armed assault & battery,
armed robbery, assault & battery, domestic terrorism, kidnapping,
arson of United States government property and property used in
interstate commerce, arson of a building.
REMARKS: At large. Armed and dangerous. Approach with extreme
caution. Trained in the use of military grade firearms handguns,
edged weapons, explosives, and hand-to-hand combat. If contact is
made, utilization of FBI HRT is highly recommended.
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Jan 13, 2008 10:17 PM
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A little disappointed, but it did move at a decent clip. I don't buy that Headey is old enough to be Dekker's mother unless this was a Gilmore Girls scenario, but that's fine for now. In the opening narration, more obviously so than anywhere else, Headey's Yank accent slipped a bit and she sounded vaguely Australian. (Apparently Europeans think Strine and Yank sound rather similar.) Also, along with demonstrating a mimicry of human emotion far more advanced than that of the other Terminators, Cameron seems in certain shots almost as if she's already verging on a crush on the younger Connor. Darn those emotion chips.
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Jan 13, 2008 10:27 PM
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Nobody can look more graceful in mayhem than Summer Glau.
I'm not totally buying that Mt FBI is the good guy, I think he's part of the SkyNet conspiracy - and if he s, then it's way too early for them to have tipped that.
Mrs. Dyson was way too quick to trust Sarah.
Other than those two little things, I really enjoyed it.
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Jan 13, 2008 11:07 PM
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I have never seen any of the Terminator movies, so I was originally attracted to the show just to see why the series is so popular. I have to stay the show started off a bit boring and slowly picked up the pace to where I may tune in tomorrow night.
Question:
1. I wonder will seeing the original movies be any help to understanding the shows plot? I was a bit lost in understanding why John is so important (He reminded me of Neo character from The Matrix series).
2.Since the trio time traveled to 2007 is there a chance they will "run" into their future self (like in NBC's Journeyman) ?
Good blog Robert, but may want to try shortening it in the future (just my opinion) 
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Jan 13, 2008 11:22 PM
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Surprisingly, I REALLY loved this show! It's like you get to see a great action movie every week. I agree, that I don't know how this show can act like a series just yet (I could easily get bored by them trying to run away in each episode...)
harris4, I think you would definitely be less confused if you saw atleast one of the movies. I saw T3 only (I was just a baby when T2 came out)..and I enjoyed T3 alot (yes I've heard the other ones are better...). It alteast let you understand all the characters a little bit better.
I think the cast was chosen well...except John. He doesn't seem that fascinating (especially since Christian Bale going to play him in T4!!)
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Jan 13, 2008 11:35 PM
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@ Harris:
I agree, it should be shorter 
Hopefully, the editor will look it over (and correct all the mistakes -heh) and shorten it a bit.
Tomorrow night's will be shorter, I promise!
Oh, to answer your question, all the basics are in the pilot episode (names, places, dates etc). If you do have a chance to view the first two flicks, then do so (not sure if T1 has aged too well though). I'm not a fan of T3, but that's b/c it sort of invalidates the events in T2. As an action film, T3 is pretty effective, but now seems to be on a different timeline than the series.
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Jan 13, 2008 11:50 PM
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I have seen enough action movies so that I don't need to see any more in my lifetime. However, I watched this for two reasons: 1) I've seen the three movies and 2) all of FOX previews.
As FREE TV sci-fi and action entertainment, I can't complain. This pilot episode was very good. I would give it 3 out of 4 stars (or rate it 7 out of 10). However, it is not as good as any of the movies.
Harris4, I recommend seeing all three movies in their original order. Terminator (1984) made Arnold Schwarzenegger a superstar. T-2 (1991) was better than Terminator. Both of these movies was directed by James Cameron, who also directed Titanic. I give 4 (out of 4) stars to both of these movies.
T-3 was a bit of disappointment, but still very good. I give 3 (out of 4) stars to T-3.
Although I liked Lena Headley in 300, all she did was knife an unarmed guy in that movie. There is no actress who can replace Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor (in the first two Terminator movies), except for Sigourney Weaver (Aliens) in terms of being tough, good-looking and smart. So, to be fair, I will hold off criticizing Lena for now.
T-3 wasn't as good as the first two movies mainly because it miscast two of the lead characters, Nick Stahl as John Connor and Claire Danes as Kate Brewster (an Animal Doctor and John Connor's partner). They just weren't as convincing as Linda Hamilton (as
Sarah Connor) and Micheal Beihn (as Kyle Reese) were in the first Terminator movies.
Also, Arnold Schwarzenegger (in Terminator), Robert Patrick (in T-2) and Kristanna Loken (in T-3) were all incredibly outstanding as "bad" terminators. The bad terminator in the first episode of "Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles" is not as good, in terms of being both scary and believable.
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Jan 14, 2008 12:58 AM
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I enjoyed it. Will be watching this show.
One problem. Why are all the Networks moving things to Monday nights? It is the most loaded night. Or is it because of this stupid strike?
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Jan 14, 2008 8:30 AM
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I liked it. I agree that Linda Hamilton was and always will be "THE" Sarah Connor, but I think Lena is doing a good job. I can't complain about any of the cast (being a big Firefly fan I'm a bit biased when it comes to Summer) and I think they play their parts well.
Harris, I would definately recommend seeing at least the first Terminator movie. There is some pretty important information in there that will explain the importance of John Connor.
I was a little surprised that they went back to the old style Terminator instead of the liquid metal type but I guess the special effects budget for that would be a bit much for a fledgling show to handle. That's ok, I am kind of partial to the old style anyway.
It's too soon to tell if it will become a must see for me but I will definately be tuning in for the next couple of episodes.
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Jan 14, 2008 8:34 AM
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I definitely think that watching the original Terminator and T2 would be good primers if you really want to understand the show. Skip T3, since it happens after this series is set, and the actors themselves pretty much ignored it in preparing for their roles. In fact, I watched Terminator on Saturday night, and it did help. Had I not watched it, I would not have picked up on the fact that her alias, "Sarah Reese", uses John's father's last name (Kyle Reese -- I only remembered his first name.)
I'm not sure how I feel about this as a series yet. It seems like every time anything started to happen, there was another commercial. So, I feel like nothing much really happened. It would have been better to really jump-start it "24"-style with 2 back-to-back episodes on the same night.
As for the age difference between Sarah and John, it's not a Gilmore Girls thing. Sarah Conner was in her mid-20s in the original Terminator. So, yes, Lena Headey is a bit too young to be his mom -- probably about 10 years to young -- but, it's tv, and ages are very rarely realities.
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Jan 14, 2008 9:13 AM
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I liked it - much better than Bionic Woman. Let's hope it has staying power.
I've never liked Linda Hamilton so I am enjoying Lena in the role - I don't think it seems implausible that she's John's mother - she looks about 35 to me.
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Jan 14, 2008 10:06 AM
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I would recommend seeing the first two movies. I watched T1 and T2 over the weekend, and it definitely is helpful to have the backstory. I had never seen T1 before, being that it came out when I was 5 years old. It's not as great as T2: Judgement Day, but necessary if you want to know what's going on. I have never seen T3, but plan to watch it now that I've seen the first episode of the season.
There's a scene in T2 which always bothered me. When the shapeshifting terminator traps Arnold's arm in the machine at the mill, he just rips it off and leaves it in the machine. Hello! That's what caused Skynet to start developing the machines in the first place - when they found Arnold's arm in the first movie. So I always wondered if Skynet found this arm and started their development all over again. I guess we'll see.
I plan to definitely give this series a shot. The first episode did its best with the voiceovers and music and plot to connect to the first two movies, but I do hope that it now branches out in its own direction.
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Jan 14, 2008 10:36 AM
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So, as I appear to be the oldest here (I am almost 31) and distinctly remember T1, my impression of Sarah then was that she was young and new to the city. Say about nineteen or twenty. Remember when looking at it, the movie came out in 1984, those feathered haircuts made many look older.
Okay, on to my problem, is Sarah always going to be the problem? I mean, never changing their first names, not realizing that changing their make up (staying with the guy) would made them harder to find (three people when everyone is looking for two), and then their last name was Reese? Hello? Like not of the the Terminators would know about Kyle by now?
I have never see T3, but it might not play a huge part, right?
Also, what are the chances that we (and those who saw T3 can correct me), going to mean Kyle Reese?
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Jan 14, 2008 11:04 AM
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I guess I'm the oldest person here, being :shudder: 40. I clearly remember T1 -- it was the only one I've seen. I settled down to watch this show with my 10-year old last night and he wants to watch again tonight. I'll have to rent Ts 1&2 to catch up on the backstory. However, to answer your question, unless T2 changes this, Kyle Reese was killed in 1984... 'cept he was born in 2007 or possible 2008 and sent back to 1984 in 2029. I have no doubt that we will see Kyle Reese if the show stays on the air long enough. Heck, Sarah Connor may deliver him.
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Jan 14, 2008 11:34 AM
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Show has tons of promise and Lord knows we need a good series to watch out here in strikeville, USA. My hope is that they wrap up the transition from the T2 movie ASAP so they can blaze a new trail in the storyline. Also hope they don't get mired down in minutiae and try to turn it into a "Lost" phenomenon. The premise is too familiar to try to do that. Just tell a good story!
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Jan 14, 2008 11:58 AM
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