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« Roush Dispatch
Terminator: Struck Down Too Soon
Thomas Dekker, Brian Austin Green and Lena Headey in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles by Richard Foreman/Fox
Well, that was frustrating. I know it was Johnny Cash we heard underscoring the ill-fated FBI raid in the season's final hour of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (part of Monday's premature two-hour cliff-hanger), but darned if I didn't hear Carol Burnett in my head: "Seems we just get started and before you know it…. "
I was not ready to say so long just yet to TV's Terminator, a prominent casualty of the writers' strike, having completed only nine of the original 13-episode order. While it's far from a perfect series, this has been an engrossing, exciting (if often confusing) ride so far. I'm hoping it comes back next season at least for 13. It's too bad it never got a chance to air alongside 24, as originally intended. That would have been one rock-em-sock-em Monday of smart action TV.
For me, this show kicked into high gear midstream with the arrival from the future of Brian Austin Green as Derek Reese: brother of Kyle, uncle of John Connor, all-around hardened and ruthless soldier, who makes even Sarah think twice about how far she's willing to go in her war against the machines. (Suddenly, 90210 seems like a very distant zip code indeed.) His instant dislike and distrust of CamBot has made for some first-rate conflict on the home front, and I'm sure it's not just me who's noticed that his lingering looks at Sarah convey a bit of lust under the heroine worship. (And not just because she confronted him in the shower.) Plus, Derek was responsible for the single most memorable moment in the two-hour finale, when he gives John the birthday present of seeing his dad in the flesh: albeit a 5-year-old present-day version of Kyle, playing ball with his big brother Derek (foreshadowing another brotherly game played in the shadow of the looming apocalypse on Judgment Day, an image that opened the final episode).
I'd be lying if I said I understood everything going on here. I'd also be lying if I said that it mattered. This is a show with a forceful mission, and I'm onboard as long as it can pull off sequences as masterful and inventive as the underwater pool shot during the FBI raid, with body after bloody body plunging into the water as we hear muffled echoes of the carnage above the surface.
Moments like that distinguish SCC from just another chase thriller, just as Agent Ellison's readings from Revelations — the Terminators as the new horsemen of the apocalypse? — give the show unusual metaphorical depth, at times veering unexpectedly into Battlestar Galactica territory. I'm not saying SCC is as good as BSG, just that nine hours of this story wasn't nearly enough.
For a more in-depth analysis of the finale than I could ever hope to provide, check out Robert Ivins' show blog.
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Mar 4, 2008 11:31 AM
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very uneven show, need to fix the pacing, and need to cut out that high school melodrama
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Mar 4, 2008 12:39 PM
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very uneven show, need to fix the pacing, and need to cut out that high school melodrama
Totally disagree! It's the highschool melodrama that brings this show down to earth. Without the "real world" hooks, this show would just be another BSG, not that this is a bad thing!
As far as pacing goes, I have absolutely no complaints - especially after last nights extremely dramatic two hour faux finale.
Fox - we need a season 2!!
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Mar 4, 2008 12:54 PM
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Well, I was really enjoying SCC. I wasn't sure if I would like it or not (especially after the Bionic Woman fiasco), but it definitely hooked me.
I've never been a fan of Brian Austin Green, but I'm liking him as Derek Reese.
I hope it comes back next season!
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Mar 4, 2008 1:25 PM
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Even though I have yet (I've recorded it for my weekend viewing) to see last night's two hour finale. I couldn't resist making a comment, if not on last night's episode, the show in general then. I agree that we 've got to have a second bite at the apple. We need a season 2. It just wouldn't be fair to us (hooked) viewers not to have one. I wasn't crazy at first about BAG being cast as Derek. But I'm getting used to it, because he seems to be pulling it off. Also, that Lena Headey woman, in my opinion is doing a fine job as SC especially when you look at how the character is written (a slightly softer sarah). Taking a look at the "Cambot" character... What's up with that?... Is this some kind of socialization software upgrade? Will we see her succeeding in blending in with humans more smoothly thanks to better code? Real emotions developing perhaps? I find this very interesting.
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Mar 4, 2008 1:49 PM
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I have been totally digging TTSCC. I have been very impressed with Brian Austin Green's performance. I agree 90210 is a very distant zip code now. I hope FOX renews this show. I became engrossed with NBC's Bionic Woman just to get disappointed with its cancellation.
I do have a question. What was the deal with the blonde girl who always wore long sleeves? When John said they were neighbors because she was from Wichita, why did she totally freak and quickly say he was mistaken? I never understood that plot point.
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Mar 4, 2008 1:57 PM
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I've randomly seen bits and pieces of this show, and I have to say I'm just not excited about it at all. I really, really disliked the Johnny Cash soundtrack about the whirlwind/apocalypse as the FBI raid went on. The lyrics were a good fit, but the tune seemed really off to me. Maybe a Marilyn Manson cover of Cash would have fit this better? I also thought about BSG during the montage, but the word "wannabe" came to mind. Showing the dead FBI agents as faceless victims is kind of old hat, even when the shot is gorgeous. BSG knocks it out of the park when they make you care about the dead good guys AND the bad guys. I'm not hating the show. It just makes me want to watch other, better shows instead.
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Mar 4, 2008 2:11 PM
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What was the deal with the blonde girl who always wore long sleeves?
I wondered the same thing, and my only guess was that the girl and her family were in some type of "witness protection". She seemed very frightened when John inquired about her and her past. Seems like they might have a lot in common.
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Mar 4, 2008 2:18 PM
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Matt, I was afraid that I was going to come here and read that the show had been canceled. You TV Guide writers have got to stop with the misleading titles. 
I'm not "in love" with this show--yet--but I do enjoy it a lot. I like BAG in his role more than I thought I would, and would love to see the show come back and flesh things out further. I haven't watched the finale yet, but will be doing so as soon as I can.
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Mar 4, 2008 2:40 PM
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I think gaining 800K plus for the finale should help.
I think the biggest hurdle for this show is how much it costs to make.
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Mar 4, 2008 2:40 PM
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I really wish people would stop comparing shows such as TTSCC and BSG - it is so annoying! Shows should be evaluated on their own merit.
I really like this show and the cast is wonderful. The addition of Brian Austin Green was a great idea! He brings a frightening remoteness that Sarah hasn't quite reached yet. I think she sees her future self in his blank eyes and it really bothers her. It's as though emotionally, he's as cold as the machines.
I hope this show gets a season 2 to really prove itself!
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Mar 4, 2008 3:16 PM
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Glad to see the BSG comment. I was beginning to think I was crazy as I kept seeing the similarity to BSG yet no one ever acknowledged the similar themes. I don't mean to "compare" TSCC to BSG except to remark on their similar themes - man vs machine and the whole blurred dividing line between species and/or machines. I find it fascinating in this time of religious fundamentalism where a sizable portion of the world seems to think this planet is ours for the plundering and that humans are somehow unique in the universe (and only humans that believe a certain way at that). Admiral Adama summed it up in the mini-sreies when he questioned not whether humans survive but rather if they deserve to survive and if so what can they morally and ethically do to further that survival - is anything game (torture, rendition, denial of basic human rights)? These common themes of both shows (although perhaps a little more beneath the surface in TSCC) is what elevates these two shows above the common Sci-Fi alien-fest and demonstrates the true power of Sci-Fi. Please Fox, for once make the right decision (previous track record is not encouraging) and renew TSCC.
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Mar 4, 2008 3:59 PM
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is there anything substantive we can do to help ensure the show's survival?
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Mar 4, 2008 7:34 PM
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I agree, Matt. This show really hooked me with the addition of BAG, whose wry smile hides a disturbing remoteness (I think somebody else used that word) that makes the Connors really understand the stakes they are playing for. I found the season finale to be truly entertaining ... and in two hours, I never once glanced at the clock to see if it was almost over.
I love Summer Glau as the Terminator and find her both freaky and fascinating. Plus, whenever the writers allow John to show what talents he has (rather than whining about things), he illustrates why he may be humankind's savior.
Also, regarding the girl that John was talking to and why that plot point was not addressed, it's likely because there were at least 4 more episodes scheduled before they were derailed by the strike. I'm sure there would have been more answers.
FOX, please give us a Season 2. The cast, crew AND the audience deserve it. I will be very sad if this show is canceled.
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Mar 4, 2008 8:14 PM
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Couldn't agree with the original post more... the show really picked up after the introduction of the Brian Austin Green character. That is a big statement from me, as I absolutely loathed him going back to his "David Silver" 90210 days. This is the second show in a row that BAG has been a standout in. He briefly appeared on the horrendous "Freddie" starring Freddie Prinze, Jr., and was the only redeeming character on the show. He was kind of a precursor to the genius that is Neil Patrick Harris' "Barney" from HIMYM, with much less in the smarts department. Here, he switches it up again to play a ruthless hard-a$$ that plants a seed of doubt in the Connors about how much to trust Cameron.
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Mar 5, 2008 1:41 AM
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