TV: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

[Munsu]

Okay so I finally caught up and I gotta say I'm really liking what I've seen so far, I've just got one question. Why are they making John's character back into that whiny little emo he was in the beginning of season one. As soon as I saw him cut his hair I said, oh boy here we go again.

Yeah, John still sucks... but he at least looks less like a jackass with his hair cut. I don't think this phase of his will last long, especially after the latest episode. I have hope that within the next two episodes Derek will set him straight and make him become something that ressembles a man (or something close to it). Though I don't think I'll ever like John as long as this actor is playing him, so as I mentioned a while back... I'll simply ignore him.

I liked Cromartie's plan, and the scene with Michelle dying in the van was pretty good I thought.

Riley at the moment sucks too (how bad are the scenes with her and John?). I really hope something really cools happen with her in order to reward me with my patience with her.

Summer still looks hot. And man, how huge is that pregnant Busy Phillips? Is she having 10 babies?

[Abdula]

Yeah, John still sucks... but he at least looks less like a jackass with his hair cut. I don't think this phase of his will last long, especially after the latest episode. I have hope that within the next two episodes Derek will set him straight and make him become something that ressembles a man (or something close to it). Though I don't think I'll ever like John as long as this actor is playing him, so as I mentioned a while back... I'll simply ignore him.

I don't know about that, they all seem to be far too willing to please him and are all afraid to stand up against him about anything for fear that it'll change what he'll become in the future. That scene with him putting Cameron back online in the first episode is a perfect example.

I liked Cromartie's plan, and the scene with Michelle dying in the van was pretty good I thought.

I loved, loved his plan. I was wondering where they were going with him last season with him sparing Ellison and everything but I like the way its playing out and I like that he is finally aggressively pursuing John. Last season it seemed like he was there just for the sake of being there. The scene with Michelle dying was good yeah but I didn't really like the fact that she actually stopped although I completely expected her to.The one where she told Michelle that she expected her to be dead was my favorite.

Riley at the moment sucks too (how bad are the scenes with her and John?). I really hope something really cools happen with her in order to reward me with my patience with her.

Now here we have the character I ignore.

Summer still looks hot. And man, how huge is that pregnant Busy Phillips? Is she having 10 babies?

Yeah I know its ridiculous. They are really overplaying it, if she doesn't have that baby or babies in the next couple episodes then something is seriously wrong.

I'm surprised you didn't mention our T-1001. I like how she is setting things in motion, that was something I hoped to see more of from the series. Shynet sending Terminators back to change the way things are in the future and not just to kill people.

[Munsu]

I don't know about that, they all seem to be far too willing to please him and are all afraid to stand up against him about anything for fear that it'll change what he'll become in the future. That scene with him putting Cameron back online in the first episode is a perfect example.

Well, even though he's still an emo bitch, there's a fundamental difference from him this season and the second season. For better or worse, he's now making decisions for himself instead of just doing what his mother tells him to do (and being a little bitch about it). That's why we see him fooling around with the girlfriend. Why I think the latest episode will have an impact on John and on when he'll finally start to grow up is because he decided to fool around, and because of his fooling around he almost got himself killed. I also think that Michelle's death will have a big impact on him mainly because while he was fooling around, someone that was very important to someone he really cares about died because of him. Seems to me like this will be kidna like the final straw. Anyways, I have high hopes that he'll soon start doing some real military training, with Derek, by his own accord. I think that's what his character has been building to... hitting bottom of lameness in order to realize that he needs to step up.

What a piece of shit paragraph, good luck understanding it.

I loved, loved his plan. I was wondering where they were going with him last season with him sparing Ellison and everything but I like the way its playing out and I like that he is finally aggressively pursuing John. Last season it seemed like he was there just for the sake of being there. The scene with Michelle dying was good yeah but I didn't really like the fact that she actually stopped although I completely expected her to.The one where she told Michelle that she expected her to be dead was my favorite.

I love Garret Dillahunt as a character. In all the places I've seen him he's been awesome, so I'm glad that they're starting to use him more. His plan was quite clever for a Terminator.

I'm with you on the Sarah thing. I hated that she stopped. It would've been 10 times more awesome if she would've have just said to Charley "suck it" and just kept accelarating.

Now here we have the character I ignore.

Yep. I won't comment on her any further or on her scenes with John. Thinking about them makes my head hurts.

Yeah I know its ridiculous. They are really overplaying it, if she doesn't have that baby or babies in the next couple episodes then something is seriously wrong.

Well, the actress is really pregnant so there's no faking it here. That's her real belly.

I'm surprised you didn't mention our T-1001. I like how she is setting things in motion, that was something I hoped to see more of from the series. Shynet sending Terminators back to change the way things are in the future and not just to kill people.

Well, not much to mention at the moment other than that awesome scene in the bathroom. But yeah, it seems like this Terminator series is more of a chess match through time, rather than a closed time loop like the movies suggested at times.

A couple of things of interest... the plane crash with the Terminator hand. The "other one" she wants Ellison to find. Though I didn't like the second episode much (because of the character I don't want to mention any more), I liked the whole nuclear plant dilemma. It was a no win situation.

Cameron seems like she's still fucked up with her chip, and looking at the previews it seems like we'll get a ton of backstory on her... even about her origins.

[Abdula]

Well, even though he's still an emo bitch, there's a fundamental difference from him this season and the second season. For better or worse, he's now making decisions for himself instead of just doing what his mother tells him to do (and being a little bitch about it). That's why we see him fooling around with the girlfriend. Why I think the latest episode will have an impact on John and on when he'll finally start to grow up is because he decided to fool around, and because of his fooling around he almost got himself killed. I also think that Michelle's death will have a big impact on him mainly because while he was fooling around, someone that was very important to someone he really cares about died because of him. Seems to me like this will be kidna like the final straw. Anyways, I have high hopes that he'll soon start doing some real military training, with Derek, by his own accord. I think that's what his character has been building to... hitting bottom of lameness in order to realize that he needs to step up.

Thats just it, I think its going to have a big impact on him and I think he is going to change, I just don't think its going to last. That last sentence is John in a nutshell, the thing is once he steps up its only a matter of time before he becomes complacent again. I remember there was something similar last season when that girl commited suicide.

What a piece of shit paragraph, good luck understanding it.

Perfectly fine really

I love Garret Dillahunt as a character. In all the places I've seen him he's been awesome, so I'm glad that they're starting to use him more. His plan was quite clever for a Terminator.

His plan was brilliant. I figured he was just luring them away from John, but the fake bomb, disabling their car, listening in on their call and then destroying the cell tower. That was just brilliant, I really like seeing more intelligent Terminators rather than the kill everything in your way Terminators from the movies. The only thing I didn't like about the plan is that he made him go to the pier, I don't know why he would pick such a crowded area when he could have met him somewhere with a bit less foot traffic where he would have been easier to spot. Although I guess he picked such a crowded place so that John wouldn't see him coming.

I'm with you on the Sarah thing. I hated that she stopped. It would've been 10 times more awesome if she would've have just said to Charley "suck it" and just kept accelarating.

Really it would have, because they knew she was going to die anyway. Stopping in the middle of the desert when she is bleeding out does not help anything.

Well, the actress is really pregnant so there's no faking it here. That's her real belly.

OMG, you've got to be kidding. I take back what I said.

Well, not much to mention at the moment other than that awesome scene in the bathroom. But yeah, it seems like this Terminator series is more of a chess match through time, rather than a closed time loop like the movies suggested at times.

A couple of things of interest... the plane crash with the Terminator hand. The "other one" she wants Ellison to find. Though I didn't like the second episode much (because of the character I don't want to mention any more), I liked the whole nuclear plant dilemma. It was a no win situation.

Chess match through time is the perfect way to describe it. It was established since the very first movie that the battle against Skynet likewise Skynet's battle against man, isn't won in the future its won in the past. So what they do now determines the outcome, I have no idea why the movies didn't do more with this but I'm glad the series is.

Cameron seems like she's still fucked up with her chip, and looking at the previews it seems like we'll get a ton of backstory on her... even about her origins.

I love this, I didn't really like the fact that they had a Terminator, much less some kinda hybrid one, on their side. Kinda defeats the theme of trying to destroy the machines and I'm loving that as soon as John starts getting too attached to Cameron, they take her away by throwing in a little plot twist, so he can't trust her anymore. And like you mentioned, from the previews it seems like they are not going to just leave it at that either. (See I started a sentence with and)

[TwisT]

I loved this episode. The fact that Cameron is not just a random machine but she is actually based on another human. At first i started to think that Cameron might have been a kind of cyborg or that she somehow was made from Allison and that she had her full memory or something. But it looks like she just got the info from interrogations.

What confuses me though is that she actually thought she was Allison and at that time she actually acted as a human being. She laughed, got happy, got sad. She wasn't just a stiff terminator with a very awkward human behavior. So is that just a unique ability to Cameron (keeps getting back to the fact that the other terminator got an "Unknown model" reading, which indicates she might be a prototype) or does all have it? I would like to think only she has it.

How does it work? Does she have like two different modes? A terminator-mode that is the Cameron we see and a human-mode that was the Allison Young impersonation we just saw?

Also it looked like she actually remembers that she is supposed to kill John even when he's around her. That she's acting "reprogrammed". Or do you guys think she forgot about that after that conversation? Or that the reprogramming took over at some point?

No wonder Cameron is the best. I haven't felt this excited after watching a TSCC-episode except the S1 finale. And this might actually even be better then that. An episode with so little action (if you can even call any of it action) and it was actually this good.

I have no clue about the ratings other then that the premiere had a bad rating. Would be nice if anyone would share info on this. But i so do hope it has gotten better. Really want this one to get a season 3.

[Munsu]

I loved this episode. The fact that Cameron is not just a random machine but she is actually based on another human. At first i started to think that Cameron might have been a kind of cyborg or that she somehow was made from Allison and that she had her full memory or something. But it looks like she just got the info from interrogations.

What confuses me though is that she actually thought she was Allison and at that time she actually acted as a human being. She laughed, got happy, got sad. She wasn't just a stiff terminator with a very awkward human behavior. So is that just a unique ability to Cameron (keeps getting back to the fact that the other terminator got an "Unknown model" reading, which indicates she might be a prototype) or does all have it? I would like to think only she has it.

How does it work? Does she have like two different modes? A terminator-mode that is the Cameron we see and a human-mode that was the Allison Young impersonation we just saw?

First, we saw that Cameron wasn't simply learning from Allison by interrogation. She was treating her as a lab rat, testing how she would act and behave in certain situations. When Allison is trying to escape, she's still in a controlled environment... she was led to believe she could escape to be able to study her.

The other thing you need to remember is that Cameron's chip is currently fucked up. So the way I look at it, is that Cameron inside her has a program that enables her to imitate to perfection this Allison person. There was some sort of glitch that caused that specific program to take over. So I really don't see Cameron as being as human as it was made out to be, it's simply that this "Allison program" started running by itself without Cameron's control. Because it would be one thing to have Cameron's program access this other program or whatever to imitate Allison. It's another to have that Allison program somehow takeover Cameron. So I don't see it as there being two modes. I see it as Cameron having one main program and various others that she can access in order to perform certain tasks. I see it as a program suddenly going rogue.

I parallel this situation to the "sometimes they go bad thing". It's pretty much the same phenomenon. An underlying program overtakes another.

Another good thing from this episode is that we really don't see that angsty John, but see a more angry one. I think that's a step in the right direction.

As for the ratings, they have been quite bad. Second episode had worse ratings than the premiere, 3rd episode went up from the 2nd episode a little bit. One good thing is that the DVR viewings (which the numbers came out for the first episode yesterday) were quite good. For that particular week, Terminator was 3rd in DVR viewers behind Fringe and Bones. But ratings are still the main thing networks look at.

Prison Break isn't performing well. Monday Night Football has had some record breaking viewership, so that hurts. A hurricane 1 or 2 weeks or so left 8 markets or so without power. It's like the universe is working against Terminator.

So, we only have one more episode before Terminator goes on a 1 month break because FOX is airing MLB Playoffs. Hopefully this break will help the show somehow. It can give an illusion of "premiere" when it returns (hopefull next episode is a very strong one). Maybe they can have a ton of advertising, promos, commericals, during the playoffs. People will have the time to catch-up to the latest episodes, etc.

We'll see. I'm not overly worried, but things are not looking that hot at the moment.

[Abdula]

I didn't particularly like this episode, the scenes with Sarah in the hospital were kinda boring and I don't think the whole thing with Allison was significant, other than the fact that they mentioned that not all the machines want to exterminate the humans. Which made me think they would put them in an exhibit in a zoo or something which I don't think is any better than just being killed. I enjoyed Ellison's dialogue with Weaver but then again I enjoy anything with Ellison.

John definitely seems to be getting more serious and from the previews it seems like you're going to get what you wanted Munsu, Derek training John to be a soldier. Speaking of Derek, why was there no Derek this episode?

Like you I'm not too worried about Terminator being terminated but Fox does have a tendency to just pull the plug on things and the surprisingly bad ratings are making me kinda nervous.

[Munsu]

Yeah, the Sarah scenes sucked. We'll see where it goes from here with having a cop for a neighbor. I also get the feeling that they're building up these characters to die or something.

They might be correct in not wanting to exterminate all humans (that's why there has always been work camps in the Terminator universe), but I don't buy the whole "some want peace" thing. It was really a lie that "Cameron" was telling Allison in order to gather information of John's camp, else she wouldn't have killed Allison nor would've mentioned that she's going to kill John when she finds him.

Next episode looks action packed.

[Assassin]

I wonder what sort of significance Allison has/had to john in the future. Cameron said that both the machines and john had picked her...and the fact that cameron later goes on to infiltrate the camp and john reprograms her instead of destroying her seems to imply him and allison had a romantic relationship.

It makes you wonder though, if that is the case, did john like allison because as a kid he had met cameron who was created in the future and based on an adolecent allison? its a fucked up paradox.

[Munsu]

I really doubt it's a romantic relationship... I mean, John Connor has like 26 years on her. I doubt that's the case. It's plausible, but... I really don't see John having this sort of relationship with someone that young.

[Ryllharu]

Isn't it more of a situation where there's huge, glaring, time parodoxes? They mentioned something similar in the third movie (not going to spoil).

[Ignore any continuity errors in the following paragraph. It is supposed to be a paradox]
If John has some sort of familiarity with Cameron's appearance as a Terminator, much like he had with the older model (the T-101) it would be useful to create a terminator with the appearance of that model sent into the past. Still, in the Future Time before John sends Cameron the Terminator back, John (sympathetic human that he is) brings Allison close into his circle because she physically resembles the terminator Cameron. Skynet makes this connection, and creates a terminator for the purpose of becoming Allison. This Terminator later becomes Cameron after John captures it, and reprograms it. It is then sent into the past, starting the whole cycle.

The paradox being that these two causalities must occur at the same time.


I think I just popped something in my brain...

[Munsu]

Thing is that the tv show, unlike the movies, don't seem to work in a closed loop. What this means is that John was never familiar with the Cameron Terminator design. We know this because of how Judgement Day had been pushed back. In the timeline from which future John is operating, there was no Cameron sent to the past, so he was never familiar with her model.

I could be wrong about this, but that's what I assume at the moment.

[Abdula]

I have to agree with Munsu, things just wouldn't make sense otherwise and would just become way too convoluted and I don't think that situation we saw a couple episodes ago with them sending someone back to stop Skynet from taking over the power plant would have been possible otherwise.

[Munsu]

Even though I didn't like the whole hospital thing, after thinking about it, I'm seeing it now from a different perspective and it's not that bad. I actually liked how Sarah became at the end a complete manipulator, and it's interesting to see how she's doing it to someone who she's starting to think of as a friend. Someone that she can relate to because of being a single mom.

But, at the end of the episode, you see Sarah manipulating her towards being a single mom, in order to prevent her from getting together with the cop boyfriend. A cop boyfriend who seems like a really cool/good guy, so Sarah is being a total bitch to her. She's clearly not thinking of her best's interests and her happiness, but her own. I also liked how she told her "I'll always be here for you", when we know that's a complete lie, completely bullshit. It was nice to see this side of Sarah after her horrible emotional mistakes in the previous episodes.

So from that side of it, the hospital scenes aren't half bad. Though still, I'm an action guy.

For those interested, here's a campaign to save the show:
http://tsccsociety.proboards52.com/i...oard=bonestscc

[itadakimasu]

I'm wondering if cameron was there the whole time watching them fight the terminator and doing nothing about it... thats how it looked.

no ep next week : (

[Munsu]

Last episode was awesome, one of my favorites of the whole series.

I wonder the same thing about Cameron. There are no episodes until November, when the MLB Playoffs are over.

Edit: Looks like FOX changed their plans... there's now an episode October 20. I remember a while back that they had planned to put Terminator off after the 5th episode until November.

[Munsu]

Sorry for the double post, but I have great news.... the show has been picked up for a full season. Fox just ordered the back 9 episodes, so we'll now have 22 episodes this season. Hopefully the ratings and viewership increases so that we get more seasons:
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/10/17...hronicles/6439

So all you Nielsen motherfuckers, and you fuckers with DVR's start watching and recording.

[Assassin]

so, whats the deal with reese's gf? any thoughts?

and how about the turk, and the joke...things are moving along nicely.

[Ryllharu]

There's two options in my mind of what Reese's girlfriend will do. But she's a traitor either way.

- It's possible that she was telling the truth, that she bribed someone inside John's Organization to send her back, but now she plans on stopping John for some shallow, stupid reason. "He trusts machines too much," or something stupid like that.

- More insidious, she's completely lying. Skynet captured her during the assault she was injured in, and made a deal with her. Skynet would send her back, and she could enjoy the easy lifestyle of pre-Judgment Day, provided she kill John. She already feels betrayed, so it wouldn't be too hard to tempt someone like that. It also is a rather ingenious plan by Skynet, since John and Sarah are always expecting machines to come after them. If there is someone they know is human, they might drop their guard.

[Assassin]

i like the second possibility, although it would be a little cliche if it happened. still, would be fun to see. but i dont think sarah will ever drop her guard, human or machine. she was wary of reese even, and they're related.