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RSSSarah gets in one too many gunfights on 'Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles'
Heading into tonight's Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles I was figuring that as this was the show's last episode of the year we'd be getting some sort of big, action-packed, extravaganza. It wasn't quite "action-packed," in fact there was very little action at all, but it was still a pretty good way to close out the year. There were some surprises, some new lines of inquiry, and it left me wondering what next year will bring.
It all began tonight at a UFO convention. Sarah was attending it because she had heard about people seeing UFOs with her three dots mark. She learned there that there was this guy Abraham who had written blog reports about three dot-shaped (sort of anyway) alien drones and how he had been working on some "alien-centric" research on metal alloys that were well beyond what we can build today. Did you hear "possible Terminator metal" there, because I totally did. Sarah certainly heard it and went off with a woman from the UFO convention who promised to tell Sarah more about Abraham.
The mysterious woman took Sarah to, among other places, a diner, where Sarah had a vision of herself seated in the booth opposite her. There was a big knife spinning right in front of vision-Sarah and the words "no fate" scratched into the table. I really like when this series references the earlier movies. I don't need it to dogmatically follow that which came before, but remembering things like that phrase from time to time are nice.
Anyway, Sarah actually was with "Abraham" at the diner. It turned out that the mysterious woman was actually Abraham, just in hiding. Sarah pretty quickly worked that little secret out and then, when pressed, Abraham informed Sarah that she had some of this alien metal in storage.
I know, I know, some weird storage shed somewhere doesn't seem like a particularly safe place to keep alien metal, but I guess when you're a paranoid like Abraham you do what you have to. Of course, Abraham might have wanted to try and secure the alien metal in something a little bit more substantial than a tiny safe. The little safe had been broken into before Abraham and Sarah showed, and the two were shot at on their way out of the storage facility (no, Sarah didn't die, she didn't even get hit, nor did Abraham).
Wanting to know more about where Abraham worked, Sarah brought Abraham to see a hypno-regression therapist that Sarah had met at the UFO convention. The idea was that the therapist would help Abraham "remember" where the lab had been. The only odd thing about that was that Abraham claimed to have never known where the lab was in the first place. Abraham had been taken there in a van with blacked out windows. Okay, so probably Sarah just didn't use the right word there, she didn't want to help Abraham remember where the lab was, so much as what the trip to it had been like, but I still didn't like the way it was put.
In any case, the hypno-regression didn't quite go as planned. An unseen intruder barged in on Abraham and the doctor, killing both of them. Sarah had recorded the conversation however and pieced together the little things that Abraham subconsciously knew about the trip in the van. Sarah went in to the office that was at the end of Abraham's trip and confronted a perfectly nice-seeming heating and cooling installer. She only looked away from him for one quick second, but that was all it took for the guy to shoot her in the leg. Rather than taking Sarah out instantly though, the fool opted to go in for the close kill and got into a little scuffle with Sarah, a scuffle that ended with the HVAC guy getting shot.
A couple of quick visions of herself later, Sarah managed to pull herself back outside into the hot desert sun. Just before she passed out, she saw the three circles of the "alien drone." Is she dead? Of course not, this is her show, but her story did end there tonight.
In John's life, with Mommy gone, Riley was over hanging out at the Connor household. Have I told you that I don't like that girl, that I didn't like her before we knew that Jesse was using her?
Speaking of the lady from the future, after our initial bit of Riley tonight we flash-forwarded many a year and to Jesse meeting a crazy-eyed, wild-haired girl, a girl who looked just like Riley. Wait, she didn't just look like Riley, she was Riley!
Jesse actually brought Riley to the present in order to accomplish Jesse's mission. I guess that explains some things about Riley, but that doesn't mean that I have to like her any more, it just doesn't.
Truthfully, I didn't even like her more after we saw that Jesse has hit Riley and just generally treated her badly. I did however feel bad for her, and that feeling only grew when she tried to commit suicide in John's bathroom. Will she live? I think so, but I wouldn't place money on it.
Lastly, Ellison wanted to quit his John Henry work tonight, but he didn't. Ellison instead tried to keep teaching John Henry right from wrong. That's definitely an uphill battle and I still think one of the most interesting things the show has going on. That story didn't really progress tonight, but every time John Henry and Ellison are talking with one another I'm all ears.
Just a few questions:
- What do we think -- alien drone or Terminator flying machine?
- How about Riley -- is she dead or alive?
- And Jesse -- will we see her get her comeuppance eventually?
The TV and Film Guy's Reviews - we'll never get our comeuppance! Do you hear me -- no comeuppance!!
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I like that they are filling in the backstories for Jesse and Riley and while it may not make Riley anymore symathetic a character at least they are making us understand her purpose to the story. They are also doing it in a believable fashion (at least it is to me).
Any chance that it was Jesse that tried to kill Sarah with "Abraham" just being a red herring? Although with "Abraham" and the hypnotist being killed it makes that theory rather far fetched.
Yes, Riley is annoying but so are Jesse and John. Jesse is annoying to me because of the actress. She's trying too hard to be little Miss Tough Guy. John is more problematic. His continual unwillingness to believe Cameron's analysis of a situation is getting very, very annoying. After what happened in Mexico I would think he wouldn't be so quick to dismiss what Cameron says about Riley.
If this John Connor is mankind's only hope for survival, we're doomed!!
In a previous entry I spoke about the breadth of character development. Well now the writers have allowed the plot to meander uncontrollably. Possibly aliens involved in all this? What next? Oh I know, the locale of the show shifts to the same island of ABC's Lost. Most of these story arcs are inherently complex. Abandon all hope of resolution by the end of TV's spring season. This smacks of a ploy to force the network to renew the show.
Riley's ***ignment is to keep John away from Cameron. Am I right on that? Slashing your wrists seems to be an effective albeit risky way to play to John's attention. Despite our blog host's resentment she's obviously tied in with Jesse. Since Jesse has been identified as belonging to a different time reality, I see a long run for both her and Riley.
Amongst other tidal currents sweeping through the show, are character interactions and influences. All characters seem to be following their own separate game plan, intentionally or unintentionally. They all lie and are duplicitous in their behavior. The last couple of shows have showcased individual performances. Nothing wrong with shifting the emphasis and giving the performers a chance to act. It's just that a lack of co-ordination amongst them doesn't fit with a story who's basis is a unified undertaking.
As the story plays out the influences change. They opened up with the combination right from T2, mother, son and reprogrammed terminator on the run. Wisely, they connected the future with the present by bringing Derek in as a male influence pointing the way. You can see where I'm going with this I'm sure. Now John is saddled with the mothering issue, the incestuous robotic sister and psychotic lady friends. Whew, estrogen overload!
No wonder he's an emotional wreck! A teenage boy, ON THE RUN mind you, is painting his room. I can picture the writer's snickering at us all.
Terminators are, or appear to be, extra-terrestrial aliens?
I want to believe FOX is trying to make Chris Carter, former FOX TV series creator and writer of The X-Files, feel "so last millennium," unneeded and irrelevant that if he ever makes another X-Files movie it'll be dedicated to disillusioned fans and called "The X-Files: I Want To Apologize."
Webtools said it more eloquantly than I would have, though IMO "meander" isn't quite a strong enough word to describe last night's ep. Or if it was it meandered right off the fricken' map. Whatever the hell are these writers smoking they must have got a bad batch, at least when it comes to anything Sarah.
As for Riley I have a question... Jesse said something like "get/keep him away from her". Are we entirely certain that "her" is Cameron or did I miss something specific? I'm just wondering if "her" could mean his hyper-protective mother (again going back to the house party where the mom there was under the son's thumb).
M.
I did like this series but it is starting to become boring. This show Fox renews and Prison Break which is a better show they cancel. They can do so much but they don't.
Fox needs to get new management.
I think "Abraham" was misinterpreting the droid to be an alien. I don't think they are actually saying that there are aliens (maybe I am worng but I don't think so.)
Minotaur -- I ***ume that Jesse meant "her" to be Camron. In past episodes she said something to Derek about it not being good for John to grow up becoming so close to "metal" because in the future he only listens to Camron. It cant be Srah because I don't think he would make it to the future without her protection now.
This series is way too convoluted and confusing now. I'm giving up on it.
Wow! Some of the comments on here are astonishing...were you people high when you watched this episode. The "alien abductees" thought the technology was alien b/c they think everything is somehow alien involved. The showrunners are not trying to make Terminator into X-Files.
Also, Riley didn't slash her wrists to get John's attention, she did it b/c she wanted "out" - she didn't want to be in the fight anymore, and couldn't handle the pressure.
WebTools writes an incredibly involved synopsis of the show, but somehow thinks that aliens are actually involved...the "alien ship" was the base construction of what will become the HK in the future.
Characters are going their own way/acting duplicitly b/c that is what an A-Type person who thinks they are right would do when no one believes in them.
I loved the episode and can't wait for the next.
I watched this finale and the 'Heroes' finale back-to-back. 'Terminator' wins! ['Heroes' was AWFUL!]
This show is WAY more interesting, and tries to keep the character through-line consistent and believable. The plot might wander a bit, but I'm okay with that if it's in service to keeping the characters believable. In a sci-fi show, character integrity is crucial, plot 'neatness' is not.
I like that instead of a big showdown, like the last finale, there was only a quiet tussle between Sarah and some random guy. The real stuff was about Sarah's obsession with Three Dots, John's increasing connection to Riley (which is ultimately going to drive him even closer to Cameron) and Cameron's burgeoning weirdness. She's becoming less of a Terminator, and more of a person, whether anyone realizes it or not.
It looks like Kyle Reese is coming back to the story in some form. That will set up interesting storylines for all the characters. I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out.
I also believe that there's no 'alien' deus ex machina in store. There's just no room for it in the story. I think the flying machine was from the future somehow, or connected to the future of Skynet. Skynet could have easily sent agents to the past to construct the ship.