(S02E14) After a two-month break, The Sarah Connor Chronicles returned to kick off the final nine episodes of the season (series?). Last December's mid-season ender, "Earthlings Welcome Here," was high on mystery and good character moments, but it felt a little drab, especially after all of the exciting developments of the previous five episodes. "The Good Wound" was more absorbing, and it reminded me a lot of the original Terminator movie. The stakes were high, but almost every scene felt quiet and intimate. The return – if you can call it that – of one of the first film's classic characters had a lot to do with that intimate feeling. Click through for the spoilery details.
The series' return reminded me that creator/producer Josh Friedman is more interested in character development, mythology, and crafting a good story than delivering big explosions or gun battles. TSCC is much more than just an action show -- it's one of the best genre shows on TV. Last December, we left Sarah bleeding in the desert after she found a warehouse that was possibly linked to SkyNet and the "three dots." We picked up almost right where we left off, with Sarah physically and emotionally beaten and, of course, risking her life to protect her son, John Connor.
I thought Lena Headey was particularly good in this episode. She made me feel for Sarah and her plight. Her tender moments with Phantom Kyle Reese (Jonathan Jackson) helped break up the tension going on in the operating room. Of course, Kyle wasn't there only to blow kisses at Sarah. Like in the original film, the character served as her teacher and protector. Just when Sarah was ready to give up – possibly thinking "I'm just a waitress, what the hell am I doing?" – Kyle showed up to remind her that she was a soldier in a war that doesn't allow for second-guessing.
Patchy beard aside, I liked Jackson as Kyle Reese. Like Michael Biehn in the original film, he was boyish, compassionate and militaristic all at the same time. He seemed to be missing that edgy intensity from the film, but that's forgivable, especially since a killer Arniebot wasn't hunting him down this time. It was disappointing to find out that Kyle only existed in Sarah's mind, but that might change soon.
John and Cameron didn't do much in this ep. We mostly sat in with Sarah and Dr. Felicia, who had some domestic trouble of her own with Connor "Trip" Trinneer. One of the more interesting developments in this episode was the quick evolution of John Henry.
I'm glad we didn't lose Garret Dillahunt after Cromartie was put down. The actor knows just how far to push the crazy to make us like him and fear him. It seems like only a matter of time until John Henry becomes pure evil. He's got access to the Internet – bad. He's having way too much fun playing with robot toys – bad (but funny!). And he's already talking about imperfections with the human design – bad. I don't think Ellison will be able to tame him.
I like how Weaverbot's relationship with John Henry now parallels Sarah and John's relationship. Weaver is now a "mother" who's living to protect her "son." We saw how far she would go to protect him, and the future he represents, in this episode. I couldn't count how many people she killed at the warehouse -- and she did it all without blinking! I'm finally warming up to Shirley Manson in this role. She was more of a non-presence when the season began, but she's helped develop Weaver into a creepy and quirky killing machine. I look forward to seeing her – and her nine-foot long razor arms – in action again.
So Riley slashed her wrists in an attempt to gain sympathy from John? Not likely. Here are Riley's two options in life: Live a lie and manipulate everyone around you for some dubious purpose or let Jesse strangle you to death. I can see why she might be a little suicidal. She seemed happy to go home with Jesse in the end, but how will she explain her escape from the hospital to John?
The Connors have a new mission – to find out the truth behind the warehouse Weaver blew up. I'm looking forward to the trail leading them closer to Weaver and John Henry. I love the drama, mystery and quiet character moments in this series, but I'd really love to see Cameron and Weaver throw down soon. It's been too long since we've seen Cameron in a big bloody action sequence. Let's hope it happens before the season ends.
Other observations:
- Kyle noticing the scar on Sarah's shoulder left by the T-1000, a nod to T2, was a nice touch.
- Was it only me, or did anyone else notice that Kyle seemed to be pushing Sarah closer to Derek? I'm no shipper, but it would be interesting to see Sarah and Derek get romantically involved.
- Did anyone else think the urinal was going to morph into Shirley Manson again? I'm glad it didn't happen.
- It was good to see Connor Trinneer (Enterprise, Stargate Atlantis) again. This is the second time an actor from one of my favorite sci-fi franchises has played a cop on Sarah Connor. The first was Roswell's Nick Wechsler in the pilot.
- Is that an actual toy line John Henry was talking about/playing with? If so, I want 'em all.
Gossip Girl' Show & Cast Photos
Actress Leighton Meester attends the Gotham Magazine Leighton Meester cover party at Marquee on September 27, 2008 in New York City.
Duffy-Marie Arnoult/WireImage.com
Actress Leighton Meester attends the Gotham Magazine Leighton Meester cover party at Marquee on September 27, 2008 in New York City.
Duffy-Marie Arnoult/WireImage.com
Leighton Meester attends the Gotham Magazine/Leighton Meester Event sponsored by Jose Cuervo Platino at Marquee Nightclub on September 27, 2008 in New York City.
Brian Ach/WireImage.com
Leighton Meester attends the Gotham Magazine/Leighton Meester Event sponsored by Jose Cuervo Platino at Marquee Nightclub on September 27, 2008 in New York City.
Brian Ach/WireImage.com
Leighton Meester attends the Gotham Magazine/Leighton Meester Event sponsored by Jose Cuervo Platino at Marquee Nightclub on September 27, 2008 in New York City.
Brian Ach/WireImage.com
Leighton Meester attends a Gotham Magazine celebration at Marquee on September 27, 2008 in New York City.
Michael N. Todaro/FilmMagic.com
Leighton Meester attends a Gotham Magazine celebration at Marquee on September 27, 2008 in New York City.
Michael N. Todaro/FilmMagic.com
Blake Lively on location for "Gossip Girl" on September 22, 2008 in New York City.
Bobby Bank/WireImage.com
Cynthia Sparer, Dr. Herbert Pardes, Leighton Meester, Alex Cohen and Pamela W. Barnes attend the Kids for Kids celebrity carnival benefiting the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation at the Park Avenue Armory on September 20, 2008 in New York City.
Jason Kempin/WireImage.com
Actress Leighton Meester attends the Kids for Kids celebrity carnival benefiting the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation at the Park Avenue Armory on September 20, 2008 in New York City.
Jason Kempin/WireImage.com
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. on 'Faces of America' and the Beer Summit
Six Reasons Why '24' Has Jumped the You-Know-What
The Super Bowl Commercials: The Best
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
2-14-2009 @ 4:57PM
joe said...
Those toys are one of the Lego lines called Bionicle: http://bionicle.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
Reply
2-19-2009 @ 11:30PM
Mike Moody said...
Thanks. Now i know what to ask the wife for on my b-day (which is in March if anybody cares) ... crickets ...
2-14-2009 @ 5:29PM
cgar said...
i really hope they don't cancel this show. great episode last night!
Reply
2-16-2009 @ 10:00AM
Sohrab Simani said...
I've been watching this show from the beginning and I have to say that's its getting weak. This episode was awfully slow and barely moved any plots along.
Didn't they check with Grey's Anatomy to see how an audience reacts to bringing back a dead person? They DESTROYED the mystique of Kyle Reese. Not sure if I can forgive that.
2-14-2009 @ 5:40PM
robert said...
i'm glad the return of kyle reese wasn't as cheesy as i thought it might be.
i kind of liked the fact that kyle was wearing the same clothes from the original movie and the haircut wasn't too far off but that patchy facial hair really bothered me.
Reply
2-14-2009 @ 6:37PM
Karen said...
I liked that you didn't really see the "badness" of Connor Trineer's character coming at first - he seemed so cool, I thought they were leading up to him becoming one of the good-guy regulars or something. And it was great to see Jon Jackson again - he's one of those great actors that can just say it all with his eyes, just quietly excellent, you know? And kudos to Lena Headey, really, really good acting on her part as well. I'm still having a little trouble coming to care about the kid who's SUPPOSED to be the heart of the show; but the rest of the cast is so good, and the writing is so good, it doesn't bother me much.
Reply
2-14-2009 @ 8:31PM
bruce said...
I've concluded that (former) agent Ellison is one of the dumbest people alive in the universe of Terminator: TSCC. I'll put aside the fact that I think all extremely religious people are idiots, but it's striking that he thinks "religion" is the solution to self-aware supermachines taking over the world and destroying mankind. He probably wants it to happen - it's the Rapture and he "Knows" that he'll be going to heaven. But what really shocks me is that he's the one person outside of the Connor family who has both the knowldge of the impending Judgment Day (he's read Sarah Connor's file and he had previously mocked her killer robot/Skynet/kill us all theory as wacky delusions of a crazy woman) and actual first-hand confirmation that the killer Skynet robots about which Sarah Connor speaks do, in fact, exist (and kill people).
So what does Ellison do? He goes to work for someone who is building a supercomputer and actually fixing/re-engineering/developing Terminator killer-robots. And even though Ellison has seen that terminators can look like real people (including the one that looked just like himself!), the thought that Weaver is an evil robot never crosses his mind. He's perfectly happy to be a pawn for Skynet because he's got the magical Jesus.
If Ellison is going to be this stupid, the show needs to have him killed off. Overtly religious characters are not needed in T:TSCC, and it's my understanding that it was not intended that Agent Ellison ever be religious - Richard T. Jones, the actor, is a Jesus-freak and they let him inject "faith" into his character, existing plot notwithstanding.
The single biggest advantage that computers have over humans is their lack of faith. Computers don't decide to believe 1 plus 1 equals 3 because it makes them feel warm and fluffy inside. If the writers are going to include a religious character in TSCC, they should take the time to show that the character's faith is a weakness not shared by Skynet. That being said, Ellison is both the most religious and most stupid character on the show, and maybe his faith is what's causing him to act irrationally. Is Ellison putting all human life in danger by assisting the development of Skynet so he can feel good about himself by trying to spread Jesus to the robots?
Reply
2-14-2009 @ 9:26PM
Ric Kaysen said...
Personally, I'm an aetheist, but after reading your hate filled screed, even I want to pray for you.
2-14-2009 @ 8:47PM
Alana said...
Great writeup on a wonderful episode. I was highly impressed with all the references to T2 in this ep, and especially enjoyed all the character development we got. I know the episode was shy on John and Cameron, but what we did get was important, in my opinion. John is finally realizing that Cameron knows a lot more about him than he does about her, and it's in his best interest to ask her opinion occasionally. Also, it's about time Cameron stood up to him and told him when he was making stupid decisions.
I'm looking forward to the remaining eight episodes. I expect John to grow up and start to act like the general he's supposed to grow into.
Thanks again for the great writeup. This is my favorite show on television, even moreso than Lost, and I hope it stays on the air. Be brave, Fox. Stick with this.
Reply
2-14-2009 @ 9:45PM
bruce said...
How come I can't insult religion without it being "hate speech"? The worst thing I said was "I think all extremely religious people are idiots" and the rest of my post was analysis of the character of Agent Ellison on the show, a character whom I think is incredibly stupid. I can't think a religious character is stupid because that amounts to hatred? I didn't even use the word "hate" once. Your refusal to listen to my ideas without responding with allegations of hatred and intolerance is nothing more than intolerance in and of itself.
Get over it. There is nothing wrong (and everything right) with criticizing and insulting religion and faith. But that's not even what my previous post was about. I was criticizing the character of agent Ellison on TSCC for being an ignorant moron. At this point in the show's plot, Ellison, moreso than any other character, is doing more to bring about Judgment Day and the rise of SkyNet.
It was probably ill advised of the humans who survived Skynet's nuclear holocaust to call the day of Skynet's attack "Judgment Day" because many religious people are eagerly looking forward to Judgment Day (or whatever their own religion calls it). Once timetravel comes into play, this is critical. What if Skynet wins because some born-again Christians intentionally helped Skynet because they wanted nothing more than to be alive for the rapture so they can fly up to heaven and be with Jesus, yadda yadda. "Newkyular (sic) apocalypse is a means to an end, praise Christ."
Note to self: start writing own sci-fi book.
Reply
2-14-2009 @ 10:18PM
Diego M said...
i agree with you on ur ellison analysis.
His faith is his main weaknesses right now and is being shown as a strength as weaver comes to him to ask him to help teach john henry morals after the way he let the psychologist die.
but he won't be spared by the robots when he is no longer useful or goes agaisnt them. i am surprised weaver is lettin him live this far. i wish he was dead he no longer contributes anything to the plot. john henry now has the internet to teach him anything he wants to know.
i love this show though, i wished it was 2 hours long last night although dollhouse was pretty good.
2-14-2009 @ 10:45PM
bsgfan2003 said...
Hi Bruce-
I wish I would have responded earlier. I read your SCC posts that season and liked them. (Full disclosure: I love Jesus, am Catholic, so no rapture for me, and I hope you don't think I'm an idiot ;)
I am in agreement with you that Ellison is not a smart character. It was folly to dig up Cromartie, among other things. Let sleeping/dead Terminators lie is my motto.
Interesting that you wrote that you think that computers lack of faith is an advantage over humans. I believe that human faith is an advantage. Real Believers in any faith/cause can be a very powerful force.
I am not sure what the current state of AI is, but as a person of faith, I believe there is no sanctification without sacrifice. If you were hurt Bruce, I would commit myself wholeheartedly to helping you, as my faith instructs, and as I would feel called to do. No change of programming could stop me. AI or computer programming can be changed easily, but real faith cannot be squashed.
Anyways, all the best to you, I hope you take this post in the best possible spirit it is intended!
2-14-2009 @ 10:49PM
bsgfan2003 said...
that should read "last season" not "that season".
2-14-2009 @ 10:13PM
J. said...
Damn, why'd they have to kill off Trip so soon?
Reply
2-14-2009 @ 11:58PM
Malren said...
I LOVED almost every moment of this episode. I could use a bit more action but if a show has to be slow, this is the way to do it. Everything meant something, there were wonderful callbacks to the past, it was really well written from top to bottom. Hedley
Now, about Shirley Manson. she is horrible. One of the worst actresses to ever be on screen. She needs to be replaced immediately. Her Terminator should simply model itself after someone else and tell the employees that Catherine Weaver was fired or died in a plane crash or moved to Mexico.
Reply
2-15-2009 @ 12:05AM
Malren said...
Uhh...forgot to finish a sentence....Hedley was great and really made me believe she is Sarah. I've been loathe to accept her as Sarah Connor, but she's making the role her own and this episode she really shined.
2-15-2009 @ 12:22AM
tv junkie said...
the urinals as the foreshadow to Weaver's massacre was a really nice touch. i personally don't have problems with Shirley Manson's acting because she'll always be the lead singer of Garbage to me, and, honestly, she's playing a robot, so it's totally fine if she's a bit unnatural.
i really hope there's some closure by the end of the season because i'm afraid the end is near, the drop in rating was pretty bad, probably not a good idea to premiere shows on friday the 13th...
Reply
2-15-2009 @ 1:42AM
Dwacon said...
No one has commented on John Connor's stupidity (or maybe naiveté) with the foster child from the future...
Overall... a good episode and nice to see "Trip Tucker" in a show where he doesn't get an erection rubbing Dr. Phlox's gel on a Vulcan.
Oh... and I don't mind the religious elements (born again) although I would be interested to see how a supercomputer should "compute" a concept such as faith.
Maybe the golden rule might turn out as "Terminate others before they terminate you" ???
Reply
2-15-2009 @ 2:22AM
La-Di-Dah said...
I really enjoyed the Sarah Connor/Kyle Reese moments too. Intimate and very well done. (I hope they don't "ship" Derek together with Sarah).
Reply
2-15-2009 @ 12:38PM
Chet said...
The new Kyle stinks. Sorry, he has NOTHING of the original. Did he even watch the 1984 movie, or does he think he has the presence to "make it his own?" I hope we never see him again.
The lesbian-lost-puppy aspect of Riley is heartbreaking. Poor girl.
Reply