TV Review – Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Monday, April 13th, 2009
“I believe that someone, something, wants this world to burn.” Sarah Conner spoke these words in the season (probably series) finale of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles titled “Born to Run.” And the biggest thing we learn from the finale, is that someone is not who we think.
“Born to Run” was an episode that showed what this show was meant to be: a story about the future leader of the resistance, his mother and his protector. I don’t think many will disagree when I say that so many episodes of T:SCC fell short this season. Most of them revolved around Sarah Connor. This show excelled when it dealt with the dynamic of John and his mother and protector, and of the mystery that surrounds the beautiful but deadly Catherine Weaver. This final episode encompassed all of that, as well as answered so many questions. Yet just enough were left unanswered to keep the audience from feeling spoon fed the finale. And on the incredible long shot that the series is picked up for a third season, there is possibly more story to tell.
Erroneous characters like Jesse and Riley added story that in the end didn’t do much to further the overall arc. If nothing else, they were tools used to make John stand up and start becoming the leader he is destined to be. But even in that vein, it went on longer than was nece
ssary.
Extraneous characters started dropping like flies over the last few episodes, and it was done absolutely perfectly. Riley’s death was necessary, Jesse’s disappearance added intrigue (is she dead or not?), Charley’s death added to character growth,and Derek’s death was sudden and painful (hello, Wash all over again!). And each did more to further the story than a single episode that revolved around Sarah’s three stupid dots ever did.
This finale was utterly brilliant with spots of comedy (”I’m sure you’ve considered he can roll any number he wants.”), action, and superb homages to the original films. Jeffrey Pierce’s (Charlie Jade) T-888 going into a gun store and Summer Glau’s Cameron taking out a police station were done in such a way that they nodded to the films, yet still made each scene their own.
Also, characters from previous episodes were brought in and used to add authenticity to the series. Father Bonilla returns as a
n intermediary between mother and son. Just as he sheltered them in the season two opener, he helped them again. Chola returns as the strong and finally not-so-silent aide to the Conners, giving some advice to John and Cameron from Sarah.
We can’t talk about the finale without mentioning Catherine Weaver and John Henry. Catherine (Shirley Manson) became a favorite character of mine simply for the fact she always seemed to be learning, yet was always one step ahead of everyone else. She was ambiguous at best, deadly at worst. And the moment we realize that she is in charge of helping to stop SkyNet and that John Henry is a vital tool to that end, the series achieved its potential. That reveal mad
e everything click into place.
Speaking of John Henry, I do want to take a moment to applaud Garret Dillahunt. These are the performances that are overlooked because they “just sci-fi shows.” His transformation from cheesy out-of-work actor, to deadly terminator, to child-like fascination were so subtle they were flawless. He brought a heart to John Henry that didn’t belong. His brutal honesty matched Catherine’s coolness and the scenes between the two were always charged with intensity.
But to return to the episode itself, the ending was much more along the lines I like. Answers with a side of equivocation. John Henry scraps Cameron for parts. Catherine takes John to the future to take his role among the resistance, then disappears. John sees his father face-to-face and meets the human version of Cameron who we can be sure now is the love of his life. And with a final spark we hear Sarah’s final words to him, “I love you, too.”
Though Fox is still calling this T:SCC’s season finale, this was undoubtedly the series finale. Wwitching nights did nothing to improve the series continued ratings drops. As a matter of fact, it’s been released that the only reason we saw a season two in the first place was because Warner Brothers reduced its fees to keep the show on to help promote its upcoming Terminator: Salvation. WB isn’t likely to reduce their fees again for a show that barely stayed alive all season long.
And I am good with that. It seems clearly evident that Josh Friedman and company knew their fate and left the series in such a way that the ending stands as a solid explanation for how things came to be as we know them. Considering this was a series that several months ago I was ready to walk away from, I couldn’t be more pleased with the ending and would almost be disappointed if it tried to go any further. This ending was a thing of beauty and I am glad to have been along for the ride. This, my friends, is some of television at its best.
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This show has had its ups and downs. No, it’s not perfect (and as I frequently like to tell people- just think of it as really expensively produced fanfic) but gosh darnett I eat it up. After all, it’s Terminator week after week.
And no, I have no delusions of a season 3 (though I hope for the best) but dammit, don’t leave me like that! I am hoping for the best, expecting the worse.
I can’t help but wonder… if they make Allison John’s love, will it mirror Kyle and Sarah? After all, in a way John had been staring at a picture of her face (of sorts) for a long time and become infatuated with it. *Shrug* If the show is really over (please Fox, no) than that’s gonna be my belief.
The show was far from perfect, but somehow I liked it more for it’s flaws – they were the essence of human. Overall I loved the show.
I agree that the actor who played John Henry did a brilliant job, and he is not likely to get his due.
The season finale was suburb and perfectly ambiguous. In the unlikely event we get an S3 we have a good take off point. If not we can argue about many things: weaver, her free-roaming snake-thing, the nature of the John Henry/Cameron merge, the influence of Allison on John and his subsequent loyalty to Cameron, etc.
I loved the first season, and I dont think there was any bad episodes that i remember. Season two started weak and picked up, and dragged alittle in the middle, but the last 4 episodes blew my mind with how much I enjoyed them.
We seen John confront Jesse about Riley’s death in a scene where I was sitting there thinking “now THIS is john connor”
Charley’s death (wich upset me more because I love the actor more than anything else) wich showed me how everything was ramping up as the characters started to drop off.
The second last episode was for me the near perfect episode, I love it when shows have the balls to kill off a main character like they are nothing. To me it seems far more realistic that Derik would be shot and die rather than like most shows who need everybody to go down in some “heroic” act. With Sarah getting arested to the childish song about a guy in a kilt (sung perfectly by Garret Dillahunt, and the little girl who’s name escapes me) wich I felt was ment to show how everybody was caught with their “pants down”.
The finale to me was a slight step down, but I feel ended in a fashion where even if the show doesnt come back, it could be left there. I thought it ended with john going to the future and it turning out he IS future john, but after reading some reviews iv been hearing how theres enough plot holes to say if thats the fact that he couldnt be the leader and thus is meaningless in the resistance…
Either way I hope for a third season, but the new direction of the show would take some getting used too.
“I don’t think many will disagree when I say that so many episodes of T:SCC fell short this season.”
I disagree. For me, none of the episodes fell short, and I am very disappointed that the show will not likely return. I really hope that it does, especially after the finale’s ending. It was a perfect setup for something different that could have thrown a wrench into how we have always thought of John Connor and where/when he comes from.
I hope that a miracle will bring this show back.
I will say this- I think T:SCC would have benefited from only doing twelve episode seasons. I felt like the writers were scrambling for story and filler to fill up their 22 episode order and the ones that “fell flat” were the result of that.
I never could get into Sarah Connor Chronicles, but I respect its exsistince
I loved season 2. I thought that certain plot lines *cough*Jesse*cough* went on too long, but I had no issues with what was going on. I really enjoyed the journey. I do find it funny how I felt differently towards certain characters. Loved Riley, hated Jesse, loved John Henry, but hated Catherine. Catherine’s character got rather interesting in the end, but if this is the end of the series, then it came too late IMO.
I honestly don’t think this has to be the end of the series, however. There are a lot of directions the show can go in now, and it really intrigues me. However, Fox’s history with renewing troubled shows isn’t on our side here. Still, it’s not like there are a lot of choices for a replacement in the Friday night slots.
This is currently my favorite show. Ever since ‘Samson and Delilah’ I’ve rewatched the new episodes a few times pretty much every week.
Every new plot this year paid off for me, even the ones I was unsure of at first. I hated Riley at first but grew to care for her, the same with Jesse and it totally surprised me.
I think it is mostly due to the writing, they have so many characters on different sides but give them all adequate time and development so that they’re all sympathetic, right or wrong. I didn’t agree with Jesse but I knew her motivation and I’m sure in her shoes I would do the same, and that goes for everyone. such good character development.
And Derrik Reese has become my favorite TV character this year. seriously he is the shit.
But from what I have heard they are going to wait until May 1st to decide if they want it back next year. With T4 coming out and a possible Terminator popularity resurgence they would be stupid to cut it off now.
I’m honestly not sure what they were thinking. With the new Terminator coming out, it would have been the PERFECT opportunity to hold off on the season finale of the show until after people had seen the movie. Possibly even after showing a marathon of sorts for the show.
And honestly, I’m kind of going, “God, I know it won’t happen…but Summer Glau should totally get a Terminator Salvation cameo”. If nothing else, to acknowledge the show, and give it a small hint of legitimacy.
Still, I loved Derrik, and he wasn’t quite used to his full potential. That is one of the things that really excited me with the way the season ended. But with Jesse, I dunno, I just didn’t vibe on how psychotic the character was, even after they brought about her reasons for doing things. Oddly enough, I was a lot more kosher with Catherine Weaver than with Jesse.
BTW, support this great review:
http://digg.com/television/Terminator_Sarah_Connor_Chronicles_Finale_Review
:)
And in not so surprising news, Ausielleo reports that Fox insiders say it’s over:
http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/04/scoop-fox-set-t.html
I’m not saying hold out false hope, but that particular article has been debunked.
I absolutely loved the finale, whether it be for the season or series. If it happens to get another season I can see some awesome directions the show could take, and if this was it, it leaves the rest up to my imagination. I admit, I was ready to stop watching midway though season 2. Even my husband stopped watching. I held on though and I’m glad I did.
I was happy to see Derek alive and well in the future. He quickly became one of my favorite characters (something I wasn’t expecting when I heard the name Brian Austin Green. All I could think of was David Silver from 90210). I get that John hadn’t sent him back yet, so he didn’t die yet, but the whole changing peoples future and time travelling can get confusing. I wasn’t really sure about how it ended. Upon first viewing the end of the finale, I thought somehow John’s future changed (as we learnt some people came from different futures) and he wouldn’t be the leader of the resistance. But then upon watching it again I like to think (if we got a season 3) it would show us how he became the leader. I guess it could be left open to interpretation.
One thing I have to say is that I think the series would have done better if it was called Terminator: The John Connor Chronicles. Even though Sarah is a strong character, I believe the interesting point of the show (and IMO the strongest) was how John became John Connor – the leader. How everything in his past shaped what he became in his future. Obviously Sarah had a lot to do with it, but everything else (Cameron anyone?) had a large impact as well.
The only thing I see that they accomplished in calling it The Sarah Connor Chronicles, is that they allowed her to do some fantastic opening monologues. If it’s a show specifically about John Connor, that becomes a little more difficult to pull off. But still not impossible. Did John ever do a monologue?
Hopefully I won’t get shot for this, but does Thomas Dekker return to Heroes after T:SCC is over? :)
His character seems alittle pointless at this point doesnt he?
I didn’t think it was extremely useful to begin with. But I still thought he was interesting. Plus, it makes the characters seem a little more real when they have things like friends (Claire), and wives (Matt), IMO. But, it was mostly a joke. Mostly.
I also loved the finale, and am expecting the worse but hoping for the best for a return for a season 3.
If there is a season 3, how amazing will it be for Summer to be a completely different personality, human Cameron vs. Cyborg Cameron.
Maybe, even if there’s not a season 3, there could be a straight to DVD movie or something.
I just hope Terminator: Salvation does REALLY well and makes FOX take a chance on capitalizing on that success.
That seems to be the only hope I guess.
WTF? I posted something and it’s gone! About how John Connor went to a future where he is not the leader of the resistance and he never sent Kyle back, etc, ect…. ???????