SPOILER ALERT! Proceed with caution if you haven’t yet watched last night’s season premiere!
I’ve always reasoned that when Skynet sent the first Terminator back to get Linda Hamilton, they decided to give it a German accent because that would strike fear in the hearts of people who’d grown up seeing scary Nazis in World War II movies. So now I figure, um, maybe they gave Shirley Manson’s new villain a Scots accent because it would give a false sense of security to fans of Shrek?
Conundrums like that aside, the second season premiere of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles left me more enthusiastic about the show’s direction than EW’s critic Gillian Flynn was in her recent B- review. I was happy to see that Cameron survived the explosion that cliff-hanged last season (although I think the blast would have left her a lot more scarred), and her injured-Terminator limp was a worthy homage to Ah-nuld’s in the first movie’s final action sequence. I was surprised when Cameron turned on John, and I was actually moved in an Old Yeller sort of way when she pleaded for her life. ("I’m fixed!…I love you, John, and you love me." Aw…) And during Sarah’s final conversation with John through the bathroom door, EWwy nominee Lena Headey’s tormented expressions delivered a full script’s worth of emotion in less than a minute.
Still, it wouldn’t be a T:SCC episode if it didn’t leave me with a few questions. Did Cameron’s chip injury suddenly make her able to emote convincingly again? Why did Cromartie let Ellison get away, and vice versa? And why would Shirley Manson’s Terminator be programmed to deliver zingers after killing people, even when nobody else is watching? ("Sorry I piss you off, Mr. Tuck….The feeling’s mutual.")
So what did you think? Are you going to keep watching? (I will, though EW won’t be doing a regular TV Watch this season; we did, however, put together a gallery of season 1’s best and worst moments, so click here to check it out.) Did you guess that Shirley Manson would turn out to be a robot? What was your favorite action sequence? (Mine was when Cameron flipped over that moving truck.) And are you happy John lost the emo bangs?
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As I don’t know that I will watch the show every week, I depend on EW doing a regular tv watch. Come on EW, dump some cr*ppy program’s tv watch for this one! Suggestions include The Hills and America’s Got Talent.
As I don’t know that I will watch the show every week, I depend on EW doing a regular tv watch. Come on EW, dump some cr*ppy program’s tv watch for this one! Suggestions include The Hills and America’s Got Talent.
Yeah, how is it EW does a re-cap for “The Top American Dog” or whatever, yet “Entourage” now gets the shaft. This website is insane at times!
C’mon EW, why no TV watch? If the (excellent) season premiere was any indication, this show could get pretty crazy. I also noticed nothing on Entourage. Finally good TV is back and EW still wants to talk about the freakin’ Hills?!? Ughhh
SAVE SWINGTOWN!SAVE SWINGTOWN!SAVE SWINGTOWN!SAVE SWINGTOWN!
Ah-nuld would probably describe his accent as Austrian, even if German is the language he grew up speaking.
Forget Cameron being more scarred, how about that magical fabric that her clothes were made out of? They survived an explosion and the fireball in the house with minimal damage.
I’ll keep watching T:SCC, although between this show, Chuck, and Dancing with the Stars, my Mondays at 7:00 are packed.
I can NOT accept that there won’t be a regular TV Watch for this! Boohooo! I’ve been looking forward to Whitney’s recaps since I knew the show was coming back. They were so hilarious. Now how is giong to make jokes about how cell phones are evil, because of what they are made of?
TV Watch it up, EW! I have to agree that it’s uber lame The Hills gets a watch, but not da Terminator? double you tee eff?
Last night’s show was great (although I feel like Sarah really babied John the whole ep). My husband and I will keep watching. I have to admit that I, too, am thoroughly disappointed that there won’t be a TV Watch. It was bad enough last week when I waited and waited for one on Bones… Come on, EW.com, get with it! Please?
Maybe Shirley Manson has a Scottish accent because she’s… wait for it… Scottish? *rolls eyes*
No TV Watch? Boo.
Not a regular TV watch? BOOOOOO!
Anway thought the episode rocked – I figured Shirley Manson’s charecter was a terminator – but I think that reveal would’ve been better suited towards the middle of the season (sweeps) looking forward to seeing where they go with this.
As for the emo-bangs demise, Yes! Finally! He’s a good looking kid when he’s not hiding under his hair.
Obviously Cromartie let Agent Ellison live so he can get to Sarah and John. I had a feeling that Shirley was a Terminator but not the advanced model ala T2. I will definitely be watching. i like John’s new do too.
No TV WATCH FOR T:SCC?!!! WTF?!!!
I would also have thought Cameron would be a little more burnt… um, it’s a fire, doesn’t future-hair crackle, future-skin bubble, current-clothes singe? Well this is not really reality so I guess this doesn’t apply. (see Prison Break, Chuck, and any other Fox sci-fi show, LOL).
I think Manson’s zingers were more to show that the advanced machines in the future do, indeed, have independent feelings beyond their programming. I mean, that’s what the whole thing is about, right? The machines becoming independent “thinkers” and taking over? Cameron is showing flashes of that evolution, too, even though she’s an older model.
Shirley was so-so as the T-1001. Too old I think for this show, She showed some age lines – need Botox immediately!. But I can’t wait to find out what her extra talent is (T-1000 vs. T-1001). That extra 1 version is so intimidating…
Cromartie let Agent Ellison live because Ellison still has a part to play in the machines taking over. The telling line was when Ellison says to Cromartie, “I’ll never work for the devil.” Cromartie’s reply, “We’ll see.”. My guess is that Ellison will unwittingly help the machines in the future.
props to david nutter for delievering another amazing episode, i loved the non-stop action and the emotional aspect as well. as for cromartie leaving agent ellison alive, it was made obvious that in the future his attitude about giving john and sarah up will change. oh and shirley mason rocks, she’s got cold and calculating down…figured she was from the future but for her to be a t2 model was awesome! and even though i loved john’s emo hair it was getting a bit…well let’s just say the new do was needed. i’m really interested in seeing where the john and cameron relationship goes. sorry for the long winded ramble.
You need a weekly re cap!!!!!!!
This was a great episode. I can’t wait to see next week’s.
Come on, give us a TV Watch.
Strong start to the season! MP3s from a great Summer Glau interview are up here: http://www.entertonement.com/collections/2970/Summer-Glau-On-Terminator
I had problems with last night’s premier. Cameron’s lurching around looked like something out of a low-cost horror flick; John decided to gamble the lives of himself and all of humanity by re-activating Cameron and handing her the gun; Cameron’s pleading for her life was obviously a ploy to get herself out of a bind, and thus kill John, but he almost falls for it (this is the guy who will save humans?). This show seems to have lost some steam after last season’s excellent finale.
SAVE SWINGTOWN! SAVE SWINGTOWN!
Shirley as the T-1001 was far better than Kristanna Logan as the T-X in Terminator 3. As the Machines AI becomes more advanced how much closer will they become to being human? There used to be a tv series on NBC that had an Android as the main character and asked that same question. There was a hint of possible emotion from Cameron in the last season as well as understanding of it in T-2 as Arnold was lowered into the Molten Steel. Should make for an interesting story line.
Thank you all for mentioning the lack of burning flesh and clothes on Cameron. I read some other recaps and no one even mentioned it, it really bothered me. Also yeah John giving Cameron the gun and betting the future of mankind on his ability to “reprogram” her chip with NO computer equipment in the ambulance on the way to the scrap yard, sure yeah.
Cameron so dainty cleaning her face with baby wipes then slams a staple gun to her face – awesome
I completely agree! The premier episode Monday night was terrific. Fox has a creative winner here. The big question is- will it find the audience it deserves!
I was extremely impressed with the premiere. This was one of my favorite shows last season, and I had forgotten how much I look forward to it. The opening scene was really well-done, there was plenty of action throughout, Dean Winters finally had something to do, and the plot developments were a good setup for the coming season. I had no complaints, except that I want a TV Watch, and I want it to be written by someone who is actually into the show (as opposed to last year, where the recaps were pretty painful to wade through).
I thought Summer Glau did a fantastic job when she was Bad Terminator Girl and pleading for her life. She soooo knows John’s weak spots, and I like how she has these bits of programming that allow her to be more “human-seeming” at times. I’m totally intrigued by the whole “override” thing – had she, herself, made a conscious choice to not kill John?
Solid performances, love the new haircut. The savior of humanity no longer has emo hair, y’all.