Comic-Con: A bombshell from the 'Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles' panel

Series creator Josh Friedman moderated his own T:SCC panel at Comic-Con today, which kicked off with a clip reel — put together just for us — that included a few bits from the first season and a lot of what's to come in season 2. Cam (Summer Glau) has survived the truck explosion that ended last spring's run (oh, like that's a shock), and the Turk (increasingly-sentient chess computer) is in the hands of some very high-tech baddies, including new cast member Shirley "Garbage" Manson. We saw some nice craziness from James "Sarkissian" Urbaniak and some nice butching up on the part of Thomas "John Connor" Dekker (who came to the panel dressed as Bruce Springsteen, circa 1984, and has cut off his emo bangs). We also saw a lot of shooting and car-flipping and, well, more of the same awesome same. If you read my TV Watches last season, you'll know I started off ambivalent about this show, but the smile on my face after the clip reel is proof positive it's grown on me.

The cast spent much of the start of the panel cracking each other up, before Friedman and Dekker got substantive to discuss John's transformation from a mopey, PTSD-afflicted teen into someone we'll believe could be a leader of men. "The second-season John Connor is nothing like the first-season John Connor," said Friedman. ("Thank you!" called out some dude in the audience.) Other info relayed: John gets out a bit from his mom's overbearing clutches this fall; Lena Headey (pictured, who plays the title role) is "chuffed" to have Manson in the cast; Brian Austin Green (a.k.a. BAG) just keeps getting hotter — and would like to thank everyone who hated the fact that he was cast but embraced the character. ("I'm still waiting for that embrace," said Dekker.)

In season 2, say the producers, the universe has been expanded, and the core group we met last spring will be rubbing shoulders with the real world. We'll see the Connor family crumble, and what that stress does to a mom — even as Skynet continues to evolve. Some of the actors — Dekker and Headey, especially — may be directing some of the show's online content going forward, and they're writing Richard T. Jones' Christian faith into the show as part of Agent Ellison's character.

And here's the biggest bombshell: Today's panel was comprised of Manson, Jones, Garrett Dillahunt (Cromartie, the bad Term), BAG, Dekker, Glau, and Headey — we were told this season, ONE OF THEM WILL DIE. The cast didn't know about this, and flew into a tizzy that effectively derailed the proceedings for a while. ("But I just bought a house..." whimpered Dekker.) Even money's on newbie Manson to kick it, of course, but maybe BAG's trying to make it to that 90210 remake after all?