I hate it when things I’m absolutely convinced are going to suck… don’t. I pride myself on my overwhelmingly justified pessimism. Examples of its failures are not welcome. So basically falling in love with Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is bittersweet for me. But the shame for swooning over yet another film-turned-TV-show is eclipsed by the joy of finding a new show that is a fresher, faster and more entertaining action/science fiction offering than the failed (in my humble opinion) remake of Bionic Woman or Heroes‘ second season.
As you all are well aware, the series is a continuation of the film franchise. The story of robots sent from the future to kill or protect a boy, John Connor, who will grow up to save mankind from an evil robotic uprising. Robots do a lot of the fighting and skin-melting-offing, but the real hero is John’s mother Sarah – a woman whose only task in life is to see her son reach maturity. She’s the bad-ass literal interpretation of every mother’s struggle. In this installment, the two are visited by a kind, lady-robot, Cameron, who takes them to present day (2007) from where the story picked up (1999). It’s supposed to be safe in 2007, but clearly it is not.
John is played by Heroes-alum Thomas Dekker, who left/was written off the show after they made him gay, un-made him gay and then just ran out of story for him. He does a nice enough job playing an angsty teen fighting his fate, but he’s really just there for his middle-part to remind you they’re from the 90s. Summer Glau plays Cameron to the delight of lonely, basement-dwelling Firefly fans everywhere. Her formal ballerina training makes for some exceptional fight sequences, but it’s the fish out of water humor that makes her such an asset to the show. Portraying human-esque robots as wide-eyed, emotionless automatons only capable of literal interpretation will honestly never get old.
As the title would lend one to believe, the real star here is Sarah Connor, played with remarkable sincerity by 300‘s Lena Headey. Sarah seems like a character too complex for a venue like “robots killing humanity,” but we’re all well aware that this has worked in the past. She has the weight of the world on her shoulders, and you can see it in every glance, movement and bullet she takes. In addition to constantly fearing for her son’s safety (and the world’s because of it), Sarah also is faced with her own mortality: the realization that she is destined to die of breast cancer before the apocalypse and ensuing rebellion ever occur. The fact that the actress is not remotely old enough to have mothered this child doesn’t even matter past the first scene. You just want to give the girl a break. Her narration is also not the least bit jarring – a triumph indeed.
Terminator is not without its faults. In the umpteen conversations I’ve had about the show in the last 24-hours, I don’t believe I’ve said “The Sarah Connor Chronicles” once without referring to it as “The Sarah Chronicor…Chronicles.” It doesn’t exactly slide off the tongue. But this is a superficial gripe. My real beef is that familiarity with the franchise is something of a prerequisite. Call me inhuman for not really remembering the Terminator movies (I swear, I watched the first two… when I was two and nine respectively), but you can never ever expect a TV audience to be so keen. References to other characters, terms and companies are flying clear over my head, and I’m genuinely paying attention. A click of the Netflix and a rainy Sunday afternoon will quickly solve the problem, but it’s a silly thing to expect of less dedicated viewers. The intensity, subtle humor and Lena Headey’s heartfelt and sobering take on motherhood should more than make up for any confusion though. Had its predecessors felt this relevant, I probably would have remembered better.
Unlimited Netflix streaming video. Life just got so much easier.
I meant to watch this show.
i KNEW you would love this show. because I love it. TtSCC, FNL, and LOST in 2 weeks? yum
[...] One of the greatest features of Glau is that it would take nothing less than carbon dating to figure out how old she actually is. Born only a few months after me, she’s the ripe age of 26, with an outward appearance ranging anywhere between 16 and 34. She hasn’t changed on bit since she showed up on Sci-fi 5 years ago, so as far as I’m concerned she’s the perfect candidate for a never-aging android. Mikey says she’s also a ballerina, which helps with some slick fighting moves, but I got too distracted early on in the photo section of IMDB to learn anything substantial about her aerobic abilities. Never the less, I’m in love with her…errr…I love her in this role. [...]