Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Terminator is one of the classic sci-fi movies, and it propelled a certain Austrian body-builder to national prominence (and governorship of California.) In one of its latest incarnations, it's also a TV show that I've been watching carefully. (Spoilers follow.)

In the movies, James Cameron and others made a pretty compelling universe where the machines, led by the computer program Skynet, destroyed human civilization with nuclear fire and then waged war against the remnants of humanity with its Terminators, machines made to look like humans. And when it was about to lose the war, it sent its Terminators back in time to kill the Human Resistance leader, John Connor, before he is even born.

"It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead. " -- Kyle Reese, Terminator (1984)

The Terminator is, of course, the Frankenstein myth writ large. Humans try to create artificial life, and our creations turn against us. It's a powerful image, and it's a staple of apocalyptic sci-fi. Its sheer unstoppable nature, along with it slowly losing its camouflage of human flesh, makes it a terrifying monster in the movie. We later learn that Skynet's attack was prompted by humans attempting to pull its plug once it became self-aware, so it was acting in self-defense, which makes the morality of it all decidedly murky.

It was followed by two sequels, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, which added the concept of a reprogrammed Terminator acting as a guardian for John Connor, and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines... the less said about, the better, really, but it did introduce a female "Terminatrix."

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles combines the best of the movie mythology (and excises T3 entirely through the judicious use of time travel technology) with a great cast. It follows the lives of Sarah and John Connor (now a teenager) as they struggle to survive the attacks of Skynet's Terminators while trying to prevent Judgement Day (when the nuclear missiles destroy almost everything.)

Lena Headly (of 300) stars as Sarah Connor, but it's Summer Glau (River Tam from Firefly) who really steals the show. She stars as Cameron, a Terminator sent back to guard John Connor. Glau is a very good actress and you would think that she would be wasted playing the emotionless killing machine... but there's more to Cameron than meets the eye. At the end of Season 2, she was in a car explosion that damaged her processor. She went back to her core programming and attempted to kill John Connor... and she was a terrifyingly unstoppable killing machine, just as much as Arnold ever managed. (Particularly gruesome was the scene where she used a staple gun to close a wound on her face.) It's also to watch Glau, who is nowhere near the body-builder that Arnold was when he originated the role, lifting grown men or doing other feats of strength.

She was repaired, of course, but we've been learning more and more about her past, and there are hints that she may not be what she claims to be. A recent episode showed that Cameron's appearance was taken from a human resistance fighter named Allison Young, and Cameron told the woman (also played by Glau) that she prepresented a faction of the Machines who wanted peace with humanity. This may have been a lie, however, for when Cameron later kills Allison when she doesn't give Cameron the information she needs to safely enter a Resistance camp.

"Did you kill her?!"
*A young woman whom Cameron choked takes a gasping breath*
"Apparently not."
--John Connor and Cameron, "Allison from Palmdale"

Thomas Dekker stars as John Connor, a boy about to become a man who is struggling with the weight of destiny, Brian Austin Green plays Derek Reese, John's uncle (John's father Kyle was a Resistance fighter sent back to guard Sarah Connor and sire John, though he did not know about that part), Richard T. Jones as FBI Agent James Ellison, who is hunting the Connors, Dean Winters as Charley Dixon, a former lover of Sarah, Garrett Dillahunt as Cromartie, a T-888 Terminator who is hunting John, and Shirley Manson as Catherine Weaver, a T-1001 polymimetic alloy Terminator (shape shifter, as in T2) who seems intent on insuring the creation of Skynet.

It's a large cast of regular and recurring characters, and the show also has many, many shout-outs to the mythology of the movies, rewarding fans of the series. I think it was pretty good last year, and it's only getting better. The story seems to be growing more complex the more we learn. Is Cameron really a "good" Terminator? What is Catherine Weaver trying to accomplish? One human character, FBI Agent James Ellison, has recently started working for Weaver, helping her accomplish her goals (though he doesn't realize she is a machine.)

It makes me sad when I hear it's not doing as well as it could be in the ratings. Sci-fi is always a tough sell on the network, and I hope that it continues. I suggest you go and watch it on Fox on Monday nights.

Reading: Anathem (still... it's HUGE)
Movie: Transformers, 2007, DVD (Autobots, Transform and Roll Out!)
TV: Iron Chef