Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles
- Thread starter Jon Starr
- Start date
(writers strike though)
Captain Pierce
Veteran
Was Terminator affected by the strike? I thought it was already in the can by the time that started, but I guess I don't know for sure. As for the lack of an ending, regardless of the strike, I think they just wanted a "cliffhanger" to set up for the second season. I just hope they get one--unfortunately, sci-fi on Fox does not have a good renewal record...
Charlie Anderson
Not so clever
I'm working on a film with Lena Headey at the end of march, I'm pretty stocked about that 
David W. Richardson
Chapelgrove Films
Lena Headey is awesome -- MUCH hotter than Summer Glau!
My beefs about the storyline so far....
First, when they made their little jump through time to the present, wasn't the idea to stay out of sight and off the grid, in hopes of keeping the robots from finding John? If so, why on earth did they send him to school??? Couldn't Sarah just 'homeschool' him? Seems like an awfully dangerous move.
Also, it seems funny to me that they're pretty non-chalant about letting John out of their sight. Especially mom. Killer robots are out to get him to keep him from saving humanity. And yet, Mom will send him off somewhere out of her sight at the drop of a hat.
And ain't it funny that Cameron is programmed specifically to protect John Connor, and yet she too will just walk away from him at school and toodle off somewhere else? Some bodyguard! Britney Spears gets better protection than that!
The season finale really griped my cookies! So Cameron thinks it's 'faster' to pound her way through a concrete wall as opposed to, say, kicking down the door? Puh-leeze!
Cameron's 'personality' -- or lack thereof -- is starting to get tedious too. It was cute in the first few episodes, but I'm tired of it now. She sticks out like a sore thumb everywhere they go, when the idea is to blend in and not attract attention.
Oh, and John's uncle (whose name escapes me at the moment) just up and decides to take John out for ice cream, without even telling his MOM. And SHE doesn't even get upset! KILLER ROBOTS ARE AFTER HIM!!! She starts looking around and he's GONE -- what's she going to think???! Totally unbelievable!
John's birthday was a nice gimmick though. If I'd written it, everyone would've forgotten his birthday except Cameron. She would've given him a cupcake with a candle in it or something. The humans forgot, but the robot remembered. (Because robots never forget anythiing, right?)
My beefs about the storyline so far....
First, when they made their little jump through time to the present, wasn't the idea to stay out of sight and off the grid, in hopes of keeping the robots from finding John? If so, why on earth did they send him to school??? Couldn't Sarah just 'homeschool' him? Seems like an awfully dangerous move.
Also, it seems funny to me that they're pretty non-chalant about letting John out of their sight. Especially mom. Killer robots are out to get him to keep him from saving humanity. And yet, Mom will send him off somewhere out of her sight at the drop of a hat.
And ain't it funny that Cameron is programmed specifically to protect John Connor, and yet she too will just walk away from him at school and toodle off somewhere else? Some bodyguard! Britney Spears gets better protection than that!
The season finale really griped my cookies! So Cameron thinks it's 'faster' to pound her way through a concrete wall as opposed to, say, kicking down the door? Puh-leeze!
Cameron's 'personality' -- or lack thereof -- is starting to get tedious too. It was cute in the first few episodes, but I'm tired of it now. She sticks out like a sore thumb everywhere they go, when the idea is to blend in and not attract attention.
Oh, and John's uncle (whose name escapes me at the moment) just up and decides to take John out for ice cream, without even telling his MOM. And SHE doesn't even get upset! KILLER ROBOTS ARE AFTER HIM!!! She starts looking around and he's GONE -- what's she going to think???! Totally unbelievable!
John's birthday was a nice gimmick though. If I'd written it, everyone would've forgotten his birthday except Cameron. She would've given him a cupcake with a candle in it or something. The humans forgot, but the robot remembered. (Because robots never forget anythiing, right?)
Captain Pierce
Veteran
If Sarah "babies" John and never lets him out of her sight, how the hell is he going to grow up and lead the Resistance? Or, for that matter, "grow up" at all? Also, I think John probably proved to her, during what happened in T2, that he's capable of taking care of himself. Similarly, Cameron is there to protect him, not smother him; and besides, John's "sister" being glued to his side all day at school isn't going to be inconspicuous either.
Speaking of school, honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Sarah did want to "home school" him--sounds like that's largely what she did in the time between T1 and T2. I think it's John that wants to go to school and be as much like a "normal" kid as he can, while he can. That said, the school thing is just an excuse for as much "fish of water" bits as they can throw in, and I think they may be overdoing that schtick just a little.
Speaking of school, honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Sarah did want to "home school" him--sounds like that's largely what she did in the time between T1 and T2. I think it's John that wants to go to school and be as much like a "normal" kid as he can, while he can. That said, the school thing is just an excuse for as much "fish of water" bits as they can throw in, and I think they may be overdoing that schtick just a little.
Jon Starr
Veteran
Well the homeschool thing may just have to do with the fact that Sarah may not know how to homeschool John. Sure she did it when she was younger, but teaching a kid to read and write is different from teaching them calculus and science.
I dunno, to each their own, but I feel that some people are looking too much into it. Who's to say Sarah babying him won't make him strong? You're influenced by the people you're around, which is the whole point. Besides, John is constantly defying her, and is now showing his leadership capabilities. That's just how he was raised. Also, who's to say he won't learn to lead on his own when she dies of cancer? Besides, they would rather live normal lives and destroy skynet.
I dunno, to each their own, but I feel that some people are looking too much into it. Who's to say Sarah babying him won't make him strong? You're influenced by the people you're around, which is the whole point. Besides, John is constantly defying her, and is now showing his leadership capabilities. That's just how he was raised. Also, who's to say he won't learn to lead on his own when she dies of cancer? Besides, they would rather live normal lives and destroy skynet.
David W. Richardson
Chapelgrove Films
Sarah didn't know how to do a LOT of things. She learned, in order to protect her son and save the world from the machines. Surely she could learn something as comparatively simple as homeschooling.
And she doesn't seem to spend much time teaching John to be this great fighter and leader that the world needs in the future.
And she doesn't seem to spend much time teaching John to be this great fighter and leader that the world needs in the future.
TwistedLincoln
Veteran
It seems to me that teaching John anything other than survival and military/leadership skills is being awfully optimistic, given what Sarah knows. Let's face it -- unless they succeed in preventing the creation of Skynet, those Calculus and Economics skills aren't going to do John much good after Judgement day...
BTW, for those of you who enjoy "podcasts" (a term I still refuse to use outside of quotes, due to it's endorsement of the DRM-promoting iPod...), I've been a co-host of the "2GuysTalking Terminator Podcast" for a while now. Anyone wanting to take a listen can get all the episode reviews at TerminatorPodcast.com
BTW, for those of you who enjoy "podcasts" (a term I still refuse to use outside of quotes, due to it's endorsement of the DRM-promoting iPod...), I've been a co-host of the "2GuysTalking Terminator Podcast" for a while now. Anyone wanting to take a listen can get all the episode reviews at TerminatorPodcast.com
Captain Pierce
Veteran
OTOH, if they do prevent Skynet--and certainly they refuse to even consider the possibility (or, I might say, probability) that they can't--then he's going to be a great survivalist / military leader with nothing to survive, no military to lead, and pretty much zero marketable job skills. 
Well, he could always get a job with Blackwater, I guess...
Another thing to consider might be the "socialization" aspect of high school. A brilliant military leader who can't convince anyone to join him (in what a lot of people are going to see as an un-winnable war) because he has zero social skills isn't going to be a lot of use, either. All we've seen of John in school so far is the typical "outcast" thing, but it might be interesting to see him gradually "fitting in" better and becoming something of a leader. Although it would be tough to balance that with keeping an appropriately low profile, admittedly...
BTW, I totally agree that we should see John learning more of the military skills he'll need as leader of the Resistance. I think we're probably supposed to think that he remembers everything he learned from guys like Enrique when he was a kid, but at the very least he might benefit from a refresher course every now and then.
Well, he could always get a job with Blackwater, I guess...Another thing to consider might be the "socialization" aspect of high school. A brilliant military leader who can't convince anyone to join him (in what a lot of people are going to see as an un-winnable war) because he has zero social skills isn't going to be a lot of use, either. All we've seen of John in school so far is the typical "outcast" thing, but it might be interesting to see him gradually "fitting in" better and becoming something of a leader. Although it would be tough to balance that with keeping an appropriately low profile, admittedly...
BTW, I totally agree that we should see John learning more of the military skills he'll need as leader of the Resistance. I think we're probably supposed to think that he remembers everything he learned from guys like Enrique when he was a kid, but at the very least he might benefit from a refresher course every now and then.
Captain Pierce
Veteran
Anybody watch the season premiere Monday night? All I could say at the end was, "Well, I certainly wasn't expecting that..."
ExtremeSleuth
Veteran
i liked the season opener.
i'm really enjoying the show.
loved the ending too
i'm really enjoying the show.
loved the ending too
Cheesesailor77
Veteran
I watched all the eps on hulu. I guess the fact that I sat through the whole thing does say something, but still, I think it's a pretty laughable show.
The whole thing seems at odds with James Cameron's vision. Sarah and john are unrecognizable to me from the films (the characters of course, not the actors), the time travel paradox's are through the roof, and all the terminators don't act logically.
I keep thinking about when the bad terminator chokes the FBI administrator to death and then after dropping him says "thanks for you cooperation" before sitting down at his desk to use his computer. What??? Why would he say that, or anything for that manner, it doesn't make any sense. Cameron does stuff like this all the time. Ok, I get she's a "newer" model, fine, but be consistent with it then. Sometimes she's socially perfectly normal and sometimes she's robot dork.
To the guy who asked about why they went forward in time, I thought it was to meet up with the other resistance members that have been sent back. Although I don't understand why they all weren't just sent back to the same time
And I totally agree that the Sarah conner from the movies would NEVER let John go to school if she knew there was a terminator after him.
This show really makes it clear to me how good the writing is in the movies. Sarah, and john too, are severely damaged from their experiences, understandably considering a robot came back from the future to murder you and your family, you blow up a factory and a technologies research facility and spend however many years in prison and mental health facilities.
The Sarah and john in the TV show don't seem to carry any of that with them. They're internal struggle seems entirely based on the responsibility they feel to the future, and their struggle to decide who they can trust. The writing makes these characters feel as though they were told of what happened in the movies rather than experienced it themselves. Not to knock the acting, which as a whole I feel is quite good, but it's the words they're saying that ring false to me over and over again.
Ok, that how I feel personally, commence flaming!
.
The whole thing seems at odds with James Cameron's vision. Sarah and john are unrecognizable to me from the films (the characters of course, not the actors), the time travel paradox's are through the roof, and all the terminators don't act logically.
I keep thinking about when the bad terminator chokes the FBI administrator to death and then after dropping him says "thanks for you cooperation" before sitting down at his desk to use his computer. What??? Why would he say that, or anything for that manner, it doesn't make any sense. Cameron does stuff like this all the time. Ok, I get she's a "newer" model, fine, but be consistent with it then. Sometimes she's socially perfectly normal and sometimes she's robot dork.
To the guy who asked about why they went forward in time, I thought it was to meet up with the other resistance members that have been sent back. Although I don't understand why they all weren't just sent back to the same time
And I totally agree that the Sarah conner from the movies would NEVER let John go to school if she knew there was a terminator after him.
This show really makes it clear to me how good the writing is in the movies. Sarah, and john too, are severely damaged from their experiences, understandably considering a robot came back from the future to murder you and your family, you blow up a factory and a technologies research facility and spend however many years in prison and mental health facilities.
The Sarah and john in the TV show don't seem to carry any of that with them. They're internal struggle seems entirely based on the responsibility they feel to the future, and their struggle to decide who they can trust. The writing makes these characters feel as though they were told of what happened in the movies rather than experienced it themselves. Not to knock the acting, which as a whole I feel is quite good, but it's the words they're saying that ring false to me over and over again.
Ok, that how I feel personally, commence flaming!
.