As a fan who has revered the Terminator trilogy of movies, the thought of a television show that seemed to interfere with that destiny seemed reprehensible. "It will be bad", I thought to myself. "It will ruin the saga for me", ran through my head.
"Oh well, there's nothing else on" won the day.
My hubby and I proceeded to turn on the television to see what was going to happen to the amazingly resilient Sarah Connor and her son John, the future leader of the battle for humanity's future.
Surprisingly, we found ourselves sucked into this new show. Sarah as portrayed by Lena Headey is a revelation. While I thought Linda Hamilton was irreplaceable, Headey has proven me wrong. Dazzled by her performance in 300, I am even more impressed with her acting here. Headey is tough and agressive, yet vulnerable. Her love for her son and her ache for human contact is palpable. In a world she must always be vigilant in, this Sarah Connor is silk over steel.
The "friendly ally" terminator-type in this show is named Cameron, and she is ably portrayed by Summer Glau. In an interview I once read, Arnold Schwartzenegger revealed that showing no emotions was much harder then not. After watching this show, I believe it. Glau gets to kick major butt while protecting a 15 year old John Connor, and her confusion at human behavior is fascinating and impressive.
Thomas Dekker plays John on this show and he brings a sense of teenage angst that fits with my vision of the character. Struggling with his destiny, John desperately wishes he could fit in. His longing for Cameron, his robotic protector is heart wrenching.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles takes place after T2, with Sarah taking a new taktic against the terminators that have inundated her life with terror. She and John take a shot at a normal life, only to be discovered by threats from the future. Cameron disguises herself as a student at John's school to protect him, but must reveal herself when a terminator finds him.
Through a great deal of crazy adventure. the three main characters find themselves in the future. The horror of watching the terminator regrow himself while a sense of uncertainty fills John and Sarah's lives is unnerving. Watching this week's episode and seeing the extreme danger and action made me really root for this family of characters.
Incredible, isn't it? A show that I was initially thinking would be awful has become my new favorite. I guess I should be happy that the writer's strike made me look for something new, because I feel like I have discovered a goldmine here. If you are a comic book and/or action fan, you must tune into this show.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
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11 comments:
I love the show, being a huge Terminator fan. I half-hoped/half-dreaded the series, but knowing good ol'FOX would get rid of it fast if the ratings sucked. I saw a preair copy I dl'd and pushed it towards anyone that would listen. I also loved how they jumped over T-3, which I did enjoy, but hated the fact that they got rid of Sarah Connor instead of replacing her. Oh yeah, there's apparently a bit of backlash towards Headey 'cause she's 'not buffed like Hamilton" and they compared that backlash to the revision crap of "The Bionic Woman" and fans rejecting that show. That's utter twaddle, I enjoy the new show, Headey might not be able to bench-press 400 lbs but she convinced me with her take on the character. I simply hated pretty much everyone in The Bionic Woman and felt nothing for them. And of course, I really enjoy Summer Glau, she is perfect for the Terminator/protector role. She reminds me of a Spock/Data outsider trying to figure out illogical ways and has the strange balance of beauty and deadly ruthlessness. I look forward to each episode and hope it does well, screw the critics...
Glad to see your on the bandwagon, I had initial misgivings but kept hearing great things.
One thing to keep in mind though this storyline is after T2 and has nothing to do with the third Terminator movie, the writers said that this was a alternate timeline/story/etc.
i like the show alot. it's just missing that scene that comes in all the terminator flicks where the good guy protector runs down his specs and the bad guy gets his specs run down so we know their capabilities. that was always my favorite part of the movies and i guess they have to cut it out for dramatic tension. also shouldn't john mention the other terminator or ask why he didn't send back arnold instead of her.
my theory cameron=skynet
Great show I've been watching it from the beginning. I'm a fan of the 1st two films but not the 3rd. This is where the story should have gone.
The only thing that's not believable is that teenage kid has robot chick living in his house and hasn’t tried any hanky panky while Mom’s out.
“Listen Cameron, you’re supposed to help me right?”
“Well, this is REALLY gonna’ help me!”
We have been enjoying it as well. In a time where there's been very little good TV it was nice to watch something fun with strong characters.
Carl, this series is just flat out good. From the excellent portrayals to the fast paced story lines, this is a breath of fresh air.
I didn't like Bionic Woman either. It is a good point you bring up. I really thought I may end up not liking this the way I didn't like that, but thank God I was mistaken!
Nick, I am definitely on board for the duration. This series has done a fantastic job of keeping the legacy alive while redefining it for a new age of fans. :-)
Stephen- great point on the specs not being "done" yet. I would love to see that!
I love your theory. That would really throw a spanner in the works, wouldn't it?
Swinebread- I am actually waiting for John to not be able to stand it anymore and try and kiss Cameron or do some awkward teenage thing.
LOL on your comment!!
Lisa, it is very refreshing to say the least. I love the fact that two of the leads are women and that they are ass kickers. It makes the show inspiring as well as fun!
This is one of those shows I just seem to keep missing. I do want to give it a try. I was never really a fan of the movies, but the show looks good. Just have to make sure I make time to catch an episode.
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