I'd like to start off by telling the Fox network I'm watching Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles in spite of their wholly obnoxious advertising blitzkrieg during the last two weeks' worth of NFL games.
In a word: uneven. I know it takes place following Terminator 2 (at some point the optimism of the end of that movie gives way to the paranoia of the pilot episode). According to reliable sources (some dude I talked to at Fry's) the TV show follows a different timeline than the movies, which only makes sense when you remember John mentioning Sarah died of luekemia in 1997. Instead, they leap forward to 2007 to prevent the creation of SkyNet, as the late, lamented Miles Dyson apparently had less to do with that then we'd been previously informed. Wouldn't he be pissed.
Beyond that, I'm not sure how far they can take it. The formula so far seems pretty straightforward: Sarah, John, and cyborg ingenue "Cameron" make a little headway in obtaining information or tracking down leads...and then Cameron whales on another Terminator, usually played by another in a succession of rejects from the latest casting call for "Stomp."
Whatever. I'm a huge fan of the original Terminator, which my cadre of nerds and I watched endlessly on those long summer afternoons in high school when our fellow students were at the pool, interacting with other human beings. I love everything about that movie, from the underappreciated Michael Biehn to Linda Hamilton's breasts to Bill Paxton's "I think this guy's a couple cans short of a six-pack" to Reese's awesome fucking Nike Vandals to the flashback scene where the HK rolls over the mountain of human skulls. I've even grudgingly come to accept Brad Fiedel's annoying "nee-noo nee-ner" Casio keyboard musical score.
As for the TV show...
The Good:
+ Lena Headey - The 300 and Brothers Grimm actor is pretty decent as the Mother of the Future, even if that future is a whiny bastard.
+ The In-Jokes - I like that you need to have seen at least the first two movies to know exactly what's going on. And if that thing Cameron put together in the bank vault wasn't a Phased Plasma Rifle (in 40 watt range), well, I'll go eat a pair of Nike Vandals.
+ Expansion of the mythology - The adult John Connor sent Protectors back to the 1960s? Other resistance fighters are acting in the present day? Makes sense, actually.
The Bad:
- John Connor - I don't necessarily blame Thomas Dekker, especially since modern times more or less dictate that any televised teenager has to be an insufferable emo prick. I'm just having a hard time reconciling this brooding twerp with Edward Furlong's T2 delinquent.
- Time travel - It's best not to think about the infinite complexities involved with the repeated use of time travel; I find killing my brain with beer when it asks annoying questions helps. Quentions like: "Why didn't SkyNet just send a Terminator back to kill the "O'Connors" in 17th century Ireland? Do you think Sarah and John's ancestors could outrun a murderous cyborg on on a draft horse? Or what about Reese's ancestors? They have no knowledge of their son's heroic (and sexy) future, hence easy pickings?"
The Maybe
* Cameron - Obviously the female Terminator precedent has already been set, and it would be pretty weak to suggest SkyNet wouldn't use both sexes for their dirty work. What I have yet to see explained is why Cameron can imitate human emotions and interactions when the T-101s can't. Also, what kind of alloy is she made out of? The old Terminators supposedly weighed on the order of half a ton, even if Cameron only weighs half that, how was Sarah able to wheel her out the window? And while I realize we live in the era of One Tree Hill and other such garbage, and while I've seen proof of Summer Glau's ass-kickery in Firefly and Serenity, it's going to take a while for me to buy her as something that "doesn't feel pity or remorse."
Meh, I'll keep watching. In a world where the ongoing writer's strike has given rise to the rebirth of American Gladiators and a new era of game shows, I'll take what I can get.
So, um. What exactly would rifling do to the shot of plasma anyway? How would spin affect the plasma’s trajectory?
How would spin affect the plasma’s trajectory?
It would render it every bit as impressive as that of Tom Hanks’ career.
How would spin affect the plasma’s trajectory?
It would render it every bit as impressive as that of Tom Hanks’ career.
So, totally flat, then? I’m getting all my plasma weapons rifled!
It’s phased plasma, you lummox. Phased. Don’t you know, like, physics and stuff?
In the The Bad category, I’d add that Headey posseses NONE of Hamilton’s physical presence; sure, she has the “crazy” thing down, but the “crazy AND bad-ass” bar was set pretty damned high.
(I did love, though, Mama Connor’s rather uncomfortable realization that her son is SO totally gonna lose his virginity to a dead-eyed slaughter-bot.)
Actually, I kinda get the feeling that there’s more going on with Cameron than her “just” being another Terminator. It seemed like she got visibly evasive when Sarah asked about her being a newer model.
I don’t know if it’s meaningful that one of the Terminators that scanned her identified her as “Unknown Cyborg”; whether it means that she’s a Terminator that isn’t registered in their list of known operatives in this time, or if she’s a model from their future, or, indeed, if she’s something even more different.
I agree…it was so-so…and I just realized I missed the 2nd one…but I Tivo’d it. Nothing else to do on a Monday night except like…talk to my wife and kid and that gets old.