The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Season 2, Episode 1 "Samson & Delilah" (F)
I spent the better part of this episode dwelling on what a piece of crap this show really is. It started out more interesting than it should have been, with that weird, unexpected time-traveling at the end of the first episode of season one, but then went downhill, shifting to a constant, deathly repetitive episode-long chase scene. The new twists the show introduces, like Cameron telling John she loves him and the annoying fed being canned, are hardly enough to rescue it. The show is expressly aimless, and I'm not sure I can stomach much more of it. The main new plotline introduced at the end of the episode, meant to reference the famous T-1000 from "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," had me groaning and almost laughing at the same time. A terminator, presumably sent back from the future, liquid metal shape-shifts herself into a toilet just to prove how bad-ass she is. I don't buy it. There's been way too much playing around with the time-space continuum here for my tastes. I'm lost half the time, and don't care at all to make my way back.
I'm dropping this show from my rapidly-growing repertoire of weekly television. I might marathon through it in a few weeks if a promo sparks my interest, otherwise, that's it.
Showing posts with label The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Saturday, March 15, 2008
What I'm Watching: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Season Finale)
The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Season 1, Episodes 8 & 9 “Vick’s Chip” & “What He Beheld” (C-)
I have surprisingly little to say about this two-hour finale that promised to be shocking and thrilling. It was neither, as it turns out, which is really just disappointing, a word which perfectly sums up this show. Less happens here than did in the “Prison Break” finale a few weeks ago. I feel that there is hardly enough to sustain a second season of this show, and it really went wrong when it obsessed too much with the inclusion of the Terminators and a continual pursuit, rather than focusing more on the people who unwittingly created Skynet. I would probably watch this show if it did get renewed simply because I hope deep down that this show can get better at some point. For now, I will do well enough without it, though it leaves Mondays completely bare, at least until the return of ABC’s “Samantha Who” sometime in the near or far future.
Season grade: C-
I have surprisingly little to say about this two-hour finale that promised to be shocking and thrilling. It was neither, as it turns out, which is really just disappointing, a word which perfectly sums up this show. Less happens here than did in the “Prison Break” finale a few weeks ago. I feel that there is hardly enough to sustain a second season of this show, and it really went wrong when it obsessed too much with the inclusion of the Terminators and a continual pursuit, rather than focusing more on the people who unwittingly created Skynet. I would probably watch this show if it did get renewed simply because I hope deep down that this show can get better at some point. For now, I will do well enough without it, though it leaves Mondays completely bare, at least until the return of ABC’s “Samantha Who” sometime in the near or far future.
Season grade: C-
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
What I'm Watching: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Season 1, Episode 7 “The Demon Hand”
Perhaps it is unfair of me to review this episode, and that is why I am neglecting to give it a grade. For some reason, my reception on FOX and the CW is completely unreliable and often impossible to see, with the sound cutting out for minutes at a time. This has not been such a problem in recent weeks, but in this episode I missed pretty much everything Bruce Davison’s crazed psychiatrist or whatever he was said. Cameron is getting pretty sketchy, but the relationship between her and Reese is occasionally interesting to watch. It is good that the FBI agent is becoming more than a one-note character, and hopefully next week’s two-part (series?) finale will bow out at the highest quality the show has seen so far.
Perhaps it is unfair of me to review this episode, and that is why I am neglecting to give it a grade. For some reason, my reception on FOX and the CW is completely unreliable and often impossible to see, with the sound cutting out for minutes at a time. This has not been such a problem in recent weeks, but in this episode I missed pretty much everything Bruce Davison’s crazed psychiatrist or whatever he was said. Cameron is getting pretty sketchy, but the relationship between her and Reese is occasionally interesting to watch. It is good that the FBI agent is becoming more than a one-note character, and hopefully next week’s two-part (series?) finale will bow out at the highest quality the show has seen so far.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
What I'm Watching: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Season 1, Episode 6 “Dungeons & Dragons” (C-)
Those opening and closing quotes are really getting to me, and not in the good sense. Why this episode flashes forward so much to tell us information we do not need to know is a mystery to me. The future is for the most part a desolate wasteland where the only interesting thing is the half-cool visual effects which hide a lot less than they show. The time machine is a bit more fun, but it sucks that they had to cut the flash-forward before we got to see a future John Connor. It seems like it would have been a much more interesting show if the plot centered around the freedom fighters sent from the future. No such luck. Interesting to see that Derek was the one who did kill Andy, and also that Cameron might not be good after all.
Those opening and closing quotes are really getting to me, and not in the good sense. Why this episode flashes forward so much to tell us information we do not need to know is a mystery to me. The future is for the most part a desolate wasteland where the only interesting thing is the half-cool visual effects which hide a lot less than they show. The time machine is a bit more fun, but it sucks that they had to cut the flash-forward before we got to see a future John Connor. It seems like it would have been a much more interesting show if the plot centered around the freedom fighters sent from the future. No such luck. Interesting to see that Derek was the one who did kill Andy, and also that Cameron might not be good after all.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
What I'm Watching: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Season 1, Episode 5 “Queen’s Gambit” (C-)
The overarching story here might be a good one, but the specific plotlines are dull as anything. Like a former occupant of the Mondays-at-9pm timeslot (“Heroes”), the fact that a character is in high school is taken too much to heart and far too much of the series takes place at the school with unneeded emphasis on math homework and guidance counselors. Get back to the main point of the show! That does not mean more computer-talk involving that chess player. Additionally, Sarah spilling the beans to John about Reese’s identity is not a good move for the space-time continuum. There is no way the future can turn out as it was supposed to after all the damage done by the 1,420 Terminators sent back in time. What this episode does do well is harp on drama at the right moments. When Cameron unscrews the Terminator’s brain or whatever she did, she experiences a moment of uncertainty and looks quite pained and conflicted by the experience. At least there is a way to really kill these things and make sure they do not come back. The ending is the strongest part of the episode (and possibly the entire show so far). After going so long without being able to trust a soul, John chooses to trust a genuinely kind person who used to be part of his and Sarah’s life. The looks exchanged between the three of them possess an effective subtlety that this show should utilize far more often.
The overarching story here might be a good one, but the specific plotlines are dull as anything. Like a former occupant of the Mondays-at-9pm timeslot (“Heroes”), the fact that a character is in high school is taken too much to heart and far too much of the series takes place at the school with unneeded emphasis on math homework and guidance counselors. Get back to the main point of the show! That does not mean more computer-talk involving that chess player. Additionally, Sarah spilling the beans to John about Reese’s identity is not a good move for the space-time continuum. There is no way the future can turn out as it was supposed to after all the damage done by the 1,420 Terminators sent back in time. What this episode does do well is harp on drama at the right moments. When Cameron unscrews the Terminator’s brain or whatever she did, she experiences a moment of uncertainty and looks quite pained and conflicted by the experience. At least there is a way to really kill these things and make sure they do not come back. The ending is the strongest part of the episode (and possibly the entire show so far). After going so long without being able to trust a soul, John chooses to trust a genuinely kind person who used to be part of his and Sarah’s life. The looks exchanged between the three of them possess an effective subtlety that this show should utilize far more often.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
What I'm Watching: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Season 1, Episode 4 "Heavy Metal" (F)
Did anything happen in this episode, or did John just jump on a truck and chill for forty-five minutes? I want to like this show so much but it is doing nothing to prove its worth. The fact that the dumb cops picked up the terminator guy before the terminator actually got to him is cheap. What a terrible detective the guy is who says that someone might be trying to steal his identity without somehow checking to make sure it is really him (in all fairness, I guess he would have had no way of knowing). Something that has really gotten to me over the past few weeks, and which was always a problem with the "Terminator" movies, is that these supposedly intelligent machines need to always push and shove all the time rather than being cunning and subtle. Slamming someone's face into a mirror is not necessarily the best way to kill someone. And hardly the most effective or discreet.
Did anything happen in this episode, or did John just jump on a truck and chill for forty-five minutes? I want to like this show so much but it is doing nothing to prove its worth. The fact that the dumb cops picked up the terminator guy before the terminator actually got to him is cheap. What a terrible detective the guy is who says that someone might be trying to steal his identity without somehow checking to make sure it is really him (in all fairness, I guess he would have had no way of knowing). Something that has really gotten to me over the past few weeks, and which was always a problem with the "Terminator" movies, is that these supposedly intelligent machines need to always push and shove all the time rather than being cunning and subtle. Slamming someone's face into a mirror is not necessarily the best way to kill someone. And hardly the most effective or discreet.
Monday, January 21, 2008
What I'm Watching: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Season 1, Episode 3 "The Turk" (D)
I know the writers are on strike, but can we get just a few to come over and rewrite the dialogue for this show? In the words of John Connor, "wait...what?" The girl's suicide and that whole "I'm a bitch-whore" moment do not belong in a show like this. This is supposed to be about Sarah Connor, but instead it makes the same mistake as "Heroes", with its cheerleader focus, and assumes its audience wants high school drama (head over to the CW to watch "Gossip Girl" or repeats of "One Tree Hill" for enough of that). There is still time to save this show, but enabling the Terminator to come back to life and assume human form is a dangerous mistake which may plague this show from start to possible forthcoming finish.
I know the writers are on strike, but can we get just a few to come over and rewrite the dialogue for this show? In the words of John Connor, "wait...what?" The girl's suicide and that whole "I'm a bitch-whore" moment do not belong in a show like this. This is supposed to be about Sarah Connor, but instead it makes the same mistake as "Heroes", with its cheerleader focus, and assumes its audience wants high school drama (head over to the CW to watch "Gossip Girl" or repeats of "One Tree Hill" for enough of that). There is still time to save this show, but enabling the Terminator to come back to life and assume human form is a dangerous mistake which may plague this show from start to possible forthcoming finish.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Round Two: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Season 1, Episode 2 "Gnothi Seauton" (C+)
This show could do well if it tried even a little with its writing. It is so desperate to both be hip and to make 2007 seem like this foreign place and it comes off as obnoxious and dumb. The dialogue is for the most part abysmal, and I find it hard to sympathize with any of the characters at all. While it is cool that the Terminator is walking around with no head, that is hugely problematic. There needs to be a way to kill them, otherwise the show can never take off. The point was that they were in the future and no one knew they were there except for the humans, so in that way it departed from the premise of the films and made it so the bad guys were actually sort of good guys (the detective and the would-be husband). Instead this weapon which was supposed to destroy the Terminator did nothing except transport him to the future with them. That is not going to fly. Also, humor is fine, but John looking around to ensure that his computer was not being watched when it was up on the big screen? Too much. He is supposed to be smart. There are seven more episodes of this show that have been filmed, and I think that in this time of light television, I think I will keep up with this one.
This show could do well if it tried even a little with its writing. It is so desperate to both be hip and to make 2007 seem like this foreign place and it comes off as obnoxious and dumb. The dialogue is for the most part abysmal, and I find it hard to sympathize with any of the characters at all. While it is cool that the Terminator is walking around with no head, that is hugely problematic. There needs to be a way to kill them, otherwise the show can never take off. The point was that they were in the future and no one knew they were there except for the humans, so in that way it departed from the premise of the films and made it so the bad guys were actually sort of good guys (the detective and the would-be husband). Instead this weapon which was supposed to destroy the Terminator did nothing except transport him to the future with them. That is not going to fly. Also, humor is fine, but John looking around to ensure that his computer was not being watched when it was up on the big screen? Too much. He is supposed to be smart. There are seven more episodes of this show that have been filmed, and I think that in this time of light television, I think I will keep up with this one.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Pilot Review: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
The Sarah Connor Chronicles (FOX)
Premiered January 13 at 9pm
The big question here is whether a premise that barely sustained a trilogy of films can be intriguing and inventive enough week-to-week to work as a series. The first forty-five minutes of this action-heavy show say no. The last fifteen, however, say absolutely yes. While the dialogue is iffy and I doubt that the characters of either John or Sarah will ever really become deep, thought-out souls, I liked the fast-paced opening. For most of the first episode, it seemed like simply a PG-13 rehash of the films (more like "Terminator 3", since no liquid metal was involved). The youngest terminator ever to live (played by 26-year-old Summer Glau - maybe she just looks really young) has little depth but seems to be harboring some great secrets. The line of believability becomes thinner when you think about the fact that the resistance was able to re-program at least three different terminator models to do their bidding. But maybe this new terminator was designed by the resistance? Anyway, this waning hour picks up remarkably in its last quarter with a game-changing shift that got me really excited. The half-villains in Richard T. Jones and Dean Winters should serve well to follow along with the preventative exploits of Sarah and crew. I could definitely get into this show, I just need to make sure that tonight's second episode takes after the last part of the first episode, and not the earlier stuff.
How will it work as a series? The ending of the first episode indicates that it could actually have a remarkable run provided that it steers clear of formulaic terminator vs. terminator plotlines every episode.
How long will it last? I am sure this show will have no trouble finding an audience. If "Bionic Woman" was able to get great numbers towards the beginning of its run, this show will be fine. It is a bonus that FOX really is the perfect network to air this show, and should be kind to it. Pairing it with "Prison Break" is a great move.
Pilot grade: B-
Premiered January 13 at 9pm
The big question here is whether a premise that barely sustained a trilogy of films can be intriguing and inventive enough week-to-week to work as a series. The first forty-five minutes of this action-heavy show say no. The last fifteen, however, say absolutely yes. While the dialogue is iffy and I doubt that the characters of either John or Sarah will ever really become deep, thought-out souls, I liked the fast-paced opening. For most of the first episode, it seemed like simply a PG-13 rehash of the films (more like "Terminator 3", since no liquid metal was involved). The youngest terminator ever to live (played by 26-year-old Summer Glau - maybe she just looks really young) has little depth but seems to be harboring some great secrets. The line of believability becomes thinner when you think about the fact that the resistance was able to re-program at least three different terminator models to do their bidding. But maybe this new terminator was designed by the resistance? Anyway, this waning hour picks up remarkably in its last quarter with a game-changing shift that got me really excited. The half-villains in Richard T. Jones and Dean Winters should serve well to follow along with the preventative exploits of Sarah and crew. I could definitely get into this show, I just need to make sure that tonight's second episode takes after the last part of the first episode, and not the earlier stuff.
How will it work as a series? The ending of the first episode indicates that it could actually have a remarkable run provided that it steers clear of formulaic terminator vs. terminator plotlines every episode.
How long will it last? I am sure this show will have no trouble finding an audience. If "Bionic Woman" was able to get great numbers towards the beginning of its run, this show will be fine. It is a bonus that FOX really is the perfect network to air this show, and should be kind to it. Pairing it with "Prison Break" is a great move.
Pilot grade: B-
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