Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

[Ookii]

It seems John jumped to the beginning of the resistance before he somehow was put in charge.  Reese and Derek haven't jumped back in time yet they are both alive, and apparently John Connor leads the resistance at 16.  The resistance that was already taking place.  For some time.

I don't understand how John Henry having Cameron's chip has any significance, they're already in the future so it doesn't matter anymore.  Nothing was prevented.

Essentially they know the show will be canceled and tried to wrap things up as best they could.  I wish they would of wrapped up with the death of Sarah Connor as that would segue into the third movie.

[schild]

holy shit this episode, almost done.

[schild]

God. This is just the best show on tv. Or, I guess, I fear, it's the best show that WAS on tv.

There will be tears if they cancel this show. TEARS.

[Tale]

That felt like an ending of a cancelled show to me. It was good.

as that would segway into the third movie.

Speaking of saving the world, I am using this as my segue into assuring you that stories are not connected by electric scooters.

[tazelbain]

I am confused also. Ya it's over.

[schild]

I am confused also. Ya it's over.

What was confusing?

[Bunk]

I don't understand how John Henry having Cameron's chip has any significance, they're already in the future so it doesn't matter anymore.  Nothing was prevented.

The only thing that makes sense here for me, was that she knew that was one thing John would chase John Henry in to the future for.

I was under the impression however, that John Henry was the sum of that entire bank of computers. So did he go in to the future, or did Cameron go in to the future riding in his body? If so, why not just take her own body?

I'm going to stick with the idea that the entire show was just a huge plot to get John Conner to where he needed to be to lead the resistance. Of course that doesn't really make sense either, but whatever. It felt like an appropriate wrap to the show, since it seemed obvious that they weren't going to end it with him preventing armegeddon.

[schild]

At this point I'm more leaning towards the entire point of the show was not to stop skynet, but to show the other terminator faction. The faction that led John to reprogram terminators. And also, to create a third future (the other two being the possible destruction of skynet or the one we've always been shown; a robot decimated dystopia). A future where Kyle and Derek lead the resistance and John, presumably, died at some point (hence why Derek didn't know him). In short, they have 100% severed the tv storyline from the traditional canon. In other words, this is an awful place for the series to end and they obviously had at least another season or two planned.

tl;dr: If this gets canceled, I am fucking pissed. I repeat. Pissed.

Edit: I'm trying to wrap my brain around why some of you think this was a good place for the show to end. They just created an entire lore structure that didn't exist. Are you just trying to cope with the fact it'll be canceled? If that's it, OK, but otherwise, storyline-wise, ending it here is just stupid.

[tazelbain]

You are just making stuff up to give yourself hope it isn't canceled.

[schild]

You are just making stuff up to give yourself hope it isn't canceled.

What did I make up? Did you miss the last 4 minutes?

[Ookii]

I'll be glad if it's canceled at this point, I don't want whiny "Let's talk about our feelings" John Connor leading the resistance.  It's too much of a touchy-feely show to handle anything but the upbringing of John Connor.

[schild]

I'll be glad if it's canceled at this point, I don't want whiny "Let's talk about our feelings" John Connor leading the resistance.  It's too much of a touchy-feely show to handle anything but the upbringing of John Connor.

I don't really think that would happen. He's either going to get Cameron's chip and come back, come back with Summer Glau (excuse me, Allison from Palmdale), work with Shirley Manson and set up the third faction, or just jump back in time shortly before Cameron sent herself off and fix it that way. I'm sure we wouldn't see that much of the future as the show isn't really about that. Of course, more than likely, we'll see fucking nothing. At least I can't blame Leno for this, but I can blame him for the possible cancellation of Chuck.

* schild curses the heavens.

[Tale]

I'm baffled that anyone could think the series is continuing. The ending was a final bow from the main characters. Exeunt.

[HaemishM]

Let me see if I can put some sense to it.

John Conner jumps to after Doomsday but before the resistance has gotten really active. He stays in the future and leads from that moment on. The time he jumped to was BEFORE he ever sent Kyle Reese back (which is why Derek didn't know him). No one ever said Conner was in the timeline that entire time from his 16th birthday to the present (future). I mean, how better to survive killer robots from the future attacking you at any opportune moment in the next 20 years than to just NOT BE THERE? To skip years entirely?

As for Shirley Manson's character, she's from the future. In fact, she's very likely the T1000 model that Jesse saw in the sub. The second Terminator faction for some reason has it in for Skynet, and wants to save the humans (maybe?). Perhaps we'll see them in the movie. Either way, the T1000 from the future comes back to 1) ensure John Henry is created and survives to oppose Skynet, 2) goes forward into the future WITH John Conner to protect him so that he can lead the resistance, providing another enemy for the Skynet faction to drain their resources.

As for why John Henry needed Cameron's chip, John Henry wasn't mobile. He was contained in those boxes and servers because they didn't have a working T888 control chip to contain him. Cameron's chip, however, WOULD contain him. Dump Cameron's personality into the John Henry box, dump John Henry into Cameron's chip and Cromartie's body and send him into the future, where he can be built to oppose Skynet. Send him forward for the same reason you send Conner forward, to hide him from Skynet.

As for where they could go from here? Plenty of really juicy narrative places. A Terminator show set in the future would be awesome drenched in awesomesauce. Sarah dies of cancer in the past. The show's story takes place prior to the 2018 of Salvation and leads into the trilogy of movies coming up. What's so hard to get about that?

[Gobbeldygook]

Kind of what Haemish and Schild said, but not.

-I think the Australian gal was sent back to try and stop John from doing this.

-The TV show is in a different timeline from the third movie.  The show runner said that the TV show ignores the third movie.  The director of Terminator: Salvation has said he has no intention of using material from the TV show.

-I doubt they could maintain a Terminator in the future just because of budgetary reasons.  Chances are Season 3 would go like BSG's: They quickly return to something like the status quo.

-The show's only hope is Terminator: Salvation.  The show's ratings are total dogshit that stinks up the ratings of everything around it.  Either people dig the movie and want more and end up with the TV show (buying DVDs etc) OR an executive thinks people will start watching the show and grants it a reprieve.

[Velorath]

At this point I'm more leaning towards the entire point of the show was not to stop skynet, but to show the other terminator faction.

So the point of the show was to take the fairly straightforward concept of the Terminator movies and make it more convoluted with other factions of Terminators and alternate timelines?  If so I'm glad I stopped watching partway through the season.

[Arthur_Parker]

I thought it ended very well.  All nicely wrapped up with John doomed to play out his role, the role he'd been bitching about the whole time.  He gets to send his dad and uncle back in time to die and presumably falls in love with Alison knowing she's going to get captured & killed too, turns out saving the world was the least of his problems.

[Ironwood]

Did they ever explain what Derek saw in the basement ?

[HaemishM]

Not this season.

[Tannhauser]

Terminator pulled a 1.3 share among the all-mighty 18-49 male demo.  By comparison, Dollhouse pulled a 1.6.

Yeah this show is dead.   

[cironian]

Terminator pulled a 1.3 share among the all-mighty 18-49 male demo.  By comparison, Dollhouse pulled a 1.6.

 

WTF is wrong with people?

[Ironwood]

They don't deserve nice things.

[Jain Zar]

Terminator pulled a 1.3 share among the all-mighty 18-49 male demo.  By comparison, Dollhouse pulled a 1.6.

 

WTF is wrong with people?

People don't like good things.  Only shit.
Its why D&D 4th edition sells and Tunnels & Trolls is relegated to "That game is still in print?".

It is to be weeping.

[Tale]

As for where they could go from here? Plenty of really juicy narrative places. A Terminator show set in the future would be awesome drenched in awesomesauce. Sarah dies of cancer in the past. The show's story takes place prior to the 2018 of Salvation and leads into the trilogy of movies coming up. What's so hard to get about that?

Budget. Setting it in the future requires fuckloads of effects. Setting it in the present is affordable.

[Reg]

Yeah, there's no chance of it staying set in the future if by some miracle the show isn't cancelled. My guess is that they spend one or two episodes there tying up story lines and then head back to the past with Cameron and Unkie Derek again.

[Tannhauser]

Terminator pulled a 1.3 share among the all-mighty 18-49 male demo.  By comparison, Dollhouse pulled a 1.6.

 

WTF is wrong with people?

People don't like good things.  Only shit.
Its why D&D 4th edition sells and Tunnels & Trolls is relegated to "That game is still in print?".

It is to be weeping.

Not to derail, but I ran my first Castles and Crusades game last night.  Great DND system!  4e is fun, but it's NOT DND. 

[Cyrrex]

Well, damn.  It was a great run.  I'd piss my pants with joy if they continue the series, but it just seems unlikely.  People fucking suck.

[Merusk]

The demographic the show is aimed at watches on Hulo or DVRs the show.  That kills ratings dead.

[patience]

I thought it ended very well.  All nicely wrapped up with John doomed to play out his role, the role he'd been bitching about the whole time.  He gets to send his dad and uncle back in time to die and presumably falls in love with Alison knowing she's going to get captured & killed too, turns out saving the world was the least of his problems.

In general it ended well but objectively speaking it was a terrible ending for practical reasons. If schild's musings didn't bother you then consider that the show isn't Terminator: John Conner Chronicles but Sarah Connor Chronicles. When I first read about this show the producers stated that this is a story that revolves around the actions of John's mother and how she influences future events.

This ending almost focuses entirely on John and kicks Sarah to the curb. But there's a lot of things in this episode that are obvious setup elements such as Dyson's son, the new FBI agent and Skynet still existing in the past.

My guess is that the third season is supposed to be like Tolkien's Two Towers where we have to watch two very different events have coinciding impacts on each other. That would've been some epic TV that has never been done before. But NOOOO, this show might get cancelled and we'll be robbed of the awesome. 

As for where they could go from here? Plenty of really juicy narrative places. A Terminator show set in the future would be awesome drenched in awesomesauce. Sarah dies of cancer in the past. The show's story takes place prior to the 2018 of Salvation and leads into the trilogy of movies coming up. What's so hard to get about that?

Budget. Setting it in the future requires fuckloads of effects. Setting it in the present is affordable.

This is Roadwarrior future not Asimov's Foundation future. Just do season 3 in Detroit and have the locals dress up as Terminators.

[Xanthippe]

I love this show, and the finale left me thinking for a long time.

Why do quality shows struggle so much, yet we get season 9 or whatever of American Idol and Survivor? 

[Trippy]

Hey! Don't be dissin' on American Idol! (It's on season 8)

[fuser]

Why do quality shows struggle so much, yet we get season 9 or whatever of American Idol and Survivor? 

Tannhauser posted the reason, great shows pull such low ratings in the key advertising demographics

Terminator pulled a 1.3 share ...

While American Idol pull's a ridicious 7.9 rating

That's 22.44mil vs 3.56mil

Edit:  One side note, sometimes you have a pay network such as HBO stand behind a show. I don't know how but they kept The Wire running for five seasons (last season it was averaging a high of 1mil viewers). I guess if you have enough critical acclaim ;)

[Jain Zar]

If it helps any I bought Season 1 on DVD tonight.

(And Castles & Crusades fucking rocks.  It, Tunnels & Troills 7.5, and Swords and Wizardry (which is FREE) are becoming my go to sword and elf RPG choices.)

[Mrbloodworth]

I thought it ended very well.  All nicely wrapped up with John doomed to play out his role, the role he'd been bitching about the whole time.  He gets to send his dad and uncle back in time to die and presumably falls in love with Alison knowing she's going to get captured & killed too, turns out saving the world was the least of his problems.

In general it ended well but objectively speaking it was a terrible ending for practical reasons. If schild's musings didn't bother you then consider that the show isn't Terminator: John Conner Chronicles but Sarah Connor Chronicles. When I first read about this show the producers stated that this is a story that revolves around the actions of John's mother and how she influences future events.

This ending almost focuses entirely on John and kicks Sarah to the curb. But there's a lot of things in this episode that are obvious setup elements such as Dyson's son, the new FBI agent and Skynet still existing in the past.

I'm thinking john is now off in the future (and movie), and Sara is going to stay there and tie things up or keep trying to stop skynet before it happens. As evidenced by her leaving the bubble, and saying "I will fix it" , perhaps hunting the son. Leading us back to the show is called Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

[Cyrrex]

I don't think so, or at least, I don't think it could exist as ONLY a story about Sarah going after Skynet.  My (probably faulty) reasoning is because so many of the other characters are just too compelling to just go ahead a dump like that.  Cameron, John (Dekker really came into his own, I thought), Derek, even Ellison and John Henry.  Maybe even Weaver.

Damn, I loved this show.