"The Mousetrap"
As the Dixons make their way out of the danger zone that is Los Angles, the danger tracks them down: Cromartie kidnaps Michelle from a gas station. After a quick white lie to John, Charley contacts Sarah to ask for her help in rescuing his wife. Continuing to keep John in the dark for his protection, Sarah and Derek venture out. They find Charley and eventually find Michelle (via her cell phone call). Cromartie's been a busy lil... large cyborg. Apparently, the chair Michelle is bound to is rigged to a bomb; however the cyborg is no where to be found. Sarah correctly deduces that the bomb is a fake. What isn't a ruse is the explosive attached to the cell phone tower outside the building. Cromartie has been monitoring their cell phone communications with John via this system. Once he has the info he needs, the cyborg drives off but not before he triggers the second bomb causing the pole to crash into the building. The damage has two results: Sarah's cell phone has no signal (she cannot contact John) and Michelle was badly injured. The group heads out on foot to search for a working vehicle as theirs has been disabled. Sarah carjacks a van but eventually is forced to stop as the ride is causing great pain and worsening the injury to Michelle.
Meanwhile, John and Cameron go computer shopping. While loading up their truck, Riley calls and asks John to hang out. He ditches Cameron and meets up with Riley. Before the explosion as well as being monitored by Cromartie, Sarah calls John and warns him that he needs to not return home -to stay with Cameron. His happy fun time with Riley comes to an end as Cromartie calls John, imitating Sarah's voice, and tells him to meet her (him) at the pier. Once there, John realizes it's a trap as he spies Cromartie, who also sees him. After a chase, disguise and gun play, John jumps off the edge of the pier with the enemy cyborg following into the water below. As it turns out, cyborgs don't swim, they sink (like Bumbles? Or is that bounce?). John escapes with Cromartie walking out from the waters onto the beach a short time later.
Michelle dies from her injuries.
Agent Ellison is contacted by Catherine Weaver, who wants his help tracking down a Terminator.
Commentary
I found this episode compelling for a number of reasons: anytime I get to see Michelle/Penny (
Sonya Walger) I'm a happy lil boy (side note: cannot wait for Lost's premiere!); I am beginning to love to hate em... umm... angtsy/rebellious John; I am attempting to break myself out of the habit of overly analyzing everything on-screen for this series because if I do, the reality matrix will crash down around me (doesn't mean I won't nitpick it though).
Where to begin?
I did like the concept that Cromartie would use other means to get at the Connors & group, instead of just smashing things up, as this would end up forcing the series into a dangerous corner of trying to explain away all the violence in the city. Basically, the level of believability would be lessened even further (yes, I know it's about machines from the future) as all of Los Angeles would become a sandbox for the Connors and cyborgs to trash.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was going to run into the same problem until Joss & Company came up with the idea that people try to find reasonable explanations for the unexplainable (so that they don't go nuts) -gangs on PCP anyone? The problem I have with Cromartie using this type of subterfuge is that I wouldn't expect a cyborg of his series being capable of doing such intricate planning. Going by what we've seen in
T1 &
T2, unless it involves firing weapons or setting off explosions, I do not think the Arnie models would be able to concoct such a plan. I'd have a better time believing it if a T1000 series was behind it, but even then I think back to the fact that they are just a shinier version of the 800s. Again, I must learn to leave my reasoning at the gunmetal door, but still...
I am so sick of John that I shock even myself. Whine, whine, whine, except this time, he vocalizes his childish complaints (see quotes section). I've said it before so I'll say it again: John, buddy, pal, have you learned nothing from your experiences in T2, plus the episodes from s1 and even the first two episodes of s2? The Terminators want to kill you! Period. Your mom wants to protect you! Listen to her! Your em... angsty nonsense is so overplayed. For goodness sake, go watch porn on the Internet and stop whining (wow, an Avenue Q and Arnie reference in one sentence)!
Riley: I cannot wait for her character to meet some untimely demise! Don't be shocked! You know you are thinking the same thing (maybe a wee bit in the back of yer mind). What other purpose does her character have -especially after the girl from s1 seems to have disappeared? This is how I think it will go down (not a spoiler as I'm just speculating): em... angsty John will fall for this gal; somehow she will be put into harm's way; she'll end up dying either by saving John or by him failing to save her at the last second. The result will be a hardcore/battle hardened John, ready to lead humanity in it's time of need -heck, ready to kick, major cyborg butt! Of course, I can only dream as it'll probably be that she'll move away like the first girl. Hmmm... maybe she is a cyborg too? It could happen -especially since there are like a million of them running around.
I guess John will be happy to be home schooled as he won't have to put up with all that weird gossipy nonsense the students were writing on doors/walls at school (or whatever they were doing blah). I'll ask it again: what happened with this storyline?
September twenty-two. I'm so going to have all my friends use the secret code when they call me! I wonder if they will be as annoyed as I am every time they do it in the show? Thankfully, now that Cromartie knows their secret handshake (get it? Like when 56K modems would dial? Tee hee), they will move on to a new and less annoying code word.
Twenty, zero seven. Looks like someone on the production staff is a fan of The Beastmaster. What exactly is Marc Singer doing nowadays? Not that the series needs any more humor (especially as the Cmdr Data... sorry, Cameron jokes were flying left and right in the episode... I kid, I liked the Cameron bits -get it? Bits & bytes? Computers? Ha?- except for the silver robot dude she encounters on the pier.
T2 anyone?), but they should include clips of George Lazlo's film/s in each episode! Such an up and coming star... such a tragic death.
September twenty-two. Although heavy handed (title of the episode as well as Cromartie setting one off on his finger), I liked the symbolism revolving around the mousetrap. Besides the actual use with Michelle, Sarah and company within their own mousetrap set by Cromartie, one could look at John's attempt to break away from his destiny as a trap as he is always snapped back into reality (although he never listens... kids today!). Sarah knows of the 'trap,' hence why she didn't want Charlie there in the first place. The question we should all have is: what type of trap is Catherine Weaver setting?
Twenty, zero seven. Very beautiful camera work in this episode. Besides the various desert shots reminiscent of T1, the remarkable, yet simple, shot of Charley cleaning off the dirt on the windshield revealing Michelle inside is amazing. I knew it would come back to haunt Charley as at the end of the episode as he ends up burying his wife. Something else to ponder: does he end up realizing in the episode that Michelle is who he really loves (i.e., he understands his feelings for her now as represented in the wiping away of the barrier, Sarah, between him and Michelle). When done correctly, a little foreshadowing/symbolism is always a great thing. Kudos!
September twenty-two. Umm, Michelle? When someone says "don't move an inch" why do you move more than an inch? Charlie is a paramedic so why did he not think it wise to just wait for help? Fear of the Terminator or can't he just say 'no'? Also, he begs Sarah to stop the van so he could... cuddle?
Twenty, zero seven. Hey! What the heck did Sarah and Derek think they could do verses a Terminator in the first place? A few pee shooters ain't gonna do nothing... not a damn thing... against a fully operational 800 series! Since Derek was quick to offer his opinion that Michelle was already dead, didn't he know that with they would need bigger guns (maybe a phased plasma rifle with a 40-Watt range?)? Granted, they could have had more in the car, but methinks they would of better use during the initial encounter.
September twenty-two. Firefly fans: Did you not think of River Tam when you watched next week's preview?
Quotes
John: "How does this affect the safety of one, John Connor?"
Cameron: "It doesn't. But next summer, we will have to repaint."
John: "Nobody that pregnant should be forced to watch network television. It's bad for the baby."
(ed: so is that why you turned out the way you did, John?")
Cameron: "There's something alive up there."
Sarah: "Is it something that can hurt us?"
Cameron: "It's a bird. I'll kill it before it flies away."
Sarah: "No."
Cameron: "Maybe later?"
Sarah: "Maybe never"
John: "I could be there in fifteen minutes."
Riley: "The world could end in fifteen minutes."
John: "Just because my mother said it, doesn't make it so. I'm not a child anymore. I can go to the store or see a friend or do whatever the hell else other people like me do."
Cameron: "There are no other people like you."
Well my fellow cyborgs, another blog comes to an abrupt conclusion. Hopefully, this will make up for last week's drunken spiral of loss and despair (huh?). Opinions on the episode? Did you like/dislike it and what specifically made you feel that way? Agree on my annoyance with em... angsty John? Did you enjoy seeing Kacy's tummy? Finally, what is Catherine Weaver up to (and why is she drinking? Was that just for appearances or is it some sort of fuel used to keep her going like Red Bull for the T1000 series)? Twenty, zero seven! Roger! Out!
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