"Pilot"
"You want to stop Skynet? We can go kill it before it's born. You can stop running, stay in one place. Fight."
- Cameron Phillips
Welcome to the TV Guide
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles blog. Let's get a move on soldier and dive right in shall we?
In a series of camera shots/scenes reminiscent of (and possibly to tie into)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (
T2) we are presented with the open road, fate... time... the future... moving ever forward with a voice over from Sarah Connor herself. This is a dream of Sarah's or rather her nightmare, now modified because of the events in
T2: while running away, John, her son, is shot in the back by a Terminator while Sarah can do nothing. It ends with a nuclear explosion and the Terminator choking Sarah.
The date is 8/24/99. Sarah awakens and decides that she and her son must now move on. Not sure what spurs her forward (the dream or the feeling that she is getting too comfortable with her fiancé/her life). She tells John it's not safe anymore and they leave. Her fiancé, Charley, reports them missing, and we are introduced to FBI Agent James Ellison, who shares with Charley all the juicy details about her past that Sarah forgot to mention. Later with an updated photo and info, Agent Ellison revised Sarah's record in the criminal database which secretly triggers a PC in another location to activate - glowing red eyes stare into that monitor...
The date is 9/6/99. The Connors have set up shop in a new town in New Mexico. In his new school, John meets a fellow student named Cameron Phillips, who appears to have some interest in John. In class the next day, a new teacher, Cromartie, appears and takes role call and hidden from view, starts cutting into his thigh. After 'John Reese' says "here," the teacher removes a gun from his thigh and starts shooting with Cameron caught in the line of fire. John scrambles out the back window with Cromartie in close pursuit. Just as John is about to get shot, the not dead Cameron drives into the Terminator with a pick-up truck and says those famous words, "Come with me if you want to live." Upon hearing the news reports about the school shooting, Sarah scouts the location and is taken captive by Cromartie, who then tricks John into coming 'home.' At the house, John is shot walking into the door but as it turns out, its Cameron in disguise and the two Terminators brawl. The Connors flee the rampage in the house while Cameron disables Cromartie for a short time. The group hides out and Cameron reveals that Skynet still goes online but doesn't know who designed it.
The date is 9/9/99. The group heads to the Dyson residence to ask Mile's widow if she was aware of anyone with knowledge of Mile's research. Cromartie makes an appearance and the Connors plus one take one of Dyson's vehicles, backs it into the Terminator and peels out of there. Cromartie pursues on foot and ends up shooting Sarah in the shoulder. As he runs past their original vehicle, Cameron triggers a remote explosive that stops Cromatie... for now. Cameron takes them to a bank vault where she reveals that she has been back in time since 1963 and helped to engineer the vault. Seemingly attempting a bank robbery, Cameron orders one of the tellers to seal them all in the vault. While in there she reveals that the vault is a time machine that can take them into the future. Cromartie attempts to break into the vault as Cameron prepares the machine. Just as he gets through the damaged door, he is destroyed by Sarah and then the Connors plus one are teleported into the future.
The date is 9/2007. The group appears, naked in the middle of a highway. Since it's 2007, a cell phone video of the incident is recorded and shared with the news media. Cameron tells them that this is where they will begin their search for the genesis of Skynet.
Commentary/opinions:
I wasn't really sure if I would like the series (I'm still unsure); however, I was impressed by the pilot and the premise of moving the storyline into the present day (well, almost present day). Not sure how this storyline will work as a series, but I think it's going to be fun trying to find out.
Sadly, John reminds me of Claire from
Heroes (funny since Thomas Dekker was on
Heroes). Sarah drills into him the rule "keep your head down" etc. but the next day at class, John blabbing away to Cameron. Seriously, John (and Claire): keep your mouths shut!
Skynet's creation: I'm totally unclear as to how Skynet could come to be created, especially after the events of
T2. However, as I watched the pilot for a second time, one scenario came to mind: could their time travel from 1999 to 2007 have been the cause for the creation of Skynet? I present the following as evidence based on the facts (as I think I know them) that only living beings (or Terminators) can be transported with everything else being destroyed or left behind (?) in the process. 1) The time machine was left behind. Was it destroyed as a result of it's use? 2) Cromartie's parts were left behind (at least his body, possibly his head too) 3) Was the super gun left behind?
No more use of the line "Come with me if you want to live" and no more glowy eyes (unless absolutely necessary). There seemed to be a lot of abandoned warehouses in this episode...
Exactly what type of Terminator is Cameron? John immediately picks up on this besides her being 'different' (or is it that he forgets that she is a cyborg). At first the only trait you can notice is that she can eat (or simulate it) but there's more. She is more verbose than the previous models, plus she seems to have all the courtesies down pat: she sincerely thanks John in the classroom and says "please" when holding up the bank. Perhaps her 36+ years back in time has done this to her or is she something more? Notice how her vision was in full color as opposed to Cromartie? Finally, is Cameron a homage to James?
Any
Firefly/Serenity fans think "River" when Cameron stole that gun from the guard's holster or when she was beating up those guys in the car?
Loved how Cromartie analyzed the SWAT team to have a threat of "none." Did you see his injured ear while he was standing there?
I believe the episode was coming full circle when Sarah tells Cameron that she fears she will lose John because of all the running which reflects in her nightmare from the beginning of the episode.
What's the deal with all these Britsh actress' playing Americans nowadays? Off the top of my head, Lena Headley playing Sarah Connor, Anna Friel as Chuck on
Pushing Daises and Michelle Ryan as Jamie Sommers on
Bionic Woman. I kid, I kid!
Quotes:
Sarah: "No one is ever safe! Half an hour, plus the guns... I'll make
pancakes."
Cromartie: "Class dismissed"
Cameron: "Neat trick."
Sarah: "Is it nuclear?"
Cameron: "No... not really."
Sarah and John (in unison): "No one is ever safe."
Things to look for:
I attempted to crecord everything that I could see on the various PC monitors and reports presented in the episode (there's probably more that I missed). Enjoy!
The newspaper clipping about Mile's death appears to really be about US troop movements. The first paragraph has some mention of "Cyberdyne."
Sarah's picture on the FBI/hospital file reads the following:
Connor, Sarah 081191-pdgy Pescadero State Hospital 349-5.C
Her FBI profile has the following info listed (not complete):
KNOWN ALIASES: Sarah Reese. Age: 33. HT: 5'4". WT: 110. HAIR: Black EYES: Green
MARKS/TATTOOS: Puncture scarring front and back right shoulder.
Multiple combat scars.
KNOWN ASSOICATES: Charley Dixon, fiancé. John Connor, son, 15.
FEDERAL WARRANTS: Murder, attempted murder. armed assault & battery,
armed robbery, assault & battery, domestic terrorism, kidnapping,
arson of United States government property and property used in
interstate commerce, arson of a building.
REMARKS: At large. Armed and dangerous. Approach with extreme
caution. Trained in the use of military grade firearms handguns,
edged weapons, explosives, and hand-to-hand combat. If contact is
made, utilization of FBI HRT is highly recommended.
