Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Ourselves Alone
Following Sarah's dream-woven kidnapping nightmare in the last episode, the depth of the show takes another leap forward this week with what we feel is the best episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles yet. Cameron gets unnerving, John grows older, Sarah gets untrusting, and Riley learns a valuable lesson about trust (in so many words).
Cameron has a glitch that causes her fingers to tense too tight and kill the bird that had nested in the chimney. This moment becomes a metaphor throughout the show as Riley reappears. As Cameron goes about trying to fix herself and getting John's help, Riley's re-emergence is certainly unwelcome.
Sarah (who casually mentions to Cameron in passing that she was kidnapped and the matter is left alone) investigates Riley's foster family for potential abuse, and instead discovers that a counselor has been talking to Riley, who seems to be leaking information that Sarah feels must have been supplied by John (including visions of the destroyed future). Sarah meets with this counselor, who turns out to be Jesse herself, setting up the whole situation to cause distrust between Sarah and John and pit Cameron against Riley.
Cameron has a glitch that causes her fingers to tense too tight and kill the bird that had nested in the chimney. This moment becomes a metaphor throughout the show as Riley reappears. As Cameron goes about trying to fix herself and getting John's help, Riley's re-emergence is certainly unwelcome. Sarah (who casually mentions to Cameron in passing that she was kidnapped and the matter is left alone) investigates Riley's foster family for potential abuse, and instead discovers that a counselor has been talking to Riley, who seems to be leaking information that Sarah feels must have been supplied by John (including visions of the destroyed future). Sarah meets with this counselor, who turns out to be Jesse herself, setting up the whole situation to cause distrust between Sarah and John and pit Cameron against Riley.
Cameron confronts Riley privately when she is visiting the Connors, and
a woman from the Department of Children and Family Services arrives to
check into John's environment based on the "counselor's" report. Backed
in a corner in the shed, Cameron starts speaking to her in a creepily
threatening way. Riley is seen as a threat by Cameron, so something
must be done, but what? John steps in before anything serious happens,
and after a brief and tense interlude, Riley takes off.
All the while, Derek has been trying to go about the plans as usual, striking out against a lawyer. Of course, he has Jesse in with him, who is reluctant to help despite his insistence. Sure enough, when Derek is out in the night waiting on a hill at night to launch his plan, Jesse isn't there.
Instead, Riley jumps Jesse back at the hotel! Riley has figured out that she was put there all along to put a scar in John's life. After a brutal fight where Riley almost makes it, Jesse reaches her gun and shoots Riley in cold blood. Oh no! Despite all of our distrust of Riley before, we now feel sorry for her. She was just being used.
When Riley seems to be missing, John returns to Cameron to question her. She explains that she didn't kill him and passes him a gift -- a personally made self-destruct device to finish her off if he should ever need it. As he leaves, he finds another dead bird in the yard... What is happening to Cameron?
We are still puzzling through Jesse's mission--is she supposed to separate Sarah and John or Cameron and John? We wonder, because either way, trust is lost. In a way, Sarah and John have already been separated by John's lies, and surely Cameron will be seen at fault if Riley's body ever surfaces.
This week's insight from Terminators: If you don't belong in the chimney, get out of the chimney.
This week's lesson for Terminators: Self-control is invaluable.
Turn-ons:
All the while, Derek has been trying to go about the plans as usual, striking out against a lawyer. Of course, he has Jesse in with him, who is reluctant to help despite his insistence. Sure enough, when Derek is out in the night waiting on a hill at night to launch his plan, Jesse isn't there.
Instead, Riley jumps Jesse back at the hotel! Riley has figured out that she was put there all along to put a scar in John's life. After a brutal fight where Riley almost makes it, Jesse reaches her gun and shoots Riley in cold blood. Oh no! Despite all of our distrust of Riley before, we now feel sorry for her. She was just being used.
When Riley seems to be missing, John returns to Cameron to question her. She explains that she didn't kill him and passes him a gift -- a personally made self-destruct device to finish her off if he should ever need it. As he leaves, he finds another dead bird in the yard... What is happening to Cameron?
We are still puzzling through Jesse's mission--is she supposed to separate Sarah and John or Cameron and John? We wonder, because either way, trust is lost. In a way, Sarah and John have already been separated by John's lies, and surely Cameron will be seen at fault if Riley's body ever surfaces.
This week's insight from Terminators: If you don't belong in the chimney, get out of the chimney.
This week's lesson for Terminators: Self-control is invaluable.
Turn-ons:
- Lessons:
Cameron's need of John is an interesting twist that calls them back
together in an endearing way. Sure, Cameron can fix herself, but she
wants John to help, in part to teach him.
- Maturity:
John seems older now, in part because of Cameron's interactions, but
also because he is dealing with Riley's situation. He's less whiny and
more reasonable -- we're hoping to see more of it.
- Trust:
Cameron and John seem to actually be closer because of Riley's
situation, or at least for now, and on Cameron's end. She entrusts John
with the ability to destroy her, because ever since a new model arrived
in a time bubble with a self-destruct feature and Riley's suicide
attempt, Cameron has been thinking about the fact that she can't kill
herself should she want to. Morbid, but fascinating.
- Dead Birds: Nothing quite like crushed birds...
- Slit Wrists: There is something just downright disturbing about open flesh, especially when it houses twitching Terminator wires.
- Manipulators: Jesse has mastered the art of fooling both Sarah and Derek to the point of being extremely dangerous -- possibly more dangerous than any mission or even Catherine Weaver, who has taken a step back in recent episodes. Why can't Derek see that glint of lies in Jesse's eyes? Would side with her even if he found out her mission?