Remembering Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

I've decided to start writing a kind of obituary for cancelled TV shows. They happen to be shows that I've watched and been shattered when they bit the dust. Also, not all my "Retro Reviews" are exactly retro, but this type of post will be exactly what it says, because how could they not be? I guess they will be solely cancelled TV shows so I guess technically, I could include 24 in it, but I won't. It had a good run of 8 seasons. On FOX for Christ Sake. Not an easy feat. Now that I've crapped on for a bit, may I present to you....

Remembering Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

I am still hurting and crying myself to sleep over the unnecessary murder of this fine show. Sure, it may not have had that many viewers but it was better than most of the crap that's on the air now.

I remember hearing about this show fuck knows how long ago and waited patiently for it for years until it finally made it to the screen with the awesome and highly viewed Pilot episode. Something like 18 million. What followed over the next 30 episodes was an action adventure show that hardly gave up and was always entertaining although it did hit a lull halfway through the second and ultimately, last, season.

This is Summer Glau's most successful series.

We are first re-introduced to Sarah and John Connor about 5 years after the events of Terminator 2: Judgement Day with them living in New Mexico with false identities and shit. John meets a girl at school named Cameron and they chat and stuff. The next day a school teacher Terminator named Cromartie, finds John and proceeds to ruin the classroom with all kinds of fuckery. Around this time we learn that cameron is a Terminator and she drops the convincing acting like a human thing and becomes the Scary Robot we loved.

Also, James Ellison is an FBI agent following the Connor's and Cromarties head comes off. After a couple of episodes back in trusty LA we meet Derek Reese who is Kyle, John's dad's brother. Derek is played by Brian Austin Green and will probably be the role he is remembered for, other than David Silver. Yes, I watched Beverly Hills 90210. Cromartie finds a plastic surgeon who gives him the face of a shitty actor who is played by a not shitty actor in Garrett Dillahunt. He of Deadwood, No Country For Old Men and current FOX comedy, Raising Hope.

That's Cromartie.

The fuckin' Writer's Strike shortened a lot of shows in 2007/08 and this was also affected. The final episode count for Season 1 was 9, with a full season order of 22 in 2008/09. This was good. What was bad was when FOX moved it to the Friday night death slot with Dollhouse, which somehow survived for another year, and viewers left in droves. It killed the show and would not be resurrected.

Highlights of season 2 include the opener in which Cameron malfunctions and goes after John, the death of several recurring characters including Sarah's ex-fiance. The death of Derek's ex-fiance, the death of John's girlfriend, the death of Cromartie of sorts, the death of Derek, the death of sorts of Cameron, the unstable mind of Sarah, Alison From Palmdale, singer Shirley Manson showing up as a liquid terminator named Catherine Weaver, something about a UFO, and all the other "Flashbacks" to the future war.

Derek Reese

The major highlight of Season 2 was almost definately the finale', In which we find out that Weaver seemed to be around to protect John, John rides to the future and finds that nobody seems to know who the fuck he is, Derek is alive, Cameron is Allison patting a dog, Kyle Reese is alive and also that Season 3 would have been the fucking ducks nuts had they not cancelled it.

Season 3 buddy.

But as it turned out, we lost a potentially great Sci-Fi show once again due to FOX's goddamn high standards, we lost one the next year with Dollhouse, and we are looking down the barrel again this year with Fringe, all from airing on fuckin' Friday. So as the greater part of the human race soldier's on, a small portion of us continue to mourn for Cameron's boobs and all the other characters on this show.

Sweet dreams nerds.