‘Chronicles’ Closes Out with a Bang - Literally

By LillyKat
PTR Staff Writer

"9-1-1. What is your emergency?"

"Cameron’s gone! Just, like, gone! Blown up in the jeep!!!"

"Ma’am, please remain calm. Can you tell me –"

"Did you hear me?!?! Cameron’s gone! She was going to get John’s birthday cake! She went to start up the jeep, and it exploded right there on the street!! Cripes, she’s gone!! THIS IS NOT HAPPENING!!!"

"Ma’am, there was an explosion, and someone was in the car? Is it - "

"CAMERON!!! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITHOUT CAMERON?!?!? WHAT ARE JOHN AND SARAH GOING TO DO WITHOUT CAMERON?!?! WHO IS GOING TO PROTECT THEM?!?! HOW ARE THEY GOING TO SAVE THE WORLD FROM THE MACHINES WITHOUT CAMERON?!?!?!?!?!"

"Yes, ma’am. We’ve been receiving several calls regarding this today. Please try and remain calm. We’ve been instructed to remind you that Fox would never kill off its star terminator, but it did do one heck of a job ending its first season finale making you think they had. They have set you up nicely for what could be a world of potential with the second season."


Oh. My. God.

My poor Cam.

I don’t often stare at my television screen, mouth agape, for a full 10 minutes after a show has aired its season finale.

I just don’t.

You really have to wow me for that to happen.

You really have to suck me into the show’s entire storyline, create some amazingly original dynamics and intricacies, and get me so attached to the characters that I stop anticipating left curves and twists.

Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles has wowed me.

As in, w-o-w-e-d me with their first season finale, which aired in two successive episodes last night on Fox. I swear, Fox had better renew this show for a second season or else I’m going to go … well, bonkers.

I don’t even know where to begin.

Forget that the TURK is still out there.

Forget that Sarah, John, Cam and Derek creepily tap into the now-terminated T888’s CPU (which Cam rightfully kept as an important resource, remember?) to “watch” footage of its mission through its eyes … ewww!

Forget that Agent Ellison is now completely aware the machines are here, and therefore, foolishly tries to storm Cromartie’s apartment only to see his entire FBI team annihilated.

Forget that Derek (in a rather touching moment) takes John for an ice cream to celebrate his birthday (aww, isn't that what uncles do?) at the park where he, Derek, is watching a younger version of himself play catch with his little bro’ Kyle – John's dad. As John gets up to return the baseball that has rolled over to the bench on which he and older Derek are sitting, he looks into the eyes of his father – a toddler – for the first time.

Just. Freakin. Awesome.

And yet, forget all that because this one was about Cam.

They saved the best stuff for last. She and John seriously bonded in this finale, which made it so much harder to have her … well, you know, get blown up.

Is it bad that I’m starting to wish she and John were together? Yes, I know it is. I actually don't need them to be together, and I confess I never expected to get so attached to either of them. But they are cute. And after last night’s ep, whereby we see that the nasty ol’ T888 was an advanced prototype infiltrator who could be happily married yet-not-quite-with children, I’m afraid I’ve become somewhat of John/Cam shipper. Maybe I just keep having visions of Edward Furlong’s John wanting Arnold’s T101 to stay with them at the end of T2. I still cry at that scene. I guess I'm a sucker for the good terminators.

Like Cam.

Seriously, there is just something beautifully simple about her devotion to John, and to the mission as a whole, that it makes it strangely touching (how cute was that scene in the bedroom where she’s trying to “make conversation”? or when John has to remove her CPU? Awww!)

Of course, we have Derek constantly reminding us Cam is a machine, and thus, can’t trust her (if it weren’t for his take-John-to-the-park moment in this finale, I was about ready to ask someone to smack him). But for me, Cam is going to have to turn seriously left (in which case I’m going to throw things at the screen) for me not to be in her camp and/or wonder how she is going to have to escape that burning jeep next season.

Not to mention there were too many things left on the table for this show not to come back.

Aside from Cam, why didn’t Cromartie kill Agent Ellison?

Who really has the TURK?

Does Derek have some sort of ulterior motive for being sent to the present?

Is Charley going to become part of the team?

Can they really save the world?

T:SCC surely saved the 2007-2008 strike-shortened television season for this viewer. Please, please, pretty please, Fox, renew this for a second season. Don’t make me have to beg you like I had to beg FX with Damages. Hmmmm, now that I think about it, I begged for more of Damages and it got picked up for two more seasons. Coincidence?

Yeah, sure. As if I really had that much influence.

The fight to save the world (will hopefully) continue …

You can catch up on the first season of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles over at the Official Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Web site.