'Chronicles' is on Snooze Control

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

Zzzzzzzzzz.

Oh, my dearest Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles ... what has happened to you these days?

Where is the excitement? The passion? The intensity? The suspense?

Zzzzzzzzzz.

I hate to admit it, but this week's ep was a snoozer. We could've started at about the 45 or 50 minute mark given the whole thing played like one big filler for time - in the worst way.

We remember that big ol' explosion from last week's episode (when the Shirley-meister sent the Skynet-in-disguise heating and air conditioning factory down in a blaze of glory)? Well, this week had a long, drawn out remembrance ceremony for ALL the victims, which Sarah and Co "crashed" so as to try an get an inside track on what in the world was really going on at the plant (which, of course, wasn't really a heating and air conditioning factory - and the ENTIRE town knew it but looked the other way).

This lead to one insanely long funeral procession for one guy who's dead, but not really, but then probably is and/or is living in the house Big Brother built.

Read: the first incarnation of how Skynet work camps are set up.

'kay, good to know.

But it took us the WHOLE episode to figure that out?

Or to see the mystery, "three dot" flying saucer machine emerge from the town's seemingly poisonous water hole only to fly itself into the back of an 18-wheeler's trailer and be carted off to Lord knows where?

No John Henry?

Two seconds with Shirley and Agent Ellison?

I'm starting to understand why only about 3.5 million or so people are still watching this show.

It has lost so much zip from what gripped us in the first season that it now seems like some sort of emo drama on FOX. The killing off of Cromartie was potentially the series ending point, and even though they got picked up for a full second season order and have brought back Garret Dillahunt as John Henry (thankfully), I don't know if they've come back CREATIVELY from terminating the machine who was the constant, menacing reminder of the fight to save the world - and what the Connors are really all about.

Plainly, I just don't know if they have enough story and character development left to keep it interesting.

To say its return has been underwhelming is an understatement.

New episodes of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles air Fridays at 8 p.m. on FOX. You can also watch full episodes online. Visit the Official Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Web site to catch up (or re-watch!)