Time Travel
I've been watching Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles on Netflix streaming and just finished the Season 2 episode Self-Made Man.
(spoilers for Dollhouse Season 2 within)
In which Cameron discovers a Terminator jumped too far back into the past due to a temporal error and accidentally killed a man, changing the future in a way that prevents him from completing his mission. So the Terminator works to create this building himself where he will then wait until 2010 when he can assassinate the Governor. I think what I loved most about this episode was Cameron's relationship with Eric and the mysterious question of "does she care about him?" that plays in every interaction. Summer Glau has a real talent for playing a machine who's feigning emotion--there's layers to her performance and it's intriguing. It was also really cool to see how the Terminators could tell what time it was by looking up and mapping the stars (and that the three stars were the very three dots Sarah Connor had been obsessing about for her story arc).
I'm once again sad that this show didn't get a third season. Lately, I've been so dissatifised with what we got of Dollhouse in Season 2 that if I could make a trade, I'd so trade for a T:SCC Season 3. The finale to Season 2 made Season 3 seem so frickin' exciting and I'd have loved to see Summer Glau playing human Allison in the future. Terminator had been skating on thin ice during its second season, but they managed to stay the course and deliver a great season and even end on one hell of a cliffhanger that just opened up the story to infinite possibilities. Compared to Dollhouse that tried to tell five seasons in the back half of Season 2 when they got cancelled, Terminator didn't sacrifice pacing, continuity or story because of network pressure/interference. I think it was because Terminator knew what type of show it was, while Dollhouse had moments, but never quite realized what it was trying to be.
If Dollhouse hadn't gone crazy bananas in execution (see: Boyd and the fast-forward of plot), then I'd still want Dollhouse Season 2 (for Belonging, for the Eliza/Alexis on screen reunion, for Topher's ending, for Adelle) but instead if just feels so unsatisfying to me. Sometimes you love things more for their flaws--that's how it is with Buffy for me. But with Dollhouse, it's the flaws that keep me from loving it. It's weird. When did I become one of those sci-fi fans who would rather have pushed Dollhouse off the cliff in order to save Terminator?
If only I could go back in time and save the show... /wistful
But who knows what delicate balance I may upset? It could end up like "Everybody kills Hitler..." and then I'd get yelled at in forums.
Anyone else Terminator fans? What'd you think of the show? Fave episode? Fave character? What'd you think of the series finale?
I just realized I've been watching a lot of time travel shows recently, but between the two kinds: Doctor Who and Terminator, I think I like Terminator the best. It's all apocalyptic and dire, which I guess is the case with Doctor Who sometimes, but with Terminator it feels more genuine. I always know the Doctor will save the day/world, while with the Connors it feels like a losing battle that you're desperately hoping will turn in their favor.
(spoilers for Dollhouse Season 2 within)
In which Cameron discovers a Terminator jumped too far back into the past due to a temporal error and accidentally killed a man, changing the future in a way that prevents him from completing his mission. So the Terminator works to create this building himself where he will then wait until 2010 when he can assassinate the Governor. I think what I loved most about this episode was Cameron's relationship with Eric and the mysterious question of "does she care about him?" that plays in every interaction. Summer Glau has a real talent for playing a machine who's feigning emotion--there's layers to her performance and it's intriguing. It was also really cool to see how the Terminators could tell what time it was by looking up and mapping the stars (and that the three stars were the very three dots Sarah Connor had been obsessing about for her story arc).
I'm once again sad that this show didn't get a third season. Lately, I've been so dissatifised with what we got of Dollhouse in Season 2 that if I could make a trade, I'd so trade for a T:SCC Season 3. The finale to Season 2 made Season 3 seem so frickin' exciting and I'd have loved to see Summer Glau playing human Allison in the future. Terminator had been skating on thin ice during its second season, but they managed to stay the course and deliver a great season and even end on one hell of a cliffhanger that just opened up the story to infinite possibilities. Compared to Dollhouse that tried to tell five seasons in the back half of Season 2 when they got cancelled, Terminator didn't sacrifice pacing, continuity or story because of network pressure/interference. I think it was because Terminator knew what type of show it was, while Dollhouse had moments, but never quite realized what it was trying to be.
If Dollhouse hadn't gone crazy bananas in execution (see: Boyd and the fast-forward of plot), then I'd still want Dollhouse Season 2 (for Belonging, for the Eliza/Alexis on screen reunion, for Topher's ending, for Adelle) but instead if just feels so unsatisfying to me. Sometimes you love things more for their flaws--that's how it is with Buffy for me. But with Dollhouse, it's the flaws that keep me from loving it. It's weird. When did I become one of those sci-fi fans who would rather have pushed Dollhouse off the cliff in order to save Terminator?
If only I could go back in time and save the show... /wistful
But who knows what delicate balance I may upset? It could end up like "Everybody kills Hitler..." and then I'd get yelled at in forums.
Anyone else Terminator fans? What'd you think of the show? Fave episode? Fave character? What'd you think of the series finale?
I just realized I've been watching a lot of time travel shows recently, but between the two kinds: Doctor Who and Terminator, I think I like Terminator the best. It's all apocalyptic and dire, which I guess is the case with Doctor Who sometimes, but with Terminator it feels more genuine. I always know the Doctor will save the day/world, while with the Connors it feels like a losing battle that you're desperately hoping will turn in their favor.