T:SCC 2.18 Today is the day

[bop_radar]

I've been sick this week and when I first watched Terminator this week my thoughts were pushed aside by speechless spine-tingly feelings and so this post is a late response to 'Today is the day' (how great is that episode name?!).

Comments

[norwich36]

I just watched it myself tonight, and *thank* you for this: And Jesse squee! The bar scene was awesome. It was smart of her to pick a fight to hide her injuries because I am so damn clueless I could not figure out what that was about.

It's funny, I found Cameron extremely poignant this week, especially that comment about a 51% chance of not killing it. And her honest bewilderment when John was upset about her going too far with the Riley impersonation. It was such an interesting contrast to Weaver's responses when her daughter vanished. (And oh BOY do I agree with you that Ellison should have been able to pick up that something was wrong when Weaver decided to play the game rather than getting upset about Savannah.)

[bop_radar]

:) I'd been thinking all last week that Jesse would not be able to hide the injuries from the fight from Derek. I shouldn't have doubted her! She's cleverer (and more dangerous!) than that.

I agree about Cameron's poignancy. Something about Cameron + bird is particularly touching to me. I love how she speaks to them--she sounds so honestly confused and they're the moments I can be sure come from her because she's all alone, there's no agenda, she's just thinking aloud.

Weaver's eagerness to 'play the game' was creepy--she was delighted in John Henry the way a parent would be, I guess (just the wrong child!).

[bop_radar]

I think it's pretty convincing that the one blind spot she has is about envisaging her son alone. I think it would be pretty hard for any mother to accept that vision of her son's future. Not only would she want to be there for him always, she'd want someone else to be there too.

I can totally understand John as well--from an individual perspective it must feel weird all these people worrying about you and protecting you when you're the one that is going to end up being the leader.

[alissabobissa]

Despite the Evilness of Jesse, I really dug all of her scenes this week, especially the ones with Derek. The bar scene was pretty damn awesome, and the scene where Derek gets the phone call about Riley was superb. I just want to hug Derek for being so thoughtful about John, and I was waiting for Jesse to blurt out, "I totally didn't do it!" And the Jesse + lamp scenes gave her a detached, creepy quality that really worked for me.

His dual belief and suspicion of Cameron are so fascinating and so well conveyed.
Yes! I think you are right in that he wants to trust her more than he actually does. Poor John. I think he just needs one person in his life that he can trust completely, and since that's clearly not Sarah anymore, he desperately needs it to be Cameron, who he programmed to be his protector/confidant. he'd do well to put his trust in Derek, but there seems to be more tension there than with Cameron for some reason (possibly Jesse?).

I think it was an interesting reverse of the Sarah-John scene where Sarah hit the

[bop_radar]

I just want to hug Derek for being so thoughtful about John
I know! He's such a sweetheart. And I love Jesse, evil or no, so this week's ep was gold fo rme.

he'd do well to put his trust in Derek, but there seems to be more tension there than with Cameron for some reason (possibly Jesse?). Mmm, that's an interesting question. I think in part it's a hierarchical thing--Derek is subordinate to his mother and I think John senses that messing with that would be, well, messy! I also wonder if there's a bit of awkwardness because Derek has been a soldier in the future already, whereas John just knows he'll become one. The moment between them in the hospital, for instance, when Sarah was injured was interesting in terms of seeing John try to assert authority and then Derek flip the tables on him yet, highlighting his immaturity. There's maybe an awkwardness too from knowing that John will become Derek's superior in the future so being confidants now may seem wrong

[mahaliem]

I can't believe Ellison hasn't picked up on Catherine Weaver's weird behavior, either. I hope that he'll now suspect something and will lead us to a kick-ass finale (and please let it be a season finale and not a series finale

[bop_radar]

I keep thinking Ellison is going to clue on and then he doesn't! And I do get that it's pretty hard to make the mental leap that the petite woman in front of you is a killer robot... but surely he susses SOMETHING?!

I love that Cameron's glitch actually makes her 'more human' but that she sees it as flaw.

Will we ever know what the truth is and what's fiction? Will the Connors ever know what the truth is? (That's my littler shipper heart who loves John/Cameron talking.)
I don't know if we will! And it's AGONISING, even for me and I don't really ship them though I find the tension between them incredible. I think the show crafts it really well because the characters get frustrated with Cameron, not knowing what the truth is, but so do we the viewers, so the experience is so tangible.

Much, much squee re. cleverly explored themes, yes!

[chatchien]

Ellison's rage was pretty funny, though once again: HOW can he not tell Weaver is inhuman?! If ever there was a scene where he should have clued on it was the one where a mother seemed to be getting her kicks out of a machine hiding her child.

Plus, Ellison is supposedly "teaching" John Henry morality, etc (human qualities) and he can't see the similarities in John Henry and Weaver's 'lacking in human quality' responses?

I think that Ellison suspects something. When he is teaching John Henry, he gets a look on his face when John Henry is so literal and not picking up on the human metaphoric message and fuzzy logic. I've noticed that look on his face when he interacts with Weaver.

And it's amusing that John Henry and Weaver have turned Ellison's Socratic dialogues on human values and philosophy into mechanical riddles. Philosophy as the answer to a riddle on a bubble gum rapper, Ellison can't be that innured to their mechanical reduction of things.

T:SCC is my new Good Trash show. I hope that they renew it.

[bop_radar]

I've got to believe Ellison suspects something but I keep waiting for him to act on that suspicion and I've ot nothing!

Philosophy as the answer to a riddle on a bubble gum rapper,
That's a great way of putting it. It's fascinating that they think they need Ellison but then dumb what he has to say right down to a 'game' with a neat little answer that satisfies their mechanical brains.