Mark Watches ‘The Sarah Connor Chronicles’: S01E05 – Queen’s Gambit

In the fifth episode of the first season of The Sarah Connor Chronicles, TOO MUCH JUST HAPPENED IN THIS EPISODE. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

Trigger Warning: For discussion of suicide and statutory rape.

Goddamn, that was a GREAT episode, one that just pushed the whole show in a fascinating new direction. Part of me just wants to end this review right here so I can go watch the next episode, BUT I COULD NEVER DO THAT TO YOU. (One day, I will. I’ve wanted to for so long.) Seriously, though, I knew that this was going to be a wild ride once the whole point of this episode WAS MURDERED. I thought that “Queen’s Gambit” would focus on continuing conundrum of Andy Goode, which was still compelling to me. As I suspected, burning his house down wasn’t enough to stop his computer program, so Sarah has to face the same problem again. Does she kill Andy Goode if he wins the chess tournament? Would that even matter?

WHO KNOWS BECAUSE A THOUSAND OTHER THINGS HAPPEN AND SUDDENLY I’M NOT EVEN CARING ABOUT THIS QUESTION BECAUSE HOLY SHIT, ANDY IS DEAD. ANDY IS DEAD AND THERE’S THE FOURTH RESISTANCE MEMBER AND THERE’S A T888 AND HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DEAL WITH THE FINAL TWO SCENES. HOW????

Let’s back things up.

Adventures in High School

I’m not super into all the scenes at John’s high school, though I am delighted by every scene that features Cameron attempting to learn human behavior. It’s just… christ, y’all, Summer Glau plays an emotionless robot navigating the complicated world of PEOPLE so perfectly, and it’s overwhelming sometimes just looking at her face. I can’t do it! Somehow, I have to survive through 26 more episodes of this, and I’m just wondering who thought this was okay? What did I do to deserve this?

On a more serious and less ridiculous note, WHAT THE FUCK WAS UP WITH THAT GUIDANCE COUNSELOR? So… that happened, right? His creepy interrogation of Cameron truly was a hint at the cause of Jordan’s suicide, right??? Because y’all. Y’ALL. That has to be the explanation behind this. Why else would he want to know what she said before she died? What else would make Jordan so fearful of her parent’s reaction that she’d kill herself? My god, that guidance counselor had a relationship with Jordan, someone found out, taunted Jordan with those paintings, and she committed suicide as a result. I’m a little bit frustrated that the show is so ambiguous about this, though, particularly when they’re not that ambiguous about literally every other plot. I still feel like this is all guess work in the end. Is this part of some longer serialized story or something? I DON’T KNOW.

Loss

I had so much to say about the ongoing struggle to either kill Andy or let him live, and then, halfway through “Queen’s Gambit,” Andy is sacrificed. (Get it? He’s the queen’s gambit for… I actually don’t know. Who was behind this???) (Oh lord, doesn’t the T888 also sacrifice himself in order to gain the upper hand? TOO MANY LEVELS.) Immediately, the rug is pulled out from under us, Brian Austin Green is on our televisions (WHERE DID HE COME FROM, I FORGOT ABOUT HIM), and everything is a huge, huge mess. There’s also a fascinating parallel between Derek and his brother, since both of them were pursued by a Terminator while locked up. Right??? Oh, lord, does that mean Derek is gonna die next?

Let’s not talk about that right now. Except we have to because grief and loss is so pervasive throughout “Queen’s Gambit.” Andy’s gone and we have no idea who killed him. I thought that it made sense that Derek had just completed his mission, but that wasn’t his purpose here. So who stole the Turk? Who else knew what it meant? This episode feels so monumental specifically because it’s upsetting. After Andy’s death, Sarah is not prepared to handle the death of Derek, either. She hasn’t even grieved for Andy, and I imagine that at this point in her life, Sarah is sort of used to those around her dying. Hasn’t nearly everyone she’s crossed died by now? Aside from Tarissa and John, THEY’RE ALL DEAD.

Emotionally, this is upsetting, but the narrative itself is upset, too. We’ve now got to consider that some other party was responsible for Andy’s death and has their own reasons for stealing the Turk. I have no idea what the hell they did with the T-888’s body, but even if they carted it off for their own needs, THEY LEFT HIS HAND BEHIND. Ellison now has undeniable evidence of Sarah Connor’s claims, AND I NEED TO SEE HOW HE’S GOING TO DEAL WITH THIS. But holy shit, y’all, the final scene of this episode is the most exciting one. I was so ready for Derek to die that I didn’t even remember that the show had already foreshadowed this moment. Remember, Charley was a heroic EMT??? HOW DID I FORGET THAT? Because I was distracted, that’s why. Holy shit, he’s there, he knows where they live, HE HAS TO BECOME A PART OF THIS. I CAN’T.

MUST WATCH MORE.

The video for “Queen’s Gambit” can be downloaded here for $0.99.

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About Mark Oshiro

Perpetually unprepared since '09.
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