In the third episode of the second season of The Sarah Connor Chronicles, IT’S A TRAP. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
I’m only three episodes into this season and everything’s so fucked up.
John
I have some sympathy for John because it’s obvious that he’s never been more desperate for a sense of normalcy than this. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m pleased that the show is exploring John’s characterization within a more traditional teenage rebellion. This episode, however, shows us what sort of risk John’s taking by disobeying his mother. Is it worth it? That’s not to start this off by saying that what happened to Michelle is his fault, because that would be an absurd claim to make. John isn’t responsible for what Cromartie does, and neither is Charlie. (I’ll touch on that in a bit.)
So how does John stay safe and still get to pursue his own life? I think the horrible truth we see here is that he doesn’t get his own life separate from the threat of Skynet. He tries real hard to pursue a friendship with Riley, and it’s adorable, but how can this possibly last? Truthfully, it’s a cosmic unfairness. John should be able to have a life where he can hang out with friends and have them over at his house and do everything else that other people generally get to do. But this is his life. His life is getting into the back of a stolen van and finding blood soaked into the floor. His life is life-or-death chases on the Santa Monica Pier. That is what is normal for him.
But hey! Terminators can’t swim. That’s good news! (Just kidding, there’s no good news anywhere.)
Ellison
OH MY GOD, IT’S LIKE ELLISON’S STORY IN SEASON ONE BUT JUST A DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCE. He was so close to the truth last season, but was unaware just how deep in the shit he was. And now, Catherine Weaver is trying to ensnare Ellison in whatever plot she’s cooking up, AND HE HAS NO IDEA HOW CLOSE HE IS TO THE TRUTH. I think that Ellison is going to be pushed in a direction where he’ll feel compelled to give in to Catherine, but I don’t quite know what that is. The problem is that I don’t understand Catherine’s endgame. She’s clearly aware of Ellison’s involvement with Sarah Connor, enough that she’s bold enough to lay evidence of MORE Terminators in front of Ellison without any hesitation. That’s a ridiculous amount of certainty! But why? Why recruit someone who knows about Terminators and can arguably give inside information to Sarah and John Connor?
My suspicion? She’s going to get him close and then eliminate him. Which… I hate typing that because I want SO MUCH MORE from Ellison, but isn’t he a threat to her? Of course, there’s a huge flaw in that theory. If Weaver wanted to kill Ellison, she would have done so already. The Terminators are not exactly reluctant to assassinate anyone. So what gives? Why ask him to help find more Terminators? I DON’T UNDERSTAND.
The Mousetrap
Three episodes into this season, and we get a story that feels like a mid-season shocker. This is tense as hell, deliberately so, and it only gets worse and worse as it goes on. Despite that it’s quite obvious that kidnapping Michelle was to set a trap, I STILL DIDN’T FIGURE OUT HOW MANY LEVELS THERE WERE TO THIS TRAP. There are both narrative and visual sleight of hands at work here. Why would Cromartie seemingly spend so much time on a fake bomb? To convince Sarah and Derek that it was real. Why would he plan such a clear trap for someone who’s historically crafty and creative? TO GET THEM TO LEAVE JOHN BEHIND.
But this is more than just a trap. It’s a terrible confirmation of how little the Terminators care about human life. Despite that the mousetrap bomb was a fake, it’s part of a larger trap designed to kill as many people as possible. But even if it failed, it was no issue. Cromartie successfully pulled nearly everyone away from John Connor, and that’s all he cared about. If anyone else died? Collateral damage.
So I understand Sarah’s fury here, though I felt like it was entirely misdirected at Charlie. Which I get, too, since he was the closest thing to her that she could unload on. She keeps yelling at Charlie that he should have stayed away, but that’s precisely what he was doing! He was on the run already, though… he didn’t get very far. NOT THE POINT. It’s not his fault that Cromartie targeted him, and it’s kind of unfair that she expect Charlie to just let his wife be kidnapped (and ostensibly killed). What was he supposed to do? I think in this case, Sarah is just so used to cutting everyone out of her life if need be that she can’t understand why someone else would just do the same. She’s lived this lifestyle for so long that it’s just natural for her. Of course, I can’t ignore the primary cause of her frustration: she’s miles away from medical help for Michelle, and she’s even farther away from John. That’s what is so upsetting about this: Cromartie beat them. Even if he didn’t get what he wanted, he exposed a crucial flaw in their lives.
So what does this mean for their system? They can’t use the identification scheme anymore. I feel like there’s going to be a fallout from this; surely, Sarah is going to be pissed about John flagrantly going against her rules. And what about Charlie? Where does he fit into all this now that Michelle is dead? How is this show so messed up this early in the season???
The video for “The Mousetrap†can be downloaded here for $0.99. It was commissioned by Ryan, who wanted to promote his brother’s website.
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