{"id":4373,"date":"2015-01-15T08:00:21","date_gmt":"2015-01-15T16:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=4373"},"modified":"2015-01-15T00:58:54","modified_gmt":"2015-01-15T08:58:54","slug":"mark-watches-the-sarah-connor-chronicles-s02e21-adam-raised-a-cain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2015\/01\/mark-watches-the-sarah-connor-chronicles-s02e21-adam-raised-a-cain\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘The Sarah Connor Chronicles’: S02E21 – Adam Raised a Cain"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the penultimate episode of\u00c2\u00a0The Sarah Connor Chronicles,\u00c2\u00a0<\/i>storylines finally converge in the worst way possible. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0The Sarah Connor Chronicles<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For death\/grief<\/b>.<\/p>\n

I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even know where to start with this fucking episode.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not that\u00c2\u00a0The Sarah Connor Chronicles\u00c2\u00a0<\/i>is a particularly cheery show, or that I go into every episode expecting that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll get a happy ending. I know that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not the case,\u00c2\u00a0and I find this show\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s emotional realism to be really refreshing. The stakes aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ignored, and the cost is addressed, even if it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s uncomfortable or depressing.<\/p>\n

I suppose I assumed the core six cast members \u00e2\u20ac\u201c John, Sarah, Cameron, Ellison, Weaver, and Derek \u00e2\u20ac\u201c were all safe at this point. Okay, maybe not safe, but they were all so important to this show\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s narrative that I was certain they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d always be around to contribute it. But I have to remember that Derek told John that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d probably die for him, and I have to remember that this was the threat they all lived under. That doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make Derek\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s death any easier to handle. It comes completely out of nowhere, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s viciously sudden, and\u00c2\u00a0that<\/i>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s it<\/i>. Just minutes after visiting his brother\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s grave for the first time, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shot by this new Terminator, and then we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re watching him buried in the same cemetery full of John Does, and I NEED THIS EPISODE TO BURY ME TOO BECAUSE IT HAS KILLED ME.<\/p>\n

In terms of the story, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a harsh reminder of Skynet\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s brutality. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also brilliant in terms of building tension and terror. As soon as Derek dies, the pacing is thrown to the wind, and we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re never allowed to feel comfortable again. I felt a pit in the bottom of my stomach and a nervousness in my chest for the remainder of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Adam Raised a Cain.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d It wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t go away, and the writers\u00c2\u00a0made everything worse<\/i>. I got a sense that the final story arc would be the collision between Catherine Weaver and the Connors. I was excited! How could I\u00c2\u00a0not<\/i> be? Except this went in a direction that is a million times more upsetting than I could have anticipated.<\/p>\n

The writers were well aware of this. There are\u00c2\u00a0so many<\/i> reveals and dramatic twists within this single episode, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s astounding to me that this was just forty minutes long. It felt like it was\u00c2\u00a0hours<\/i>, and I mean that as a compliment. A Kaliba Terminator infiltrates the Weaver household; Derek is murdered after the Connors come to rescue Savannah; ELLISON CONTACTS SARAH CONNOR; THERE IS A MEETING BEING ARRANGED BETWEEN SARAH AND CATHERINE WEAVER\u00c2\u00a0and I simply cannot cope with this<\/i>.<\/p>\n

But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not just plot twists that messed me up. I feel like \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Adam Raised a Cain\u00e2\u20ac\u009d finally hinted\u00c2\u00a0as to Catherine Weaver\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s role within\u00c2\u00a0The Sarah Connor Chronicles<\/i>, at least more so than the last couple episodes did. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s that electrifying scene between Ellison and Weaver in the elevator where Catherine definitively states that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s interested in\u00c2\u00a0survival<\/i>: Ellison\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s and her own and John Henry\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s and Savannah\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s. Is she lying? I suppose that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s possible, but I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see\u00c2\u00a0why<\/i> she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d lie about that to Ellison. If she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s trying to save the world, that pits her against Skynet, doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it? She is\u00c2\u00a0so<\/i> certain that John Henry is the answer to this. WHY? WHO IS JOHN HENRY IN THE FUTURE??? Is he a weapon against Skynet? Is that why she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been having Ellison teach John Henry ethics?<\/p>\n

Even if that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the case, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still a thin layer of ice holding everyone up. Catherine can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t let Ellison find out who she is, and I think that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one way the writers remind us that Catherine\u00c2\u00a0is<\/i> a machine. Even if she has some form of morality within her, she still reacts to the world in a calculating way. Hell, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t that how she sounds when she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s telling Ellison about John Henry\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s worth to her? Humans are still largely pawns to her, and that includes both Savannah and Ellison. That, of course, makes her a complicated character\u00c2\u00a0and<\/i> makes it harder to determine if she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s here for good or not.<\/p>\n

But I suppose it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s kind of silly to look at this conflict with a dichotomy in mind. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so much more\u00c2\u00a0messy<\/i> than that. Ellison doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just have to deal with finding Savannah and getting her back; the LAPD have already gotten involved, and it proves to be mighty difficult dealing with them. What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the morality in that situation? Does he believe that the police can provide no help in locating Savannah? Or does his loyalty to Catherine Weaver override that? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clear that Sarah and John don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want Savannah to be yet another casualty in this war against Skynet, but, like Catherine, they use her as a pawn to get what they want. The whole thing is incredibly complicated!<\/p>\n

Obviously, the final act of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Adam Raised a Cain\u00e2\u20ac\u009d makes that statement seem\u00c2\u00a0silly<\/i>. I really don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think that Ellison called the cops on Sarah. (I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have a theory who did. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122M LOST.) But this is possibly one of the worst developments for this family. Sarah\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s face is all over the television, and everyone knows where she is, including the Terminator that is look for her and John Connor. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s reminiscent of\u00c2\u00a0T2<\/i>, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it? Sarah\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more vulnerable than she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ever been, and their resources are\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 what? Cameron? That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s it, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, because LITERALLY EVERYONE ELSE IS DEAD. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see them trusting Ellison, not after Savannah revealed that Cromartie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s body is now\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 well, they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plugged into the Turk, but STILL. They have no reason to believe that Catherine Weaver is doing\u00c2\u00a0anything<\/i> to help them. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an antagonist to them. So what do they do? Rescue Sarah? And then\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 keep running?<\/p>\n

I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even know, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Adam Raised a Cain\u00e2\u20ac\u009d messed me up. I mentioned on video that this felt like a season finale; that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s how huge it was. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m thankful that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s at least one more, but only because I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m hoping to get some closure. There should be SO MANY SEASONS of this show. WHY HAVE Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ALL DONE THIS TO ME?<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Adam Raised a Cain\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– Mark Does Stuff is now on Facebook<\/a>! Feel free to Like the page, which I’m running myself, for updates and SILLINESS.
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\n– The 2015 Mark Does Stuff tour is being announced!!! Check my Tour Dates \/ Appearances page<\/a> often to see if I’m coming to your city!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"