Terminator: TSCC... great show :(
- Thread starter hamudm
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It seems that anything with Summer Glau in it is destined to be canceled quickly. Season 2 was a bit shaky in parts but over all it was pretty good. We got left with a killer cliffhanger never to be resolved.
Hmm. "Summer Glau: The Sci-Fi Series Terminator".
Hey, that's a show in itself.
But, on topic, I HATED what they did with season 2. No less than five female additions to the cast, and four of them annoying.
The pregnant neighbor: Stupid.
The readheaded terminator: Stupid.
The readheaded child: waste of time
John's blond girlfriend from the future: kill her and do it quickly. "Cat fancy"?? What the fuck did that even mean?
All these pointless additions killed the show. At least Jessie was good.
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Yes season 2 was horrible.
The show was doomed by Fox being Fox, aka stupid. The show was PERFECT for the post Super Bowl show, but they wanted more money from House so they showed that instead. I think if it premiered after the Super Bowl we would have gotten a complete four season show.
TCSS was good, but it failed in the way every Terminator related project has since T2, namely making John Connor enough of a badass and leader that you can buy him becoming the savior of humanity in the future.
Oh, and the way Derek Reese checked out of the show was awesome, but unfortunately cheapened by the twist at the end of season two.
Oh, and the way Derek Reese checked out of the show was awesome, but unfortunately cheapened by the twist at the end of season two.
Great show that was killed in part by the need for 20+ episodes a season, if S2 had been as tight and short as S1 they probably wouldn't have felt quite the need to go so far off tangent in the middle, just stretching out a story needlessly!
John's g'f from the future storyline was interesting, it just went on too long. Sarah going nuts was interesting, but ditto.
I actually quite liked Shirley Manson's T-1000, and it was interesting that she seemed to have an agenda that was distinct from Skynets. Shame we never got to see what her actual agenda was.
And yeah, a killer cliffhanger.
As ropey as the show got at times, it's still a better vision of the Terminator universe then either the third or fourth films...
John's g'f from the future storyline was interesting, it just went on too long. Sarah going nuts was interesting, but ditto.
I actually quite liked Shirley Manson's T-1000, and it was interesting that she seemed to have an agenda that was distinct from Skynets. Shame we never got to see what her actual agenda was.
And yeah, a killer cliffhanger.
As ropey as the show got at times, it's still a better vision of the Terminator universe then either the third or fourth films...
Although I watched the show, I can't say I was either saddened or surprised by it's cancellation. After a solid first season, barely a third of the second was any good, the rest disjointed, uninteresting, and almost a chore to get through. I don't think we can blame Fox for this: they had their chance and blew it.
Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman
Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman
The awful story arc with the small town that builds drones pretty much killed the series. The ep where Sarah dreams she's in an asylum was the worst ep. Thankfully it rallied at the end and went out on a high
I actually rather liked the drone arc, especially when I found out the drones were based on a real-life set of recent UFO sightings (hoaxes, presumably, but damn cool anyway - Google "dragonfly drone"). The problem is this was a series made for American mainstream network TV, and you don't do intelligent multi-week tangents. Not when viewers tune in expecting to see Cromartie fighting with Cameron every week, preferably with Cameron in her underwear.
Had this been made for cable, or British TV, I think it would have worked fine.
The other mistake TSCC's showrunners made was in allowing the show to be promoted as the Summer Glau Show, when the concept was that Cameron was only ever supposed to be a background supporting character, with the show focusing on Sarah and John. As such viewers were unable to discern the show's real identity. I remember reading here comments along the lines of "where the **** is Cameron" on a regular basis. I thought Summer Glau was fantastic, but maybe they'd have been better off not casting a fan favorite in a supporting role like that.
The worst part, though was, how the ending of the 2nd season was handled. I appreciate writers rolling the dice. I can even empathize with the desire to middle-finger the network. But frankly, by the time the final episode was edited, the writing was on the wall. They should have done an ending that allowed the series to actually end. They didn't, so we end up with a show that will forever remain a novel with the last chapter ripped out.
Alex
My retrospective on the show:
I thought S1 was pretty good for the most part. It started with a bang, though I felt the season finale fizzled. And the fizzle continued in S2. S2 largely felt unfocused and boring, with too much emphasis on Riley. I think those back to back Sarah mental episodes killed it for me. I did come back for the last few episodes and I think it ended on a high note. I think S2's pacing and storyline focus killed the show.
It should've made sure to keep the action coming, but it got bogged down. I also didn't think Cromartie was all that as a Terminator, though the new T-1000 was pretty good.
I thought S1 was pretty good for the most part. It started with a bang, though I felt the season finale fizzled. And the fizzle continued in S2. S2 largely felt unfocused and boring, with too much emphasis on Riley. I think those back to back Sarah mental episodes killed it for me. I did come back for the last few episodes and I think it ended on a high note. I think S2's pacing and storyline focus killed the show.
It should've made sure to keep the action coming, but it got bogged down. I also didn't think Cromartie was all that as a Terminator, though the new T-1000 was pretty good.
Hmmm... I figured the exact opposite. I found nothing more annoying than Jessie's meaningless role... it ultimately amounted to nothing.
However Weaver and Savannah's roles were integral to a) furthering the plot and b) taking an interesting thematic journey about Weaver discovering what makes humanity tick and how the choices we make ultimately shape who we are.
I loved the left hook they through us with Weaver being a rebel Terminator... all the while, I had assumed a "chicken and the egg" paradox was in play where Weaver had come back in time to kickstart Skynet by creating the AI that powers it. Savannah being a guineapig that would allow her to understand what makes human beings tick, while affording her a cover.
Pregnant neighbour I could take or leave, but I do think she offered a good focal point to observe John/Sarah's humanity and the sacrifices they have to make. I.e., ultimately, they had to abandon ties to pregnant neighbour and even consider that they put her at risk just by being their all for the greater good.
I thought season 2 just got better and better. The ONLY problem I had with it was when they spent too long on Sarah's mental breakdown, particularly the episode where she's in the hospital for her sleep disorder.
after recently re-watching S2, I have to say some of the "rambling" you give the show credit for goes away if you watch it episode by episode instead of one episode a week over 3 months, a 6 month break and another 3 month interval, it also lets you notice alot going on in the background, (the pregnant neighbor was in the film that the actor who's face Cromartie stole, it's obvious that Cameron has been through the time cycle a few times and was nearing the end of her operational lifespan)
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