Terminator 203 "The Mousetrap" - Discuss/Grade <SPO>

[Tim]

The producers apparently think the best way to portray John Connor is as a self-centered, whiny emo-brat. In 12-13 hours of television, he hasn't displayed a shread of being the potential leader that Edward Furlong showed in 2 hours of T2.

In my mind, Furlong's Connor didn't show much leadership in T2 beyond being a cocky fool. He did show more street-wise toughness than Dekker's Connor, something which I miss. It seems like we're getting something closer to the wussy John Connor of T3, though if the producers make good on their promise of having John mature into a true leader, I wouldn't mind so much.

Then you have Sarah, who is completely wishy-washy about everything. Not to mention completely out-of-character, from having her sign over custody of John at the mental hospital (though if this John Connor were my son, I would have done the same thing) and actually STOPPING THE VAN on her way to rescuing her son. The real Sarah Connor never would have done either of those things.

I agree that Heady gives us a softer take on the Sarah Connor character, but I don't necessiarly consider this a bad thing. The hesitation and final stopping of the van I don't see as terribly out of character given that Linda Hamilton's Sara collapses in sobs after nearly killing Miles Dyson.

Everyone else though is good. Cameron is gold whenever she's on the screen. Reese is a great character who has been underutilized and weirdly subservient to Sarah this season. Ellison and Cromartie are compelling and Charlie's a good, likeable character.

Fully agree with you here. The rest of the cast is top-notch, with Summer Glau easily the best actor on the show.

 

[species5618]

The producers apparently think the best way to portray John Connor is as a self-centered, whiny emo-brat. In 12-13 hours of television, he hasn't displayed a shread of being the potential leader that Edward Furlong showed in 2 hours of T2.

I loathed Edward Furlong's portrayal of John Connor in T2. I thought "self-centered whiny emo-brat" nicely described Furlong's performance.

I'm not loving Dekker's portrayal of John Connor, but it's a damn sight better than Furlong's IMO.

edit: I gave the episode 2x03 an average. There seemed to be something off about the pacing to me.

 

[Samurai8472]

Ratings

 

[Tim]

^ Hey, that's not all bad. When do we get the demographic breakdown?

 

[broberfett]

Above average. I liked the whole Beastmaster cheap ass parody, but I disliked the inefficient Terminator with the mousetrap setup. He could have placed the explosives under the floor and called it in and wasted all of them(Instead of on the cell tower) or other lethal scenarios.

 

[broberfett]

^ Sarah isn't a killer. Of course she would have stopped the car.

She also couldn't finish off Miles Dyson.

You know, I understand John wants to live a normal life but he is such a little douchebag it's not even funny. Now in all fairness, Sarah didn't help things here but being all secretative and not telling him that the Terminator was coming to kill him. But John is such a self-centered brat that I don't think he would have cared. I was truly hoping Cromartie would kill him. Humanity deserves better than this selfish twit.

Why? Because he wanted to hang out with a hot girl? What 16 year old kid would be content hanging out with his mom and cyborg protector all day long? He didn't have any reason to believe that there was any imminent danger... at least not until he got the call from his mom. As soon as that happened he ditched the chick and did what he was told.

Yeah, but what 16 year old guy wouldn't be nailing his hot cyborg protector every chance he could get?

 

[3D Master]

The thing is not that John chose to ignore is mother, it's the whiny, non-leader way he went about doing it. Compare what happened in the show's last two episodes to the following:

Sarah: "Now is not the time..."

John (forcefully): "And when is the time?" (Slightly less forceful, but still with steel.) "There is never going to be time, mother. I, and possibly soon, everyone, will have to fight these machines. If we let that stop us, we might as well stop fighting now, because Skynet will already have won: 30 years from now we will go extinct. Winning the war isn't enough, we have to preserve what makes us human. That means we have to connect with others... and also make babies."

Sarah: "You won't be making babies anytime soon, young man."

John just smiles and walks past her.

 

[TheArsenal]

I loathed Edward Furlong's portrayal of John Connor in T2. I thought "self-centered whiny emo-brat" nicely described Furlong's performance.

I'm not loving Dekker's portrayal of John Connor, but it's a damn sight better than Furlong's IMO.

I have a far easier time believing Dekker grows into a resistance leader than Furlong. In addition, as Furlong's character was written - a smart-alec, catch phrase tossing, street punk - he may be tolerable over a period of two hours, but longer than that though, I imagine that shtick would get quite old.

I think Dekker's doing fine. And I feel Headey manages to show humanity, range, and an occasional light touch in a character that, lets face it, spends nearly every moment in a dour and grim mood.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Hasta la vista for me. I've gotten to that terminal point in watching any series when I start fast-forwarding the episodes to find "the good parts," which means it's time for me to bail. Next week's story seems interesting, so I'll give it one last chance but since the basic premise - protect John from the Terminators, a foregone conclusion, and therefore one with no dramatic tension - bores me, I doubt it will change my mind.

Terminators not being able to swim seems like a huge design flaw for them not to have addressed, since it gives their human opponents an advantage. There are things they could have done before now (lightweight steel? flotation device?)

Summer Glau and BAG are very watchable so when T:SCC is cancelled, I hope to see them in other things, as well as Garrett Dillahunt, who is a wonderful character actor.

^ Hey, that's not all bad. When do we get the demographic breakdown?

Pifeedback.

Opposite all original competition, Fox’s combination of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Viewers: #4, 5.81 million; A18-49: #4, 2.2/ 6) and Prison Break (Viewers: #4, 5.93 million; A18-49: #4, 2.5/ 6) could not compete.

The ratings are stable enough that the show might survive the season, but I doubt it will be renewed - stable or not, the ratings are too low. Unless everything Fox tries this year flops.

The real killer here is being #4 in the demo. What good is an action show about killer robots if you can get the 18-49 crowd to watch? Under 7M is a danger sign for any show on a "real" network - under 6M, gulp.

 

[Hobs202]

I liked this episode better than last week's. I thought that Cromartie had a pretty complex and clever plan as it didn't involve just shooting everyone up. And to give him credit, his plan ALMOST worked except that he couldn't swim.

Anyway, next week's episode looks REALLY good.

 

[Sephiroth]

why the fuck is "Dancing with the stars" so popular?

 

[Turtletrekker]

^That's a mystery for the ages...

 

[TheArsenal]

Because it's not just dancing. And it's not just stars. It's dancing with the stars.

 

[DarthPipes]

In my mind, Furlong's Connor didn't show much leadership in T2 beyond being a cocky fool. He did show more street-wise toughness than Dekker's Connor, something which I miss. It seems like we're getting something closer to the wussy John Connor of T3, though if the producers make good on their promise of having John mature into a true leader, I wouldn't mind so much.

Yeah, he is closer to T3 John, who was a pathetic wimp that was going through the motions while everyone around him was actually doing something.

Look, I understand John wants to live a little. It's important not to be completely isolated and not to enjoy life. I understand that. But no other 16-year-old I know is the future leader of humanity hunted down by nearly unstoppable killer robots. There's no excuse for him to be careless with his own safety.

In fairness, Sarah stupidly chose to remain vague and not tell him that Cromartie was on the hunt. At the same time, John should know his mother well enough to have known something was wrong.

 

[Samurai8472]

Took me awhile to remember this website but its got a good look at the ratings
http://pifeedback.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/63310451/m/315109161

Prime-Time Ratings:
Monday 9/22/08

-Total Viewers:
ABC: 17.22 million, CBS: 13.13, NBC: 8.58, Fox: 5.87, CW: 3.22

-Adults 18-49:
CBS: 4.5 rating/11 share, ABC: 4.3/11, NBC: 4.1/10, Fox: 2.4/ 6, CW: 1.5/ 4

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-Yesterday’s Winners:
Dancing With the Stars (ABC), Two and a Half Men (CBS), CSI: Miami (CBS)

-Honorable Mention:
The Big Bang Theory (CBS), How I Met Your Mother (CBS)

-Disappointing:
Heroes (NBC)

-Yesterday’s Losers:
Heroes Clips Show (NBC), Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Fox), Prison Break (Fox), Worst Week (CBS), Boston Legal (ABC)

----------

Note: Any prior rating results are based on the final nationals. Since the level of DVR penetration has increased from 13 percent at this same point last year to approximately 23 percent at present, the overall results may be negatively impacted.\

----------

-Ratings Breakdown:
Well, folks…let the 2008-09 games begin! On that note…ABC and CBS split leadership on this first Monday of the new season, with dancing ABC the most-watched network and CBS first among adults 18-49. NBC finished a disappointing third, followed by Fox and the CW.

The two-hour season-premiere of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars opened on a very dominant note, with 21.12 million viewers and a 5.3 rating/13 share among adults 18-49 from 8-10 p.m. Here is the half-hour breakdown:

Dancing With the Stars (ABC)
8:00 p.m. - Viewers: 20.11 million (#1), A18-49: 4.8/13 (#1)
8:30 p.m. - Viewers: 22.01 million (#1), A18-49: 5.5/14 (#1)
9:00 p.m. - Viewers: 21.26 million (#1), A18-49: 5.3/12 (#1t)
9:30 p.m. - Viewers: 21.10 million (#1), A18-49: 5.5/12 (#1)

The year-ago 90-minute season-opener of Dancing With the Stars scored a very similar 21.25 million viewers and a 5.8/15 among adults 18-49 on Sept. 24, 2007. As for the new round of contestants, Lance Bass is the early standout. Sadly, it looks like my personal favorite, Edyta Slininska, will be departing tonight as a result of her clunky partner, comedian Jeffrey Ross. There was nothing funny about his performance last night.

Dancing With the Stars led into the season-premiere of relocated Boston Legal, which squandered the hefty support with a last-place 9.41 million viewers and a 2.4/ 6 among adults 18-49 at 10 p.m. Comparably, retention out of the last half-hour of Dancing With the Stars was just 45 percent in total viewers and 44 percent in the demo. ABC was smart to announce this as Boston Legal’s final season.

CBS featured four season-premieres last night -- The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men and CSI: Miami -- plus the series-debut of Worst Week. Here are the opening results results:

8:00 p.m. The Big Bang Theory – Viewers: 9.36 million (#2), A18-49: 3.6/10 (#2)
8:30 p.m. How I Met Your Mother – Viewers: 9.74 million (#2), A18-49: 4.0/10 (#2)
9:00 p.m. Two and a Half Men – Viewers: 14.93 million (#2), A18-49: 5.3/12 (#1t)
9:30 p.m. Worst Week – Viewers: 11.04 million (#2), 18-49: 3.8/ 9 (#3)
10:00 p.m. CSI: Miami – Viewers: 16.87 million (#1), A18-49: 5.1/13 (#1)

The returning series were all above year-ago opening levels, but Worst Week dipped by 1.19 million viewers and 16 percent among adults 18-49 from former occupant Rules on Engagement (Viewers: 12.23 million; A18-49: 4.5/10 on Sept. 24, 2007). And the retention out of Two and a Half Men was disappointing at just 74 percent in viewers and 72 percent in the demo. Not a good start. As for The Big Bang Theory, Emmy really needs to take notice of Jim Parsons this season.

The return of Heroes on NBC, meanwhile. was a big disappointment last night. The one-hour clips show was third in the 8 p.m. hour, with 5.96 million viewers and a 2.6/ 7 in the demo. That led into the two-hour season three premiere at just 9.89 million viewers and a 4.9/12 among adults 18-49 from 9-11 p.m. Here is the half-hour breakdown:

Heroes (NBC)
9:00 p.m. – Viewers: 10.15 million (#3), A18-49: 4.8/11 (#3)
9:30 p.m. – Viewers: 10.28 million (#3), A18-49: 5.0/11 (#2)
10:00 p.m. – Viewers: 9.61 million (#3), A18-49: 4.9/12 (#2)
10:30 p.m. – Viewers: 9.52 million (#2), A18-49: 4.8/12 (#2)

One year earlier, Heroes kicked-off the season (on Sept. 24, 2007) with a much heftier 16.97 million viewers and a 7.3/17 among adults 18-49 from 9-10 p.m. Comparably, that’s erosion of a massive 7.08 million viewers and 33 percent in the demo. In other words, absence may not have made the heart grow fonder for fans of Heroes.

Opposite all original competition, Fox’s combination of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Viewers: #4, 5.81 million; A18-49: #4, 2.2/ 6) and Prison Break (Viewers: #4, 5.93 million; A18-49: #4, 2.5/ 6) could not compete. One year earlier, Prison Break at 8 p.m. was considerably stronger at 7.41 million viewers and a 3.1/ 8 in the demo.

The CW capped off the evening with the perfectly compatible combination of Gossip Girl (Viewers: #5, 3.35 million; A18-49: #5, 1.6/ 4) and One Tree Hill (Viewers: 3.10 million; A18-49: 1.5/ 3). Opposite all original competition, the network dipped by just 12 percent in the demo from one week earlier.

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

 

[nx1701g]

Terminators not being able to swim seems like a huge design flaw for them not to have addressed, since it gives their human opponents an advantage. There are things they could have done before now (lightweight steel? flotation device?)

To be fair this has been a part of the Terminator Expanded Universe for years. In the Infiltrator Novel Series this also happens as a T-800 is working to kill the Connors.

 

[DarKush]

I thought the episode was pretty good. I didn't care for the opener, but this episode and last weeks have got this show back up on solid footing with me.

However, I'm already tiring of Cromartie. I wish they would focus perhaps more on human villians-a government/corporate group trying to build Skynet, while also running into different Terminators occassionally.

Cromartie isn't all that compelling to me because he is an emotionless robot. The actor playing him is all right, but I see little real tension or drama as he lumbers forward after John or whoever.

Weaver is a little bit better. Her T-1000 is manipulative and mimics human characteristics far better than Cromartie. I do wish though that they had saved her reveal to mid-season or a season finale.

I'm really liking BAG. I liked Cameron a little better in Season 1, when she appeared more human acting, but Glau is still doing a pretty good job. I like Lena Headly. She might not be as ripped as Linda Hamilton, but she does have an edge to her and is tough in a mindset/determined kind of way, if not musclebound. John is the weakest link of the four. I just can't see this guy really becoming a leader of Earth's resistance. It would be nice to see him reading, studying, practicing and stuff a bit more than we've seen. He's way too soft.

I also like the supporting cast. Ellison and Charlie are fine.

Overall, I think TSCC has really brought new life into the Terminator franchise. I never thought this idea would work, but so far they are doing a credible job. Now, how long that lasts, who can say? But at least we're getting a pretty decent Terminator show that is better than T3.

 

[Samurai8472]

wow

 

[Forbin]

Yeah. Keep that handy for next time somebody wants Linda to replace Lena.

 

[Guy Gardener]

The whole way through the mouse trap, I was thinking that Michelle looked almost exactly like a young Linda Hamilton, not that i have any regrets about Lena so far... Though I'm still waiting for the episode where she has to pretend that she has an english accent for some inconceivable reason.

Man hides on water. HK bombs from the air.

It's not an issue if the entire resources of Skynet are trying to exterminate humanity to the last that they don't pick the perfect tool for each individual movement of the operation.