Beware of major spoilers for the season two finale of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

It's a sad notion that a third season of "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" is considered to be "not likely" by those who study and keep up on television ratings. It's inconceivable by us fans that TSCC could be cancelled because the quality of this series is unlike any other - many call it "the best show on television" or "quality writing that's on par with Battlestar Galactica". Statements like that don't come often for TV shows - so in short, TSCC is critically acclaimed and loved by fans. Now after watching the season two finally it's a concrete issue that FOX would be out of their minds for cancelling this series because of what was shown on screen - it is exactly what a season finale is suppose to be, by causing jaws to drop all over the world. To give you a quick preview of this review - I totally loved this episode and consider it to be one of the greatest finale's I've ever seen. Also, you can read my quick after thoughts that I wrote late Friday night by CLICKING HERE.

I've spoken before about my feelings when this series first premiered and some of you know my thoughts, however, considering that the series could possibly be canceled, let's go back a while and talk about what I've thought so far before I talk about the season finale.

To put it simply, I hated the series pilot and I still do today - I have a hard time watching it for several reasons. Without trying to go into major details since this is a review on the season finale, let me just say a couple of things. I didn't mind how it opened with a Sarah voice over, however, during this opening dream sequence which I initially thought was clever was ruined by a horrible performance from some nobody actor trying to be a Terminator. His performance was awful and the action sequence overall looked lame and amature. On top of that, the CGI used during the nuclear explosion as well as the visual effects of the Terminator endoskeloton looked incredibly bad. That wasn't something that impressed on me and first impressions are usually very important. As we move on in the episode, when John meets Cameron then we meet Cromartie version 1 - the actor who played Cromartie, named Owain Yeoman, gave a miserable performance for a couple of reasons. One; he tried to look mean, angry and tough which I found distracting. Terminator's are emotionless machines but Yeoman's version tried to be bad ass. It comes off really stupid and cringe worthy. Two; Josh Friedman gave him terrible dialog, for example, "class dismissed". Aww, give me a break. God awful. Continuing; I thought the jump into the future was absolutely ridiculous, convenient, and the phrase "jump the shark" swam around my brain. Among a few other things, that's basically what I hated about the pilot and the reasons why I don't want to watch it again. Because of the pilot I almost stopped watching the series but I didn't because the possibilities for a good show was still there since I did feel an overall sincerity from the writing. I also felt that everyone wanted a good show because, to me at least, the main cast tried to do their best. Also, I like giving shows a chance before I give up on it. Some people, however, aren't as easy going as I am and that might be one of the reasons why the very successful premiere had a gigantic ratings drop when the next episode aired. Among all of the things that I disliked about the pilot, I can say that the performances from Lena Headey, Thomas Dekker, Summer Glau and Richard T. Jones proved to be very good. Two years later, their performances have only gotten fantastic.

When the next episode aired, BOOM!! I was hit with something that I found totally impressive. When they dropped the need to have a big action packed season opener, which I assume FOX pushed for, we were given an episode that was all character driven full of development. The episode "Gnothi Seauton" showed me that maybe they have a special series on hand for us. We started to get reacquainted with Sarah and John Connor after the events of "Terminator 2 Judgment Day" and we started to learn who Cameron was in some great exposition from the writing team in a character driven feel. Sure, it's not like we know who Cameron is even thirty episodes later but we did start to learn there. During the rest of first season we continued to see TSCC get better and better with each episode which totally surprised me, then a greenlight for season two which was even more surprising because I never thought it would get past the first year. I think, in my opinion, the series was finally 100% sold to me when we were introduced to Derek Reese played by Brian Austin Green. I admit, I was one of those who laughed at the BAG concept as a Reese but he completely proved us wrong. Yes, Derek Reese is my favorite character so as you can imaging, I was pumped during the last scene of season two. Everything from "Gnothi Seauton" to S2 episode "Adam Raised a Cain" is beautifully crafted television that took from me thinking "this show sucks" to "if FOX cancels this, I'll never forgive them".

So here we are two years and two seasons later - the season and potential the series finally of The Sarah Connor Chronicles called "Born to Run", the episode after my favorite character Derek dies. Many of the things we've seen the last two years, The Turk, Catherine Weaver, John Henry, Derek, Cameron and her previous soul Allison Young and many other things has lead up to this finale and the final scene but were it goes from here, we may never find out. As I usually write my reviews, lets go point by point on what I loved.

More after the photos:

• We basically spend most of the episode setting things up for what will be the last fifteen minutes of the episode. Sarah meets a priest, the priest from the season two opener, and she calls for him to send a message to John and Cameron. That's all well and good but the amazing thing about that whole relationship is that they used Chola, that sexy Spanish chick from a few episodes in the series. It's not that she was there that I found amazing, it was that she finally spoke!!! Ok, ok, that's not exactly the most important thing in the episode but it's a nice touch for the character.
• We all know John by now - he doesn't like leaving people for the wolves so he of course wants to break his mom out of the prison, however, he doesn't say that at all but we know he wants to and Cameron knows it as well. Many interpretations about this specific scene will be made by many people - the Cameron and John bed scene. Cameron tells John that deep inside her circuits and software she's nothing but a Terminator, a machine built to kill humans, and deep inside all of that, she wants John dead. Cameron then proceeds to take her shirt and bra off, as you can see in the screen captures above. She tells John to get on top of her and cut her open, reach in her chest and feel for, ... something, it's not clear what. It's a very sexy and erotic scene and I love how it's shot. There is no music which gives this a feeling of silent and erotic exposition. The slow movements, the staring in eachothers eyes - there is totally love there for John if not both of them. I still find it difficult to see if Cameron really does love John considering she's just a machine. She tells John to see if she's damage, perhaps to see if she's combat ready for a rescue, but could it be that she just wanted John to touch her heart literally. Who knows but whatever you get out of that scene, I take with me that John is 100% in love with Cameron. He wants her as a fembot, or that's what I'd do. Ha!
• There is no doubt that we love watching action! What we get is more than just action, we get to watch a Terminator doing what it does best - being a bad ass Cyborg. Cameron with her shotgun walks into the prison to break Sarah out which is becoming routine for Sarah. There isn't all that much to say about this except seeing Cameron's endo exposed looked phenomenal! I love seeing some of the prisoners faces when they see this Terminator walking down the halls - you can't help but remembering the Arnold Schwarzennger Cyberdyne police shoot out. BAD ASS!! Once again, Summer Glau deserves many kudos for her performance. One of the things I found interesting, although not that important, is that the production team decided to give Cameron the traditional red eye-lenz when I thought it was established she had blue eyes. Whatever, it's not a big deal. I'll admit; after thinking about it, the blue wouldn't have looked as cool. The red really gives you the feeling of the Terminator. Without a doubt, my eyes were wide open just like Cameron's face was.

More after the photos:

• After the rescue John, Sarah and Cameron make their way over to Catherine Weaver's company to meet and speak to her. At this point they still don't know she's a T-1000. Before they go to meet with her, both John and Sarah share a beautiful scene with John simply saying "I love you" to his mother. While John, Sarah and Mr. Ellison are on their way to speak to Weaver, Cameron enters the basement to meet John Henry - "will you join us?" A term we already heard when Jessie was on the submarine, hinting to us that Catherine Weaver was the T-1000 on that ship. That, actually, hasn't been confirmed but it's likely. When speaking to Ms Weaver, the prototype Hunter-Killer makes an attack run by flying into Weaver's office. The big surprise is that that our dear Scottish Terminator morphs into a protective wall saving John, Sarah and Ellison! Holy shit!. They all start to run into the basement to meet with Cameron only to find John Henry gone and Cameron offline!!! WTF - apparently John Henry time travelled into the future and we don't know why. Ellison shit his pants, so he doesn't know what to think, and Sarah is at a loss for words. This is were the fun begins - Weaver and John both want to follow John Henry to save him since he also has Cameron's CPU. The sad thing is that Sarah doesn't go, leaving John alone.
• Here comes the unanimous world-wide jaw dropping scenes. Both John and Weaver time travel to the future during the war against SkyNet. Lucky Weaver morphs some cloths on to cover herself but John has to find something to wear since he's naked. Remember, you go through time in the buff - he grabs a jacket he finds. While walking through a half-destroyed bunker or building he runs into a resistance fighter who thinks he's a Terminator. John pleads saying he's not - then, yea sucka's who walks into the room? Derek fucking Reese!!! HOLY SHIT I crapped myself and cheered like an obsessed fanboy! He's alive!!! John, as you can imagine, is thrilled to see his friend and uncle alive but Derek doesn't know him - in fact he's never heard of John Connor. WTF! Another jaw dropping moment. Since John left the present, there was no John Connor to grow-up and rally the human race to fight. This is a future without John Connor. The excitement doesn't stop from there because behind John is a person he's never met - Derek's brother Kyle Reese. OH SHIT... DADDY!! Between the music and John's reaction, I choked up. Wait, .... who's that behind Kyle. Cameron! It's not her however, it's Allison Young before she was killed by her replacement - the Cameron we know. Yes, I touched cloth, shit my pants and raised my arm screaming "you can't cancel this show after an episode like this!!!" I admit, I choked up and felt some tears when I saw Derek, Kyle and Allison/Cameron. Seriously, how can this show end on a note like that. I've been reading feed back were people think John is now going to become leader of the resistance but I disagree with all of that. Not for nothing, why would hardened soldiers like Derek, Kyle and the rest take orders or listen to the ramblings of a teenage kid. Ehh, I'm not buying it. Than again, who knows what will happen unless we get a third season. My best guess is that John was going to learn everything he can before going back in time to our present. It's all craziness and it all works.

The theory's will fly without a doubt for a long time until the premiere of season three, if one. It's hard to say what will come because this ending is something that I never dreamed of happening. John traveling to the future with Catherine Weaver was the last thing on my mind and now that I think about it, I can't see anyother way Josh Friedman could have topped this. It's pure genius and it's pure surprise. I'd even argued that I enjoyed the last fifteen minutes of this episode more than I enjoyed the entire Battlestar Galactica series finale and from where I stand on that finale, that's incredible. When I think back to all of the season and series finale's that I've seen, "Born to Run" could potentially end up on the top of my list. Mind you I've seen a lot of memorable season and series finale's, for example; Star Trek TNG's "All Good Things...", Deep Space Nine's "What You Leave Behind", Babylon 5's "Sleeping In Light" and especially Jericho's series finale "Patriots and Tyrants". All of those either had an emotional high point and/or was intense to the maximum. This finale for TSCC had both emotion and excitement; the emotion that I felt when John and Cameron were on the bed, when John met Derek, Kyle, and Allison and hearing Sarah say "I love you too" in a time echo of sorts. With all of that, great fucking action!

More after the photos:

We are left with many new questions but take with you two of the most important, for now at least. What happened to Danny Dyson? And why is Savannah Weaver so important? Perhaps Danny Dyson continues his fathers work - perhaps Savannah is a leading member of the resistance. How cool would it be to see an adult Savannah leading the resistance?

Josh Friedman and co. really pulled out all the stops on this episode and as much as I appreciate it as a fan of the series, I'm angry because the series doesn't get what it deserves - good ratings. I could probably go on for paragraphs about how I feel about the Nielsen ratings system and how it's as usful as an empty can of soup but I won't because it feels kind of useless at this point. Apparently, networks and advertisers cling to it like flies on shit. I can only hope that both the studio, network and advertisers see that The Sarah Connor Chronicles is not only a quality program but it's exciting, engaging and smart. I hope that they see our world of entertainment can not be rated by just live television viewings. It's the digital age folks - it's all about computers, streaming, downloading, digital recording and what blows my mind is the statistics for all of that is there. I bet if you put all of those stats together TSCC has ten million viewers just like Ghost Whisperer. Hey listen, our audience might be the cliche geeks people make us out to be, but that doesn't mean we don't go out on Friday nights and party with friends, family and whatever. Not for nothing, as for myself, I work nights so I'm never home to see primetime television live. I did this past Friday only because I took the night off. The other television shows, like Ghost Whisperer, isn't the same audience - Ghost Whisperer is watched by tween girls and lonely housewives looking for thrills. I'll put it this way, the study of statistics that these networks do are absolutely asinine and ridiculous. We all know as well how FOX is notorious for being stupid. So far 2009 has been a disaster for the motion-picture company and if they cancel TSCC and Dollhouse, believe me, I won't shed tears for 20th Century Fox's problems. In fact, I'll laugh and hope it continues. It's not like they have anything good coming out in theaters anyhow, ... oh wait, Wolverine but everyone already saw that on the net. What's after that - Ice Age? Aww.

In summary, I pray for a third season of TSCC because I love this show more than anyother - more than Lost and more that BSG. I'm going to support this show as far as I can support it and I'm already excited about the DVD release of season two. Voice your thoughts to FOX people and let them know how much you loved the last episode of this season and how they should be obligated to give us another season, or another couple of season!

-Phil

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