TV-Reviewed

When a much beloved franchise like the Terminator series comes to television, many naysayers would come to dislike the concept right at the get-go without even giving it a chance. To many people, no Arnold equals no interest. I feel pity for those dissenters, because from what I saw in the pilot, the producers not only know the limitations of the story per the films, they know to rearrange the deck chairs so that they move forward with a long-term episodic format.

The show picks up two years after T2 on two fronts, the first being with Sarah and John Connor, played respectively by Lena Headey and Thomas Dekker, on the run from the FBI after they incorrectly think Sarah killed Miles Dyson, the purported creator of SkyNet and in turn the Terminators. In particular, the agent in charge of the manhunt, Ellison (Richard T. Jones) takes a personal interest in the case because of the aloofness of the Connor’s movements. On the other front, Sarah believes that, even though SkyNet was supposedly destroyed with Dyson’s work at Cyberdyne, the threat of the future still exists. She feels that her purpose is to continue training John to fulfill his role as the savior of humanity. The decision to hit the ground running with what I just described is a step in the right direction, because it shows that even the Connor’s have and know that there’s a breaking point in their lifestyle.

Cameron (Summer Glau) and Cromatie (Owain Yeoman)

Of course, Sarah is right to be as paranoid as ever, when the Machines return to once again take out John. Of course, they also have a protector in a new female Terminator, Cameron Phillips, played by the smokin-hot Summer Glau. She is known for playing out of the ordinary characters, particularly in Firefly and its spin-off film Serenity, and it pays off here, especially when the small agile protector is fending off a big, muscle-bound killing machine, it just a fun sight to behold.

To anyone that might be confused thus far, take into account that T3: Rise of the Machines doesn’t exist in the alternate timeline that the show takes place in. This can be interesting, if not potentially detrimental, when franchises can do this (i. e., Halloween, Highlander to name a few) because while an overall story can be retold, retooled and retconned as it were, it can go either way. In this case, the pilot shows the beginning of a new journey while at the same time wiping the slate clean from here on out. This is done with the Connor’s and Cameron traveling forward in time from 1999 to 2007 in Los Angeles so that they can prevent the as-yet nonexistent SkyNet from coming online and take the offensive against the future.

Overall, this episode is 45 minutes of exposition that is executed well. The real grabber of this show will be Episode 2 onwards.

Rating: 7.5