User reviews

As a life-long fan of pre-Genesys Terminator films, I finally decided to watch this show, not expecting much from it. I totally enjoyed season 1. I, normally, don't warm up to new characters easily, but I did like Cameron, Charley and, to a lesser degree, Derek. Cromartie is a very interesting antagonist, too. But season 2 wasn't so enjoyable to me. Some parts looked ridiculous, like the episode where Cameron forgets she's a cyborg, which, in my opinion, interferes with her, otherwise pretty interesting, character development. Another thing... I have nothing against religion, but there's time and place for everything, and forcing it on AI is definitely not it. Completely unnecessary. What also made me feel bored and, at times, annoyed were the characters of Riley and Jesse. I understand it's a human drama, apart from being sci-fi, but there are just too much of these two, and I'd rather see more scenes with Skynet, cyborgs, etc. We were supposed to start feeling for these new characters, understand them better, and how it all ended for the two was, for once, not boring, but by the time it happened I was already tired of them. And, finally, John Connor seems to forget at times that he's already had a cyborg protector and companion before. I wish it was mentioned more, because how on Earth can you not think about it? Why not remember him now and then in a conversation, and maybe compare him and Cameron in some situations? For example, in T3 (as flawed as it is) John remembers his T-800 (aka 101) from T2 very warmly; he's such a big part of John's life that it leads to a tragedy in the future, because the great John Connor loses his cautiousness. But in the long hours of The Chronicles he's barely mentioned at all. Why couldn't they give more of that iconic character to nostalgic fans? I give this show a 6, because I can tell they did try. And, of course, I appreciate that they didn't destroy and re-write everything that came before it (unlike the abominations called Genesys and The Dark Fate).

I know its' just a pilot and the show might yet find its legs, but the first episode, while enjoyable was very indebted to the clichés of the movies. Summer Glau quotes Michael and Arnold's lines ("Come with me if you want to live.") and actions (naked Summer like naked Arnold gets the attention of three punks whom she beats up so she can take their clothes.) and then there are some nice wrinkles about time travel. The FBI agent chasing them probably doesn't know what's really going on but who knows what he's keeping from the cops he persuades to help him track Sarah Connor and company. I hope I still care in a month, but I might not.

I enjoyed T1 and the T2 films. T3 wasn't memorable. I came to the series expecting something different. Hoping that there would be time to flesh out characters and explore the terminator universe. With a good daub or two of science fiction thrown in.

I've just watched the end of season 2 and I can't say that I either loved or loathed it. There were a couple of interesting side stories. The majority of the show was a cat and mouse game. This is really the essence of the films and it wears thin quickly. Thankfully the story takes a different direction mid-season two, but perhaps that was a little too late. I never felt quite satiated.

The Sarah Connor chronicles is mediocre at best. The plot is thin. Perhaps this was due to the show being truncated. We never quite get enough time for character development or accompanying back stories. To be fair, shows take a little while to bed in and find their stride.

Once you've delved so far into a long series it feels as if you need to battle it out to the end. I swore I'd never succumb to the likes of a long series like Lost again, but it can so easily happen. Familiarity gets confused for enjoyment. You keep watching, hoping it will get better.

Some of season 2 showed some promise, especially when the writers had the confidence to go off at a tangent and break from the main story arc. Reading IMDb comments it appears that some fans just want the same old action repackaged, being allergic to any story that dares to deviate from that formula.

It saddens me that there is a dearth of intelligent sci-fi (and other programmes) on TV. It seems there are endless crime/dramas (murder and death) and nothing particularly inspirational like the humanitarian stories of say: Star Trek the next Generation. Perhaps the studios are just too immune to this type of material. Better to feed the masses stories of fear and destruction to make us feel better about our paltry lives.

This is ultimately brainless TV fodder. Don't expect anything cerebral. The best bits are left to the imagination. There are only so many hours in this life and I'd advise you to pick up an alternative box-set.