User Reviews

I usually don't write reviews online, but Terminator is one of my favorite franchises out there and this series not being as good as it could have been, irks me enough to write one.

Simply because, this show could have been great. Really great. Unfortunately, it's not. I don't really know why, since there are tons and tons of source material to work with, good and bad.

Season one was quite decent. It was basically a plot hole fest, but an entertaining one at that. Full of inconsistencies (like Cromartie's metal head successfully making a time travel, Cameron's changes in behavior, etc., I could go on, many have already pointed them out), but nonetheless, there were enough action scenes and plot events that kept the pace and managed to not lose the viewer's attention. The... "jokes" stung in here and there were dumb, but at least made you laugh, because they seemed so uncharacteristic (think "class dismissed").

Season two started decently, not faultless, of course, but there were a few episodes that were entertaining to watch, even by themselves (for instance, episode 1, 5 and 12). Then it dove into empty, useless drama with lots of sulking and little meaningful conversation. Starting from episode thirteen, it was a real pain to watch, everything dragged on, nothing worthwhile happened. The problem is not the drama itself, the problem is trying to turn an action based concept into drama alone, with nothing to make it move forward. Characters just walk into a room, they talk about something, then head into another room, talk again, and that's it. And even when they talk, they say basically nothing. A few examples:

Jesse: What does different mean? Derek: Different means different.

Cameron: I don't know what I was going to do. John: What do you mean you don't know what you were gonna do? Since when do you not know what you're going to do. Cameron: I don't know.

It's nonsense. When people talk on screen, they should say things that make sense. They should reveal previously unknown information about themselves, the plot, or something that makes the whole thing go forward. That's what talk is for. If you don't have that, you won't understand what's going on, it will become boring and silly after the first sentence.

Many have criticized the acting of the series. Well, we don't get to see the same level of acting we saw in the feature films, that's for sure. But I think that's a lot more because of the badly written plot and dialogue than the inability of the actors. Lena Headey is no Linda Hamilton, but I don't think she couldn't play Sarah Connor more rough, if the way the story was written would allow it. Thomas Dekker could play John Connor a lot more characteristically, but again, if you're given a dumb set-up and plot with dumb dialogue, you can't make it all turn out well. Summer Glau plays Cameron faultlessly, as faultless as the plot allows. She could be a very interesting character in her own right, but she is also given dumb, "freakish" lines and things to do on the screen (not to mention being the series resident eye-candy). The same could be said about the rest of the cast. They could do better, were they allowed.

After having examined the outside, let's dig a little deeper and see about the inside. Here I experience more major problems with the concept.

The original message of Terminator is long lost. That human beings should not hurt and destroy each other. They should not spew hatred, because it can lead to the eventual creation of a sentience that would want to annihilate them all (Skynet). That humans should learn to trust each other, to work together, to shape their destinies for the better (there is no fate but what we make). And even a soulless Terminator could learn how important that was. Sarah Connor, who hated that machine, could learn to trust it. You get the idea.

Here, you don't get even a glimpse of that. More people die in one single episode than in the feature films altogether. Like it was that meaningless. And you see the main bunch constantly telling each other off, threaten each other, then run off in distrust. John matures somewhat along the progress of the show, but eventually, I couldn't say he is all the better now than he was at the beginning. Just different. The others are the same as they started. Cameron, who has one of the "most advanced learning computers" in her head, hasn't learned a single damn thing since the start. Instead of settling differences and talking things through straight, the characters say nothing to each other, don't answer questions, just sulk and act emo and depressed. If that is to make the series serious... well, it doesn't. Saying coherent things, overcoming obstacles and fighting off weaknesses through sacrifice would make it serious.

Just a little character development and wits would do the trick. Like with Cameron's malfunction, they could've stuck her chip in an interface and tried to repair the damage that way. Could have been an interesting insight to her "mind". Or leading things in a way that Derek eventually starts trusting Cameron. Or Sarah and John could learn to rely on each other more. You could write a long list (or try Yukito Kishiro's Battle Angel Alita to see how it should be done; it's an excellent cyborg story, with the main heroine strangely resembling Cameron/Glau)

Anyway, if you're pondering on to see the show or not, I'd say give it a go. It has a few good moments that are fun to watch by themselves. But it's definitely not the kind of thing you pick for a weekend-long movie marathon.

I sat through every single episode of this now canceled series. Although well outside the targeted 18-49 year old graphic, I've been a sci-fi and Terminator movie fan for decades. This show thrilled on several levels but disappointed on many, many more. In the end, I found it simply depressing.

Often, I would find myself almost rooting for the machines rather than the human "heros and heroines" with their rationalizing any action necessary -- including murder -- as justified to save JC (John Connor). In doing so, they often seemed to mimic the survival plans and actions of the artificial intelligence against whom they were fighting. This dark side of "any means necessary" to justify deplorable actions as the only way insure the survival of the human race is epitomized in "24", "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and, to a large extent, the previous U.S. administration. Do we really have to sink to the level of our enemy in order to win?

I do not and have never subscribed to this view and found this series less and less entertaining each time it was presented, often tuning out in disgust at scenes/dialogs of many episodes, especially those depicting the physical and psychological abuse and torture of suspected Skynet workers/collaborators. Each of the lead characters demonstrated an unrelenting coldness with only the briefest signs of sensitivity as to what they were doing, not only to each other but to innocents caught in the crossfire. Rarely did any of the lead characters show any sense/signs of a truly moral center.

If these are the kind of people and actions needed to insure the survival of the human race, one must wonder if we even deserve to continue as the dominant life-form on this planet. I won't miss this series.

First, I admit I've seen only the first hour of this show. I was prepared to completely hate it. It turns out that it wasn't so bad. The mother character is okay. Not as tough as the Sarah in the movies. Not as smart either.

About Summer Glau, well, what can one say, an intelligent athletic babe acrobatically kicking butt is always a joy to watch. But why did she start acting so mechanical once her true nature was revealed? Did her 'emotion chip' get damaged or something? Anyway I'll blame that on the writers.

The effects are pretty good for a television show. A TV show does not have the effects budget of a Hollywood movie. The TV evil terminators do seem a little dumber and less effective than the ones in movies.

But here is what I don't like, and strongly so. I also found this as the main flaw of the third Terminator movie. And that is the John Conner character. In the T2 movie John was an aggressive, strong character, if not just a little screwed up. But he recovered from surprise quickly and took reasonably intelligent and decisive action when needed. But the John in this new series, like the T3 movie, is a wimp by comparison. In the one scene in the series opener where he is chased into a parking lot by the evil terminator, he shows no tactical thinking. He stupidly glances over the top of a car and gives his position away. Then he cowers down like a frightened bunny until he is cornered and has to be saved by the others. Wait! Wasn't he supposed to be being trained from birth for this kind of thing? He shows not the slightest hint of inner strength. This character is not the resourceful, hardened, military genius of the first two movies.

All in all, it was fun to watch. There were some reasonably well thought out twists, but unless the writers quickly fix the male damsel-in-distress John character, then I don't see the series lasting. Maybe the writers intend to show him developing, but starting him out as so completely useless is a mistake.

First let me say this. I enjoy Terminator and didn't hate the pilot episode. I don't worship it, but I enjoy it as much as most fans. When I heard that Terminator was coming to television as a weekly series I was instantly curious of the storyline and quality as the movies and mythos are such that a series is a very tall order. Well if I had to phrase things then I'd say that the pilot, while good, fell several inches short of being tall.

First the cast. Lena Headley and Thomas Dekker are good enough as Sarah and John Connor. I've got no trouble with them. Lena Headley brings a believable routine of life but also caution to Sarah. While Thomas Dekker brings a believable portrayal of John having moved from T2's almost enjoying the excitement to years later the weight of his predestined life overbearing him. The reluctant hero as they'd say. I love Summer Glau, I'm an avid fan, and think that she's an interesting choice to actually be a terminator. Understanding that terminators likely come in different shapes and sizes to avoid being instantly singled out, I still can't be bias and so I feel that she's perhaps to small against the beefy bad terminator played by Owain Yeoman the way she's thrown around like a doll. I also had trouble with how she acts to human, not enough monotone in my opinion, to make you initially curious. Regardless of how advance she may be she needs to deepen her voice and no longer apologize like she did to John in the pilot for "lieing" to him. She lied in order to get close to him, it's what she does. However I remain open minded, and knowing her range of abilities as an actress from Firefly and Serenity, I'm more than willing to give her a chance, cause it was only the pilot episode and I gave that same chance to Sarah Michelle Gellar, whom I had never heard of before, as Buffy Summers and Katherine Heigl in Roswell whom I thought would just be T&A after a few episodes, and Shiri Appleby also in Roswell whom I had only ever seen before in two episodes of Xena Warrior Princess!

Owain Yeoman I don't like. He needs to be more cold, more machine. Right now he's trying to hard. Robert Patrick as the T-1000 exuded both those attributes in spades while having a lot more wicked fun. He needs to take some lessons and get some memorable lines of which I only heard one while he was shooting up the school.

Understand me when I say I did like the pilot overall. It could have been better, but hey it's only the pilot episode. I already do like how the writers and producers acknowledge that they intend to stay away from the terminator of the week, meaning we'll see other stories and developments. I also like how Summer as Cameron Phillips uses her computerized brain as much as her indisputable brawn. And this time around, it looks as if future John Connor has sent back what could amount to caches of materials that can be used in their fight and flight in future episodes. As the series develops it'll be interesting to watch how things coalesce and what the writers can come up with. Let's just hope that they can stay original, stay away from the mundane, and that the fans are willing to give this show a chance and not savage it because it may not be T2 in quality on a weekly basis.

KB

You know when you see a movie or a show and you're obsessed within minutes? That's how I felt about this show.

Many people have been saying that Headly was not a good choice for Sarah Connor, but I think she did a good job for having such big footsteps to follow.

I think Dekker is doing a great job as John Connor. John's personality is quite believable as he "doesn't want to run anymore."

Another actress people were questioning, was Summer Glau because she weighs, all of what, 93 lbs. But since she is playing the part of a terminator/protector, she should be stronger than she looks. Plus it would be hard for her to follow in Terminator 1&2's footsteps.

I like the addition of Derek Reese as a character, Kyle's brother, John's uncle, and wanted for murder. My favorite scene with him is probably in the two hour finale when he shot a man threatening John with a gun.

Another scene that was so amazing, and I'm glad this was included in the show, was in the last episode when Derek figures out he's John's uncle and brings him to the park where they see a younger version of Derek playing baseball with John's father as a kid. (Kyle died in Terminator 1 before John was born so this is John's first sight of his father.)

Due to the ending of the last episode of the season, I'm demanding that FOX returns the show with a second season as I think this show deserves it. Crossing my fingers . . .

Excellent show with a good plot. The show is good about keeping lots of twists and paradoxes relevant to the story. With time travel and infiltrator machines, anything is possible, and they haven't been shy about making the show full of action and drama. The season finale was great too, it left a lot of questions, and with time travel and the diverse cast, they could keep this show going for a long time.

This season (1) was great albeit short, and everyone I know who liked the movie is happy with the series.

The only thing they should avoid is using side characters from previous movies, but with different actors...

Also, it needs an Arnold cameo :D

So you have my praise Fox, just don't nuke it like you have in the past (Family Guy... Firefly...)