When it comes to a series as steep in mythology and chronology as Terminator (or fans that demand it to be), there's always going to be a risk of screwing with things and alienating fans or playing so far from the center than the entire production is a disaster. The Sarah Connor Chronicles is a direct, yet somewhat indirect sequel to T2: Judgment Day that not only plays close to the main plot, but rewrites a portion of the overall storyline.
The series begins in 1999. After the events of T2, Sarah (Lena Headey) and John (Thomas Dekker) are now fugitives from the FBI and living in New Mexico. The good news is that Skynet has been shut down, stopping Judgment Day - that is, until a T-888 posing as John's teacher tries to kill him. As always, a terminator (Summer Glau) jumps in at the last minute and saves John's life. Naturally, Sarah panics at the appearance of two new terminators and she, along with John and his new terminator bodyguard, Cameron, try to escape the new T-888.
Here's where things... well, let's just say it's all good fun when messing with the time stream. Although all the bits and pieces of Skynet and the original terminator were destroyed, the A.I. that eventually becomes Skynet is still around. Rather than averting Judgment Day, John and Sarah only delayed it until 2011.
After several attempts to destroy the T-888, Cameron informs John and Sarah that "Future John" (get used to that designation) set up a contingency plan that involves, ready for it, time travel. Cameron transports the trio to 2007 - effectively erasing Terminator 3 from the continuity. It's a controversial thing, but ends up really working for the franchise in general. Besides, I only know a handful of people who liked T3, so it is probably for the best.
From here, the show follows the same mystery-riddled, interwoven plotline followed by shows like Heroes or Lost. The main plot is the game of time-traveling chess being played between Skynet and "Future John". The human characters are trying to shut down Skynet while Skynet is sending agents into the past in order to make sure that it is created. Though this can sometimes lead to time travel being used as a contrived plot device, the show manages to avoid overusing the concept.
One of the really cool aspects is in how the show expands on Skynet's "personality", which is something none of the movies were able to do. It manages to show just how self-aware Skynet really is and how deep its self-preservation goes. At one point, it is even suggested that John isn't the only person in the present being chased by terminators.
Although there's plenty of action in each episode, it is still a character-driven show. Everyone has their own issues that need to be dealt with, like John trying to reconcile who he is and who he is supposed to be, and Cameron trying to act more human. The latter adds some of the show's comic relief, but also manages to squeeze in a little philosophy.
The interplay between John, Cameron and Sarah is another strong point. All of John's experience is based on his relationship with Arnold in T2, so he trusts Cameron but still has a few issues with Sarah. Meanwhile, Sarah doesn't trust Cameron based on her past experiences, but has to trust that "Future John" is doing the right thing. Eventually Brian Austin Greene shows up and really turns the main character's lives upside down. Yeah, I know what you're thinking, but he's actually kind of a bad ass.
Most of the other side-plots involve Sarah popping back up on the FBI's radar and a persistant agent who is thinks Sarah is nuts, but keeps uncovering things that just don't add up.
Despite being a fun show, there are a few issues - the problem is that the show wraps back on itself so much that going into the issues would ruin it. Most of them involve, as you would expect, the normal continuity paradoxes and issues that pop up whenever time travel is introduced. There are also a few not-so-major gaffs that are more of an annoyance. One of the more minor ones involves John's uncanny ability to pick up technology. After arriving in 2007, he visits a computer store and is schooled by the showroom clerk, but in the very next episode he's out hacking military mainframes - and that doesn't even compare to what he does half-way through the season. I know John is supposed to be a pretty handy person, and in the long run it doesn't matter, but at the same time it's laugh-worthy.
One of the unfortunate aspects of the show is that it was cut short thanks to the Writer's Strike, so there are only nine episodes. This hurts the show's pacing; early on, there's an attempt to cook things, but later on, it's apparent that certain plotlines are being sped up while others are dropped.
My two favorite extras were the behind-the-scenes look at the show's production and the storyboard animatic, which are quickly becoming one of my favorite extras. If you're interested in the production process - especially for a sci-fi TV show - these are must watches.
Josh Friedmann, the Executive Producer, and select cast and crew members provide commentary on three episodes. There's also a decent amount of unaired footage, including an extended version of one of the episodes, which was a real treat since I had already seen the broadcast version. Rounding out the extras are the cast's audition tapes and Summer Glau's dance rehearsal, which makes more sense once you've seen the show.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles could have ended in disaster, but in the end manages to pull out a pretty good show that, at least in my opinion, helps to enhance the franchise's mythology. I know a few Terminator fans sat the show out in protest, but if you're one of these people - or just didn't bother to catch it the first time - it's worth a watch.
