Yesterday, despite having the aforementioned splitting headache, I piled myself into bed, surrounded myself with lots of pillows, Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold, and all the remotes to watch Sarah Connor Chronicles.
Okay, so don't read on if you haven't watched yet…
So far, one episode into the second season, and it is BETTER than last year. As you know, I'm watching this not just to make sure the world stays safe from the machines, but also to find out what Derek Reese's secret(s) is/are, whether Sarah is going to fall for him in any way shape or manner (or is that too weird?), and what are they going to do with John and Cameron?
As a devotee of the forbidden love genre, I'm DYING for them to get to the "I have feelings but I can't do anything about it because it's wrong and possibly weird" stage.
I've been rewatching the first two Buffy seasons and figured out that was my favorite part, the back and forth with Angel and Buffy.
Of course, my beef with that show is they did not figure out a way to give them a happily ever after without destroying the show. Hence, no happily ever after, or HEA, as they say in the romance writing business. It is for that reason that I only own the first two seasons of the show. I loved the whole show (except for the last season), but the first two seasons just rock.
I'm trying to think of other shows that did this back and forth thing and managed to have a decent show and an HEA. Usually the show--and the network's desire to keep raking in the cash--outlives the romance. Only shows like BSG and Roswell--where they know they're in the final season--have that kind of closure, I think. Farscape, too, gave that kind of closure through the TV movie, if I remember correctly. Any other ones? Suggestions? I feel like I'm missing an obvious one…)
Anyway, back to SCC and last night's episode, it nearly killed me when Cameron turned on them, damaged chip and all. I was worried we were going to spend the entire season with "bad" Cameron and that would have annoyed the crap out of me.
But I like the damaged chip aspect in that it now adds even more unpredictability to her behavior. IMO, she was always unpredictable because you don't know what she knows and what her exact objective is, other than keeping John alive.
The scene in which they've trapped Cameron between the two trucks and she's pleading with John not to take her chip out, that she loves him and he loves her…oh, boy, this is what I've been waiting for. *claps hands together gleefully*
Sarah tells him that it was all fake, that they're machines. They can't *feel* anything. It was manipulation, plain and simple. And it works because John gives her a second chance.
Interesting, because I don't recall any other terminator using emotions to lie this way.
Yes, they imitate other human beings through voice or physical appearance, but never as themselves. They did not seem sophisticated enough to carry off that kind of task, or else why wouldn't they (meaning SkyNet) send one with the intention of befriending John and Sarah only to turn when he/she is finally trusted? (Maybe they have! Derek, what exactly happened to you in that weird abandoned house last season? Hmmm...)
It brings up all kinds of delightful questions about how advanced Cameron really is she told him in the beginning that she is a more advanced model), why John in the Future (JitF!) chose to send her specifically back, and whether a machine is capable of expressing some form of humanity.
Her interest in ballet, for example. They made a big point of showing her practice this even after the mission for which that knowledge was required was over. And yes, I know, Summer Glau is a ballerina and they're making use of her skill set for the role, but I also feel like they may be exploring the boundaries of humanity and how we define it.
It also brings up this great point about love…last year in preparation for a book that I'm still thinking about writing, I bought this book called Love and Sex with Robots. It's non-fiction and the author's premise is that with the advances in technology now, it would be possible to create companions who would fill the role of spouse and partner. Programming is sophisticated enough, or will be, to simulate a human. And where do you draw the line?
We feel a certain way because our brain has been programmed to respond to certain stimuli, not all that different than a CPU.
Also, the author included some research about love that indicates we fall in love because of how we feel when we're around the other person. Your feelings for someone have more to do with how he/she makes you feel about yourself or in general than anything in particular about them. Isn't that interesting?
Therefore, I would posit that it is very possible to fall in love with a machine that protects you, helps you, looks after you and strongly resembles an attractive female in your age bracket. The question is, can the machine love you back? And how can you tell, what's "real" and what's "programmed"? Does it matter?
There's also the self-sacrifice issue too. When Cameron tells Sarah,"If that ever happens again, don't let him save me." That would indicate that her programming regarding John (the mission to protect him) are more of a priority than her own survival. She recognizes that she could be a danger to him and puts that before anything else. Another definition of love, perhaps…
LOVE this kind of stuff. LOVE IT.
Also, it was way cool to see the TX1000 or whatever the melty metal robot models are called. : )
Updated to add: Fixed the screwy paragraph spacing. Sorry about that. Also, I'm reading online that some are putting forth the theory that Cameron herself is the one who overrode the termination order rather than any preset programming, which would indicate some form of self-awareness and independence. Intriguing!
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5 comments:
I'm with you, in that I really dug SCC last season, and anxiously awaited this season's premier.
However, I did not really go for Cameron's momentary turn to the dark side. Maybe it's the downer of it. Everyone/everything from 1984 on into the distant future is trying to snuff the Connors out in one way or another, and now their most powerful ally (of which they already have so few) is, in fact, about as trusworthy as an alley cat. I think for me Cameron was the show's anchor. Now, it feels as though the boat is adrift. But I'll keep watching. Maybe the show will push itself back onto my good side.
Oh, and my wife and I bought Burn Notice on DVD and burned (yeah, I know I'm funny) through every episode in less that a week. Great show.
SS
Hi Shane!
You know, you bring up a good point. Cameron was really the only reliable source of help they had and now she may or may not turn on them again.
I didn't like the momentary turn either. I was afraid they were going to leave her like that. As to the uncertainty of what will happen to/with her in the future, I agree it is a total downer and sometimes you just can't stand to see them get crushed down even further, making their chances of success even more limited. It's like, what else could possibly go wrong? But...
...what I like about this change is it makes Cameron, in a way, more human. It would be too easy for her to fade into the background if she were always perceived as the reliable ally with no agenda of her own. Before, she had no stake in what happened other than the necessity of following her own programming. It's like my HP doesn't really care if my manuscript gets done on time. It's just following my commands. : )
Debra Dixon, an author who wrote a book called Goal, Motivation and Conflict,talks about how the tension in any story is that everybody wants SOMETHING and we don't know how they're going to get it, if they're going to get it.
Cameron, up to this point, has been seen as programmed and "safe"--well, as safe as any reprogrammed killing machine can be!: )
But now I feel like Cameron and John, forgive the expression, have more skin in the game. A dog in the race. John risked his life--and all of humanity--to keep Cameron around. He stood up to his mother on an issue that could well come back to bite him. Is that going to work for him? Who knows? That's what I like.
From Cameron's angle, if you follow the theory that she herself overrode the termination command ("crossing against the light") versus John magically fixing her chip with nothing more than a screwdriver and a rag, well, then now she's making choices.
It not only gives her potentially greater significance in teh entire mythology of the series--the creation of a "thinking" machine--but it also raises all kinds of questions about what she will find important, what kind of "person" is Cameron?
Also, my little romance-loving self knows that there's a much better chance of romance between two beings who can make their own choices, versus a lonely boy and his robot. Ick. : )
Oh, I'm so glad you liked Burn Notice. Aren't Michael's voiceovers awesome? I can't believe we're already at the end of another season. I think there's only one episode left!
: ) Stacey
Oh, also forgot to say...I sincerely hope that the producers/writers have a plan. I do NOT want to see this show going the way of LOST, where you get the impression that they sat around and thought up a bunch of really cool things that could happen with no real way of tying everything together.
In other words, I hope Cameron's decision to not terminate John is somehow related to the larger issue of the Turk, the T-1001, and the whole SkyNet thing and it's not just a "hey wouldn't it be cool to turn Cameron into an unreliable, crazy-acting machine." That would be a cheating and a cheap-ass way to build tension, in my opinion. : )
Hello, Stacey.
I'm not sure I like this second season better. What was interesting was that it was only after Cameron said "I love you" that John ripped the chip out of her head. You don't normally see something that cold on American TV shows. That harsh moment reminded me more of anime. Oh, and Batman on the recent WB animation could be that cold, but that kind of looks like anime anyway.
In the second episode, John is finally becoming the leader. If he brings a girl home, his mother just stands helplessly outside his door, unable to burst in and throw her out. When Cameron doubts him, John tells her he doesn't have to prove himself to her.
This is not at all a safe zone for the writers. In the first season, he mainly had to be the weak human boy who was protected by the strong fembot, and I'm sure a lot of fanboys in Japan would play those scenes over and over. But he was gradually learning leadership skills from his mother. Now he is the leader. How will the writers convincingly show the young leader taking charge of this secretive band, when they all have more knowledge and experience than he does? I hope they don't blow it.
Mark in the Seattle area
Hi Mark!
Good to hear from you. : )
You raise an interesting point about John assuming leadership over those who have more experience and wisdom than he does.
Here's my two cents. Last year, I had a hard time liking John. I felt sorry for him, definitely. I wanted to like him, and did most often in the scenes with Cameron. But for the most part, he was, forgive the expression, dead weight. An object to be protected by his mother, his robot and his uncle. He had very little say in what happened to him and around him, except when he managed to plead enough to convince his mother. Ugh.
What he said and did didn't matter very much because he wasn't allowed to do anything significant--except when he screwed up in some way. He wasn't really allowed to make choices in a way that would teach him anything. Mom was always right there keeping him safe.
I need to be able to root for John, to hope that his decision was the right one. For me to do that, he needs to actually DO something.
Now, all that being said, I think becoming a leader is a journey. I like seeing him reverse the logic they've used to keep him locked down. "You're so important, you're the leader, we have to keep you safe." To which he says, "If I'm the leader, I'm going to start making some decisions."
Sarah and Derek can't take that from him because they need him to eventually turn from dead weight to this amazing leader, and they probably don't know quite how that happens. If they crush him by undoing his decisions, it could turn him into someone else. It's a dangerous game to play when you don't know the rules, you know?
But...I'm waiting for the smackdown. See, the tricky part about stepping out and making your own decisions is that when they blow up in your face, there's no one else to blame.
From a character standpoint, I don't think John can go from completely protected creature to full-blown wise leader without several in-between stages and a lot of mistakes.
I'm excited about this development because I see it as movement. A step in the direction of becoming a leader. He's going to get knocked down...a lot. And eventually, he'll have to learn to trust those around him to provide wise counsel. But it's a process, a journey.
Plus, he's a teenager. I distinctly remember, at that age, thinking my parents did not have a clue. : ) In a way, he's just like a regular kid rebelling, just that there's a lot more at stake.
Something will happen. He will make a mistake. Whether it's trusting Cameron and allowing her to live (my thoughts on the second episode and that scene where she tells him he can't be trusted in a post to follow later)or trying too hard to be normal that he allows someone too close and nearly gets himself or others killed or something else entirely.
The process of turning John into a leader, I think, parallels the process of a parent letting a child turn into an adult. At a certain point, you have to let go and hope the kid doesn't get banged up too badly because you can't follow him around for the rest of his life, wrapping the world in bubble wrap.
Of course, with Sarah and John, the fate of humanity rests with their decisions. Yeah, talking about paralyzing!
And finally, I think this is important because the story is Sarah's, or so the title claims.
I think it's got to be the hardest thing in the world to let your kid make mistakes when you can see that it's a mistake from miles away. Same thing with allowing your child to potentially be hurt by his/her own choices. But if you keep them from that, how will they ever learn?
So, I don't think Sarah stopped herself from going into his room because he was the leader and he said he wanted to have a normal life. I think she stopped herself because she knew he'd have to learn for himself that it wasn't possible and she was probably desperately hoping there wouldn't be a death toll with this mistake.
: ) Stacey
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