When The Terminator was released in 1984, it altered the way science fiction movies were made. The Library of Congress recognized this extraordinary effort by James Cameron starring Arnold Schwarzenegger when it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2008 for its cultural effect.
After becoming a box office smash, a sequel was inevitable, and James Cameron spent his time coming up with the perfect one. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a wonderful example of how to build a memorable sequel, and it was just as good as, if not better than, the original. However, since then, the sequels have been a mix of hits and misses, with the latter being the most common.
While the ensuing films were not well received, the fans were given something to rejoice about in the form of a short-lived TV show. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles only lasted two seasons, yet it rapidly established itself as a must-see show because of its excellent cast and intelligent storyline. It did not strive to be a carbon replica of the movies; instead, it expanded the narrative beyond the movies, creating its own tale.
However, the run of this fantastic program, which had so much potential, came to an untimely and abrupt conclusion. After Season 2, the 2007 writer’s strike had a significant impact on the proceedings! Furthermore, the publicity was bad, resulting in a lower audience, which finally led to the show’s cancellation on a cliffhanger. In this video, we will walk you through this interesting series that dared to go places that even movies shied away from!
The story of Sarah Connor chronicles explored
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles picked up from where Terminator 2: Judgment Day left off. In fact, the makers simply disregarded the events of Terminator 3, and the story simply picks up from where Terminator 2 leaves it. If you remember the climactic moments of Judgment Day, T-1000 is successfully destroyed. The arm and the computer chip, along with the terminator are lowered into a molten steel pit so that any possibility of future technology to create Skynet could be destroyed. However, Sarah and John were being blamed for the murder of Miles Dyson, and thus they were wanted by the law. They become fugitives on the run, and they soon realize that there could be more enemies from the future and the present that they might have to deal with!
The series opens in 1997, four years after the events of the second movie. Sarah and John have finally decided to settle down after being on the run for a long time. But their troubles are far from over because they soon find out that a Terminator named Cromartie has been sent from the future to have them killed. An FBI agent named James Ellison is also on their trail but soon realizes that there is more to them than what meets the eye. There is a counterforce as well – a female terminator named Cameron. The name of this terminator was supposed to be a tribute to the maker of the original movie and its sequel, the legendary James Cameron!
She is around the same age as John, and she is supposed to protect them from Cromartie. However, Cromartie continues to pursue them and they realize the threat posed by this powerful machine. John, Sarah, Cameron come across a device that was left behind by the time agents and moved to the future in the year 2007. Their mission is to destroy the Cyberdyne Systems and those who would help the creation of Skynet that would finally cause the uprising of the machines. They soon realize that Cromartie has also followed them into the future.
Besides, there are additional Terminators that have been sent back in time to stop them. On the other hand, the resistance has also sent its own fighters to protect them. As things get more violent and threatening for them, they meet a resistance fighter who has also time-traveled from the post-nuclear future. This is John’s uncle Derek Reese, and together they must find a way to reshape the future before it is too late!
Season 2 opens with an episode that is not as action-packed as you would expect, but the story begins right where the first season left it. Cameron’s chip has been damaged by the explosion and now as she is rebooting, two men attack Sarah and John. They are after the hard drive that John has hidden, and they find it as well. But Cameron gets back just in time to take down one of the attackers, while the other one is handled by the duo. In a crucial twist, Cromarie reveals why he has kept Agent Ellison alive for so long! The second season brings in some new characters and they add to the complexity of the narrative.
In an intense fight Sarah, Derek, and Cameron are helped by Agent Ellison to defeat Cromartie for good. However, they soon find out that someone has removed the body for some unknown purpose! One of the most surprising turns in the narrative comes when we discover the secrets to Cameron. She starts malfunctioning and it does not take long for the asset to turn into a liability! In a nail-biting finish, Cameron is finally pinned down and her chip is pulled out. She tries to convince John that she has feelings for him and she has fixed herself, but she is deactivated nevertheless.
Our Views on the show
When the initial promos for the show were revealed, we weren’t too thrilled. Lena Headey was still not famous for being Queen Cercei in Game of Thrones, and we were skeptical about how she would fit into the role of Sarah Connor. The storyline was unknown and not many were looking forward to a stellar show! Well, all the doubters were proved wrong. The show took its time to develop itself, and by the third episode, it was simply a nail-biter that you had to watch. There are those who weren’t too happy with the discontinuity from the movies. As you know, the show does not take into account the movies after Terminator 2. Without going into the argument of what could be what, it is safe to say that the show succeeded in establishing its own plot and that could build enough tension to bind the viewers.
One of the things that impressed us about this show was the time it took to develop the characters. You don’t often expect that in such action-packed content, but they still managed to focus on the characters throughout the series. John Connor, for instance, progresses enough to become like the leader that he would be someday. The story developed even faster in Season two and the interplay between the characters became fascinating. We loved the twists every once in a while that put us completely off balance.
If the intelligent plots were one of the show’s finest assets, the other would have to be the acting performances. Thomas Dekker was impressive as a young man and he picked up the changes in his character effortlessly. Summer Glau as Cameron was pretty decent as well. The real showstopper was Lena Headey, who needs no introduction today. The Game of Thrones star was questioned by many fans because she appeared too small in stature compared to Linda Hamilton, the one who plays Sarah Connor in the film series. However, Lena was a trained boxer and used her sturdy built and athleticism to prove everyone wrong. Not only was she impeccable with emotions, she was also brilliant in the action sequences.
The show has impressive special effects and the future scenes will remind you of Cameron’s work in the original movie because of the budgetary constraints. Overall, with good production value, skilled actors, and an engaging plot, this show has all the elements that make for a long-running series. As luck would have it, that was not to be the case and we witnessed a premature end to this classic!
Some of the major film events that don’t take place
The Sarah Connor Chronicles do not follow the timeline that is suggested in Terminator 3: Salvation and Genisys. Thus, some of the major events that did not fit into the timeline have been left out. For instance, John never gets to meet Katherine Brewster, and thus, the possibility of their child is delayed, or possibly stopped! One of the most important events that were skipped was the Series X of Terminators, which was not manufactured. They replaced it with Series 888, and as a result, we missed out on some of the assassinations in the movies. The character of Marcus Wright was never converted into a Terminator because he never signed over his body to Cyberdyne. Such changes from the usual track do not derail the narrative one bit, and on the contrary, things become more interesting.
New terminator models that appeared in Sarah Connor Chronicles
This brings us to the new terminator models that we witnessed in the show. One of the first and probably one of the most dangerous was the T-888, which is a variant of the T-800 terminator that was mass-produced by Skynet. It is an infiltrator series of terminators that uses living tissue over their endoskeletons. In many ways, T-888 is stronger, faster, and more destructive than its predecessor. They also have great speeds that allow them to catch up with a speeding car quite easily. There are some impressive upgrades from the T-800 series, and one of the new additions is the new arm and leg plate design. There is also an addition of armor plating on the back that makes it more durable than before. It also has a greater resistance to heat than before. They have shown some emotional potential and it varies from one terminator to another. Cromartie was a fine specimen indeed, and one that gave our protagonists quite a tough time!
Catherine Weaver (T-1001)
This mysterious and rogue terminator from the future was a part of an infiltration mission that meant to build an AI system to fight Skynet. She assumed control of Zeira Corporation, a technological company, and she arranged to acquire the Turk. She has been portrayed to be extremely protective of her son John Henry. She tried her best to ensure that the existence of John Henry was a secret, and for this, she killed several humans. Catherine Weaver had one major shortcoming. While some of the other terminators were skilled at mimicking human emotion, she failed to do so. Her smiles would not be as convincing as that of the others, and the T-1000 was probably better at social interactions. Catherine, however, had a wicked sense of humor and her kills were quite exciting to watch.
Cameron Philips (T-900)
This was a reprogrammed terminator sent from the future and it was tasked with the protection of John Connor and his mother. She was sent from the year 2027, and she is an extremely advanced model. She was modeled on a human resistance fighter named Allison Young who was close to John Connor. She was one of the most realistic terminators because she was relatively better at social interactions than them. She even had emotions to some extent. Cameron could easily mimic the behavior of others and this helped her blend in easily. The fate of Cameron underwent numerous ups and downs and so did her interaction with the protagonists. However, she was a crucial cog in the show and a terminator that we all loved!
Why did Sarah Connor Chronicles close after season 2?
Sarah Connor Chronicles certainly deserved a much longer run than what it got. So what were the exact reasons for this show to be canceled so abruptly? Well, the reasons were pretty simple – low ratings. Yes, the loyal Terminator fans loved the show and even the critics appreciated the narrative, but that was not enough to make it strikingly popular. One of the main reasons that FOX canceled the show was the consistently falling viewership right from the first episode. By today’s standards, the ratings might seem just perfect, but back in the day, the producers had far greater expectations.
The show was not low-budget by any means because it required a significant amount of special effects for almost every episode. The high making cost could not be justified by the low ratings and it was far more profitable to shoot a regular show for that money. As we have already mentioned, there was a writer’s strike as well to worsen things for the show. Some of the show’s writers were involved with the strike and with problems mounting up the makers chose to cancel the promising series.
What was going to happen in Season 3?
While there is no way to tell for sure, there have been a few leaks and a few speculations that hint towards the kind of stuff we would have witnessed in the third season that was canceled. Usually, such cancellations see a lot of things being revealed about the future of the show. Josh Friedman, the creator, was in no mood to share what could have happened in Season 3. However, we still have enough information courtesy of some members of the cast who spill the beans. Thomas Dekker, who played the role of John Connor in the show, has provided some of these crucial leaks to the fans. Firstly, there was going to be a plot twist that would involve a love triangle between John Henry, Cameron, and Allison. The chip that contained Cameron’s programming and AI was carried to the future by John Henry. This is where the love triangle stemmed between the AI of Cameron, the woman on whom her body was based on, and John. Apparently, he would somehow interact with Allison and fall for her. In fact, it was also planned that at some point in the show Allison would get involved with the resistance.
Another interesting possibility that we will never hear about is surrounding the return of Dyson. This character from Terminator 2 was supposed to have a crucial role in the fight against Skynet and the mean machines. The son of Dyson has appeared in the show several times, and even he was about to make a comeback with a meatier role. One of the most crucial leaks by Thomas Dekker would have to be the return of his character’s mother, Sarah Connor. When John traveled to the future, she chose to stay back, and the third season likely would have seen her older avatar in action.
Our Final Words
The show might not have been a commercial success towards the end, but the love from the fans was paramount. The critics also responded with great things to say about the series and for many, it is criminally underrated. So will there ever be a third season? As much as we would love to see a proper climax to the cliffhanger that was left for us in Season 2, the possibility of the series being continued is very unlikely. In fact, there have been several campaigns by the fans, demanding a revival of the show following the cancelation.
Even crowdfunding was offered, but Josh Friedman effused the offer because there would still be issues with the rights. Thomas Dekker also revealed that a movie was considered to provide the perfect closure to the show, but even that did not materialize. As for us, we just find it painfully disappointing because this show had the potential to breathe new life in the Terminator franchise. Fox should be embarrassed about canceling this gem of a show, especially when we have the ruins of this glorious franchise today!