Sarah Connor Chronicles 1x03-1x04

[oyceter]

I wasn't going to blog this show, just to try to cut down on my post spam, but all the cool kids are doing it!

Mely and Vonnie said pretty much everything I think, so only brief remarks from me.

• Golems for the win! I love that the voiceovers are actually giving us nicely thematic information, as opposed to just being boringly ponderous.


• Plastic surgeon: white man. I forgot who, but someone last week noted that she disliked all the scientists being men (mostly white, with the exception of the dead Miles Dyson) [eta: link here!]. I think that is an excellent point, particularly the relative paucity of female programmers, the notion that math and science and computers are a guy thing, and aforementioned person's point about men getting to be idealistic and carried away by science while the women must be practical and down-to-earth. On the other hand, given that all the scientists on the show so far have been Victims of the Week, I am much more ok with it. It's probably evil of me to cackle about the white male body count, but I do so anyway.


• Speaking of white men, I am also appreciating the reversing of the usual Hollywood stereotypes. We do have the unfortunate division of most of the POC being men and most of the women being white, but I am still holding out hope for the return of Teresa Dyson. Also, coniraya mentioned something about Summer Glau being multiracial, though Wiki says she's Scots-Irish/German? Anyway, I am still cackling that the white men so far are victims of the week, evil (Cromartie), or people needing protection (John, who is maturing, but still definitely a teenager).


• I continue to love Lena Headey's Sarah, who is less visibly damaged than Hamilton's T2 Sarah, but is still awesome. I particularly love that she stops and thinks when John says they can destroy a Terminator army. And! She drives stick, of course! I love the slice of teen movie combined with mechanical menacing horror when she and John are scrambling to get the truck started, and that her most successful act of mothering in the episode is teaching stick shift, not comforting John about his classmate.


• John was pretty dumb in the episode, but believably so, and I would say more, except I would just be agreeing with all of Mely's notes about robots and golems and children and parenting.


• Sarah sticking the knife in the table -- callout to T2?


• Like everyone, I continue to love Ellison, who is quietly intelligent, competent, and subtle.


• Despite really enjoying the show so far -- it's much smarter than I expected, and I am still so happy to have two women leads -- I am terrified that it will become the John Connor show. Hopefully the name "Sarah Connor Chronicles" means that won't happen, but with TV, you never know.

Comments

[coffeeandink.livejournal.com]

I know some people think Summer Glau is multiracial, but I wasn't able to find any statements by her to this effect the last time I looked for one. I think it's a mistake based on (a) some people claiming that she *looked* like she could be part-Asian (and thus was appropriate to cast on Firefly) and (b) other people confusing her with Kristin Kreuk (Lana Lang on Smallville, who *is* part-Asian and who had an unfortunate contingent of vocal (and half-blind?) racist fanboys who claimed she couldn't possibly be.

Or I could just be wrong. But I think it would be a much more prominent feature of FF discussion if Joss Whedon had managed to cast even a part-Asian actor in one of the main roles.

[oyceter]

*nods* I haven't found any statements either, but I've also only checked Wikipedia so far.

[desdenova.livejournal.com]

I am terrified that it will become the John Connor show.

I have it reliably second-hand (i.e. no direct link, but from somebody who I generally trust on such matters) that the producer (Josh Friedman) has stated in an interview that the Terminator story is really *Sarah's* story, not John's. So, I have high hopes as long as he's involved in the show.

Anyway, yeah, I am loving this show, too.


(And like you, I secretly enjoy the White Male Victim-of-the-Week aspect.)

[oyceter]

Oh, that is comforting! I figure they want it to be Sarah's story, given the title, but... yeah, my trust in TVland is at a bit of a low right now.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH POST SPAM!

*la la la la la*

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

...

People think Kristen Kreuk(who deserves so much better than the drek she's forced to spew in Smallville, but that's another subject...) isn't asian?

How?

[coffeeandink.livejournal.com]

I have no idea.

[genarti]

I got an impression somewhere that she had some Hispanic background somewhere.

But, um, I can't remember the source, so it's entirely possible that I'm making that up.

[oyceter]

People unfailingly surprise me!

[ide-cyan.livejournal.com]

I forgot who, but someone last week noted that she disliked all the scientists being men

Are you thinking of cija's entry, here (http://cija.livejournal.com/128161.html)?

[spectralbovine.livejournal.com]

I love that the voiceovers are actually giving us nicely thematic information, as opposed to just being boringly ponderous.
I totally agree!

And I also agree with most everything else. Likely, because you already agreed with Vonnie, and I agree with Vonnie. This is the Transitive Property of Agreement.

[spectralbovine.livejournal.com]

I have it reliably second-hand (i.e. no direct link, but from somebody who I generally trust on such matters) that the producer (Josh Friedman) has stated in an interview that the Terminator story is really *Sarah's* story, not John's.
Oh, nice. Because I am becoming more and more interested in her story, precisely because we don't know how it ends. We already know what John becomes. Not so with Sarah.

[oyceter]

Hee! Note taken.

[oyceter]

Yes, that's the one! Thanks for the link!

[desdenova.livejournal.com]

Wikipedia Pete helped me find the interview (here (http://tv.ign.com/articles/798/798086p1.html)). The relevant bit:

They wanted it to be kind of her trilogy, and it never could be. So I think that my feeling was this TV series to me sort of serves as the third act to that trilogy - what could have happened had we followed that after T2. So I almost think of this as T3. To me it takes the place of T3. But also I think that sort of in the spirit of Terminator, it's an alternate timeline. I know a lot of people get very worked up about the continuity and the canon and all that stuff. What I try to do is stay very, very true to the first two movies and then sort of take it from there. But always remain true to the spirit of everyone's intent and again, take some time with this woman and explore what maybe would have happened.

IOW, it's all about Sarah.

[minim_calibre]

There are people who are shocked, SHOCKED that Slash from Guns and Roses is Not a White Guy.

Never underestimate the power of Stupid.

(And yes! KK does deserve so much better! She's got great comic timing, and has impressed me elsewhere.)

[minim_calibre]

I am adoring this show. I keep my fingers crossed for its survival and for it continuing as Sarah's show.

As of 1x04, it officially contains 3 bulletproof character types. I love Ellison.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Every once in a while, Lana will actually have a decent scene and I'll see why TPTB are so in love with her, but mostly...

I, literally, spend Smallville watching time alternating between "why, show, why?? Why must you subject me to this? How can you have so many awesome female character and then make your female lead such an annoying, pointless, whiny, Mary Sue drama queen?!?" and "Kristen Kreuk, you are a decent actress given anything and a pretty good actress when given half decent material. Plus, you're gorgeous. Please, please please, go and find a character worthy of you, in a show I might want to watch but where I want hate your character."

Lana is one of the few times where I actually, genuinely pity the poor actor who has to spout the material.

[radiotelescope.livejournal.com]

It may be hair and makeup, but Summer Glau looks *not at all* European in some SCC shots. Freeze-frame the scene in, er, I think 1x02 when she is leaning against the car in front of Enrique's place (imitating the other girl).

(Internote: "to my eyes". I get this impression most strongly in front and 3/4 shots, less so in profile.)

[oyceter]

Me too! I am really curious to see what they're going to do with Ellison and his story; we generally know the trajectory of Sarah and John's (though I want to see what will happen to Sarah), but I have no clue as to Ellison. I think he and Teresa Dyson should join the Connors and Cameron and be reluctant allies.

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

To be fair, it's hard to see much of Slash under all the hair, hat and sunglasses. ;-)

[almeda.livejournal.com]

I am, however, very glad that with this latest ep John got to show a little bit of the man he will grow to become, instead of more whiny-middleschooler. He *almost* had that dude in the bunker, just on sheer charisma! Now THAT is the man who will raise an army against the computerized foe.