After seeing this episode, I have to agree with Fox’s decision to air the first two hours as a premiere event. The first episode set the stage for the series, establishing its similarities and differences from the film continuity. This episode takes that premise and fleshes it out enough to justify a weekly television series. Though some elements could still use a little fine-tuning, the overall concept has gelled quite nicely.

Cameron changed history by bringing Sarah and John several years into the future, so anything goes. As usual, this means that common elements will emerge, but the details will be different. In the film timeline, Sarah died of cancer in 1997. In the series’ “original” timeline, she died of cancer in 2005. This new timeline allows her to live longer and launch a pre-emptive strike against potential cancer, thus possibly allowing her to be a role model for John for a longer period of time.

There is something about Cameron’s approach to the subject, and to Sarah in general, that suggests a more complicated history. Cameron shows a far more human quality than the previous terminators, and she seems to have a certain familiarity with Sarah and John beyond their current circumstance. She strongly respects Sarah, and she is devoted to John. One wonders if Cameron was programmed by the resistance based on someone very close to John, such as a wife or lover. (This could explain why Cameron seems to attract John so quickly, despite the circumstances.)

While the reappearance of the terminator from the pilot is a bit unfortunate, since it is relatively predictable, the writers throw in a clever twist by bringing elements of John’s resistance into the past. Combined with Sarah’s own resources from past associations, this provides a long-term plot arc for John’s rise as a leader. Those same assets may eventually shed light on Cameron’s true nature. (Imagine if John’s wife was the template, and some resistance fighter mistakes her as human!)

Sarah’s past associations, and her exposure on the internet and news upon her arrival, both conspire to bring Agent Ellison back into the story in an organic manner. Bringing Sarah’s fiancé back into the series is less logically handled. It makes sense for John to leave the house, given his personality. It makes a lot less sense for him to go find someone who would recognize him, recognize that something is very wrong for John to still be so young, and want to find Sarah despite his marriage. John may be stir crazy and yearning for a father figure, but that was just plain stupid.

The elements are now in place for a sustainable series, if the writers resist the urge to slip back into familiar ground too often. The strong focus on Sarah and her struggles, including the rewarding relationship with Cameron, should help to moderate that somewhat. Obviously the show is settling into a mode where the characters need to stay in one place, and that means dialing back the major disastrous threats. It shouldn’t take long to determine if that will ultimately work, and in the meantime, it should be entertaining.