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Terminator 1.7: "The Demon Hand" |
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Monday, 25 February 2008 |
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By John Keegan
Visit Critical Myth for an archive of John's TV Review archives, with more than 1100 entries.
| After the revelations of the past few episodes, one might expect the narrative to slow down a little. Fortunately, the writers were operating with little or no slack in the line, so even a transitional episode like this one is fairly intense. This is more of a character-based story, setting the stage for the fireworks to come with the (premature) season finale.
Since the beginning of the series, Agent Ellison has been hunting down Sarah based on her apparent crimes, but more and more information has led him to question his assumptions. At this point, he actually believes that Sarah is on to something, and he’s taking steps to do something about it. That leads to a situation that fits rather well into the franchise continuity.
Bruce Davison is the go-to guy when it comes to the slightly deranged, and his portrayal of Dr. Silverman certainly fits the bill. He brings an innate intensity to the role, and the scenes between Silverman and Ellison work beautifully as a result. It’s hard to imagine that Ellison could have any doubts after this experience, but he is also left with the impression that keeping the secret of the apocalypse can drive a person mad.
Sarah becomes aware of Ellison’s interest, and ends up grabbing a videotape of her experience in the mental institution. It just happens to be footage of her decision, just before the breakout sequence in “Terminator 2”, to sign away parental rights. John gets his hands on the tape, and his reaction is heartbreaking. It appears to be resolved by the end of the episode, but it might have been more interesting to leave John with a desire to find someone else to bond with, instead of his mother.
That would place Derek Reese and Cameron in powerful positions. Derek doesn’t know that his brother Kyle was John’s father, but John already treats him like beloved family. John has a desire to find something trustworthy in Derek, even though he’s still a complete stranger. On the other hand, he has some measure of trust in Cameron, and she has already demonstrated an ability to connect with John on some level. Her cruel pragmatism gets in the way, but for now, John has been willing to believe that Cameron is acting in his best interest.
That may not be the case, of course, and Cameron already shows a dismissive attitude towards human life. She gets the information regarding the Turk, but in the end, she has little concern for anyone’s survival. Her decision to walk away, without hesitation, from cold-blooded murder speaks volumes. Yet she also seems more capable of absorbing human psychological traits, such as the emotional aspects of the ballet dancing (a nod to Summer Glau’s personal talents). Derek has reason to hate and distrust her, but the ballet dancing seemed to inspire a mixture of wonder and terror.
The stage is now set for the season finale. There’s little chance for resolution in the final two episodes (four more were originally planned before the writers’ strike forced a premature production shutdown), but several plot threads should come to a head. Unfortunately, the ratings continue to slide, and that does not bode well for a second season. That would be a shame, because the producers and writers clearly have a vision for the series and a passion for the franchise. |
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