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I hope FOX does reconsider and renew this show.

In Praise of John Henry and ‘The Sarah Connor Chronicles’

A writer hopes that the ‘Terminator’ TV show will live to see another season

By Kurt Geltz
MSN TV

John Connor may be the savior of humanity, but he only has one more episode to ensure that the evil machines of Skynet don’t nuke the world and bring about the future seen in this summer’s high-octane thriller “Terminator Salvation.” Granted, I’m not really talking about the movie, but rather its TV cousin, “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” which will air its second season finale this Friday. As of now, a third season seems unlikely. However, I’m calling on FOX to do the right thing and save it before it’s too late. Why should it be saved? Well, for one, we need John Connor to save us, but the real reason is because the recent addition of the character John Henry has made it a better show.

Watch the latest episode of “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”

What’s weird about writing that line is that John Henry appears to be the artificial intelligence that will eventually become Skynet, the computer system that launches a war to eliminate all humans in the “Terminator” franchise. But instead of being cold and calculating, John Henry appears to be very naïve and childlike, even likable. And that’s what makes this show so compelling. Especially since the body of John Henry initially started as a murderous Terminator looking to kill hero John Connor good and dead.

The artificial intelligence was named after the great American myth of the steel-driving man by a doctor who was looking at communication patterns of the machine. Later, the computer program is jacked into the “now-deceased” body of the Terminator to allow it to have movement and better understand humans.

It’s around this time that he (or it, if that’s what you prefer) comes under the tutelage of former FBI agent James Ellison (Richard T. Jones), who tries to instill ethics in the AI after he accidently kills the doctor who gave him his name. Because Ellison is aware of the stark future ahead but has no idea of the role he may play in it, he becomes quite biblical in his free time. And some of his biblical thoughts enter into their conversations about life and why humans do the things they do. Those scenes have helped elevate this action-thriller to another level. And, as great as those scenes are, they don’t hold a candle to the scenes involving John Henry’s friendship with Catherine Weaver’s young daughter, Savannah, which have become some of my favorite in the show.

Recent episodes also seem to imply that John Henry may be developing a conscience, as seen when John Henry became concerned for Savannah after he discovers that a new Terminator has arrived in the present day looking to kill the youngster. He taps into the house’s security system and cell phone signals to help the girl avoid the killing machine. This and other scenes have one mulling over the crucial question: Was John Henry possibly created to save humanity or destroy it?

Big weighty question aside, why am I so enamored with the artificial intelligence? It comes to one part good writing, another part exceptional direction, and whole lot of memorable acting from Garret Dillahunt. “Deadwood” fans will remember Dillahunt as villainous Jack McCall, the man who kills Wild Bill Hickok in the first season of the classic Western. He also returned to the frontier town in the second season as the homicidal Francis Wolcott. Dillahunt is a great character actor who has also made memorable turns in “The 4400,” “John From Cincinnati” and “Damages.” Watching him go from an unfeeling hunter-killer to an inquisitive computer program with a long Ethernet connection into a Terminator’s skull has been one of the more rewarding character transformations on any TV show.

But, the casting has always been one of the strong points of “The Sarah Connor Chronicles.” Lena Headey, Thomas Dekker and Summer Glau have all been strong in their roles as Sarah Connor, John Connor and Cameron, the female Terminator sent from the future to protect and guide John. Richard T. Jones has also been a strong supporting player as James Ellison, while the less said about rocker Shirley Manson’s first foray into TV the better.

So, many of them have been terrific, but there’s one person on this cast who has truly impressed. I never thought Brian Austin Green would be able to get rid of the David Silver stank that has settled on his acting career since “Beverly Hills, 90210” went off the air. But, mission accomplished. Green was so good as renegade future soldier Derek Reese (and brother of Kyle Reese, John’s dad) that it was very shocking to see him take a bullet between the eyes so quickly in a recent episode that saw a menacing Terminator wreaking all sorts of havoc. It was especially jarring since it happened within the first 15 minutes of the episode and not the final act before the credits like in most TV shows. Oh well, Derek, you will be missed. And Brian Austin Green, all is forgiven.

But, rich characters are one thing, and ratings are another. And therein lies the real obstacle for “Sarah Connor.” We can’t deny that, ever since it debuted on Jan. 13, 2008, the show has been bleeding ratings despite being the highest rated new scripted show of the 2007-08 season. The real problem is that, early in the show’s run, it suffered from bouts of personality disorder. At the beginning, it seemed that the producers wanted the intense action known from the “Terminator” movies to be paired with an odd mix of family drama and bland teen angst, which has made for an uneven TV show at times.

Throughout the first and parts of the second season, we had to contend with John’s excessive lamenting that he couldn’t be like the other kids. Never mind that he almost got killed by Robert Patrick in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” Try it once, that’s forgivable. But the writers seem to latch on to it whenever they didn’t know what they wanted to do with the kid, and Connor’s emo-lamenting became very tiring. But after the recent killing of girlfriend Riley (Leven Rambin), John seems to be taking his role as humanity’s savior more seriously, and his thoughts and actions show a more mature John Connor who’s finally figured out that he won’t be allowed to be like the other kids and go to prom and hang out at the mall because he knows the bombs will be dropping and killer machines are right around the corner.

Speaking of right around the corner, “Terminator Salvation” will be hitting cinemas next month, and it seems like a natural tie-in for the movie and TV show. On Friday’s season finale, they will be showcasing an extended look at the new movie starring Christian Bale and Bryce Dallas Howard. But, it’s a shame the Fox Network hasn’t tried to latch on to the good buzz the movie has generated to help out its TV sibling. For the right amount, I bet they could get Christian Bale to talk with FOX about renewing the show. Hmm, then again.

Whatever the case, “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” seems to have found its legs in the latter part of the season. Granted, they may be bionic ones, but hopefully the warranty will last, at least for another season.

Kurt Geltz is the master and overlord of MSN’s Parallel Universe. He’s obsessed with everything sci-fi and thinks Summer Glau is the cutest killing machine he’s ever seen.

Check out previous episodes of “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”