Writer: Natalie Chaidez
Director: Jeffrey G. Hunt
Cast: Lena Headey (Sarah), Thomas Dekker (John), Summer Glau (Cameron), Brian Austin Green (Derek), Shirley Manson (Catherine Weaver), Richard T. Jones (Agent James Ellison), Leven Rambin (Riley), Sonya Walger (Michelle Dixon), Dean Winters (Charley Dixon), Tommy Hicks (Bradbury), Obren Milanovic (Bloom), Dean Norris (Nelson), Paul Schulze (Carl Greenway), Debra Wilson (Lilian), Zack Ward (Wells), Vinni Ali'i Mesa (Employee), Johnny D'Agostino (Bartender), Cory Tucker (Security Stan) & Busy Philipps (Kacy)
Director: Jeffrey G. Hunt
Cast: Lena Headey (Sarah), Thomas Dekker (John), Summer Glau (Cameron), Brian Austin Green (Derek), Shirley Manson (Catherine Weaver), Richard T. Jones (Agent James Ellison), Leven Rambin (Riley), Sonya Walger (Michelle Dixon), Dean Winters (Charley Dixon), Tommy Hicks (Bradbury), Obren Milanovic (Bloom), Dean Norris (Nelson), Paul Schulze (Carl Greenway), Debra Wilson (Lilian), Zack Ward (Wells), Vinni Ali'i Mesa (Employee), Johnny D'Agostino (Bartender), Cory Tucker (Security Stan) & Busy Philipps (Kacy)
It's another strong outing for this returning series; less gripping than the premiere, but blessed with a substance to ensure greater satisfaction. There's a definite sense of development since Chronicles returned to our screens, particularly noticeable in John's (Thomas Dekker) growth from petulant teen to responsible leader-in-waiting…A key element of "Automatic For The People" is seeing John seek a normal relationship with Riley (Leven Rambin) -- a beautiful girl from school who takes a shine to the brooding teen and makes shim forget his daily struggle against time-travelling machines. Riley's a glimmer of hope for adolescent normality -- however brief, before John has to embrace his destiny as leader of a worldwide resistance against sentient, homicidal robots.
The episode's mission is prompted by the arrival of Wells (Zack Ward); a soldier from the future war, who arrives naked and nursing a fatal gunshot wound to the chest. Before dying, he finds Sarah (Lena Headey), Derek (Brian Austin Green) and Cameron (Summer Glau) hours after they've moved into a new furnished home, and manages to give them a cryptic warning of danger involving "Greenway" at a nuclear power plant. Said plant turns out to be stronghold of the human resistance post-Judgment Day -- according to Derek, and as glimpsed in another welcome flashforward.
Sarah and Cameron (who's now considering an "untrustworthy guard dog" following her recent malfunction) get jobs at the plant as menial workers, so they can locate Carl Greenway (Paul Schulze) -- a technician who's become very unpopular with the workforce because he delayed the plant's original start date over safety concerns. But why is he such a threat to the future?
"Automatic For The People" was generally an entertaining episode, particularly in its handling of John and Riley (excusing her sudden appearance and their rapid attachment to each other). Riley's ignorance of the Connors' situation should be fun to watch, as she already thinks Sarah's a mollycoddling prude. Likewise John's disquieting "sister" Cameron, with Summer Glau once again putting in a fabulous performance…
I particularly enjoyed an earlier bar scene, where Cameron flirts with a group of pool players and hustles them with her skills at the table. It's the kind of scene that makes you wish Chronicles wasn't part of the Terminator lineage and was just about a robot girl trying to fit into society. It also proves Cameron can smile and act normal, depending on the situation and mission priority. That might help smooth things over with nitpickers who still want to know why Cameron acted like a regular teen in the "Pilot", only to revert to an impassive factory setting thereafter.
A minor subplot for Ellison (Richard T. Jones) isn't that great, as the Fed meets with Charley (Dean Winters) and his wife Michelle (Sonya Walger) to confides in them over events with Sarah Connor. It's basically a means for Charley to leave so he can concentrate on his marriage; his character having outlived his usefulness as Sarah's fiancé and lost hope for happiness. While it's a shame to lose the talented Winters and Walger, I have to agree that there isn't much more to achieve with their characters. I only hope Jones gets a storyline worth sticking around for, as he's an actor whose presence immediately lends everything weight and import.
Lena Headey still frustrates me as Sarah, particularly as every undercover mission sees her regress into an even more neutered performance. The actress just looks uncomfortable when she smiles, too. I don't think Sarah Connor should be anywhere near as gung-ho as her character was written in T2 -- but for a heroine with her name in the title, she shouldn't be in the shadow of her co-stars like this. Even Thomas Dekker is making big improvements just now, making me wonder if Terminator: The John Connor Chronicles would make a better show. Still, Headey is at least pro-active throughout this episode (mainly because John and Derek take a backseat) and gets to run around with a rifle. Paul Schulze was also very good in his guest-starring role as Greenway, particularly during the fight scenes towards the end.
Overall, you still have to overlook some wider problems Chronicles has regarding cause-and-effect (which the films also fell prey to), and two twists involving a bodysnatching Terminator and "prophecies" written in blood were shoehorned into the story inelegantly. It seems the show adjusts established rules just to make a story work, and asks its audience to suspend their disbelief a tad too often. Why, for example, does the remnants of a lifeless Terminator endoskeleton not require high-temperature disposal in this instance? Is it really okay to just seal future-tech into a storage drum?
But, in general there wasn't much to hate and rather a lot to like in Natalie Chaidez's story, as the series continues to adjust its core dynamics and sandpaper some rough edges. Season 2 is off to a confident and entertaining start, which makes the record low ratings in the US even more frustrating…
15 September 2008
Fox, 9/8c
