Writer: John Wirth
Director: Bryan SpicerCast: Lena Headey (Sarah), Thomas Dekker (John), Summer Glau (Cameron), Brian Austin Green (Derek), Garret Dillahunt (Cromartie), Shirley Manson (Catherine Weaver), Leven Rambin (Riley), Richard T. Jones (Agent James Ellison), Dean Winters (Charley), Sonya Walger (Michelle), William C. Mitchell (Pastor), Lisa Canning (News Anchor) & Busy Philipps (Kacy Corbin)
I was evidently premature in thinking Charley (Dean Winters) and Michelle (Sonya Walger) had left the show last week, as "The Mousetrap" sees those peripheral characters take centre stage for one last hurrah. John Wirth's script is a different twist on the usual Chronicles stories, where regular villain Cromartie (Garret Dillahunt) abandons his Terminator modus operandi of search-and-destroy in favour of an elaborate trap. The titular "mousetrap" is set when Cromartie kidnaps Michelle as the departing Dixons fill up at a remote gas station, prompting her husband Charley to ask for his ex-fiancé Sarah's (Lena Headey) help in getting his wife back...As Sarah arrives with Derek (Brian Austin Green) to help find Michelle, who has been taken to an abandoned building in the middle of the desert and tied to a booby-trapped chair, the situation with John (Thomas Dekker) and Riley (Leven Rambin) also develops, with John now actively pursuing a normal life hanks to the influence of his new girlfriend. Terminator protector Cameron (Summer Glau) is the unwanted "babysitter" strangling his style throughout, so tension mounts as John becomes increasingly distant and ignorant of his great destiny and pushes his "sister" Cameron away.
There's also an intriguing little subplot for Agent Ellison (Richard T. Jones), whose purpose in season 2 starts to gain some direction. Catherine Weaver (Shirley Manson), the clandestine liquid metal Terminator with a penchant for white suits, invites Ellison to meet with her – and pricks his curiosity by mentioning her own belief in machines from the future. Catherine clearly has an important mission to perform in the past (probably something instrumental to ensure Skynet is created), and it will certainly be interesting if she makes Ellison an unwitting accomplice in humanity's downfall. Remember how Cromartie let Ellison live during the FBI massacre in season 1's finale? The federal agent's role in future-history must be crucial and beneficial to the machines.
"The Mousetrap" was a nice distraction from the typical Chronicles plot type, particularly because Cromartie showed some intelligence in how his trap for Michelle neutralized Sarah and Derek, leaving the field open for a swooping attack on John. The situation with Michelle was tense and enjoyable and delivered some uncomfortable moments for the "love triangle" of Sarah/Charley/Michelle. I'm slightly disappointed Derek still looks like a hanger-on from season 1, but hopefully his character will be given more direction in the week's to come.
As ever, Glau is great fun throughout (such a delicate, fine performance), and Dillahunt's work as the emotionless Terminator assassin is now bedding in very well. I particularly liked this episode's references to Victor Laszlo (the struggling actor Cromartie used as a flesh-template), with Laszlo now notorious as a maniac actor who slaughtered a FBI assault team before committing suicide. And the TV clips of Laszlo, dressed as a Conan The Barbarian-style character in a cheesy movie was surely a little dig at Arnold Schwarzenegger's early career.
Overall, "The Moustrap" was a diverting episode of small thrills, eventually culminating in the loss of a semi-regular character. It's not particularly essential, but it's a good example of Chronicles mixing up the kind of stories it can tell, and more vital information is delivered in the subplots regarding the overall mythology – including how to easily avoid a Terminator. Now, if only someone could go back in time to 1984 and tell Sarah Connor to just jump in a lake.
22 September 2008
Fox, 9/8c
