Spoilers. Considering T:tSCC has been dumped in the Friday "death slot" in the States, it's unforgivable that episodes since its mid-season hiatus have been so lackluster. The series should be renewing efforts in the face of likely cancellation, but "Desert Cantos" ranks as one of the show's worst efforts. Certainly the dullest since season 1's growing pains.Indeed, it's so poor that it's difficult to summon the will to actually pick through the debris. I'd rather just ignore this and move on. Suffice to say, Sarah (Lena Headey), John (Thomas Dekker), Derek (Brian Austin Green) and Cameron (Summer Glau) decide to attend the mass funeral for all the factory workers killed by Catherine during last week's subplot. The dead all resided in the same desert town, and the citizens are united in their grief at the alleged accident that claimed the lives of friends and family.
This episode actually reminded me of a joke in Austin Powers (where the death of a lowly henchman takes on great meaning, as we see the effect it has on his loving family at home.) Likewise, the man Sarah killed a few episodes ago in the factory returns to haunt her, as Sarah meets his mourning family -- all oblivious to the fact he was working on a dangerous project that will aide doomsday, and would have callously murdered Sarah given half the chance.I understand and appreciate T:tSCC's reticence at overloading itself with action and avoiding becoming a "terminator-of-the-week" series (as we originally feared), but I'm growing irritated by its lackadaisical attitude and pretentious airs. To wit, this episode is split into six parts named after a funeral's constituent parts (Vigil, Service, Processional, Burial, Wake and Recessional) to little effect beyond narrative posturing.
The loss of Terminator stalker Cromartie, with actor Garrett Dillahunt now repackaged as childlike A.I John Henry, has also lost the show its sense of lurking threat. I think it's time for a new Terminator to get on the hunt for the Connors, or for the series to stop dilly-dallying and show some strength of character -- plots like the new "drone" project, the three-dots symbol, Riley and Jesse's deception, the vague hints at a Skynet civil war (remember those?), and Catherine's shadowy mission, have been left to simmer for too long now. We need big answers and developments now -- particularly since the US ratings are dwindling in its new Friday slot. Even loyal fans are becoming concerned by the mid-season collapse. Another sign for the US networks that a dozen episodes is enough for a serialized drama -- a la cable shows like Mad Men, Dexter, etc? T:tSCC actually benefited from a short, punchy nine-episode run in season 1. Season 2 doesn't feel prepared to stretch into double digits.
To be fair, "Desert Cantos" eventually started to get interesting towards the end, when we learned that the whole town is under Prisoner-style 24/7 surveillance, as a microcosm of Skynet's ambitions in the near-future. The confirmation that the local factory was working on Hunter-Killer prototypes was welcome (but was there any doubt?), and a final moment with a mini-HK launching from a swamp, proving to everyone that Sarah didn't hallucinate her vision of one, was a cool visual. But what are these aerial drones intended for, anyway? Recon? Weapons?Despite a few neat visuals and a mildly interesting final act, "Desert Cantos" was a plodding bore for 95% of its runtime, and another episode that gave Cameron and Derek nothing of interest to do (and, let's be honest, they're the characters it's actually worth watching T:tSCC to see.) Catherine had another subplot where her inhumanity was noticed by Ellison (Richard T. Jones), having forgotten to be with her daughter on the anniversary of her dad's death. Later, Catherine paraphrased Ellison's words about his own father's death to her daughter, in an icy attempt at being comforting. Not a bad few scenes, but essentially a reworking of a dynamic we've already seen performed before. Again, it's time they just moved the story on and started revealing what Catherine's up to.
12 March 2009
Virgin1, 10pm
Writers: John Wirth & Ian Goldberg
Director: J. Miller Tobin
Cast: Lena Headey (Sarah), Thomas Dekker (John), Summer Glau (Cameron), Richard T. Jones (Ellison), Brian Austin Green (Derek), Shirley Manson (Catherine), Leven Rambin (Riley), Garret Dillahunt (John Henry), Shane Edelman (Matt Murch), Ned Bellamy (Ed Winston), Max Perlich (Walsh), John Pyper-Ferguson (George McCarthy), Jim Jansen (Minister), Mackenzie Smith (Savannah), Alanna Masterson (Zoe McCarthy), Adam Wylie (Henry Douglas, Jr.), Susan Floyd (Stella McCarthy), Thomas Garner (Mourner) & Cyd Strittmatter (Diana Winston)
