Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, 2x17, “Ourselves Alone”

Episode Title: Ourselves Alone
Writers: Toni Graphia and Daniel T. Thomsen

Director: Jeff Woolnough

Originally Aired: 03/06/2009
Grade: A

I really loved this episode, but strangely, I don’t have the urge to write half a novel about it.

Cameron killing the pigeon against her own will was a bit confusing for me. On the one hand, it seems like a good way to express what’s going on inside her: mentally, she is developing free will, but her programming makes it difficult for her to exercise that free will physically. And yet, how is the pigeon any different from not killing Ellison and being “kind” enough to roll him face down into broken glass? Or the fact that Cameron didn’t kill Riley? It seemed like the damage to her frame was more of an excuse for what she did than a real reason, but maybe John is the important factor? She’s programmed to eliminate threats, but she’s also programmed to obey John Connor. If John had been there to tell her not to kill the pigeon, would the end result have been the same?

When Cameron’s hand closed around John’s while he was repairing her, she looked at him almost adoringly. She may have had an interest in his skill level—she’s obviously been monitoring his progress toward the goal of “John Connor, Savior of Mankind”—but she also definitely enjoyed the physical contact with John. He seemed to pick up on it a bit when she wanted to make him a sandwich. He’s still suspicious of her, still trying to keep his distance, to avoid being manipulated into feeling affection for her. Not that I think it’ll work in the long run…

As for the fight between Jessie and Riley, woah. I was blinking back tears through their entire fight. I have to admit it was well-done. It wasn’t just a cheap girl fight, there was an incredible amount at stake there. I felt Riley fighting not just for her life, but for her right to control her own life. Poor Riley.

I don’t even think it’s unrealistic that Riley lasted as long as she did against Jessie. Jessie did make a point of telling Derek that she was out of practice, and Riley had a pretty powerful combination of rage and fear pumping through her body. It’s also possible that there was an element of self-punishment in Jessie letting it go on that long. I thought Jacobsen was playing some of the moments as if she was letting Riley punish her for a bit, but she didn’t actually want to die because she was determined to carry out her plan for the “greater good,” so she had to start fighting back again at certain points. (I’m actually not trying to come up with reasons to make Jessie sympathetic, because I really, REALLY hate her.)

And I actually liked Sarah in this episode. She seemed like she finally had her shit together. The way she told John that he should prepare himself for what could happen when Cameron found out about Riley indicated to me that she was really seeing the whole situation—seeing all the players involved—and recognizing all the stakes, both in terms of the mission and in terms of John’s emotional state.