Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, 2x09, “Complications”

Episode Title: Complications
Writers: John Wirth and Ian Goldberg
Director: Steven DePaul
Originally Aired: 11/17/2008
Grade: A

I had a hard time deciphering the dream metaphors in this one. Cameron watering metal cacti? Do I need peyote for this? It was unclear to me whether I should view Cameron as even more of a threat than I already do because Sarah had a wacky dream about her being a nurturer to turtles and cacti, or if the meaning was more complicated than that, or if I should just write it off as Sarah being batshit crazy. I do think the idea of Cameron as a nurturer is fascinating, though, especially since she’s been more receptive and helpful about John’s emotional state than Sarah has this season. And Cameron nurturing the turtles was obviously tied to Sarah turning over the turtle at the beginning of the episode, which was intended as an act of kindness, so it’s kind of odd to think that the dream symbolized something bad about Cameron.

As far as Cameron turning Ellison over, I didn’t even crack a smile. I’m not sure if it was supposed to be funny—it probably was—but my reaction was more like John’s, which is to say stunned, saddened, and confused (and props to Dekker while I’m at it—say what you want about John being an annoying emo brat, but the guy can act). I love watching John react to Cameron as much as I love watching Cameron.

I wonder if John will ever ask her about her “I love you and you love me” moment in the season premiere, because that would be one riveting conversation…

The scene in the truck with John was awesome on many levels. They built on Cameron’s sense of physical sensation a bit more, and they established that she has something resembling musical taste (weird musical taste, too, and John totally noticed). Her smile when John “complimented” cyborgs blew me away, too. I think what fascinates me about her is that no matter what she does with her hands, there is always something innocent about her mind. She’s always curious, always wanting to learn, and not only is she starting to learn how to understand emotion, this episode seemed to indicate that she’s trying to learn “morality,” too. And because she’s my favorite character, I kind of want her to succeed, at least a little bit, but I think these writers are probably going to break my heart in that respect, and they’d probably be right to. Whatever happens, I’m still completely fascinated by her.

Sarah not wanting to talk about Cameron was amusing, too, although I am curious how she would have tried to express that relationship with half-truths.

John’s insistence that “We’re not murderers” to Sarah, followed by him he amending it to, “You’re not” killed me. And I like that these writers can leave it at that, rather than actually having him blab out, “Well, you’re not, but I am.”

As for John not telling Sarah about Chromartie’s visit, I wasn’t terribly bothered. I was glad that he at least told her about the missing body. I can easily imagine him being relieved to be growing a little bit closer to Sarah again, and being afraid that telling her about Chromartie's visit might ruin it and get her angry at him all over again. I don't think it actually would have that effect, I just think it's likely that he might think that way, hence it not bothering me that he didn't tell her. If his withholding that info still posed an immediate threat, I would be a lot more upset.

That's not to say that that information doesn't still hold some kind of threat that I (or John) haven't considered, and it may come back to bite him in the ass, much like Sarah leaving that kid alive in the bowling alley.

And the Fisher storyline seems like it has to come back into play at some point this season, unless they really intended it to be ambiguous as to why FutureFisher would be so loyal to the machines rather than just kill himself. What on earth kind of sway could the machines have over him that would make him do their dirty work in such a bizarre manner? Maybe they offered some kind of protection from Judgment Day to his family? But we don’t know, and if this were supposed to be a closed storyline, I think the writers would have given viewers that closure. The fact that they didn’t and the question remains unanswered makes me think there’s more to this that will come up again later. They’ve been doing this all season long as it is, introducing stories and characters that seem like one-offs, only to have them brought back once again.

This was definitely a slower episode, but the pacing didn’t bother me at all. I do think that it needed a bit more Sarah and a bit less Derek/Jesse. Not that I’m complaining about more of Derek, but some their “You really don’t remember?” “I really don’t remember” scenes were redundant and should have been compressed.

True Blood, 1x11, “To Love is to Bury”

Episode Title: To Love is to Bury
Writer: Nancy Oliver
Director: Nancy Oliver
Originally Aired: 11/16/2008
Grade: B+

I find it interesting that Pam was the one with Bill when he was burying Jessica. It sounds like she was there on the Magister’s orders, but did he actually order her to do it, or did he tell Eric to take care of it, which automatically meant Pam was going to do it? Pam’s “You’ve already set her free, just as Eric freed me,” seems to say a lot about their relationship.

Bill's scenes with Jessica were entertaining in a bubble, but tonally, they felt more like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which is usually not where this show resides. Maybe it was just because the scene was with Bill, in particular, whose storylines and scenes are almost always serious and tragic. It’s usually Jason and Lafayette and Tara and various background characters who carry the irreverent and comedic aspects of the show, so this felt odd (not that Moyers didn’t do a great job). Still, Bill’s complete seriousness and exasperation in these scenes were definitely in-character for this scenario, and he and Jessica made a hilarious contrast.

Sookie’s reasoning that Bill can sense her emotions and distress, so “If he didn’t show up tonight, he’s not coming back” and “If vampire politics are more important to him than me…” made me want to slap her. She was whiny, self-pitying, and her logic was deeply flawed. Bill obviously cares about her a great deal, and she knows that he is in pretty big trouble, no matter what he said (and if she couldn’t deduce that by the presence of Eric, by the way Bill kissed her, and by the crappy job he was doing of hiding his anxiety, then Sookie is dumb as a rock). What she did not know was how far away Bill was and how that could affect their psychic connection, nor did she know what could be happening to Bill that might keep him from her. Maybe I was supposed to think that’s where her mind was really going under the surface, that if he didn’t come for her, he must be dead or as good as dead. If that’s the case, Paquin’s petulant attitude certainly didn’t sell it, nor did her warm flirtation with Sam toward the end of the episode. Sookie and Sam did have a nice sense of camaraderie, and there was a hint of mutual attraction there, which was fine, but the kissing took that too far and made Sookie less relatable and less believable. It plays like Sookie used totally fucked up, self-absorbed logic to condemn Bill for not being devoted enough and then made out with Sam. Which is appalling on a level that I will damn well judge negatively. It’s fucking trashy.

And if I were Sam, I might be questioning my infatuation with Sookie. Sam is obviously biased against Bill, but he can still see plain as day that Bill a) cares for Sookie and would go to great lengths to protect her and b) is in pretty big trouble with the vampire community, so Sookie turning against Bill so readily should be a flashing neon warning sign for Sam. Instead, Sam acted like a douche, too, not revealing that Bill tasked him with her protection and using Sookie’s discontent with Bill to get a romantic leg up.

I can only imagine what’s going to happen when the writers throw Eric into the sexual/romantic mix. I’m still hoping they don’t, because I think Eric and Sookie (and Bill, and Sam) deserve better than to continue serving the immature wish-fulfillment aspect of the books, but they’re probably going to go there, and it’s probably going to play out in a way that makes no sense with regards to Sookie’s character. I think part of the problem is that the writers need more than just 12 episodes to really sell this character’s sexual/emotional evolution. I’m almost completely in the dark about how Sookie went from perky, devout little miss “you will talk to me like the lady that I am” in the premiere to the person she is in this episode. Starbuck could do this, and it would seem in-character and understandable to me. I would still love Starbuck, because she’d be acting within the confines of what I know and believe about her. I didn’t feel like the Sookie Stackhouse character established and developed throughout this season would have done this. It’s like Sookie just stepped into Starbuck’s shoes with absolutely no motivation and no warning.

It feels like the writers are expecting the books to fill in the blanks for people, but they need to keep in mind that not everyone has read the books, and not everyone wants to do so, which means that we don’t have the same level of understanding for Sookie that Alan Ball and presumably most of the writers do. For one thing, I don’t want to be “spoiled” and I don’t want to develop expectations and attachments that revolve around the book to the point where I won’t be satisfied by the series. (Although I’ll admit I’m working my way very slowly though the first book now that the first season is done, and I am not impressed by Harris’s writing.)

Of course, the fact that this turned into the Jason and Amy Show in the latter half of the season is probably partly to blame for Sookie’s poor characterization, too. I love Jason’s character (and hope Kwanten wins an Emmy someday), and Caplan was admittedly great in her role, but devoting so much time and energy to a storyline with a character who was designed to be unlikable, while at the same time allowing one of the most important characters in the show to become unlikable due largely to lack of attention, was not a smart move.

Speaking of Amy, I love how Amy’s world view is formulated by what Amy wants to do. Everything that comes out of her mouth is a justification for what she wants. Amy wants to get Jason hooked on V again so that she can keep using it, therefore she wants “symmetry” in their relationship and them doing V together one last time is “closing a circle.” What-the-fuck-ever, Amy. Maybe we’re all like this and she’s just a very extreme and heartbreaking dramatic example. As much as I despise Amy, her death scene was touching and beautifully done--the way the editing and the music worked together there was gorgeous.

Eric continues to be interesting with very little screen time. Many of his personality traits were on display in his short scene with Bill--his amusement with Bill, his smartassery, and his tolerance up to a certain point, at which point he becomes scary and menacing. Eric actually came off better than Bill in that scene, because Bill was so anxious to get back to his precious, wishy-washy Sookie that he gave up on Jessica after one night and was willing to go to ERIC for help. Eric. Whom he apparently despises, but is perfectly willing to foist his own responsibilities onto. Was Jessica Eric’s fault in the first place? Yes and no. Eric didn’t kill Longshadow, and Eric did stick up for Bill when it counted at the tribunal. Eric didn’t make Jessica, Bill did. No matter what the circumstances, Bill broke the law, Jessica was his punishment and his responsibility, and he pissily foisted it off onto Eric, who is clearly the more responsible of the two maturity-wise. As for the other meaning of responsible, Eric is actually responsible for the fact that Bill is even alive and well enough to go running back to Sookie in the first place. Nice, Bill.

As for Tara and her new storyline with Maryann, I’m holding back from forming an opinion until I see more of how it plays out.

Supernatural, 4x09, “I Know What You Did Last Summer”

Episode Title: I Know What You Did Last Summer
Writer: Sera Gamble
Director: Charles Beeson
Originally Aired: 11/13/2008
Grade: B+

So, um, necrophilia, yay? I didn’t have a problem with Sam sleeping with Ruby, for the most part, but the fact that the body was dead before Ruby set up shop definitely adds an even greater layer of squick to the whole affair. I probably would have bought the reveal more readily had Katie Cassidy still been in the part, or if Ruby were played by an actress who was actually capable of building on Cassidy’s performance, but it didn’t play as being all that out-of-character for where Sam is at and for the relationship that he had with Ruby prior to Dean’s death. It certainly uglies Sam up, but it also ties in with his feelings of confusion and self-loathing about his own demon powers.

Also, Dean’s, “Sam? Too much information” was hilariously perfect because it came just at the point where I was wondering if Sam was actually telling all of this to Dean, since that’s the storytelling frame they started with. I don’t know if that was Sera Gamble’s idea, or if Kripke or one of the other writers came up with it, but it was by far my favorite part of the episode.

Privileged, 1x09, “All About Insecurities”

Episode Title: All About Insecurities
Writer: Scott Weinger
Director: Michael Engler
Originally Aired: 11/11/2008
Grade: B+

I was glad to see that the girls’ gig didn’t turn into a fiasco, which was the expected route, and Lucy Hale has a great voice, not Marilyn-fake or nasally Britney Spears bad. I didn’t really feel bad for Sage, though… I’m not usually so petty, but the character has just been so snotty and selfish and mean-spirited toward everyone who isn’t Rose that I didn’t have much sympathy for her.

The fight between Megan and Caryn was a bit too much like Rose and Sage’s fight in the previous episode—the fight started in the last 15 minutes and was resolved by the end of the episode.

As for Megan, the girl-woman is beginning to grate. They’ve written her as such a self-absorbed twit that her enthusiastic greeting to Will came off like it was because she wanted something from him rather than that she was actually glad to see him. It probably should’ve played like she was glad to see him but trying to give him the impression that she didn’t care and simply wanted something from him, but that subtlety just wasn’t there, to my eyes.

I don’t fault Megan for blabbing about Will’s background—she was just happy and letting her Will infatuation out to play, and there’s no way she could’ve known she was doing anything wrong. However, her response to Will’s anger was appalling, and good for him for calling her on it. And I have to say that their kiss at the end came completely out-of-the-blue for me. That happened way too fast, and one of their central conflicts—he’s a playboy and dated her sister—wasn’t even touched on at all.

As for Laurel, I’m growing tired of Megan’s seeming admiration for the woman, because whatever her professional accomplishments, she is a near-complete failure as a grandmother and even as a decent human being, and therefore not someone to be admired.