TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES
SEASON 2

Starring:
Lena Headey, Thomas Dekker, Summer Glau, Richard T. Jones, Brian Austin Green, Garret Dillahunt, Stephanie Jacobson, Leven Rambin and Shirley Manson

Released on Blu-Ray/DVD 16/11/09

• Continues the Terminator story between the 2nd and 3rd movies
• Excellent cast
• Good storylines pushing the story forward

• The series was cancelled at the end of the season

Samson & Delilah
After the Jeep explosion, John's 16th birthday makes him confront the fact that he's destined to be alone. Meanwhile, after Cromartie's massacre, Agent Ellison must face off against both the Feds and his faith.

Automatic for the People
Cameron and Sarah take the initiative to investigate a nuclear power plant. Meanwhile, John loses interest in academics, but makes a new friend and chafes at being treated like a child.

The Mousetrap
Derek and Sarah must outwit Cromartie after he kidnaps Charley's wife, and they must weigh the consequences in rescuing her. Meanwhile, John finds himself unable to choose between Cameron and Riley.

Allison from Palmdale
Cameron has a software glitch and loses her memory, causing her to leave the Connors. She is taken in by a homeless kid named Jody, who ends up at a halfway house with her. Meanwhile, Agent Ellison meets with Catherine Weaver to talk about his future with Zeira Corp.

Goodbye to all that
John and Derek protect a future member of the resistance at a military academy, and Weaver gives Ellison his first assignment.

Brothers of Nablus
The Connors get robbed, which puts them on high alert. Meanwhile, one Terminator gets very close to John, while another Terminator terrorizes Agent Ellison.

Mr. Ferguson is ill today
John and Riley face some fatal aftermath on their trip to Mexico. Sarah and Ellison finally meet up.

Complications
Sarah experiences déjà vu when she has disturbing nightmares, meaning trouble for Sarah and John. Derek and Jesse look into a Skynet collaborator.

Strange things happen at the One Two Point
Sarah catches up with the Turk. Jesse faces some problems in her plans. Ellison has a surprise meeting with someone powerful through Weaver.

Self-Made Man
A Terminator sent to the wrong time causes catastrophic results changing history.

Alpine Fields
Sarah and Cameron attempt to save a family whose fate links in with Derek in the future. Jesse fights for her life.

Earthlings welcome here
Sarah's continued obsession with the three dots leads her to a blogger with intimate knowledge of the symbol. Meanwhile, Riley and Cameron face off.

The Good Wound
Sarah gains strength from images of Kyle Reese, John's father, while she's hurt. Weaver attempts to save John Henry.

Desert Cantos
Sarah, John, Cameron and Derek go in search of clues connected to a factory that has been torn down. Weaver sends a man to the same place to look for survivors.

Some must watch, while some must sleep
Sarah is forced to seek help from nightmares at a clinic. She tries to figure out Skynet's next move.

Ourselves Alone
Cameron creates danger for all with her flaws. Riley fears her secret is out.

Today is the Day Part 1 & 2
Jesse leaves Serrano Point in 2027 for a new mission aboard a nuclear submarine. Sarah and John suspect Cameron in the death of Riley. Ellison and Weaver must play a game with John Henry to find the missing Savannah. Jesse's mission takes a turn for the worst, which results in unexpected consequences for Sarah, John, and Derek. Meanwhile, Sarah deals with Cameron and John makes a very important decision.

To the Lighthouse
Sarah hides John with Charley Dixon, the only person she thinks she can trust. Meanwhile, Derek struggles to work together with Cameron, and someone compromises John Henry, putting Catherine Weaver's efforts at risk.

Adam raised to Cain
John is one step closer to catching Weaver while on his mission to rescue Skynet's latest target. Sarah and Ellison's reunion causes a change in their plan. Weaver discovers Ellison's secret.

Born to Run
The Connors and Weaver face an epic battle that will change everyone's fortunes.

Transferring from the small screen to the big screen is now very commonplace but doing the opposite is not as common but can ‘Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles’ succeed?

With a new movie opening in 2009 and interest in the franchise coming back, 2008 saw the launch of ‘Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles’ which were to be used to bridge the gap between the events of ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ and ‘Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines’, showing what happened to the most influential person in shaping the future human fight back against the machines of Skynet, Sarah Connor. Charting her son, John Connor’s teenage years and revealing the battle that took place in the time running up to Judgment Day. Pushing the boundaries of television and successfully transferring the essence of what made the ‘Terminator’ franchise so successful in the first place, the show was critically acclaimed and loved by a core element of fans but unfortunately this didn’t save it from cancellation.

Taking the story on was always the goal of the series. With the first season setting up the premise, introducing the characters and setting the timeline, second season took the show on by introducing how the artificial intelligence that became Skynet came to be and who influenced its creation. We also have a new villainous protagonist, the mysterious Catherine Weaver, a woman with an agenda to create artificial intelligence from modern and future technologies but there is more to her than you might realise. We also have Derek Reese, a soldier sent back to protect the future of the resistance who becomes another guardian for John. He is the older brother of Kyle, John’s father and he struggles to leave the future behind. The defeat and the evolution of the Terminator, Cromarite is also a key plot point and one that could change the future. The second season saw the series grow and come to a point that would have taken it further, if it had been commissioned for a third series.

What made the show stand out were the performances of the talented cast. Stepping into the shoes of Linda Hamilton was always going to be a daunting task for any actress but Lena Headey handles it with ease. The actress is a real talent and makes the part her own but still holds true to the strength of the character created in the second movie. Thomas Dekker also grows into the role of John Connor, showing the frustration of the young character at not been able to have a normal, teenage life. Richard T. Jones’ James Ellison has a change of direction also, moving away from the FBI investigator to working for Shirley Manson’s slightly chilling Catherine Weaver. Brian Austin Green finally shakes off his ‘Beverley Hills 90210’ shackles and gets to develop a character and show he can handle action as Derek Reese. It is Summer Glau who had the biggest task however, turning herself into the new Arnold Schwarzenegger, as John protector Cameron. Playing a good terminator was always going to be a difficult task but for the actress who came to prominence as River Tam in ‘Firefly & Serenity’, this was an easy job.

The cancellation of ‘Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles’ was a real shame. The show has just hit a tempo that could have sustained the show for two or more seasons and the actors had really got to grips with their characters. Big budget, high concept television is always a risk but it makes you wish that the big studio would have more faith in a product an audience clearly wants. This aside, ‘Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles’ season two, is still excellent science fiction that takes the Terminator franchise in an interesting direction. It is just a shame that we won’t see where it would have gone next.