(no subject)

[fan_eunice]

The first episode is very much a rehash of the first two movies with a bit of extra twistiness thrown in to set up the rest of the series...but I think this was an incredibly smart move. It doesn't feel at all like reheated plot, but it does feel familiar. For the three people who've never seen the Terminator movies (and we're all in agreement that T3 DOESN'T EXIST, right? There is no such movie. It was all a bad dream)...all the major plot points are explained and set into play once more so no one gets left behind or confused. But important for me as someone who has seen the movies (the ones that EXIST) more times than I can count it did something else. By using a familiar frame I had time to adjust and re-establish my attatchment to the characters with their new faces. I didn't have to try and incorporate both new things at once, and this was a big deal, because my primary concern going in was how much I adore Linda Hamilton and her pull ups of DOOM. This episode puts the new faces in the old context and gives me time to shift over, and wrapping it in constant physical motion and things that go 'splodey, meant I was never bored while doing so.

It helps a lot as well that the actors themselves seem very comfortable in the skins of Sarah and John Connor, and positvely nailed the screwed up, but incredibly close, dynamic between them. I'm not sure who I don't envy more...Sarah for having the responsibility of the entire world wrapped up in every decision she makes as a parent (I mean, my god, the guilt induced by the breast vs. bottle feeding debate alone is enough to make parenting scary as fuck...I don't want to grapple with what the right age might be to teach my kid how to build homemade explosives)...or wee Connor who was born with the weight of all the future of humanity on his shoulders. They are parent and child with all that goes with it, but they also have to navigate the roles of protector and future savior within that context. There's an overwhelming sense of being in it together, the only two people in the world, but at the same time how could you not resent those roles and on some level...each other because of it. I'm really looking forward to seeing more of that play out. Also, how incredibly weird must it be to send the future savior of humanity to his room?

I am digging Summer Glau as the latest bodyguard cyborg, and not just because she's way hotter than Arnold. There's a whole host of questions raised by her very existence...not the least of which, can she ever truly be a 'good guy' if she's acting according to her programming? At one point do you cross the line to free will? They never really had enough time to get there beyond a shallow nod in the movies, but now they have an entire series to explore this. Glau has just the right mix of...not quite right expressions and mannerisms to really sell it. Coolness.

I love the set up itself with the short future hop jump. It takes enough of the pressure off to settle into more character focus now that we've got the new versions of old characters firmly established, and offers endless opportunities to continue both the quest itself and one off distraction epsiodes. I'm intensely curious where they're gonna go with the FBI agent dude and the former fiancee. Either one could be an incredibly powerful ally or a dangerous enemy. Which is which? We'll just have to wait to find out, won't we?

In conclusion? SQUEESQUEEANDMORESQUEE. I can't wait for tonight. Has anyone managed to rustle up some icons yet?