Last week was pretty much a game changer. Sarah was arrested after making contact with Ellison and. . . sob. . Derek was killed. Now John’s headed for a face-off with Catherine Weaver.  Why do I have a sneaking suspicion that we’ll be coming away with more questions than answers? And what are the chances that we’ll get another season to continue this tale? Sigh. I don’t think I’m going to be a happy camper when all is said and done.

We’re watching, we’re watching, we’re not throwing things at the TV. . . .

Need to get up to speed? Click through for a video recap of last week’s episode.

Post from: SF Universe

“In the case of “Terminator,” I’m calling it,” Hibberd writes. “Time of death: March 7, 9:20 a.m. Hibberd is waxing apocalyptic about the latest discouraging numbers for Terminator:The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Dollhouse.

Sarah Connor dropped 17 percent in the 18-49 demo to 3 million viewers, with Dollhouse dropping to 3.5 million. Many are of the belief that a large portion of both shows’ fanbases went to catch Friday night showings of Watchmen. That’s one of the other problems with putting these shows on Friday night. From here through August, we’re going to have 2-3 big sci-fi movie releases per month.

Unless FOX can convince advertisers to take the hefty DVR gains for these shows into account, Sci-Fi Fridays could be a short-lived experiment.

©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Michael Ansell/FOX

Post from: SF Universe

Sy Fy Portal

Recently the buzz was that FOX execs were worried about what effect Sarah Connor’s low ratings might have on the network’s Prison Break. We are absolutely not kidding about that, which if it were to come to fruition might be one of the Top 5 Worst Reasons Ever for Canceling a Show.

Ordering scripts instead of episodes is considered to be a network’s way of hedging its bets. But as Sy Fy’s Brian Hinman mentions, it’s better than outright dropping the axe. SFUniverse will keep you posted on any Sarah Connor developments.

CR: Adam Taylor/FOX

Post from: SF Universe

cr: Michael Desmond/FOX

It was a rearrangement of an old gospel tune Samson and Delilah put together by Bear McCreary. He’s the composer who is now the reason no Battlestar Galactica fan will ever hear All Along the Watchtower again without thinking about the Final Five Cylons.

And oh yeah, Manson did a little bit of acting in the episode too. Playing evil CEO Catherine Weaver it was clear from the beginning we weren’t supposed to like this lady. Then at the end of the episode, in the scene everyone is still talking about, she morphed from a urinal into a T-1001 Terminator and killed one of her employees. Manson talked about the controversial scene in a Wednesday press event.

“It was every man’s nightmare, sort of a male bastion of security in the urinal,” she said. “He liked the idea of a woman who had already irritated this particular man being able to infiltrate someplace where he felt safe, and that was a true terror.”

No kidding, I haven’t used a public restroom since Monday.

Manson said people would be surprised at the diifficulty of playing a robot.

“And it’s harder to be a robot than one would think,” she said. “You realize they would be probably very economical with their movements. I’ve tried consciously to be as undemonstrative as possible. And that’s been a challenge in itself.”

In terms of inspiration, Manson said she drew some things from legendary British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. Thatcher has been inspiring sci-fi for years, as Alan Moore’s comic-book classic V for Vendetta was an indictment of Thatcher’s Great Britain.

Of course, the other big question is when and if Manson’s character will throw down with “good” Terminator Cameron. Manson doesn’t know and of course, couldn’t tell us if she did know. She did mention that she’s been doing physical training in case she has to kick a little butt. Manson doesn’t yet know what her machine might be able to do, if anything, that the original liquid Terminator played by Robert Patrick in T2 couldn’t do. Should the cybernetic catfight between Cameron and Catherine Weaver happen, it’s liable to crash the Internet.

Post from: SF Universe

The Hollywood Reporter

Their music’s OK but I didn’t know she acted. But since the second season hasn’t aired yet, I guess I still don’t know that she can act. Apparently she will play Catherine Weaver, chief executive at a tech company. I’m going to go out on a limb and say her company makes a product that will lead to the formation of Skynet and the end of the human world. Stupid girl.

©2008 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Michael Desmond/FOX

Post from: SF Universe

Looking at some of the work sci-fi writers have done “under the gun” so to speak, I think this shortened TV season has worked pretty well. Recently we talked to Sarah Connor Chronicles showrunner Josh Friedman.  He discussed having to shorten an initial 22 episode run to 13, and then to nine.

And you know what? It was a tight, action-packed run. There were no wasted beats because there weren’t time for any. There were no flashback episodes taking us deeper into the world of some minor character we cared nothing about. Every gunshot, every explosion and every one of Cameron’s blank, mechanical stares was building to something and the payoff was a quick and rewarding one. 

The same applies to Lost, a show that last season was living up to its name. We know we’re not going to get answers every week, that’s the way the show works. But there were times last year many fans stopped caring about the questions. This year, every single episode has been money. The cliffhangers at the end have given back that “What The?” feeling that has made the show a ratings success. How’d Ben get off the island? Why is Sayid working for him? Why does Kate have baby Aaron? “The Constant” was one of the show’s best episodes ever. There’s just a greater sense of urgency this year, particularly with sci-fi shows. That sense of urgency is all too real for fans of shows like Jericho, which may not be back. But it gives diehard fans no excuse to miss the show.

I also submit the example of Heroes’  subpar second season.  Even the show’s creator admitted nothing worked until the last few episodes. Hiro seemed to be in feudal Japan longer than the actual feudal era lasted in history. Romantic subplots with the cute princess and Claire’s flying boyfriend didn’t do it for anyone.  “Save The Cheerleader, Save the World” was not just a great ad slogan in Season 1, it was an overlying theme tying everything together. A slogan for Season 2 could have been “Start the Strike, Save Our Good Memories of This Show.” I wish there were a way to hypnotize that show’s writers to think the strike was still on and they only had ten episodes. With a ten episode order, there’s no time for lollygagging. Shows like The Sopranos and Battlestar Galactica, the Sopranos of sci-fi, get it. The ride seems like it’s over too soon, but they always leave you wanting more. The middle part of Lost and Heroes’ seasons last year left you wanting to pop the previous season’s DVD in.

Sometimes less is more and nine or ten great episodes will always trump nine or ten great episodes surrounded by tons of filler.

2007 Fox Broadcasting Company Cr. Jill Greenberg

Post from: SF Universe