swatkat | Prisoner in a strange land

The Mousetrap

+ So, in this episode, John called his mother 'weird' and rolled his eyes when he knew her call was important (I mean, Sarah Connor doesn't really do prank calls, does she?). Seriously, John could die right now and I wouldn't be sorry at all. NOT SORRY AT ALL. Except for Sarah's sake, because every time John does something stupid she gets this utterly terrified look on her face that RIPS MY HEART OUT.

+ I also think something bad will happen to Riley.

+ I'm sorry Michelle had to die, because I was growing to like her. And poor Sarah, another one dead on her watch (note how I really don't care about John's guilt over the same).

+ I hope she wasn't fridged, though. But I really did love the gender reversal in Charlie calling Sarah in a flood of tears and asking for help. ♥♥

+ Aww, Derek, you really can't resist being Sarah's little sidekick, can you? She tends to bring that out in people.

+ EEE what is Weaver doing with Ellison? Ellison! Resist her! I don't want you to die!

Alison from Palmdale

+ John is considerably less annoying when he's not the main focus of the story.

+ Was Cameron just… spontaneously emoting there? Wow.

+ So. The Terminator skinjobs are somewhat like the Cylons, then.

+ Cameron is awesome.

+ Likewise, it's also wonderful to see Sarah connect with Kaycee, because no matter how reserved she is and how impenetrable she might appear, she thrives on human connection. No matter how displeased she might be about John and Riley, she did the same thing with Charlie. Sarah genuinely likes people, and that always shows, be it with Greenway in 5.02, with Kaycee here or with Martin Bedell in the next episode.

Goodbye to All That

+ Gnnngh narrative kinks, I cannot even…

+ Wizard of Oz references! I mean, there have been plenty already (they're calling themselves Baum), but here we have it explicitly, with the Sarah/Martin voiceover during the scenes with John, Derek and Bedell. John is Dorothy, and Derek is the scarecrow, and the Tin Man was there too, as we learn later. But, then, Bedell is also the Scarecrow/Dorothy, because he asked Derek to stand aside in the future and ran. And, of course, Dorothy is Sarah herself, 'Being at last free to do what she chose, Dorothy ran, no longer a prisoner in a strange land.'

+ Sarah and that little boy! I don't have enough exclamation marks for the cuteness involved, so I'll just stop at one. She's never heard anyone say thank you! And the way she steals a glance at him when he leans on her shoulder! And the hug! And the last scene together!

+ She's never heard anyone say thank you. Sarah Connor does not know how awesome she is.

+ It's easier for the boy Martin to believe her as a spy than as a mom. Because Sarah, as we've seen, has been trying, but she isn't very good at it. And what made my heart melt was the hug afterwards, with no condescension whatsoever. Sarah is what she is, and she has done the best with what she's got.

+ 'We all die for you, John.' Derek, you probably should not have said that to a sixteen year old. But then, this episode, with that little bit of backstory, puts things in context—John has been through a lot of trauma, but Derek was a boy too.

+ In this case, at least, Derek is a good influence on John. Again, John is a lot less annoying when he is not the focus of the story.

+ Nice use of the title there, show. Well played.