posted
Ok, I've really liked the past few episodes, but the "final confrontation" in the last one (episode 8) that just went overboard, in my opinion. Cromartie isn't really a cool Terminator, with his smallish frame, but they've spent a long time building him up now and the sendoff should be equal or better than the motel encounter. He's smart as hell and could take the brunt of a whole FBI assault team without slowing down...
...so how the screw can he stand in that church and A: shoot at Derek and John, with one weapon toward each person, and miss with every shot? From like 15 feet away? And then he gets taken down by three rounds of buckshot to the head? Shit, even Robocop could take one of ED-209's 12mm cannon rounds to his helmet, and he was part meatbag. Did perhaps Cromartie's head pass its expiration date just the week before and had started to rust?
I liked the jumbled, cut-up storytelling of the episode, though. Nice that they like to mix things up.
Registered: Aug 1999
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posted
I thought he should have at least tried to get out of the line of fire. Especially once he figured out they were firing at him. I don't think Reese was using buckshot. Whatever round he fired took a nice chunk out of his skull. Something armor piercing probably.
I agree though... Cromartie's last stand didn't really do it for me. I'm guessing that the T-1000 will be lead down to Mexico to dig up his metallo-corpse though. So it might not be the last we see of him.
posted
I don't see how it can be a Laszlo-alike Cromartie if it's another model, because that was a random choice the skinless T-888 made from a plastic surgeon's database. Unless they're going to have us believe that it was a deliberate choice because it knew that Laszlo was, ultimately dead and therefore a viable choice for ID theft.
I'll miss the character although a) he had to go because his continued existence was totally unlikely given his new fame, and b) he really wasn't very Terrminatorish in looks or manner. And it was a stupid way to get rid of him.
posted
Well I'm glad he wasn't Terminatorish, he and the T-1000 give variety to the show in terms of villains. I wonder who Skynet will send now. Or will we be dealing only with Fembot for the rest of the season?
Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
One would think that the Terminators would be smart enough to set up some kind of electronic dead drop that SkyNet can tap into in the future. For example: Had Cromartie left a note for SkyNet that John Conner would be at so-and-so school at exactly 3:23 pm on so-and-so date, SkyNet could have had the place surrounded by triple-8s. Of course, always in motion the future is, so the logistics of changing the timeline might make a dead drop unreliable.
But they're essentially doing the same thing by stockpiling that mineral in bunkers. Why wouldn't they have some kind of secure data-dump set up in a bunker somewhere that SkyNet can eventually hack into when it comes on line?
posted
I rather suspect the T-1001 IS a skynet dead drop...or live drop...whatever. To me it makes more sense for Skynet to simply send a holistic copy of itself back in time and install itself in a suitable hardware rig and take direct command over the infiltrators so they're not working independently. On the other hand, perhaps skynet is worried about creating paradoxes and is focusing on guiding events towards judgement day. Most of what it dose seams to be geared towards preserving as much of the "original timeline" as possible, while at the same time attempting to give itself enough of an edge of the future resistance to survive. The thing is was originally a tactical super-computer so it must have run countless simulations before sending that first T-800 and the T-1000 back (which according to Cameron's shooting script took place simultaneously, before Conner sent Reese.) Despite that the net result was a delayed Judgement Day, so I imagine it's being VERY careful about what it fiddles with.
Actually, if we assume it's aware of the timeline change then perhaps it has set up a dormant data drop system for itself so each time the timeline changes, it has a copy of itself from each previous permutation.
A side thought: It's just occurred to me that Skynet had to be one of the very few fictional baddies that is always spoken of but never seen. I mean it makes Sauron look like an extrovert. Personally I think it good that they've held off making Skynet into a "character" and kept it as an all encompassing, yet untouchable foe.
posted
I liked Chrome Artie despite his unTerminatorly mien. I think the biggest problem was the fact that no, he didn't attempt to contact Skynet and let it know the new situation. And in fact even worked against 'his' (despite trying to refer to Terminators as 'it,' it's difficult to maintain, especially when you throw Skynet - even more of an 'it' - into the mix) creator in thwarting the Ellison-replacement plan.
Perhaps that's the point, that he was just like the first ever T-800, he absolutely would not stop in pursuit of his programmed goal, the Termination of John Connor.
I kinda hoped they might try to turn him, re-program the chip. Sure we know that more-recently-sent models have the chip-destruct mechanism to prevent that, but there's no reason to expect the Chromartie unit to.
posted
I liked the twist this week of Richard Schiff coming back to program in the back-door whatzit, and in the process getting his younger self arrested, which is how he started working for SkyNet in the first place.
posted
It is a bit odd that in the same episode you have a predestination paradox AND evidence of a fluid timeline. Though I have to wonder why Skynet had to send this guy back just to fiddle with the mainframe, since an infiltrator could have been made to mimic him, fingerprints and all. Unless of course, Skynet is aware of the paradox.
posted
Well, they knew they had an in with young Richard Schiff's job. Perhaps their replicant tech isn't advanced enough to duplicate retinal patterns and fingerprints.
posted
Well if they can clone the tissue an they have the original to run a comparison, it can't be that difficult. Besides, compared to building neural net processors, simple patterns of skin texture and blood vessels should be child's play.
posted
I don't get why any human would actually do what he did? He's in the past... free and clear with a way to prevent himself from ending up in jail. All he had to do was *not* do what they told him to once he was back there. And why would SkyNet trust him to actually do it?
posted
I guess if they've broken you they've broken you? It took me long to go through the Derek-torture/not-torture paradox with my friends, I had to use the company drawing board. This show is mean to brains!
quote: rather suspect the T-1001 IS a skynet dead drop...or live drop...whatever.
I don't know, it feels slightly like T-1001 has a bit of an agenda of making a Skynet of its own, not like the classic Skynet. She does show independence and original thought much more than any other Terminator. And don't forget what Cromartie said in the car when kidnapping Sarah and driving her down to Tijuana (*saxophone music*), he mentioned something along the lines that his and Skynet's priorities "differed somewhat", I believe.
The hints at different factions both in axis and allied camps (Derek's Lucy Liu-kitten) seems promising.
Registered: Aug 1999
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posted
There must have been some sort of contingency if he failed to do as he was told. A tracker implanted in his skull so a T-888 will have no trouble finding him seams like the most logical way to do it. Either that or Skynet has paid very close attention to his lessons and has him pegged. I actually like the thought that Skynet is in fact extremely cunning and not just a big number cruncher.
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