Review - 'Sarah Connor' - Goodbye To All That

By WAYNE HALL Oct-7-2008

The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the "Goodbye To All That" episode of Fox's "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles."

The show is still on the air! They even promoed the episode coming in two weeks! Woo-hoo!

This week's episode shows how tough life is for anyone in the L.A. area named "Martin Bedell."

Yet another Terminator from the future appears and begins going through the phone book, killing everyone with that name. The first is a man cooking out in his backyard, always a dangerous thing on this show.

The T Team learns about his execution on the television. Derek realizes what's going on right away, and John checks the listings for that name. There are two more "Martin Bedells" left, so they split up, the guys going to find the student in the nearby military academy, and the girls hurrying to protect a kid with the same name.

John gets to enter the academy as a "plebe," and Derek gets drafted to help as a fill-in instructor.

As John and Bedell get to know each other, Martin confides in John that he has met a girl he wants to run away with. John feels guilt that his friend probably won't get to have a regular life, just as he can't. The more Derek is exposed to the military lifestyle, the more he's reminded of his future and the terrible loss of life. He dresses down a student who approaches combat like a game, causing the other students to consider him "intense."

Meanwhile, Sarah and Cameron pluck away "Little Marty" from the Terminator's grasp, but his parents think he's been abducted. Little Marty knows better, and begins to bond with Sarah and Cameron. Sarah begins to help Little Marty do a book report on "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," one of John's favorites. He also tells Sarah "thank you," something she's not used to hearing.

After some time, they realize that the Terminator likely has realized that the child is not the one he wants, so they warn Derek that it is on the way.

Derek sets up a trap in which the students give him a signal when the Terminator appears. Of course, none of the other students are in danger but John and Martin, so they get passed by. Derek blasts the Terminator in the head, but it still keeps coming. Martin ends up in the Terminator's sights, so John calls out to it who he is, distracting it. John leads it into a small tar dpit where it is shot some more and then burned. Martin is shocked by what he has seen.

Along the way, Derek explains that Martin is the one who helps him set up the resistance and that Martin would gladly give his life for him.

As John and Derek leave, Martin expresses his support for John and that the two will see each other again sometime.

Sarah takes Little Marty to a bus stop and tells him that if he ever gets in trouble, to contact her. He hugs her, then leaves.

Ellison is sent by Weaver to investigate just what happened at the nuclear plant seen a few weeks ago in "Automatic For The People." He talks with the head of the plant, who says it would take Superman to turn the wheel that would save the plant from exploding. He feels that an investigation needs to be launched to find out what happens. After finding a picture with Sarah in the background and taking it, he informs Weaver of his findings.

Not long after that, the plant's head is approached by a shapely woman, and the two end up in the back alley. It isn't long before Weaver is revealed as the lady, and she suffocates him by filling his lungs with liquid parts of his body.

What Worked

More action this week, which I always enjoy! I didn't mind the contrast between the guys shooting things and the ladies working more on other, less violent issues.

We see just what Weaver has in mind for Ellison. He's going to dig up any problems left behind so she can eliminate them. Hopefully, hearing that the people he's spoken with are now dead will ring a bell in Ellison's head.

I like John as a conflicted character, learning how to be in charge while also regretting the effect on the lives of those around him. Being a leader isn't all fun and games, as Derek would point out.

I've read several posts around the Internet from folks who found this episode confusing. I didn't. I thought that Summer Glau's acting and the direction made it pretty clear what was going on, but I do like complex storylines. Just watch "Charlie Jade" if you want to see what I enjoy.

Lena Headey did a very warm job of interacting with "Little Marty." It was good to see the soft side of Sarah Connor. As John continues to grow away from her, we'll see less and less of that.

Oh, and many thanks to the truck company allowing for more episode and fewer commercials!

All in all, this was a very good week, made even better by following last time's stand-out episode.What Didn't Work

I know Cameron can't be in every shot, but I do notice it when she's not doing as much. Never mind that she was the main focus in "Allison From Palmdale." I like it when the stories focus on her more.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

"Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" airs on Fox each Monday at 8 p.m., and stars Lena Headey, Thomas Dekker, Summer Glau and Brian Austin Green. "Goodbye To All That" was written by James Cameron/Josh Friedman, and was directed by Bill Eagles.

Wayne Hall is the news editor of Airlock Alpha, writing out of the Washington, D.C., area. He can be reached at whall@airlockalpha.com.

Feeling a little horrific? Get your daily dose of horror news straight from The Doll, Rabid Doll that is at www.RabidDoll.com.

Hear Michael Hinman on SyFy Radio every Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT at www.BlogTalkRadio.com/SyFyRadio.

About the Author: Wayne Hall is the former news editor for Airlock Alpha, writing from the Washington, D.C., area. He first joined the site in October 2004 as a staff writer, and wrote the monthly "Wayne's Worlds" column.
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