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The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS for "Mr. Ferguson Is Ill Today" an episode of Fox's "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles." If last week's episode was, as I wrote in my review last time, nothing more than a setup episode, then the this week?s payoff was worth the wait. Like most viewers, I watch the show primarily for action, and this episode delivered.

But character development is important too, and this episode brought Ellison and the Connor clan together. Ellison's storyline appeared to be going nowhere prior to this, and I?m glad he finally caught up with Sarah and John.

Also, this episode followed through on the mistakes made in the previous episode: John's recklessness in his relationship with Riley, and Sarah's compassion in letting the thief live (only to be killed by Cromartie) came back to haunt them. Cromartie also indicates that Cameron is making mistakes and surmises that her chip is damaged.

The plot was a little loose on this one. John and Riley sneak over the Mexican border to visit where John once lived. Of course, this is done secretly, and that just happens to be convenient because Cromartie comes to visit. A fight, a jailing, and a couple shootouts later, Cromartie's lifeless body is thrown into a hole in the Mexican desert.

John's recklessness was a little hard to believe in this episode. Perhaps it is easy for a 16 year-old to just hop the border into Mexico, but it seemed like quite a bit to ask the audience to believe. Would anyone who knows the future like John does really be so impetuous and ignorant? Perhaps, but that wasn?t the focus of the episode.

The episode shows how mistakes the Connors make can come back to haunt them quickly. It adds to the existential feel of their existence, and shows just how trapped John and Sarah are by their destiny.

All in all, this was an action-filled episode that delivered a nice conclusion to last week's setup episode.

What Worked

I really liked how this episode evoked images of the original "Terminator" film. The shooting scene in the police station was particularly reminiscent, but so was the selling of a photograph for $5.

Watching Sarah crack at the end while destroying Cromartie's chip was unsettling. I mean that in a good way -? she's obviously a tortured soul, having gone through everything she has. Making her totally normal and a pillar of strength simply would not be realistic.

Shirley Manson was not missed at all in this episode. In fact, I must say I enjoyed it better without her storyline, which has been slow to develop and quite frankly, simply isn't that interesting.

What Didn't Work

I'm not at all sure we needed the differing perspectives. I don't feel it added a thing to the episode. In fact, it just caused some unnecessary repetition. I actually laughed out loud when "Cromartie?s Story" came on the screen. I don't mind the technique, but it seemed superfluous here.

Shooting up a church also makes me a bit uncomfortable.

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

"Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" airs Monday nights at 8 on Fox. It stars Lena Heady, Thomas Dekker, Summer Glau, and Brian Austin Green. "Mr. Ferguson is Ill Today" was written by Daniel T. Thomsen and directed by Michael Nankin.

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