Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles 2.18 “Today is the Day” Recap

Bad gets worse as the death of Riley is discovered. Everyone thinks Cameron did it…or do they? (No, they totally do…I think.) In other news, hey – there’s actually other news this week! We start to delve into Jesse’s past via those flashy flash-forwards and John Henry wants to play a game. No, really, he does.

Previously. Derek has a girlfriend from the future who used to travel around in a nuclear sub piloted by a scrubbed Terminator (“Alpine Fields” 2.12). Cameron’s keeping spare parts around — contrary to Sarah’s orders — and she’s also booby-trapped herself with an explosive, giving John the trigger in case she goes nuts again (‘Samson and Delilah” 2.1). Riley, poor, poor Riley, finally figured out why Jesse set her up with John, but it was too late to save her. With a single gunshot, Jesse killed Riley and set the stage for some major stuff to go down…just not in this episode. This episode is all about winding people up for the next one.

Jesse’s sitting in her hotel room, bruised form her fight with Riley and staring into the distance. After a few beats, she crosses the room to where Riley’s corpse is waiting, already partially bagged. As she finishes zipping Riley up, we flash-forward to a discussion in progress with Derek and Jesse. She’s getting ready to ship back out on her sub and Derek’s not happy about it. He knows, even if she doesn’t, that he won’t be around when she gets back — he tells her he’s going on his own mission — and while he’s doing that, she’s going to be under the sea with a Terminator at the helm. She tries to reassure him, ‘Queeg’s a good bloke,’but Derek feels the need to remind her — ‘He’s not a bloke.’This version of Derek has no trust that a scrubbed machine is really scrubbed so anticipating trouble, he tells her to aim for the head, for the chip. As he turns to leave, she calls out ‘Hoo-Roo. Means ‘˜I’ll see you later.”…This is not really the time to be adding cutesy little in-jokes with these two, but it is fascinating the role reversal that’s happened over time. In the current day he’s more willing to cut Cameron some slack for John’s sake, whereas Jesse’s anti-metal all the way…or is it just Cameron in particular?

Back at la Casa de Connor, Sarah’s packing cash, among other things, and while John doesn’t look thrilled at the prospect of moving, he’s hardly surprised that they’re packing up again after the visit from child services. However, when Sarah tells him she’s about to start on the garage, he remembers what Cameron’s been doing out there, more specifically what she’s been hiding. Attempting to cover, he offers to do the garage himself, spinning a story about needing to sort through a bunch of his electronic equipment and Sarah buys it. She even looks pleased that John’s offering to help. That feeling probably won’t last long, methinks. Inside the garage, Cameron’s sorting her spare parts — doing an inventory. John stops her, warning her about Sarah’s packing fever and orders her to dig a hole to bury them, they’ll come back for them later and then burn them. All of them, no exceptions.

In a bar somewhere, Jesse’s drinking and a uniformed gentleman comes over to flirt. It’s…a weird bit of bar business that gets us to some military banter when all of a sudden Jesse gets up and decks the guy for breathing. Really, she’s just looking for a fight and when the uni’s buddies stand up, she gets one. Now she has a handy excuse when Derek asks her about her bruises later.

Oh, dear. Sarah’s TMI-Landlady has decided to help Sarah pack, and by help I mean, she’s sitting there and Sarah’s packing. Between the offers of a going away party, ruminations on her post-baby boob size, and promises to keep in touch, we actually get a continuity-friendly (if obscenely contrived) reason for this scene. Turns out Detective Baby-Daddy needed some happy baby time after a blonde teenager was found, tragically executed. Poor thing — according to the Landlady, all they have to ID her with are the scars on her wrists, possibly from a Hollywood-disillusionment-style suicide. And there’s a cute little star tattoo there, as well. Just some kid, probably fell into bad company looking for the LA dream.

Pity, no one will ever know she’s gone.

Out in the garage, Cameron and John are finishing packing what looks like the exact same six Terminator pieces they had out in the last scene. Cameron hears Sarah coming and the pair quickly hide the box. Upon arrival, Cameron is ordered out and the camera follows her, all the while watching Sarah and John from over her shoulder. The conversation is short, punctuated with an accusing look in Cameron’s direction. Unsurprisingly distressed, John walks out of the garage and toward his wayward protector but he can’t bring himself to speak the words and he walks away. Sarah follows to confront Cameron, but Cameron already knows, ‘I heard you. Riley’s dead.’

… Da-da-dum-da-dum! Clank!