Despite the resounding ‘no’s’of the last scene, Riley has at least confessed that she trusted someone and that someone may have talked. John and Sarah are inside trying to figure out what to do next. They look out the window, but Riley’s gone to see a woman about a hole she’s dug.
Insta-night comes, and Derek’s at the side of a lonely stretch of highway, waiting for his date. One final chance.
Back at the hotel, Jesse’s getting ready to leave when Riley loops a cord around her neck and begins to choke her. ‘I know, I know!’But Jesse’s the better fighter, trained and cold and she easily pushes Riley away. Grabbing a glass pitcher Riley breaks it, gaining herself a weapon as Jesse asks her what the hell she’s doing. Riley, for the first time, knows.
‘You wanted him to care about me, to like me, even to love me.’To dig a hole so deep it goes on forever.
‘But that wasn’t enough right, you knew it wasn’t enough.’Of course it’s not; holes have no purpose until they’re filled with something.
‘She’s supposed to kill me.’Of course she was, sweetie, didn’t you know that hole was a grave?
And it makes perfect sense when Riley puts it together. Put Riley in a position where the Terminator has to eliminate her and make John despise the machine, make him reject it. Break him in order to save him.
It’s brilliant, heartless, and in the short term? Going to work perfectly.
Jesse takes a chance and rushes Riley, disarming her and pinning her arm behind her back. Doesn’t Riley know, Jesse begins, how few people have a chance for their lives to matter, for their deaths to matter? But Riley doesn’t care because Jesse was right, she pulled Riley out of hell, out of that dark cage she was in and put her in a world that should have been heaven. And Riley really doesn’t want to go back to the cage again, and she doesn’t want to be dropped in a hole. She wants to stay in the sun, she wants to fly.
She pushes Jesse back and momentarily breaks free enough to turn and fight. And fight they do. This show has some kick-ass fight coordinators because this is painful to watch, physically and emotionally, let alone film. But despite Riley’s best efforts, the end is a foregone conclusion. After all, the grave’s already been dug. When Jesse gets close enough to grab her gun, it’s all over and we fade away from Riley’s dying face.
Meanwhile, a lawyer and his bodyguards drive down a lonely highway, without incident, Derek still waiting. One final chance — missed.
The next day, Cameron’s in the shed making something that resembles a pocket watch when John arrives. Riley hasn’t called; no one knows where she is. He can’t bring himself to even ask the question, but Cameron denies it anyway. John knows she didn’t, she couldn’t.
Changing the subject, John asks Cameron what she’s doing. She made him a watch; it’s a gift. He’s tried to fix her, twice, but it’s not working and she knows she can’t self-terminate. She can’t kill herself…
…but he can. She opens the watch for him to reveal a set of buttons that will detonate a charge near her CPU. She places the chain over his head, laying it near his heart and tells him all he has to do is flip the switch. John asks the question he’s been asking for weeks, what would his future self do? But it’s the wrong question, it’s irrelevant and it always has been.
‘Future John doesn’t live here. You do.’
John walks out, now wearing his heart not on his sleeve, but under his shirt. As he heads to the house he sees the dead bird. Fragile, trapped where it didn’t belong, and eventually crushed by the hand that should have freed it.
RIP, Riley.
Next episode: Today is the Day – The Connors find out about Riley’s death and is going to be BAD. How bad? It’s part one of two.
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Great recap, Raven! These past 2 episodes have been amazing, I look forward to seeing your take on last night's episode.
Please join us for in depth discussion of TSCC in our forum :
https://tvovermind.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=…
Heh – so am I as I have yet to watch the episode. If you hear screams of glee, angst, and/or rage coming from the general direction of Texas tomorrow? That will be me.
(Later on, form an apartment in North Austin) Oh, holy CRAP!
Great recap, Raven! These past 2 episodes have been amazing, I look forward to seeing your take on last night's episode.
Please join us for in depth discussion of TSCC in our forum :
https://tvovermind.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=…
Heh – so am I as I have yet to watch the episode. If you hear screams of glee, angst, and/or rage coming from the general direction of Texas tomorrow? That will be me.
(Later on, form an apartment in North Austin) Oh, holy CRAP!
Awesome recap! I have started watching this show, and I had never seen an episode until I read your first recap, but it sucked me in just from the description. I have to say, I'm a little confused about a few things, but I already like it. I can't believe I wasn't watching from the beginning for Brian Austin Green…
One of us! One of us! Welcome to the fold, Kripke. We have angst, creepy robots, explosions and cookies. OK, I'm lying about the cookies, but we do have Brian Austin Green and Summer Glau and that is teh awesome, no?
KOM you really need to take a boo at the amazing Terminator FAQ Raven has put together…I watch the show every week and still have to refer to it, as well as posting dozens of questions ;)
https://tvovermind.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=…
Awesome recap! I have started watching this show, and I had never seen an episode until I read your first recap, but it sucked me in just from the description. I have to say, I’m a little confused about a few things, but I already like it. I can’t believe I wasn’t watching from the beginning for Brian Austin Green…
One of us! One of us! Welcome to the fold, Kripke. We have angst, creepy robots, explosions and cookies. OK, I’m lying about the cookies, but we do have Brian Austin Green and Summer Glau and that is teh awesome, no?
KOM you really need to take a boo at the amazing Terminator FAQ Raven has put together…I watch the show every week and still have to refer to it, as well as posting dozens of questions ;)
https://tvovermind.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=…
Enjoyed this detailed recap, but note the dead bird at the end was an English sparrow, and the bird Cameron crushed at the beginning was a pigeon. This suggests that Cameron's glitch is still present and not worked out, that she crushed yet another bird. The glitch probably plays a role in the season's resolution.
Enjoyed this detailed recap, but note the dead bird at the end was an English sparrow, and the bird Cameron crushed at the beginning was a pigeon. This suggests that Cameron’s glitch is still present and not worked out, that she crushed yet another bird. The glitch probably plays a role in the season’s resolution.
I really like what you posted. I really agree with what you wrote.