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

John’s standing outside, looking over the city and as Cameron joins him we can see him clicking his Pocket Watch of Destruction open and closed, open and closed, debating. ‘Was it you? Did you kill her?’Cameron denies it. John wants to believe her, wants to believe her with everything he has, but he knows she lies, she’s told him she lies and her mission, her exact orders, are still unknown to him. Even if it’s his decisions that matter – Future John still has the better intel and he still has some faith in that. Cameron tries to express her condolences, and who knows, maybe her programming allows her to mean it, but John won’t hear of it so he stalks off.

Meanwhile, in one of the family product placements, Derek’s driving Jesse back from the police station, having posted her bail. He’d like an explanation, please, but she only says ‘thanks.’He’s not impressed and knows she’s lying about something, but he doesn’t want to press her so he drives, silently, sullenly. Jesse looks out of the car window and we dissolve into…

…flash-forward and an apparent hazing ritual of some sort on board the sub. There’s some ritual, amusing ribbing, and a loud clank that shakes the sub. I don’t think that last part was supposed to be there. It wasn’t. Someone shouts, “Depth charge” and alarms start to go off. Jesse calls general quarters and everyone scrambles.

Wow, make-up and wardrobe still hate Shirley Mason, but hair’s apparently called a truce as we cut to Catherine Weaver working away at her desk, Savannah playing nearby. For once she looks more like a person and less like a red-headed, Cheers-era Lillith. Of course her demeanor and parenting skills still blow as she meets Savanna’s request to play hide and seek with a long version of, ‘Patience is a virtue.’The little moppet’s utterly dejected and wanders into the foyer — where the door to the hallway mysteriously opens. Don’t do it kid, this never ends well. Completely ignoring my warnings, Savannah walks through. Damn. The elevator opens and begins playing a plinky rendition of ‘Three Blind Mice.’Once inside, the buttons are all lit up and flashing in patterns along to the music. Savannah laughs, I cringe. In case you hadn’t guessed, John Henry wants to play a game with Savannah. She follows more blinking lights down a hall, walks into his room and the door swings shut behind her as we cut to commercial.

We come back to Ellison, eating lunch at his desk, and I have to pause for a moment to wonder — what in the HELL does this man do for Zeira Corp when he’s not teaching morals to the AI? Is he security? Did I miss something? I bet I missed something. Moving on. Catherine arrives at Ellison’s office and with her usual unflappable demeanor she declares that her daughter is missing. She’s still in the building, but she’s missing. Going into action mode, Ellison starts mentally making plans to search the building, when Catherine casually reminds him that there’s someone who knows what’s happening on every floor. So down to John Henry’s room they go.

Without malice or deception, he tells Catherine and Ellison that Savannah’s hiding, and they’re playing his version of Hide and Seek. Ellison’s kinda flabbergasted, and keeps asking John Henry where Savannah is, but Catherine’s tickled pink and agrees to play. They have to guess what John’s thinking, and if they get it right, he’ll give them a clue. Solve the clues, find Savannah. The game begins.