I was blown away by Thomas Dekker in this episode. His performance was perfect-John was completely aware and in control of everyone, but he still can cry in the end. He figured out about Riley and Jesse all on his own, which to me showed exactly how far his character has developed. He's not just a skinny confused kid reacting to his enemies, which was awesome. His tears at the end were heartbreaking and promising too. He's be a leader, but he'll also be human. "We rise or fall on your shoulders" says Derek, even as the followers in the future watch for John Connor to move beyond just being The Savior.
The confrontations between the "metal" and the "skins" on the sub showed just how much hatred and violence will always be perpetuated between humans and machines when power and lives are at stake. The metal Terminator gives the answer of "No" to the question of "Will you join us?" (which wasn't entirely clear about who "they" entailed). The killing of both humans and machines showed a lack of both groups and their ability to coexist peacefully. I wondered if Dietze hadn't opened that box if the answer would have been yes. I also wonder-why a box? Did they know or count on the Pandoric tendency to open boxes marked forbidden?
When Jesse states that "You didn't want to be John Baum: you wanted to be John Connor" when he tells her that he regrets not helping Riley when she needed him most, John says "That's just the thing, isn't it? I am John Connor." He would've had to tell Riley the truth and to do that he would've had to give up his semblance of normalcy, which he wasn't yet ready to do. He shows how much every choice he makes shapes the man is already becoming.
When John tells Jesse that he wouldn't have killed or banished Cameron if the plan had succeeded, I don't know if I like his answer for two reasons. One, that means that the future is far too fixed already and all this messing about with time will result in nothing, which seems to indicate more about time travel in general for the show. If some things aren't changeable, then why still try? The attempts shows a lot of futility about human nature and fate. And two, the following scene with Cameron and Jesse is made even more chilling. "If telling Cameron is the same as telling John, then what the hell are we fighting for?" is the best question that Jesse asks. Really, it's very telling about John and Cameron's relationship in the future.
Jesse's character is really unlikeable and ruthless, but I did appreciate her more after the bit about her miscarriage and her final talk with Derek. When he confronts her about Riley's murder, he's condemning her for her crime. She rallies with her cry of "You have no idea what they took from us" to which he replies "You aren't my Jesse. You never were." I feel for her more after she has to run away terrified as the man she loves (likely) kills her.
Character development: Awesome. Performances: Nuanced and Emotion-filled. Show: Finally in its stride and thriving.
The confrontations between the "metal" and the "skins" on the sub showed just how much hatred and violence will always be perpetuated between humans and machines when power and lives are at stake. The metal Terminator gives the answer of "No" to the question of "Will you join us?" (which wasn't entirely clear about who "they" entailed). The killing of both humans and machines showed a lack of both groups and their ability to coexist peacefully. I wondered if Dietze hadn't opened that box if the answer would have been yes. I also wonder-why a box? Did they know or count on the Pandoric tendency to open boxes marked forbidden?
When Jesse states that "You didn't want to be John Baum: you wanted to be John Connor" when he tells her that he regrets not helping Riley when she needed him most, John says "That's just the thing, isn't it? I am John Connor." He would've had to tell Riley the truth and to do that he would've had to give up his semblance of normalcy, which he wasn't yet ready to do. He shows how much every choice he makes shapes the man is already becoming.
When John tells Jesse that he wouldn't have killed or banished Cameron if the plan had succeeded, I don't know if I like his answer for two reasons. One, that means that the future is far too fixed already and all this messing about with time will result in nothing, which seems to indicate more about time travel in general for the show. If some things aren't changeable, then why still try? The attempts shows a lot of futility about human nature and fate. And two, the following scene with Cameron and Jesse is made even more chilling. "If telling Cameron is the same as telling John, then what the hell are we fighting for?" is the best question that Jesse asks. Really, it's very telling about John and Cameron's relationship in the future.
Jesse's character is really unlikeable and ruthless, but I did appreciate her more after the bit about her miscarriage and her final talk with Derek. When he confronts her about Riley's murder, he's condemning her for her crime. She rallies with her cry of "You have no idea what they took from us" to which he replies "You aren't my Jesse. You never were." I feel for her more after she has to run away terrified as the man she loves (likely) kills her.
Character development: Awesome. Performances: Nuanced and Emotion-filled. Show: Finally in its stride and thriving.
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