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matt_zimmerAlso a review for the novel The Gunslinger: The Dark Tower I: Revised And Expanded Edition.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles "Pilot"
It's an interesting premise to have John and Sarah Connor go forward five years to stop Skynet. But I am keeping this review short and my opinion agnostic. Why?
Because the first damn scene in the entire damn series was a dream sequence. If that isn't a bad omen for a crappy series, I don't know what is.
Now the rest of the episode was all right, and didn't live down to that basement level of suck. But Lord, I'm taking this one episode at a time, and am skeptical as hell. All due to that shady first scene. **1/2.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles "Gnothi Seauton"
I was confused by that and the previous episode. Until I realized they went FORWARD in time! Weird. I thought time travel only worked one way in this franchise.
Cameron shooting the dude was freaking dark. I'm only SLIGHTLY comforted it turned out he was dirty after all.
Sarah never having heard of 9/11 is interesting.
Having a hard time with this still. **1/2.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles "The Turk"
That ending was nasty.
I didn't quite understand why the suicidal girl was so upset. If they really wanted us to feel and understand why she killed herself I wish they had given us some clearer context for it.
The series is going along, neither good nor bad so far. ***.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles "Heavy Metal"
The scene of the John having to get the key from behind the neck of the frozen Terminator in sleep mode was tense.
I'm curious what the last unsettling scene actually means for John.
I actually liked this episode. ****.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles "Queen's Gambit"
I love the ending of Charley showing up.
Good showing for Ellison too. He's one cool cucumber.
The stuff with Derek Reese is interesting. Brian Austin Greene isn't exactly a big name, but he was still the biggest name the show had at the time.
Very good. ****1/2.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles "Dungeons And Dragons"
Okay, not only do I not fully trust Cameron anymore, but I don't fully trust Derek either.
One good thing: Andy being in Derek's future flashbacks after having been killed in the last episode means the future CAN be changed. And it's one of the few Terminator projects outside of T2 that says that.
Charley is unlike every other Dean Winters role I can think of. The guy is actually LIKABLE for once in his life. I very much enjoy seeing him.
A lot of stuff happened in that episode that I didn't understand, and it worried me. It was still a good episode, I think. ***1/2.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles "The Demon Hand"
That look on Derek's face at the end at Cameron's ballet is pure confusion.
Silberman was an interesting recast. Because Bruce Davison is actually a bigger name than Earl Boen. And while Boen certainly played whatever comic aspects the character held in the films well, I think Davison is better suited to him becoming a True Believer and a convert with an even more outward escalating madness than Sarah exhibited. I thought it was an incredibly interesting notion.
I realized I don't like Derek Reese much.
For that matter I don't dig Cameron either. That move she pulled of walking out of that apartment to leave Demetri and her ballet teacher to their deaths was coldblooded.
I thought it was a pretty tight episode otherwise. I hope this isn't the last we see of Silberman. He's an asset to the show. Which is not something I'd say about his character from the movies. ****1/2.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles "Vick's Chip"
What a dark and ethically-conflicted episode. I trust Cameron very little but I trust Derek even less. If he truly felt his murder of Andy was justified he wouldn't have lied about it.
The ending of Barbara's death on the film should NOT have been a surprise, but it still shocked and unsettled me anyways.
I think Derek is right to remind John one of these things will kill him someday. John has the only right response to that: It won't be this one.
That was a very tough episode to watch, much less like. But it was still very well-done. ***1/2.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles "What He Beheld"
The slow-motion sequence of the agents falling and bleeding in the pool to a Johnny Cash song is one of the most effective scenes of a mass slaughter I have ever seen. The thing that is pure genius about it is that as horrific as it is to see, it's also remarkably non-graphic. I can't praise that fact enough. It's horrible on every level. And it didn't make me want to lose my lunch. Pure genius.
Derek's turning out to be all right after all.
I don't think Sarah was thinking clearly over Charley's warning / offer about Ellison. She was wrong to dismiss it and Charley. First of all, it shocks me, but it's true, the fact that Charley got out of the way at the crucial moment to avoid a potential killing shows he does not actually suck at this. Secondly, regarding Ellison, Sarah may be right that he can't protect them, but having a person in the FBI on their side would be a HELL of a resource, considering both the stakes and what they are up against. Frankly, Charley believing he could protect them is HIM thinking too small. But I forgive him overlooking the selling points of a team-up with Ellison because he's still so damn new at this. Sarah not getting the perks immediately bothers me more.
I love John instantly telling Cameron to say yes to that dude asking her to prom. If he were smarter he'd not only ask why John felt the need to order her to that, but also why she actually did what her supposed brother said instantly with no further thought attached. But he's a dumb kid crushing hard, so I get why he he isn't picking threads there.
I was leery starting the series because it's obviously gonna get canceled on a cliffhanger. If season two's cliffhanger is no worse than this one, I'll consider myself lucky. That was a pretty damn good finale otherwise too (while we're on the subject). ****1/2.
The Gunslinger: The Dark Tower I: Revised And Expanded Edition by Stephen King
There really is no getting around the fact that this is one of King's worst novels, if you count nothing from Bachman. I think even King knows it, and admits in the (badly-written) forward that he always tells people to stick with the saga through The Drawing Of The Three before deciding to give up on it. The last three books of The Dark Tower turned into a meta affair with Roland meeting a fictionalized version of Stephen King who suggests he paused the saga for so long, and refused to get back to it because Roland Of Deschain, the Gunslinger, scared him. He scares the hell out of me too. His actions in this book are pretty much unforgivable. And I think King got that afterwards, and for the most part spent the next six books having Roland trying to and (mostly) succeeding at redeeming himself. But some of his actions here are so troubling I'm having a hard time believing the character should have been redeemed at all.
King essentially rewrote a LOT of the book, not just because it was badly written and hard to read (and although I've never read the first version I've heard it described as such) but because Roland's actions in the first version ARE not something a reader can forgive. I think him killing the entire town of Tull is absolutely disgusting. But King revised part of it so that Allie begged him to kill her. And the sickest thing about the book is Roland's sexual assault and forced abortion of Sylvia Pittson, and King knew it and tried to add additional story reasons for Roland to do it in the revised version. It doesn't help much, but it helps a little. And of course Roland's betrayal of Jake in particular is something King needed to give him a do-over on in later books.
One of the interesting things to me about this fictional world is that when I see glimpses of the Mid-World that was, and Gilead in its prime, I think it is an absolute pit. I think every inch of the pageantry and caste system of Gilead is vile, unfathomably corrupt, vulgar, and patriarchal. The reason a guy like John Farson was able to amass a bunch of followers preaching freedom and independence is because that's what Mid-World actually desperately needed. It is beyond ironic Farson is a malicious, violent sociopath interested in destroying the Universe, and King made him the bad guy. Because the goals of freedom from the tyranny of the Gunslingers and the Eld are freaking sound. Robin Furth mentions in one of the back-up prose stories in The Dark Tower comics that sending failed gunslingers west in the All-or-nothing gunslinger test is also beyond counterproductive, considering how few pass the test. All Gilead is doing is creating a mass of resentful, yet highly skilled warrior-types ripe for Farson's plucking. Maybe Gilead fell and Mid-World moved on because it should have.
I am sincere in saying this is one of King's worst books. And yet part of me refuses to dismiss it entirely. I wouldn't even under other circumstances since it led to greater things. But the truth is there are flashes of brilliance in the book, and descriptions that King uses that he should be DAMNED proud of. "The Man In Black fled across the desert and the Gunslinger followed," is not just the best opening line to a Stephen King novel. I'm struggling to think of ANY story or novel written by ANYBODY with a stronger or more iconic intro than that. And King describing Roland as a man who fixes crooked pictures in hotel rooms is borderline unhelpful, because there is nothing else about Roland's personality to suggest this. Which is why the description is actually the most helpful thing ever. Jake's "Go then, there are other worlds than these," also gives me chills, and the fact that such a grotesque looking woman as Sylvia Pittson is portrayed so sensually is a pretty unique characteristic for a female character at the time. And I can talk smack about the rest of the book all I want. The truth is, the last 30 page chapter "The Gunslinger And The Man In Black" is amazing for the questions it raises, even the questions the saga itself didn't answer (like about the Ageless Stranger). Walter O'Dim saying about the Stranger that "He darkles. He tincts," is both pure nonsense and pure storytelling magic at the same time.
Believe me, I'm as unhappy about what a heel Roland is as anyone. I don't like following a protagonist who before bedding a desperate woman tells himself it won't be so bad because the scar on her face won't be visible in the dark. And Roland the Gunslinger is pretty much ALL moments like that. And it's kind of both cool and unlikely King not only built a solid epic around this asshat, but sort of made every book he ever wrote fit around the edges of this saga too.
But there is no question in my mind the first Dark Tower book is a dud. A fascinating dud, to be sure, (and with flashes of magic) but a dud nonetheless. *.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles "Pilot"
It's an interesting premise to have John and Sarah Connor go forward five years to stop Skynet. But I am keeping this review short and my opinion agnostic. Why?
Because the first damn scene in the entire damn series was a dream sequence. If that isn't a bad omen for a crappy series, I don't know what is.
Now the rest of the episode was all right, and didn't live down to that basement level of suck. But Lord, I'm taking this one episode at a time, and am skeptical as hell. All due to that shady first scene. **1/2.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles "Gnothi Seauton"
I was confused by that and the previous episode. Until I realized they went FORWARD in time! Weird. I thought time travel only worked one way in this franchise.
Cameron shooting the dude was freaking dark. I'm only SLIGHTLY comforted it turned out he was dirty after all.
Sarah never having heard of 9/11 is interesting.
Having a hard time with this still. **1/2.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles "The Turk"
That ending was nasty.
I didn't quite understand why the suicidal girl was so upset. If they really wanted us to feel and understand why she killed herself I wish they had given us some clearer context for it.
The series is going along, neither good nor bad so far. ***.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles "Heavy Metal"
The scene of the John having to get the key from behind the neck of the frozen Terminator in sleep mode was tense.
I'm curious what the last unsettling scene actually means for John.
I actually liked this episode. ****.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles "Queen's Gambit"
I love the ending of Charley showing up.
Good showing for Ellison too. He's one cool cucumber.
The stuff with Derek Reese is interesting. Brian Austin Greene isn't exactly a big name, but he was still the biggest name the show had at the time.
Very good. ****1/2.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles "Dungeons And Dragons"
Okay, not only do I not fully trust Cameron anymore, but I don't fully trust Derek either.
One good thing: Andy being in Derek's future flashbacks after having been killed in the last episode means the future CAN be changed. And it's one of the few Terminator projects outside of T2 that says that.
Charley is unlike every other Dean Winters role I can think of. The guy is actually LIKABLE for once in his life. I very much enjoy seeing him.
A lot of stuff happened in that episode that I didn't understand, and it worried me. It was still a good episode, I think. ***1/2.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles "The Demon Hand"
That look on Derek's face at the end at Cameron's ballet is pure confusion.
Silberman was an interesting recast. Because Bruce Davison is actually a bigger name than Earl Boen. And while Boen certainly played whatever comic aspects the character held in the films well, I think Davison is better suited to him becoming a True Believer and a convert with an even more outward escalating madness than Sarah exhibited. I thought it was an incredibly interesting notion.
I realized I don't like Derek Reese much.
For that matter I don't dig Cameron either. That move she pulled of walking out of that apartment to leave Demetri and her ballet teacher to their deaths was coldblooded.
I thought it was a pretty tight episode otherwise. I hope this isn't the last we see of Silberman. He's an asset to the show. Which is not something I'd say about his character from the movies. ****1/2.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles "Vick's Chip"
What a dark and ethically-conflicted episode. I trust Cameron very little but I trust Derek even less. If he truly felt his murder of Andy was justified he wouldn't have lied about it.
The ending of Barbara's death on the film should NOT have been a surprise, but it still shocked and unsettled me anyways.
I think Derek is right to remind John one of these things will kill him someday. John has the only right response to that: It won't be this one.
That was a very tough episode to watch, much less like. But it was still very well-done. ***1/2.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles "What He Beheld"
The slow-motion sequence of the agents falling and bleeding in the pool to a Johnny Cash song is one of the most effective scenes of a mass slaughter I have ever seen. The thing that is pure genius about it is that as horrific as it is to see, it's also remarkably non-graphic. I can't praise that fact enough. It's horrible on every level. And it didn't make me want to lose my lunch. Pure genius.
Derek's turning out to be all right after all.
I don't think Sarah was thinking clearly over Charley's warning / offer about Ellison. She was wrong to dismiss it and Charley. First of all, it shocks me, but it's true, the fact that Charley got out of the way at the crucial moment to avoid a potential killing shows he does not actually suck at this. Secondly, regarding Ellison, Sarah may be right that he can't protect them, but having a person in the FBI on their side would be a HELL of a resource, considering both the stakes and what they are up against. Frankly, Charley believing he could protect them is HIM thinking too small. But I forgive him overlooking the selling points of a team-up with Ellison because he's still so damn new at this. Sarah not getting the perks immediately bothers me more.
I love John instantly telling Cameron to say yes to that dude asking her to prom. If he were smarter he'd not only ask why John felt the need to order her to that, but also why she actually did what her supposed brother said instantly with no further thought attached. But he's a dumb kid crushing hard, so I get why he he isn't picking threads there.
I was leery starting the series because it's obviously gonna get canceled on a cliffhanger. If season two's cliffhanger is no worse than this one, I'll consider myself lucky. That was a pretty damn good finale otherwise too (while we're on the subject). ****1/2.
The Gunslinger: The Dark Tower I: Revised And Expanded Edition by Stephen King
There really is no getting around the fact that this is one of King's worst novels, if you count nothing from Bachman. I think even King knows it, and admits in the (badly-written) forward that he always tells people to stick with the saga through The Drawing Of The Three before deciding to give up on it. The last three books of The Dark Tower turned into a meta affair with Roland meeting a fictionalized version of Stephen King who suggests he paused the saga for so long, and refused to get back to it because Roland Of Deschain, the Gunslinger, scared him. He scares the hell out of me too. His actions in this book are pretty much unforgivable. And I think King got that afterwards, and for the most part spent the next six books having Roland trying to and (mostly) succeeding at redeeming himself. But some of his actions here are so troubling I'm having a hard time believing the character should have been redeemed at all.
King essentially rewrote a LOT of the book, not just because it was badly written and hard to read (and although I've never read the first version I've heard it described as such) but because Roland's actions in the first version ARE not something a reader can forgive. I think him killing the entire town of Tull is absolutely disgusting. But King revised part of it so that Allie begged him to kill her. And the sickest thing about the book is Roland's sexual assault and forced abortion of Sylvia Pittson, and King knew it and tried to add additional story reasons for Roland to do it in the revised version. It doesn't help much, but it helps a little. And of course Roland's betrayal of Jake in particular is something King needed to give him a do-over on in later books.
One of the interesting things to me about this fictional world is that when I see glimpses of the Mid-World that was, and Gilead in its prime, I think it is an absolute pit. I think every inch of the pageantry and caste system of Gilead is vile, unfathomably corrupt, vulgar, and patriarchal. The reason a guy like John Farson was able to amass a bunch of followers preaching freedom and independence is because that's what Mid-World actually desperately needed. It is beyond ironic Farson is a malicious, violent sociopath interested in destroying the Universe, and King made him the bad guy. Because the goals of freedom from the tyranny of the Gunslingers and the Eld are freaking sound. Robin Furth mentions in one of the back-up prose stories in The Dark Tower comics that sending failed gunslingers west in the All-or-nothing gunslinger test is also beyond counterproductive, considering how few pass the test. All Gilead is doing is creating a mass of resentful, yet highly skilled warrior-types ripe for Farson's plucking. Maybe Gilead fell and Mid-World moved on because it should have.
I am sincere in saying this is one of King's worst books. And yet part of me refuses to dismiss it entirely. I wouldn't even under other circumstances since it led to greater things. But the truth is there are flashes of brilliance in the book, and descriptions that King uses that he should be DAMNED proud of. "The Man In Black fled across the desert and the Gunslinger followed," is not just the best opening line to a Stephen King novel. I'm struggling to think of ANY story or novel written by ANYBODY with a stronger or more iconic intro than that. And King describing Roland as a man who fixes crooked pictures in hotel rooms is borderline unhelpful, because there is nothing else about Roland's personality to suggest this. Which is why the description is actually the most helpful thing ever. Jake's "Go then, there are other worlds than these," also gives me chills, and the fact that such a grotesque looking woman as Sylvia Pittson is portrayed so sensually is a pretty unique characteristic for a female character at the time. And I can talk smack about the rest of the book all I want. The truth is, the last 30 page chapter "The Gunslinger And The Man In Black" is amazing for the questions it raises, even the questions the saga itself didn't answer (like about the Ageless Stranger). Walter O'Dim saying about the Stranger that "He darkles. He tincts," is both pure nonsense and pure storytelling magic at the same time.
Believe me, I'm as unhappy about what a heel Roland is as anyone. I don't like following a protagonist who before bedding a desperate woman tells himself it won't be so bad because the scar on her face won't be visible in the dark. And Roland the Gunslinger is pretty much ALL moments like that. And it's kind of both cool and unlikely King not only built a solid epic around this asshat, but sort of made every book he ever wrote fit around the edges of this saga too.
But there is no question in my mind the first Dark Tower book is a dud. A fascinating dud, to be sure, (and with flashes of magic) but a dud nonetheless. *.
