Pilot 

A modern-day warrior and single mom hides from a government out to get her and her teenage son.

Director:

David Nutter

Writers:

Josh Friedman (developed for television by), Josh Friedman

Stars:

Lena Headey, Thomas Dekker, Summer Glau

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Lena Headey	...	Sarah Connor
Thomas Dekker	...	John Connor
Summer Glau	...	Cameron Phillips
Richard T. Jones	...	James Ellison
Owain Yeoman	...	Cromartie
Sonya Walger	...	Michelle Dixon
Nick Wechsler	...	Deputy Ridge
Charlayne Woodard	...	Terissa Dyson
Dean Winters	...	Charley Dixon
Aurora Antonio	...	Wiseass
Chad Brummett	...	FBI Agent
Aaron James Cash	...	Terminator (as Aaron Cash)
Jason Grutter	...	Police Officer
Gary Houston	...	Mr. Ferguson
Deborah Martinez	...	News Anchor

Storyline

Sarah Connor and her son John have been living peacefully in the same community for two years. It is now 1999 and Sarah begins to feel uncomfortable when her boyfriend, Charley Dixon, proposes. Having relocated to Red Valley, New Mexico John finds school an adjustment but a pretty classmate, Cameron Phillips, shows an interest. When a Terminator shows up to kill John, Cameron reveals a surprising secret about herself and a way for the Connors to disappear completely.

---

Genres:

Action | Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

---

Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cameron tells Sarah that she is from the year 2027 and that Skynet goes online in 2011.

---

Goofs

When the LAPD arrives at the bank, one of the cars says "Dedicated to serve" on the side of the door. LAPD cars' doors actually state "To protect and serve" there instead.

---

Quotes

John Connor: What model are you? Are you new? You seem... different.
Cameron Phillips: I am.

---

Connections

References The Terminator (1984)

---

Soundtracks

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Opening Title)
Written by Bear McCreary

User Reviews

Decent cast and great protagonists but stereotyped secondary characters, some rotten cheesy scenes, good visual effects, intriguing and twisted but predictable story

I recently found a F* word parody of the show funny enough to check out its pilot. So far I had decided to ignore it even if I'm a fan of the Terminator franchise. Indeed I thought the cast wasn't convincing enough and worried that the story would turn into a bad episodic B-production. Now that I've seen it I'm not disappointed that I changed my mind because it was an entertaining popcorn experience. Indeed even if it's not as dark and fascinating as the first two films there were plenty of elements to appeal the demanding viewer.

First even if I still think the cast is questionable at least it definitely has potential. I found the mother and son relationship between Sarah and John Connor quite inspiring, as much as in Judgment Day. However Lena Headey is no Linda Hamilton and she almost looks like a fragile model. But of course you can't be objective when comparing anyone to such an icon like Hamilton. She was so strong and charismatic in her role ! Headey is too beautiful and obviously trained mentally for the role because her attitude is fierce but she's not physically convincing. As for Thomas Dekker I found his portrayal of John less annoying than the pesky actor from Terminator 2 but it didn't prevent him from growing on me so I have no doubt the same should happen with Dekker. In fact the process can only be smoothed thanks to the third member of the gang : Cameron. She's a pretty young woman played by Summer Glau who gets caught in the whole Connor maelstrom. As expected her performance was good and there was something quite enigmatic about her behavior.

As for the other characters we have the usual agent obsessed to catch his prey. The first scene he was featured in was obviously staged to make us hate him and I found such a technique pathetic. What a lazy way to develop him ! Why didn't they decide to leave it to the audience ? An other issue was the Terminator. You should really miss Arnold Schwarzenegger and Robert Patrick ! The actor's primal appearance was ridiculous and his only line just plain dumb. Let's also not forget his brainless attitude towards the authorities ! The visual effects were alright but the action wasn't well choreographed and it was nothing like in Terminator 2 where the T-1000 was just mind blowing and scary. So don't expect to jaw drop before it. However it wasn't a complete disaster because our three heroes saved the day and helped to forget about these annoying and silly decisions. Seriously what were they thinking ? Some scenes are as different as night and day.

One thing I really enjoyed was the obvious references to the previous installments. From the road trip with Sarah's voice off at the beginning to the numerous elements directly borrowed from T2 the long time fans can only applaud. Some might think that it's a lazy way to exploit a franchise but I consider it was a smart move because it binded the show to the cult films we all know and love. Of course some twists were obvious and the action was quite predictable in general but it should be intense enough to captivate you until the end. And the good thing is that it's actually only the beginning of their epic journey because the story was exciting at times and what happened at the end should intrigue you enough to make you want for more. But I really hope the cheesy Terminator won't be back ! However let's not forget that Brian Austin Green is featured from the third episode and considering how his performance as John Corben was astonishing in Smallville's Metallo it should be the only excuse you need to become a chronicler. More wounded flesh and sexy bones ! More shiny metal and twinkling red eyes !

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 January 2008 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sarah Connor Pictures, Bartleby Company, C-2 Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

46 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1