TV Review: The Sarah Connor Chronicles 2.11 – Self Made Man

Posted by Kevin Carr (kevin@filmschoolrejects.com) on December 2, 2008

The Sarah Connor Chronicles

The Sarah Connor Chronicles, FOX, Airs Monday 8/7c

Episode: “Self Made Man” (Season 2, Episode 11)

Synopsis: On a generally slow night in the Connor family, Cameron (Summer Glau) heads off to the library to conduct some after-hours research. There, she discovers a picture from the 1920s that has a Terminator in it. Using the research department and the sympathies of a paraplegic librarian, she uncovers the mystery of the 90-year-old machine from the future. Meanwhile, John (Thomas Dekker) sneaks out to help Riley (Leven Rambin), who is having some problems at a local party.

Review: With less overall action, this is a slower-than-normal episode of The Sarah Connor Chronicles. However, with John’s whining kept to a minimum and Sarah apparently sleeping throughout its events, this installment was actually somewhat interesting.

John’s angle in the story was pretty worthless, though. It’s clear that Riley is using him, as she has been revealed to be in cahoots with the BSG Sexpot Jessie (Stephanie Jacobsen). However, her complete end-game is yet to be revealed. Really, the only reason to have this part of the story was to get the viewer out of the library while Cameron did her research. Otherwise, it shows John continuing to be a tool. But what’s new on that front?

When I first saw that this episode was going to feature a Terminator from the past, I was a bit worried. I feared this would feed into the butt-load of Terminators that seem to be polluting the show. The previews seemed to indicate that the past was full of Terminators, going back to the Prohibition era. However, the explanation of Stark (the name this model assumed in the past) and how he got there was pretty acceptable. He even has an purpose, which actually reveals itself to be pretty ironic considering who was the original Terminator 24 years ago.

The flashbacks were a bit corny, but they served the purpose to show Stark’s actions in the past. And the paraplegic library was a real wuss. But I really can’t complain too much about an episode that keeps Cameron this much in the spotlight (especially when she’s strutting around in those tight-fittin’ jeans like she does).

Up Next Week: A machine has come back in time to hunt a family deep in the woods. Sarah and Cameron chip in to help these people with a connection to Derek’s past.

For more coverage of your favorite shows, check out the Control Freaks Archive.

Did you watch The Sarah Connor Chroniclesthis week? If so, feel free to discuss below.


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  • Logan
    Yes we all love Summer's figure, but there was more to the Self Made Man episode than that.

    There was definitely a lot of character development for Cameron. We see that she is considering suicide if her chip malfunctions in a manner detrimental to John, yet Eric (her librarian friend) gives her an out. What would be the effect on those who love you? Cameron must now logically ask herself, "Am I loved?" Combine this with the final scene where John comes home with Riley's lipstick on his neck, and you can see the possibility for Cameron to have an existential crisis.

    We also see Cameron continues to learn the nuances empathy. Eric points out that she has yet to comprehend the adverse impact she sometimes has on those around her. While both John and Sarah can be brusque with Cameron, neither of them are really direct people to begin with. Eric is the first person who has given Cameron direct feedback on her singleminded, mission-oriented approach - it's obvious that she takes his feedback to heart. I think Self Made Man lays out the foundation for some interesting future developments.
  • Jeff R Hall
    Kevin - Stop being a douche bag. (Kidding! However, you always seem to welcome the abuse on Fat Guys At The Movies so I couldn't help myself.)

    I thought this was one of the better episodes this season. The premise and it's playing out were totally plausible within the framework of the show.

    As for the library intern, he was fine. I want to see more of Summer Glau's interacting with humans. The juxtaposition between machine and humans are the most interesting aspects of the show.

    Granted, that the interactions SHOULD be between John Connors and Glau's Terminator character. Or at least via mother and son, but Sarah Connors is episodic TV without a 5 seasons plan (Or however many seasons?) like Babylon 5 or Battlestar Galactica.

    Should it be a show that was created with the idea of a beginning/middle/end? (As opposed to wrapping everything up in 42 mnutes.) In my opinion, yes. Unfortunately very few shows come to the table with that in mind.
  • Good points about Cameron Logan. She seems to be the only character on the show who's evolving.
  • I'm really interested to find out what the heck Riley is up too. Is she from the future? Is the BSG chick working for the machines? How the heck is John Connor supposed to become a gret leader if he lets some flaky chick yank his chain constantly?
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