Following yesterday’s announcement (via twitter) that this TV Addict was fortunate enough to be watching (and loving) tonight’s fall finale of TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES, it should come as no surprise that one word quickly permeated our inbox. Spoilers, spoilers and yes, more spoilers!
Unfortunately, if we were to give away what really happens to our intrepid hero(es) in the final moments of tonight’s installment, we’re fairly confident that our good friends over at Warner Bros. PR would have us… umm… terminated. Which is why we’ve concocted this incredibly vague, non-spoilery, yet very special installment of theTVaddict.com’s patented “Good, Bad, & Ugly” in an effort to whet your appetite for tonight’s fantastic fall finale. (Airing at 8PM on FOX, “A” in Canada)
The Good: Tonight’s adventure truly lives up to the title “The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” as our titular hero heads off on her own to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding the unexplainable three dots. Oddly enough, this week’s episode entitled, “Earthlings Welcome Here” gave even more credence to our only half-joking off-the-cuff remark last week that creator Josh Friedman was preparing for the show’s February move to Friday night by delving even further into X-Files territory. As this week, Sarah heads to a UFO convention in the hopes of discovering whether or not, you know, the truth is out there.
Of course, this being TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES, it’s not so much truth that is out there, as much as the usual tropes that invariably cross Sarah’s path. Acquaintances who aren’t whom they appear to be (both literally and figuratively), numerous gun-slinging baddies and one incredibly unwelcoming security guard ensure that Sarah’s road trip doesn’t lack in the excitement department.
Where tonight’s installment does deviate from the norm is when it comes to characters whose last name is not ‘Connor.’ One of whom will get the show’s trademark electromagnetic ball of energy treatment to help shine the blue light on some of his (or her) backstory. While Agent Ellison is given what is easily one of his most fascinating scenes of the series thus far. As he attempts to teach his new student the difference between right and wrong (Probably not going to go well).
The Bad: Even though there is a nice ‘B’ story that clearly shows Riley replacing Cameron as John’s morale support-bot. For a fall finale, the episode is far too light on two of our favorite robots whose names both happen to start with the letter “C”.
The Ugly: Aside from the unfortunate fact that Brian Austin Green’s Derek Reese is M.I.A. for the entire episode is the now standard fall finale cliffhanger. One that not only ends in a flash (pause to let that ambiguous clue sink in), but like all cliffhangers must, will leave you scratching your head and surfing the net for answers, theories and clues until the show returns in February 2009. 
Photo Credit: Michael Roberts/FOX