When you are actively recapping a show with so much going on like Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, it can difficult to gage how good an episode is.  It might take another viewing, but even now, minutes after tonight's episode ended, it felt like perhaps the best hour that Terminator has yet put on television.  The sense of dread, the musings on fate, the sudden helplessness of Sarah Connor – everything came together on Terminator tonight.  But, most of all, tonight belonged to Brian Austin Green as Derek Reese.  I think we can officially christen Green's work on Terminator as the best thing any Beverly Hills 90210 alumnus has done since that show ended (I know that might not be saying much, but it's something).  The BAG owned it tonight, showing chops that I doubt anyone thought the man had.  Tonight's episode was presented with limited commercial interruptions, leaving an episode of over fifty minutes, and we can be glad it ran that long.  It was worth it. 

A regular dude walks outside to his barbecue – a big bad terminator, unfortunately, is also there and asks him if his name is Martin Bedell.  He gets killed.  Derek shows John the obit in the newspaper - his name was Martin Bedell.  Martin Bedell is one of John Connor's men during the future resistance.  The terminator killed the wrong Martin Bedell.  They need to protect them – John finds two other Martin Bedell's in the phone book, but John remembers the bloody garage.  P. Alto is written there – it's a prep school.  Bedell is going to military school there.  Derek takes John to the school after they load up on guns and ammo. 

Ellison meets with Weaver, they talk about the power plant.  Weaver shows him the eye of the terminator that was “killed” there.

Derek and John arrive at military school.  It's very rigid, strict looking.  Derek flashes forward to the future.  They're in the middle of a battle.  Derek talks to Kyle.  Things aren't looking good.  Derek wants to stick to their plan – but they'll have to watch people get dragged to death camps.  Derek's suggestion is usurped – his men go out and try to save the innocent.  Back to the present.  Derek is a bit distraught. 

Derek speaks to some commander dude at the school.  After reviewing John's info, he says that John can get a three-week tryout.  If he likes it, then they'll talk tuition.  Also, there's a teaching spot open – Derek reluctantly accepts. 

Sarah just barely saves the life of a child version of Martin Bedell.  The terminator chases them, but Sarah shoots him with a big gun and Cameron drives the getaway car.

Ellison takes a tour of the power plant.  The terminator fight has been covered up.  He's shown all the clear evidence of terminator involvement.   Ellison learns that the new automated system will go on line in 2009. 

John takes shooting practice with his fellow students at military school.  He gives a fellow student advice on how to un-jam his gun.  John knows his stuff, and is also a good shot.  He meets Martin Bedell – he's a hard-ass and gives John a demerit.  They go on a run.  Derek sees them, and recognizes Bedell – he's the guy in the flash forward who disobeyed the order. 

The Martin kid is being kept at the Connor residence.  He's scared, hasn't been able to call home.  Sarah has lost a lot of her motherly instincts.  The kid tries to call his mom, but Cameron stops him, lifts him off the ground.  Cameron explains that if he calls his mom, they will both probably be killed.

Derek has to meet with some students.  He gives a fairly lackluster speech.  The students think Connor was in “the war.”  They ask him how many kills he has.  Derek is not amused by these questions.  It's not a game, he says.  Solid acting, again, by The BAG.  He puts this blood-thirsty kid in his place. 

In the future: Bedell gives directions to Reese and his crew.  They move out of the tunnels and out into the open. 

Derek, in the mess hall, is a little bit out of it still.  Bedell and John eat lunch together.  Bedell talks about how the best part of the school is the Cross Country Course.  He waxes poetic about it.  And, then he talks about a girl he met.  When she comes back home from college, he's going to leave and go back with her, never come back.  Later, John and Derek talk.  Derek was just on the roof, and he doesn't like the looks of the school.  It's too wide open.  John has an exit plan, it turns out.  Derek is impressed.

Martin is pissed off – he sees his parents on TV.  They think he has been kidnapped.  Well, I guess he has been kidnapped.  He's not upset about being kidnapped, though.  He's upset because he has a book report due on Monday and he hasn't even picked a book out yet.  Sarah sends Cameron out – she wants the situation contained. 

Ellison visits the power plant bar from a few episodes ago.  He asks that bartender some questions about Greenway.  He learns that he drank tonic water, and usually drank alone.  Except for the night before everything went down.  The bartender actually has pictures from that night, because it was someone's birthday.  Ellison takes a gander – he sees Sarah in one of the pictures.  

Derek and John keep preparing for the inevitable terminator attack.  They store weapons and ammo in the woods.  They talk about Derek's dad, how he was very heroic. 

Ellison reports back to Weaver.  He thinks it was two machines who fought at the power plant.  Weaver is surprised.  Ellison doesn't know why any of this happened.  The plant manager is also asking questions, which isn't good for Weaver.  The plant manager, meanwhile, drinks at the power plant bar.  He's approached by an attractive lady.  They make out behind the bar.  Guess what?  It was Weaver and she kills him, as she is wont to do with people. 

Cameron thinks that the trail has gone cold on Marty, the kid.  They should switch their focus to the other Martin.  Sarah and Marty talk in frank terms about the terminator.  The kid is very aware of what's going on.  He knows that terminator will kill him.

Sarah calls Derek – the terminator has been to the real Bedell's house, and knows about the school.  It'll be there in two or three hours.  Sarah is pissed. Derek assures her that he'll take care of John.  Sarah is cheered up by Marty, she is touched by Marty telling her thank you.  Sarah agrees to help him with his book report. 

Derek and John's unit have a new exercise.  Derek tells the unit that a man with a gun will be coming through.  He tells them not to initiate the man, and to send a hand signal if they see him.  We flash forward – things aren't going well.  A tank is approaching Derek and Martin.  Kyle is out there.  They have one more big bullet to try and kill the ogre tank with. 

Marty and Sarah finish up reading The Wizard of Oz.  Martin's narration segues into the military school camp.  It is night, and the 888 terminator has shown up.  The team gives their hand signals.  Derek eyes him with his gun.  He shoots him once, but it barely fazes him.  The terminator chases after Derek.  They set off the mine, but the terminator gets right back up.  Bedell falls down a hill.  The terminator is about to attack, but John distracts him, goes out into the open.  He is chased by the terminator.  He crosses over a plank.  While over the water, Derek shoots him off with some missiles.  They burn him into smithereens in the water.  The 888 has been vanquished.  Bedell watches as the terminator burns.  So does Cameron. John and Derek leave.

Sarah takes Marty to a bus – he's on his way home. 

Bedell has been clued into what is going on.  He is told that he has to keep going as if nothing happened.  Go to West Point, wait for the apocalypse.  John and Derek drive off.  On the drive home, John gets emotional.  He's finally grappling with his fate.  Derek asks if he wants to know what happens to Bedell.  We flash forward again.  Bedell demands the big missile from Derek.  They're trying to save Kyle.  Derek wants to do it, but Bedell will do it.  Derek stays in a bunker.  Bedell ran, got to the tank before it got to where Kyle was.  He saved Kyle.  Rescued 40 prisoners, one of which was John Connor.  John cries while listening to him.  Bedell died saving John and his father.  “We all die for you,” Derek tells John.  


-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of FOX)