Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles kicks off its second season on Monday (Sept. 8) with a high octane episode that includes explosions, car chase and plenty of CG effects, but executive producer Josh Friedman notes that the show doesn't need to function as a tentpole movie every week, that it couldn't function in that way.

"I kind of like it when they say, the money people come to us and say, 'You know what? This episode's going to have to be a little smaller than the last episode,'" Friedman tells reporters. "I kind of enjoy writing smaller, more character-driven episodes, and I think that, at the end of the day, well, I mean, I think there’s sort of three audiences, I think, for the show. There's the people who really come for the action, there's people who really come for the characters, and then there's the large Venn diagram in the middle, which is the people who want both. And I think those are the ones that ultimately, I think, are the most pleased consistently because they'll get one or the other during the week. To me, it's a drama. It's still a family show, a family drama that is in the science fiction world and has action in it, but it's still, I think, character first for me."

Indeed, amidst the big-budget theatrics of the premiere, Friedman clearly has his eye on quandaries that go beyond whether or not Sarah Connor (Lena Headey) will be able to protect future-savior-of-humanity John (Thomas Dekker) from an assortment of mechanical and flesh and blood adversaries. Dating back to the James Cameron origins of the franchise, the Terminator films have always dealt with issues of fate and faith, a spiritual crisis that's now coming to the surface.

"It's something that's always been in the franchise. I think that Sarah as a very, very radicalized Mary figure and John as sort of a Jesus figure has always been in the franchise, and it's stuff that, thematically, is interesting to explore," Friedman explains. "And I've kind of become fascinated with it through the Ellison character, and part of it was just because Richard T. Jones is quite religious and I'd spent some time talking to him about it, and I figure it seemed like a really natural place to sort of explore some of those themes. And especially with him, regarding whether or not his faith is either confirmed or challenged by, you know, with the things he's seen.  I think it's easy to assume, oh, because there are terminators in the universe that that means that God doesn't exist or something, but I don't think that that's necessarily true. So it's interesting just to see people with particular ideologies have to try to fit radical world views into it."

One problem that comes from raising the stakes in this manner is that the stakes for the characters have to be similarly elevated. At Comic-Con in July, Friedman informed the crowd (and the show's cast) that at least one main character will soon be facing their own personal Judgment Day.

"It's usually their behavior on the set," Friedman says of how he makes life-and-death choices. "No, it's pure storytelling. It's painful to say good-bye to actors. It's painful, especially on this show. Everyone's wonderful and they're all lovely people, and going to an actor and saying, 'Here's the script and this is what's going to happen,' is extremely difficult, and it's never driven, at least so far, for us, it's never been driven by economics or anything extracurricular. It's in the writer's room and you're, all of a sudden you're having this dawning realization that you have a really good idea for something story-wise, but it's going to end up costing somebody a job. And it's not easy. These are people, and most of them will, they'll go on and get other work, but it's not a fun thing to do really."

Beyond issues of theology and mortality, Friedman faces the challenging of maintaining his show's focus, balancing the one lead character who's messianic with the other character who's name is in the title of the show. Even series star Headey admits that's sometimes been a challenge.

"It's been an interesting season," she says. "I feel that Sarah has taken a, kind of a backseat in terms of being proactive and taking care of business. I think that we’re going to see a lot more of John taking control and then becoming, making steps towards becoming the man he has to be to take on his tasks. And I think this season for Sarah is kind of her losing slight control over everything pretty much, and my feeling is that I think there's a slow madness sort of happening in her because she feels that everything’s kind of out of reach right now."

Of the delicate balance, Friedman says, "I think that it's very doable. The Sarah/John relationship is the central... relationship in the show, and I think that, at different times, there can be different shifts in terms of the power dynamic or the proactivity. Lena talks a little bit about her character taking a back seat to John. I think that it's a parent/child struggle, and I think that, as a parent, I've kind of, well, my child was a lot younger, but kind of watching the push and pull of that dynamic, to me, is fascinating.  So I sort of look at them as a pair. Ultimately, yes, it's called The Sarah Connor Chronicles and it's about how does this parent of this special child deal with that, and it's challenging. I think it's challenging for any parent, and it's challenging for this particular parent because of who he's supposed to be, but I don't believe that she ever has to stop being Sarah Connor. I think it's just the challenge is kind of figuring out who that is on a daily basis."

Comments

Well obviously, they are not going to kill off one of the three main characters (Sarah, John and Cameron), and I would think they need the FBI agent Ellison to balance and ground the show… so that only leaves resistance fighter Derek Reese (Brian Austin Green) or paramedic Charley Dixon (Dean Winters).

Rick | Sep 5, 2008 3:42:39 PM | #

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Well, only Sarah and John are truly inexpendible. I don't want them to kill Cameron, and I don't think it's her (last season's clifhanger is likely a red herring) but technically they could. Ellison's fun but they've already shown they're not shy about killing FBI agents.

My predictions from most likely to least likely: Charley, Derek, Ellison, Cameron, then the Terminator stalking them (no real emotional resonance there). I won't consider Sarah and John because the show hinges on those two, and any such death would be revoked eventually.

Andy EN | Sep 5, 2008 4:32:42 PM | #

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I wouldn't count out the possibility of Sarah or Cameron biting it. It sounds like they've got some "high concept" ideas going on here. Plus, the movies have already killed off Sarah, so especially if they start playing with alternate timelines (to work T3 and especially T4 into the continuity) then I could see Sarah being killed off and the show changing title. Or Sarah continuing but in flashback. Or an alternate timeline. Similarly, despite her popularity we don't know if Cameron is completely safe. They may wish to bring in a new dynamic - a new Terminator - later. Or abandon the "good terminator" angle completely. This show can go in any direction. The only character who has to be safe because he's the lynchpin is John.

Alex | Sep 5, 2008 5:41:21 PM | #

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I watched the reruns this summer & have gotten back into the show but Monday is a very sci-fi heavy night, so they only have a short time to keep my interest.

johnd | Sep 5, 2008 8:45:20 PM | #

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right, they are not gonna kill sarah, the fucking show is named after her, they are not gonna kill john, he's the fucking saviour. if they kill cameron there's no more reason to watch the show cuz she's fucking hot. it's gonna be reese, cuz he's fucking expendable!

old guy | Sep 5, 2008 9:07:37 PM | #

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Best not be Cameron or "click" -- lots of other channels on my sat system.

BobR | Sep 6, 2008 11:16:42 AM | #

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Nope, Cameron is completely safe.

Show runner Josh Friedman knows how popular her character (and actress Summer Glau) is and all their promotional material released over the summer essentially put Cameron on the same level as Sarah and John.

They writers may change the way she behaves/operates, such as her 'primary mission' programming getting a little mixed up in the explosion, but they will always keep her around. Last season, they dropped quite a few hints that the Cameron model is somehow different than a standard T-800/888 and we may finally see what that difference is ‘post explosion’.

I also think Ellison is totally safe as he is the "faith" component on the show (vs. Sarah's "fate" ideology), an issue which Friedman obviously wants to continue to explore. Plus, the Cromartie terminator could have easily killed him in last season’s finale, but instead let him live.

If they are truly "raising the stakes" as noted in the article, it'll probably be Derek (Friedman did say it was a main character so that may rule out Charley).

John and Derek were fast becoming buddies by the end of last season and I bet they will continue to develop that friendship as season two opens. They’ll most likely kill him off midway through this season’s run, and probably in some very dramatic way as to deeply affect John and further create that ‘divide’ between him and mom Sarah as noted here:

http://blog.zap2it.com/scifi/2008/07/character-death.html

Personally, I think it would be a big mistake to off Derek for two reasons: 1) they need a strong adult male character on Sarah and John’s side to balance out Cameron’s presence (plus new cast member Shirley Manson) and I don’t think Ellison counts; and 2) I believe the general consensus was that the show improved and really found it’s footing after the Derek character was introduced.

I just hope Friedman is aware of this.

Too much free time… | Sep 6, 2008 3:04:25 PM | #

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Paramedic bites the dust, that's my guess. Second guess is the Ellison. Charley being killed would just fuel the fire of Sarah being a tortured soul. His death would end up being her fault, she would blame herself, guilt, anguish, all that good stuff.

fred | Sep 6, 2008 6:12:40 PM | #

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Gotta love a show that brings out all the classically trained actors. The acting is already kinda iffy, but now they whip out the lead singer from Garbage? What, Keith Richards wasn't available?

And yeah, obviously it's gonna be the paramedic that dies. Think about it. They've got a hunky black guy, a hunky white guy, a 30-something woman they try to sexify, a teenage chick they try to sexify, and a teenage idol they try to sexify. They've got all their ratings bases and all their demographics covered. So OF COURSE it's going to be the paramedic that bites the big one, or it's otherwise going to be a character they first introduce this season.

alan t. | Sep 6, 2008 7:43:09 PM | #

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Yes, the premiere was definitely intense and quite movie-like, similar to the first season's premiere. Lots of "Oh my God, is this character really about to die?!" moments. And a great Cameron/John development. Definitely worth watching on Monday!

Brian | Sep 6, 2008 10:43:16 PM | #

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Well, technically, Summer Glau is closer to 30 than teenage, but they do pass her off as a teen.

Billiam | Sep 8, 2008 6:57:54 AM | #

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How can anyone write an entire article about this show without mentioning Cameron or Summer Glau once? Seriously, she is the reason this show is a hit.

TLA | Sep 8, 2008 10:57:28 AM | #

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And now that Levin Rambin is joining the cast (for however long), there will be two good reasons to watch the show. Who needs Sarah Connor? :P

Revenant | Sep 8, 2008 8:09:40 PM | #

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The season premier episode Monday night was very good. This show is much better than anyone ever thought it would be, and I would argue that its the most exciting piece of television since 24 came on the air!

entertainmenttodayandbeyond.com | Sep 9, 2008 8:46:48 AM | #

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@ alan t. - Okay, so Shirley Manson isn't a trained actress (a fact made painfully clear by her performance in Monday's show, although I think it just about worked in the end,) but let's face it, we're talking here about a series based on a movie series that starred Arnold Schwarznegger. It's not like there isn't precedent!

Ash | Sep 11, 2008 5:53:48 AM | #

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