Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Bwah-ha-ha-ha! That’s all you get for an intro. No quips, no jokes, just me and my evil little laugh.

Previously: Jesse killed Riley. Sarah and Derek think Cameron killed Riley. John doesn’t know who killed Riley (we think), but he’s SURE it’s not Cameron. In other news: Jesse used to be on a sub captained by a scrubbed Trip Eight and they were sent to pick up a mystery package by Future John.

It’s raining. John’s in the family product placement with Derek, who’s expressing his condolences. “She didn’t deserve what happened to her.” John’s reaction is the same as mine, no one does, and yet here we are. There’s a question on John’s mind. We know it’s been there ever since he saw Riley’s body. How long does Derek, a trained soldier, think he would last bare-fisted against Cameron? No guns. With just his hands and elbows and fingernails and teeth. Derek practically snorts. “Against her? Those aren’t weapons.” John agrees, but Derek hasn’t answered the question. “If she wants me dead I’m dead.” Echoing the comment, John listens to the rain, thinking about bruises and cuts and signs of a fight that shouldn’t have been on the body of a girl killed by a Terminator. Derek’s confused, he wants to know what John’s getting at.

“I want to talk to you about the future.” It won’t be a happy conversation.

“Yours?”

“Yours.”

We silently fade away.

Elsewhere, there’s a corkboard with endless pictures of smiling people and flyers for community events. Jesse looks over it dispassionately before crossing to the edge of the public swimming pool. She sticks her hand in the water and looks down, down, and down until we flash-forward to the sub Jimmy Carter and the away team verifying the receipt of the package. When the verifying video feed pops up, Torpedo Pete asks what the box is. “Connor’s Box.” And that’s all they know. The team gets back onboard and Queeg takes custody of the package, leaving to lock it up tight. After his exit, Dietz asks if the contents of the package are just between Jesse and Queeg and she says, yet again, that she’s as clueless as they are. “That doesn’t bother you.” No. Jesse’s OK with that, but Dietz really, really, isn’t and he’s gone from amusing and useful  to Very Bad News in the blink of an eye. He thinks that at least one person with skin should know, and Jesse says one does. John Connor. That doesn’t seem to make it any better.

Later in the mess hall Dietz is bitching. Now with 100% more attitude. Who the hell cares if Connor needs the box, they’re dancing to the tune of a metal Captain with orders he’s not sharing. “Connor is so into his big chess match with Skynet, he doesn’t even see how the tin cans got us right where they want us. Metal on every base running the show in all but name.” And to a certain extent he has a point, but if he hadn’t gone from good soldier to complete asshat in .02 seconds, I’d be more inclined to have sympathy. So would Jesse, who’s standing on the sidelines listening to her officer spout sedition and worse. By the time he stars speculating about what’s in the box, she’s had enough and she disperses the crowd – ordering Dietz to his rack for some rest. Jesse tries to tell him that he’s a good sailor, but “it’s getting to you.” His reply? ‘What’s getting to you?”

Back in the present tense, Jesse prepares to dive.