kungfuwaynewho | Why You Should Watch... (Reply)

1. Sarah Connor is awesome.

We're always looking for tough, smart, three-dimensional female characters, right? You're not going to get much better than the title character, Sarah Connor. Sure, sure, in the Terminator mythos it's John Connor who saves the world, but he'd have died a hundred times over – and maybe not even been born to boot – if his mother hadn't been the kick-ass, amazing woman she is. Let's face it, everything John Connor is and ends up becoming is due to the way he was raised – by a woman who was killing relentless, bloodthirsty cyborgs while he was still in diapers.

You may be thinking – but someone else playing Sarah Connor? Lena Headey makes it work. She's not as ripped as Linda Hamilton (though who is, let's be real), but you believe that she could kill you with a flick of her wrist nonetheless. See the episode “Some Must Watch, While Some Must Sleep” for some of her best work on the series.

2. Robots are awesome.

Seriously, robots are awesome. One of the science fiction genre's mainstays, the Terminators are some of the coolest robots and cybernetic organisms around. Sometimes they're just really cool killing machines, but there are a few who are real characters, with arcs as deep and complex as any of the human characters. The show also does a great job exploring all those little what-ifs that a movie just doesn't have the time to delve into. For example, if Terminators never have to sleep, what do they do at night? (See: 2x11, “Self Made Man.”)

Cameron, named for Terminator creator James Cameron, is portrayed by Summer Glau, and if you thought she kicked some ass in Firefly, you're in for a treat here.

Also, John Connor/Cameron equals forever.

3. Battlestar Galactica is over, and you're sad.

The premise is fairly straight-forward: man creates machine, machine gets really smart, machine decides to destroy man. Machine does a pretty good job. Where BSG goes in one direction, summed up in Sharon's line to Adama - “You said that humanity never asked itself why it deserved to survive. Maybe you don't.” - TSCC goes in another. Here, it's perhaps the Greek saying gnothi seauton - know thyself. BSG looks at a civilization on the brink of genocide – TSCC looks at a handful of people trying to stop that genocide from ever happening.

And yet, many things play out the same way. The machines stop just being machines and become allies. One solution leads to another problem. Saving the world doesn't mean you save yourself. But if you loved BSG, definitely give TSCC a try.

4. Bear McCreary is a really good composer.

Seriously, the music on this show is to die for. I'm a sucker for good TV music.

5. This guy.

Garret Dillahunt starts off as a semi-recurring character, and ends up as a regular. He's amazing, and what he does with his character is amazing. As a result of this show, he became one of the actors I will watch just about anything for.

All in all, if you're looking for a smart, well-made, satisfying TV experience, especially if you're a fan of science fiction, and you haven't watched Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles yet? Get thee to whatever venue you use to watch TV that's no longer airing. Trust me. It's worth it.