The rest of the episode may have been of the now-standard, here’s-a-morsel-of-plot variety, but you can’t deny that that opening sequence, where Ellison comes face to face with an Ellison Terminator, was creepy good. Even better that Cromartie kills the Terminator (!) because he believes that Ellison will ultimately lead him to the Connors. Cromartie is like Ellison’s own personal Cameron, which is just too strange for words.
Cameron, ironically, is the one that gives Cromartie his first clue in ages as to the whereabouts of the Connors. Her photo is finally entered into the police database after her stint at the halfway house following her arrest. Cromartie hits the house for clues, and finds Cameron’s deadbeat jail buddy Jody, who’s naturally out for revenge after Cameron nearly killed her. Their back-and-forth had its moments (mainly when Cromartie said “I’m not a cop” in the most unconvincing way possible), but the bit where he shoved her out of the car was money. But wouldn’t a Terminator like Cromartie be programmed to kill Jody once he had no use for her? Just a thought.
Aisle 7: condiments, salad dressing, welfare cases, unstoppable killing machines.
The other woman in John’s life, schoolmate Riley, causes even more trouble for the Connors when she forgets to set the alarm on their place and they are robbed. Cash, jewels, fake IDs, even their food is stolen. Mama Bear is not happy, but must be doing jumping jacks on the inside, since she’s been looking for a reason to keep John away from Riley since the day they met (I’ve dated girls with mothers like Sarah, it isn’t pretty). They eventually get their stuff back – three thieves and a fence lose their lives as a result – but not without tipping off Cromartie yet again when one of the thieves tries to use one of the stolen credit cards. So there’s your life lesson, John Connor: bitches ain’t shit. Make sure you have your therapist on speed dial in the future.
Cromartie isn’t the only machine that’s protecting Ellison, though. Catherine Weaver cleverly bails Ellison out of a jam after he’s fingered for a murder committed by his Terminator doppelganger. So two machines are protecting Ellison, while one (so far) has tried to kill him. Does he wind up playing a role of Miles Dyson proportions when all is said and done? Perhaps, but for the moment, as Catherine deftly observed, Ellison is Job. That’s gotta suck.
