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tori_reviewsTSCC 2x16: "Some Must Watch, While Some Must Sleep"
I don't think I liked that one that much; and I'm sure I didn't fully get it. It has a lot of the same elements ad 2x14, but where I loved that episode, this one doesn't really hold together. It isn't even super clear in the end if any of it was real, or if all of it was a dream (I think Sarah had the wounds at the end, but I wouldn't swear to it, and she might have gotten wounded a different way and imagined all this). This, in combination with The Good Wound makes me a little worried Sarah's just straight up losing it, but not knowing where they're going with it I'll reserve some judgment.
One problem is that both plot lines don't make a lot of sense and had pretty big plot holes; and when we're supposed to be picking between reality and fantasy one should make more sense in the end. I guess with the whole of both plot lines done, the apparently real one makes more sense but only because the sleep clinic one got really ridiculous toward the end.
It could be argued that by having both plots seem a little wrong that keeps you guessing what reality is longer. But to make that case would require being invested in either one, and both of them feeling wrong kept me from getting invested. Most of the time I thought we were going to find out we were just seeing the story out of order and one plot actually connected to the other; instead I don't find a lot of connection between them at all even if one is a dream world paralleling the real one.
The captive plot would make a lot more sense as Sarah's guilty conscience haunting her. The plot relies on a lot of coincidences, especially the big one with the past coming for her again. And it's glitchy where we seem to cut around important pieces of events that makes it hard to follow. Relative to the other plot it does follow a bit more structure, but it's shaky and I don't think it would hold up much scrutiny. Also, it contradicts Sarah's former story about John's birth out in the jungle; of course she could have been lying about that, it just bugged me.
The other plot was on shaky ground from the beginning, as I don't believe Sarah would ever check herself into a sleep clinic. We're given very little story about why she's there to explain that contradiction; and within this plot we're reminded that Sarah rightfully has some issues about being in this kind of position by bringing up her history with being locked up in a mental hospital. One could certainly argue that a lot of what she imagines there is built on her experiences both real and feared from that time.
I did have a brief moment where I thought if they had stumbled on to this project that's part of Skynet that's too big a coincidence to take; but in my time master John idea, well he would have known that the dots on the wall would through a series of effects lead them to uncover this plot/ I really hope I'm not completely making up this time master John stuff, because a lot of times I can use it to cover writing problems, but if those plot problems aren't there for us to wonder at and fill in the gaps with actions from the future, then they're just plot holes. Since this show didn't get to go all the way to its planned ending it never has to confront this issue.
What I would kind of like to analyze is Sarah's dream version of John and to a lesser extent Cameron. That Derek isn't there makes some sense, but I wish we could have had Kyle lurking around in her brain again. I did find it noteworthy though that Sarah's brain gave John some similar lines that dream-Kyle had a couple episodes ago, about her not being a machine. Even before we tilted very far towards that being a dream that felt noteworthy; but knowing it is a dream fits with another observation that grew in my mind through the episode. Sarah's brain version of John is a lot more mature and ready for things than real John. He is being somewhat less immature the last few episodes, but in retrospect he did jump forward a lot here, which now we can take as Sarah's perspective, the man she wants him to be.
But I think it also shows some suspicion on Sarah's part of Cameron's role in John's life. There is a slightly more suspicious edge to their interactions here; not like Sarah actually thinks there's anything particular going on there, but she like she worries about it happening. And while she sees John as unaware of it, there's a suspicion of Cameron trying to make something happen. Which is...sometimes accurate. Whenever things take on a somewhat shippy flavor between them I feel fairly uncomfortable, but I can't deny the show has floated the suggestion.
I don't think I liked that one that much; and I'm sure I didn't fully get it. It has a lot of the same elements ad 2x14, but where I loved that episode, this one doesn't really hold together. It isn't even super clear in the end if any of it was real, or if all of it was a dream (I think Sarah had the wounds at the end, but I wouldn't swear to it, and she might have gotten wounded a different way and imagined all this). This, in combination with The Good Wound makes me a little worried Sarah's just straight up losing it, but not knowing where they're going with it I'll reserve some judgment.
One problem is that both plot lines don't make a lot of sense and had pretty big plot holes; and when we're supposed to be picking between reality and fantasy one should make more sense in the end. I guess with the whole of both plot lines done, the apparently real one makes more sense but only because the sleep clinic one got really ridiculous toward the end.
It could be argued that by having both plots seem a little wrong that keeps you guessing what reality is longer. But to make that case would require being invested in either one, and both of them feeling wrong kept me from getting invested. Most of the time I thought we were going to find out we were just seeing the story out of order and one plot actually connected to the other; instead I don't find a lot of connection between them at all even if one is a dream world paralleling the real one.
The captive plot would make a lot more sense as Sarah's guilty conscience haunting her. The plot relies on a lot of coincidences, especially the big one with the past coming for her again. And it's glitchy where we seem to cut around important pieces of events that makes it hard to follow. Relative to the other plot it does follow a bit more structure, but it's shaky and I don't think it would hold up much scrutiny. Also, it contradicts Sarah's former story about John's birth out in the jungle; of course she could have been lying about that, it just bugged me.
The other plot was on shaky ground from the beginning, as I don't believe Sarah would ever check herself into a sleep clinic. We're given very little story about why she's there to explain that contradiction; and within this plot we're reminded that Sarah rightfully has some issues about being in this kind of position by bringing up her history with being locked up in a mental hospital. One could certainly argue that a lot of what she imagines there is built on her experiences both real and feared from that time.
I did have a brief moment where I thought if they had stumbled on to this project that's part of Skynet that's too big a coincidence to take; but in my time master John idea, well he would have known that the dots on the wall would through a series of effects lead them to uncover this plot/ I really hope I'm not completely making up this time master John stuff, because a lot of times I can use it to cover writing problems, but if those plot problems aren't there for us to wonder at and fill in the gaps with actions from the future, then they're just plot holes. Since this show didn't get to go all the way to its planned ending it never has to confront this issue.
What I would kind of like to analyze is Sarah's dream version of John and to a lesser extent Cameron. That Derek isn't there makes some sense, but I wish we could have had Kyle lurking around in her brain again. I did find it noteworthy though that Sarah's brain gave John some similar lines that dream-Kyle had a couple episodes ago, about her not being a machine. Even before we tilted very far towards that being a dream that felt noteworthy; but knowing it is a dream fits with another observation that grew in my mind through the episode. Sarah's brain version of John is a lot more mature and ready for things than real John. He is being somewhat less immature the last few episodes, but in retrospect he did jump forward a lot here, which now we can take as Sarah's perspective, the man she wants him to be.
But I think it also shows some suspicion on Sarah's part of Cameron's role in John's life. There is a slightly more suspicious edge to their interactions here; not like Sarah actually thinks there's anything particular going on there, but she like she worries about it happening. And while she sees John as unaware of it, there's a suspicion of Cameron trying to make something happen. Which is...sometimes accurate. Whenever things take on a somewhat shippy flavor between them I feel fairly uncomfortable, but I can't deny the show has floated the suggestion.
