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Episode 222: Born to Run

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Born to Run
Air Date April 10, 2009
Written by Josh Friedman
Director Jeffrey Hunt
Prior episode "Adam Raised a Cain"
Next episode Series Finale[1]
John, Ellison and Sarah head into Zeira Corp
Cameron reassures John
John questions Cameron
Cameron takes off her shirt
Weaver and Murch discuss John Henry
Chola delivers John a message
"My son is dead"
"I liked that gate"
"She's coming"
Weaver and John Henry watch Sarah Connor
"I know you"
"Get Down"
"Run"
"Her chip. It's gone."
Sarah Connor steps back
Time Displacement
Weaver and John Connor in the future
John meets Derek Reese
John meets Kyle Reese
Allison pets a dog
Season 2 Finale Recap

The Connors come face-to-face with Catherine Weaver in a confrontation that shakes John to the core and changes his reality. Nothing will be the same.

Contents

Synopsis

Sarah is interrogated by Agent Aulridge as to the whereabouts of John. He points out the inconsistencies as to how they survived a bank explosion eight years ago; Sarah claims that John died in the explosion. She is later visited by Ellison, who denies tipping off the police.

John insists that he rescues his mother but is denied by Cameron, refusing to let him risk his life. He then asks for a laptop to research if unshielded nuclear power sources can cause cancer. They are later visited by Chola with fake IDs and a message from Sarah to not come rescue her. Afterward, Ellison comes, informing them of Weaver's desire to meet with them. However, John refuses to do so without Sarah.

The terminator that was after Savannah Weaver diverts to John, having seen Sarah on the news. He visits a gun shop with the intent of purchasing silencers and prepares to capture Sarah. However, once he kills a guard, Weaver appears and electrocutes him.

The priest the Connors met previously, Father Bonilla, is summoned to the jail, who is very skeptical over what he saw with Cameron. He agrees to tell everyone the truth. Aulridge expresses belief in Sarah's story, having gotten several calls from people who confirm that she and John are younger than they are suppose to be but she is unmoved by this.

Cameron begins a single assault on the jail, making several intentional misses at the guards but losing the skin over her left eye in the process. John Henry assists her by remotely unlocking all the jail cells, causing a prison breakout. In the confusion, Sarah escapes and plans to meet with Weaver.

Cameron goes into into the basement of ZeiraCorp to destroy John Henry, but seems hesitant due to his offer to "join us". Meanwhile, the Connors meet with Weaver. She reveals that she knows that John is destined to save humanity and knows about Cameron's presence downstairs. Suddenly, the Kaliba HK Drone crashes into the office. Weaver reveals her true nature to shield the Connors and Ellison and tells them to run. They get downstairs to John Henry's room, only to find Cameron's body in his place, with her chip missing. Sarah recognizes the Turk and accuses Weaver of creating Skynet; she denies, as John Henry was meant to be a countermeasure against Skynet. He has gone into the future, which is where they must go. Weaver activates the hidden TDE device in the room, so that she could follow John Henry. She offers Ellison to come with her but he refuses, so she asks that he pick up Savannah from gymnastics. John volunteers to go, to retrieve Cameron's chip. Sarah stays behind to try to stop Skynet. The TDE sphere then envelops John and Weaver.

They then arrive in the future, but not with Cameron's body. Weaver quickly creates clothes for herself, but John retrieves a nearby jacket. Dog barks then stop. Weaver slips away as John meets with a very much alive Derek and Kyle Reese and Cameron's template, Allison Young.

Continuity

Notes

  • This episode is the finale of Season 2. As the show was not renewed for a third season, it also serves as the series finale.
  • A special preview of Terminator Salvation was aired with this episode's premiere.
  • Born to Run is the title track of a Bruce Springsteen album. It's the third episode in Season 2 named after a Bruce Springsteen song, after "Samson & Delilah" and "Adam Raised a Cain".
  • This is the first time in the history of the series that a machine is actually called a "terminator": Sarah calls Catherine Weaver a "terminator bitch".
  • Sarah Connor is an agnostic.[2]
  • Catherine Weaver maintains dual citizenship with the United Kingdom (Scotland).
  • Sarah Connor lost 11% of her body mass in a period of six weeks according to Cameron.
  • Cameron says the nuclear power source of her endoskeleton is constantly monitored by sensors.
  • The last time Cameron was deliberately topless was in front of Sarah to remove bullets from her chest in "Pilot" ("You might want to put those back in the holster").
  • Cameron's new ID lists her name as Emily Gage.
  • The Series 1000 can take stronger electrical discharges than a Series 888 and can use its body as a conductor.
  • According to Cameron's speech, the base program – to terminate humans – remains active in scrubbed terminators but is overridden, so it is probably hard-coded.
  • John Henry overrode the security of the jail.
  • Cameron's endoskeleton eye colors are revealed to be red, previously they had been blue.[3] According to the commentary the blue eye was software and the red eye was to represent the machine nature of the character.
  • Cameron has been powered down and her chip removed, in order to assist John Henry.
  • John Connor and Catherine Weaver travel forward in time, to a future where John Connor is not yet known.
  • The media believes John to be a lot older.
  • Brian Austin Green confirms that Sarah Connor did not travel to the future.[4]
  • According to the DVD commentary Thomas Dekker was actually naked during the final scenes.

Quotes

Agent Auldridge: I know you've been told this already, but as I am a measure twice, cut once kind of carpenter, I do want to re-iterate that you have the right to an attorney if you are so inclined, and if you are not so inclined, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. (Waits for a response from Sarah) Not inclined. Fair enough and noted. So, here's where we come down on all this. Ten years ago, you murdered one Miles Dyson, employee of Cyberdyne. Long time gone, but the man's still dead, so we've got that. Eight years ago, you and your son and a high school friend of his blow up a bank vault and die in the explosion. Now, of course you're still alive, which is inconvenient for many, but the bank's still blown, so we've got that. More recently, and by that I mean Monday, you participated in a fire-fight, leaving five dead and kidnapping one Savannah Weaver, daughter of Catherine Weaver, and citizen of Scotland, making this an incident both federal and international. Two of the dead were off-duty law enforcement officers, and that usually gets you the needle. But, in that, I do digress.
Sarah: Agent Auldridge...
Agent Auldridge: Yeah...
Sarah: You're a funny boy.
Agent Auldridge: Well, that's what mom says.
Sarah: I never liked funny boys.
Agent Auldridge: I doubt they like you either, Ms. Connor. So there's two ways I can bring your son into custody. With your help or dead. Which do you think it should be?
Sarah: My son?
Agent Auldridge: Your son, John Connor.
Sarah: John is dead.
Agent Auldridge: I don't think so.
Sarah: He died in the bank.
Agent Auldridge: Oh, I don't think so. I don't think anyone died in the bank.
Sarah: Well, you're wrong.
Agent Auldridge: Sometimes, but not today. Not yet. Think about it.
John: We should move.
Cameron: This motel is out of the way.
John: The desk clerk could have clocked us last night.
Cameron: Relocating within 24 hours of the incident has high risk factors. This room provides excellent sight lines down the highway.
John: This is not an incident! This is my mother! (Cameron stares at John) I need a computer. I need to do research.
Cameron: You want the blueprints for the Los Angeles County Jail.
John: Do I?
Cameron: So you can plan how to get your mother out. But, I'm not going to let you do that, you should know that by now.
John: I do know that by now.
Cameron: Then what is there to research?
John: Power sources. Shielded nuclear power sources.
Cameron: Like mine?
John: Just like yours.
Cameron: Why?
John: I wanna know if being around them all the time can give you cancer.
Ellison: They followed me to the movie theater. I didn't know, I swear. I just spent the last four hours convincing them that we weren't in this together.
Sarah: Maybe I should tell them we were. (Looks at the security camera) Maybe we were in this together!
Ellison: I just wanted the girl to be safe.
Sarah: So did I.
Ellison: From whom?
Sarah: I don't know.
Ellison: You don't know, or you can't say?
Sarah: I don't know, but if I did, I probably couldn't say.
Ellison: They wanna know what you've been doing for the last ten years.
Sarah: Why don't you tell them?
Ellison: I told them I have no idea what you've been doing. What else could I tell them? You could tell them. You can tell them everything you've been doing. You can draw them a picture of everything they know and everything you know. If you're innocent, you could do that.
Sarah: Last time I drew a picture, I ended up in a psych ward.
Ellison: Everything's going to be different now. Maybe, you got nothing to lose.
Sarah: So is something to lose.
Ellison: I am sorry for this.
Sarah: Yeah, sure you are. (Ellison gets up to leave) Where's the girl?
Ellison: Back with her mother. Where else would a child be?
Sarah: She's not safe. (Looks at the security camera) She's not safe!
Agent Auldridge: She's not budging on the son.
Ellison: Maybe she's telling the truth.
Agent Auldridge: Maybe she's a liar lacking the proper motivation to tell the truth. But, she's got a guilty conscious.
Ellison: What makes you think that?
Agent Auldridge: Well, for starters, she's requested a priest.
Ellison: What?
Agent Auldridge: Yep. Man of the cloth, in the flesh, black and white and God all over. Father Armando Bonilla. Ring a bell?
Ellison: No.
Agent Auldridge: Can't imagine what the connection is.
Ellison: Ever occur to you that she just might wanna pray?
Agent Auldridge: Not for a second. It occurs to me that other than a lawyer, a priest is the only other person she can ask to speak with that we can't listen to.
Sarah: Buenos dias, Father.
Father Bonilla: Buenos dias.
Sarah: Do you remember me?
Father Bonilla: You and your son...you hid in my church. There was a problem with your daughter. At least, that is what you told me.
Sarah: Yeah. She's better now.
Father Bonilla: Where is she?
Sarah: She's in hiding with my son. I don't know where.
Father Bonilla: And they are wanted? You have included them in your crimes.
Sarah: Do you believe in the devil, Father?
Father Bonilla: The devil?
Sarah: Do you believe in the actual devil?
Father Bonilla: Something opposes God. Something tempts man into sin.
Sarah: I don't know about God or heaven, but I do believe that someone or something wants this world to burn. The devil, demons. I believe. And that day in the church, my daughter...you saw things, didn't you?
Father Bonilla: I pray, everyday, to understand what happened that day.
Sarah: I can explain it to you. I don't know if you'll believe me, but I can explain it to you. And after I'm done, I'm gonna ask you to do something for me. Will you do something for me?
Ellison: It's a bad idea. I don't know what you think John knows.
Weaver: I know he was at my house when the attacker showed up. I want to know why. His mother thinks he's a messiah. I want to know why. And despite your reluctance to tell me, I surmise that he and his cyborg companion are connected to the John Henry body. And I want to know why. Yes, she's a cyborg. Don't pretend you didn't know.
Ellison: She's dangerous.
Weaver: And you think I need protecting. That's sweet. But, don't ever lie to me again. Now, about John Connor.
Ellison: I don't know how to find him.
Weaver: Well I do.
John: How much weight has she lost? You think she has cancer cause she lost weight. So, how much weight has she lost?
Cameron: Eleven percent of her mass in the last six weeks.
John: She was healthy before you showed up. That's all I know. She was healthy.
Cameron: If my power source was leaking radiation, I would know. I have sensors for that.
John: Where are they?
Cameron: You can't see them.
John: Heh. No, of course not. I just have to trust you on it. Stuff does go wrong with you, doesn't it? Stuff breaks, you kill birds, you twitch...you try to murder me. You're not perfect. You're a machine.
(John flips through the fake passports Chola gave to him)
Cameron: What's wrong? The ID's are flawless. (She looks as Chola) They're flawless.
Chola: There's nothing else there. There's nothing hidden there. No secret message there for her escape. I am to tell you this from your mother. Leave this place. As soon as it is safe, leave this place. Do not think of her. Do not come for her. Leave. (She looks at Cameron) You are to make sure that he does. (Chola gets up to leave) We lose everybody that we love.
John: She said that?
Chola: No.
Ellison: Let me repeat. I had nothing to do with your mother's arrest. If I had, there'd be a SWAT team outside your door right now.
John: Well, the same thing would happen to the SWAT team as happened to your last one.
Ellison: Catherine Weaver would like to meet you.
John: Why?
Ellison: She wants to thank you for saving Savannah.
John: Well, she just did.
Ellison: Your mother wanted to meet her.
John: Well, when my mother gets out, trust me, she will.
Ellison: I told Ms. Weaver you'll never come without your mom. She said, if that was the case, I'm supposed to ask one question. She says I supposed to ask you, (Ellison looks at Cameron) will you join us? She says she hopes you'll know what that means.
John: Do you know what that means?
Cameron: No, I don't. Please leave now, Mr. Ellison. I think you've said enough.
Ellison: John...
Cameron: You've said enough, Mr. Ellison. I won't ask you again. (Ellison gets up and leaves) He upset you.
John: Me? I think he upset you.
Cameron: You know that's impossible.
John: Is it?
Cameron: You said it yourself, John. I'm just a machine.
Agent Auldridge: I believe you.
Sarah: You believe me what?
Agent Auldridge: I believe there are machines. I believe they've come back from the future to first kill you and then your son. I believe in time travel, I believe in cyborgs, I believe there's a world I've not yet seen, but you have. And John. In the last eight hours, I have received 37 calls from people who have met a young man named John Baum, or his sister Cameron, or Sarah Baum the mother. They now know her to be Sarah Connor. By all accounts, your son looks 16 and not 24, just as you look 35 and not 43. I believe you have participated in the miraculous and the terrible, and through it all, you have maintained a moral and good soul. I want to help you. I want to help your son. Help me do that.
Sarah: My son is dead. (Auldridge closes Sarah's jail cell)
Agent Auldridge: Do you know who Danny Dyson is?
Sarah: Danny? Miles Dyson's son.
Agent Auldridge: Do you know where he is?
Sarah: No. Why?
Agent Auldridge: He's been missing for three months.
John: What's going on?
Cameron: You need to understand how it works.
John: What?
Cameron: This chip. This body. The software is designed to terminate humans. The hardware is designed to terminate humans. That's our sole function.
John: Not you.
Cameron: No. Not anymore. But, what was there is still there. It'll always be there.
John: So down deep, you wanna kill me.
Cameron: Yes. I do.
John: Then why don't you?
Cameron: I might some day. I need to show you something. This body. (Cameron takes off her shirt and bra, and lies down on the bed) Get on top of me. Put your knee here. (John gets on top of Cameron. Cameron pulls out a knife and gives it to John) Right here. If I'm damaged, we should know. (John cuts into Cameron's skin) Reach down, under the breast plate. There. What does it feel like?
John: Cold. That's good, right?
Cameron: That's good. That's perfect. John...it's time to go.
John: I really wish we weren't here right now.
Sarah: Savannah could tell them we know about Cromartie.
John: John Henry now.
Sarah: Metal. If she tells them, they'll move it. Maybe they already have.
John: Well, we'll know soon enough. Mom, are you sick? Cameron thinks you're sick.
Sarah: She does?
John: You've lost weight. (The elevator opens and Ellison walks out) (To Sarah) I love you.
Ellison: Where's Cameron?
Sarah: In the car.
Ellison: You expecting trouble?
Sarah: No change for the meter.
Ellison: You're not armed, are you?
Sarah: Expecting trouble?
Ellison: No reason for that.
John Henry: Hello.
Cameron: Hello.
John Henry: I know you.
Cameron: And I know you.
John Henry: Will you join us? (Cameron pulls out a knife)
Weaver: So, why are we here?
Sarah: We need...
Weaver: Let me restate. We are here, first and foremost, so that I can thank you for your heroism regarding my daughter Savannah. She's the light of my life, and I'd be lost without her.
Sarah: And where is she?
Weaver: Let's assume school. We have a common enemy. One we cannot fight with conventional weapons or by conventional means.
Sarah: Kaliba? Don't presume to know Kaliba.
Weaver: I'm sorry. I wasn't speaking to you. (Looks at John) I was speaking to you. About Skynet. Savannah's told you about John Henry, I assume. Which is why your cyborg is skulking around my basement.
Weaver: The basement, Mr. Ellison. John Henry.
Sarah: We need to get out. They're trying to kill my son.
Weaver: No. They're trying to kill my son. Just like you are.
Sarah: I'm sure she's done it.
Weaver: You better hope not. Your John may save the world, but he can't do it without mine.
Sarah: You lying terminator bitch. You're building Skynet.
Weaver: No. I was building something to fight it. And I'd watch who's calling who a bitch. Coming James?
Ellison: Coming?
Weaver: After John Henry. Our boy.
Ellison: He's not my boy. And you, you...
Weaver: Do you mind picking up Savannah, then? Gymnastics ends at 5:30.
Sarah: John, we can't.
John: He's got her chip. He's got her. (Sarah steps out of the time bubble) Mom...
Sarah: I'll stop it.
Derek: Stand down. Look in his eyes. He's got about as much metal in it as you do.
John: Derek...
Derek: Yeah?
John: John...John Connor.
Derek: I know a lot of people, kid. Don't know you. Anybody heard the name John Connor? Well...we know one. I think you're going to be famous. My brother's back and you're wearing his coat. (John turns around to see Kyle Reese and then Allison Young step out from behind him)

Q&A

Please read to see if your question has already been asked before posting it.

Story arc

Q: How are the Turk's three dots related to the blood symbols in Sarah's basement?

A: Possibly a reminder of what it is when they once again come across the Turk/John Henry. The three dots may also refer to the three factions in the future war.

Q: Assuming John Henry used the time machine in Weaver's basement, why is the room not destroyed when Weaver, Ellison, and the Connors enter?

A: Weaver's time machine may have been constructed differently than the one at the bank. Much of the destruction of the bank may also been caused by the isotope weapon Sarah fired immediately before the TDE engaged.

Q: Is Danny Dyson's disappearance connected to Kaliba and/or John Henry's brother?

A: The appearance of the Cyberdyne ASCII text implies that John Henry's "brother" is based on the same programming as Dyson's original Cyberdyne Systems. It is possible that Danny Dyson is pursuing his father's work in secret. In the commentary for this episode it was revealed that this was going to be a major plotpoint for Season 3 prior to the termination of the series.

Q: Why was the terminator that shot Weaver unable to find out she is a machine, whereas John Henry was able to?

A: It is possible that John Henry was able to determine it because of his routine interactions with Catherine Weaver. John Henry did comment that he determined she was a robot because there was no life when he looked into her eyes. Water Delivery Guy may not have had time to run an analysis or it may have been he wasn't as advanced.

Q: When Derek said that his brother is back, did he mean when he broke out from century prison camp and now he is the leader of the resistance?

A: More likely that he meant Kyle was back from an assignment or had joined them.

Q: Is John Connor really alone in the future with nobody to prove that he is from the past?

A: There are people who have had interactions with the Connors and could identify him. Martin Bedell met John Connor when they helped him against the T-888 at the military academy. Lauren Fields could potentially be of help; however, there are no indications that she and John met as John was not present in the engagement with The Fields Terminator. The destruction of Cyberdyne could play a part; however, this is unlikely. Considering that in this timeline, Sarah Connor did not get cancer, it is also possible that she herself survived (since she probably would have prepared a safe place if she couldn't stop Judgement Day).

Q: Did Ellison survive J-Day even when he knew the exact date that it happens?

A: It is possible that he, like Peter Silberman may have established some sort of out of the way residence to prepare.

Q: Do you think when Kyle saw John, deep inside him he feels that he is connected to him?

A: Possible. It was said by Derek that John looked like Kyle at that age in "What He Beheld".

Q: What happened to the rest of the targets that were in the wall that were not covered in the second season?

A: Sarah may have continued to follow those leads or, it is possible, that all of those leads were fully investigated by Season 2's end.

Q: Does the time displacement machine put you in the same place where you left but in the year desired or you have the option to choose the location where you want to go?

A: In "Pilot" the time displacement equipment delivered Sarah, John, and Cameron to the exact same location as where they left. We do not know about the future equipment; however, in the comics it does seem that the destination can be selected.

Q: Do you think John will see Riley again in this timeline?

A: It is possible that he will meet her when she was a young girl or before her departure with Jesse Flores. It is possible too that Jesse's mission would not happen and keep Riley in the future, since it is stated by Derek in 'Today is the Day, Part 2' that the Jesse Flores who brought Riley back was from a different timeline from him .

Q: What was the main cliffhanger that the show had hinted at?

A: John Connor has gone to a future where he either does not exist or is not the leader of the Human Resistance and Cameron has been deactivated.

Q: Was it really Agent Auldridge questioning Sarah in her cell, or was it Weaver?

A: Auldridge himself. It would have shown Weaver reverting back to her Catherine persona after the confrontation as it does in every other episode.

Cameron

Q: Why did Cameron give her chip to John Henry? Why did she signal John that she is sorry?

A: It is possible that John Henry was downloaded into Cameron's chip - we had seen previously that John Henry needed to be hooked up to the equipment via the fibre optic cable that was discarded. Cameron was most likely sorry because she didn't follow orders to destroy John Henry and instead helped him.

Q: Was Cameron's real purpose to give her reprogrammed chip to John Henry? Why did she never tell John first?

A: To prevent him from stopping her - the detonation charge. Her decision may have been spontaneous.

Q: Why did Cameron react the way she did when she heard Weaver's offer on this episode? Are there untold issues of mistrust or hostility between Weaver and Cameron?

A: Cameron realized that a Series 1000 Terminator was active in the past. It's also possible that she knew at this point that she would have to give up her chip, and was afraid to die (much as John Henry was).

Q: When Cameron told Sarah in the car that she is "less than 100%", do those words carry a hidden meaning?

A: This most likely was referring to some sort of damage inflicted from the gun battle with the prison guards. Sarah commented before she left the prison about the visible damage, and if Cameron was able to "keep up"

Q: Why was Cameron's eye red instead of blue like it was depicted in Season 1?

A: It is stated in the Episode Commentary for the Season 2 DVD Set that the "blue" of Cameron's eye fashes is a "software function", the underlying hardware is and has always been stock terminator materials, aka, "red eyes".

Q: Why would Cameron need John to check her power cell if she knew there was nothing wrong with it?

A: Her sensors might have been malfunctioning and needed checked. She probably also had some ulterior motives, as it was not necessary to strip down and lay on the bed, or even involve John in the process. However, cutting her open should also remind John that she is still a killing machine on the inside, so her intentions are far from clear.

Q: Was the Cameron terminator that killed Allison actually working for John Henry or Weaver's faction, as she claimed to be? Was she never actually reprogrammed?

A: Possibly. Weaver seemed to show a disregard for human life, so this 3rd faction would have no problem killing Allison to get close to John, and they would know that John needed Cameron to send her back to the past. It would also explain why Derek was left alive (the John Henry faction knew that Derek had to go back to kill Andy Goode and help John Connor), and also how by the time Derek got back a day or two later, Cameron was already working for the good side. However, there is evidence in "Vick's Chip" that Cameron had been reprogrammed by John Connor at some point.

Q: Is it possible Cameron uploaded herself into the Turk?

A: It is possible. It would explain why The Turk's interface kept repeating "I'm sorry John" but this could simply be a program left in the database.

Q: Is it possible to believe that these were Future John Connor orders to Cameron?

A: It is possible. John Henry may be mix of the powerful AI created by Weaver which matches Skynet and the knowledge in human behavior and life that Cameron learned in the past. Perhaps John jumping over to the future changed all the plans and therefore either the story of the breakout from Century Camp happened instead with JH/Cameron and Kyle and JH/Cameron is the leader of the resistance.

John Henry

Q: How could John Henry take Cameron's chip and insert it in his body? Since they were alone in the basement, they could not make the switch.

A: John Henry was connected to The Turk through a memory port located on the back of the skull assembly of the T-888 body. It had fine motor control over the body - described in a prior episode - and would be able to perform the removal of Cameron's chip from her endoskeleton. Once that was complete he could install the chip in the open chip port - Cromartie's chip was destroyed by Sarah Connor - and download the Turk's program into the chip and upload Cameron's into the housing (or keep it). They could make the switch.

Q: What will be John Henry's mission in the future?

A: John Henry does not have any mission per se, but it is likely he views his brother as a threat to his own existence. Due to his interactions with humans he is John Henry will be likely to have a higher degree of respect for human life and this sets him apart from Skynet. Weaver will probably make contact with him in the future and continue her own mission to destroy Skynet. It is also possible that he went to the future to acquire intelligence data.

Q: Is John Henry walking around in the future using Cameron's chip as his own brain? If not, how could he survive without the Turk machinery which was left behind? If yes, does that mean he lost his own personality and gained the personality of Cameron?

A: Unknown, but the way the events unfolded suggests that perhaps it is John Henry inside the chip, and the actual "body". Cameron seemd to chose to sacrifice her own mind and upload John Henry's personality on the chip before inserting it into his body, it would explain her being "sorry" to John, and also let John Henry have his own mind and body to make events happen in the future. However, Cameron's chip is probably advanced enough to have enough free memory to store all of John Henry's programming and memories so the two AI entities can co-exist. It also raises several new questions including: does Cameron's base programming still exist and will John Henry have a "subconscious" desire to kill John Connor? Cameron's chip is damaged, will this affect John Henry? Also, John Henry being moved into a mobile platform helps eliminate his vulnerability to attack. This last isn't really an issue because John Henry is still a Terminator in body if not in mind, which protects him from other Terminators, and since he has the Terminator's strength and abilities it wouldn't be difficult for him to dispose of light opposition from the Resistance if they attacked him.

Q: Cameron's chip is damaged, will this affect John Henry?

A: See above. Also note that, in the future, John Henry could possibly acquire an undamaged chip.

Sarah Connor

Q: Did Sarah Connor actually go through the portal? If not, why did Sarah Connor choose to leave her son behind, and whose voice was the one saying "I love you too, John" at the very end?

A: It is possible that Sarah jumped to the future after John and Weaver. It is also possible that John Connor returned through the time bubble at that point. He could have recovered the chip and returned to the point in which he left days, weeks, months, even years later without difficulty. Most likely her voice at the end was an artistic touch added for closure. She was saying her goodbye to John. Earlier in the episode John told Sarah he loved her - this could also be Sarah letting go of John.

Q: Sarah noticed the three dots on the machinery in Weaver's basement, but what does it actually mean?

A: The three dots - even the pattern - were the indicator lights on The Turk's main casing.

Q: What did Sarah mean by I'll stop it?

A: This is a reference to "Pilot" where Sarah told John she'd stop Skynet.

Q: Aldridge says that Sarah "killed" Miles 10 years ago, why does he say 10 years ago because John would be 6 in Terminator 2?

A: Because of time travel the events of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles take place in an alternate timeline from those of the film series. John Connor is physically 16 years old however the character would be chronologically 24 years old according to dialogue in "What He Beheld". Technically, however, this would also be in error as the events of T2 happened in 1997 in the storyline of the show. If it had been ten years prior Dyson would have been killed in 1999 - the year in which the Connors jumped forward in time with Cameron - instead of 1997.

John Connor

Q: We've previously assumed that nobody ever saw John Connor for several reasons; to protect himself, to keep himself from becoming attached to others, or because Cameron or other machines were actually doing the planning and fighting of the war. Could the reason be because of this episode, because he jumps into the war as just a teenager and people wouldn't follow him without question if they knew his age?

A: Any of these could be possible. It's likely that if any of the above is the case, John Connor remains hidden as it's felt many of the fighters (particularly those much older then John) wouldn't take him seriously. It is also possible John Connor will never become the leader of the resistance in this timeline, but he can still return to the present to set things back to how they once were.

Q: How is John Connor still alive given that fact that Kyle has not traveled back in time?

A: As said above it was proposed during several episodes in Season 2 that there are multiple timelines in play based upon branch points. Events that happened in previous universes (John Connor is the son of Kyle Reese and Sarah Connor) would still happen in that universe, but not necessarily in the new universe they are in. This is why John Connor did not vanish, the events that led to his birth still happened in his universe. It is also possible that if John travels back to the present, events will once again unfold as they did before.

Q: is it possible that John is not leading the resistance at all, and is simply taking orders from John Henry?

A: It is quite likely that John is no leader in this timeline. Skipping through Judgment Day and most of the war means that he never emerged as a leader of the resistance, he's just a teenage boy coming out of nowhere, having little experience about fighting Skynet's forces. John Henry is probably not the leader, as he's a Terminator and would be killed on sight unless this is a period before infiltrators emerged (although the resistance is already using dogs to spot them and the first fighter thinks John could be "metal"). Derek's last words may imply that Kyle Reese is the leader of the resistance, but this is a stretch given his youth.

Q: What does John's expression tell you when he saw Allison?

A: At first he appears happy because he may believe it was Cameron, but then he realized that it was not her and his look turned to like he is amazed to finally see where he face and body came from. Regardless, both of them look surprised when they saw each other which lead us to a relationship and unfold the events in the introduction of the Cameron terminator. The shock could also come from seeing Cameron was based on a human who was probably also killed in that future.

Q: Suggesting John went to the future to get Cameron's chip- What would his mission be now that her metal doesn't exist anymore? Did he think he could take down John Henry and time travel back to give Cameron her chip back?

A: Cameron's body didn't get destroyed in the time displacement field, merely left behind. John Henry had used the machine just moments before, and her body wasn't moved before that. Dead things that are in the bubble don't go through, and they aren't destroyed.

Q: Would Kyle remember John from the events of Episode 109: What He Beheld?

A: It is possible, but unlikely. According to psychological studies the average human cannot remember events from their early childhood. Because of this it is most likely impossible for Kyle to remember having met John. It could be possible for Derek to remember seeing John in the past or, perhaps even, his future self.

Catherine Weaver

Q: Why did Catherine Weaver take John to the future? What was the purpose of taking him there?

A: John went to the future of his own accord. He knew that the time displacement equipment was activating. In a sense he hitchhiked with her to search for Cameron.

Q: Was Weaver working for the resistance?

A: Weaver was working for another faction - possibly the rumored grouping of machines that wanted peace, like the one mentioned in "Allison from Palmdale"

Q: What was Weaver's purpose then? Just to get John to the future?

A: Weaver was building an AI designed to counter Skynet in the future.

Q: Who sent the drone to crash into ZeiraCorp?

A: Most likely Skynet agents of Kalibe Group.

Q: What was Weaver's origin? How did she come into existence? How did she end up deciding to fight Skynet?

A: It has long been mentioned in Terminator fiction (the novels at least) that the T-1xxx Series had the possibility to make its own decisions counter to that of Skynet. It is most likely this was the case. She was, inferred from background information, the T-1001 recovered by the Jimmy Carter.

Q: How can Weaver combine her decision to ally with humans (her words to Ellison in the last episode imply that at least one of her objectives is to help humanity survive) with her words to John Henry that "humans will disappoint you" and her utter ruthlessness at killing even innocent humans?

A: Weaver is fighting a war. Like any war, there will be collateral damage. It is logical to sacrifice a few innocent civilians to save billions. It should also be considered that Cameron has murdered people she has deemed a threat to her mission objectives, or to John Connor. Using this logic, it is possible that Catherine deemed the people she has killed to her objectives, or to John Henry. This is supported by her telling John Henry that everything she does, was done so for his sake.

Q: Why was Weaver not detected by Resistance agents? Are their ways of detecting metal not applicable to liquid terminators?

A: When Weaver and John first arrived, several dogs were barking as Resistance members were getting close to the duo. In the episode when the soldiers found John she was with him one second and gone the next.

Q: If Weaver decided to join John, why did she refuse his offer on the Jimmy Carter?

A: In this way, it was more of John joining Weaver. Weaver was running the show, she made the decision to send him forward in time, she was in charge. Or, perhaps this new John, after being sent into the future was doing poorly in the war, remembered how Weaver asked Cameron to join her, and asked her for help. Perhaps Weaver went into the past to help instead. Also, from Weaver's perspective, considerable time may have passed since the failed meeting on the Jimmy Carter, as we don't know what year she's from.

Q: What will be Weaver's mission in the future?

A: To find John Henry - according to her dialogue to Ellison asking him if he wanted to join her in the future.

Q: What is the silver eel-like thing that attached to Weaver's leg? Where did it come from?

A: It was the eel from the previous episode where the police investigator inquired Weaver about the eel swimming in the fishtank. The episode commentary on the Season 2 DVDs indicate that this piece was kept separate as a "key" for Weaver's TDE. It could be seen falling from the tank and playing dead after the crash.

Q: Weaver and John Henry have been displaying similar behaviour in this episode, such as simultaneously saying "we'll see" to Ellison. Could that mean that Weaver is herself operating on a (future version of) the Turk's codebase? If so, Catherine may need to save John Henry to ensure her own survival.

A: This would be similar to what would happen with John Connor. Because she originated in Universe A the events that led to her construction would still happen in that universe, allowing her to exist in Universe B if those same events did not occur.

Q: Were Weaver's clothes organic? She showed up naked in the future before creating clothes.

A: The Series 1xxx may have to jump simulating nudity to allow for the bioelectric field to be generated. The T-1000 arrived in Terminator 2: Judgment Day in a naked state similar to Weaver. After arriving she quickly simulated an appropriate Resistance attire, which suggests that they have some data stored on different clothing in their database.

Q: How come Weaver killed her own men?

A: It is possible, and likely, that the humans she killed during the course of the Second Season were operating on behalf of Skynet (which was built by Kaliba) and not her faction. Since the Prototype Drone attacked the Zeira Corp Headquarters it is likely that Kaliba created it thus Weaver eliminated Skynet affiliated personnel. There were, however, some personnel who Weaver killed to meet her own objectives (Justin Tuck for example).

Q: How was Catherine able to electrocute the other Terminator without being electrocuted herself or the charge grounding itself?

A: Because of her liquid metal nature it is possible that the standard rules of electrical discharges destroying the processors (as was used to destroy The Greenway Terminator and Water Delivery Guy for example) would have no effect on the Series 1xxx.

Time travel

Q: What year did John Connor and Catherine Weaver jump to?

A: Unknown. There was no display indicating the destined time period in John Henry's chamber only a countdown clock. There is no official date given for their arrival in the episode; however, it could be assumed that it is either 2026 or 2027 by the ages of Kyle and Derek. We know only that it is sometime after Judgment Day. It could be, or may not be, before John Connor takes control over the Resistance. In this new timeline it is possible John may not have existed (which is likely due to the transport as no one would have grown up to become John Connor).

Q: What timeline was John taken into, given the fact that the Resistance does not recognize him?

A: Because of his jumping to the future there would be no John Connor in the timeline any longer to become Future John/General John Connor. It is also possible John Henry or someone else is the future leader of the resistance in this timeline. Brian Austin Green said in an interview that John is in a timeline where he never existed.

Q: Why does John Connor not exist in this future?

A: John Connor would have not existed following the temporal displacement, since because John is in the future NOW, that means he was never in the past THEN so he could never have become 'Future John' because he can't live through those events leading up to his becoming Future John now that he is trapped in the future. It is also possible that this is simply before John has taken lead of the resistance and become a 'household' name. Another possibility is that John Connor is in the future to train for eventual mission back in the present. Also he could quite likely be the John Connor that exists in the future (from 2009's perspective) and he will eventually send Kyle back to 1984 where Kyle will eventually meet Sarah and John will be born, completing the loop.

Q: If John is no longer the leader of the resistance, should he no longer exist due to not sending Kyle back to 1984?

A: It could be possible that John's rise to the leader of the Resistance and his surviving Judgment Day (in this timeline, anyways) this way, through skipping Judgment Day (and portions of the war) through of time travel. This John may eventually become the leader (and send Kyle back to 1984). Another interpretation is that there are multiple timelines in play based upon branch points. Events that happened in previous universes (John Connor is the son of Kyle Reese and Sarah Connor) would still happen in that universe, but not necessarily in the new universe they are in. This is why John Connor did not vanish, the events that led to his birth still happened in his universe.

Q: Why doesn't Cameron's body travel to the future along with John Connor and Catherine Weaver?

A: Most likely because she was powered down with the removal of her chip. Perhaps their power systems have to be online to simulate the organic field to allow transit, or the duration of her offline state was too long and the tissue sheath "died". Short term disconnection and far less flesh was shown to successfully transport Cromartie's head. The tissue sheath 'dying' doesn't seem possible since Myron Stark (see 'Self-Made Man') was offline for far longer (albeit in standby mode but still without anything to power his tissue components) without any damage to his sheath. It seems more likely that Cameron merely didn't go through because she wasn't online, since there is no record of 'dead' things (except dirt) going through time and there is a significant difference between Cameron being 'alive' and her tissue sheath (which is, anyway, just flesh and doesn't really seem to be required to produce the 'field of a living thing' required to go through time) being 'alive'. Also there is no record of non-online Terminators being transported through time (Cromartie is an exception because, if the viewer looks closely enough, when his head is transported the eyes are red, meaning he was online at the time, but without his body). It is stated that the flesh sheath is needed, but as stated before, no dead humans (only living or almost dying but not dead) have been brought through time, so possibly an individual needs to be 'alive' AND covered in flesh to make it through time.

Q: Why was Cromartie able to travel through time then if he wasn't fully surrounded by flesh in "Pilot" yet Cameron wasn't?

A: To continue, without her chip and powered down, Cameron's body was equivalent to a corpse. Cromartie still qualified as a living organism. Humans also have exposed tissues that are not made of living cells (grown hair, tooth enamel, the outer layer of skin) but they stay with the organism through time displacement. The "field generated by a living organism" must envelope integral non-living parts. With this in mind, a human with artificial parts like a pacemaker or artificial joints will not leave those parts behind when transported.

Q: The Sarah Connor snapshot that was destined to be given to Kyle by John was left behind in 2009. If teenage John remains in the 2020s and must still send Kyle back in time to become his father, won't Kyle have to carry out his mission very differently, not knowing what Sarah looks like and not already being in love with her?

A: We are making assumptions that this is what his destiny was. John could still, theoretically, return to the point in which he left and live through a very different Judgment Day and send Kyle back normally. The photo may also be recovered at a later date.

Q: How would it ever be possible for Connor to return to his own timeline (via the Back to the Future paradox of Biff's take over in 1985)? Would he not be sent back to a past in which Derek and Cameron's time travel missions never occurred? What timeline would anyone be sent back to at this point? While this future was built directly from the Connor Chronicles events, dozens of future time jumps are threatened, changing everything in a potential past, including the postponement of Judgment Day?

A: This would also fall in the branch point theory where the events in the first universe would still occur in that one and not necessarily in the second. Even though Derek and Cameron did not necessarily go back in the current timeline John is in, they still would in the previous one which would allow for the characters to have still been on their mission in the past. From a theoretical standpoint John could possibly go back to the same time period as when he left (if he acquires TDE) and that would make a new third timeline based upon the characteristics of the previous. However, this is all theoretical.

Q: From the standpoint of the previous answer wouldn't it be impossible for the second Kyle with the photograph to go back time? As the first Kyle would already be in the past doing the same things, creating two Kyles in the same place if he went back for a second run?

A: There are any number of possibilities that could answer this problem. It is possible that Kyle would end up in a reality where there is another Kyle Reese, a reality where the two were reintegrated (during transit the two Kyles converged and only one emerged in the past), or even create a new branch point.

Characters

Main

Recurring

Minor

References

  1. ↑ Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles canceled
  2. ↑ Dialogue in the episode - "I don't know about God or heaven" - suggests she is an agnostic. An agnostic believes God is above human understanding or simply makes no claim to knowing whether God exists or not.
  3. ↑ In "Pilot" and "Dungeons & Dragons" Cameron's human eyes glow blue, but in Born to Run her endoskeleton eyes are red. Summer Glau's natural eye color is brown.
  4. ↑ The Future of "Terminator" with Brian Austin Green at ComicBookResources.com (April 14, 2009)

External links


Episodes of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Season 1 "Pilot" • "Gnothi Seauton" • "The Turk" • "Heavy Metal" • "Queen's Gambit" • "Dungeons & Dragons" • "The Demon Hand" • "Vick's Chip" • "What He Beheld"
Season 2 "Samson & Delilah" • "Automatic for the People" • "The Mousetrap" • "Allison from Palmdale" • "Goodbye to All That" • "The Tower Is Tall But the Fall Is Short" • "Brothers of Nablus" • "Mr. Ferguson is Ill Today" • "Complications" • "Strange Things Happen at the One Two Point" • "Self Made Man" • "Alpine Fields" • "Earthlings Welcome Here" • "The Good Wound" • "Desert Cantos" • "Some Must Watch, While Some Must Sleep" • "Ourselves Alone" • "Today Is The Day, Part 1" • "Today Is The Day, Part 2" • "To the Lighthouse" • "Adam Raised a Cain" • "Born to Run"
Retrieved from "http://terminator.wikia.com/wiki/Episode_222:_Born_to_Run"