Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Hereby referred to as Terminator, T:TSCC or TSCC to save my fingers) was a pilot which was poorly received universally. By Terminator fans, by The Totally Rad Show guys, and me. The plot seemed cheesy, the acting and casting seemed awful, and the writing seemed convoluted and boring. So, I gave up on the show, and moved on to other pursuits.

Then, this past winter, I found myself languishing with nothing to do, and nothing to watch. Battlestar Galactica was coming, but it was a few weeks away yet. Dollhouse was coming, too, but I was unsure about the prospects it held. Digging into Hulu, I saw that episodes of Terminator were still up. So, I decided, why not, I’ll give the show a chance, I’m a fan of the Terminator franchise (mostly).

I am so glad I went out on a limb.

The Terminator franchise is one which has a lot of complex ideas occurring simultaneously. First, the idea of a killer robot which is unrelenting, unyielding and unstoppable at accomplishing its mission. Next, the time travel mechanism, which brings all sorts of questions of causality and impact which are deliciously complex. And finally, the very human stories of unrequited love, relationships and family. While the films do an excellent job of demonstrating these themes, they can never really be properly explained in a two hour film format. This is where TSCC really shines.

What we are faced with in TSCC is Sarah Connor, a mother who has spent the better part of her adult life living in fear of an enemy which doesn’t exist yet, which she spends her life preparing her son for. John Connor, who is destined to become a great leader and savior of mankind, but right now exists as a petulant teenager living a lonely life where his only company are those who know the man who he will become, but not who he is now. Derek Reese, a man who has seen horrors and suffering, and spends his days trying to steer the world away from what he has lived through. And Cameron Phillips, a Terminator in the vein of the Arnold Schwarzenegger character in Terminator 2, a machine designed to kill the people she is now assigned to protect, a variable and wildcard who might be set off at any time.

TSCC is great because it takes what makes the Terminator franchise so good and stretches it out into a medium which is better suited for its type of story. The films dealt with moments in time, when Skynet decided to alter its future by sending back implements of destruction. TSCC deals with Skynet going beyond simple killing, and using subterfuge to ensure its survival and strength in the future. It deals with elements of time travel and causation that make the geek in me giggle with glee. One particularly great episode takes a Terminator who traveled too far back into the past, killing a man who was supposed to build a tower where Skynet planned an assassination. So, the Terminator takes steps to ensure the tower will be built so that 80 years into the future, it can kill its target.

There are wonderful stories to be told in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and there is real potential to get one of the best series of all time, drawn from one of the best franchises of all time. It starts with people being willing to take a chance. So, I make my plea, here, to the Geek Troika audience: get your hands on whatever TSCC stuff you can and watch it. Tell your friends. Watch TSCC, and, I promise, you will NOT be disappointed.

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