Episode Report Card Daniel: A- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Protect Ya Neck
By Daniel | Season 2 | Episode 6 | Aired on 10.20.2008
later gets in the front and drives off.So Ellison gets on the elevator at Weaver's building with glasses-wearing guy, who has to bounce Ellison from the elevator because glasses-wearing guy needs to go down further. Again, really nice security guarding the AI project, guys. All Ellison has to do is make Moby here wave his little passkey over the elevator panel, and he's in.
So who better to diagnose the problems with the AI than a child psychologist? Weaver's brought Sherman in, to her office, not the lab, and explains the project they're working on and the trouble they're having. She plays him the images the computer keeps flashing: question marks, books, crying people, math problems. After a few moments of watching, Sherman starts to laugh, much to Catherine's consternation. Sherman explains the computer's telling a joke that a third-grader told to him. "Why (the question mark) is a math (the problems) book (the books) so sad (people crying)?" Sherman said it would seem the AI program is advanced, because as far as developing a sense of humour -- well, some people never do, he says, and he looks a little too long at Catherine. "If it were one of my patients, I'd say it's a gifted child who's grown bored and is amusing itself," he continues, adding that that's impossible, given that this is a machine. Yeah, well, it's kind of the project's goal to make this sort of stuff happen, Sherman. Catherine's still staring at the images. "Why is a math book so sad?" she repeats. Sherman provides the answer: "Because it has so many problems," and giggles. Yeah, that's not bad. Catherine just continues to stare.
Sarah's listening in on the Sherman bug. It's John's session, and despite the bug, he sounds like he's getting a little bit bolder in terms of opening up, when the doctor's asking him about whether he feels safe and whether his mother makes him feel safe. "Safe is the last thing she wants me to feel," he says, acknowledging a moment later that "She's probably right. She's always right." Since feeling that way will keep you alive on bad days. Sherman asks if John has a lot of bad days like that. John doesn't answer right away, and Sarah takes the headphones out.
Derek shows up at Jesse's door, and he starts talking about the time he went out to take a leak and she had to talk him out of eating his gun. Just like what happened to his fr-- oh. OH. Next thing you know, they're playing tonsil hockey and ripping each other's clothes off, because nothing is hotter than talking about taking a leak and suicidal tendencies.
Afterwards, we're treated to some extra-nauseating pillow talk with Jesse thinking they need a new word to describe what they just did, like WHAT EXACTLY DID THEY DO THAT DOESN'T ALREADY HAVE A WORD FOR IT, and then she says, "I have a new life, Derek. I want new words. Think of one and I might let you stay." How about "gflorptinate"? She asks him to get her a drink, and when he goes, she reaches down by her side of the bed and shoves a bunch of what look surveillance photos of the Connor Crew under the bed.
In Weaver's office, Catherine has built a giant Lego tower for her daughter, which Ellison thinks Savannah will love, and Catherine's not sure, and any time they want to get to the point is fine with me. Catherine asks him how the robot hunt is going, and he can use any resources he needs. I'm not sure how much faith Catherine should have in Ellison, considering that she all but has a blinking neon "I AM A ROBOT" sign flashing on her forehead. Ellison asks what's going on in the basement. "It seems there's high security," he says, which had me laughing my arse off for the next five minutes straight. "We're building something. Good luck on your hunt," she says.
Over at Sherman's office, the doctor's seeing John in, since his receptionist didn't show up today (the temp agency's sending someone). Once inside, John, while Sherman is distracted, rips the bug from under the lamp and asks about being able to say anything he needs to.
Outside, Cameron, listening in, frowns at the static now coming through the headphones. She checks the receiver in her pocket, and then gets up and walks towards the building -- just as Kathy Griffinator is heading towards the building. They match each other stride for stride, staring straight ahead, each taking one side of double doors, and neither one of them notices the other? Not until they get into the elevator, anyway, and each pushes a button. They turn and look at each other, and cock their heads.
In Sherman's office, John's explaining that his mom worries about him, about everybody. "Your sister too?" asks Sherman. "My sister's ... stronger than I am," says John.
Outside, Cameron and the Griffinator reach for Sherman's office door handle at the same time, and look at each other again. And now there appears to have been some quick analysis, because Cameron kicks Kathy in the face and the fight is on. There's lots of arm-twisting going on, done by Cameron to Kathy, so clearly the producers have got a contortionist on their hands. Cameron kicks Kathy all the way down the hallway to the elevator, which dings.
In the session, John's telling the story of someone breaking into their house on his birthday. "He wanted computer equipment. He tied us up." John's flashing back now. "What happened next?" asks Sherman. "Nothing. Nothing happened," says John, clearly lying, adding that the guy got what he wanted and let them go. Sherman gently tells him that sometimes children feel they need to protect their parents, but that's not his job. "You're not one of my Vietnam vets. You're not a soldier. You get to be a kid," he says. "No," says John.
In the elevator, Cameron's kicking the crap out of a very scratched up Kathy, whose contortionist skills are being put to good use: Cameron shoves her, arms up, flat against the wall, and then bends her arms straight backward. Kathy twists around and frees herself -- and then the elevator dings, the doors open, and the combatants stand up straight and adjust themselves as a little boy and his distracted parents get on. Kathy tries to cover up her scratches with some hair, but the parents don't notice and the wide-eyed boy just keeps gazing at the two of them.
Eventually, the doors reopen, the family gets off, and as the boy looks back over his shoulder at the closing elevator doors, he sees a glimpse of the two woman scrapping again, but he's much too young to go, "rowr!" and make a scratching motion.
Time to get our money's worth from the contortionist! Cameron bends the woman's leg up to her face and jams her heel into her own eye. Yikes! She continues twisting Kathy into your basic pretzel shape and then effortlessly snaps her neck.
Back at the Connor Compound, Cameron tosses pretzel lady onto the floor, and I for one would LOVE to know how exactly that body was transported home like this. "It was there to kill him," says John. "Or protect him," says Sarah. Well, if it was there to protect him, maybe they shouldn't have sent the ALUMINUM model. Cameron hands John Kathy's chip, but it's been destroyed -- by the machine itself. "This model must have been redesigned," says Cameron. "With a self-destruct feature?" says an incredulous Derek, but John's got it figured out: "Skynet must not want me reprogramming in the future," he says. Well, with the way the machines flip out all the time, it's safe that probably some people in the Resistance would appreciate you retiring from reprogramming too, John. "Well, I guess they're getting smarter. We should too," he says. Let us know how that works out for you.
Savannah's finishing up her session with Dr. Sherman when Catherine shows up, wanting a word with the doctor. She wants to tell him he's done some good work. As has she, says Sherman: "Savannah seems happier. I gather you've worked hard to show her the mother she knew before her father's death." She has, says Catherine, but she was referring to Sherman's analysis of her project. She wants him on her team. He's flattered, but says he has a responsibility to his patients, so s