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Derek finds Sarah at the cemetery where Kyle is buried and gives her shit for lying to him last week. John comes with a cell phone picture of a little girl, and says he knows where she is.
At school, Savannah is IMing with Cromartie. The teacher is not pleased and tells Weaver. Savannah tells Weaver that she was teaching John Henry a song, but refuses to teach Weaver. There's a very special lesson about the dangers of the Internet.
John Henry wonders if he has a brother that looks like him. He complains that the human brain can't download anywhere when people die. He wants to be able to know what his brother is thinking. Then he helps Savannah with her math homework and saves her from the Terminator security guy who has invaded Weaver's house. Such a multitasker, that Cromartie. Savannah runs into John's arms. Cameron actually gets to fight a terminator! But he escapes and shoots Derek in the head!!!! Cameron catches up with him and throws him off a big old hill. Then the Connor clan finds a dead Derek. Sarah coldly advises them all to keep moving. John looks horrified. For his part, John Henry watches on and just looks confused.
The LAPD have put out an Amber Alert on Savannah. Ellison tells the LAPD they'll find the kid. Cromartie wants to know why Ellison lied about Sarah being dead. He also shows Ellison the terminator that was at the house. Ellison and Sarah have a little face-to-face; she wants to meet in person with Weaver. Weaver tells Ellison that in the grand scheme of things, John Henry's survival is more important than Savannah's. LAPD guy is suspicious about Ellison's involvement with Derek's murder.
Meanwhile, Savannah explains to John about John Henry, and he figures out that he's Cromartie. Cameron wants to kill him real bad. Sarah says no one is going to be killed.
John Henry learns lots of things about lying. And he's confused about the whole Cain and Abel story and how that relates to him. Weaver tells him he's God. Knowledge is power.
The Connor family goes to the movies to wait for Ellison. He shows up and takes Savannah, while Sarah gets arrested by the police. John threatens to kill Ellison, and he and Cameron run out the back door. John Henry sings Savannah's Scottish song, while John watches the footage of his mom going into the police station. Derek gets buried in the same unmarked-type grave as his brother.
Discuss this episode in our forums, then learn how to spot a Terminator from vlogger Sean Crespo on No Prior Knowledge! And check back week for the full recap!
Want more? The full recap starts right below!Previously: Sarah lied to Derek and Cameron and whisked John away to Charley's. Which was a monumentally bad idea, but then she got to shock someone in the head which was kind of cool. Cromartie's been reprogrammed and is now John Henry. Oh, and poor Charley is dead and gone.
We zoom in on a row of graves just marked by the year 1984. Sarah's looking out over them all wistfully. Derek walks up, and Sarah tells him that she doesn't know which one is Kyle's. Then he calls her out for lying to him about going to the desert last week and sending him and Cameron on a wild goose chase. She claims she only stopped to see Charley, and it wasn't planned, but he's dead now. John already gave Derek the 411, which is the only reason Derek was able to find her at this random cemetery. Derek gets that Sarah doesn't trust him, but basically says that his brother being dead should count for something. Nope. He's too secretive for her liking. They look like they are about to get into it, but John walks up and tells them they've got to go chasing after a little girl whose picture he found on one of the baddies from the lighthouse. No sense mourning over Charley or Kyle since he knows everyone dies for him. Ominous foreshadowing.
Savannah is in her classroom and supposedly learning new words, but instead she's IMing with Cromartie/John Henry. Cue parent-teacher conference with Weaver. Teacher goes on and on about the dangers of child molesters and generally pervy liars on the Internet. Weaver is none too pleased and asks Savannah what her deal is. Apparently, the creepy little girl decided that instead of learning a word like she was supposed to, she was going to teach John Henry a lullaby that her daddy used to sing to her. Weaver wants to learn the song, but Savannah tells her that she can't sing. Damn it. I was hoping to hear Shirley Manson sing. Alas. No singing, just a lecture about how people might not understand John Henry. He's got to be a secret.
John Henry is checking out his reflection and trying to figure out if his brother looks like him. Ellison says that his computer brother doesn't look like anything. He's a computer. John Henry wants to know if they share the same data and thoughts. Ellison thinks he's unique. True. Not everyone has a big cord coming out of their head. John Henry wants to know if they laugh alike, walk alike, at times even talk alike. John Henry then goes on to talk about how being a human would suck because the brain has nowhere to download. Hence computers are more awesome. Then he talks about the Bible and how heaven has a hardware problem. Too many souls, not enough microprocessors. He then tells Ellison he needs to get into his brother's brain, because he doesn't want to die again. What? I dunno. There's probably only one more episode left, so I'm not going to try to make sense of Cromartie/John Henry reading the Bible. Let's just give him some episodes of Battlestar Galactica and tell him they're real. That'll really blow his mind.
Savannah's at home doing her homework, while her sucky babysitter leaves her to go do aerobics. John Henry calls Savannah, but she can't figure out how to juggle the phone and a pencil. John Henry teaches her about this magic thing called a wireless headset and then gives her a vocabulary lesson. Multitasking at it's finest. Then a strange, yellow van pulls up at the house with a guy delivering water. And John Henry goes on alert. It is a Terminator, who shoots the babysitter in the head. John Henry helps Savannah hide, but her lesson on headsets didn't include instructions on keeping the phone close to the Bluetooth device so you don't go out of area. Water Delivery Terminator picks up on this and goes chasing after her, but John Connor reaches her first. I wish there weren't two Johns on this show now. It's a pain for recapping purposes.
Water Delivery Terminator comes into the garage guns a-blazing. Sarah and Cameron start shooting at him from behind. Cameron gets to do some hand-to-hand combat while John Henry looks on from his remote location curiously. Cameron gets momentarily knocked out, Water Delivery Terminator goes and shoots Derek right in the forehead. Wait, what? Derek!!!!! No time to process this sudden death, because Water Delivery Terminator's outside, and Sarah's shooting at him again, and Cameron sneaks up on him and throws him down a big-ass hill. While she's fighting, Sarah, Savannah and John run back into the house. They see Derek lying dead on the floor. Sarah takes his gun and ID and tells them to keep moving. John looks on horrified and tries to shield Savannah from the sight. John Henry just looks confused.
At Weaver's office, Detective Crayton from the LAPD is filling Ellison in on the attack on the residence and how her daughter is gone and there's a dead gunmen around. Weaver asks Ellison to look at the list of Savannah's friends and asks if there's anyone else she spends time with. Yeah, this creepy robot guy who is tethered to a computer docking station in the basement. He's no threat, though. Nothing to worry about. Outside, Crayton tells Ellison that he knows him, but that it isn't an insult. Asks about working in the private sector. Better perks! Then Crayton wants to know the deal with Weaver and why she's so secretive and closed off, and does his crack detecting about Weaver's dead husband and if she has enemies, etc....
John Henry has an inquiry of his own for Ellison. He wants to know why Ellison stopped looking for Sarah Connor, when she's clearly not dead in the least. Ellison isn't surprised that Sarah's still kicking, he just wants to know if she took Savannah and if she killed the guards. Yes and no. Water Delivery Terminator man did the killing. Now Ellison actually looks surprised. Ellison basically tells John Henry to lie and not tell Weaver about Sarah or the Terminator or anything about Savannah. But this machine doesn't like lying. It doesn't compute. Instead, he wants to know if Sarah Connor would kill him. He thinks since she blew up Cyberdyne and hates Miles Dyson that she's got something against Cromartie. John Henry sure can put two and two together, thanks to that helpful microprocessor or whatever. Ellison doesn't even try to pretend like Sarah Connor wouldn't kill Cromartie dead if she had the chance. John Henry also wants to know about Cameron, and if she's like him. Sort of, but way, way hotter. John Henry agrees to lie, but only to get Savannah back.
In a random warehouse somewhere, the Connor clan sits around reloading weapons and figuring out their step. Sarah gets a call from Ellison. John Henry's technology gives him access to the yellow pages. Useful. He's seen the footage and knows she's got the kid. She won't give him Savannah, but agrees to meet him in like an hour.
But she was totally lying. She sent Cameron instead to pick up Ellison to make sure it was safe. When they finally meet, Ellison is trying to figure out why Water Delivery Terminator was after Savannah. Sarah speculates that they're after her mother because of her connection to Dr. Sherman. Ellison claims to want nothing more than Savannah back. Sarah tries to reason with Ellison, saying that Derek's dead and so is Charley, and that the Terminators won't stop. She won't give Ellison the kid, because she's not safe in his custody. She offers to explain the situation to Weaver face-to-face. He sighs that he'll try to arrange a meeting. Sarah reminds him that she told him to stay out of it, but he just keeps running into her. Cameron shoots daggers at Ellison as he leaves.
Weaver's trying to get John Henry to show the security footage from the house. He makes up a lame excuse about corrupted files. He's the worst liar ever. She knows something is amiss, but Ellison arrives to bust up the conversation before Weaver can press for details. John Henry's miffed that Ellison didn't bring Savannah back. Maybe he is a weird guy from the Internet.
Back at the warehouse, John Connor reminds Savannah that he taught her to tie her shoes at Dr. Sherman's office. Little ginger girl says that she misses the doc because he was her friend. She asks if poor, dead Derek was John's friend. John gets this pained look on his face. Savannah tries to take the blame. John tells her that's not true, but yet... it kind of is. Everyone told Savannah not to talk to strange men on the Internet/phone, but she insisted on talking to John Henry, even though he is kind of creepy and works with her mommy, living in the basement. John's like, "Aw, cute... you have an imaginary friend." And she's like, "No dude, he's real, and he's got a cord sticking out of the back of his head." Um. John's putting the pieces together. Not as quickly as John Henry's microprocessor... maybe humans are fallible. Creepy dude, lives in basement, works for Weaver and Ellison, has a cord sticking out of the back of his head. That sounds familiar. Like Cromartie. He's none too pleased when he finds out that Ellison's been acting as a tutor to Cromartie in the ways of the world.
Over at Zeira Corp, Ellison is explaining to Weaver that Sarah Connor's alive and that there's a water-delivering Terminator that might want Weaver dead. Weaver decides not to focus on the death threat, and instead wants to know how Ellison came across this info. Those security tapes that John Henry claimed were corrupted weren't really. She's not pleased that Ellison taught John Henry to lie. He gets this, but thinks she should still meet up with Sarah Connor. But Weaver's not going anywhere. Her main mission is to protect John Henry. It's more important than getting Savannah back. She informs Ellison quite simply, "When my behavior implies that I value John Henry's survival more than that of my own daughter, it is not that I love John Henry more than Savannah, but it is because I believe Savannah's survival might some day depend on John Henry's survival. And because I believe that your survival might depend on John Henry's survival." She then tells the speechless Ellison that she'll meet with Sarah Connor, and he should go make that happen.
In the lobby, Crayton informs Ellison that the dead body was an ex-con/fugitive, who escaped shortly after Ellison interrogated him. It's a bit suspicious that he showed up months later at Weaver's house. Coincidence? Crayton thinks not.
At the warehouse, John Henry gives Sarah and Cameron the lowdown on the John Henry/Cromartie situation. Sarah said she destroyed the chip, Cameron promptly replies that she destroyed a chip. John doesn't think it is Cromartie, but something bigger and worse that is using Cromartie's body. He thinks it is weird that they didn't just use the body for the parts, but that they are programming it and playing with it. And he especially doesn't like Ellison teaching it things, whatever it is. Cameron's solution: Kill him dead. Sarah says that no one is going to get killed, just in time for Savannah to walk into the room. Sarah repeats that no one is going to get killed, but she's the least reassuring mother of all time. John takes the shell-shocked girl away from the crazy lady, while Ellison calls and says that she can have her meeting with Weaver, once Ellison gets the kid. Sarah agrees to it. Then tells Cameron they don't kill just because. Cameron's like, "Uh, I don't, but we've got a reason."
Then we're back in Weaver's office, with Crayton staring at her fish tank where there's an ugly eel. Crayton taps the glass. Which, what is he, five? My 3-year-old knows better than that. Especially when he's just learned that this particular type of eel likes to attack when provoked. Ugh. I'd like to see Cameron kick this dude's ass. Weaver also tells him that her eel likes to eat other eels for lunch. What a cuddly little pet that is. But it makes sense for Weaver... all things considered. Anyway, Crayton is here with his half-baked theory that Ellison is behind the kidnapping. He says he sees employees blackmailing their bosses all the time. Weaver's like, "That sort of thing doesn't happen to me." Because she'd go all T-1000 on them and get revenge.
Weaver inquisition time, down in John Henry's lair. She's ticked off that he lied for Ellison. But JH has been lying to Ellison about Weaver's real identity and that whole thing about her not really being Savannah's mom, just the devil in disguise. So they're pretty much even in his computer-y estimation. He makes a thinly veiled threat against her, but she says that wouldn't go so well... for Ellison. John Henry thinks that Ellison is useful, but that he might not get Savannah back. Weaver shrugs it off. But John Henry has learned through his Bible studies that human life is sacred. Weaver gives him a Latin lesson about the words sacred and sacrifice. So much learning in this episode! John Henry processes this information. He gets that Savannah's survival depends on John Henry's, but this doesn't go both ways. He then starts talking about Cain and Abel with a helpful synopsis of the tale, in case you've never been bored in a trashy motel room. He wants to know which brother he is, the good one or the murderous one. Weaver's not sure, but thinks that he might be God in this story.
In the warehouse, John tells Cameron that it wasn't his idea to ditch the people trying to protect them. That all the blame for that crazy goes to his mom. Cameron thinks Sarah had her reasons. John knows she was pissed off about the Jesse thing... so was he. But it doesn't matter now, because Derek's dead, and there's no use crying, because at some point everyone he knows will die so that he can save the world. He thinks future John Connor would kick his ass over his tears. But Cameron assures him that future him loses people, too... because John's entire life is fated to basically suck hard. Cameron says that Sarah was going to ditch John with Charley, but John doesn't believe her. She says that Sarah thought the lump in her breast was cancer and that she's skinnier now. Something is up. But we don't get a confirmation from Sarah, who walks in and just glares at the two of them. Instead she tells them to wake Savannah up, it's time to get going.
They head to a movie theater playing classic stuff, in black-and-white even! Cameron starts talking during the movie, which would drive me crazy. Especially since she's talking to Sarah, who is sitting in the row behind her. Not even whispering a little bit. They are rudely discussing if Ellison will show and if he'll go back on his word and when Cameron can kick his ass like she so desperately wants to. Sarah assures her bloodthirsty little Terminator friend that it will all be okay, and she just needs to chill out, and they'll go in to Zeira Corp either way and burn the place right down to the ground. So much for the whole "no one dies" thing.
Cameron stalks off, Ellison sits down in her seat, and then he starts talking to Sarah. No one has any manners any more. For real. I'm surprised Savannah didn't somehow grab a cell phone and start having a conversation with John Henry. Anyway, Ellison finds out where Savannah is and then stomps off, saying he'll call her about the meeting. Sarah walks out through the lobby, not even smartly using the back door, and she's immediately surrounded by a team of cops with guns trained right on her. John and Cameron see her getting arrested through the door. Sarah tries valiantly to make a getaway, but the cops take her down and start beating her up with their nightsticks. Back inside, John is furious at Ellison, who unconvincingly swears that he didn't know. John threatens to kill him, but wisely decides to head for the back door with Cameron before he gets caught. Back outside, Sarah's being wrangled into the cop car by Crayton's goons, and who should be there watching but Water Delivery Terminator.
John Henry starts singing that creepy maudlin Scottish song, as we see Savannah being reunited with Weaver, Sarah entering a media hailstorm at the police station, John and Cameron watching the TV coverage at a local electronics store, and then Savannah sitting across from John Henry and joining in for the last few verses. Weaver looks in on the duo singing, but leaves them alone. Then just Savannah is singing as we see that same cemetery, except we see a gravedigger putting Derek to rest in one of the many graves simply marked 2009.
One more episode left in the season. Daniel will be back to cover that one. Maybe he can make sense of John Henry's God/brother stuff.
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