Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles – Mr. Ferguson is Ill Today

Cameron—in an uncharacteristically human manner—confronts John Connor about the danger he brings to his new girlfriend Riley’s life.

“I’m a machine. I can’t be happy.
But I understand more than you think.”

Terminators cannot feel jealousy, nor many of the other human emotions, but it is evident from this beautiful scene that Cameron is feeling the closest thing she can to jealousy towards the new girl in John’s life. As a reprogrammed Terminator, her entire purpose is to protect the young John Connor from orders of the older John Connor in 2027 where Cameron is apparently his closest confidante.

“I can’t let anything happen to him.”

The second part of the clip occurs a little bit later in the episode when Cameron and Derek (John’s uncle, who’s also from the future) get a distress call from John after a Terminator discovers John and Riley in a Mexican jail. Cameron shows uncharacteristically human concern for John’s safety, which surprises Derek greatly, who has never trusted ‘metal’.

Later, in the episode Complications, Cameron inexplicably changes the radio station in John’s car to pop music instead of a previous station, and sticks her feet out the window, feeling the wind between her toes.

FOX is incredibly stupid for canceling such an amazing show. The television format shows much more of Sarah and John’s life than the action-heavy films and the series really has some beautifully written episodes. The unfortunately timed writer’s strike shortened the first season to nine episodes and FOX canceled the series at the end of the second season, for a total of only 31 episodes. Viewership was down but only because it was the most DVR’d show on television and TSCC viewers tend to be tech-savvy and watch it on something other than a TV—like yours truly. Truly a crying shame.