PeterGriffinLives

I'm going to admit up front that I did not watch this show at all before it was canceled. I ignored it because I thought it would be a cheap attempt to cash in on the film franchise.

I was wrong.

The series picks up after Terminator 2. Sarah and John Connor (now almost 16 years of age) have been safe for years now, and it seems Judgment Day has been averted, but then another Terminator, going by the name Cromartie, appears to kill John. Sarah and he find themselves on the run once more.

But they're not alone in their fight. Like in Terminator 2, the Resistance sends a reprogrammed Terminator model back to protect John. Together, they decide to go on the offensive and try once more to stop Skynet before it can be born.

The premise may sound cheap, but the writing, direction and especially the casting elevates it far beyond that. Lena Headey takes over the role of Sarah Connor, and while she's obviously not Linda Hamilton, she isn't trying to be. Hamilton was, by and large, playing Sarah the traumatized survivor, a little over the edge and in danger of losing her humanity. Headey has some of that violence to her, but she's more aware of the danger of becoming just like the machines, no doubt due to lessons learned in T2. Also worth noting is that Headey is playing Sarah the warrior and Sarah the mother, one who is trying to fight the machines, but also trying to be the one stable thing in her son's life as his very world is in danger.

Thomas Dekker plays John Connor, and while he's somewhat out-shined by his costars, he does the character justice, portraying someone who knows he must become a leader, but who also wants desperately to have a somewhat normal life.

After the pilot, Garret Dillahunt takes over as Cromartie, the evil Terminator. He's definitely following in Robert Patrick's footsteps, and manages to be convincingly menacing as well as very cool.

The one cast member who REALLY steals the show, however, is Summer Glau as Cameron, the Terminator sent back to protect John. Ms. Glau manages to convey so much with the subtlest of facial expressions and the intonation she gives her lines, making her mechanical character surprisingly easy to empathize with. Indeed, at points you will likely find yourself feeling sorry for her, especially during the second season when, after taking damage to her CPU/brain, she worries about being a danger to John, and about losing control of her own actions.

The relationship between John and Cameron is another point of interest, as it slowly changes from a simple protector/charge relationship to something deeper. Like the premise of the show, that no doubt sounds bizarre, but much like the show itself, the writing and the actors elevate it quite bit, making the feelings John begins developing for Cameron (and that she may be developing for him) into something very touching and dramatic.

The story, episode to episode, is paced out well, as Sarah, John and Cameron search for clues on who is building Skynet, running into other characters from the future (Resistance fighters and minor Terminators alike) who seek to help or hinder their efforts.

Finally, and most importantly, the series takes care to integrate itself into the Terminator world; to feel a part of the universe we were introduced to by the James Cameron films, and to maintain the atmosphere of the movies. In this way, it seems less like something running away from the franchise, and more like something EXPANDING it, adding previously unseen details to the war between the Resistance and machines and to the character of Sarah, while all the time retaining the Terminator feel we all know and love.

Sadly, as I mentioned at the beginning of this review, the series was canceled. There is an ongoing fan campaign to bring it back, and let's hope it succeeds, because this show is something special.

I highly recommend checking out the DVDs of both seasons, and should it come back, well, I know I won't make the mistake of ignoring it again.

Yuji Kaido is an average guy with a problem: he's sick, and there's no cure. Doctors simply don't know enough to fix the problem, but they can offer Yuji an amazing opportunity. After reluctantly agreeing, Yuji is cryogenically frozen until a cure for his condition is discovered. But things are very different when he wakes. Tokyo (the entire Earth, for that matter) is in ruins, consumed by merciless, insect-like predators known as the Blue. Pursued by the massive arthropods, Yuji is rescued by icy professional soldier Marlene Angel, a member of a military team assigned to recover "sleepers" like Yuji and transport them back to the orbital space station where humanity has taken refuge. As the Blue hunt them at every turn and team members start to die, Yuji and Marlene will have to rely on each other to survive and to escape from the planet.

This is an exceedingly well-made show. The Blue are interestingly designed and frighteningly portrayed, the characters are likable (well, the good guys are), and the storyline never bores the viewer. The general film "rules" about who can and cannot die (children are safe, noncombatants are safe, etc.) are not rigidly followed here, and the series is all the more suspenseful for it.

There are a few issues, like a small amount of nudity that can jar you if you're not expecting it, and an environmental plot element that can feel somewhat preachy at times. However, these aren't enough to justify taking away any more than one star.

Blue Gender has a dark tone and its fair share of violence, and is not for everyone. However, if you enjoy the genre, this is a visually and, I kid you not, emotionally appealing series that can be horrifying, exciting, and even touching.