Ross here and there is a lot of Turmoil around and about my favorite television show Terminator Sarah Connor Chronicles. Due to bad ratings, which I firmly believe are due to a whole set of bad that can be fixed. Bad Night and bad team-up. I’ll discuss this more later tonight but I want to point out 10 of the many reasons why SCC flat out rocks. Starting with number 10.

10: Directon: T:SCC consistently has some of the best direction on network television. Every shot from the action centric mayhem to the moments where silence and close ups rule supreme. Everything is filmed to perfection. The glow of a thermite flare. The crushing blows of Terminator on Terminator action. The Darkness of the Future War. Everything feels real and tangible, you never feel as if you are not experiencing everything with the characters.

9: Villians: Oh Cromartie you rock their world and ours. And the insidious Catherine Weaver. When you have Terminators as your villians so cold and impersonal you can’t help but be on the winning end. Not only is Cromartie a exceedingly deadly adversary he is cunning and creative. He built a better mousetrap! But a special shout out to Sarkissian and the other human villians including a tragic and powerful performance from Bruce Davidson as Dr. Silberman.

8: Special Make Up Effects: We have seen a great deal of damage done to various Terminators. We’ve seen skulls peeled open by moving trucks. We’ve seen gouges and tears up the whazoo an not once have they looked fake or out of place. I loved the Terminator in the Armored Vehicle in Dungeons and Dragons especially. The way you couldn’t really tell what he was until he turned and that eye lit up.

7: Stunts: Talk about Mayhem. We have just about anything going on any given week. Samson and Delilah two car crashes, one with a marvelous roof crushing landing. People tossed hither and yon by Terminators. Terminators through windshields. Whatever the writers ask for the Stunt team delivers with professionalism and skill. From the simple punches, kicks and tosses to the delicate timing involved with Motorcycles taking out Terminators or for that matter ripping off a Terminators hand with a passing truck. There seems to be no limit to stunts, and they’re all done with such skill and perfection, that they blend into the tapestry of the show without issue.

6: Ideas: Just like any show some of the ideas are out there but none are flat out impossible. Getting a new skin? Done. ARTIE the traffic managment System very much a reality. How about a Nuclear Power Plant that Both the Machines and Resistance use. Done. Brilliantly. The Turk, Done twice. Terminators in places of Power? Done. Is Cameron mimicking Human traits or can she really cry and show love. I don’t know but I want to find out. When a show has interesting ideas the show can flourish, and SCC comes up with new ideas every day. And they all come from two places.

Continue to the top 5!!

5: Writing Team: The SCC mythology is dense in a very good way. The team of writers involved with SCC goes down the rabbit hole every week planning their intricate layers and weaving a story like no other. I am constantly in awe of what they come up with: The Aircraft Carrier reveal in Allison from Palmdale blew my fucking mind. Derek Reese genius. And the interplay between all of the major characters is always a joy to watch. The writing and situations brought about it in The Mousetrap were some of the best yet. The most impressive thing is that even when there are some fumbles they never drop the ball they always pick it back up and wow us again. Mad ass awesome.

4: Production Team: Josh, John, Natalie and all of the Production Team constantly  provide the guiding hand upon the entire production. They shape the epicness of SCC into a moving and powerful entity. There is as far as I’m concerned no greater team behind a show. They have such passion and love for the source material, and that is shown with each and every episode and every casting decision. And everything they touch brings the entire world of Terminator to life.

3: Musical Composition: Bear McCreary. This is the first time I have had the pleasure and I think you rock the music. I love all the themes that you have created and the tapestry they weave around the series. You have created a score that evokes majesty, horror, action and trepidation. You have created flowing strings, and mechanical meanderings. And have proven the all consuming truth that Music is half of what makes any filmed experience the amazing ride it is. As a musician myself I greatly salute you and your stellar work.

2: Devoted Fans: Yes that includes me. SCC fans are very devoted individuals, we are impassioned, awaiting each new episode a moment after the latest one has ended. We discuss every scintilla of information and come up with intensely creative and sometimes bizzare theories. We want the show to continue to surprise and amaze us even if it has to be MOVED to Wednesday…hint hint. Don’t fail us now.

1: Lead Actors and Actresses: Thomas Dekker you are John Connor. Lena Heady (Rule Britannia!!) you are Sarah Connor. Brian Austin Green you are Derek Reese. Summer Glau you are Cameron Phillips. Richard T. Jones You are Agent Ellison. All of the actors and actresses who work on this show and not only the ones I have remembered have taken the written word and turned it into a living world. You have made us believe in a world that runs concurrently with our own, a world that for all of it’s amazingness could be running right below the surface. Thanks to you…Terminator LIVES!