Much to say about The Good Wound

[roxybisquaint]

I'm done dwelling on ratings. It's been taking me away from talking about this episode. And I so loved this episode. It just gets better and better with each rewatch too.



I think my favorite part was in the motel room when Sarah tells the doctor about John. The use of the T1 dialog is so perfect and makes that first true emotional connection between Sarah and Kyle. Also, I think I'm in love with Jonathan Jackson. He seriously, won me over. it's not that I didn't like him before, I just couldn't really think of him as Kyle. He was more future war Derek's brother. But now, he's really Kyle :)

Some of the morgue stuff was just as good. That bit about whether it was Reese that hurt her... "No. God no. Reese is John's father and he's dead." Can Lena Headey get any better? I was choked up. And the call to Derek when she thought the 4-minute clock could start counting down any time was awesome. I loved how she and Derek understood each other so perfectly without really saying it.

Derek was so damn likable in this episode, too. Being a hard-ass to John was totally warranted, but he didn't leave him hanging either. I think the thought of Sarah being seriously wounded brought out Derek's paternal instincts — something we haven't seen in a while since he's been so consumed with Jesse and so disgruntled about John's behavior. Maybe Kyle being away during his teen years is why Derek has been at such a loss about teen John. Heh.

This might have been the first episode where I wasn't a little bit bored with an Ellison / John Henry scene. The Bionicles stuff was gold and his question for God about ball joints is one of the best lines ever. Oh and Catherine's "Everything I do, I do for you" line was so very Sarah, wasn't it? I sense an eventual showdown between these two sons: John Henry and John Connor. And probably a showdown between the two mothers: Catherine and Sarah. I wonder if that leaves pseudo dads Ellison and Derek to have a showdown as well? And then Cameron and Savannah fight to the death :D (okay maybe not).

Catherine's slaughter at the warehouse was, well, awesome. Starting in the bathroom, I was like "she's going to be a urinal again? How boring." But no. Hee. Oh, she's a sink this time. Nope. Ah, she's the mirror. Wrong again! Instead, she's just hanging out in the hallway ready to slice. That was fun. Even the classic villain walk-while-victims-are-running didn't bother me because I was enjoying the bloodbath too much. :D That explosion was a little cheesy-looking though.

I think Riley was playing Jesse about the high school jumper. I don't really think that's why she slit her wrists, but I guess I have to give her a little credit for being sly enough to think of that when confronted by Jesse. I don't generally think of Riley as being that bright, though. And this thing she has for Jesse... I think she's just desperate for a mother figure (just like John is desperate for a father figure). Riley wants someone to care about her like a mom would because she's never had that. (her cutesy "hi mom" to Sarah back in Automatic gets a little more meaning now). Things didn't work out with the foster family because it was too normal and happy — too much of a contrast to the post-apocalyptic memories in her head. But the Connor house, well, she kind of fits right in there really even though no one but John wants her around.

Okay, so, back to Sarah and Kyle (and Derek)...

Kyle's disembodied voice at the very beginning was cheesy, but once he appeared it was all good and I liked the clear distinction between hallucination Kyle and dream Kyle. Sarah referring to both he and Derek as "Reese" was obviously meant to blur the two brothers, which led into the visual at the end of Derek turning into hallucination Kyle and back to Derek again. I'm not completely settled on what that means yet, but I think it's probably Sarah coming to the realization that she can't always do it all on her own. And as much as she wants to kill Derek sometimes ("he's certainly on the list" :D), she needs to let him shoulder some of the burden (especially since he'd be the one to protect John if she died). I'm not sure if I like that, though. Sure, John and Sarah are all he's got and he's all they've got in the way of family, but he's still sneaking around with Jesse (and he revealed John's father to her!) and he still believes in killing.

I'm so glad all this Kyle stuff wasn't basically the cut dream from T2. I never liked the idea of Sarah needing motivation to take care of John. Also, we've kind of already been there done that with the parental rights story. She lost all hope and gave up once (brief as it was) already. But this was about keeping herself going no matter how much it hurt and no matter how difficult it was. And I really like thinking now that Kyle is sort of always with her. I don't mean she's always talking to hallucination Kyle, but that he's always there in her heart and mind giving her that extra bit of strength she needs to keep going. It was fun that he was trying to keep her in check the whole time too. "Ease up!" Sarah tends to go to far when she's desperate. John is often the voice of reason in her life, but when he's not there and she has to cool herself down, I guess it's sort of Kyle that does it for her.

Sarah played that doctor beautifully. And "I got shot" was such an awesome moment as she was leaving. But it was cool of Sarah to give the doctor an out for shooting the abusive ex-boyfriend cop. "They'll think I did this. All you have to do is let them." I guess that was in lieu of a "hey, thanks for saving my life under the duress of having a gun pointed at you."

I'm glad Sarah now knows that Derek knows Kyle was John's father.

So what's John going to do about Riley? Derek was pissed at him (and he and Sarah both see Riley as a problem). Cameron basically told him he has more important things to do. Oh and her refusal to help look for Riley was awesome. Heh. So I guess all that is either going to make John give up Riley or make him more determined to be with her to prove them all wrong. Given how John's been this season, I'm leaning towards the latter.

Okay, I think that's it. I had a lot more to say about this episode than I thought. :)

Comments

[zanpakto.livejournal.com]

I don't know what he will do. I think when he finds out what she is really doing it will be trouble. Obviously Jesse is the odd one out. Derek doesn't know she is playing Riley does she? Jesse has to go. I hope John and Riley stick together in the end.

I get to watch it again tonight because my mom didn't see it yet.

[lenageek.livejournal.com]

Can Lena Headey get any better?

Mmm...that would be a no! Well, til' the ep that displays her awesome acting prowess, that is! :) Watched this ep several times and it's still getting me with the intensity/emotion every time. I'm a happy, happy SCC fan to haves me some Sarah back!

[indiefic.livejournal.com]

And then Cameron and Savannah fight to the death :D (okay maybe not).

GLEE!!!

And yes to everything else!

[enslaved-cullen.livejournal.com]

Given how John's been this season, I'm leaning towards the latter.

Ugh, I miss old John, when he wasn't so dark and moody.
And Jesse needs to go. Derek needs to find out about her and just disown her because I am tired of the sneaking around, spilling secrets crap. Why are the living men in this family so naive?

[spectralbovine.livejournal.com]

Oh and Catherine's "Everything I do, I do for you" line was so very Sarah, wasn't it?
It was very Bryan Adams.

But interesting point on the mother/son connections! Hmmm.