This week, the focus is back on Sarah with James Ellison getting a very strong B-story. Sarah is becoming obsessed over three dots that were left in the basement in blood. Several episodes back, a resistance soldier arrived in the present but mortally wounded. The Connors were gone from their home so he scrawled names in his own blood. So far, Sarah argues, every one of them has been a lead to tracking down who builds SkyNet. She’s trying to decipher 3 dots and what they could mean. Derek has no real faith in it meaning anything.

However, John does believe her and thinks that Cyberdyne and Andy Goode’s Turk AI were examples of things starting small that grew.

Ultimately, Sarah becomes convinced it’s the symbol for Dakara Systems, a tech company startup. She and Cameron pose as investors to learn more and find out that a father and son (Alex and Xander Agagi) are developing an AI. They want to purchase a high-tech chip that will advance their research and Sarah expresses interest in buying it for them.

Meanwhile, Derek finds the Connor family surveillance photos that Jesse has been taking and confronts her. Jesse reveals her mission – in the future, several of John’s troops think he’s too close to Cameron and is making questionable decisions, so she’s come back to help him.

At ZeiraCorp, Dr. Boyd Sherman, the child psychologist that Catherine Weaver hired to teach the Turk AI has died. Ellison is tasked with figuring out what went wrong. They know that the AI project, now named John Henry, borrowed power during a surge to protect itself, and ended up trapping Sherman in a room where he suffocated.

John visits Riley at her home and meets her foster parents and siblings. They’re nice enough. He is almost ready to open up to Riley and explain his real life to her, but says there’s nothing he can explain or say and he leaves suddenly. Later in the episode, she meets Jesse at a clothing store. They know each other very well and Riley reveals that she’s starting to REALLY have feelings for John, but Jesse tells her she can’t back out and she can do this. Wow, finally Riley is interesting.

Derek and John have a good uncle/nephew moment where they talk openly and honestly. Derek asks him if he’s paying attention and staying sharp and expresses doubt in Sarah’s conviction that Dakara Systems is important. John defends her and insists he’s aware of everything around him.

Sarah and Cameron gather all their cash and diamonds to buy the chip for Dakara Systems. Meanwhile, Ellison is shown the Babylon project (the AI) and interrogates it. He learns that for the first time, it broke rules taking power from the building. However, he also believes that it was not ultimately responsible for killing Sherman. Someone else was involved.

Sarah and Cameron end up purchasing the chip at a dinner meeting and go home to test it but it’s a fake. They’ve been tricked. Alex later says he’ll make it right but not to mess with the guy they bought the chip from because he’s a gangster. She’s not afraid though, and gets a text from Cameron that they’ve acquired their target. They track the guy down but he’s just an actor, hired by Alex himself. Later, Sarah forces Alex to admit the truth to his son about what he’s done and gets their money back.

Derek confronts Jesse and admits that John is his nephew. He says they have to be honest with each other and work together to ultimately stop the machines. Jesse promises to come clean but doesn’t mention Riley.

Riley shows up at John’s house and tells him she rejects his rejection. They head off together but she seems to have real pain in her eyes. Sarah goes upstairs and sees her reflection in the mirror and notices the three dots on her face. She loses it and smashes the mirror. Yikes. Maybe she should go back to Pescadero!

Weaver thinks Ellison is right about John Henry and brings him down to the basement. Ellison, on the ride down, says that John Henry’s story was one where he defeated the machine but couldn’t stop progress. He then is greeted by John Henry – now hooked up to Cromartie’s old body!

This episode was all about dropping plot threads for what’s to come. Sarah’s quest to explain the three dots was ultimately fruitless but maybe it’ll teach her a lesson about obsession. Meanwhile, Cromartie just won’t die. Well, he did, but his body is still around. And Riley is finally given an interesting reason to be around.

Overall, this was interesting, but not really action packed or anything. I give it a solid 3 out of 5 terminator heads.

photo credit: Kadath