Ourselves Alone

Season 2, Episode 17, Aired
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Episode Summary

Cameron creates danger for all with her flaws. Riley fears her secret is out.
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Fan Episode Reviews (16)

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  • Look, I *know* we can't expect this show to be an action-packed thrill-seeking roller-coaster ride week in, week out but this is just getting ridiculous.

    5.0
    "Mediocre"
    By screenagedkicks, Jun 18, 2011 Report Abuse
    Look, I *know* we can't expect this show to be an action-packed thrill-seeking roller-coaster ride week in, week out but this is just getting ridiculous. The writing staff have been dancing around the same minuscule, uninteresting plot points for about half the season now and frankly, it's wearisome. If it weren't for the possibility that Thomas Dekker might get his kit off any second, I'd stop watching the bloody show. 'Ourselves, Alone' takes the psychoanalytical bent that's dominated every episode since 'Earthlings Welcome Here' and tries to inject some originality by aiming the microscope at Cameron instead of Sarah. Um, nice try guys, but you're not fooling anyone. She kills a pigeon, panics a bit about her motor-neuron reflexes and um, Riley dies. Oh wait, did something actually happen? Jesus. Get. The. Hell. On. With. It.moreless

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    0 4

  • Cameron suspects that Riley sees her cutting through her own skin to repair herself. Sarah finds out information about Riley making her, and John, suspicious. Derek is on a mission to capture a new target, while Jesse is forced to make tough decisions.moreless

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By siggytv, Sep 03, 2010 Report Abuse
    Excellent episode, reavealing motives and objectives of characters previously in the dark. More importantly, Riley's role in the story is revealed and compromised as - finally - is part of Jesse's mission in the present. John remains in the balance between his sympathy for Riley and belief in Cameron. We are being prepared for a climax, and could therefore describe this episode as both revealing and pivotal in the series. The few remaining episodes of Season 2 are expected to make significant revelations and we hope to see John take more action against the future war. Derek seems to be the only one really focused on his mission, with Sarah and John struggling to understand and resolve the problems that arise with their hearts, rather than with remorseless actions.moreless

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    6 2

  • Finally something interesting

    8.5
    "Great"
    By cra2ywolf, Sep 03, 2010 Report Abuse
    Much, much better episode than the last few ones. I suppose we all knew the past few eps were leading up to a huge event but they were less than interesting. I almost did not want to wait around for this ep but patience won out. I got a good ep out of it with a huge twist. Although I was wanting to see Jesse get taken out, the end result capped off a good episode. It was worth the wait and once again interested to see how this turns out. Reactions to Riley's death should be intense and significant.moreless

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    5 0

  • A return to form for the series. Sarah meets Riley's foster dad and guidance counselor for some answers. John wrestles with his feelings for Riley and Cameron, knowing that they could compromise the fight against Skynet.moreless

    8.5
    "Great"
    By jgoldminex, Sep 03, 2010 Report Abuse
    Finally, the Sarah going insane arc is over. It's not that I didn't enjoy a trip into her psyche over the past few episodes, but it just felt a bit superfluous in the scheme of the show. Especially knowing that this may be the final season of the show, it would be nice if they kept the pace up. **SPOILER ALERT**

    We find out in this episode that Riley's role in John's life was to die at the hands of Cameron, thus turning him against his metal companion. I thought it was very cleverly written, with Jessie posing as a guidance counselor and selling Riley down the river. The start of the episode was also well done, with Cameron inadvertently killing a bird that she wanted to free. This was later juxtaposed with Riley and Cameron, leading to a very suspenseful scene. What would Cameron have done if John didn't intervene? We are starting to see some real character development from a character that we thought was programmed to protect John and nothing else. She appears to be learning more and more behind the unknown logic that can dictate human decisions: emotions. Between wanting John to help her, and then giving John the locket that could destroy her, Cameron is becoming a more interesting character that I hope gets more attention in upcoming episodes.

    The sexual tension is still there between Cameron and John, and I am wondering how long it will be until we see something on that end. With the Sarah going crazy arc over for now, hopefully they will go down the Cameron/John's relationship route. This episode put the show back on track for the rest of the season. I only hope that the show makes it to a third season, because I think things are getting set up very nicely for some crazy robot action.moreless

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    6 1

  • Another one bites the dust

    8.0
    "Great"
    By entil2001, Sep 03, 2010 Report Abuse
    After the poorly-received trilogy of character-driven episodes focused on Sarah, the writers return to the larger canvas with this episode. In essence, this is the beginning of the final leg of the season, as events begin to spiral out of control.

    Riley's suicide attempt was just the beginning of trouble for the Connors, because it happened in the Connor home and after Riley's freakout with her foster family. Those chickens come home to roost in this episode, and they coincide with an interesting new malfunction for Cameron. It looks to be quite a rough time. Riley's death is going to bring external and internal pressures that have been lingering in the background for quite some time.

    Externally, the Child Services investigator seems like a minor threat, but anything that brings unwanted attention to the Connors is a disruption that cannot be tolerated. Riley's death is only going to throw more suspicion on them, especially given the coincidental timing. Considering how many times Sarah has wanted to move on and escape potential detection, this is just another such trigger. Internally, the Connors have every reason to believe that Cameron was the one who killed her. John, particularly, has reason to suspect Cameron, given her admission that something unexplained is happening to her.

    Jesse's plan was rather brutal in its simplicity, and while it didn't quite work out in terms of the details, the end result works in her favor. Cameron is the most likely suspect under most circumstances, and Derek has never told the Connors about Jesse. In fact, the only person who might have a reason to suspect Jesse is Derek, and right now, he has no compelling evidence to connect Riley's death to her. (Her absence from Derek's mission, of course, is the likely starting point for his inevitable investigation.)

    The pacing in this episode was still a bit slow and methodical, much like the previous episodes, but the momentum of the plot was more than enough to overcome that slight drawback. The pieces are moving into position for one hell of a conflict to round out the season, and Riley's death is likely to be only the first among many.moreless

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    6 2
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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  • Notes

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    • Original International Air Dates: Norway: October 10th, 2009 on TVNorge Sweden: November 5th, 2009 on TV6 Finland: December 20th, 2009 on Sub Czech Republic: December 24th, 2009 on Prima COOL Slovakia: October 8th, 2010 on Markiza Edit

  • Quotes

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    • Sarah: (when she finds Derek has started running down her leads) He should keep me in the loop, it's my loop! Cameron: You've been distracted. Sarah: I was kidnapped! Cameron: Which is distracting. Edit
    • Cameron: This is your fault. Riley: What's my fault? Cameron: You're the reason that person is here. Riley: You're John's sister, you can't keep me here. Cameron: They don't always like the way I do things. Edit
    • Cameron: You don't belong here. John isn't right for you and you're not right for him. He can't see that. Riley: Stop … please. You're freaking me out. Cameron: You're unreliable. I don't know what you do. Riley: I'm just John's girlfriend. That's it. Cameron: You can't be John's girlfriend. You're a threat. You can't stay here any more. But I can't let you leave. Riley: You're John's sister. Cameron: What am I going to do with you? Edit

  • Allusions

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    • Terminator Cameron's attempts to repair the damage to her arm is a reference to a similar event in the original Terminator movie in which the original T-800 (portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger) attempts to repair the damage to his arm and eye after a confrontation with Sarah and Kyle Reese. Edit

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