| "Gnothi Seauton" | |
|---|---|
| Series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Season 1, Episode 2 | |
| |
| Air date | January 14th, 2008 |
| Writers | Josh Friedman |
| Director | David Nutter |
| Producers | John Enbom; Natalie Chaidez; James Middleton; Toni Graphia; Mario F. Kassar; Andrew G. Vajna; Joel B. Michaels; Jill Danton; John Wirth; Josh Friedman; Aaron Miller |
| Starring | Lena Headey; Thomas Dekker; Summer Glau; Richard T. Jones |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous "Pilot" |
Next "The Turk" |
"Gnothi Seauton" is the second episode of season one of the science fiction/action TV series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which is based on the popular Terminator film series created by James Cameron back in 1984. The episode was directed by David Nutter with a script written by series developer Josh Friedman. It first aired on the FOX Network on Friday, January 14th, 2008 at 8:00 pm.
Synopsis[]
John is bored.
John, Sarah and their new Terminator companion, Cameron, have been in the year 2007 for three days now. John is getting impatient as Sarah will not let him leave the house. She still needs to get them fake papers so they can forge new identities for themselves. Sarah says that she is going to track down Enrique. Cameron reveals that there are other resistance fighters operating in this time era. Sarah orders Cameron to help her track them down.
They arrive at the resistance fighters' safe house, but everyone appears to be dead. One of the bodies however, is a T-888 playing possum. The machine leaps up and Cameron and he begin fighting. The fight carries out onto the street and Sarah steals a motorcycle to run it down. Cameron however, is hit by an oncoming vehicle however, and the Terminator escapes.
Sarah and Cameron then go to see Enrique. Enrique is overjoyed to see Sarah, but tells her that is no longer in the business of making fake I.D.s. He is, by his own word, "El Finito". He refers Sarah to his nephew, Carlos.
Cam tries to fit in.
They go to a rough looking barrio where Sarah talks with Carlos. He tells her that fake papers will cost her $20,000, but Sarah doesn't have anything like that type of money. During their conversation, Sarah learns about the terrorist attacks in New York City on September 11th, 2001. While Sarah deals with Carlos, Cameron waits outside. She begins imitating the posture and gestures of a member of Carlos' group named Chola.
Back at the house, John continues to go stir crazy. He passes the time by making up voice mail messages for his phone. Frustrated and bored, he decides to leave. He goes to an electronics store, where he avails himself of all the advancements in computer technology. While surfing the web, John learns about Charley Dixon and his current whereabouts.
John sneaks out and goes to Charley's house. He is not home, and John looks at his family photos. When Charley arrives, he is shocked to see John, who is nervous, as the world currently believes that Sarah and he died in the bank robbery in 1997. Charley tries to talk to him, but John panics and flees the house.
Sarah is not happy.
Later, Sarah and Cameron meet back up with John. They all drive back out to the resistance fighters' safe house where John finds a wall safe. Inside, they discover money, as well as diamonds, which Sarah then uses to purchase the fake credentials. Returning to Carlos' house, she overhears Carlos refer to his uncle as a raté, a snitch. This infuriates Sarah.
Sarah and Cameron return to Enrique's place. Pointing a gun at his head, she demands to know what Carlos was talking about. Enrique tells her that he was informed the Feds of the whereabouts of a man who had once kidnapped a woman and drove her from Oregon in the trunk of his car. Sarah is unsure if she can trust him at this point. Cameron takes the initiative and shoots Enrique to death. She defends her action by stating that he could have been lying.
Meanwhile, a construction worker finds the robotic skull of the Cromartie Terminator and takes it home. The skull comes to life and transmits a signal to its body, which is buried in a junk heap. The body rises and goes off to reconnect with its head.
Cast[]
Principal Cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Lena Headey | Sarah Connor |
| Thomas Dekker | John Connor |
| Summer Glau | Cameron Phillips |
| Richard T. Jones | James Ellison |
Guest Stars[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Sonya Walger | Michelle Dixon |
| Tony Amendola | Enrique Salceda |
| Jesse Garcia | Carlos |
| Omid Abtahi | Sumner |
| Sasha Roiz | Police officer |
| Jonathan Sadowski | Sayles |
| Dean Winters | Charley Dixon |
Co-Stars[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Brian Allen | Highway guy |
| Ambrit Millhouse | Receptionist |
| Sabrina Perez | Chola |
| John Henry Whitaker | Chet |
| Lisa Wilhoit | Sales assistant |
Uncredited cast[]
Note: The following is taken from the full credits list for this entry on IMDB. As it is a website with user-submitted information, some of the data listed here, including character names may be inaccurate.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Matt McColm | Vick Chamberlain |
| Edoardo Ballerini | Timms |
| Aldo Gonzalez | Cholo |
| Danielle Lozeau | Hero student |
| Mario Orozco | Jose "Spyder" |
Notes & Trivia[]
Background info[]
- "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Gnothi Seauton" and "Gnothi Seauton" both redirect to this page.
- Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was developed for television by Josh Friedman.
- This episode is rated TV-14.
- This episode is production code number 3T6851.
- This episode is included on disc one of the Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: The Complete First Season DVD collection.
- This episode aired on Channel One in the United Kingdom on February 28th, 2008.
- This episode includes a recap of events from the pilot episode of the series.
- Executive producer Mario Kassar is credited as Mario F. Kassar in this episode.
- Associate producer Aaron Miller is credited in the end-title credit sequence.
- The main title credits for this episode do not begin until after the first commercial break, which is ten minutes into the episode.
- This is the second episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles directed by David Nutter. It is one of three episodes that he directs in total, all of which are from season one.
- This is the second episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles written by showrunner Josh Friedman. It is one of three episodes that he writes in total, all of which are from season one.
- While there are numerous uncredited extras that on different episodes of the series, there is one glaring cast omission in "Gnothi Seauton". Actor Matt McColm, who plays the T-888 that attacks Cameron Phillips in the apartment complex, is uncredited for his participation in this episode. This is noticeably odd given that the Terminator plays a fairly substantial role in this episode. This Terminator will be identified in later episodes as Vick Chamberlain.
- This is the second appearance of Dean Winters in the role of Charley Dixon. He appeared last in the series' pilot episode.
- This is the second appearance of Sonya Walger in the role of Michelle Dixon. She appeared last in the series' pilot episode.
Episode notes[]
- Historically, Sarah Connor was fated to succumb to cancer on December 4th, 2005. As such, there is no Sarah Connor duplicate in this timeline.
- Sarah Connor assumes the alias of Sarah Baum in this episode.
- Cats do not like Terminator's apparently, as one is seen hissing as Cromartie's robotic head bounces out of the time portal.
Allusions[]
- The title of this episode, "Gnothi Seauton", is taken from an Ancient Greek aphorism, which translates as "Know Thyself". This sentiment appears in two different scenes in the episode, one spoken by Sarah Connor, and the other spoken by John Connor.
- Sarah Connor keeps referring to Cameron Phillips as "Tin Man". This was a character featured in the children's story, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by author L. Frank Baum. Cameron recounts how future John told her that Sarah would read it to him in Spanish when he was a child. Although he never told her, it was one of his best memories of being a child. In keeping with the Wizard of Oz theme, Sarah assumes the alias of Sarah Baum in this episode, after L. Frank Baum.
- Enrique Salceda refers to himself as "El Finito", which Sarah translates as "The Finisher". Considering how Enrique fares by the end of this episode, the nickname takes on a double meeting. This was also the nickname of Ricardo López, who was a professional Mexican boxer.
Bloopers[]
The tramp stamp that saved our future.
- Continuity: In the beginning of the episode, Cromartie's metallic head is seen bouncing through the time portal, which is a violation of time travel mechanics established by the original Terminator film, which states that inorganic matter cannot travel through the time portal unless enclosed or otherwise enmeshed with biological matter of some type. Series showrunner Josh Friedman explained that Cromartie's head still had its organic tissue covering when it entered the time portal, but it was burned off before landing on the side of the road. If this were the case, then why don't any of the other Terminator's suffer from this effect as well?
- Logistical incongruity: In a scene where Sarah Connor is seen climbing out of a window, actress Lena Headey's back tattoo is clearly visible. In most cases, such a thing could be explained off by saying that the character likewise has a tattoo. However, given Sarah Connor's persistent state of paranoia, it is inconceivable to think that she would ever have any identifying marks on her person. In the scene, Headey's tattoo is partially obscured by her sidearm.
- "El Finito" actually translates as just "finished". Sarah Connor however, incorrectly translates it as "The Finisher".
- When Cameron Phillips shows Sarah Connor a handful of diamonds she asks, "Why are diamonds a girl's best friend?" This is taken from "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend", whic is a song introduced by Carol Channing in the original Broadway production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in 1949. It was written by Jule Styne and Leo Robin and was based on a novel by Anita Loos.
Quotes[]
- Sarah Connor: A wise man once said, "Know thyself". Easier said than done. I've had nine aliases, twenty-three jobs, spoken four languages... and spent three years in a mental hospital for speaking the truth. At least when I was there I could use my real name. Through it all, I've always known who I am and why I'm here. Protect my son. Prepare him for the future. But lately it's gotten harder to control. Even as I try to help John find firm ground in this new world... the battlefield shifts beneath our feet. Maybe its' all catching up to me. Maybe if you spend your life hiding who you are... you might finally end up fooling yourself.
....
- Sarah Connor: You all put back together Tin Man?
- Cameron Phillips: Tin Man?
- Sarah Connor: Get ready to go.
- Cameron Phillips: Thank you for explaining.
....
- Cameron Phillips: Why are diamonds a girl's best friend?
- Sarah Connor: What?
- Cameron Phillips: Why are diamonds a girl's best friend?
- Sarah Connor: Where did you get that?
- Cameron Phillips: John gave it to me.
- Sarah Connor: He did, did he? How sweet of him.
....
- Sarah Connor: These resistance fighters... they know you?
- Cameron Phillips: They've seen me before.
....
- Sarah Connor: Why jump at all? Why not stay in the past? I had seven more years to get ready. To get him ready.
- Cameron Phillips: No, you wouldn't have.
- Sarah Connor: Why not?
- Cameron Phillips: Because you died; two years ago, December fourth, two thousand five. You died.
....
- Sarah Connor: How do you know what I would and would not do? You don't know me! You don't know me! And you don't know my son. Not John. Not my John. You don't know what I would and wouldn't do. I don't even know what I would and wouldn't do. I don't know anything anymore. I don't even remember what my name is.
- Cameron Phillips: Sarah Connor.
Opening narrative[]
In the future, my son will lead mankind in a war against Skynet... the computer system programmed to destroy the world. It has sent machines back through time. Some to kill him. One to protect him. Today we fight to stop Skynet from ever being created. To change our future. To change his fate. The war to save mankind begins now.
See also[]
External Links[]
 This article pertains to an episode from season one of the Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles television series. This template will categorize articles that include it into the Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles/Season 1 episodes category. Episodes
"Pilot" • "Gnothi Seauton" • "The Turk" • "Heavy Metal" • "Queen's Gambit" • "Dungeons & Dragons" • "The Demon Hand" • "Vick's Chip" • "What He Beheld" Characters
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