Note: Our dumb DVR did not record T:TSCC and we started watching 20 minutes in so I had to wait for tonight to see eppy 08, Mr Ferguson Is Ill Today, online. I’m sad I missed it on the bigger screen but the fact that it still comes off really great online is a testament to it’s very high cool factor.

NOVEMBER 10, ON FOX

S2 E08

“Mr. Ferguson is Ill Today”

John and Riley’s impromptu trip to Mexico results in deadly consequences. Meanwhile, Sarah and Ellison finally come face-to-face in the “Mr. Ferguson is Ill Today” episode of TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES.. “Sarah doesn’t have a plan but she has a gun. The Connor’s meet up with Cromartie in Mexico this time and apparently a massive gun battle ensues.” Riley and John abscond to Mexico with unfortunate consequences; Sarah encounters Ellison in a face-to-face meeting. (tvguide.com)

From  Bear’s Battlestar Blog:

“SPOILERS AHEAD: Tonight’s episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, aptly titled Mr. Ferguson is Ill Today, is a particularly unusual story.  The plot is fractured into multiple accounts of the same narrative from the perspective of each of the major characters, the location was unique and, above all, the story culminates in the death of a principle character, Cromartie.  (The episode’s title is actually the first line of dialog Cromartie spoke in the pilot!)  While the multi-perspective storyline provided interesting musical challenges, it was the episode’s Mexican location that gave me the most room to explore.

“Mr. Ferguson” allowed me a second opportunity to produce a song for Terminator, after the season premiere’s searing “Samson and Delilah” with Shirley Manson.  This time, I arranged a traditional Mexican folk tune called “La Llorona.”

Cameron kills Cromartie (T:TSCC, S2 E08)

What is Cameron thinking? Does she suddenly feel guilty for killing one of her own? What is going on in her unpredictable computerized brain? I didn’t want the score to answer any of these questions, only to raise them. Bear Mccreary:  Bear’s Battlestar Blog

(cont.)

“I first heard about this song a few days before I saw the episode.  I happened to be hanging out with the episode’s director Michael Nankin (whose skillful touch Battlestar fans will recognize from some of the best episodes of that series, including Maelstrom) and he told me that he was experimenting with the song in his cut.  So, even before the spotting session with the producers, I was already thinking about how I could take a traditional Mexican folk tune and Terminator-ize it.

When I saw the sequence in question a few days later, I knew the inspiration would come quickly.  The last act of “Mr. Ferguson” takes on the feeling of a Sergio Leone western.  Leone’s collaborations with Ennio Morricone have been a tremendous influence on me, in particular on my scores for the Rest Stop films.  So, I felt right at home musically, and simply had to find the right balance between traditional Mexican folk instumentation, the electric strings, metallic percussion, and of course, the vocalist.”… More here: Bear’s Battlestar Blog:

Derek Connor

NEXT WEEK:

Airs: 17th November 2008 (US)

Episode 2.09 - Complications
Emmy Award winner Richard Schiff (“The West Wing”) makes a special guest appearance in an all-new episode. Sarah’s mystifying nightmares creep into her real life – but what do they mean for her and John? Meanwhile, Derek and Jesse investigate a possible Skynet conspirator.

Jesse

Jesse and Derek

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