Terminator 2.03 Review: Kidnapped!
Original Air Date: September 22, 2008
So, whaddya do when a machine kidnaps someone you know and/or love? If you believe Sarah Connor and Derek Reese, you do nothing because it’s all just a ploy to get at John Connor. And, of course, they’re right.
“The Mousetrap” revolves around Cromartie’s roundabout bid to get at John by kidnapping Charley Dixon’s wife Michelle while the Dixons are on their way out of town at FBI agent James Ellison’s suggestion. Cromartie executes an ultra cool plan, too. He just drives up to the gas station they’re at, disables his vehicle, and drives away in the Dixons’ truck with Michelle as Charley grabs her a soda. Having the money to afford gas in this economy: Nice. Paying attention to who’s around you when you’re fleeing a city with an unfeeling, killer metal robot from the future hot on your tail: Priceless.
One desperate phone call from Charley to Sarah, one fake bomb, and one very sneaky Cromartie plan later, the robot succeeds in locating his target, largely because John is still trying to assert his independence, which makes him avoid having his “weird sister” Cameron watch over him. With that kind of unwise rebellion going on, all it takes is a rigged cell phone and a little of the machine’s creepy voice-mimicking skills for Cromartie to track down John on his play date with Riley and arrange a meeting at the pier.
Fortunately, for John at least, the machines don’t swim. This previously unmentioned yet crucial fact helps John rise to the top of the ocean he jumps into, while Cromartie just sinks slowly away. The no-swim clause doesn’t last forever, though, because somehow Cromartie manages to walk out of the water soon, looking just as robotic, determined, and unfazed as ever.
Elsewhere, FBI agent James Ellison receives a phone call out of the blue from sleek Catherine Weaver, who lies that she, her brother, and her husband — do liquid metal robots really have those kinds of ties? — stumbled onto machine parts decades ago and have been obsessed ever since. That’s why they really, truly, genuinely need the agent’s help now, which is all a crock to help Weaver use Ellison the same way Cromartie has in the past — as a means of getting whatever it is the machine wants with less effort. They may be robots, but they certainly understand the value of economizing one’s energy.
Noticeably slow (it takes a long time to tell very little) and devoid of anything resembling action, “The Mousetrap” ends on a sad note when Michelle apparently dies from a wound suffered during Cromartie’s bomb blast. I say “apparently” since I’m inclined to believe the funeral is faked to make Cromartie believe Michelle is dead for her safety. The sly looks Ellison and Charley throw each seem to reinforce that possibility, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Michelle/Sonya Walger pop up again in the future.
Oh — and a heartfelt thanks to whomever came up with the brilliant idea of making Cromartie’s dearly departed human model George Laszlo the star of a cheesy Tarzan-style flick. Now, every time I see Cromartie, I’m going to think of the shirtless, loincloth-wearing, jungle-dwelling man beneath his emotionless, mechanical exterior. 
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