The Boob Tube Babe and I took turns shouting “Wallace!” while watching this week’s episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Probably not the reaction the show was looking for, but when you see a suddenly Afro-less, svelte-looking version of Veronica Mars‘ best friend, you rejoice. Well, you do if you miss Veronica as much as we do.

As for the actual plot: the show’s already cashed in its single “John acts like a douche in order to heighten dramatic tension” card with this one. Honestly, I get the “boy needs to become a man” arc, exemplified in the semi-silly driving lesson scene, but his jumping into the heart of danger reeked of stupidity, not bravery. It also rendered Thomas Dekker unable to do anything except skulk around and look like he just saw his father coming out of the shower. The kid’s better than that.

In other news, they’ve replaced an ex-member of The Nine with an ex-member of John From Cincinnati in terms of antagonist. Good to see Garret Dillahunt on my screen, as one of eight people in the world who loved John from Cincinnati. (Missed Deadwood. Apologies, people.) I keep waiting for him to say, “This is huge!” but somehow I don’t think this Terminator is prone to feelings of spiritual awakening.

The FBI storyline isn’t bad, per say, but it’s fairly by the numbers. “You’re not getting any younger” is followed by the younger, Wallace-esque doppelganger. As I mentioned in my last Wee-View, the FBI agent is simply the Tommy Lee Jones to Sarah’s Harrson Ford. All we need now is a one-armed Terminator and we’re good to go.

In terms of mythology, I like the little nods: the fallout shelter (replete with Brian Effin’ Bloom, whom the wife kept confusing with Richard Grieco…I’m not sure which of them should be more insulted, quite frankly) as base for future operations was a nice touch, and the “the seeds of the apocalypse are all around us” beats are generally well-played. The biggest problem? Terminator-on-Terminator fights are inherently dull. Neither side is allowed to show any passion, and as such, the fights fall oddly flat.

In short: the weakest of the four to date, but still fairly strong overall. Given the dirth of other options lately, it’s worth checking out, to be sure.