Adam Raised a Cain… or did he? Last week we learned that Weaver’s AI is evolving as John Connor continues to mature into the leader he will one day become. Here’s a look behind-the-scenes at one of our favorite episodes of the season.
First thing first — Derek’s death. Josh and Brian spoke privately of Derek’s demise before the script was distributed to our cast and crew, and Brian (the ultimate professional that he is), understood and found Derek’s fate completely appropriate. Ultimately, Derek Reese met an end he was indeed fated for — a consequence of fighting the machines, a soldier’s death. RIP Reese, you will be missed.
Speaking of the battle at Weaver’s “humble” abode, that stunning house is located off Mulholland Highway in Malibu, California and has actually been used in many films, including the recent blockbuster Ironman.
Water Delivery Man Terminator was played by actor Jeffrey Pierce, an actor who came close to being cast a few times in the first season. Pierce, as you may recall, actually played the brother to original-Cromartie, Owain Yeomain, in the now-defunct ABC series The Nine. You have not seen the last of Pierce’s terminating machine — he’ll be back.
Did you recognize the movie theater where Sarah was arrested? We’ve used it a few times in earlier episodes, including as the theater that premiered “The Sheik” in the 1920’s portion of Self-Made Man . The interior (where John threatened Ellison before running off) also once housed the outside of the chess competition in which Andy Goode’s Turk lost to the Japanese in season one’s Queen’s Gambit.
Beastwizard (pre-Cromartie George Laszlo’s cinematic alter-ego — say that five times fast) has become a favorite amongst the cast and crew. Did you notice the photo John identified of “John Henry” upon Savannah’s description? Beastwizard.
In the first draft of Adam Raised a Cain, the exchange of Savannah (and eventual police standoff) was scripted in/out of a public library, not a movie theater. It was a callback to the opening dream sequence of the Pilot in which Sarah found John in a library before facing off with the Cops, but we had to do alter it due to production restraints.
Adam Raised a Cain marked the third collaboration by dynamo writer-producer matchup Toni Graphia and Charles Beeson. Previously the two worked together on Allison from Palmdale and The Demon Hand. I have a feeling you probably like this team.
The song Savannah teaches John Henry is an old Scottish/Celtic folk song entitled Donald, Where’s Your Trousers? And yes, those were actually the lovely singing voices of Mackenzie Smith (Savannah) and Garret Dillahunt (John Henry). Did you catch the irony of Savannah’s line to Weaver earlier in the episode — “…you can’t sing.” It goes without explanation that Shirley “Catherine Weaver” Manson is the lead singer of the band Garbage and sang Samson and Delilah at the beginning of the season.