Terminator Zero’ Episode Seven Review

In the penultimate episode of ‘Terminator Zero’, we get a big revelation about a main character’s origin, as the show prepares for its finale.

This episode takes us back, or rather forward, to Malcolm Lee’s childhood, as it’s revealed he was actually a resistance fighter from the future, a child soldier who used his skills to build his own artificial intelligence out of parts scrounged from destroyed Terminators. This primitive AI took on the name Kokoro, eventually being developed into a functioning cyborg. In a big twist, Malcolm turned on his own resistance cell when they tried to destroy her, thinking she could be dangerous. He and Kokoro then travelled back in time to the 1980s where he began to work on a new version of Kokoro, and had to use the CPU from the cyborg who then became Misaki. 

Now here’s the tricky part: Malcolm didn’t begin working on any AI until after Eiko was sent back to try and stop him, which seems to be an odd thing to do, considering that Malcolm will develop the technology in the future, surely it would be easier to stop him then? Even if this was a time loop, they only need to prevent him from using the time machine, and he would never develop Kokoro in 1997. He also says that Skynet and the resistance have been fighting a time war, sending Terminators and fighters back in time to assassinate key figures, which seems like a reference to Sarah and John Connor, though this must surely be a new timeline, so are they still alive here? Do they affect the future? Does it mean Kokoro has to be bad if the resistance view her as a threat? And perhaps most importantly, do they know Malcolm is actually from the future? Time travel is never simple.

The bulk of this episode revolves around Malcolm, establishing his backstory, and the conversations he has with Kokoro. I have to say, I was surprised he didn’t open the door to save Kenta when the Terminator threatened to kill him. I guess it’s the kind of decision a hero has to make when so much is at stake, but it seemed incredibly cold.

There’s no time given to the other characters here, but the stage has been set for the final episode, and if the rest of this show is anything to go by, then there are going to be some twists waiting in the wings. Let’s hope the finale does the series justice.