Summer Glau

This Monday at 8 pm/ET, Fox’s Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles presents a midseason finale which reveals one character’s shocking secret, sets the stage for other surprises, and ultimately leaves Sarah herself in perhaps one of the last situations you’d imagine to find her in. Summer Glau shares a peek at the episode, shedding light on Cameron’s "issues" with John’s girlfriend and teasing insight into one of the series’ biggest mysteries of all. (After this week, Sarah Connor returns Friday, Feb. 13, leading into the debut of Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse.)

TVGuide.com: Cameron isn’t liking John’s girlfriend Riley (played by Leven Rambin) too much these days, is she?

Summer Glau: No, and I think it’s more than her just being worried that Riley’s a threat. She doesn’t like having her place taken over by somebody else.

TVGuide.com: And what do you mean by "her place"?

Glau: Well, Cameron only exists to take care of John and be with him at all times, and he keeps trying to spend time alone with Riley. That leaves Cameron feeling like she doesn’t have a purpose. So it’s really uncomfortable for her — if it’s possible for a robot to feel uncomfortable.

TVGuide.com: And this week, Riley tells Cameron a lie which only exacerbates the suspicion.

Glau: Yeah.... I believe that Cameron doesn’t really know what’s really going on with Riley, but she’s definitely on to her.

TVGuide.com: There’s a big reveal about Riley coming. Did you know it was coming before they introduced that character?

Glau: I knew partly what was going to happen, but I certainly didn’t expect it to go as far as it has. Things have gotten even more complicated. I think the storyline is great.

TVGuide.com: Do you enjoy playing the pseudo-jealousy thing between Cameron, John and Riley?

Glau: I love it. It adds so much dimension to Cameron, and it’s fun to figure out how far to take it. You don’t want to take it too far, but I do want to insinuate that it’s there.

TVGuide.com: I enjoyed the scenes a few weeks ago between Cameron and Eric (The Black Donnellys’ Billy Lush), the librarian guy.

Glau: That was a really interesting episode because Cameron doesn’t usually say much, and as far as doing meaty scenes as an actor, it’s fun to just sit down and talk. That’s one thing that Cameron really got to do in that episode. I enjoyed Billy as an actor, he’s really, really gifted.

TVGuide.com: I saw that story as almost an "escape" for Cameron, a secret place she could go to and be "regular."

Glau: Yeah, it was very creative. Toni [Graphia] always writes really good stuff for me.

TVGuide.com: Do you hope to someday get a fight scene with Shirley Manson’s T-1001?

Glau: Yes! Shirley hasn’t done many down-and-dirty fights yet — she usually takes people out pretty easily — so I wonder how it’s going to go. [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: One burning question fans have concerns what happened to Derek in the future, in "the basement." Do you have any insight into what went down?

Glau: I do. Later on, maybe this season, it will be revealed what really went down.... Remember - Cameron knows Derek, and Derek knows Cameron, so that’s also going to be fun to explore.

TVGuide.com: Eliza Dushku told me she’s excited to have Dollhouse sharing Friday nights with Sarah Connor. She sees it as a night of "female empowerment."

Glau: Yeah, me too. I think it’s a good match.

TVGuide.com: Plus, you have that Joss Whedon connection. [Glau starred in Whedon’s Firefly, also for Fox.]

Glau: We do, and I think the fans will band together and support us on Friday nights. We had a lot of competition on Monday, so I think this might be a good thing.

TVGuide.com: Oh, let’s be clear — the competition on Monday is ridiculous.

Glau: It is. It’s impossible. We’ve held onto our fan base, but you just cant hope for much more on a Monday.

TVGuide.com: Coming off of Firefly, Terminator and the bitchy gal you played in [the TV-movie] The Initiation of Sarah, do you crave playing a different role during the summer hiatus? Maybe a romantic comedy where you wear flirty dresses and chase boys?

Glau: I would love to wear a dress and play "normal"! I’m so in love with Cameron and I would never want to lose that, but it will be nice to challenge myself. I’m hoping to do a straight drama, or possible a comedy.

TVGuide.com: What else can you tease about upcoming Sarah Connor episodes? Any kisses in Cameron’s future?

Glau: Not in Cameron’s, no! [Laughs] But the mystery is going to get deeper and deeper. Sarah has been tormented by the visions of these three dots, so she goes off on her own, and she meets up with similarly "possessed" people. It’s always interesting when you leave "the kids" [John and Cameron] alone. A big piece of the mystery is going to come to light in the next couple of episodes.

TVGuide.com: I was going to say, the final scene of the midseason finale leaves a person wondering....

Glau: Yeah, and what’s coming up is going to be cool.