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Premierewatch: 'Bionic Woman'
Well, folks, she's here. Bionic Woman! We have the technology. We can rebuild her. And we can also celebrate her re-introduction into the prime-time lineup with a little help from one Alanis Morissette. Alanis, take it away!
A young girl
Gets hit by a truck
She was a bartender
Now she's down on her luck
She's got a smart boyfriend
A surgeon so distraught
And when he saw her mangled flesh he said,
"Hmmm, here's a thought...
She could be bionic, don'tcha think?
She could be bionic, yeah, I really do think..."
And indeed, most of the episode seemed to take place in the raaaaaaaaiiiiin, in a world where scientists can create robot-human hybrids but absolutely no one has ever heard of an umbrella. Honestly, that was just silly.
What stood out this summer amongst the large crop of new shows failed to truly lift off in its premier episode, lumbering along with a huge amount of exposition and a titular character who spent the entire episode acting as if she were waiting at the DMV to have her license renewed. While other fall genre shows such as Chuck and Reaper knowingly embrace the ridiculousness of their premises (while also provided thrills and chills), Bionic Woman takes itself utterly and completely seriously. Makes sense, given that creators of this show hail from the ultra-serious re-imagining of Battlestar Galactica, a show in which people are sent out of the airlock if they so much as crack a smile.
Problem is, Bionic Woman simply can't pull off such Galactica gravitas. It doesn't have the acting talent, writing talent, or even a premise to support such heaviness. Battlestar features Edward James Freakin' Olmos trying to stave off the complete annihilation of the human race from robots once under human control. Bionic Woman features Michelle Ryan sullenly asking "Why me?" for an hour. The stakes just aren't the same.
Throw in clunky exposition to such sullenness and you had a pilot that had me looking at my watch every few minutes: not a good sign, people. The first fifteen minutes chugged through all the backstory the show felt was necessary: Jaime Sommers is dating a successful professor/surgeon, Will, and living with her surly sister, Becca, who inherited her elder sibling's sunny disposition. Jaime announces she's pregnant, since apparently it wouldn't be bad enough that she's merely injured in a car wreck and loses her legs, arm, eye, and ear, but had to lose a baby as well in order for us to truly sympathize with her. (Hint: that's a sign the show doesn't have much faith in their lead's charisma.)
Amidst all this, we learn that Jaime is actually Bionic Woman 2 (Electric Boogaloo), with the first model, Sarah Corvis, having gone a leetle whacky in her post-hybrid life. Corvis, played by Katee Sackoff of Battlestar fame, stood out in this episode head and shoulders above the rest. In her climatic scene with Sommers, she reveals that she's slowly replaced her "human" parts over the years in order to remove "weakness" from her body. Not quite sure where she's getting the parts, though, to be honest. Maybe Home Depot? After all, they keep telling me, "You can do it. We can help." Then again, I can't so much as build a birdcage, never mind a bionic leg. So I beg to differ with Home Depot's assertion. But that's another story for another day.
This scene zeroed in on what will most likely be a prevailing theme of the show: what right to those in Will's group have to manipulate and control the bodies of these women? Who owns their bodies and abilities? It's an interesting debate, one that reminds me of the constant Slayer/Watcher tension on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Bionic, like Buffy, seems to take a feminist stance that the women in question are often singled out against their will by patriarchal forces to do the dirty work these men can't or won't do on their own. But Jaime: I served with Buffy Summers (well, I own all the DVDs, if that counts); I knew Buffy Summers (well, through hand-written fanfic, if that counts); Buffy Summers was a friend of mine (in my really awesome dreams). Jaime, you're no Buffy Summers.
Now, simply because this interesting point was treated ham-fistedly in the pilot is no reason to discard it from the show: in fact, it might be the only thing that keeps this show from sinking into a simple stunt-laden drama. The fact that everything in this happened in this episode happened TO her is dramatically interesting, but what will be interesting going forth is how she turns from a passive vessel into an active force. That's far more interesting to me than extended lessons about anthrocites, this show's version of the dreaded Star Wars midichlorians.
Furthermore, the show needs badly to infuse some of Sackoff's energy into Michelle Ryan's character. I've never seen East Enders, so I don't know Ryan's previous work, but Lord almighty, I've seen people in the middle of dental surgery having more fun than she was tonight. At one point, my wife turned to me and half-screamed, "Why didn't they give her a personality during the surgery?" I understand she shouldn't break into song upon learning that she's a walking laptop with super ninja skillz, but it's a bad sign when I cheer for the show's villain breaking the arm of my supposed hero. Just saying.
But hey, it's all good: there's plenty of good ideas on the show, even if they were clumsily executed on the first go-round. Jaime's journey from drink-slinging bartender to butt-kicking fembot should provide many excellent montages. The idea that Will's father will try and exact revenge on not only his son, but the entire organization, is interesting enough as a season-long plot. (Especially since Will's father, Anthony, is played by another Battlestar alum, Mark Sheppard, so amazingly good as Baltar's lawyer last season. And hey, Chief Tyrol played a prison guard! Yes, I miss Battlestar Galactica, dearly. The way the deserts miss the rain. Is it obvious?)
The seeds for a good show are there. It's just that in this first week, they haven't quite begun to sprout just yet.
What did you think of the premiere? Am I being too harsh or did you also feel something was lacking? And would a bionic leg help explain exactly why Beckham can bend it so effortlessly?
Much better than the original pilot, but still it doesn't seem deserving of it's buzz. A lot of the acting is terrible (Asian guy and shrink lady), and the lines could use some work. I personally don't stress too much about realism (that's the whole point of scripted TV), but this show is pushing it- Corvis snaps Sommers's hand, yet when she's thrown off the roof, she hangs on with both her hands. Also, I get that they have a lot of strength, but nothing a well aimed shot to the throat or the head won't cure... I certainly don't think their abilities are worth 50 mil.
AC | Sep 26, 2007 8:29:45 PM | #I would rather the Jamie Sommers role went to Katee, she just seems more suited to it. I guess she was too busy with Gallactica or other commitments to do it. Overall a fun show, but I want to see where they are going to go with the story from here.
Chris G | Sep 27, 2007 12:31:17 AM | #Liked the episode overall, but the pace was slow (ok, lumbering) at times. Thought the show's tone was unnecessarily dour and sober. Given that this character and the $6 Million Dollar Man are pop-culture icons, I think a lighter, more tongue in cheek (not camp) approach might work better. Main character is something of a downer, tough to warm up to.
Odd that the Sarah Corvus character is so compelling compared to the lead. Makes me wonder if the show wouldn't work better as a vehicle for Sarah/Katie. Think about it: A show about a rogue bionic woman; in essence a show about the villain. Now that would be a twist!
I agree that Jamie didn't show much personality in this episode - I think they tried to jam too much into one hour -> Jamie being in a car accident, nearly dying and losing her baby. Jamie becoming a bionic woman against her will and coping with what that means physically. The politics and conflicts that the organization who 'saved' her are involved in. The rogue bionic woman and the vendetta against the organization. It was way too much ground to cover in one hour. They could easily have dealt with just the first two issues, introducing the shadowy corporation at the very end to explore in the next episode.
I didn't find the episode slow at all, just so scattered that I couldn't get emotionally invested which made it *boring* and flat. I think fans of battlestar are already invested in Katee, which is why she was infinitely more compelling. Plus, she was given more motivation and personality than Jamie, perhaps because her character had already coped with being 'turned,' as it were.
I think that having Sarah return as a sort of... evil mentor character would be far more interesting than having the two bionic women simply appear as enemies. Jamie doesn't want to trust the organization, here's another woman who has already been through it... let them both try to win her over for a while....
Chelsea | Sep 27, 2007 3:10:40 AM | #Please Don't even put BUFFY in the same sentence as this garbage snooze Joss Whedon gave a near perfect show - this is clunky, second rate, over hyped crud.
| Sep 27, 2007 4:35:50 AM | #Bring back Lindsay Wagner. And she won an Emmy for the role, too. No way that will happen with Ryan.
jfms777 | Sep 27, 2007 5:33:12 AM | #Yeah the Pilot got off to a slow start, but all in all I thought the show was very good. Anyone that watchs BSG know that most of the time that show is deliberate and not action packed, but tense, and brooding. I think Bionic woman will get there. The Evidence suggest it. Whenever Katee Sackoff was on screen Bionic woman hit its stride. Yes, it's no Buffy or BSG it has more poetential to be an Alias. I think it's going to be fun to hang around and watch this show find it's legs.
Craig B | Sep 27, 2007 5:59:28 AM | #Much better then the original. I grew up watching Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, Battlestar Galatica and The A team. Even as I child I knew back then that these shows were cartoonish, even back then I knew the writing was stiff and the actors stiffer. Bionic Woman needs to lighten up just a bit and I think it will be fine. It's getting a season pass from me just for the simple reason that the show has a writer and producer that knows Scifi shows can be dramatic and the characters can be real instead of cartoons.
Banter | Sep 27, 2007 6:07:00 AM | #I thought the show was decent, though Michelle Ryan was much too sullen. There is the promise of a more spirited show now that she knows what her abilities are. I think the director tried to make Jamie "cool" when she needs to be feisty and spiritied - someone we can root for and care about.
PeteF1 | Sep 27, 2007 6:53:01 AM | #I was pretty disappointed in this. NBC has been hyping it up for so long, and I thought of their 3 new sci-fi/action shows, this was by far the worst. I wish they had put as much effort into promoting Chuck or Journeyman as they did for this. And it's interesting that you bring up Buffy...what made that show so great (indeed, one of the top 2 or 3 shows of all time, imo) was how likable the characters were, and how they could take a premise so silly, and somehow manage to combine humor, romance, action, and drama into every hour and make it all believable. This show has no humor (and really, with its premise, it should), non-believable romance, and melodrama instead of drama. The only thing it had was action. Maybe it's the writers, maybe it's the actors (the Bionic Woman is no Sarah Michelle Gellar, that's for sure) or maybe it's a combination, but this is a show that I won't be watching again. Maybe it will get a lot better and I'll have to catch up with it on DVD, but I just don't see it happening.
| Sep 27, 2007 7:08:53 AM | #It's the publicity that tells us Sackoff stole the show. You can tell most reviewers didn't really watch the episode, just zeroed in on what the publicity said and wrote it into the review after spending only 5 minutes with the show. In reality, both girls were embarassingly wooden. This show has a limited shelf life. It sucks.
Trish | Sep 27, 2007 7:17:04 AM | #I spent most of the show trying to figure out what the song was that played when Ms. B2 (Bionic2) went home for the first time after the accident. The rest was indulging my girlcrush on Katee. That being said - it was a very disjointed show, and the writers need to better figure out their arcs (and stick to them!) if they want to keep viewers.
Tink | Sep 27, 2007 7:23:19 AM | #Tink: The song was "Breathe Me" by Sia, which should have been retired after its use in the finale of "Six Feet Under". And yet, it's used over...and over...and over...
Ryan | Sep 27, 2007 7:28:18 AM | #http://www.bionicboards.com
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I was very disappointed by the show, I never watched BSG, but I did love Katie Sackoff, Michelle Ryan, needs to lighten up. This show is no where near Buffy, they could learn a thing or to from that show. I hope it gets better, or bye bye Bionic babe.
Nancy | Sep 27, 2007 7:48:28 AM | #Michelle Ryan is no Lindsay Wagner that's for sure! She definitely lacks the charm and personality of the original Jaime Sommers. I wasn't really feeling her at all. Unlike Wagner, Ryan won't Ever have to worry about winnng an Emmy for this role. Better to begin in Max The Bionic Dog, and get rid of Jaime's lame little sister at this point!
Tony | Sep 27, 2007 8:12:24 AM | #I think the best review I have read so far compared the start of this show to Heroes. Like Heroes, Bionic Woman is going to take a few episodes to get it right, but I am confident it will. I enjoyed the premiere.
Cotton | Sep 27, 2007 8:30:54 AM | #For the most part nbc got it right. The pilot need to explain how things got started and to understand the conflict in the charactor. They shold have made it longer than one hour. But having to an recasting of supporting role what did you expect. As a fan of this type of scif drama I am very happy with the show and look forward to more season to come. There is something about a strong woman scifi charactor.
chris | Sep 27, 2007 8:51:46 AM | #You know I saw this last night on the TIVO after giving Private Practice a go. Maybe it was just the fact that I had just seen a really awful and silly pilot, but Bionic Woman seemed head and shoulders about its well advertised competition. Yes, there was some clunkiness to the show, but there was a lot of promise especially with Sackoff's character. I think with some time this could really develop into a really good show. On the downside anyone wondering about the character of Jaimie should check out Ryan's last work seen on BBCAmerica, "Jekyll". Unfortunately, I didn't see much there that makes me think she is going to do much more with the character of Jaimie Sommers.
Jennifer | Sep 27, 2007 8:53:18 AM | #For the person who compared this to Heroes: true, Heroes started a little slow, though it had picked up by the 3rd or 4th episode, but the big difference between the shows is that Heroes was a true ensemble with some really likable characters (Hiro and Ando) right from the beginning, and some really good acting from the non-likable characters (Mr. Bennett, Sylar). To me, this show feels like if they decided to take Nikki (Ali Larters character), the least likable and most boring character on Heroes, and build a show just around her, except with a more wooden, less attractive actress.
Chris | Sep 27, 2007 9:38:13 AM | #Comparisons to Battlestar Galactica are a teensy bit unfair, considering that Galactica had a miniseries in which to establish its premise.
Bionic Woman really should have been a two-hour pilot at least, and the lead actress should have been coached to play up her 'humanity' before the accident, so that we'd have a baseline to judge her metamorphosis into the new cyborg being she's become, and to see how the Matrix-like 'training' chips and whatnot become integrated into her personality.
I'm hoping that my fellow Galactica fans will have faith in the talent attached to this series, and give it a chance to find its legs. Pun intended.
Siansonea | Sep 27, 2007 9:51:46 AM | #After hearing how bad this show was long before it ever premiered, I was actually surprised that I liked it. I think it's funny that everybody is saying how great Katee Sackoff was because I felt her performance was pretty average. I've seen Battlestar and like it, but I think those fans are seeing her performance differently than what was actually on the screen. Both chicks need to kick it up a notch.
This show is not Buffy (one of the best shows ever) it will be darker, but they can make it fun, The X-Files managed to balance that out. There were hints at the end that the writers/producers were going to allow for some lighter moments and clearly were putting Jaime in charge of her life. Although I'm sure that stuggle will be a recurring theme.
Keep it simple, develop the characters. The lead is just ok, but Gillian Anderson didn't start out as strong as she finished, so if the writers take time to develop the characters in order to drive the plot, they'll be ok.
matilda | Sep 27, 2007 11:29:04 AM | #I think you all are way off base. it's the first episode!!! you need to lay some ground work!!! not only did they lay down the basis for the story, you also got a few good fights, there was some blackmail and great effects. It was a good first show. Give it a rest an let it play out a little.
frankieB | Sep 27, 2007 11:39:09 AM | #I have seen both incarnations of Bionic Woman, and while the 70s version still has the nostalgia to make me prefer it to the remake, I was suitably impressed enough that I'll watch at least a few more episodes to see where it's headed. My main problems are with what is supposed to be the main character, Jaime Sommers, and her sister. To me, Michelle Ryan would've been better suited as the next tag-along in season 9,266 of Dr. Who, rather than trying to pull off what is supposed to be an action hero role. She just doesn't have the chops for it, unlike her nemesis, played by the blonde (and amazingly evil-looking) Katee Sackoff, who kinda reminds me of the main character in the Parasite Eve series on PS1 back in the 90s. As for her sister, I have long grown tired of teenaged girls (even the geniuses) always being portrayed as snivelling, snide, snarky and essentially useless other than to be there for the requisite argument scenes. We are in the 21st century now, and while there are young girls like this all over the planet, we need to start showcasing the girls who are not. I still have yet to read a good reason why they replaced Mae Whitman, who is a better actress than half the people on TV nowadays her age, and I felt that her character would've been a better match with Jaime in terms of one playing off the other's strengths and weaknesses. This girl is just a pain in the ass, and the less we see of her, the better. As for the rest, the folks who did the damage after the damage were pretty one-dimensional. Yet another Oriental actor who is probably evil (yawn). Yet another balding man with facial hair who is probably evil (yawn). Yet another blonde woman who is probably in love with somebody in a position above her (yawn). Yet another doctor who does evil things, even if it is "for the greater good" (yawn). Catching a pattern here? I really, really wanted to like this show, because the ideas behind it are topical (messing with human nature and the body, and to hell with ethics) and fascinating. Unfortunately, I fear that what will happen is that Bionic Woman will just become a long run of fight scenes interspersed with the semi-evil people looking serious, the EBE (Evil Bionic Entity) getting revenge or having a latte, Jaime having argument #1,366 with her sister, and lots and lots of rain. In other words, dullsville. I will give the show at least a few more episodes to see where it's going, but I might end up watching something else instead. Just don't tell Katee Sackoff, hm? She scares me...
Dark Disciple | Sep 27, 2007 11:42:15 AM | #Well...as a woman I always try to support shows/movies the girl get to kick ass instead of the guys.
That said, I wasn't 'blown away' by last night premiere but I wasn't entirely disapointed either. I do think they need to 'lighten' up a bit. A constant diet of 'oh woe is me' get's old pretty quick.
Not sure how I feel about Ryan yet but I alway enjoy watching Miguel Ferrer & Katie Sackoff's 'Sara Corvis was great. Actually reminded me of the replicant characters in 'Blade Runner'.
Ran | Sep 27, 2007 12:36:27 PM | #
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