Bionic Nemeses: Sarah Corvus is More "Frenemy" Than Enemy
The most intriguing character in the premiere episode of Bionic Woman is Sarah Corvus, the first bionic woman and the bad ass that Jamie Sommers fights in that famous rainy rooftop scene. Commentators like to describe Sarah as Jamie’s evil nemesis or her archenemy, but after watching the pilot it is hard to believe the dynamic between the two characters is that simple.
Sarah does not seem evil so much as confused and lonely. She may want to kill Will Anthros, but she does not seem to wish Jamie Sommers any real harm. If she did, Jamie would be dead in that bathroom in the nightclub where the two first meet. And when she fought Jamie on the roof, she was not going for the throat as much as checking out the new girl in town.
When Jamie asks “What do you want?” and Sarah replies “Honestly? I’m not sure,” Sarah is telling the truth … she is not sure what she wants. Sarah is not quite the wolf that Jae makes her out to be, but she is not mature and grounded either. She drifts, she reacts, she is looking for friends and simultaneously afraid of closeness to others.
Sarah Corvus reminds me quite a bit of another lonely girl, also confused and overwhelmed by the isolating nature of her super abilities: Faith, the rogue slayer on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.
Like Sarah Corvus, Faith electrified Buffy viewers by showing them what their 
heroine would be like if she refused to play by the rules. All of that physical prowess can be dangerous, and it would be easy for a smart, sexy, fearless woman to play by the “want, take” mantra that Faith tried to teach Buffy in a famous episode. But those rules only work for people who don’t care, which is why Sarah and Faith represent what could happen without the relationships that keep the Jamie and Buffy tethered to reality.
Bionic Woman producer David Eick describes Sarah Corvus as the potential dark side of Jamie, a cautionary tale of what Jamie could become if she gives in to the temptations that come with her new abilities. This echoes Buffy producer Joss Whedon’s description of Faith, as the woman Buffy could have been if she did not have the support and love of those around her.
Like Eliza Dushku, who played Faith, Katee Sackhoff can switch from needy and fearful to hard and vicious in an instant. One can easily see her, like Faith, fighting along side the heroine in one scene and against her in the next. It will be interesting to watch how Jamie’s relationship with Sarah Corvus develops in future episodes, as the two certainly have more to gain by working together than apart.
Sarah Corvus, Bionic Woman, Jamie Sommers, Faith, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, David Eick, Joss Whedon, Eliza Dushku, Katee Sackhoff
October 10th, 2007 at 11:56 am
[...] Bionic Preview: NBC’s Bionic Woman Episode 1.03 by Ryan Here is the preview of tonight’s episode, entitled, “Sisterhood”. This week’s episode looks Katee Sackhoff heavy with the bionic women, Jaime Sommers and Sarah Corvus, relying on each other to escape a deadly situation. Margie wondered if Katee Sackhoff’s Sarah Corvus would become more “frenemy” than … [...]
October 11th, 2007 at 8:25 am
[...] As for the end of the episode, with Sarah calmly threatening Jaime with her hands around Becca’s neck … wow. With Sarah looking down at Becca, almost with curiosity, as Jaime pleads with Sarah to remember her humanity. Jaime knows she can’t trust the Burket Group and Sarah is right about Will, but she also has to deal with the current state of her reality and she is unwilling to risk Becca just to find out the truth. That is what separates Sarah from Jaime, the connection with others and the willingness to make comp… [...]
November 15th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
[...] rounds this month, talking Battlestar Galactica and of course Bionic Woman. Sackhoff plays “frenemy” Sarah Corvus on BW and she is obviously having a rockin’ good time. Here are some [...]