Bionic Woman

Originally aired: Wednesday September 26, 2007 on NBC.

Jaime Sommers:  How I’m doing?

Sarah Corvus:  Not bad.  Not bad at all.

Wednesday was the official premiere of the 1970s classic retooled by veteran BSG producer David Eick.

Previously I served up my take on the Bionic Woman un-aired pilot and then posted some early thoughts on the official pilot NBC released via Amazon a couple of weeks back.  The show has premiered and it gets better for me with each viewing.  Although initially rating this episode 6.5 out of 10, upon a second viewing, I am revising my assessment to 7.1.

More after the jump…

The Bionic Woman remake opens with a gruesome scene.  Bodies are strewn about in an underground biotech research facility.  Soldiers run down a corridor and find the incomparable Katee Sackhoff as the deranged Sarah Corvus, a.k.a. the first Bionic Woman, covered in blood and admitting to her once lover she couldn’t help herself.  Just before lunging towards him, she pleads for him to tell her he loves her.  Bang.  He shoots her dead.  Or so it appears.

Fast forward three years and we meet Jaime Sommers, a 24 year old Berkeley dropout working as a bartender in an uber hip nightclub doing her best raise and support her rebellious, teenage sister, Becca.  Sommers is played by British actress, Michelle Ryan, best known for her role on the BBC soap EastEnders.  Ryan is a capable Sommers, but it is going to take an episode or two for me to accept her as Lindsay Wagner’s replacement.

Moving very quick through most scenes, the pilot introduces us to A LOT of characters.  Most we have introduced to you these past couple of weeks to get everyone up to speed.  The main cast of characters are:  Jaime Sommers, Sarah Corvus, Will Anthros, Jonas Bledsoe, Becca Sommers, Ruth Treadwell, and Anthony Anthros.

Sommers dates Will Anthros, a brilliant young surgeon with the know-how and clearance to save Sommers’ life after Corvus crashes into the newly engaged couple on their way home.  Without skipping a beat, Anthros medi-vacs Sommers to the top secret Wolf Creek biotech lab and turns her into the second bionic woman.  Dazed and confused, Sommers briefly catches glimpses of herself and the bionic technology before drifting unconscious.  Once awake, she is told it wasn’t a dream and without replacing her legs, eyes, ears and one arm, she would not have survived the crash.  Naturally, she is more than pissed that all of this was done without her knowledge, much less consent.

While Sommers heals, we witness the behind the scenes discussions of Berkut Group staff and what they are going to do with a civilian now implanted with military technology.  The co-founder of The Berkut Group, Jonas Bledsoe, agrees that Sommers can live, but can be dealt with later if necessary.   It is decided that until Sommers is trained to become the latest Bionic Woman, she must remain at the Wolf Creek Facility as their guest.  Again, she is pissed to be held captive and treated like a guinea pig.

With the help of Anthros, Sommers escapes the compound and using her newly activated bionic legs, races home.  After explaining to Becca that she is o.k., Sommers and Corvus officially meet. 

Corvus slides up to Sommers’ bar and proceeds to chat her up just as the bionic eye and ear implants come online.  Corvus confirms Sommers is now a Bionic Woman, just like her.  As she slithers out the door, Corvus asks Sommers to tell everyone back at the Berkut Group she says,  “Hi.”

From here Sommers starts to experiment with her new bionics and learns that she is one tough lady.  Missing her boyfriend, she and Anthros reunite.  Unfortunately, Corvus shows back up with a high powered rifle and once again attempts to assassinate Anthros and Sommers.  Fortunately for Sommers her body is now filled with $50 million dollars worth of bionic technology and she is able to see Corvus standing on a rooftop holding the rifle.  She races towards Corvus, climbing ladders and jumping across roof tops just in time for the big showdown.

The rooftop fight scene is the best part of the pilot and worth sticking around if nothing else than to appreciate Director Michael Dinner’s amazing camera work.  (The entire pilot is beautifully shot and matches many theatrical releases with significantly higher budgets.)

Back to the roof scene.  Drenched and looking fabulous, Sackhoff and Ryan are clearly having a good time and each actor hits their well choreographed marks with precision.  Although Sommers comes out on top and Corvus makes a speedy getaway, I’d call the fight a draw at best.

As the pilot nears the end, Sommers advises Bledsoe that he may own the parts inside her, but if they are going “to do this”, he better accept the fact the “arrangement” will be done on her terms.

Overall, the pilot is worth the price of admission.  Like the title character, Bionic Woman has a lot of parts that work well together and some that are just coming on-line.  However, I have every confidence, because I am such a BSG fan, Eick and his team will not disappoint fans in the long run.

And if the ratings for the premiere hold next week, NBC will have turned  $50 million in bionics into ratings gold. 

Not bad, not bad at all.

Writer: Laeta Kalogridis, David Eick
Director: Michael Dinner
Show Stars: Miguel Ferrer (Jonas Bledsoe), Molly Price (Ruth Treadwell), Will Yun Lee (Jae Kim), Michelle Ryan (Jaime Wells Sommers), Chris Bowers (Will Anthros), Mark A. Sheppard (Anthony Anthros), Lucy Hale (Becca Sommers)
Recurring Role: Katee Sackhoff (Sarah Corvus)
Guest Stars: Emma Lahana (Sally Crane) , Aaron Douglas (Supermax Prison Guard) , Leela Savasta (Shawna Tyler)