Bionic Woman

Entertainment Weekly has an four-page feature on blonde action heroine and former bionic babe Katee Sackhoff in this week’s issue, where the star talks about her roles on Bionic Woman and Battlestar Galactica as well as her plans for the future.

Among the more interesting revelations for Bionic Woman fans was Katee’s frustration about how watered down Sarah Corvus became as the show got more and more attention.

“She was sooooo much crazier than what ended up on the air,” said the actress.  “She kept being pulled back.  That’s the norm for network television, as far as I am concerned.”

It’s another insider comment about the stunted potential of what could have been a great show, and one that is especially intriguing considering the Sarah Corvus scenes that made it on the air were pretty crazy.  The Sarah we saw was needy, violent, homicidal, caring, self-destructive, palpably alive and yet slipping into psychosis while dying. 

What Sarah Corvus could have been, or would have been, if Sackhoff had been allowed to truly unleash her man-eating and scene-chewing glory will be a mystery for the ages.  As will the question of who she was with in the pilot, and what would have become of her complicated relationship with the elder Anthros played by Mark Sheppard.

The article also contained high praise for Katee from Bionic and Battlestar executive producer David Eick:  “You’ll see I tend to cast Katee in everything I possibly can … She’s a very special find.  Those actors who can combine the qualities of strength and vulnerability - they usually call those people movie stars.”

The magazine interview featured some gorgeous pictures of Katee looking fiercely lovely with flowing blonde extensions.  There are also videos of Katee from the shoot on the magazine’s web site for those who are interested.

While Ryan and I were eating turkey last week, the rest of the Internet was buzzing with speculation that Katee Sackhoff may be leaving Bionic Woman.  Roco has the links here if you want to read the sources, but essentially folks are saying that Katee is either not happy with the show, fighting with Michelle Ryan in real life as well as on screen, or both … and as a result Katee is taking Sarah Corvus and her bionic toys and going home.

There are a lot of good, logical reasons why Sarah Corvus could be off the show including budget cuts, new show runners who don’t like the dueling bionic women concept, yet another character change for Jaime Sommers, or even the producers wanting Michelle Ryan to gain more fan momentum before they bring back Katee and her charismatic Sarah Corvus. 

But it seems illogical that Katee would just up and leave a prime time show that has gotten her a ton of good press … even though the reviews for Bionic Woman have been spotty at best, Katee has gotten raves from fans and industry insiders who have praised her dark and dangerous portrayal of Sarah Corvus.  Even if she has had troubles with Michelle Ryan, which may or may not be true, she would also be a fool to piss off prolific producer David Eick who will probably cast her in another production once Bionic Woman and Battlestar Galactica are over.  Not to mention that talking bad about your coworkers to fans is just bad form.

Long time Katee fans know that Katee’s spunk can sometimes translate badly in interviews.  She is known for her unpredictable interview style, which fans and journalists love but probably gives her publicist nightmares (for example, she made comments at a Battlestar Galactica panel this summer that made it pretty clear she is familiar with the after effects of smoking pot … it was funny at the time, but not exactly what most television shows what their actresses talking about in front of the media). 

In this case the comments were not in an interview but in a fan Q&A at a convention, so we don’t have a lot of public information about what really happened.  There is a good chance that this rumor whirlwind could be caused by odd comments from Katee that were then taken out of context.  She is a polarizing presence for Battlestar Galactica fans, and some folks have implied that the fan who wrote the blog that started the rumors is simply trying to spin her comments as negatively as possible. 

As with all things Bionic Woman, we don’t have a ton of information and so only time will tell.  Supposedly Katee has a meeting with the producers coming up which will determine her role on the show going forward, but with the writer’s strike making everything unpredictable we may not know the fate of Katee, Sarah Corvus, or Bionic Woman for a very long time.

Katee Sackhoff is making the media 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 highlights from an interview she gave TV Tattler.

Hey Katee. Are you still at work today, or is the writers’ strike giving you some downtime?
I haven’t been affected at all, yet. I’m working regularly.

Are you working on both shows right now?
No, I’m only working on ‘Battlestar’ at the moment, and just waitin’ for ‘Bionic Woman’ to write me in again.

On to your other kick-butt character this season, has it been fun playing more of a bad girl on ‘Bionic Woman’?
Yeah, you know, I keep saying that. It was a welcome change, because I’m so used to playing the whiny, sniveling, reluctant hero. (Starbuck) may be tough, but she cries the entire time. So I was definitely ready to go play a character who isn’t as emotional.

We love Katee here at WatchingBionicWoman and WatchingBSG and can’t wait to see her in the upcoming final season of Battlestar Galactica and in Bionic Woman.

I love Katee Sackhoff as the evil Sarah Corvus.  From the moment I watched her in the un-aired pilot, I knew she was going to make watching BW fun.  Just like her stellar performance as Starbuck on Battlestar Galactica, Sackhoff breaths new life into every scene when guest starring on BW.  Especially her fight scenes.  Unfortunately, contractual obligations prevent her from being in every episode, but I will take what I can get. 

Andrew Williams of Metro UK caught up with busy actress recently and in addition to explaining the spelling of her name, how she started out in Hollywood, and starring in BSG, she discusses Bionic Woman.

Here are some highlights:

You’re filming Bionic Woman and Battlestar Galactica at the same time. Are you worn out?
I am and I’ve got a cold. Both are filmed in Vancouver so there’s a little bit of running between the sets. They wanted to make me a regular character in Bionic Woman but you can’t be contracted to two shows at the same time. I appear in half the episodes. I’m the villain. It’s quite fun. I do a lot of scheming and a lot of trying to kill the Bionic Woman [played by Michelle Ryan].

Has Michelle become particularly ‘bionic’ since she left EastEnders?
She’s doing really well. She’s at the gym training every day. She worked her butt off to get into the physical condition that she’s in now. They won’t pay for me to go to the gym. I’ve got to do it on my own. I did weights for the first year of Battlestar but I got bored, so I just run now. They usually teach me the fight routines on the set of Bionic Woman. Because of the stuff I’ve done on Battlestar, it’s usually pretty easy to pick up.

You can read the entire interview after the link.

For some more fun, watch Katee learn to surf.

Katee Sackhoff as the evil Sarah Corvus delivers one of the best lines in the new Bionic Woman during the pilot, “Second Chances,” announcing to Michelle Ryan as Jaime Sommers that she is indeed the “first bionic woman.”

After making this shocking pronouncement, Corvus playfully concludes, “Ta Da”. 

Fan gear pops up around every show and Bionic Woman is no exception.  Inspired by this classic Sarah Corvus dialogue, t-shirts in different styles and colors bearing this iconic phrase are now available. 

Fun stuff.

More t-shirts, gear and the YouTube clip after the jump.

(more…)

Episode 1.04 “Face Off” was not quite as good as last week’s episode, “Sisterhood,” but there was one scene that was campy fun- Katee Sackhoff being wheeled through the Wolfe Creek underground facility. 

The setup: Katee Sackhoff as Sarah Corvus has just been captured by Jae Kim and he is taking her back to the Wolfe Creek facility for interrogation and repair.

Watch this clip and tell me the writers weren’t deliberately paying tribute to Rober Harris’ Silence of the Lambs villain Hannibal Lecter.

Did anyone catch the magazine Sarah Corvus was reading just before a cool fight scene broke out?

It looks like Bio Magazine.  Any guesses?

Episode 1.03 “Sisterhood” really kicked the series into high gear and provided Katee Sackhoff with some great lines.  My favorite is this clip. 

The set up:

Michelle Ryan’s Jaime Sommers has just turned down Katee Sackhoff as Sarah Corvus’ request to become a live test subject.  Corvus explains that she has no longer has feelings.  Despite the request, Sommers tells her no and this line comes just as Corvus storms out the parking garage where this scene took place.

Sarah Corvus:  “It feels pretty dramatic to me.  Not that I can actually feel anything, but I can intellectually imagine that that feels pretty dramatic.”

The worst line of the episode naturally was delivered by Isaiah Washington.  Washington was unfortunately cast as Antonio Pope.  Pope is an employee of the Berkut Group and assigned to train Sommers and prepare her for fighting terrorists and bad guys.

The set up:

Sommers and Jae Kim have just completed a sparring match.  Washington hurls this one liner at her before they spar.  The line is stupid and Washington is horrible.  So, it is my worst line of the week.

Antonio Pope:  “All right boys and girls, I’m about to get analog on your ass.”

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

Photo via BionicWebsite.com/NBC

Today’s character background focuses on Jaime Sommers’ nemesis: Sarah Corvus. Via ethicalbionics.org, we get a nice summary of her character.

Sarah Corvus was born in Tacoma Washington to Cynthia and James Corvus. At the time, James Corvus was a captain stationed at Fort Lewis until his death in 1991 in the first Gulf War. His helicopter went down over Southern Iraq, but his body was never recovered. After his death, Cynthia Corvis moved Sarah to Lynn, Washington, a small town two hours outside Olympia. There, she attended Brighton Elementary School and Lincoln High School. At the top of her class, Corvus was a popular girl who headed the varsity cheerleading squad and competed in the winter biathlon. Her skills in marksmanship, a sport her father taught her before his death, won her a scholarship to University of Washington.

At the University of Washington Corvus majored in engineering with a minor in biology. Along with her studies, Corvus continued biathlon training and gained notoriety as a serious contender for 2002 United States Olympic Biathalon Team. During an Olympic qualifying round early in 2001, Corvus tore her ACL, requiring extensive surgery and rendering her Olympic dreams an impossibility.

After recovering from her injury, Corvus was recruited by the Sykes Group, a private military and security firm. Prized for her marksmanship, they trained her in hand-to-hand combat, communications and stealth maneuvers. She served briefly in Sierra Leone, escorting American diamond traders. In early 2003, she went into Iraq ahead of US forces to protect vital private interests. During a mission in Falluja, Corvus intercepted a rebel attack, rescuing Corporal Patrick Shanihan. While driving him back to his base, their jeep hit an IED. Corvus emerged unscathed, however, Corporal Shanihan lost both legs and his right arm.

Shortly after the incident, in October 2003, Corvus requested and was granted a month’s furlong home. While there, Jonas Bledsoe, the former Army Colonel and co-founder of the Berkut group contacted Corvus and convinced her to leave the Sykes group. She volunteered for a new procedure meant to enhance the human body beyond its current abilities and endurance.

The experiment went terribly wrong. Corvus went rogue in April of 2004. She was missing until August of that same year when she rampaged through the Berkut Group compound, killing most of its inhabitants, including many of the scientists who had experimented on her. She was killed by her trainer and lover at the end of this rampage, dying of several gunshot wounds on August 12, 2004.

Ethicbionics.com is very well done viral marketing site created as an "independent" companion to the official NBC site. There is lots of cool info and background to be found. Take a look.

Bionic Woman, NBC, ethicalbionics, The Center for Ethical Bionics, Sarah Corvus, Katee Sackhoff

Sackhoff Promoting Smoking - Via NBC

The signature image of Bionic Woman, thus far, is not of the heroine Jamie Sommers. Instead, the image that the press has fallen in love with the photograph of Katee Sackhoff’s evil Sarah Corvus, dripping wet in the rain as she waits for Jamie to come and fight her in the pre-air pilot … and while she waits, she smokes.

There can be no denying that it is a great photograph. Sackhoff’s cool control is a stark contrast to the elements that are fighting to invade her, she is oblivious to the rain that would make others uncomfortable. When Jamie arrives and words are exchanged, Corvus mentions that the anthrocytes that are part of the bionic technology heal her lungs, so she smokes.

Unfortunately, the smoking villain has become such a cliche, that I’m afraid it’s considered original again. This doesn’t sit well with me. Broadcast television, like it or not, has a responsibility to the general public. Study after study concludes that kids who see celebrities smoke will try smoking themselves. While I am a champion of the new BW plumbing the depths of human nature, I wish they would leave smoking out of it. There is never a place to show actors smoking on screen, ever. Especially not a primetime show.

Why would Sackhoff agree to be filmed smoking? Surely she had reservations about the promotion of smoking (I hope so anyway). And make no mistake about it, she is promoting smoking simply by agreeing to do it on screen. I’m not sure which is worse, smoking on screen or insulting the fans who came to see you at ComiCon.

Bionic Woman, NBC, Katee Sackhoff, Sarah Corvus, Jaime Sommers, Comicon, smoking, teens

Her bionic implants, of course. Katee Sackhoff, who plays the vengeful Sarah Corvis on Bionic Woman, was on Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show recently to discuss a few things about Battlestar Galactica and a lot about Bionic Woman. She also does some innuendo about Sarah Corvis’ implants, outs her brother’s derogatory nickname, and talks about being trapped in the bathroom at Comicon.

We love Katee, but towards the end of the interview she breaks the classic rule for young stars trying to break into the big time by dissing the fans she has now. No Katee, don’t do it! Bionic Woman and Battlestar Galactica need all the fans they can get!

Edit: Sunday night on the ShaunOMac radio show I was asked about this clip, which I had initially written about on watchingbsg.com and apparently others have commented on with similar dismay. It had been a while since I had watched the clip when Shaun asked the question, and I mistakenly said Katee called her fans “freaks” during the interview. That was just my memory playing tricks on me … she let’s Jimmy back her into a corner where she implies her fans are pretty weird, but she never actually says the word “freaks” and I apologize for the error.

interview, Katee Sackhoff, Bionic Woman, Jimmy Kimmel, Comicon, Battlestar Galactica, Sarah Corvis, Starbuck