Bionic Woman

NPR’s Neda Ulaby did an interesting story yesterday about the differences between the original 1970s Bionic Woman vs. the 2007 version. The focus was on how each version fit into their respective eras. Through interviews with a handful of people, one conclusion was that the 1970 version was a way for television to celebrate and acknowledge women’s empowerment while also making it slightly cartoonish and thus separate from everyday life. The use and celebration of technology made the show more acceptable to audiences who might otherwise be uncomfortable with a strong woman like Jaime Sommers. The story also discussed the differences in attitudes towards technology in the two eras. The 70s BW treated technology as this wonderful revolution that would set individuals free from the limits of their lives and naturally make them "stronger." With this view in mind, the insertion of bionics and computer technology into the 70s Sommers was a good thing and treated as a gift.

However as Margie pointed out, the 2007 version is much darker and the insertion of technology into our present day Sommers is met with anger and fear. The new Jamie Sommers screams her head off when she first sees her legs and starts to comprehend what has been done to her. Her bionic power is not treated as an empowering gift, instead it is an enslaving mechanism caused by forced metamorphosis she did not choose for herself.

I think the 1970s version was great for the time, but the innocence of the original is quaint by today’s standards. Today’s audiences expect their dramas to have subtlety, layers and characters who think and question what is taking place around them. Women are not simply sex objects men can invade simply because they can. So, I am looking forward to watching the producers unfold complicated story arcs for Sommers that involve her constant struggles with accepting what has been done to her, why, and the price she will continue to pay for the "benefit" of becoming a bionic woman. While the handful of people Ulaby interviews in the NPR segment are a little shocked by the "darkness" of the new BW, I think it is appropriate given the changes in our societal attitudes toward technology. In fact, I hope it gets even darker and that Sommers’ struggle with technology and independence remain a central theme.

Bionic Woman, NPR, Neda Ulaby, Jaime Sommers, 1970s, television, feminism, technology, sex, drama