Bionic Woman

Ryan wrote earlier this week about why hiring controversial actor Isaiah Washington is a mistake for Bionic Woman. He may be right, but I have to confess I am secretly and selfishly glad Isaiah Washington got the part.

For one thing, the casting of Isaiah Washington got the show a boatload of publicity. Sure it was already a hot property heading into the fall, but Washington’s contract with BW was a direct result of NBC’s controversial new co-chairman, Ben Silverman, and the man knew what he was doing. The number of stories about the show doubled, at least, after Isaiah Washington was cast and guaranteed it would be mentioned in countless others. More publicity means more potential viewers, and more of a chance that the show will survive the dangerous killing fields of cancellations that will decimate various shows in the next few months.

Another reason I am cautiously optimistic about the casting of Isaiah Washington is that the man is actually a good actor. He was believable and sympathetic as Grey’s Anatomy’s Preston Burke, where he brought an intensity and intelligence to the part that will be useful in his role on Bionic Woman. It is not much of a stretch to see him as a bionic scientist who fervently believes Jamie Sommer’s bionic parts are superior to her human tendencies. As far as stunt casting goes, Bionic Woman could do a lot worse.

Finally, while I think the whole “we are giving a good actor a second chance” line is spin that was made up after the headline-grabbing deal … I like the sentiment, especially given the political background of the Isaiah Washington debate.

Don’t get me wrong, what he said was awful and even though I loved his character on Grey’s I am glad the show fired him given the reports of how destructive his presence was on the set. Grey’s went into the dark shadows itself this year, and one can only assume that darkness was influenced by the dark nature of the writers caused by stress … promises that the “fun” would return to Grey’s may not have been possible if Isaiah was still in the cast. And don’t think that sentence means I agree with his victim spin on Star Jones’ talk show either.

But in the past few years we have seen a “you are either with us or against us” attitude invade a wide range of issues in our country, even entertainment stories. The intelligence and complexity we crave in our television plots is slowly being purged from news stories, and the shades of gray we enjoy in our television characters are in direct contrast with the black and white snap judgments we make about celebrities and politicians in real life. And yes, the use of the phrase black and white was intentional.

I don’t like what the man said, and I don’t admire the way he handled the aftermath. And I am not even sure Isaiah Washington deserves to be the poster boy of second chances. But I like the idea that we as a society can still give out second chances in a post-September 11th world, or at the very least the idea that shades of gray are starting to slip back into the national conversation. Perhaps we are starting to remember that is possible to dislike what someone says, or does, or believes, without wishing their complete destruction as a person.

He may have said terrible things, but casting Isaiah Washington in Bionic Woman means the energy created by those terrible things may be harnessed for scifi good. If mistakes and redemption are among the dramatic themes of Bionic Woman, and the show is about someone who is unexpectedly saved from death at the last minute, then perhaps it is good luck that the show begins its season by unexpectedly saving an actor’s career from the brink of death too.

Bionic Woman, Isaiah Washington, Ben Silverman, NBC, Grey’s Anatomy, Preston Burke, Jamie Sommers, Star Jones