The Bionic Woman Blog

This episode continues the evolution of the series from the version presented in the original pilot to the current status quo. That process continues to be difficult. Shifts and politics behind-the-scenes are showing up in the final product, and to a certain extent, it feels like the show is still trying to figure out what it wants to be.

Supposedly the pilot was cut down from a two-hour format to its current one-hour incarnation, and much of the background was therefore missing for the audience. That might explain why certain scenes in this episode and the previous installment feel like they come out of nowhere. For example, Jamie seems to know the people at Berkut far better than one would expect. It still feels like the episodes are being run out of order, as though a lot more happened coming into this situation than we’ve been allowed to see.

Consider the effect: if the pilot was cut in half, and the second episode was the splicing together of two episodes worth of material (as reported elsewhere), then the net effect is a loss of 50% of what should have been seen coming into this episode. That’s staggering, and it also makes one wonder if the same amount of material was left on the cutting room floor.

Whatever the case, the problem now is not necessarily the story being told, but how it is being told. I found this episode to be somewhat schizophrenic. At times, the show wants to be taken seriously. It had shades of commentary about feminism, male-domination, and as this episode emphasizes, sisterhood. It brings up the classic man vs. machine concept, which is always fun. When the show lets Jamie be serious, Sarah’s instability is a lot more engaging.

Unfortunately, the show is also trying to be clever and witty, with a liberal dose of self-deprecation along the way. It’s as if someone studied “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, understood the appeal, but missed the methodology and balance behind the show completely. Part of it may be Michelle Ryan’s delivery, but it’s also the writing. Jamie’s sarcasm with Jonas hasn’t been earned. I kept waiting for Jonas to apply a bit of control and leverage, but beyond the usual comment about who owns what, it never happened. It makes Jonas look like a pushover.

This brings up the subplot with Heaven. It felt extraneous, but it also exposed some of the weaknesses of the Berkut organization as depicted. As we’ve seen it so far, this special ops unit is horribly pathetic when it comes to security and discipline. I never bought for a moment that such an organization, dealing with the threat from Sarah Corvus, would devote key resources to watching Heaven as shown. They speak about the organization as if it’s an elite operation, but so far, we’ve seen nothing to back the claim.

The one highlight thus far is Sarah Corvus. Her character is complex and the writers have made some sense out of her unusual dialogue choices. Where Jamie’s quips feel inappropriate to the situation, Sarah’s comments actually make sense. Katie Sackhoff is acting rings around Michelle Ryan, which also does not help. I still think that bringing her into the series as an outside influence on Jamie is a bit premature; we haven’t had enough time to get used to Jamie’s status quo, and Jamie hasn’t had enough on-screen time to get used to her new condition.

Generally speaking, the biggest problem I have with “Bionic Woman” is that I can tell what they’re trying to accomplish, the kind of story they’re trying to tell, and all the ways they’re not quite getting there. This episode didn’t seem to flow very well. It’s hard to quantify, but I get the feeling the producers (whoever they are this week) are trying too hard to look edgy and different. The show feels unsettled and rushed, and even if that’s not the case, the audience could hardly be blamed for thinking it is.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 1/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 5/10