I love Heroes. I also loved Alias. So why don't I love Bionic Woman?
NBC was kind enough to send me a screener of the pilot for the reconfigured Bionic Woman, and while there is definite potential for interesting mythologies and stories to develop, so far I am underwhelmed.
A large part of the problem for me is Michelle Ryan as Jaimie Sommers, the titular character. Unlike Jennifer Garner in Alias or Peta Wilson on La Femme Nikita, Ryan, at least thus far, is not capable of carrying a show. She's boring! And considering what her character has been through (after a car crash she's had bionic limbs and and an eye implanted), you'd think there would be room for interesting character choices. But, no. On top of that, she's not even that pretty! I spent a good amount of time watching the pilot simply wondering why they chose to cast this girl -- it's a serious handicap to overcome, considering Ryan is in most scenes of the first episode.
The other main problem is the tone of the show -- it's simply too dark. There is no humor. None. Heroes had Hiro for laughs, and Alias could play off of the romantic triangle between Sydney, Vaughn and Will, but Bionic is just serious. Annoyingly so.
The definite highlight of the pilot is Katee Sackhoff's (Battlestar Gallactica) appearance as Sarah Corvus, the "original Bionic Woman." As of now Sackhoff is billed only as a recurring player -- hopefully the creators will figure out what's good for them, and bring her on full time.
Will I keep watching? Yeah, I will -- at least for a few more weeks to see if Ryan can step up her game, and if the show's gloominess dissipates.
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Wednesday, September 26, 2007
TV Review: The New Bionic Woman is No Hero
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2 comments:
Hello,
I 100% agree with you. I watched it 2 days ago, and i thought it was too serious, but i thought it was just me. But im going to keep watching because i think its going to get better.
I disagree that Michelle Ryan isn't pretty. I find her very striking.
But I really can't comment on the show itself as I haven't seen it yet!
I doubt Katee Sackhoff will return as much as you want her to. She has that little BSG show to worry about first. :D
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