Another one of those shows that I got to watch thanks to NBC’s early previews of their new fall lineup, the Bionic Woman is a modern remake of the classic series. Battlestar Galactica Executive Producer David Eick has taken the helm of the remake so you know it’s got a chance of being good. Luckily Eick is familiar with adapting cheesy sci-fi shows and making them more true to life and emphasize the people and not the science. It’s the story stupid, and it’s worked for Galactica and seems that it’s going to work here. The Bionic Woman takes an interesting look at man vs. machine and the impact that the government has over ones life.
The new Bionic Woman is definitely not the Bionic Woman of yesteryears. This version is dark and far more serious than its predecessor. Jaime Sommers is played by U.S. newcomer Michelle Ryan, an Englishman from the BBC’s hit show EastEnders. An interesting choice, but so far she seems like she fits the role perfectly. Sommers becomes the Bionic Woman due to an “accident”, I don’t want to give any plot points away, that leaves her near dead. It just so happens that her boyfriend Will, played by Chris Bowers, is a surgeon for a special government group that works in enhancing the human body. She gets all the latest installs and has her new bionic body.
The pilot did a great job introducing the shows main characters and the role they’ll be playing within the series. Jaime’s sister Becca, played by Lucy Hale, is an angsty hacker teen that’s sure to cause her trouble. We also have Jonas Bledsoe, played by Miguel Ferrer, the highest ranking officer in the Bionics program. He’s the guy that will do anything necessary to get the job done and takes no bs. Also working in the organization is Ruth Treadwell, played by Molly Price, the organizations psychologist and Jae Kim, played by Will Yun Lee, a trainer for new bionic candidates. As with every show there needs to be a baddie and we’ve got the perfect one with Katee Sackoff playing Sarah Corvis, the first bionic woman and one that’s out to harm the organization and Jaime.
Surprisingly the Bionic Woman looks great. No, not the actresses, not that she’s not good looking, but the scenery, the settings. The cinematography and editing, as well as the pacing of the shots, are outstanding. The action and special effect scenes are also top notch. The people behind the show are putting something together that looks really great and being only one episode in seems to be heading in the right direction story wise as well. Overall I must admit that I’m impressed with what they’ve done. This is definitely a show I’ll be sticking around to and would recommend it to anyone.