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Bionic Woman 1.6: "The List" |
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Wednesday, 14 November 2007 |
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This episode of “Bionic Woman” follows in the footsteps of the previous episode by re-directing Jaime’s character even further from the supposed feminist roots of the original premise. Instead of taking charge of her life and challenging the Berkut Group in an intelligent, self-interest manner, Jaime spends most of her time mooning over a CIA agent. If the latest round of producers thought this romantic subplot would help the series, they were sorely mistaken.
The usual problems remain in place: the poor Michael Bay-esque dialogue and directorial style, the choppy editing, and the paper-thin character development. I honestly have no idea why the characters are doing what they’re doing most of the time. They just act according to plot requirements, and when the plot is sketchy and ill-conceived, that makes for a poor foundation.
This series is just devolving into a disappointment. Sarah Corvus was a major part of the first few episodes, along with the issues of nanotechnology and its short-term viability. That could have been utilized in some creative ways, especially if the Berkut Group had been shown as mildly competent and organized. Or, for that matter, if Becca had remained a former hacker with the ability to do amazing things with operating systems. (Whatever happened to keeping her away from computers, by the way?)
Now the series has shifted to push Jaime into a relationship within weeks of the death of her fiancé, a man who was apparently betraying her on every possible level. Her interaction with Tom is beyond painful (especially the ridiculous dialogue), and it makes her look even more unprofessional and naïve. Granted, Jaime is supposed to be young and inexperienced, but she was acting like a teenager, not a woman who was forced to grow up quickly to take care of her sister.
This series was probably the best-positioned new series on the schedule before the season began. It certainly was given better odds than shows like “Moonlight”, which had overhauled most of its cast. Right now, creatively speaking, “Moonlight” is taking “Bionic Woman” to school. It’s shocking to consider that so many high profile producers and showrunners could take this series into such a downward spiral. |
