Reviews by Matt

Maybe it is was because I missed a lot of key moments because so many buses pass by my apartment that I might as well live in a bus station. Maybe it was the sheer disappointment in a show that promised to be much better. Maybe it is because my expectations for what to expect out of a television show have been raised. Whatever the reason is it took two viewings of NBC’s remake of the 70s television show, “Bionic Woman,” before I formed a coherent opinion.

When Jamie Sommers (Michelle Ryan) and her fiancé, Will Anthros (Chris Bowers) are involved in a horrible car crash, Will takes Jamie to the top-secret government facility where he works and “repairs” her. Her right arm, ear, eye and both legs are replaced with millions in the latest biotechnology. This forces Jonas Bledsoe (Miguel Ferrer) and the other members of the government project to figure out what to do with her. When she escapes the facility and returns to her life, they decide to see what happens.

What happens is the first bionic woman, Sarah Corvis (Katee Sackhoff) returns and is now after the people who made her. She starts by going after Will and Jamie. She almost kills Will and Jamie goes after her. Following a rainy fight on a rooftop between the two bionic women, Jamie tells Bledsoe that she “knows what she is capable of” and they are going to do this on her terms.

The hype surrounding this show was huge, thus making the pilot episode a huge letdown. One would think that a show about someone with superhuman powers, should have more action, well this one does not. I know what you are thinking, “but Matt, you loved ‘Heroes’ and that show has very little action.” Good storytelling and intriguing characters make up for the lack of action in “Heroes”. That is where “Bionic Woman” suffers, it has nothing to replace the lackluster elements.

I understand that this is the pilot episode and that there is a need to introduce the characters, but it was mishandled. Stringer character development and better balance between that and the action is needed for this show to succeed. Beyond the fact that the character has these super human traits, there is nothing that interesting about her. They try to make her relatable by introducing her younger sister, Becca, who her farther dropped off at her doorstep some time ago. She is barely in the show and adds nothing except a little mystery as to why, by court order, she cannot be on a computer with an Internet connection.

Not much is explained about the main bad guy either. All we know is that he is Will’s father, used to work on the same project that created Jamie and is now in a “supermax” prison 1,000 feet underground. There is no mention of a grand plan or what he exactly did to get put in prison.

“Bionic Woman” should not be written off so quickly. The upcoming episodes look to be more action oriented and could turn the show into something to watch from week to week. I am not ready to give up on it just yet, but if the show does not get better soon, this will be just another show that aimed way to high and missed.

“Bionic Woman” airs every Wednesday at 9 p.m. on NBC.