'BIONIC WOMAN'
Chicago Sun-Times, Oct 10, 2007 by Doug Elfman
Rating two 1/2
Television viewers are really giving the finger to television critics. Reviews ranged from mixed to mediocre for NBC's "Bionic Woman" and ABC's "Private Practice," yet viewers turned the dramas into the first new shows to crack the top 20 this fall.
If you're looking for an answer to why "Private Practice" is doing well, look no further than "Grey's Anatomy." "Grey's" is such a ratings dragon, it can even breathe fire into a lame spinoff.
But "Bionic Woman" is a different story with lots of explanations. It has a built-in brand name from the 1970s that caused an initial curiosity nationally. Last week, it ratcheted up the retro by airing an Orville Redenbacher commercial from ye olden days.
"Bionic" must also be drawing fans of action shows, especially its look-alike, "Alias." The new series serves up a secret agency workplace, martial arts fights, torture, tragic romances and girl fights between hot actresses.
There's also a natural richness that shouldn't be discounted in "Bionic," a genuine goodness that balances out its more rote TV moments.
Last week, Jaime Summers' spy boss, Jonas (Miguel Ferrer), lectured her with the standard dialogue, "I'm not gonna stand around and watch you flush your life down the toilet." That was a groaner.
But Jaime, distraught over her fiance's apparent death, tried to bang a random dude in a bathroom, then accidentally broke his rib with her super arm. That was kind of funny.
And after Jonas lectured her, Jaime looked for a toilet to puke in, didn't puke ("the moment has passed"), then snarked at him, "I totally forgot what I was saying. ... God, you're a douche."
Now, just because a show trades in stomach sickness and everyday lingo like "douche" doesn't make it a winner by definition. But in its occasionally amusing scenes, Ryan seems relaxed and gives Jaime a realness of mouthiness that many Americans trade in.
As Jaime, Michelle Ryan is so comfortable in her role, she calmly delivers a lot of lines in youthful upspeak. You know, where sentences end in question marks?
"This saving the world thing? I'd like to give that a try," Jaime said last week.
It's just too bad that after a few minutes of fun, "Bionic" dips back into mainstream, seen-it-before exchanges where Jaime speed- runs up a building to save a suicidal woman from a ledge, or takes a cutesy phone call from her sister while hiding from killers.
This seesaw of actual cool vs. mainstream cool is working for "Bionic," apparently. Clearly I would prefer more actual cool, especially the way she beat up a villain last week, looked down at his crumpled body and muttered, "Bitch."
That's the charm of having a lead female hero who kicks much bootay. Sisters are doing it for themselves this decade. Damsels in distress are so 1997.
I do think "Bionic" offers viewers a rare way to feel connected to Jaime. Unlike heroes in "Heroes" (which is dull so far this year) and other supernatural shows, Jaime, a bartender, wields powers that are man-made and female-made.
At a price of $50 million, bionic strength seems attainable to people who envision winning the lottery so they can rent a seat on a space shuttle, or buying a house in a collapsed market. The American Dream is so diverse lately, and escapist.
delfman@suntimes.com
Rating two 1/2
Television viewers are really giving the finger to television critics. Reviews ranged from mixed to mediocre for NBC's "Bionic Woman" and ABC's "Private Practice," yet viewers turned the dramas into the first new shows to crack the top 20 this fall.
If you're looking for an answer to why "Private Practice" is doing well, look no further than "Grey's Anatomy." "Grey's" is such a ratings dragon, it can even breathe fire into a lame spinoff.
But "Bionic Woman" is a different story with lots of explanations. It has a built-in brand name from the 1970s that caused an initial curiosity nationally. Last week, it ratcheted up the retro by airing an Orville Redenbacher commercial from ye olden days.
"Bionic" must also be drawing fans of action shows, especially its look-alike, "Alias." The new series serves up a secret agency workplace, martial arts fights, torture, tragic romances and girl fights between hot actresses.
There's also a natural richness that shouldn't be discounted in "Bionic," a genuine goodness that balances out its more rote TV moments.
Last week, Jaime Summers' spy boss, Jonas (Miguel Ferrer), lectured her with the standard dialogue, "I'm not gonna stand around and watch you flush your life down the toilet." That was a groaner.
But Jaime, distraught over her fiance's apparent death, tried to bang a random dude in a bathroom, then accidentally broke his rib with her super arm. That was kind of funny.
And after Jonas lectured her, Jaime looked for a toilet to puke in, didn't puke ("the moment has passed"), then snarked at him, "I totally forgot what I was saying. ... God, you're a douche."
Now, just because a show trades in stomach sickness and everyday lingo like "douche" doesn't make it a winner by definition. But in its occasionally amusing scenes, Ryan seems relaxed and gives Jaime a realness of mouthiness that many Americans trade in.
As Jaime, Michelle Ryan is so comfortable in her role, she calmly delivers a lot of lines in youthful upspeak. You know, where sentences end in question marks?
"This saving the world thing? I'd like to give that a try," Jaime said last week.
It's just too bad that after a few minutes of fun, "Bionic" dips back into mainstream, seen-it-before exchanges where Jaime speed- runs up a building to save a suicidal woman from a ledge, or takes a cutesy phone call from her sister while hiding from killers.
This seesaw of actual cool vs. mainstream cool is working for "Bionic," apparently. Clearly I would prefer more actual cool, especially the way she beat up a villain last week, looked down at his crumpled body and muttered, "Bitch."
That's the charm of having a lead female hero who kicks much bootay. Sisters are doing it for themselves this decade. Damsels in distress are so 1997.
I do think "Bionic" offers viewers a rare way to feel connected to Jaime. Unlike heroes in "Heroes" (which is dull so far this year) and other supernatural shows, Jaime, a bartender, wields powers that are man-made and female-made.
At a price of $50 million, bionic strength seems attainable to people who envision winning the lottery so they can rent a seat on a space shuttle, or buying a house in a collapsed market. The American Dream is so diverse lately, and escapist.
delfman@suntimes.com
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