Director: Steve Boyum
Cast: Michelle Ryan (Jaime Sommers), Will Yun Lee (Jae Kim), Miguel Ferrer (Jonas Bledsoe), Lucy Hale (Becca Sommers), Molly Price (Ruth Treadwell), Mark A. Sheppard (Anthony Anthros), Katee Sackhoff (Sarah Corvus), Isaiah Washington (Antonio Pope), Kevin Rankin (Nathan), Magda Apanowicz (Heaven Von Fleet), Aleks Paunovic (Assault Team Leader/Curtis), Malcolm Stewart (Mr. Von Fleet), Elise Gatien (Anne Corvus), Graeme Duffy (Geek #1), Brad Kelly (Gangster #1), Richard Stroh (Blond Man), Julie Kim (Manicurist), Christopher Gauthier (Geek #2)
Jaime is tasked with protecting a Canadian defense contractor's daughter, while having to decide whether to help Sarah Corvus save herself...Antonio: So what do you say, Sommers? Are you ready to find the animal?
Jaime: Bring it on, bitch!
I'm still not feeling the vibe with this Bionic Woman remake. It seems determined to update a very simple, fun idea by squashing it under the weight of modern cliches like shadowy government agencies. It's unsure whether to cut loose with action-packed hijinks, or just stand around morosely discussing how dangerous and serious everything is.
The title screams silly fun, but creator-producer David Eick is trying to rise above expectations, in a similar manner to Battlestar Galactica (of which Eick was involved.) It's admirable, but 70s Battlestar Galactica had far more scope than the 70s Bionic Woman ever had. In trying to provide depth and mythology to an essentially one-line premise, Eick's update is so far struggling.
Sisterhood is better than last week's travesty, primarily because it focuses on the one aspect of Bionic Woman that looks interesting: Sarah Corvus (Katee Sackhoff), the original cyborg who's gone rogue and "insane".
It transpires that Sarah is malfunctioning, feeling sick and having homicidal impulses. Acting on the advice of her creator, Anthony Anthros (Mark Shepherd; always a pleasure), who was sprung from jail in the Pilot, Sarah is told Jaime's superior technology holds the key to her survival.
To hammer home the ying-yang of Jaime (Michelle Ryan) and Sarah, we're also given some flashbacks to a time when Sarah and her sister Anne (Elise Gatien) were involved in a car accident. Anne died and survivor Sarah has blamed herself ever since. See? They both have sisters. They've both been in car crashes. They're both bionic. They're, like, opposites. Blonde hair/brown hair. You follow?
As with last week, the actual mission-based plot for Jaime is plain awful. She comments on its mundaneness herself ("Bionic babysitter?"), but reluctantly becomes a bodyguard to annoying teen Haven von Fleet (Magda Apanowicz), whose father is an important Canadian defense contractor. I understand Jaime isn't ready to be involved in more exciting and complex problems, but this baby steps approach is denying us any excitement!
Jaime's home life with sister Becca (Lucy Hale) is also lacking, with it particularly vague why Jaime can't, or won't, just tell her sister what's happened. Instead we have superhero-style dual identity scenes, with Jaime disappearing to beat-up baddies while her sis is sent off to buy some jeans. I'm also confused about Becca being legally forbidden to use a computer in the Pilot, but she's clearly seen showing Jaime photos on a laptop here...
The Berkut Group itself remains uninteresting, vague and littered with cliches. I've had my fill of secret, fictional government agencies. If we had more 24-style "reality", with Jaime a secretive aspect of their work, I'd be much happier. As it is, we have an assortment of two-dimensional suits, all jostling for prominence and taking it in turns to mentor Jaime...
Jae Kim (Will Yun Lee) is the martial arts expert seen sparring with Jaime whenever the script needs an injection of non-plot action. Jae's probably the more successful character, as he was romantically involved with Sarah Corvus (still is?), but is otherwise bland.
Jonas Bledsoe (Miguel Ferrer) is rent-a-boss material, lacking any charm and content to just grouch and act tough. Molly Price (Ruth Treadwell) has yet to make much of an impression, although she seems more nuanced in terms of performance. Antonio Pope (Isaiah Washington) is ultimately pointless, but I like Washington as an actor. It's just a shame Pope's surplus to requirement.
As I said last week, Michelle Ryan is doing fine with the material as Jaime Sommers. She's believable as both a down-to-earth big sister (love that dancing scene) and a woman trying to negotiate a dangerous new life. But it's not enjoyable watching Jaime get to grips with her abilities -- and it should be. It's probably because most of the bionic-moments rarely extend past a few Terminator-style eye shots and bone-cracking kicks and punches. Jaime isn't an accomplished "weapon" yet, but even the prospect of her becoming an efficient bionic agent isn't exciting!
Sarah Corvus is far more entertaining, as she's given the best lines, is more skilled, and played with scene-chewing relish by Sackhoff. Mind you, this episode reveals a family tragedy as a silly parallel to Jaime's, so the producers are even beginning to fudge their best character!
Overall, Sisterhood is a big improvement over episode 2, but the show is way off attaining greatness. At the moment, I think Bionic Woman would have made a great film, or an entertaining TV-movie, but it's straining to become a credible and exciting TV series.
10 October 2007
NBC, 8/7c pm
