BIONIC WOMAN 1.5 – "The Education Of Jaime Sommers"

Writer: Elizabeth Heldens
Director: Jonas Pate

Cast: Michelle Ryan (Jaime Sommers), Miguel Ferrer (Jonas Bledsoe), Molly Price (Ruth Treadwell), Lucy Hale (Becca Sommers), Isaiah Washington (Antonio Pope), Kevin Rankin (Nathan), Lara Gilchrist (Carly), Erin Karpluk (Robin), Matthew Smalley (Pt. Matt Walsh), Juan Riedinger (Student Sean), Trevor Addie (Parkinson's Patient), Jordan Bridges (Tom), Kenneth Welsh (Dr. Howard Samuels), Valerie Tian (Aoki), Shafin Karim (Nadeem), Sunita Prasad (Nadeem's Girlfriend) & Lee Majdoub (Student Buyer)

Jaime goes undercover in college as a British student, to investigate a professor suspected of illegal activities. However, her task is complicated when she falls for the teacher's assistant, who's also a suspect...

Jaime: So I'm a glorified fax machine?
Nathan: Come on, don't sell yourself short. You can also open cans.

While this isn't the most exciting episode, it's easily the most level-headed and accomplished in some key areas. For once, the messy mythology is pushed into the background and we're given a simple mission for Jaime (Michelle Ryan) as she infiltrates a college, posing as a British exchange student called Clarissa White.

Notably, this episode is the perfect excuse for Ryan to use her real accent. While her American accent has been impeccable, you can sense a truer spirit to her character emerging here – as she doesn't have to keep one part of her mind focused on maintaining a false voice.

The change in Jaime's attitude is so welcome, her English accent accent is constantly maintained for "method acting" reasons. Indeed, when she dips back into the American, you can't help but feel slightly disappointed. Can a "system glitch" keep Jaime's accent firmly in the UK region, please?

The main story this week concerns some illegal neural implants that can, essentially, control peoples' minds. A great teaser illustrates this by having an injured US soldier shoot his comrades dead inside a medical tent, although sadly this technology isn't fleshed out or well-utilized in the story.

Jaime's sent into college because Dr. Howard Samuels (Kenneth Welsh), who works on campus, could be involved in the implants. It's not long before Jaime is developing a relationship with hunky Tom (Jordan Bridges), one of Samuels' assistants, who makes an obvious play for her affections.

Elizabeth Heldens' script is more interested in a romantic plot than the neural implant idea -- which is slightly disappointing, but because the Jaime/Tom romance works so well, it's easy to forgive...

Michelle Ryan looks far more comfortable in this educational setting – with its vague Alias and Buffy overtones. The story benefits from keeping The Berkut Group in the background as support for Jaime, instead of having agents assigned to hold her hand at every turn. I particularly like techie Nathan (Kevin Rankin) munching on noodles as he peers through Jaime's bionic eye via a monitor back at the base.

Ultimately, The Education Of Jaime Sommers (dumb title aside) finally gives us characterization to savour, some engaging performances from Ryan and Bridges, better use of Antonio Pope (Isaiah Washington), who masquerades as Jaime's uncle at one point, and a generally enjoyable vibe. Unfortunately, the episode is let-down by the fact it totally fudges the interesting neural implant macguffin, and that plot is drowned by the fish-out-of-water antics of Jaime adjusting to college life and love.

As entertaining as this episode was, it mainly serves to highlight the problems in Bionic Woman's usual episodes. I'd prefer it if Jaime was British and living a dual-life in a US college, despite the fact such a set-up isn't perhaps the most original idea. But, then again, we are talking about a remake of a 70s TV show -- so originality's never been an issue before...


24 October 2007
NBC, 8/7c pm