I was thinking back to two or three months ago and I recall that the optimism surrounding ‘Bionic Woman’ was alot more muted than it is now. Often when the new version was mentioned on message boards or blogs, it was usually followed with a fair amount of cynicism and even bashing, in some quarters. I think that NBC took a gamble with a few aspects which have not only helped increase the buzz surrounding the show, but more importantly it has increased the ‘awareness’ of the show. This is in turn has caught peoples attention: The potential themes, the actors, the controversy..all of it has helped to raise both the credibility and the interest in the show.

I don’t think the hiring of Isaiah was solely for the buzz it would create – afterall the guy is a great actor and will add great value to the show IF he stays focused on the job in hand and keeps politics for another day – however his arrival had alot of people talking (not a bad thing for the show). Likewise the axing of Mae Whitman pricked alot of peoples ears, but in truth she wasn’t up to scratch in the Pilot (though others may disagree). All of this, along with the fantastic advertising – including the clever BAT-TEST.com and the intriguing ethicalbionics.org websites – as well as the imagination from fans, has really helped to give this show a chance.

Whilst I am not going to say that this show will definitely rock..I will say that it has a great chance of being the next big thing and thanks to the buzz ‘Bionic Woman’ at the very least has a chance to show people what she is made of. We’re living in an age we’re people are looking for escapism and for ordinary people to produce amazing feats in order to ‘save the day’. Bionic Woman will give people just that..and it will (i hope) also give us the female icons that we are so badly lacking from our screen these days. Whilst Woman’s Lib isn’t as much an issue as it was 10-30 years ago, society has changed and with it so has the norms. Today it is normal for a woman to be just as powerful and just as flawed as men..and so whilst Michelle Ryan and Katee Sackhoff will re-address the lack of strong and layered female characters on TV, this ultimately becomes less of a man vs woman story, but a journey of character, humanity, ethics and freewill. Irrespective of gender ‘Bionic Woman’ has all the tools to take fans on an iconic journey which will explore the depths of our fears and hopes for humanity.

I dunno about you guys but I can’t wait for this show to begin and who knows, this time next year we could be looking forward to Season 2!?