I’ve got a treat in store for you today – Lucy Hale, who plays Becca Sommers in Bionic Woman, has given Bionic-Blog an exclusive interview! My untimely laryngitis meant that it couldn’t be an audio interview, but it’s still great for an actress on the show to connect with the Bionic Community in this way:

Roco: I’ve enjoyed your performance in Bionic Woman, especially your interactions with your sister on the show, Jaime (played by Michelle Ryan). What was it about Bionic Woman that initially attracted you to the role?

Lucy Hale: First of all, thank you and sorry about your laryngitis! I remember first reading the script and thinking that it tied in different elements really nicely. By this I mean the sci-fi part of the show and family part, which is where I come in. Becca is a little edgier and more angry than any other character I had ever played before and that really drew me in.

Roco: Many fans of Bionic Woman will know you as an actress, but you’re also a very talented singer – which do you prefer, singing or acting? 

Lucy Hale: That is one question I will never answer simply because I love and adore them both! They each let me fulfil my creative side in different ways. With acting I get to be someone else and live in someone else’s mind for a bit and with singing, obviously I am myself.

Roco:  Bionic Woman is a very sci-fi orientated show, but it is also given a lot of humanity through the relationship your character, Becca, has with her sister, Jaime, and the ups and downs that they share. How have you approached this aspect of ‘sisterhood’ and do you draw any inspirations from real life?

Lucy Hale: My real childhood is very different from what Becca’s may have been like. I grew up with very supportive parents that were active in my life. Becca’s mom died and her father was completely out of the picture. I do have an older sister though and I drew from that to add to the character. I had to do some research and daydreaming.

Roco: You have a new film coming out in the summer – The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2 – would you be able to tell me a bit about that – what are your hopes for the film and what attracted you to the role? 

Lucy Hale: I was thrilled to be a part of this project since I was a HUGE fan of the first and of all the cast that was involved. In the film I play Effie, Lena’s little sister who is played by Alexis Bledel. My character is basically the complete opposite of Lena. She was a really fun character to play. I’d describe Effie as young minded and carefree. The movie should be out in theatres this summer and I’m counting down the days!

Roco: Many fans are eager to know whether Bionic Woman will return after the writers strike, what do you think the chances are of this happening?

Lucy Hale: We honestly don’t know what will happen. It will probably depend when the strike ends on whether or not we do more episodes this year.

Roco: You have recently launched your official website – LucyHale.com – I think it’s a great site and a very good way for your fans to get exclusive Lucy Hale content. Could you tell me a little bit about the site and what fans can expect to find there?

Lucy Hale: I really am excited about my site because I put some input in creating it. You can find information about the shows and movies I have appeared in and will appear in. You can also find out information about my dog =) Silly, I know, but it is just so fans can get to know me better. They can also post questions in the Message Center and I answer them myself.

Roco: I interpret Bionic Woman as being about a young woman trying to find her role in a modern society and having to deal with the internal and external expectations placed on her. As a young woman, how do you see Bionic Woman, and do you think that it provides any important messages to young people in today’s society? 

Lucy Hale: It provides a message of finding yourself and dealing from the pressures of everyday life. Of course no one is bionic, but it can be applied to the average person. Many people have trouble accepting who they are and I believe this show gives a positive view on how to go about living your life. It also has a strong message that family is what should come first. Family is your rock. They are the ones who are there for you no matter what the situation.

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My thoughts:

I thought that Lucy answered the questions very well and it’s great to see her perspective on the show. It’s interesting that the ‘edgy’ side to Becca’s nature appealed to her, because whilst watching to first 8 episodes I got the impression that she enjoyed that aspect. Becca is such a snarky and witty character and she’s fun to watch because of those characteristics.

It’s also interesting to see how Lucy distinguishes between her love for acting and her passion for singing – she’s clearly passionate about both, and as she said, both acting and singing allow her to explore her creative side. I think that being able to act AND sing is always a bonus in Hollywood, although I do hope that she is able to explore ‘both’ without one impinging on the other. I certainly think she can dovetail both, if given the right opportunities.

It’s interesting to consider the amount of research that Lucy must have to do whilst playing the role of Becca. I guess it goes without saying, but sometimes it’s easy forget the level of research and creative exploration that the actors must go through in order to visualise the character and make that character ‘believable’. I think Lucy’s done an excellent job in making Becca ‘believeable’ – In my view, she’s one of the most consistently believable characters on the show, and we shouldn’t forget that there are a lot of top notch actors in Bionic Woman, so credit to her!

OK, so I had to ask whether she knew anything about the future of Bionic Woman – you would’ve done the same right? ;) Although Lucy didn’t give much away, it certainly does seem that the future of the show depends on the writers strike and when (if!) it ends. This is what myself and many of you have predicted for sometime now, and whilst we shouldn’t think it’s a given that it is going to return, it’s a good sign that NBC haven’t cancelled the show yet! Of course I’m only reading between the lines here – I don’t think Lucy knows whether or not it will return.

As I’ve said before, I really like Lucy’s official website. It looks great and has some superb content! Her message center is already buzzing with fan interaction – you can check it out by clicking here!

I think that Lucy saved the best for last – her answer to the final question was quite inspirational for one so young. I think she’s right – Although Bionic Woman is a show filled with fantasy, it actually relates on many real levels. In a world were everyone is trying to fit in, isn’t it fantastic to celebrate the things that make us different and unique? There’s a moment in Bionic Woman, where for the first time since ‘being bionic’, Jaime seems to relish being ‘different’. Although there is some irony in the fact that this was forced upon her, it’s still valuable to consider that it’s Jaime’s unique DNA which ‘allowed’ her body to accept the bionic implants in the first place. So yeah, go Lucy for reminding me that this show has a lot of depth and relevance for today’s society. She’s also right about family – another reason why the show has so much potential depth; the chemistry between Lucy and Michelle Ryan is very good in my view. Wouldn’t you agree NBC!? :)

I’d like to thank Lucy Hale for taking the time out to answer my questions, and hopefully we’ll be seeing alot more of her in The Sisterhood in the Travelling Pants 2, Bionic Woman(!) and whatever else the future holds for her! She’s still young and is clearly talented, I think she’ll go far.

So what did you think of Lucy’s answers – were there any questions that you think I should have asked? If so, what would you have liked to have asked Lucy? let me know. Also, as mentioned above, you can ask Lucy questions directly by using the Messaging Centre on her new site.

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I’d also like to give special thanks to Ripple Portal Official Websites for making this interview possible.

The adorable Lucy Hale, who plays ‘Becca’ in Bionic Woman, has just launched her very own official website. She’s also given a short question and answer session, where she touches on Bionic Woman:

Q: How would you describe yourself and how do you want people to think about you?

I really want people to see me as both an actress and a singer. I got my first big break in “American Juniors” and that was such a great experience. That was five years ago. The past couple of years I’ve done a lot of acting. I’m pretty versatile in that sense and I think that it’s worked out for me.

In terms of my image as a “celebrity” (I really still have a hard time using that word in referring to myself), I think that I make pretty good, responsible decisions and I have a great family that keeps me grounded. I’m not afraid of making mistakes because I know that I’ll learn from them.

With the “Bionic Woman” currently on NBC and “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2” due out next year I think that I’m beginning to build a good body of work. I hope to keep that up and maybe do a musical someday—that would be ideal!

Q: Tell us why you enjoy working on the “Bionic Woman” so much.

When I first got the part I really couldn’t believe it. I thought wow the “Bionic Woman.” It was a challenge that I was definitely ready for. I really love working with the actors and actresses. You probably get that a lot, but since I’m the youngest in the cast I really love to just watch and listen and learn from Michelle, Miguel, Katee, and Molly. I think that I’ve developed a bond with Michelle because most of my scenes are with her. I like hanging out with Katee because she has a dog too. Miguel is a really great, down to earth man and he’s done so much that it’s an education just watching him work. Molly is great as well—her character always looks serious on the show but she’s funny. Yeah, you can say that I really have a dream job! Being cast as Becca really marked a turning point in my career. NBC has just been wonderful to me—and I thank them for the opportunity.

It will be a shame if she doesn’t get the opportunity to continue with BW – she was just beginning to come into her own, I feel. You can read more here, and be sure to check out Lucy’s official website over at LucyHale.com 

There are, however several things which I didn’t like about this episode – notably the crazy camera angles, which I sense they have borrowed from Battlestar Galatica. Sorry, but it’s not cool to disorientate the viewer! Jaime still does silly things – like speak in front of the bad guy whilst she’s on the phone to the guys from the Bat cave..sorry, ‘Burket Headquarters’. Seriously Jaime, discretion is important in your job!

Whilst I appreciate the fact that the creators consciously tried to marry the ‘A’ and ‘B’ story, it still felt somewhat coincidental and even random at times. I mean what are the chances of Becca having a crush on Vincents son? What was the point of that boy anyway, except to to bring the two storylines together? It seemed too forced and they will have to address this in the remaining 5 episodes.

Oh, and where did Jaime get all of that ice from?

I felt that Jae and Ruth were still vastly under-employed. Seriously, is there no real work to do at the Bat cave, I mean, Burket Group?

Despite a few criticisms there were several bright sparks in this episode. I loved the introduction of more cool Bat cave, I mean ‘Burket’ gadgets in the form of Jonas’ Visual Caller ID. But did Jaime even have to ask whether it is legal or not? This is Burket Jaime, get with the programme! ;)

I liked Jaime’s line to the receptionist at the Spa – “TV’s really important to us”. I felt that was a nod to the fans maybe?

I thought it was cool to see ‘Heroes’ referenced in this episode – I just hope Heroes repay the old ‘quid pro quo’ sometime soon! Or make that sometime in Fall 2008, seeing as the strike has crippled it’s 2nd season.

I thought there was some cool use of bionic abilities in this episode – in particular I liked it when she used her Bionic hearing and then Bionic strength in the car bomb scene. The filming of these scenes was much better than the ‘oh there’s a propeller, let me bend it’ scenes.

I did feel that this episode was a little ‘filler’ – I mean when you see Jonas doing the dishes you kinda know what’s coming! It was a little slow in places and a little sentimental – but I can kinda understand that because after the death of Antonio we really needed to see the ‘human’ Jaime..the Jaime who struggles with the choices she is expected to make, the Jaime who is torn by her own morality and ‘the greater good’. We finally saw Jaime make a heartfelt decision..one based on the love for her sister. She so badly wanted to confide in Becca – and I even found myself willing her to do so -but she realised that the more Becca knows, the more danger she is in. This is a simple thing, but it’s something which, as a viewer, I wanted to see addressed, instead of skirted over. It was great seeing Jaime nearly, but not quite being able to share her secret with Becca. I felt that the writers finally did something to advance the storyline – the decision Jaime made was the wrong one (in my view), but it’s totally understandable and debatable.

My episode rating: 7.5/10 (but with huge promise)

Oh and Becca appears to feature quite heavily in the episode. Funny, I never expected her to have more screen-time than Antonio, Jae, Ruth and Jonas!: 

After a two week break due to Halloween, it was good to see Bionic Woman back with a brand new episode. I liked the Jaime/Tom partnership in the previous episode, it felt natural and organic. This episode was slightly different, the writers focused too much on the ‘love story’ when everyone knows that true romance just blossoms. I’m also slightly worried about Jaime..since Will’s ‘death’ she seems determined to sleep with anything that moves. I know she and Tom didn’t actually do anything but it’s clear Jaime wanted it to happen – this is the woman who is supposed to be protecting thousands of lives. The writers need to seriously address this issue and at least give her wreckless motivations some underlying reason – perhaps have her talk about Will once in a while and how his death and deception has effected her outlook on life? As I watched Jaime and Tom on their mission, I wondered what James Bond would’ve made of it all..he’s someone who mixed business with pleasure, but I’m sure even he would’ve been surprised with the liberties these two took during their very important mission. Isn’t Tom supposed to be a highly trained professional? Why not leave the bulk of the romance til the end like any self respecting secret agent?

That aside, I thought it was a good episode – not as good as “Education” but it was a strange and curious yet ‘fun’ detour. The iris recognition thing that Jaime had to do was cool and it was good to see Ruth with a meatier role, although why Jae was even in Paris is beyond me! That man is fast becoming a punch dummy or a soundbite..I haven’t yet made up my mind which. Will Yun Lee is a good actor, but they need to give him something to do..heck I’d take a weekly beating from Jaime for the money Jae’s on!

So yeah, a fun episode but I wonder how ‘fun’ it would be without Nathan – did anyone else laugh at him calling Victor ”Casino Royal”!?

What worked:

• Michelle Ryan looked HOT HOT HOT!
• Nathan was brilliant yet again..he even brought Ruth out of her shell! Go Kevin Rankin!
• The application of Jaime’s bionic eye – good to see it being used in a new way.
• Jonas and Becca – a lot of people have dissed there scenes together, but I quite liked it. It yet again showed the softer side of Jonas and I think Becca appreciated him covering for her. Don’t get me wrong, I still don’t think that Miguel Ferrer is being ’challenged’ by the role (far far from it), but when he’s on screen it’s usually a good thing.

What didn’t work

• The Jaime/Tom love angle. They have plenty of chemistry but the writers were too forceful in their attempt to advance their relationship. Would Jaime really attempt to sleep with him whilst on an important mission?
• No Sarah Corvus or Papa Anthros (remember them?). Though it’s understandable seeing as the focus moved to Paris.
• I’m not feeling the way the episodes don’t borrow from one another. They’re far too ‘standalone’. In fact Tom is one of the few things from a previous episode which has been applied to a current episode. The writers need to alter the formula and make the episodes connect more. This will enable the audience to care more for the characters.
• The random Alexis woman (CIA boss?). I mean, honestly what was the point..? She also had some terrible terrible lines (she’s more convincing as Diane in LOST – I think that’s the woman who plays Kate’s mom?)

Best Quote:
Molly: “You do realise that spies don’t really talk that way?”

Nathan: “I know it blows, I’m just trying to bring back the cool”

Best Character:
Nathan

Best Actor:
Kevin Rankin

Episode Rating: 7/10

TVGuide.com: Already we have seen some evolution in Jonas. He started off as such a hard-ass with Jaime, and now he’s more like a father-figure type.
Ferrer: Yeah, yeah — and he’s catching himself surprised by that. He’s got more humor, and you’ll see more humanity, but at the end of the day, the guy is a pragmatist who is forced to make difficult decisions for what he believes are the right reasons.

TVGuide.com: Are we going to get any more backstory on him?
Ferrer: His wife died and he’s got a daughter who no one has seen yet but has been alluded to. They have a difficult relationship. I learn more every episode.

TVGuide.com: The teaser for this week’s episode says, “Becca ends up in jail, and Jonas must bail her out.” What’s going on there?
Ferrer: [Laughs] Jaime goes away to do a mission in Paris, and before she leaves, she gives Becca Jonas’ phone number, saying, “If there’s an emergency, call this guy.” Becca winds up in a ton of trouble and calls Jonas, and they have a very….

TVGuide.com: Is Becca like, “Who are you?!”
Ferrer: Yeah. “Who are you? Is my sister really selling timeshare condos?” [Laughs] It’s a couple of nice scenes with the most unlikely pair on the whole show. It was a lot of fun.

TVGuide.com: Are things starting to “settle down” now with Jason Cahill coming on?
Ferrer: Jason hasn’t started yet, but he’s about to. They’re in the middle of the changing of the guard from Katims to Cahill. This is our third Jason! [Laughs] But seriously, even before that, it really is starting to normalize finally. The scripts are finding a voice and finding a tone. This kind of show, in the beginning it’s just so big and expensive there are going to be growing pains, a learning curve. We’re coming to the tail end of that.

TVGuide.com: Have you started shooting, or have you seen the script for the two-part episode that will serve to “relaunch” the show in January?
Ferrer: I have not seen a script. We started shooting the episode before that one [on Nov. 1]. We’re still a good week and a half off from that.

TVGuide.com: Are there still secrets we have yet to learn about the Berkut Group?
Ferrer: I think so…. I can’t tell you what they are, though!

TVGuide.com: Do you think Jaime is fully committed at this point, or is there still a part of her that wants her old life back?
Ferrer: It seems like she is onboard with reservations at this point.

TVGuide.com: Everybody wants to be a hero.
Ferrer: Yeah. She likes that idea. But it’s not like, “Hey, I’m bionic! This is bitchin’!” It’s not quite there yet, not that I think it should ever be there.

TVGuide.com: Do you think it unfair to Michelle Ryan that fans keep comparing her to Katee Sackhoff? Obviously, Sarah Corvus is supposed to be splashier….
Ferrer: Sarah Corvus gets all the sweet lines! That’s why I’ve enjoyed my long career of playing many bad guys.

TVGuide.com: If you’re quotable, you’re memorable.
Ferrer: Absolutely. That’s what they’re there to do — stir things up. They don’t sit there and wait for things to happen.

TVGuide.com: Do you think that as Jaime gets more comfortable in her own skin, the character might gain some attitude?
Ferrer: Probably. That’s definitely already happened to an extent, especially when she and Isaiah Washington’s character faced off. There were some pithy exchanges there. But in terms of it being unfair that Katee is getting some nice attention, who said that any of this s–t was fair? [Chuckles] That’s just how it is.

TVGuide.com: Any interest yet from Lindsay Wagner in swinging by for a cameo?
Ferrer: I haven’t heard a word.

TVGuide.com: I think there was an interview with her a few weeks ago where she wasn’t liking the show. She had some self-righteous take on it.
Ferrer: Oh, god, I love that. A couple of months ago I was in L.A. and Richard Anderson, the guy who played Oscar [Goldman on the original Bionic Woman], was driving by. His license plate still says “BIONIC.” [Laughs] All I can tell you is if in 30 years my license plate says BIONIC, you have complete permission to cut my throat.

TVGuide.com: Obviously there are a lot of sci-fi shows out there, a lot of characters full of crazy powers…. What do you think it will take for Bionic Woman to have legs and survive and fulfill its promise?
Ferrer: First and foremost, it’s got to be on the page. It starts with the writing. It’s got to be drama that can be taken seriously, with elements of sci-fi and action. But if it’s cheesy on the page, we don’t have a chance. There’s a lot of talent, and Jason Cahill comes with an extraordinary pedigree. I’m hoping for really good things.

Interesting stuff, especially the regarding ”2 part episode” which will serve as the relaunch. I’ve been wondering what they meant by ‘relaunch’. Also, he’s right about the foundations of good sci-fi – the writing.

You can read the entire interview here.

So, without further ado..here’s a random thought that has been bugging me for a while now:

Becca is supposed to be some kind genus computer hacker, right? In an early episode (might have been the Pilot) we saw evidence of her ‘addiction’ when she cleverly hid her laptop outside of her window so that Jaime couldn’t confiscate it. We also know that she got in some trouble with the law for her computer indulgence, hence Jaime putting a ‘Becca ban’ on all thing Internet associated.

Yet where is ‘Hacker Becca’? Did I miss something? Was there a secret episode last week where Becca finally hacked into Jaime’s bionics and sent her haywire? What an opportunity to miss – Jaime the machine sister and Becca the computer hacker..what a chance for some fun storylines!!

OK, I’m not a writer and I know that they have an actual overriding storyto tell, but you can’t tell me they changed Becca from originally being hearing impaired to a computer hacker for no good reason? Come on guys where’s your sense of fun? Have Becca unwittingly hack Jaime.

So there you have it, my first random thought on BW – will we ever get to see ‘Hacker Becca’?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Oh and i’ll also try to get some kind of league table going for the winners – more on that on Wednesday.

Caption #3 – Becca and Jaime:

Goodluck!

So what does episode four have in store for us? Here are my WANTS and WANT NOT’S:

WANTS:

• More Sarah – in particular it will be interesting to see her state of mind after being rejected by Jaime, hunted by Burket and toyed with by Papa Anthros. Despite all of this we saw, perhaps for the first time, some humanity from her – she spared Becca and appealed to Jaime’s senses. Interesting theme alert!
• More Papa Anthros (and Mr. “Stitches”) – Despite being on the run, he’s in a position of power at the moment. I would like to see more interaction with the despairing Sarah, and some acknowledgement of his son’s apparent ‘death’ (though the cast list for tonight’s episode suggests that Chris Bowers – Will Anthros – will make an appearance, so make of that what you will). Also, what does Burket make of Anthony’s ‘escape’, and importantly, what does the “extremophile” make of them..? Just where are the battle lines?
• I like Jaime, but she needs to develop more emotion (Sisterhood was on the right path). By ‘emotion’, I don’t mean screaming or shouting every 2 minutes, but she needs to display more range more often. I appreciate that this is partly because she is now half computer, but the time has now come see her struggle more with the situation imposed upon her and her sister.
• Becca, more Becca! Some people think she’s cheesy or cliche, I quite like her and she makes me laugh. So yeah, more Becca..and perhaps we could actually see the ‘computer hacker’ Becca?
• More good music. The BW soundtrack has been pretty good so far with the likes of Sia’s “Breathe Me”, Rihanna’s “Breakin Dishes” and Sonic Librarians “Amplified” (granted that was only for the “Paradise Lost” promo)

WANT NOT’S:

• Please..please for the love of all that is good in this world..please Mr. Eick..please no more ‘Vivien’ or ‘Heaven’. Becca’s a brat, but she’s a lovable brat..
• No more disjointed storylines! Yes “Sisterhood” was a giant bionic leap in the right direction, but “PD” still haunts me..
• STOP with the randomness!! Explain things, like WHO the terrorists in PD were, and WHY Jaime took ‘Heaven’ (more like Hell) out to a nail-bar when she knew that Serbian ‘gangsters’ where looking for her?? Also, can someone please explain to me, since WHEN did shoulder wound become fatal? I mean Burket have SOO much technology, which I’m sure Will’s fragile shoulder would have appreciated! Unless of course he’s not really dead (Shh!)
• ‘Radio Silence’. Ok it’s not that bad, but it would be nice if the creators of the show were a little more interactive with the fans, y’know like Calton and Damon from LOST or Tim Kring from Heroes. Make it happen guys, get a weekly podcast or something..interact.

Now time for the episode – if you happen to miss it, fear not, just download it from Amazon Unbox.