Some of the comments on the nytimes tvdecoder blog, in particular, leave no doubt as to their feelings regarding MR’s performance. Here’s a sample:

It’s pretty simple: Michele Ryan is a car wreck, and there’s no rebuilding her. She mistakes oogling her giant, expressive eyes for acting. The writing is generally stiff and unengaging. — Posted by Janet V

Michelle Ryan? Bless her heart- awful. Really, just about the worst actor I’ve seen a show built around since Emeril Lagasse. Not many people can make a line that reads as bad as “That saving the world thing? I’d like to give it a try,” and deliver it so it sounds even WORSE. Ryan sunk to the occasion. — Posted by howlless

The problem in a nutshell: Michelle Ryan ain’t no Jennifer Garner. Nor is she a Lindsey Wagner.

— Posted by Phil

Whilst I realise that these views are supplemented with many positive views about MR, from what I have seen a lot of the recent criticisms of the show are beginning to focus on the lead actress. I am surprised that MR is under such attack – sure, she wasn’t outstanding but in my opinion she’s miles better than the entire female cast of ‘Heroes’ and Evangeline Lilly from ‘LOST’ (no offense, Evie), yet I don’t see them getting bashed for their acting ability, not to this degree.

Sorry, but I have to defend Michelle Ryan’s corner because she has shown vast improvement over the course of 8 episodes. Doesn’t that deserve credit? The main problem with BW is the writing – it has been terrible, it has been disjointed and it has been ‘insecure’ – it has tried to please, but has failed to find it’s voice after the first showrunner left. Sure, great actors can sometimes carry a show – heaven knows Jack Coleman has just about carried Season 2 of Heroes – but Ryan is not a great actress, not ‘yet’ (that’s not to say she won’t be). She is a fresh actress, in a new country, with her first breakout series. Yes, she does deserve criticism, as does every person who is judged on performance, but personally I don’t think she should shoulder the blame for Bionic Woman’s ills. Could anyone else really have made the show ‘better’? I’m not so sure they could – not when the likes of Miguel Ferrer, Isaiah Washington and even ‘cult hero’ Katee Sackhoff, have at times, struggled in their own performances.

It’s good, however, that the show is still provoking so much opinion – that’s what it’s all about and that’s what NBC need to recognise. Yes, the show has, by and large, sucked so far, but the show is STILL a major talking point and still has so much in reserve. Let’s just hope that Michelle Ryan and friends get the chance to give the fans something positive to talk about.

C’mon NBC, give us the ‘edgy’, ‘dark’ and ‘captivating’ Bionic Woman we were promised! Remember that? Can’t we, like, just go back to that?

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* I should add, that in regards to the crisitsms being laid at Michelle Ryan’s door, she is also receiving much love from some quarters. Keep your head up girl!

Rankin on getting the role of Nathan on BW:

“All I knew is that he was going to be the bionics guy and ultimately was sort of a test run, so nobody knew what was going to happen with the character, and I just got up there and they all responded well to what I was doing, and you know, he was really just a crap shoot.  I didn’t really know exactly how to play him.  I didn’t want to play him too much of a techie geek…because I know there’s a possibility of a romance, but it was a fine line, because there’s a dark, serious tone to the show and I didn’t want to take it too far out there, but I also wanted to give it a little bit of lightness – also ground the humor in reality somehow.”

Rankin on his input in Nathan’s development as a character:

“they’re actually letting me run free up there and do a lot of stuff, you know, just how I see it in my head, and just really run free, and I would do it as long as they would let me.”

On the writers strike and it’s impact on the show:

Rankin saysthat he believes that the show could be a lot more affected than others, because they are fairly far behind in filming. At the beginning of the season they shot about four or five episodes, including the pilot, and for whatever reason the network didn’t like a good bit of it, so they reshot about fifty percent of it. They even took the second episode and completely tossed it out. He went in and shot three episodes in a matter of days, and then they placed his scenes into what they had already shot, which made it look like he was around the whole time, even though he wasn’t. Rankin says that they are also farther behind then other shows, because it is so effects and stunt heavy, and that they have really long shooting schedules. They usually work Monday through Saturday, with Sundays off. He also said that he does not know how many scripts they even have past the one that they are currently shooting. Rankin did however say that he supports the writers.

Rankin on his hopes for Nathan:

“They’re training Nathan how to fight, and so I think they’re just really taking his character and they’re going to take him out of the underground world and just really let him be a part of the team more, as opposed to just sitting in front of the computer or fixing Jaime’s toe whenever it gets broken. The reason why they’re training Nathan to fight in this episode, is because his big brother got a little physical with him, and I show up with a black eye, and so my big brother beat me up, and I show up and ask Will [Will Yun Lee who plays Jae Kim] to train me. I’d like to see a little bit of Nathan’s home life actually and so people can get a little clue into why Nathan’s the way he is”

Rankin on the possibility of a Jaime/Nathan romance:

“I do know that Nathan, he loves his bionics, and he loves women, and you put them together, you can’t go wrong. I definitely think he is fascinated with Jaime, and I think that it’s just the combination of his two favorite things, like having peanut butter and jelly in the same jar. There was always that possibility when I came on the show that they wanted there to be some sort of trajectory there, but you never know when that ship is going to land. So, I think that if there is a romance, that you’ll always touch on it, but I don’t know how long it will be until you would actually see that.”

Rankin on Miguel Ferrer:

“I think Miguel Ferrer is just the coolest man I’ve ever met. He’s a great actor and just great to have on set, and just great to be in a scene with, and actually I’m glad that he’s taking Nathan out of the lair and kind of making me his sort of right hand man when he goes out on a mission and stuff,”

Rankin on Michelle Ryan:

“She’s just such a wonderful, beautiful young lady, and she never has a second to herself, because she’s in every scene and she rarely gets any time off, and God bless her, she’s just the biggest trooper.”

Rankin also talks about his personal hopes and his upcoming movie roles. You can read the entire interview here.

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.

In ‘Bionic Woman’ Ferrer plays Burket Boss Jonas Bledsoe but he’s also known for playing Albert Rosenfield (1990-91) in the legendary Twin Peaks. Since then Miguel has (physically) ’filled out’ quite a bit and it’s easy to see that he had ‘something’ about him..call it an on-screen ’presence’:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Stay tuned for number #5 in the series!

Click here to watch video.

So Will Anthros is dead – OK, major shock, didn’t see that coming! Maybe that will teach you to not run off to play with Sarah Corvus after your boyfriend has just been shot, Jaime..I mean there is such a thing as 911! I must stress that I don’t actually think Will is dead, but i’ll come to that another time.

Jaime grieves by breathing in Will’s scent (yuk!), before stumbling upon a secret spy-file that he had been keeping on her, dating back 2 years before they ‘met’. Hmm, these Burket people sure like to test the water before they actually introduce themselves properly, don’t they Antonio. Anyway, I can understand Jaime’s confusion and anger over making this discovery, but I’m not sure why they nearly made her lose her dignity in a public toilet? Sorry, but much like the sex montage with Will last week, this seemed out of place and unnecessary.

Another thing that sucked was the insensitivity of Jaime’s ‘friends’. Erm, she’s just lost her boyfriend and they’re so caught up in their own selfish issues. This may be true to life but I just didn’t like that scene..at least bring Crystal Lowe in so I have something good to look at if I’m going to have to watch stuff like that!

Now for my biggest complaint..and this one is even worse than the annoying “I just think it’s cool that girls can do that” girl from last week – enter ‘Vivian’, the girl with the heart made of stone. So she has just found out that her grandparents have been killed in a terrorist attack..whilst she slept..and she doesn’t even shed a tear…What!? To make things worse she goes on to utter “They were good to me”, Yes Vivian..too good, by the looks of things. So that was bad acting..but more so it was terrible writing, I mean seriously.

But thankfully it wasn’t all bad, somehow Isaiah Washington managed to save the episode with a polished performance as Antonio Pope. I like his character, not as much as I like Sarah Corvus or Papa Anthros, but he’s interesting, layered and seems to be well acted, thus far. This episode really needed more Corvus, however, and what we saw of her was some more good character building, as my suspicions of her being ‘forced’ to kill those BG scientists gained credence. Afterall, she’s half computer and computers can be hacked.

Speaking of hacking, another bright spark in this episode was Becca. I like her snarky attitude and her interaction with her elder sister is actually believable. The montage scene at the end was good and once again we have evidence that they made the right decision in replacing Mae Whitman with Lucy Hale.

Jae Lee really likes the sound of his own voice, and whilst I loved his “The machine is nothing without the woman”soundbite, he really needs to let Jaime get a word in edge-ways! This is afterall, HER show, lol.

The episode had some other good lines, but you could tell that even the likes of Molly Price (again excellent) and Miguel Ferrer struggled with the script at times.

All in all it was an ‘OK’ episode, overall, the writing was fairly bad in places and the direction they took was disjointed, and at times, baffling. There were far too many eye-rolling moments and moments of dialogue which just seemed ‘off’. We need more layering of characters, more emotion, better character interaction and better production values (seriously make the visuals more glossy). They need to look at LOST and see why that is such a success. For example, every scene should be important and should act as a set-piece to the larger plot. The creators need to start making the characters people who we can emotionally invest in, not ones we actually detest, when that is not the overriding intention - i.e. Vivian. 

My disappointment is amplified due to the potential this show has – the themes are so powerful and interesting, but the worry is that we’ll waste too much tome seeing Jaime having drunken sex in public toilets before we get the explore these themes. I’m sure next weeks episode will be better, we mustn’t forget that the show is still finding it’s feet and most shows take a while before they fall into a rhythm. With the likes of Katee Sackhoff, Miguel Ferrer, Isaiah Washington, Molly Price and Mark Sheppard on board, I still have every faith that this show will live up to the hype. Just make sure next weeks episode is ‘better’ and ‘stronger’, Mr Eick.

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Best Quotes:

Jaime “I’m faster than you are”

Ruth ”Only at running”

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Jae (to Jaime) “The machine is nothing without the woman”

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Worst Quote:

Vivian (finding out her grandparents have been murdered) “They were good to me” (notice the absence of any tears or concern whatsoever)

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Best Performer: Isaiah Washington (Antonio Pope)

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Some Select Shots:

“RIP Steve..er..I mean, Will”

“Thank You for saving this episode, Isaiah!”

“Listen..not everyone can jump rooftops like Corvus and I!”

“YUM!”

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EPISODE RATING: 6/10 - The best is definitely yet to come.

*I should add, that the character of Vivian does interest me in regards to ‘how’ she managed to survive, whislt the rest of ‘Paradise’ died..however apart from that, she was awful.

What did YOU think about this episode?

Over the past few days I’ve been running a poll on the site to see who your most eagerly anticipated actors are for the upcoming BW series. It’s been fascinating to watch, as first Mark Sheppard took an early lead and then both Michelle Ryan and Katee Sackhoff have come back to storm the top two positions, whilst Will Yun Lee has made a late charge!

I think it would be great to see who is in the lead by the start of tonight’s Pilot episode..will Katee remain as the actor you’re MOST looking forward to seeing..or will Michelle and the others make a late comeback!?

It’s down to you guys – if you haven’t already voted, you can do so below or via the sidebar! Go on..it’s a great bit of fun and a way for you to voice your opinion!

By the way, I voted for Katee..but it was close between her, Michelle and Isaiah. Oh and can you believe Miguel Ferrer currently has only one vote!?.. where are the Ferrer fans? :)

[poll=3]

thewest.com.au feature Miguel Ferrer, who reveals more about the role that his character, Jonas Bledsoe, and the Burket Group may play in the series:

“..it’s dark and it’s nasty and sci-fi and drama and action. Jonas is dedicated to stopping rogue organisations around the world that want to end civilisation as we know it,”

“That’s at the core of the plot, but there are a lot of avenues the story can take, that’s what makes it so good”

“He’s forced to make a lot of difficult decisions in the best interests of many, sometimes at the expense of a few.”

This is interesting as it suggests that this motives of the Burket Group will be more layered than it might first appear.

Ferrer also goes on to mention the 1970′s Bionic dog - he’s not a fan:

“There’s no Bionic Dog in this one. If there is, I’m probably going to leave”

Bizarrely Ferrer’s wife once lived with the Bionic dog as when the series ended her father adopted him:

“Yep, she grew up with The Bionic Dog”

I wonder whether this had any bearing on Miguel’s decision to accept the role?

Bionic Woman premieres in Australia on October 4.

David Eick Interview

Michelle Ryan – ‘In Production‘

Miguel Ferrer & Greg Grundberg

If you’re looking for some nostalgia, then check this clip from the 1970′s Bionic Woman - it features Maxthe dog rescuing a little girl in a car that takes forever to roll down a hill to impeding danger. As Miguel Ferrer would say: the upcoming BW is “not your mom’s Bionic Woman”- thank goodness for that! I think this clip emphasises just how much television has changed and shows why using the same formula in the updated version just wouldn’t work. Still it’s a fun clip to watch.

“When I walked in to pitch (Bionic Woman), I could feel a measure of enthusiasm based on the fact that Heroes was starting to take off,” says Bionicexecutive producer David Eick, who has the same title on Sci Fi’s critically acclaimed Battlestar Galactica. “It does seem like there’s an appetite for (sci-fi or fantasy) genre material across the board now. … Comic-Con is hardly the geek convention anymore. Every major studio and network is there.”

Michelle Ryan, the updated Bionic Woman, says success ultimately depends on the character’s humanity and relationships, not any superpower. “I think first and foremost, (Bionic) is a drama,” Ryan says. “At the core, it’s a young woman’s journey of self-discovery.”

Dewayne from the Orlando Sentinel, managed to catch some of the Bionic Woman sessions last weekend.

I bumped into signage for it over the weekend and lucked into one of the last seats of a session that was starting. It was a great break from the heat, and it offers an unofficial sneak peek of the park’s backstage as well. (I saw what appeared to be a Mardi Gras float and a few Christmas decorations, but they might have been trash). The screenings are over in the production center, so follow the Bionic signs. The room only sits 40 or so, but there are six screenings per day through Sept. 2.

The show, which stars Michelle Ryan and Miguel Ferrer, runs about 40 minutes because it is commercial-free in this setting. We’ll leave the reviewing to TV Guy Hal Boedeker, but it’s worth noting that there are two, count’m, TWO bionic women in the ’07 version — a good vs. evil kind of gig.

usatoday also have an excellent article which touches on the ‘modern mindset and realism behind the re-imagined Bionic Woman series – the article also gives some insight into Isaiah Washington’s role.

“When I first heard Bionic Woman, I thought, ‘There’s no way. Not interested. Forget it,’ ” says Miguel Ferrer, who plays the head of a secret organization that saves Jaime Sommers. “They said, ‘Hold on. It’s dark and it’s nasty and people die (and) it’s not what you think it is.’ And sure enough, it’s not what I thought it was.”

Ryan (EastEnders), one of many English actors sporting American accents for prime time, says Bionic considers the question of man — or in this case woman — vs. machine via two of Jaime’s advisers, Jae (Will Yun Lee) and Antonio Pope (Isaiah Washington). (Those interviewed say production has gone smoothly with Washington, who was dropped from Grey’s Anatomy after the controversy that started with his use of a homophobic slur.)

“There’s sort of a triangle,” Ryan says. “Jae is trying to say, ‘Keep in touch with your human side, your spiritual side, because otherwise you’ll go crazy like Sarah Corvus.’ And Antonio Pope is saying, ‘You need to give into the machine, because the human side is what is weak.’ “

Although Bionic has its sci-fi and martial-arts touches, “it is definitely very grounded in reality,” says Katherine Pope, president of Universal Media Studios. “We strive to always say to ourselves, ‘What if this happened to you? What if you were walking down the street and suddenly you woke up and had this machine within you?’ “