Let’s take a look at the current results of this poll:

 [poll=20]

Interestingly the overwhelming majority have (so far) stated that they would continue to watch BW even if she left, suggesting that KS isn’t the be all and end all of the show. Incidentally, I also voted that I would continue to watch (assuming the show didn’t become unwatchable, of course). It’s not that I’d continue to watch just to spite Katee – heck, she’s a good actor and I respect her work. It’s because at the end of the day no-one person makes a show (although LOST’s John Locke comes close!) and the last few Katee-less episodes have actually been quite good..which is testimony to how the show has improved.

But maybe I’m of this opinion because I’m still fairly new to KS? I’m a fan (of her work on BW), but not a fan-atic, if you will. I didn’t know much about her until she landed on primetime TV, and I’m sure I’m not alone in that. Which makes her ‘apparant’ disassociation with the show that gave her more limelight all the more baffling.

If KS does leave BW (whether or not the show survives), it will be interesting to see what she does next. Of course she is a cult icon on Battlestar Galatica, but is that show ‘mainstream’ enough to propel her career forward? Or is it cool to be cult?

I just wonder, with the writers strike tipped to soon end and talk of a “relaunch” still up in the air..could Katee Sackhoff soon regret being on the outside looking in:

(‘assuming’ she does want out of BW ; ))

Then it hit me..I’ve never really thought about it like that before. I mean sure, I have debated the prospect of this strike lasting a few months, but I’ve never thought about how I would feel 4, 5, 6+ months down the line, when I’m left with nothing but crap reality shows to watch. When my island adventure on “LOST” has been sliced onto 8 inconclusive episodes, when I have to wait the best part of a year to find out why the damned cheerleader is so important to the world, when BW may never get the chance to “re-launch”. You see, I like my favourite shows..I’ve waited 6 months to see the likes of LOST’s John Locke and Ben Linus..having to wait another year to see the whole of Season 4 would potentially kill the show. In that moment I began to question the strike..I mean it’s not only the viewers who are going to be suffering but technicians, caterers and other crew members – people who earn less money than the average Hollywood writers, people who can barely pay their mortgages, people who need that check at the end of the month in order to scrape through.

So I had to consider the fact that I support the strike, but at the same time I consider it ‘dangerous’ to carry out an action which negatively affects the livelihoods of others..an action which is designed to cause maximum devastation to an industry which entertains millions. With this in mind will I still support the writers strike in February? How about April?..May?..next November perhaps? I’m not going to lie, I just can’t answer that..it’s all relative and it depends on how ‘responsive’ and how ‘fair’ the negotiations are. What I will say is the same thing that I told my friend – “I would like to think that I would still support the strike in 6 months time, but it’s also up to the studios to do their bit in all of this..if they play fair then the writers will get back to work and we all win. After all what’s 4% for networks and studios who are set to earn unimaginable millions from ‘new media’?”.

I don’t begrudge the studio bigwigs earning money – they work hard too, one would think - but if you’re going to get rich from someone else’s product then you have to share the wealth appropriately. If we never see BW as a result of this strike it will be a mighty shame as the show is just finding it’s feet. If the strike is still on-going in a few months time then the finger will be pointed accusingly at the writers, but it should also be pointed at the studios because it’s clear that giving the writers only 4% from DVD sales and potentially 0% from “new media” profits is just not on. It’s exploitation and I always thought that one of the principles of Hollywood, indeed America, was that you were rewarded fairly for what you put in. Let’s hope so.

So, assuming the strike goes on for more than a few weeks, how long will you be able to tolerate and support the strike? Is there a cut-off point where you’ll begin to turn on the writers? Do they have a responsibility to be reasonable in the length of their strike?..or does the responsibility lay sqaurely with the studios? What is your opinion on the ‘weight of the wait’? Feel free to vote in the poll:

Also, you might like to check out Margie and Ryan over at WatchingBionicWoman.com as they have some powerful views on the subject.

[poll=16]

Tonight’s episode is called “The List” and I am hopeful that it will be even better that 1.05 - it certainly sounds exciting.

Don’t forget, you’re always welcome to air your views over on our sister forum or use the comments section on this site. Happy viewing!

Mark Sheppard narrowly beat Katee Sackhoff as the most anticipated Bionic actor back in September..now that we’re almost half-way through the planned 13 episodes for season 1, let’s see who you guys think has been the best performer. Has Sheppard lived up to his promise? Has Katee lived up to her hype? What about Michelle Ryan..has she been your leading lady?

Feel free to cast your vote for your best performing actor so far by using the Poll in the sidebar (will be moved to archive in a few days, where you can still vote).

Here is my top 3 so far:

Katee Sackhoff : Still holds the number one spot for me because she’s such a badass in the ‘nemesis’ role. However it’s not simply the bravado and sex-appeal that she brings to Corvus which makes me sit up – it’s also her more tender moments, like when she pulled Jaime’s hair back to comfort her as she was dealing with her first bout of sensory overload, and the time when she pleaded with Jaime to help her to extend her lifespan. It’s this light and shade which Katee has brought to the role of Corvus that has made the character far from one dimensional, even though she could easily have been.

Michelle Ryan: I know that she has her critics and those who say she doesn’t express enough emotion but all things considered I think that she has grown into the role and shown noticable improvement. This is important because it mirrors Jaime’s journey from being uncomfortable and unsure of herself, to owning both the machine and the human side. Of course neither Jaime or Ryan are there yet, but it’s this mirrored improvement which certainly deserves recognition.

Kevin Rankin: He’s given the show some much needed comic relief. Whilst the likes of Isaiah, Price and Ferrer have struggled at times with the more humorous aspects of the show, Rankin has shone brightly and Nathan’s obsession with Jaime is both sweet and hilarious – He has great chemistry with Ryan and if we see more of him I think he could well be a fan favourite.

Others who have impressed: Isaiah Washington has been good, not great but ‘good’. I feel that his character has a lot of potential if only they can give him a better script to work with. I would also give props to Molly Price because she is clearly made for this role if only they can give her more to do! Mark Sheppard has been superb but we have seen so little of Papa Anthros. Oh and I can’t forget Lucy Hale, I’ve enjoyed her performance so far and we need to see more of her – hopefully they can weave Becca’s ’computer hacking’ background into the storyline (why haven’t they??).

So there you have it, my half-term report of the main actors – what are your thoughts on the actors..who has impressed you and who has left you feeling cold? Oh and don’t forget to vote!

[poll=14]

The results of the opinion poll are definitely more positive than negative – 32% of you thought it was ‘Good’. I think that is about right, as in my view it wasn’t as good as “Sisterhood” or as terrible as “Paradise Lost”. At the time of posting a collective 18% thought that the episode was below average. I think Margie over at WBW.com summed it up best when she said that “Sisterhood” was two steps forward in the right direction and “Face Off” was a step backwards.

So by that reckoning we need tonight’s episode to give us about 3 or 4 bionic leaps forward! If I had to identify one key area that the show is overlooking somewhat, then it’s the science aspect. Sure we’ve touched on ‘bionic lifespans’ and ‘anthrocytes’, but there’s so much more potential which has so far been underutilised or not presented in an interesting or provocative way. I hope they don’t dumb this show down, instead they should put faith in the viewers and give us the good stuff! Science can be fun when applied with insight, wit, good writing and great acting!

OK, here’s the premise:

You have a choice of ONE of Jaime’s bionic abilities – which would YOU choose? Use the poll below/in the side bar to vote for your choice and let’s see which of Jaime’s abilities is most popular with the Bionic Community. Perhaps we’ll even convince ‘the powers that be’ (aka the Bionic producers) to use more of our favourite abilities in the show, goodness knows the Bionic Eye has had more than it’s fair share of usage (as cool as it is).

[poll=15]

If the above poll doesn’t work, please use the one in the sidebar.

[poll=11]

From this we can see that all of you liked it on some level. An impressive 46% thought that it was the best episode so far and I’d have to agree, as BW really began to find it’s feet. I thought that all of the central characters either became more layered or more grounded (both in Corvus’ case). We also began to explore the themes that the show promises to deliver, and uncover the murky world of Bionics and ethics. Let’s hope for a continued improvement in tonight’s installment.

[poll=9]

44% of you thought it was a “great episode”, which is surprising as it took quite battering in comparison to the Pilot.22% said “good episode”, whilst 17% of you thought it was the “best episode ever”, which at this stage means that they thought it was better than the Pilot episode. A further 17% of you also thought it was a “meh” episode and was basically unimpressed.

I think that a lot of people are still prepared to give the show a chance, but tonight’s episode needs to be an improvement. Don’t forget to let your opinion be known by participating in the episode rating for “Sisterhood”, which will be up shortly.

[poll=5]

So far it appears that most of you thought the episode was ‘Very Good’ with 42% of your votes, followed by ‘Great Episode’ gaining 32%. 8% of you thought the episode was ‘Good’, with 4% voting ‘OK’ and 4% voting ’Meh’. As it stands no-one thought it was a ‘DPoor’ and only 2% have marked the episode a ‘Disaster’.

I think NBC would find these results interesting as I think fans of shows like BW are honest in their assessment. When we consider how badly the show was knocked over the summer, this poll indicates that in actual fact BW has real potential and has already built strong foundations. I’ll leave the poll open for those who haven’t voted yet – a new poll will feature tonight, but in the meantime thanks for sharing your opinions!

Let’s see how tonight’s episode fears! look out for previews and build-up throughout the day!

“..there’s some talk about spinning me off into my own show once ‘Bionic Woman’ becomes a huge hit.”

Personally I can see Isaiah in his own BW spin-off of role because he is a fantastic actor who can hold an audience. However it’s not his acting which may be the problem - there are many people who are still offended by the homophobic F-word controversy, which saw him fired from Grey’s.

On the otherhand he still has a lot of supporters out there, as well as those who are neutral on the controversy which has followed him around in recent months. However, NBC shouldn’t be surprised if not everyone is so forgiving, after all people have a right to take offence to such slurs.

I guess we’ll have to see how well he is received once his stint on BW is aired before we can truly gauge whether he has a hope of landing a spin-off that anyone will plan on watching.

[poll=8]