It’s been such a busy week what with the premiere and all, so i’m a bit behind on my ‘Fans Perspective’ Interviews. Anyway, here’s the next batch courtesy of Margie and Ryan from watchingbionicwoman.com: 

Roco: What are your hopes for this re-imagined Bionic Woman Series?

Margie: Great character development is always what pulls me into the show, and there
is the potential for amazing character development in Jamie Sommers and the
rest of the cast.  Jamie is so unsure of herself in the pilot, always
reacting instead of instigating actions and events herself.  I hope that we
can see her mature as a woman, and as a hero, as the show progresses.

Ryan: I would like to see a much darker, technology critical sci-fi series that
isn’t afraid to use the series’ corporations/government as a critique of our
military industrial complex.

Roco: Margie, You also run a BSG Blog (watchingbsg.com) - do you think that the two shows will be similar considering they share the same creator?

Margie: I hope so, because great television these days is often television that
expects something from its audience.  Shows that expect people to pay
attention, like Lost and Heroes, seem to do very well with fans.  In the age
of the Internet you have to give people something to think about for a week,
you can’t fill in all the gaps or you deny fans the thrill of discovery as
they watch plots unfold and characters progress.  Battlestar Galactica is a
very smart show that expects a lot from its audience and I hope we see that
expectation with Bionic Woman.

Roco: Isaiah Washington..after all of the controversy, what do you think of
his addition to the cast?

Margie: I go back and forth on this one.  I did a fairly controversial post on our
blog about how I was glad the show gave him a second chance even though I
hate what he said.  Then all of these stories started coming out about how
the environment on the Grey’s Anatomy set is so much happier this year, and
it made me rethink what I said once again.  I have very strong opinions
about bosses and companies who allow toxic personalities to poison the
productivity of a work environment, because it happens so often … and if
you believe even half of what you hear, Isaiah Washington was a poisoning
presence on the set of Grey’s Anatomy.  You can tell something was wrong on
the set just by watching the dark and humorless tone of the last half of the
third season.   It’s no secret that hiring Isaiah was a network decision,
not one from the producers or anyone who is consistently connected to the
show.  And it is clear from watching the pilot that not all of the network
decisions are good ones (remember the little girl in the car?).  So given
that his presence may create extra tension in the fragile early days of an
already dark show, and the fact that it alienates some of the gay audience
which is never a good idea with an iconic show like this one, hiring Isaiah
may prove to be a giant mistake.

Ryan: He is a poor choice and one that personally disappoints me.  Casting a
serial bigot on a show that is inherently designed to appeal to a gay
audience serves as but one illustration why NBC is third among the major
networks.

As for Washington, I have no doubt that he will bring to his role just what
he did on Grey’s Anatomy, a manufactured brooding style that comes across as
flat and one dimensional.  If only they would make his character gay…

Roco: What themes or aspects of the new ‘Bionic’ series are you most looking
forward to seeing unfold?

Margie: David Eick has talked about how the show will explore whether expectations
are higher for women than for men, and I think every woman can identify with
that question!  Also, the frenemy relationship between Jamie and Sarah
Corvus and how that contrasts with the interactions between Jamie and Molly
Price’s character may be interesting.

Ryan: See number 1.

Roco: We’re you a fan of the original 1970’s Bionic Woman series? If so what
did you like (or dislike) most about it?

Margie: I liked the dog!  It is actually exciting to me that this Jamie Sommers will
not have a Steve Austin to overshadow her.  Even though I was a young fan,
that always bothered me a bit.

Ryan: God, yes!  Lindsey Wagner was my idol and the coolest teacher around.  The
slow motion editing to make her look like she was running fast is still
genius.

Roco: Which character (or actor/actress) are you most looking forward to
watching?

Margie: Wow, the cast is great so I don’t know that I can pick just one!  Katee
Sackhoff, of course, and Molly Price’s character really fascinated me in the
premiere.  Mark Sheppard is always good, and I actually found the character
of Jae much more interesting than I anticipated.  Here is a confession,
though:  I hate the boyfriend.  I kept hoping Katee’s bullet would hit a
little closer to home!

Ryan: Hands down, Katee Sackhoff.  After watching only one episode of her as Sarah
Corvus, I am hooked.

Roco: If you could have one Bionic ability..what would it be and would you
use it for good or for evil?

Margie: Hmm, bionic metabolism sounds too selfish huh?  Seriously if I could just
have one thing I would take the anthracites.  Think about how much good I
could accomplish if I never got sick!

Ryan: The bionic legs, but only if they came with a cool sound effect when I ran.

Roco: OK..make a prediction - do you think that Bionic Woman will get a
second season?

Margie: It’s definitely possible … anything can happen between now and then.  The
backlash could change after Jamie gets used to her abilities and Isaiah
leaves the show.  Or Journeyman could flop, they could move Bionic Woman to
Mondays, the characters could become even more interesting and the show
could pull Heroes numbers.  The future is wide open, but if any show can do
it Bionic Woman has a good chance.  I personally like the fact that the
show’s creators are willing to change things when they feel they do not
work.  You can’t get crazy with stuff like that, but you also have to be
open to the possibilities of life.

Ryan: Yes, it will get a second season because the Friday reruns on Sci-Fi will
justify its return as these reruns allow NBC to “double dip” ad-revenue.

Roco: What are you favorite TV shows and where would you currently rank
Bionic Woman in terms of ‘potential’?

Margie: That’s tough because a lot of my favorite shows, like Firefly, are not on
the air anymore!  In terms of shows that are on the air right now my
favorites are probably Battlestar Galactica, Grey’s Anatomy, Heroes,
and Brothers and Sisters.  I think Bionic Woman has the potential of any of those shows.
Grey’s and Battlestar both got slammed pretty hard for their concepts and
creative choices when they first came on the air, but they had great writers
with a strong vision and they evened out after a few episodes and the fans
and critics caught up accordingly.  Brothers and Sisters had a huge creative
shift halfway through its first season that worked out great, they got rid
of big story lines and characters in a way that was well done and paid off
magically for the show.  Heroes had the opposite trajectory, starting off
strong and really disappointing a lot of people at the end of the season,
and we are not sure about how season two will go yet.  It is very rare for
any show to be perfect, you just have to like what you like and hope for the
best.

Ryan: I am a huge fan of The Office, 30 Rock, Heroes, Grey’s Anatomy, Dexter and
Weeds.  After watching the first episode, and comparing it to the other four
NBC pilots, it is weaker than I would have predicted.  The potential is
there, but it must improve.  For me at least, Ryan hasn’t done it for me,
and I am not sure she ever will.  After watching the pilot, I was more
interested in Sarah Corvus than Jaime Sommers.

——-

Many thanks to both Margie and Ryan for taking the time out to share their hopes and expectations for ‘Bionic Woman’! I have a few more of these planned and will be posting them over the next few weeks! Don’t forget you can always air your views by posting in the comments section, in the shoutbox or by emailing me! Also, if you have a theory or your own ‘Bionic Woman’ article that you’d like to see featured on the site, just send it to me and i’ll post it so that it’s shared with other BW fans (credit always given).

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