RT#3 ‘Doing This On Her Terms?’

9 Dec, 2007

published in Bionic Themes, Episode 1.01, Jaime Sommers, article

Random Thought #3

At the end of the Pilot episode a determined Jaime told Jonas: “If we’re gonna do this, what ever this is, then we’re gonna do it on MY terms”. A stupid line if ever there was one, but that aside, what ever happened to Jaime ‘doing things on her terms’??

I was actually looking forward to seeing Jaime claim her independence only to realise that it would be more complicated than she had envisaged – or something like that. Instead we’ve seen very little of Jaime working for Burket on her own terms. Sure, she’s had the odd day off here, finished work a few hours early there, but I had associated ‘doing things on my terms’ with her making conflicting choices regarding right and wrong, possibly leading to her working outside of the organisation that made her. After all, this was the cautionary tale – Sarah Corvus served as a warning to what could become of Jaime. However Jaime has instead led a rathered sheltered life – not once have I got the impression that she was in any REAL danger (either physically or psychologically), or that she could be ‘changed’ by an event which ‘could’ lead to her taking the ‘Sarah Corvus route’ in self preservation.

Perhaps I’ve just missed the parts when any of this happened? Perhaps I haven’t been paying close enough attention? Perhaps I’m being unfair? Hey, I’ll admit it if this is the case.

I actually think that two of the biggest problems with the Jaime character is that she relies too much on men (or when she is ‘ballsy’, as they say in the UK, it’s unconvincing), and she never seems to be in any great risk. What’s the point of being bionic if you’re never in any real peril – even Superman had Kryptonite! This is why I really wish they had expanded on the whole ‘Bionic Lifespan’ storyline (what happened to that? Heck, what happened to Corvus!?) – now THAT was interesting! I get the feeling that they thought we were too unintelligent to grasp such a storyline..that, or they didn’t want to get too ‘scifi’ on us…HA!

Anyway, my main point is that I don’t think Jaime stayed true to herself – perhaps I am overlooking moments when she did things on her terms? If I am, I fear that they were too insignificant or not important enough to make me remember!

*I realise that alot of my complaints are down to the problems that the show has encountered, but hey, this is a blog and until the show gets cancelled I’ve gotta get my BW thoughts/frustrations out there!

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Page 48 said in 12-9-2007 @ 05:51:19

I’ve been harping on this danger point for some time. The main reason that there is no real excitement or tension in the show is precisely because Jaime has never been in a tight spot. The last episode is the first time she’s picked up a gun, and as far as we know, she’s never been to a firing range.

I keep going back to Sydney Bristow so why stop now? Syd was ALWAYS in danger. Our very first glimpse of Sydney was with her head (complete with flaming red hair) being held under water. Hell, her own mother put a bullet in her shoulder. One simple way to incorporate danger is the weekly cliffhanger. It’s a tool, USE IT.

On the subject of what happened to the darker side of BW, how did we get from Point A (Jonas telling Ruth “we can always terminate later if need be” in the pilot) to Point B (Jonas doing dishes at Jaime’s apartment)? Has Jonas been doubled like in “Alias”? Has the real Jonas been iced?

Can you honestly see Jaime “burying one guy after the next”? That Jaime is gone, replaced by the Jaime who can’t pull the trigger on a guy willing to deal nuclear technology to North Korea.

The promotion of this series got us all fired up in anticipation of such a dark, serious action/thriller, and was immediately lightened up and dumbed down for (presumably) mass consumption, but guess what?, IT’S NOT WORKING. We’ve come a long way since the 70′s and we expect more from television. We’re no longer satisfied just to have moving pictures on a box in the living room, we’re now demanding more because once you know an “Alias” is possible, who wants to go back to a “Barnaby Jones”?

Those in charge have so far made a mess of a show that was supposedly in the works for several years. How is it possible to screw up so badly when you’ve had so much time to think about it?

It really smells like interference coming from all directions. Decisions being made by people running computer models or something equally misguided. Someone has to take charge here and come back with an intelligent show, or it will soon be time to tear down the Burket set and ship it to the Smithsonian.

Roco said in 12-10-2007 @ 00:45:26

Great points Page 48! I think this is something they should address if there is to be a re-launch. If Jaime is never under threat then how are we supposed to believe the character or the environment that she is in!? Raise the stakes NBC/Eick! Spot on regarding Jonas – how DID he go from being a menacing ‘bossman’ to a fluffy ‘uncle-type’? There was no believable progression, no transition – it’s as if he just awoke one morning and decided to be someone else. I’m not saying that characters shouldn’t change, but we should be prvy to the mechanics and motivations for that change. But as I say, perhaps I need to go back and rewatch a few of those mid season episodes, maybe I’ve missed something.
You’re right, the promotion of this series really stoked many peoples imaginations and helped build up a lot of interest – why on earth did they interfere the original premise?? Who is responsible for the change in direction – NBC? Katims? Eick? The 70′s is over, we needed something edgy, real, clever and fresh..

Page 48 said in 12-10-2007 @ 03:23:11

Here’s something that’s been nagging at me since the last eppie. Jaime arrived at the spa with a cell phone. As long as Becca had her cell phone, she was incommunicado as far as Burket was concerned. Jonas drove the receptionist crazy trying to get thru to Jaime via the front desk.

Flash forward to Jaime hiding in the bushes with a high powered rifle trained on dude on the balcony. Now, she’s talking to Jae, but NOT on her cellphone. Remember, we already know Burket was too cheap to spring for a Bluetooth. She looks like she’s on “comms”, the way Sydney and Vaughn used to communicate in the field. Where did she get this technology? Did Jonas not know about this? Do they sell that stuff at the spa? Did she borrow it from Matt, the valet?

Neena said in 12-11-2007 @ 22:24:36

Yes – the promo’s for the pilot episode were great and i think did raise expectations – they certainly raised mine. I thought we would be getting something slightly dark and edgy.

Sadly the ever changing plotlines and the lack of direction is a result of all the behind the scenes changes. If they do re-launch then the new show runners will need to pick up on some of the interesting storylines that the earlier episodes had. For example the Bionic lifespan; the file that doctor boyfriend had of her in his flat.

Jim said in 12-14-2007 @ 16:20:53

How about this idea to spice up the show?:

Jamie goes out on her own, ditches the agency, and helps people and other organizations while eluding her old one, and also at the same time, trying to find a cure (sort of like David Banner of the Incredibule Hulk) for her short lifespan?
This would add variety, tension, continuity (three things sorely missing now), and keep the characters we like fairly intact.

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