Cinefantastique Online

In only its second episode, the revamped BIONIC WOMAN seems to be squandering the promise displayed during its debut last week. Jason Smilovic’s script lacks the snappy dialogue and economical storytelling that propelled the pilot past reasonable expectations; it also pushes the the narrative away from the path previously laid out. Not all hope is lost - there are still a few good scenes - but it is hard not to wonder whether we are seeing the first signs of the behind-the-scenes conflict that led to the departure of Glen Morgan shortly before the show hit the airwaves.

“Paradise Lost” begins with the funeral of Jamie Sommers’ fiance Will Anthros, who was shot by renegade bionic woman Sarah Corvis (Katee Sackhoff). This seems to contradict the ending of the pilot, which implied that Will would recover after a quick ambulance ride to the hospital. Early betting favors the funeral being a fake-out: after the pilot spent too much time setting up his character and also the escape of his criminal father from prison, it seems unlikely that the show would simply throw away this plot thread.

Jamie (Michelle Ryan) then learns that Will had a secret file on her that dated two years before they met. This makes her even more skeptical about working for the secret organization where Will turned her into a bionic woman, but after an encounter with a couple of old friends, Jamie begins to feel that everyone else’s life is moving onward while hers is stagnating, so she decides to give saving the world a try.

She gets her chance when an unspecified organization unleashes a biological attack on a small town. She rescues a survivor and helps prevent further attacks. Meanwhile Jay (Will Yun Lee) hooks up with former flame Sarah Corvis; the two get along surprisingly well, considering that each tried to kill the other (and one thought he succeeded) during their last encounter.

It is a bit disappointing to see BIONIC WOMAN turning into what might be a tongue-in-cheek mission-of-the-week show. Continuity seem to be in jeopardy as the show stumbles to find a direction. Only last week, Will was shot by the renegade Sarah, who also attacked Jamie; meanwhile, Will’s father escaped from prison, promising even more mayhem. Does Jonas put all resources at his disposal into countering this unexpected threat? No, he puts his nose into business that should be taken care of by the U.S. government - the investigation of an apparent terrorist attack - which in real life would spark a massive Federal response - is salvaged only by his unsought intervention.

We learn little new, and that sounds like lip service to keep the story going. We do not learn how Sarah survived the bullet to the brain (bionic skull perhaps), nor do we learn why Will had the file on Jamie. We do learn that Jamie’s bionic components cost not $6-million but $50-million (inflation’s a bitch), and Jonas Bledsoe (Miguel Ferrer) explains that his organization is a private one, dedicated to protecting the world. It sounds like a Libertarian’s wet dream: stepping in secretly when the government cannot handle the job(then again, this is during the Bush Administration, so maybe it’s not such a bad idea). Of course, the potential for abuse (none of these people - including Jamie - are law enforcement officers sworn to uphold the common good) goes unremarked, although Jay’s loyalty certainly comes into question when he reunites with Sarah. Oh, and in a nod to 24, we get a scene extolling the efficacy of torture - or at least the threat of torture - for extracting information. (Apparently we still have not learned the lesson - which should have been driven home by centuries of witch trials - that people will admit to anything - even the impossible - to make the torture stop.)

The episode also finds time to deal with Jamie’s misbehaving younger sister, which threatens to turn the show into a comedy when Jamie outlines her “rules” for joining Bledsoe’s secret organization: she has to have weekends and evenings off to spend quality time with Becca (Lucy Hale). The thought of the Bionic Woman punching out on the time clock in the middle of a special ops raid in order to get home in time for the school play is potentially amusing; one hopes the show will resist the temptation to play with this idea any further.

Previews for next week are not encouraging, with hints that blond uber-bitch Sarah may turn out to be an ally. Will Jamie really forgive her for killing both her unborn child and its father? Let’s hope not.