The Bionic Woman Season 3 Review
The Bionic Woman season three (originally aired in 1977) was the third and final season of the show and interestingly switched television networks as ABC felt it did not appealed to its target audience therefore the show moved to NBC. If you know anything of American television you’ll know that shows being dropped and picked up by different networks often is less a reflection of the show and more politics of that station and the same thing occurred to another well known show with a strong female lead, Buffy, which I shall be bringing more comparisons to in this review. However changes in networks can mean a shift in tone and feel of a show. A quick note on this DVD is that it is a great package. Along with all 2 episodes, commentaries and interviews you get the three television movies.
The first thing you’ll notice with The Bionic Woman season three is that it obviously wanted to kick off with a bang. The first four episodes are both doubles and big hitters; first we have the introduction of Maximillion the bionic dog and then a double episode of the return of the Fembots. This season also throws in Evel Knievel and a young Helen Hunt. The other noticeable shift in season 3 is the absence of Lee Majors. As the Six Million Dollar Man was on another network cross over episodes no longer exist, which is a shame. The absence of Steve does however inadvertently allow the opening up of Jamie Sommers lovelife with a reoccurring boyfriend in the shape of scientist Chris.
There are two streams of thought I’d like to explore with you in this review. The first is the season story arch. During this season I really began to feel the absence of what we as viewers are now so used to; the ongoing story arch that runs throughout a show. Can you think of any show nowadays that does not have this? Even if it is quietly running in the background around the week to week plots it is there in modern television. It has made me curious where this composition of show came about (I’m researching it but please if you know email in!). The Bionic Woman season three very nearly has this over arching story however, I think probably because it was not yet the norm, did not take the time to develop it. So loosely I would sum up the basis of season three is Jamie coming to terms with being part bionic and what that means to be human. It is continually touched upon but in no real depth. The season finale ends up feeling emotionally rushed and inconclusive. From falling in love with this show in season one and two this is where I have become disappointed. I have invested in this character and I want more for her. It is somewhat surprising to realise that it is not the special effects, clothes or hair which eventually make this show different to watch from modern television but the style in which a story is told and the exploration of characters.
My other stream of thought which emerged as I watched this show is that despite being 20 years before my all time favourite female led show (Buffy) it addresses a number of the same issues of what it is to be a woman with power, strength and the loneliness of responsibility. Jamie Sommers struggles to understand her identity as a woman, relationships and because she is not “natural” how human she really is. Exactly the same issues Buffy is faced with. A particular situation which I felt had strong connections between the shows is Jamie’s friendship with Peggy Callahan (Oscar’s assistant). Despite referring to themselves as best friends there is the episode in which Callahan accuses Jamie of seeing her as inferior. Jamie is horrified but you know there is some truth to it. This to me is the origin of Buffy and Willow.
Whilst I could continue to explore the emergence of the female television lead character I shall leave it to you to think about it next time you watch a show. I will however mention that Jamie Sommers addressed these issues of female identity at a time when feminism actually was a huge movement and there really was a sexual revolution. Now our world is different, apparently we have moved on far beyond the role of women in the 1970s but ask yourself is it so very different? Why are our female television characters still asking those same questions? Was Jamie Sommers a truly revolutionary character, far beyond her time or are women still underneath the exterior still facing the same issues of identity as they were 30 years ago?
Lauren Cracknell