Bionic Woman was the show everyone was waiting for. And it was worth the wait. Much like the brilliant Battlestar Galactica (and brought to you by the same people), Bionic Woman isn't a sequel or a spin-off; it's an edgy, gritty, dark and complex re-imagining of a much simpler and more straightforward show from the past. The most interesting premise, for me, anyway, was that a bionically enhanced human being can be impossible to control. Fascinating, and with potential for exceptionally cool drama.
Michelle Ryan holds her own as the damaged and re-built Jamie Summers. But she has already been upstaged by the charismatic Katee Sackhoff as the disturbed and frightening original bionic woman, Sarah Corvus. Katee Sackhoff is just outstanding as Starbuck on Battlestar Galactica; she's so good that she steals practically every scene she's in, and Sarah is a great character for her. I can't help but wish she was playing the lead. Sorry about that, Michelle.
I expected Journeyman to be a lot like Quantum Leap, and by golly, it is. But like Bionic Woman, it's edgier, and I like it more than I thought I would. I liked how he kept getting unexpectedly yanked out of his current life into the past, and how he managed to re-enter his past life to get clothes, money, information. Why is it happening, and what does it have to do with his dead girlfriend from Day Break who isn't dead? (And is that connection to the late, unlamented Day Break an omen of early cancellation?) I'm ready to tune in next week. I just wish I liked the lead actor a little more.
Speaking of liking the lead actor, the new show I thought I'd hate is the one I like best. Did they make Moonlight just for me? You can never tell when an actor in a certain role is going to connect with you, but Alex O'Loughlin as ninety-year-old vampire Mick St. John is my exactly my cup of tea.
Yes, Moonlight is derivative; in fact, it's like a fantasy show smorgasbord. A little Angel, a little Forever Knight, a good dose of Highlander. They even got a touch of Veronica Mars in there with the wonderful Jason Dohring as Joseph, who is sort of what Logan Echolls would be if he were a four-hundred-year-old vampire.
But the core of Moonlight is star-crossed romance, and I am such a sucker for those. Mick saved the life of a little girl twenty-two years ago, and has watched over her ever since. Now she's a reckless, enthusiastic reporter who gets into trouble (so you can add Superman to that list of derivatives.) I can see the angst-filled Buffy/Angel-flavored love affair coming down the pike. I like this show so much already that I bet it's going to get canceled bright and early.
Because let's face it. Most of the hit genre shows on major networks are only marginally sci-fi or fantasy, like Lost and Medium. Bionic Woman fits into that criteria, and it smells like a hit. And that's good, because I like it a lot. But shows like Journeyman and Moonlight tend to speak to a certain type of viewer. I'm that type, but most of America isn't. But Heroes has given me hope. It's the exception, an extreme comic book fantasy that is also a monster hit. So maybe it's time for shows like Moonlight to make it big. Hope springs eternal.
Moving right along. Reaper made me laugh out loud over and over, mostly at Sam's Jack-Black-like best friend, so I'll probably keep watching it. But it's really just a rip-off of the unfortunately short-lived and much better done Dead Like Me. (I miss the Waffle House. I really do.) Maybe Reaper will develop depth and come into its own. And maybe silly is enough. You never can tell.
Chuck has potential, but it didn't resonate for me. Maybe because it's too much like The Forty-Year Old Virgin. Maybe I'm just sick and tired of the hopeless-nerd-lands-unbelievably-gorgeous-woman plot. Maybe because when I heard Adam Baldwin was in it, I was hoping he'd be the lead. Maybe because it's airing opposite Prison Break.
Let me tell you, Chuck is not going to pull me away from Wentworth Miller. Sorry about that.
