"The Bionic Woman" is a show that does female role models right. Over the last decade or so we've seen a trend in "girls kicking ass." Initially, it seemed like a good thing, such as with Sarah Michelle Gellar in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" 1. However, the trend was very quickly hijacked by exploitation. "Charlie's Angels" may have physically kicked ass, but the way they kicked as was so comically over-the-top as to be insulting. They were also too thin in skin-tight, revealing clothing2, and were written (and played by?) silly, emotionally fragile airheads. No thanks. That seemed to be the norm, too, with shows like "Dark Angel" and "Alias." At least "Xena" knew she was a joke. Even the non-ass-kicking roles too often degenerated into neurotic, hen-pecking harridans.
That's what's refreshing about "The Bionic Woman." To be sure, Michelle Ryan is beautiful. C'mon, it's TV. What's notable is that she's more normally-sized, and she dresses like a real person. She is capable of kicking ass, but she's also capable of losing, and badly so. The action is unrealistic 3, but not exploitative. She has cried on the show, but only once (thus far), and that after her boyfriend dies. She's assertive and confident, but not inflexible and definitely not bitchy. She has really serious issues to deal with in her life that are sometimes overwhelming, but she's an adult, and she behaves like one.
It's not just about our fearless heroine, either. Of the seven (thus far) recurring characters, four are women, and I'd say the top three in terms of screen time are all women. There are a lot of shows that do that, of course, but "The Bionic Woman" isn't an estrogen party like "Desperate Housewives" or "Sisters;" it's not aimed at the "for women only" demographic (ghetto?). Katee Sackhoff's villainess is also a positive role in some ways. I mean, ok, sure, she's a wack job, but that's not all she is. She's also more normal physically, and she's never shown any more skin than her face and arms 4. In spite of desperate circumstances, she also doesn't collapse into tears, and while she's kind bitchy, she's really funny while doing it.
I wouldn't call "The Bionic Woman" a great show, but it's certainly a good show. It's good to see a show aimed at both men and women with strong 5 female characters. Hollywood too often pays lip service to that while sneaking in the standard, inaccurate gender stereotypes. What's nice about it is that so much about the characters on the show is normal. Women are police officers and soldiers and scientists. They're smart and dumb, strong and weak, and generally unskanky. Hollywood doesn't usually reflect the real world, but this show does. Though the women are bionic, the rest of it is real.
¶ 1584 Posted at 08.07 AM ⇒
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