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Episode Recap: "Do Not Disturb"
My time with Bionic Woman has become an equivalent of an educational experience. I take my television shows very seriously and only watch programs that offer me characters with whom I can sympathize. And since Jaime is the only character with any real depth, I would have normally given up on this show after watching just the pilot. But due to my duties as a TV GUIDE blogger, BW offers me the chance to better understand how a flawed show constantly attempts to better itself. BW is a vastly improved product from it's less than auspicious debut, but it has also lost more than half of its original viewers. "Do Not Disturb" is BW's last original episode that was completed before the inopportune* WGA strike. With NBC striving to reclaim the ratings dominance it once held, they might decide that BW is a show that is not worth reviving. So for what might be the last time, let me present my views on "Do Not Disturb."
Why does the "Previously On" segment in the beginning of every episode always specifically focus just on the previous episode? Most programs that utilize this device include segments from every possible episode, so the audience acclimates more easily to the show's premise. BW is depriving itself of the simplest method to get a greater number of viewers that it so desperately needs.
Jonas notices that Jaime needs a break from the emotional rigors of work, so he orders her to go on a vacation. But this is not just any holiday, as he gives this poor girl a "simple" task of giving hit information to a nerdy assassin. Btw, why does BW always portray extremely weird and creepy looking characters on this show? Primary examples of this are Nathan and Ruth, whose humor is derived from their personal paranoia's. Anyway, I did snicker when the similarly skeezy assassin performed the narration from the opening credits of The A-Team. Is it bad that I knew all the words myself?
"Do Not Disturb" ended up being one of BW's better efforts, coming off last week's disastrous episode. Pushing Jonas to the forefront, alongside Jaime, was a long time coming for the character. I liked seeing Nathan getting involved in field work, and especially enjoyed seeing some explanation for his many neuroses. Characterizations aside, the special effects team needs to come up with a better way to give Jaime's bionics a more visual appeal. Slow motion just doesn't cut it these days.
*When I say that the strike is inopportune, I mean that solely for the creators trying to improve BW. Viva la strike! Joshua Green
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Nov 29, 2007 2:31 AM
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I liked this episode, as well. But I don't think this show will really get a fair chance creatively unless they get renewed for a full season. That way, they can work some of the intriguing long-term plots lines they've laid down. And they can also make use of cliffhanger episodes now and then.
This is one reason I've come to really appreciate the five-night Spanish-language telenovelas. They may get moved from prime time to daytime if they're not popular enough. And they can be lengthened or shortened a few weeks. But once they start, they run until they come to an end. Stories need an end.
I got the feeling in this BW episode that the wake at the start - in a bar, of all places! - was also meant as a possible wake for the show if it doesn't get renewed. Also, the final scene lets us think that Jaime will eventually be able to share her secret with Bex at some point. Presumably before her current anthrocite-limited life-span expires.
Having Ruth casually bring up that she slept with Antonio once was a nice touch. Also, Jaime and Bex sitting in bed watching Hiro on Heroes jump around and yell about one of his triumphs was a cute touch.
This episode also showed once again how important the Becca character is to ground Jaime's character in something like normal everyday reality.
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Nov 29, 2007 3:00 AM
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So could you blog on "Life" once Bionic Woman is gently put to rest after its agonizing run? It might just have all the elements of characterization that you looked for in Bionic Woman, and it too has grown as a show since its pilot.
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Nov 29, 2007 7:45 AM
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I definitely thought that this episode was one of the best. The difference between this episode and the first are like two completely different series. The influence of FNL is finally being seen by the introduction of more back stories for the characters and allowing more viewer investment in who they are.
You can also recognize the FNL camera work. 
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Nov 29, 2007 11:05 AM
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I think this episode shows that the producers are starting to find a direction for this show. It wasn't the most actioned packed episode, but I was glued to the screen the whole time.
I'm glad they involved Jonas & Nathan in the plot last night. Jonas brings a strong presence to the show & Nathan is a funny ass sidekick.
I hope the rating were good last night because I would hate for this to be the last episode.
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Nov 29, 2007 11:52 AM
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I've been defending BW since the start, which I admit was a very shaky one. Yes, the show has been virtually directionless, and has been taking a long time to find its footing. You know it isn't a good sign when viewers find themselves rooting for the villain (Sarah Corvis) and not the hero. I'm actually glad that the writers have put Sarah on the back burner, hopefully to turn their attention to giving Jaime and the other characters need more depth, including a bit more humor, just to flesh them out and make them more human (a la Nathan).
I agree that this episode could be considered a turning point for the show if: a)the writer's strike doesn't ruin the TV season entirely, and b)the Bionic Woman isn't cancelled regardless. I enjoyed watching it.
I also want to defend Michelle Ryan--again. I know for a fact that she is an excellent actress (she was great in "EastEnders"). Here, she has been doing her best with a character that hasn't been thought out properly, and has been given bland dialogue to recite. This episode, though, showed a marked improvement.
I know chances are very slim that NBC will hold onto BW, but it does deserve at least a few more episodes to set itself right.
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Nov 29, 2007 12:03 PM
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I thought this was a really good episode from start to finish. Ruth's offhand comment about Antonio. Jonas doing the dishes. Jaime realizing she probably blew her cover. Jaime taking out the bad guys throughout the episode. The interplay between Jaime and Becca. Good stuff. I actually enjoyed the last episode too, but this was clearly superior. I'd say the episodes with Tom and this were their best episodes, and give them a much better sense of direction than they originally seemed to have. I hope NBC, and viewers, gives this show another chance once the strike is settled. I think they finally were getting somewhere with the story and characters. But, they do need to do something more to showcase her bionics.
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Nov 29, 2007 2:16 PM
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"In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire... The A-Team."
Anytime the A-team gets a shout out has got to make you happy. I didn't really have much to say about the episode except that it did seem better with Jonas having a larger role. I also echo the sentiment that you or someone should be doing a blog for LIFE.
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Nov 29, 2007 3:33 PM
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Joshua, since you're keeping up with the ratings, aren't those overnight ratings inadequate these days? I thought the overnights don't pick up the Tivo and other recordings that may be watched a day or two later. Plus NBC makes the full episodes available online, and they can be downloaded from Amazon. The Amazon downloads aren't available until the following day. (They're slow downloading, but I've tried them. They work well.) Don't those all have to be figured into the ratings? Aren't the overnight ratings by themselves kind of, you know, really 1980s? When the ratings link you left here says the overnights show BW down 300K, what is it comparing? Overnights from two weeks ago or this week's overnights to the fully-loaded (with Tivo, etc.) numbers from two weeks ago?
Also, what do the demographics look like on this show? Also, if NBC is trying to boost overall ratings against ABC and NBC, wouldn't that make them more likely to keep a show like Bionic Woman if it has a decent demographic and a loyal following?
Also, while I'm talking about the horse-race aspects, if the ratings have fallen steadily since the first episode, doesn't that suggest that more episodic focus of the recent episodes might not be the best way to build an audience? The first episodes introduced a number of plot themes that could be developed. I think there's a lot to be said to working a mystery that unfolds progressively episode to episode.
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Nov 29, 2007 4:21 PM
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Does anyone know where (and the orignial name of) the resort was that was featured in this episode? I saw Ridgeline Resort, but that might have been changed for filming. The trees in the hotel rooms were cool as was the outdoor ice skating ring. I know the show is filmed in Vancouver, but where was this location? Thx!
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Nov 29, 2007 11:11 PM
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I was pretty much done with this show a few weeks ago but "accidentally" watched this episode. It actually held my attention. Finally Jamie, the Bionic Woman, is behaving like a Bionic Woman. She's able to put the bad guys down with minimum effort. I agree that the special effects still need work. When she jumps they need to not make the wire work look so obvious. Her legs and arms are flailing all over the place so you can practically see the harness on her. She also needs to wear more sensible shoes when she's on a mission. Having her creep around in heels and then showing her in flat boots as she's fighting or jumping is totally weak and a little insulting to the audience. We do notice that stuff.
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Nov 30, 2007 3:04 PM
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> Does anyone know where (and the orignial name of) the resort was that was featured in this episode?
The resort's name, as well as that of the "Beartooth National Forest", are fictitious.
There is a "Beartooth Highway" and "Beartooth Ranger District" in the Custer National Forest, which is located in Montana and Wyoming. That probably served as inspiration for the name they used.
The interiors were shot at River Rock Casino Resort. There were two shots that showed the interiors of room doors with the fire evacuation plans that had the name on it. It looked like they attempted to obscure one of those signs, but there was enough visible to confirm against the prior one. Check out the virtual tour to see the lobby and the room with the "starry" ceiling.
The exteriors don't match with the River Rock and I've yet to identify that location.
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Dec 2, 2007 2:05 PM
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yeah, she's finally able to use all her bionic power much more efficiently including the bionic 'transceiver' for 2-way voice communication. Too bad, Berkut is still figuring out on how to use this asset effectively. And let Becca work at Berkut as 'internship', her hacking skill might be useful in the future.
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Dec 16, 2007 10:20 AM
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