In the mid-'70s, I was The Bionic Woman. Lindsay Wagner may have played her on TV, but I was on the real streets with my neighbourhood friend, Neil, who was The Six Million Dollar Man. We saved smaller children and animals, and protected the gardens with our bionic leaps, complete with sound effects. For our inspiration, watch this.
I was entranced the other day when, on my giant television screen, an unfamiliar face appeared and claimed to be The Bionic Woman. I went to NBC and lo and behold, she is back, she is, and from the clip, she no longer moves with cheesy sound effects. In fact, she's tough, kicks some ass, and could be my revived super heroine.
The dictionary says that bionic means utilizing electronic devices and mechanical parts to assist humans in performing difficult, dangerous, or intricate tasks, as by supplementing or duplicating parts of the body. In my six-year-old head, it just meant cool. I wanted to be tough and cool just like her. I wanted to be strong and fast and be equal to my partner Steve Austin (The Six Million Dollar Man), never needing to be rescued.
In fact, when I would show fear of doing something, like jumping off a ten-foot-high snow bank, all Neil would have to say is, "...but you're bionic!" and my fear would dissipate. My superpower would take over, and off I'd leap (much to the demise of my mother's blood pressure).
NBC has a lot to live up to. I'm a 36-year-old woman who's looking for a super heroine to believe in. I'm tired of the super heroes. Damsels be damned! I want my Bionic Woman to rescue mere mortal men.
And I want good dialogue. Yes, I want a lot from this show. I was a fickle fan of Gilmore Girls. I loved the speed at which they spoke, the smattering of sarcasm, and the way the dialogue was peppered with pop culture references. I enjoyed the strength of the women, not only the main characters, but also the women in the community—Miss Patty, Suki, and Babette.
Could NBC possibly combine the qualities of Gilmore Girls that I so admired with the speed and strength of the Bionic Woman and make a show that will have me lusting after my very own Bionic Woman Underoos? This fall, I'll find out.
Even if it's not great, please put it on your calendar and tune in for a few episodes. We need to tell the networks that the time has come for more strong female characters on television. We WILL watch!
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Trudi Evans |
| About the author: |
| Trudi Evans is the publisher of As We Are Magazine and an active member of the board of directors for the Eating Disorders Action Group. Her interests range from politics and writing to environmentalism and mixed-berry cobblers. She resides in Nova Scotia with her spouse Rob, their son Sam, and Sam’s cat Hero. |
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