Showing posts with label Lee Majors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lee Majors. Show all posts
Just watched the origin of The Bionic Woman on The Six Million...
Just watched the origin of The Bionic Woman on The Six Million Dollar Man again. Probably the 4th(5th?) time I’ve seen this two-parter in the last fifteen years. And it always blows me away. It’s just so good. Not just by today’s standards (where it can stand side-by-side with any genre show) but by the standards of the times. Speaking as someone who still watches a lot of 60s/70s/80s TV I can confidently state that it blows everything out of the water.
During it’s first three seasons, SMDM was quite a serious drama, and this ‘movie’ illustrates that. Very little action here. Key scenes are between Steve and his mother, and Steve and Oscar. Some of the best scenes, the very emotional ones, have little or no dialogue. Steve finally tells his mother about his bionics, but we hear nothing they say. And in the final scenes, after Jaime has died, she is never mentioned. Instead we see Steve packing up and leaving and everyone trying to be cheerful.
Every time I watch it I notice something new.
One of the best television episodes ever made.
The Six Million Dollar Man 3.3
Chuck Connors. Good story, with a lot of genuine tension. Can be a bit preachy, but otherwise a winner. 9/10
The Six Million Dollar Man 2.17
George Foreman . Run-of-the-mill bionic adventure, with a doppelganger and stunt casting.
- There are many bionic episodes with someone posing as someone else, but most of them had more fun with the idea than this one.
- On one level, there is no need at all for the George Foreman character, but in another way it is certainly interesting to see Steve need someone help him take down the baddies (for a change).
- Another episode which gives us fascinating insight into the close friendship between Oscar and Steve. Oscar trusts him completely, and fusses over him when he thinks he might be in danger.
- The scenes were Steve goes undercover drag on too long and aren’t as tense as the episode obviously thinks they are. I can’t be the only one who feels sorry for Johnny’s girlfriend and manage, can I? Johnny seems to be been a bit of an idiot and a loser, but he had good people in his life.
- The Bionic Woman did a much better version of this story. 6/10
The Six Million Dollar Man 2.16
Jess Walton . Change-of-pace episode. Very different to usual SMDM fare. And while there are elements of it that are enjoyable, it’s mostly quite a weak outing. The performances are good, and the story shows another very admirable side to the Steve Austin as he steps up to help out a friend. It’s also fun to watch Steve as ‘the outsider in town’ disrespect by everybody. And there are several hearty chuckles to be had, as we watch him do his thing to the befuddlement of his guide. But, other than that, this is just a long tedious story where not much happens. It could easily be edited down to half it’s length without losing anything of worth. 4/10
Some bionic screencaps from The Six Million Dollar Man 2.15
Some bionic screencaps from The Six Million Dollar Man 2.15
The Six Million Dollar Man 2.15
Henry Jones . About as much fun as you can have with an SMDM episode! Story is basic, no frills, but fast-paced and full of action. Performances are top notch: Jones is always a treat as Dr. Dolenz, but it is Richard Anderson who deserves all the praise here for his portrayal of the robot. Watching him in dual roles, you really begin to appreciate his work when he’s playing the ‘normal’ Oscar week after week (in both shows!). In such a serious and action-packed episode, it’s falls to Lee Majors to provide some light comedy, which he does easily on several occasions. Easily one of the show’s best episodes and a highlight of 1970s TV in general. 10/10
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