Why don't we have a bit of fun with Steve and Jamie and look at individual episodes?

Bionic Reviews!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's my basic format:

Episode Title
Guest Stars
Episode Synopsis
Bionic Stunts
Trashin' Fashion
General Thoughts

You'll note the Trashin' Fashion category. This is the 70s and it's tv, which means a whole boatload of ugly clothes; and that's just Steve's leisure suits! Get ready for plaid sportscoats, big ole neckties, bellbottoms, and enough polyester to make Herb Tarlek tremble with lust!



The Six Million Dollar Man

Guests Stars: Martin Balsam as Dr Rudy Wells, Darren McGavin as Oliver Spencer, Barbara Anderson as Nurse Jean Manners

Synopsis: Military and government brass are assembled for the test flight of the HL-10, a "lifting body" craft, where the entire structure acts as a wing, as a test for the proposed space shuttle. Austin is missing and Dr Rudy Wells fills in a general as to his whereabouts. We see a lone figure walking in from the desert: the pilot, Steve Austin. Austin suits up and the test flight commences and things seem to go well until the end of the test. Austin starts losing control and the craft crashes into the desert, tumbling several times. Austin is badly injured, losing his left eye, right arm, and both legs. he is kept in a medically induced coma. Enter Oliver Spencer, a rather abrupt and aggressive shadowy government man who approaches Dr Wells about using bionic prosthetics to rebuild Austin. Wells says it is theoretically possible, but has never been tried. Spencer drops $6 million into Rudy's lap to do it. What follows is a lot of research and testing (and a cameo from Olan "Batman's voice" Soule, as a researcher). Austin is awakened and given the pitch. he doesn't react well. he tries to kill himself but is stopped by sympathetic Nurse Manners (which sounds like a character in a burlesque comedy routine). Austin eventually agrees to undergo the surgeries and we then see him learning to walk again. Next he is running at 60 mph, wearing his iconic red track suit jacket, with electrodes attached. Meanwhile, Steve knows there is a price-tag beyond the money and demands to know what it is. Rudy bluffs him off and Steve and Nurse Manners go on a picnic. On the way back, they encounter a woman in distress: her car has gone off the road, into a ravine, and her son is trapped inside. Steve runs down and pulls open the door. he has to bash a seat back and the metal projecting from it tears the artificial skin on his bionic arm. He gets the kid out before the car explodes (of course) and reunites him with the brat's grateful (but horrible driver) mother. The celebration ends when she sees wires sticking out of his arm and is horrified, asking what he is? We see Steve back at base, sitting in a room, moping, like a little crybaby, while he is observed by Rudy Wells and Oliver Spencer. Spencer goes in and hits him with hard truths and basically pushes his buttons until he agrees to undertake a rescue mission in the Middle East/North Africa, to find a missing diplomat. Steve is parachuted into the desert, then bionics it to the terrorist camp, in the middle of nowhere (but with quonset huts and a cinder-block cell, and a DC-3). He gets captured, finding a pilot and then uses his bionic ar to break the chains that anchor him to the wall. He then breaks down the door with a bionic dropkick and escapes. Back home he celebrates and stops acting like a big bionic wuss.

Bionic Stunts: We get our first glimpse of the bionics, as we see Steve running, with the iconic implants on his tracksuit, as he is watched remotely. This is outdoors, as the treadmill will come later. The sound effects haven't debuted yet and it is weird to see this stuff with little noise. The later desert running seen features undercranked shots of Lee Majors zooming across the desert. They did that maybe once or twice more, before sticking with the slow motion run, accompanied by sound effects. Steve rips open a car door, kicks down an iron door, and uses the bionic arm to toss a few grenades.

Trashin' Fashion All things considered, the clothes aren't as bad in this one. Steve's plaid shirt is fairly subdued, though he is wearing a leisure suit at the opening. Rudy is mostly in scrubs, while Oliver Spencer has a fairly conservative suit (and a cane). Jean Manners is either in traditional nurse's whites (she does have a rather large nurse's cap on top of a lot of piled up blond hair) or a powder blue pantsuit, with white turtleneck sweater. Sure, it has a collar that could achieve lift; but, it isn't as obnoxious as your average Brady line of couture. Austin isn't referred to by rank and is never in uniform. he does have on his pressure suit, for the flight. You see some ugly stuff during a conference that Oliver Spencer heads, and in the general background; but, it is mostly uniforms, suits, and labcoats.

General Thoughts I saw this when it was first broadcast and it was an exciting little tv movie. They give good scientific rationale for the bionics (Martin Caidin was on-set, as an advisor) and things fairly believable. It's weird to watch it in retrospect, as the more iconic sounds and visual cues and music aren't there yet. The Middle East looks suspiciously like the Southwest (it is) and the surgical footage is lifted from a Columbo episode (the director, Richard Irving, also directed the Columbo pilot). Stephen Bochco did a rewrite of the script, after original writer Howard Rodman gave him his blessing. The pilot follows some of the original novel, but departs quite a bit. The book has more gimmicks with the bionics, such as bionic dart-firing fingers and oxygen tanks in the legs. Oscar Goldman, who does appear in the book, is replaced by Oliver Spencer in the film. Goldman would return in the next movie. McGavin plays Spencer as a much nastier, more ruthless character. He even asks Rudy about keeping Steve in an induced coma between missions, to Rudy's disgust and horror. It would have been interesting to see that dynamic continued in the series; but, I think they felt friendlier relationships worked better for a series aimed at children. Nurse Manners is kind of an underdeveloped character, mainly there to look at Steve with puppy dog eyes and give him someone to romance, later on. She disappears rather quickly throughout, as we don't want any icky girls messing up our adventure!

The movie got excellent ratings, even beating out a Bob Hope special (unheard of, in those days) and also got pretty good reviews. That would launch more telemovies, before the series was greenlit.

Here it is (in an edited form, to conform with Youtube rights restrictions)



a piece (that could use a bit of Ritalin) about Bruce peterson, the pilot of the M2F2, seen in the crash footage...

The Solid Gold Kidnapping

Guest Stars: Elizabeth Ashley (Evening Shade) as Dr Erica Bergner, Terry Carter (BSG) as Mel Bristo, John Vernon (Animal Man and voice of Tony Stark) as Julian Peck, Maurice Evans Bewitched, Planet of the Apes) as Chairman of the Board, Luciana Paluzzi (Thunderball) as Contessa DeRojas, Leif Erickson (Viking Explorer) as William Henry Cameron (actually, he was a character actor, from things like On the Waterfront), David White (Bewitched) as Ambassador Scott

Episode Synopsis: Dean Wormer has kidnapped Larry Tate.....I mean Julian Peck has kidnapped Ambassador Scott and is holding him in a pyramid in Mexico. Enter Steve Austin, adding a straw cowboy hat to his khaki action ensemble, which allows him to blend right in with Mexican laborers. He still frees Larry tate....er Scott and escapes, while hanging by one arm from a helicopter. Peck thinks Austin is an interesting guy and files the image away for the future. We learn that Peck belongs to SPECTRE....I mean a group of criminals who pull off large profile kidnappings. Peck's rival has initiated a plot to kidnap an international negotiator, William Cameron. Oscar is in charge of Cameron's security, placing OSO agent mel bristo in charge. he fails when he doesn't suspet anyone would infiltrate a hospital disguised as doctors and nurses. Peck kills his rival and takes Cameron. Oscar and Rudy introduce Steve to Dr Erica bergner, who has been doing research on recovering memories from brain tissue. She tries it on herself and leads Steve to Switzerland and a casino. Steve is picked up by Fiona Volpe....er, Contessa DeRojas, at the casino and then finds out she is working for SPECTRE....kidnappers! Oscar has arranged a billion dollars in gold as payoff and Dr Bergner is getting loopy (I blame Sears or JC Penny), but remembers the image of a cargo ship. The gold, guarded by Bristo, is stolen (imagine that). Steve finds the cargo ship docked (for once) and breaks in and frees Cameron, while capturing the Chairman of the Board.

Bionic Stunts: Standard stuff, smashing walls and such, leaping, running. Nothing all that spectacular.

Trashin' Fashion: Well, Larry tate has a pretty mind-numbing big necktie...



Steve looks a little silly in the hat...



This isn't exactly an add for Pierre Cardin...



General Thoughts This one is pretty bad. There is really nothing in it, apart from a bunch of James Bond rip-offs, done on the cheap, and a little too much casting from a pool of Bewitched alumni (David White and Maurice Evans). Glen larson's two telefilms did worse than the original pilot and Larson departed the series, though he did contribute story ideas that were used in the first season of the series. Thankfully, harve Bennett was brought into the picture, saw that they had something in the original pilot, and built upon that.

Boy do I remember those 3 tele-movies and watching on Sunday night every time they played until the series debut. Hunted down the Caidin novel Cyborg that the series was based on (still have it to this day) and felt that 1st movie captured much of the novel's best intent. If only the series could have maintained a bit more adult storytelling through the series but once it caught on with the kids that was pretty much put aside for the fantasy/superhero routines. But it was much watch television for many of us in its hey day!

Population Zero

Guest Stars: Don Porter (Gidget, Dallas) as Dr Stanley Bacon, Penny Fuller (Elephant Man, Mad About You) as Dr Chris Forbes, Paul Carr (Dallas, tons of tv in the 60s and 70s) as Officer Paul Cord, Paul Fix (To Kill a Mockingbird, Rifleman) as Joe Taylor, Walter Brooke (The Graduate, MASH) as Gen. Tate, Stuart Nisbett (tons of tv and movies) as Harry Johnson

Episode Synopsis The episode opens with a motorcycle cop rolling into a small town. Everything is quiet; too quiet. We see people lying in the streets, in chairs, in cars, falling wherever they were at the same moment.



The cop checks out one of the people and removes his helmet, then clutches at his ears. He gets off a radio message, before collapsing. Steve's busy using his bionics to build a dune buggy, when Oscar comes through, on his way out to California, to investigate what's happened in the town. Steve leaches on, since he grew up 20 miles from the town and knew the people there (very convenient). Steve meets up with the Army, who have sealed off the town and is introduced to Dr Chris Forbes, a woman (!!!), who is investigating what happened. no one has been able to go in; but, Steve, violating Oscar's orders does. A NASA van turns up, with a couple of techs who have a spacesuit. One tells Austin that these are custom made, so he doesn't know if it will fit. Steve winks and says we'll just have to hope we get lucky. The suit fits like a glove and Steve then introduces himself to the tech, as Col. Steve Austin, the last man to walk on the moon, as we see his name on the suit. Swiping a page from The Andromeda Strain, Steve moves through the town, in the spacesuit, as he examines the bodies of the people.



He somehow hears a groan, inside his helmet and turns a car over, to find a woman awake inside. Soon, everyone comes awake. We then see a van with antenna and a closed circuit camera on top and 3 men watching inside. The leader, Dr Bacon, tells the others that they now have the government's attention. Back at camp, they treat the townspeople and try to piece together what happened. An old friend of Steve's, Joe Taylor, is put under chemical hypnosis and recounts how the pain suddenly came over them and reacts violently, causing Steve to have to use his bionics, in front of Dr Forbes. She is intrigued and mentions the word "bionic." Dr Bacon infiltrates the Army camp, as one of several government and utility officials, to gain info and hears that Oscar Goldman is coming in. This makes him happy. We find out that Bacon was a research scientist working on an ultrasonic weapon, but funding was cut. So, he is attempting to blackmail the government for $10 million. Oscar isn't sending the money; but, Steve, again defying orders, drives in an empty armored car and meets up with the crooks. he is taken to Bacon, after being pistol-whipped. Bacon takes his pulse, while he is unconscious and discovers he doesn't have one, until he takes a carotid pulse and then the left wrist. He then uses a geiger counter and runs it over Steve's body, playing a hunch. He realizes Steve is bionic, as he was aware of Rudy Wells' research. He keeps a shotgun on Steve as he awakens and asks him questions and Steve actually gives answers (some secret agent!!!) Bacon knows that extreme cold inhibits bionics and locks Steve in a freezer, while they go to launch an attack on the Army camp. Steve starts looking like Snow Miser...



...but works out a plan. He was given an oxygen tank, to help with the sealed environment and he breaks open a gas line and electrical conduit and turns the combined elements (including oxygen tank) into a crude cutting torch. He cuts the hinges then gives a weakened bionic kick, knocking the huge door onto his guard, as he escapes. He goes running, haltingly, after the crooks. As he warms, he gets faster and faster. He spies the van and grabs a fence pole, concrete base and all and starts running towards the van. Dr Bacon spots him and turns his weapon on Steve. he starts to stumble, then launches the world's most bad-ass javelin at the truck, which crashes through, destroying the equipment. Later, Steve catches up with Joe Taylor and finds out an old friend was killed in Vietnam and that an old flame is married, with 5 kids. Dr Forbes shows up and she and Steve go off to have dinner.

Bionic Stunts: At the beginning, we are reintroduced to Steve's bionics, as he puts a steel rod in a vise and bends it to the shape he wants, for a roll-bar, for his dune buggy. Later, when Joe Taylor turns violent, Steve crouches down and leaps across a tent and tackles him, arousing Dr Forbes suspicion (and possibly lust) about his bionics. We learn that extreme cold inhibits the prosthetics, which will turn up again in the series. Steve kicks down the weakened door, then goes on a slow-mo run. The best, and one of my favorite stunts of the series, sees Steve rip off the clamps that connect a chain-link fence to a corner post, pull the post out of the ground, concrete base and all, then carry it in his bionic arm, with the hunk of concrete facing forward, as he runs towards the van. When he is hit with the ultrasonics he launches it into the air and it sails into the side of the van, causing the equipment to explode. That right there set the tone for the series and everything after took its cues from that.



Trashin' Fashion: Steve wears a brown suede leisure suit throughout, then has a big old brown coat, with what appears to be orange fur lining, on my disc (which is a Mexican dvd set of the first season and movies, as El Hombre Nuclear, before the series was released on dvd in the US), though that may just be a color error. Oscar has a pretty ugly checked jacket and Dr Forbes isn't exactly sporting dus you'd find in Elle...



Maybe Redbook...

General Thoughts: Harve Bennett replaced Glen Larson as producer and the series shows vast improvement. Steve is back to being a sort of Gary Cooper/Neil Armstrong figure, rather than a K-Mart James Bond. We get a sci-fi plot; but one that is totally plausible, given research into ultrasonic waves and non-lethal weapons (very much in vogue in the 70s and 80s). The opening scenes in Norris steal quite a bit from the then-recent Andromeda Strain, where the scientists, in environment suits, walk through a ghost town of the dead, and find one survivor. Steve's spacesuit reminds us that he has walked on the moon, invoking the heroes of the Apollo program, which had only recently concluded, with the launch of Skylab (depending on if you count Apollo-Soyuz, which would follow this). Lee Majors plays Steve as confident and direct, but also with a folksy charm, making him a western hero, in a modern setting. Oscar is the government official with a heart, though at odds with Steve taking things into his own hands (a common theme) This episode pretty much sets the tone for the series and Oscar and Steve's relationship, as well as his relations with women. There is more flirting than romance. it also sets up the villains as scientists and rogue leaders who threaten peace and stability. Science is very much a part of this series, and mostly remains so. This has always been one of my favorite episodes and it holds up very well.

This also debuts the iconic opening sequence, complete with "We can rebuild him." harve Bennet is the narrator, until you hear Richard Anderson's dialogue, which was recorded at the last minute, to get Bennett out of trouble with SAG.


(Includes intro from the original movie)



This also gives us Oliver Nelson's iconic music, a feature which is as much ingrained as running in slow-motion. The only thing missing are the bionic sound effects. We get the metal strain noises as Steve bends the steel bar; but, not the "Tch-tch-tch-tch-tch" sound as he uses his bionic limbs, or the "boop-boop-boop-boop" noise when he uses his eye.



HOW COOL IS THAT???  

Max, the Bionic Dog, was introduced in The Bionic Woman.






Who's a good bionic doggy?  Yes he is, he's a good bionic dog!!!!!!!!

Way better actor than Andy, the Bionic Boy (Vincent Van Patten).

Loved the first TV episode. The 2nd & 3rd TV movies were forgettable IMO. Loved Max. Who wouldn't love a Bionic Dog. No comment on the bionic boy.