The Bionic Woman: Season 1

Like most of the other reviewers here this was a staple of my childhood and a series I've been waiting for years so finally see on a decent quality DVD release. I won't go into what everyone else has said about Lindsay's portrayal of Jaime Sommers. Instead I'm going to do a quick episode by episode rating. Before I do, though, I'd like to ask for some people other than all of us who grew up with this series to weigh in on it. Are we all hopelessly old-fashioned and out of touch for loving this series (like our parents might have loved something from the 50s)? Does it have any resonance at all for new viewers? Are any new viewers even interested? My hunch is...probably not. I actually posted how excited I was on Facebook and there were kids who had not a clue as to what I was talking about. Bionic Woman Parts I & II (****): These are kind of the prototypes for Jaime but certainly not the pilot (there was no thought of her own series at this time). It's basically a Six Million Dollar Man episode where Lindsay Wagner guest stars. Steve finds someone "like" him, falls in love, and loses her. It's kind of his story, really, but I'll give it 4 stars anyway. It's one of his "best". Return of the Bionic Woman Part I & II (***): The whole "love/lost/regain only to lose again" theme kind of grates, to be honest. So does Jaime's completely implausible resurrection and the totally incomprehensible decision of Oscar and Rudy to keep it secret. It's also a very slow-paced episode. It just plods along and is too heavy on the melodrama for me. It desperately needs an editor. Welcome Home Jaime (*****): This episode really sets the stage for it all. Jaime's home, classroom, relationship with Oscar and her dual identity, start here. You can glimpse the beginnings of her love-hate relationship with her own bionics (when they aren't killing her, that is). The story is hers, not Steve's. 'Bout time! Angel of Mercy (****): Its kind of fun to watch Andy Griffith try to be the tough guy. You also start to see exactly how dense the people are sometimes when Jaime is around. It must be because she's so disarming and beautiful that chauveanist characters can't really imagine her actually being able to do something, much less something dangerous. A Thing of the Past (*****): This was a very very sweet episode about a schoolbus driver who witnessed a murder by a mob boss years ago and is trying to hide from his own past. Jaime shows why she's much much more than just an action hero in this one. She genuinely cares about the people she is trying to help. I loved watching her knock the car around on the hydraulic lift! Claws (**): Not so great, though probably rates higher if you are a big animals rights activist. This was one of my least favorites of this season. Everyone was very two-dimensional and stereotyped. It's hard to do something when you have a lousy script. The Deadly Missiles (*****): This is the first episode where Jaime actually gets to save the world, or at least a big city. There's a crusty old friend with whom she shares her secret (amazing what you can do with a hot wire, eh?) and you learn she trusts people implicitly. This will be one of her greatest weaknesses in future episodes, but it makes her more human and endearing and less some secret agent machine. You also learn Oscar trusts her with the big jobs even to the point of forbidding Steve to run to her rescue. Bionic Beauty (****): Alright alright, its utterly sexist by today's standards but its still fun. Watching Jaime's "Mom" (Steve's Mom actually, but Jaime was all but family) with her was a riot. I didn't like the scene where she sang in the talent competition. I thought it was very trite and overblown, even cringeworthy. Jaime's Mother (***): I didn't find the premise at all believable. Jaime sums it up perfectly when she asks this old childhood friend posing as her Mom "Why didn't you just ask for help?" Winning is Everything (**): Sometimes there just isn't good chemistry between Lindsay and her guest star. I think this is one of those times. It's also an example of just how dense this series occasionally presents men to be. On behalf of my species (men) I'm embarrassed for him. Canyon of Death (***): An odd little story about an odd little Native American boy who has no real clue about his heritage and has behavioral problems as a result. Jaime is a much more tolerant schoolteacher than I would have been, that's for sure! Oscar is unusually stupid in this episode, too. And don't get me started on the uber-jetpack. Fly Jaime (*****): I like it because there's a lot of quirky guest stars and the "villain" revealed at the end is actually not who you might first expect, at least not for me (remember I was probably 11 or 12 at the time). Jaime has this snake thing, too. Maybe she inspired Indiana Jonse'? The Jailing of Jaime (*****): Basically Jaime is framed for a crime she didn't commit, thrown in the pokey, and escapes to prove her own innocence. Its a great episode because of how it unfolds. You realize that Oscar consider Jaime much more than just a governmental asset; he loves her like a daughter. Mirror Image (***): This one is kind of a classic from this season but Linsday dooesn't do accents well, I'm sorry to say. Wow everyone was sure taking their stupid pills today, weren't they? Still its kind of cute. The Ghost Hunter (***): I was a little disappointed by the weak finish of Season One. The faux-romance between the scientist and Jaime was much too contrived. It kind of speaks to the 70s scientific mentality that the paranormal can be rationally explained somehow. "Blair Witch Project" this ain't. To sum it up, I give Season One maybe ***1/2 stars. Now I love the series and rate it five-star awesome, but that's because of Jaime and her great chemistry with her supporting cast. One or two people wanted a review a little more episode specific. Hope this helps.

I noticed a lot of these reviews are actually for the old region 2 box sets, or even just talking about the series in general, not the new 2010 North American release, so I hope this is helpful for people actually looking to buy, you know, the actual product on the page: This is an excellently packaged DVD box set which not ONLY includes the full first season of "The Bionic Woman" starring Lindsay Wagner, it ALSO includes the five episodes of the "Six Million Dollar Man" which introduce the character. I hope I don't need to tell you how wonderful the series itself is--sure, some of the premises are a little cheesy, but Jaime Sommers is a relatable, likeable character as fun to watch in dialogue as she is in action scenes, and stories run the gamut from more series espionage tales (rescuing trapped ambassadors in a guerrilla-filled South American jungle) to lighter hearted adventures (Jaime's undercover operations at a beauty pageant), all of which are entertaining. An example of some of the best action TV of the 70s. The special effects are corny compared to now but certainly good use of the SFX technology of the time (and much of the commentary reveals some of the neat tricks they used to pull off bionic stunts in the days before CGI). There is commentary by head writer and producer Kenneth Johnson on several episodes, all of which is extremely informative on both the action on the episodes as well as providing information on actors and other fascinating "behind the scenes" footage. A few others writers provide commentary as well. The extras also include a roughly half-hour interview documentary featuring Lindsay Wagner, Richard Anderson, and other stars and creators of the series, that is well edited and very informative. Video and sound quality are as good as you can hope to get on remastered versions of stuff that was originally recorded on cheap film in the 70s. While there are occasional blips or fuzziness, that's only to be expected--I go away from watching this certain that the restorers did absolutely the best job they could to make the video as clean as possible under the circumstances. It's a fun, heart-lifting series, ideal for people ages 7 to 107, put together in an excellent DVD presentation. I can't wait for Seasons 2 and 3.

I watched The Bionic Woman as a kid in the 80s when it was in re-runs. I absolutely fell in love with this show. The idea of a beautiful, powerful woman who could kick butt appealed to me. And those silly 70s bionic sound effects were just awesome. I would pretend to be bionic as a kid and make those sounds. But what really sold the show for me was Lindsay Wagner. Her personality, charm, and humor made the show something special. I can't think of anyone else who could play Jamie Sommers and pull it off the way Lindsay did. Lindsay just made the role her own. I think what the writers did is make this a show about a character rather than a plot-driven show. That's why, I think, it was such a success. People related to Jamie Sommers and cared about her. I think that's why the new Bionic Woman series failed. Just way too plot-driven and not enough humanity in the show. I sit here watching Season 1 loving every moment of it. I can't wait for the next season. My favorite episodes are: the Fembot saga, the Mirror Image (Lisa Galloway) saga, and the Bionic Dog. But I really love them all. I hope Universal releases the 3 bionic tv movies as well. This show is a testament to what cool sci-fi concepts, good writing, and great acting can accomplish. Kenneth Johnson is the best at this (Incredible Hulk, V) and that's why his shows are such a success. Bring on Season 2!

After waiting patiently for many years, THE BIONIC WOMAN (1976) has finally come to DVD! I watched this show as a kid and loved it along with The Six Million Dollar Man The Complete Series and its temporary replacement Wonder Woman: The Complete First Season . I finally had the time to finish watching all of the DVDs in this SEASON ONE set and I loved every single minute of it! Not only do you get all the crossover episodes from "The Six Million Dollar Man," which introduced Jaime Sommers, but you also get the follow-up episode that brought her back to life after she died on TSMDM, or so we thought (I always wondered about that, hahaha) and the pilot episodes for BW. I used to sit glued to the TV set when THE BIONIC WOMAN came on and I must say that I'm still impressed as an adult viewer. I'm amazed at the production value that went into this series from the special effects, to the actual shots of actress Lindsay Wagner (Jamie Sommers) or Richard Anderson (Oscar Goldman) landing in a helicopter. Even Wagner's stunt double looked like her from a distance, whereas Lynda Carter's double on "Wonder Woman" looked rather man-ish at times. The series looks nice and sharp and the story lines are intriguing. There's a "play all" feature or you can play by episode selection. I really enjoyed "Mirror Image," which introduced the character "Lisa Galloway," who got plastic surgery to look like Sommers, to infiltrate the OSI (Wagner in a dual role). The scenes from this episode remained fresh in my mind after all these years along with the line, "I might have yo' looks Jaime Sommers, but I sho' don't have yo' moves!" I also enjoyed "Ghost Hunter," which follows "Mirror Image" on DVD 4, because it also stands out in my mind, and has a young Kristy MacNichol as a guest star. Anyway, the extras on this set include: ===== EXTRAS ===== * Gag Reel - 01:41-minutes Behind-the-scenes footage of the actors flubbing line or laughing etc. * "Bionic Beginnings" - 24:27-minutes Present day featurette that discusses how the show got off the ground, how filming was done, and why it became such an iconic hit. Those taking part in the interviews include Lindsay Wagner (Jamie Sommers), Richard Anderson (Oscar Goldman), Kenneth Johnson (Creator/director/writer), Martin E. Brooks (Dr. Rudy Wells), James D. Parriott (Writer), Alan J. Levi, Jerry London (BW Directors), Inge Rosenberg (Wagner's stunt double), Robbie Rist (Andrew - AKA "Oliver" on the Brady Bunch) and Janice Whitby (Katy Fembot). The featurette was very informative and it was great seeing some of the lesser known actors who had memorable performances on BW particularly Robbie Rist, who played Jamie Sommers's student "Andrew" in the first few episodes and Janice Whitby who played the "Katy Fembot." I don't remember if Whitby had any lines, she doesn't make an appearance until the second season, but she had such an impact on me as a kid! Maybe she was the first fembot who got her face mask ripped off and you saw she was a robot or it was the serene, robotic, beautiful expression that lacked any kind of emotion on her face, but whatever it was, it scared the crap out of me so much so that her image stayed with me throughout the years. When I saw her pop up on this featurette, I knew exactly who it was! Too bad Jennifer Darling (Peggy Callahan) wasn't part of this featurette, because she's the only one missing next to Lee Majors. Maybe the studio is saving those interviews for upcoming season releases? I can barely wait for seasons 2 & 3 of THE BIONIC WOMAN to be released! I want to see the Fembots, and the sentient defense system named "Alex" that tried to stop Jaime in "Dooomsday Is Tomorrow pt.2." Not to mention the return of "Lisa Galloway" in "Deadly Ringer 1 & 2." Oh boy, do I need a life! Trivia: This is probably an urban legend but I heard that the TV series "Wonder Woman" was done as a temporary replacement for ABC's "The Bionic Woman" after Lindsay Wagner was injured in a car accident and had to stop production on BW, and ABC wanted another female hero type show to fill the spot.

Writer Kenneth Johnson was assigned to create a girlfriend for "The Six Million Dollar Man" Steve Austin (Lee Majors) and then, just as suddenly, kill her off. Obviously, the talent and allure of Lindsay Wagner as Jaimie Sommers proved too strong. After receiving tons of letters from upset fans, ABC Network reversed its initial decision and ordered Johnson to bring Jaimie back to life immediately. Only in TV Land could Jaimie be brought back to life after being placed in "suspended animation." Soon, ABC had a Bionic franchaise. By January, 1976, Jaimie had her own series. Wanting to repay the U.S. government for her miraculous Bionic rebuild, Jaimie is anxious to go to work for OSI: the Office of Scientific Investigation." After getting a "cover job" as a school teacher at the Ventura Air Force Base, Jaimie moves in to a small house owned by Steve Austin's adoptive parents (Martha Scott and Ford Rainey). There were several cross-over episodes between "Man" and "Woman"; as well as actors Richard Anderson and Martin E. Brooks doing double-duty as Oscar Goldman and Dr. Rudy Welles on both series. One burning question remains: With the OSI sending Jaimie on so many top secret missions, how did she ever find time to grade her students' classroom assignments? Lindsay Wagner herself was the key to "The Bionic Woman's" success. Wagner's performance is all the more extraordinary considering how outlandish the storylines are. The series holds up amazingly well, while the weekly plots do not. Yet, Lindsay brings a central warmth, believeability, and intelligence to Jaimie that somehow makes the entire series work. Lindsay/Jaimie is the perfect combination of beauty, bionics, and, most importantly, brains. The best Season One episode episode, "Mirror Image" has Lindsay playing two roles. In addition to Jaimie, she also portrays Lisa Galloway, a Southern woman (recruited by an evil doctor and associates, of course) who undergoes plastic surgery to become an (almost) exact double of Jaimie. With Jaimie on vacation and too quickly presumed dead, Lisa takes her place and attempts to kill OSI boss Oscar Goldman. I already have "Bionic Woman: Season 2" on Pre-order. Lisa Galloway returns in the Season 2 two part story "Deadly Ringer." Season 2 also features Jaimie's classic battle with the evil Fembots. I can't wait! Just put logic aside, and enjoy "The Bionic Woman" for what it always was: good escapist sci-fi/fantasy, occasionally campy, fun.

Well, what can I say. This is an amazing set. I won't go into episode details as others have already done so. The audio commentary by Kenneth Johnson and Alan J. Levi and James D. Parriott are very informative and entertaining. The episodes themselves never looked so good and finally the uncut Bionic Woman parts one and two that started it all. The featurette includes Lindsay Wagner (still as attractive as ever), Richard Anderson, Martin E. Brooks, Robbie Rist and others involved in the series. Nice menus and a fold out case for all four discs. Kenneth also tells us he has done a commentary for season two's Doomsday Is Tomorrow, so I look forward to hearing that one when season two is released next year. Grab yourself a set now. You will not be disappointed!

I too, aggravated for years about not seeing this show on tv or dvd or vhs for all these years in our country, bought all three seasons of the show from Australia and the UK and from Germany. All of which are in English but were not available in America. I'm not surprised that these haven't been released in America, they are from Universal. Any decent classic show or tv movie that came out of Universal Studios or even MCA/UNIVERSAL is never usually available. The Bionic Woman and Wonder Woman were my two favorite shows when I was a teen. Wonder Woman got released years ago because Warner Bros owned it. Universal and all their affiliates are always a stubborn pain in the butt when it comes to releasing anything they own. I purchased every program and movie that I love that Universal made from other sources in spite of them for years. Yeah its about time they release Bionic Woman and all the Six Million Dollar Man. People who don't already own a region free player will enjoy it. It is about time Americans get to see this classic series again. The key word is series, which means they need to release the other 2 season as well and in a much more timely manner and also The Six Million Dollar Man. Oh by the way, their price for the first season is typical and ridiculous with only 13 episodes and a lot of worthless extras.

I have been waiting to see the Bionic Woman since I was a kid in the 70's! I still have my Bionic Woman doll from the 70's. This DVD is truely a dream come true. The picture and sound quality is perfect. Even the Theme song and opening are exciting to me! It brings back so many wonderful memories of growing up in the 70's. The first season has a few of my favorite episodes, especially the ones with Lee Major's as Steve Austin. I couldn't help but laugh when Lee Major's sings the "Jamie song" while they are running in slow motion, and also the part when he uses his Bionic's in the wheelchair while squaling tires, this is too cool, lol! Lindsay Wagner as (Jamie Sommers) makes it great because she is such a good actress and full of beauty, humor and sweetness, along with Richard Anderson who plays "Oscar" who is perfectly cast as Jamie's serious but soft hearted OSI boss. The bonus features are fun to watch also, interviews with the cast are wonderful. I wish they made shows like this nowdays. If you loved the show in the 70's, it is well worth seeing again. I can't wait for season 2, I want to see the fembots!!!

画像は大変鮮明です。 また、「600万ドルの男」で放映された初期エピソートも収録されています。 しかしながら、当然に、吹替えも日本語訳も付いていません。 英語には全く自信の無い私ですので、本ＤＶＤを購入するに当たっては、作戦を立てました。 それは、1話づつ、日本版ＤＶＤ→本ＤＶＤの順に視聴するというものです（笑） かつ、多少なりとも助けになればと、英語字幕もOnにしました。 結果、何とか全話制覇出来ました！ 英語力の向上には役立ちませんでしたが（爆） 【以下は作品についてコメントさせて頂きます】 1977年当時は思い至らなかったのですが、改めて観ると、この作品の本質はアクションドラマではなくヒューマンドラマだったのだと解りました。 （高画質で観直すと、眼の潤みなど、登場人物の感情表現がよりリアルに伝わってきます） うら若き女性が、不慮の事故に遭遇。 重傷を負い、アスリートとしての将来を断たれ、高度な医療技術に支えられて社会復帰を試みたのも束の間。 過去の人生も、幼馴染である恋人の記憶すらも失い、失意の底へ。 その主人公が、故郷のオーハイへ戻り、第二の人生をスタートさせる。 これは再生の物語だったんですね。 彼女の再出発を見守るのは、ゴールドマン局長とドクター・ルディという優しい叔父さまたち。 この三角形が極めて好印象です。 そして、ジェミーを離れに住まわせる、ジムとヘレン夫妻が素晴らしい！ 随所にこの二人が登場するファースト＆セカンド・シーズンの温かさは、特筆すべきものではないでしょうか。 ・Welcome Home, Jaime Part I Part II（バイオニック・ジェミー誕生、バイオニック・ジェミーのお値段） 想い出のアルバムをめくるジェミーの手にそっと添えられた、ヘレンの手。 ジムとヘレンの優しい眼差しは、さながらアメリカの良心と言っていい程です。 ・Bionic Beauty（女王はワシの背に乗って） 美人コンテストへ潜入捜査に乗り込むジェミーに、ヘレンが付添います。 愛娘を見守るかの様なヘレンが、出色の存在感だと思います。 ・Jaime's Mother（バイオニック・ジェミーと母） 死んだはずの実母がジェミーの前に現れ、心中穏やかでないヘレンですが、ジェミーを思いやる心は全くブレる事がありませんでした。 （原語で聴くと、ヘレンの声は吹替えにとても近く、ジムの声は吹替えより低く貫禄があります。） 学校教師として描かれる、生徒や地元の昔なじみとの交流も、このシーズンの大きな魅力ですね。 優れたヒューマンドラマとして評価したいファースト・シーズンです！

Even if this television serie is close to 35 year old the serie was shot on film at that time so the picture quality still very good with a few scene who show sign of picture degradation on this DVD collection. I should say the sound is relatively good if you take into account they where no real surround at that time and home video was just at is begining so you must accept is very good and made for TV viewing. The serie is about a mix of technology , adventure and a great deal of humain touch so it is not the usual high end FX of today hollywood production have access too but i suggest you buy-it and enjoy it. For old peoples that will make so many memories come alive again and for youger peoples to have fun looking at how it was to make Sci-Fi serie on television base more on story than modern FX permit. I have buy season 2 also and anticipate to buy the last season (season 3) when it will become available , Jaime Summer , Steve , Rudy Well , Oscar Goldman there acting still remembered even today ....

Good tv show

En la serie puedes ver como eran los años 70. Una época que jamás he conocido porque no había nacido. En esa época los guionistas tenían mejor imaginación que ahora. Esta muy limitada por los medios de entonces. La mujer biónica tenia tecnología de esa época, que era insignificante comparada con la de ahora. También los efectos especiales están limitados, por la misma razón, era esa época. Ahora se puede hacer eso mucho mejor. Pero la serie es muy original y demuestra que la imaginación, va siempre adelantada a su época.

Die Staffel-Box enthält leider nur die ersten 14 Folgen der Serie "The Bionic Woman". Ich habe die Serie als Kind geliebt und mir jetzt die Staffel-Box geleistet. Es ist schon manchmal etwas amüsant wie die Handlung verläuft und vorherzusehen ist und die Umsetzung der bionischen Kräfte dargestellt wird. Aber als Liebhaber der Serie hat man damit kein Problem. Da es sich um einen UK-Import handelt, sind die Folgen natürlich nur in Englisch, aber mir persönlich gefällt es so besser, da bei der Synchronisation viel von dem Charme der Originalstimme von Lindsay Wagner verloren geht. Ich würde jedem, der diese Serie geliebt und kein Problem mit Englisch hat, diese Staffel-Box empfehlen!