Bionic Woman: Season Three

"Bionic Woman" fans of fans of Lindsay Wagners can rejoice in the fact that the last and final season of "The Bionic Woman" will be made available for purchase on October 4, 2011. This means all 58 episodes will finally be made available for people to enjoy for posterity to watch time and time again.

In this 5 disc set all season 3 episodes (22 in all) are featured uncut in their original network full screen presentation. English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Sound is included along with English subtitles. Guest stars include Oscar winner Helen Hunt, Evel Knievel, Christopher Knight (of "Brady Bunch" fame), and Keenan Wynn.

This season ran on the NBC television network from September, 1977 until May, 1978 when the series was ubruptly cancelled which led to an outcry from fans as the show was still doing well in the Nielsens. "The Bionic Woman" holds the distinction as being one of only a handful of network shows to be cancelled twice during its original run as the series was axed by ABC in the spring of 1977 while still a Top 20 rated show then picked up by NBC for a fall premiere. Many believe the reason "The Bionic Woman" didn't do as well ratings wise while on NBC was due to its terrible timeslot: Saturday nights at 8:pm, highly considered a "death timeslot" for television programming.

Because "The Six Million Dollar Man" was still running on ABC in the 1977-1978 season and "The Bionic Woman" was airing on another network crossover episodes between Jamie and Steve Austin ceased. Instead a new love interest was given to Jamie: a man named Chris Williams played by Christopher Stone.

Extras include a question and answer session with Lindsay Wagner, episode commentary on the Bionic Dog, and more!

For information on the first two season sets of "The Bionic Woman" read my reviews there. They feature DVD extra info as well as a list of season episodes.

The following are season 3's list of "The Bionic Woman" episodes along with their airdates:

1. "The Bionic Dog", Sept. 10, 1977
2. "The Bionic Dog, Part 2", Sept, 17, 1977
3. "Fembots in Las Vegas", Sept. 24, 1977
4. "Fembots in Las Vegas, Part 2", Oct. 1, 1977
5. "Rodeo", Oct. 15, 1977
6. "African Connection", Oct. 29, 1977
7. "Motorcycle Boogie", Nov. 5, 1977
8. "Brain Wash", Nov. 12, 1977
9. "Escape to Love", Nov. 26, 1977
10. "Max", Dec. 3, 1977
11. "Over the Hill Spy", Dec. 17, 1977
12. "All for One", Jan. 7, 1978
13. "The Pyramid", Jan. 14, 1978
14. "The Antidote", Jan. 21, 1978
15. "The Martians Are Coming, The Martians Are Coming", Jan. 28, 1978
16. "Sanctuary Earth", Feb. 11, 1978
17. "Deadly Music", Feb. 18, 1978
18. "Which One is Jamie?", Feb. 25, 1978
19. "Out of Body", March 4, 1978
20. "Long Live the King", March 25, 1978
21. "Rancho Outcast", May 6, 1978
22. "On The Run", May 13, 1978

As a child, I watched both The Six Million Dollar Man and its spinoff, The Bionic Woman, but quickly became more enthusiastic about the latter. While I was entertained by Steve Austin's derring-do, I cared about Jaime Sommers. However, by the time the final seasons of TBW and 6M$M came along, my interest in each series had declined. So with a few exceptions, I am seeing these episodes for the first time. With the exception of a few episodes, including The Bionic Dog and On the Run, season 3 is a bit of a letdown.

Much of the success of TBW must be credited to Lindsay Wagner. She brings a combination of charm and intelligence unseen on television since Elizabeth Montgomery's turn in Bewitched - adding hints of sadness and vulnerability. As the series progresses, Sommers matures and becomes more confident. Richard Anderson brings a fatherly quality to Oscar Goldman - a contrast with his more hard-nosed portrayal in 6M$M. These qualities were utterly lacking in the unmemorable and mercifully short lived 2007 remake.

Producer Kenneth Johnson's involvement in TBW was ended in season 3, and that may be why many of the episodes are flat, paint-by-number affairs. The "insider" references seen in the first two seasons are largely missing - although there are a few pointed moments, such as when Oscar chides a Senator for mispronouncing Jaime's name. Jaime's work as a forward-thinking teacher is mentioned, but never seen. In some ways, this reminds me of the third season of the original Star Trek, where a new producer altered the tone of the series in a negative way. There is the usual recycling of plot elements, such as the Fembots in Las Vegas episode, which ends with an interesting twist.

Since TBW was moved from ABC to NBC for season 3, there are no crossover episodes with 6M$M. There are a few interesting guest stars including Evel Knievel (as himself), Brock Peters, and a very young Helen Hunt. My favorite semi-regular is Bracken (along with several stunt dogs) as Max, the bionic bog. The visual style is in keeping with the Universal Television look of the 1970s: simple camera setups, with establishing shots transitioning to two-shots and close-ups, very little camera movement beyond the occasional pan or zoom, and numerous stock footage. After the hand-held camera style of today's series, this simplicity is a welcome relief.

Both picture and audio quality are improved over previous seasons, although there few seconds of muffled sound effects in Sanctuary Earth. The sound is two channel mono, and high-end frequency response is improved over the first two seasons, with clearer dialogue.

The bonus features include episode commentary with writers James D. Parriott and Steven E. De Souza, a Q&A with Lindsay Wagner, and a photo gallery.

This was the final season of "The Bionic Woman" Lindsey Wagner played Jaime Sommers and was terrific in the part.Another good sci fi series that is fondly remembered.There was a remake of this series not too long ago.A big mistake.Lindsay Wagner brought warmth to the role and she is the only one who could play the part.You actually feel for the character.If a character isn't likeable the show cannot work and will fail.When I first heard about this series I was sceptical.But this series was action-packed just like "The Six Million Dollar Man".A really fine show.

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