11:39 by FoxTwo
Hands up those of you who remember watching this as a kid :)
Ok I know, not many.
Did you know/remember, that this series was made during the same time period as the original Star Wars Episode 4 was? Incredible huh?
Yeah, I had a chance to watch some episodes of Six Million Dollar Man last weekend, and it sure brings back memories, and gave me some new ones. For example, while I might have a hazy recollection of his "origins story", after re-watching it did I realise that the episode was a "test pilot". They didn't know if they were going to make a series out of it (but we all know it went on for 4 or 5 seasons after that, including a spin-off series Bionic Woman).
$6 mill seems so cheap by today's standards. His bionics would have cost like $50 mill in today's money. Watching it as an adult now, I realised that throughout season 1, the sound of his bionics, the "ting ting ting ting" sound, was hardly ever used. His bionic eye had night vision (green) in the pilots, but it was changed to infra-red in the series proper.
One thing I did notice though, they really tried to take care of the details. For example, when Steve has been running on his bionics for extended period of time, you can see perspirations drenching his chest, his left armpit, but not the right armpit. Afterall, his right arm is bionic, hence won't be perspiring.
I remember also, as a kid, I was very agitated when watching him fight with Maskatron, the robot in the episode "Day Of The Robot". Now, the fight scene looks slightly cheesy.
Yeah when you grow up, the gloss tend to fade away :(
I'm hoping they continue with the Bionic Woman (2007) series, after stopping at episode 8 due to the writer's strike. Thus far, nothing seems forthcoming, as there have been bad reviews about the series before the strike happened. Perhaps people nowadays do not want fantasy series and are totally hooked on reality TV. Personally I hate reality TV, especially Survivor.
Labels: 6 Million Dollar Man, Bionic, TV shows
19:55 by FoxTwo If you were a kid growing up in the late 70's you'd probably have watched Steve Austin running really slow in the TV series "6 Million Dollar Man" (uh, I'm revealing my age by saying this huh?)
You'd also remember the spin-off from that show, The Bionic Woman, where his girlfriend, Jamie Sommers, a tennis pro, got into a skydiving accident and had her limbs replaced too and became the Bionic Woman.
Well....
After 30 years.... The Bionic Woman is BACK!
Yup, she's still Jamie Sommers, but she's not Lindsay Wagner, the original actress who played her (man she'd be like 50 or 60 by now!). She's also no longer a blonde, dammit.
I can only guess that the same people behind the re-make of Battlestar Galactica had something to do with it. Clue #1 - they casted the actress from BSG that acted as Starbuck, to be Bionic Woman Prototype. Clue #2 - Chief of the Flight Deck (I forget the character's name) is seen in a scene a bar doing a shady deal with the bad guys.
Now, Jamie gets Bionic implants in a different accident. She has a different boyfriend (no it's not Steve Austin), and now she gets a Bionic Eye too! I'm guessing they're mish-mashing Steve and Jamie into one Bionic hero/heroine.
The first thing about the show is.... no more bionic "ting ting ting ting" sounds when she's using her bionic powers. Awww, but it's ok, it's more realistic this way. Secondly, when she runs really fast, she's not running in slow-motion anymore :) Thirdly, and I think the coolest thing about her, is that her Bionic Eye now has computer readouts and looks "modern-day", just like how a computer would display info on a HUD.
Even the existence of bionics sounds plausible - she's no longer all metal and wirings in her bionic limbs, but she has nanites in her blood, and the bionic limbs are part organic. Sounds plausible, not as "suspend your disbelief" like in the old 70's series.
I was just thinking, if they brought Steve Austin back, he can't be billed as the "6 Million Dollar Man" anymore... the stuff they put into him would probably cost like 50 million in today's money.. and "50 Million Dollar Man" as a TV show title doesn't quite have the same ring to it...
Between Heroes and Bionic Woman, I really don't know which to choose!
Damn, guess I'll just have to keep up with both!
Labels: 6 Million Dollar Man, 70's, Bionic, Bionic Woman, SMDM, TV shows
