The Bionic Woman's Toughest Mission (Attracting Lesbians?)

The Washington Post ^ | 9/9/07 | Jonathan Padget

[LdSentinal]

Gays and the Bionic Woman? Love her!

Gays and Isaiah Washington? Not so much.

What's a thoroughly postmodern gay to do when one of the iconic heroines of '70s television is relaunched on a network that eagerly embraces an actor who gets dumped from his hit show on another network after proving himself all too comfortable with a certain homophobic slur?

Okay, fine, maybe you don't get the Bionic Woman idolization. Maybe you've never been on the receiving end of the "f" slur. (What are you, one of those nine out of 10 people who "scientific research" suggests isn't gay?) But unless you'd rather be contemplating lesser, tawdrier issues -- say, the public-restroom dating habits of a certain Republican senator -- stick with us here.

NBC's new "Bionic Woman" series, premiering Sept. 26, was not without a certain amount of audience anxiety before Isaiah Washington even came into the picture.

Emotional connections to characters like the Bionic Woman can run deep for countless gay viewers who see isolation and repression reflected in heroes who must harbor secret identities and who can't show off their fabulousness in their everyday lives.

Take, for example, a misfit child in 1970s Anytown, U.S.A., who doesn't even have a name for his difference -- homosexuality -- but is deluged with cultural cues that whatever his true nature is, it's wrong. The Bionic Woman, Jaime Sommers, was a bright spot in dark times: She could protect you; she knew what it was like to not fit in; she could pull off a velour tracksuit.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

Weird. Just weird.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

Battlestar Galactica is somewhat more masterfully done than the old version.

[starfish923]

I'm going to see 3:10 to Yuma today, another remake. I wonder if it will suck.
It DOES have Russell Crowe and I DO like westerns.

Has anyone seen it yet?

[luckystarmom]

They have them in BSG, but they are the older models. The newer models are the ones that look like humans.

I think they’ve done a great job with BSG. I also like that there is a beginning, middle, and an end. It’s the last season, and they are going to find Earth. I don’t know what they’ll find when they get to Earth.

[L98Fiero]

“This is completely made up.”

Yep.

As an aside, what is the deal with erasing males? It seems the logical choice would have been The 6 Million Dollar man. He was my hero and that of millions of little boys. The merchandising made bank and he is the only reason we even know what “bionic” means.

I saw a new Winnie the Pooh cartoon the other day. Christopher Robin has been replaced by a girl! WTF?!?! Christopher Robin, the little redhead kid (like me) who shared my moniker is now a little girl! AHHHH! They are killing me. ;-P

[L98Fiero]

“but I want the old cylons. It just ain’t BG without ‘em.”

Bottom line, right there.

[IronJack]

nine out of 10 people who "scientific research" suggests isn't gay?

No, one of the 98 out of 100 people who scientific research PROVES is not gay.

[sinanju]

The one in ten figure was promulgated by Alfred Kinsey.

If you know anything at all about him you know what his “research” was worth.

[IronJack]

One way Kinsey came up with the inflated number is by interviewing prison inmates. Since a number of them engaged in homosexual behavior behind bars, he counted them. He also included anyone who had ever had any kind of homoexual experience, regardless of how fleeting. In fact, he even counted men who admitted that they had occasionally had homosexual THOUGHTS.

Kinsey was a scientist like Bill Clinton is a saxophonist.

[tet68]

I can’t believe they have not remade Threes Company... where Jack Tripper actually IS gay!

Probably it will be three lesbians with the butchy one playing “jack”, and two old queens as the landlord and
“Wife”.

Just surprised they haven’t done it already.

[sinanju]

They pretty much have and it’s called “The “L” Word” on Showtime.

[The Ghost of Rudy McRomney]

I’m probably the only one in the entire world who thought the landlord’s wife on Three’s Company was hot. I know, I have weird tastes.

[StayoutdaBushesWay]

Like almost EVERY other “remake”/”redo” of an old movie or TV series, i’m certain it’ll suck. They’ll probably be trying to ‘make a point’ on some issue every week, instead of just providing entertainment like the old one did.

Well tonight's episode had Jaimie learn that the guys back at the center or whatever it's called can see what she can see through her bionic eye. She finally had enough and told the guy who was on the phone with her "It's a total violation of privacy, you know what? I'm going to call somebody, The Justice Department, or Hillary Clinton, she'll get to the bottom of this!"
OMG, thank goodness I was taking a drink at that moment or it would have been all over the place.
No more of this show for me, I turned it off right after that.

[The Ghost of Rudy McRomney]

Yep-as I suspected-nothing like the original. Glad now I avoided it. Seriously doubt it’ll be around long.

[The Ghost of Rudy McRomney]

Well, was it any good? If so, I’ll check it out, but probably on home video.