Bionic Woman, episode 7: Shadows of the past, shadows of the future

Jaime tries out the vampire look

Episode 7 is called "Trust Issues", which is a major theme in Bionic Woman's metaplot. In this episode, the longer metaplot almost overshadowed the episodic plot.

(Warning! Plot spoilers!) The episodic plot is easy to summarize. Jaime and Isaiah Washington's Antonio character have to protect a dictator from the fictional African nation of Amarru. An assassin is trying to kill him while he's in the US. It turns out the assassin is his old girlfriend Julia. Jaime and Jonas thinks he's working with her. But it turns out he's trying to save her from being killed while also trying to stop the assassination. Jaime and Antonio stop her, but she shoots Antonio and she gets away. Antonio dies, giving Washington an exit from the show.

The metaplot provided some very strong suggestions that Jaime's relationship with CIA agent Tom could turn out to be very complicated. There was a heavy parallel made between the Antonio/Julia relationship. Antonio warns her of the danger of exposure with Tom, who still doesn't know about her bionicism.

There were a couple of CIA agents spying on her as she left her apartment for a night mission. In a cool scene, she pops up Dracula-like behind them and pins them both instantly. Tom explains to her later that the CIA is checking her out because he's started going out with her. But when Jaime is called away from a dinner that her sister Becca made for her and Tom, Tom is called away a few minutes later. To provide backup, he tells her later. But was that really the reason? Because when he arrives on the scene, he makes a big deal about her not having protective gear. Of course, given the glimpses he's caught of her physical prowess, it's natural that he might wonder about her hidden attributes.

When Tom arrives at the apartment where Jaime and Becca live - Jaime uses the nickname "Bex" for her sister in this episode - Jaime says, "I think I just won Mystery Date."

Antonio's dying words to Jaime contain some ambiguous suggestions about what could happen with her and Tom. He says of Julia, "She's in too deep. She's lost. It happens". He then regrets having left Julia in Amarra. "I should have had her back", he says. And he advises Jaime, "Don't ever let that happen to you, Jaime". But what "that" did he mean? Not having Tom's back? Not getting in too deep?

There were some further hints of Jaime's character. For one thing, she tells Tom twice, "I'll call you later, okay?" In the previous episode, there was a complicated set of angles on whether she should call Tom, and she was reading the conservative dating manual The Rules, which said she shouldn't call him. But her double promises to call Tom suggest that she's really conflicted about reaching out versus protecting herself.

Jaime: I really dislike nosy blondes!

There was a follow-up on Jaime's need to trust her gut about men. Antonio convinces her to trust him when he comes clean about his relationship to Julia, and it turns out she's right to do so.

She also has a dialogue with Bex, in which Bex tells her that she hopes Jaime will stay with Tom. "He's so much better than those loser guys you usually date". She goes on to tell Jaime, "I know you have a wild self-destrutive streak. Just keep that under control, okay?" It's worth remembering that the classified psychological dossier on Jaime in the Exclusive section of the Web site says:

She is trusting to family and friends and has healthy relationships with those around her. She is very helpful to those she cares about, sometimes placing them before herself. ...

One concern brought up in the examiniation is the client's disregard for herself when she is focusing on others. She can be overly attentive to the needs of family and friends while forgetting about her own needs. Her own problems remain unsolved while she assists with the problems of others. While this is an extremely noble quality, it should be noted that his could be dangerous and troublesome.

By the way, it's been obvious for a while that Bex just does not buy Jaime's story about her job.

There were plenty of dark scenes in this episode: the opening scene; Jonas' office (of course!), Ruth's office, a night mission at the airport, a dialgue with Antonio and Jaime on a dark roof; Jaime and Bex talking in a dark room; Jaime talking to Nathan on the phone in her dark bedroom; another night mission; the assassin's lair; the building where Julia shoots Antonio; Tom's apartment. Jamie even complains to Ruth the psychiatrist about the heavy atmosphere in the Berkut Cult offices. So Ruth gets a tiny green plant to put on her desk, which she proudly shows a bewildered Jaime.

Isaiah Washington's Antonio: What makes you think I'm into women, Jaime?

The dark tone and visuals are really necessary to this show. Jaime is a fundamentally dark character. Not because she's evil, but because she lives in a world of secrets and menace. And we've had hints that her own family may have much darker secrets than we've seen so far.

Quote of the night: Antonio keeps warning Jaime against being involved with Tom because he's also a spy. Jaime asks him who the woman was who broke his heart, or, as she puts it "the woman who broke you". Given Washington's recent embarassment over an anti-gay crack, his response was funny: "Why do women always think it's a woman?"

Tags: bionic woman