The Bionic Woman (1976): Episode 5 Review

Jaime Sommers continues to help out around Ojai in The Bionic Woman episode 5, and it seems that the place would be in chaos without her.

Apparently the work has been a real aid in boosting shy Katie’s confidence. Which is nice to hear, isn’t it?

So, the school kids are gathered round, petting Neil the Lion in a show-and-tell nobody’s ever going to top, when a jump cut establishes the plot: there’s this dude wearing a Stetson – known as Charlie Keys (Jack Kelly), but I’m going to call him Stetson Dude, for fun – and he’s stood over a paw print, wondering aloud as to what might be killing his cattle. I wonder, has Neil the Lion been sneaking out for a little midnight rampage?

Yes, you’re absolutely right. It is another close-to-home setup in The Bionic Woman episode 5. And, one Saturday, after being introduced to the chimp, the bear, and the elephant over at Susan’s place, Susan admits to Jaime (Lindsay Wagner) that she’s flat broke, and eagerly awaiting the next paid gig. Then, perhaps three seconds later, the phone rings (what are the chances?), and Susan’s invited to New York to negotiate her and Neil the Lion’s involvement in a new Sheena, Queen of the Jungle-esque show. But, if Susan’s going to make it to The Big Apple in time, she has to leave right now.

Jaime convinces her to go, assuring Susan that she and Katie can look after the place for the weekend. Jaime and her weekends! Teachers really do have all the time in the world, don’t they? Then, the very next day, Stetson Dude shows up at Susan’s place, gun in hand, to demand that Neil the Lion be caged and chained. Neither Katie or Jaime are going to do that, so Jaime decides to bring Neil the Lion inside for the night instead, thinking that if she’s on Susan’s couch, and Neil the Lion on the rug beside her, she’ll know if he breaks curfew.

A nice idea in theory, but Neil the Lion manages to slink out unnoticed all the same, and another of Stetson Dude’s steers is found dead in the morning. Is Neal the Lion guilty, or is there some other big, hungry beast out there, terrorising Stetson Dude’s raised-for-slaughter animals?

Jaime’s convinced of the latter, but she then finds out that Susan has a tranquiliser gun near-to-hand, which she may well have had use for before now, and, that to save money, they’ve recently been feeding Neil the Lion a meat substitute made from soybeans – oh, the potential dangers of vegetarianism! So, that’s two marks against Neil the Lion, and Jaime thinks that to prove his innocence, it might well be time for him to spend a night in the cage and chains after all.

Continuing to empathise with Neil the Lion however, and good for her, Katie lets him out before nightfall, driving Jaime to give chase in slow-motion. But it’s a good thing she does, for up in the hills, Jaime not only finds Neal the Lion to bring on home, but also discovers the existence of a local cougar. Jaime immediately reckons that this cougar is the cause of all recent trouble, but Stetson Dude, (literally) sticking to his guns, sneaks into Susan’s place the next day and lets Neil the Lion run free – in and out of the cage and chains is poor Neil! – in the hopes that Neil will enter his property, and thus provide Stetson Dude with the ‘justification’ for shooting him down.

Which is about as good an idea as it sounds. So whilst Jaime goes after the cougar, and soon has it tranquilised, Stetson Dude meanwhile is chasing after, and shooting at, Neil the Lion. “Spread the word! Grab your guns! That lion’s been killing our stock!”, so Stetson Dude declares to all his neighbours, riling them up into a posse. Will Jaime get to Neil the Lion before these bloodthirsty humans do? And, if she does, how might she save Neil the Lion from their bullets? I, unfortunately, can offer no prizes for correct guesses.

Despite the plot sounding like that of a cartoon with a message, The Bionic Woman episode 5 is of other interest. Mainly for its animal involvement. Which, for one, provides a little variety to the series. So far we’ve had mob associates, guerilla fighters, and a Bond villain type, now we’ve Neil the Lion. Plus, there’s plenty of insert shots of other animals too, growling into the camera, or wandering around the Ojai locations. There’s even a small bit where the chimp passes Jaime a ringing telephone. Isn’t that great?

And, to give credit where due, and although my description may not have done justice so far, there are enough slight twists and red herrings to maintain the central mystery in The Bionic Woman episode 5, which I’m beginning to think may be the show’s greatest strength. That, whilst watching, I’m not sure if Jaime’s trust is misplaced or not. In episode 2: can Donald be trusted? In episode 3: must Jaime conceal her powers? In episode 4: is Harry as innocent as he seems? In episode 5: is Neil the Lion innocent at all?

Things do work out for the better, and after the episode has finished I think: “oh, obviously all was to end well”, because nothing of consequence has really happened yet. But, whilst watching this episode, I was, when prompted, entertaining the thought that Neil the Lion was indeed the cattle killer, and that Stetson Dude was indeed a ‘justified’ antagonist. And, who knows? Maybe one of these episodes Jaime will have aligned herself with the wrong side, maybe she will have her character tested, and maybe there will be a ~48 minutes that doesn’t close out with sunshine and rainbows.

But if I want to find out, I suppose I’ll have to keep watching, and that would be a shame, for I had so much other stuff going on. Perhaps I can climb Mt. Everest another time, and I’m sure there’ll be no trouble in pushing my damehood back by a few weeks.

Episode 5 of The Bionic Woman is now available to watch on digital and on demand.

The Bionic Woman (1976): Episode 6 Review – Loud And Clear Reviews

Jaime’s allegiances align in The Bionic Woman episode 6, as she investigates a local who might have just fired a missile at Los Angeles.

loudandclearreviews.com