Get ready for THREE times the slow-motion running to that 'dee-dee-dee-dee' sound.
This is Bionic Showdown (I'll stick with this truncated version), a 1989 TV Movie that was also a Backdoor Pilot.
I guess this is Pilot Wings too, eh?
In 1987 (about a decade after the Shows ended), a TV Movie reunited the 2 Stars. It was a hit and this Sequel was made.
This was setting up a new TV Show (which I'll get to), but that never came to pass.
It goes in the Failed Pilot Section of my mind alongside The Greatest American Heroine and Kung Fu: The Next Generation.
Even if this didn't go anywhere, should you care? Well, yes. A future Star and Oscar Winner is the subject of said Pilot attempt, so let's bend right into...
Our 2 Heroes are working together- since the last Film- and they are getting close.
Lee Majors is going to spend the whole time working up the nerve to ask her to marry him, which sets up the 1994 follow-up (of sorts).
Elsewhere, a young woman named Kate (who was paralyzed due to an unnamed disorder) was chosen to be the next 6 Million Dollar Person.
This is...is that...yes, it is indeed Sandra Bullock.
A mysterious man attacks the OSI base and takes some intel.
He seems to have Bionic Powers, something that only 4 known people have (our Leads and Majors' offscreen kid).
As such, our Leads are under suspicion and therefore escape the facility.
A bomb- seemingly designed to kill Steve- seemingly paralyzes their Boss' son, which sets up a B-Plot.
The three Bionic People work together to figure out what is going on, using the tenuous clues.
The Bionic Stranger (not his official Title) breaks in and kidnaps the Boss, who recently quit when they wouldn't bionically enhance his son.
Bullock is a longtime friend of the Son, which sets up their romantic B-Plot.
The irony is that he was friends with her when she was paralyzed and now, he is.
Not all irony is funny, kids.
The OSI figures out that the Intel is related to the World Unity Games, an Olympic-style event.
They put Kate undercover in the Games and she's working with an OSI Agent named Devlin.
It is Geraint Wyn Davies, so he's obviously the bad guy.
In spite of being attacked on the first Night of the Games, Kate still keeps working.
Meanwhile, the other Bionic folks try to find the missing Boss, who was kidnapped by two That Guy Actors.
She ultimately sees Davies plan in motion (a bomb and he has the detonator), so she jumps into action to stop him.
In spite of taking a shot put to the stomach, Davies has a big fight with Bullock.
She ends up tossing him off of the roof, still not knowing who made him bionic.
Now I can't wait to see her in action...
Oh right.
The End.
A pretty enjoyable TV Movie, even if it relies pretty heavily on nostalgia.
This kind of thing was very common in the 80s, of course, with Perry Mason returning for TV Movies, along with The Brady Bunch, Kojak, Get Smart and more.
The Film tries to balance that, featuring the Leads in strong, supporting Roles, and a new Heroine for a new (not to be) Series. It is a bit off-balance at first, but it gets there.
For better or worse, she is the one with the newer Bionics and a younger body (she's 25 and 15 years younger respectively). Her bionic run has a neat little blur effect, which was somewhat reused for The Flash a bit later.
They still help out, but it is her adventure, and she is clearly set up for more to come. Alas, no.
Apparently the 1987 reunion Film was also a Backdoor Pilot, but it isn't on Peacock (nor is the 1994 Film). I guess I'll find that one somewhere later.
As it stands, it is a decent adventure that will please fans of the Show and leave them wanting more.
Kudos to the Internet for someone saving this Newspaper Article about the Film using a real Hospital for Bullock's Bionic Installation Scene...
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| Did they spell it 'Bulloch?' |
Is this only available to stream due to Bullock? Probably. Should you see it for that? Yes.
