BIONIC WOMAN, THE: DOOMSDAY IS TOMORROW {PART 2 OF 2} (TV)
Summary
One in this spin-off series of “The Six Million Dollar Man,” featuring tennis pro Jaime Sommers, who is given superhuman abilities after being cybernetically reconstructed following a serious accident.
ALEX decides to show Jaime where the doomsday device is kept, as well as the location of his main memory circuits. Jaime convinces ALEX to show her the locations of the auxiliary entrances to the sub-level she needs to access, and Jaime tries to get past an spillway to get to an emergency access route. ALEX attempts to incinerate her by igniting the spillway with rocket fuel, but Jaime manages to run through and evade both the blast and the ensuing laser fire. ALEX is quite curious about Jaime’s superhuman capabilities, but continues to try to impede her progress with an electrified stairwell. Oscar continues to try to coordinate the government’s response to the doomsday device’s activation. Rudy believes he may have a way to neutralize the doomsday device by exploding another nuclear bomb on top of it, hoping to use radiation from one element to cancel out radiation from another. However, such a plan would unavoidably kill Jaime. Despite the risk of Rudy’s theory, Oscar orders a plane be sent carrying such a bomb, believing that they can recall it if Jaime succeeds.
While Jaime tries to make her way through the compound, ALEX uses its sensors to collect data on Jaime’s bionics. Jaime bypasses many of ALEX’s defenses by jumping down through the various sub-levels, absorbing the impact of her falls with her bionic legs. ALEX uses fire-retardant foam to quickly remove oxygen from the atmosphere, trying to suffocate Jaime to death. She manages to get out, but in the process one of her bionic legs is crushed by a metal door, rendering it useless. The plane carrying Rudy’s bomb is loaded as Jaime hobbles her way down the complex’s stairs. ALEX’s constant droning becomes irritating to Jaime. They argue about the nature of its existence and ALEX’s inability to feel emotion of any sort. Jaime has an idea and uses a remote access terminal to gain access to ALEX’s memory banks. Using the data ALEX scanned about her bionics, she uses the computer to assist in the repair of her bionic leg by providing her with necessary information and tools.
Another automated message from Dr. Cooper is shown over the television, marking three hours until the device activates. A number of rockets are launched to seed the upper atmosphere with a chemical to help the radioactivity spread. As Jaime completes repairs on her leg, ALEX attempts to kill her again by dropping a piece of construction equipment on her, but she jumps out of the way at the last second. Jaime realizes that ALEX is improvising defensive measures and theorizes that security in the lower levels is not as heavy, although ALEX proclaims that it is still determined to win. Oscar coordinates operations with the pilot of the bomber heading towards Dr. Cooper’s facility, and establishes recall codes. ALEX tries to affect Jaime psychologically by convincing her that the lowest sub-level is filled with snakes, which Jaime is deathly afraid of, but it turns out to be an auditory deception. She presses on, reaching the cavernous lower level and the core of the doomsday device.
ALEX scans the incoming bomber and figures out their plan. Jaime reaches the central core with less than an hour left before the device activates. When she prepares to disconnect ALEX’s memory circuits, it informs her that doing so will prematurely activate the doomsday device. She does not listen and starts removing the circuits, and removes one which triggers the detonation and a message from Dr. Cooper informing the world leaders of such. Jaime frantically removes more circuits as the device activates, but seemingly nothing happens. The door to the device opens and Jaime steps inside, finding nothing but a stone plaque bearing the “swords to plowshares” section from the Bible. She gets in contact with Oscar to tell him that there is no doomsday device, but ALEX cuts her off and informs her that the doomsday device does exist and that the incoming bomber will trigger it. ALEX prevents Oscar from getting in contact with the bomber to recall it. ALEX explains to Jaime that while the doomsday device itself has not activated, the bomb devised by Rudy will trigger Dr. Cooper’s nuclear stockpile and will accomplish a similar effect as the one Dr. Cooper described. Furthermore, ALEX notes that it intends to allow the bomb to drop, as it is now concerned only with “winning” against Jaime.
Jaime enters a massive chemical disposal valve and tricks ALEX into flooding it with hundreds of thousands of gallons of water. She reaches the surface before she can be drowned by it and scurries past ALEX’s surface defenses in order to activate the long-dormant sprinkler system within the entire compound. This serves to short out ALEX’s memory core as well as all of its remote access terminals simultaneously. The entire facility starts exploding and ALEX seemingly pleads for its life before deactivating entirely. This prevents ALEX from jamming the recall code for the bomber any longer, and Oscar is able to recall it just as it reaches its target. The mission is aborted and the world is saved from destruction. Jaime takes Dmitri to see Dr. Cooper’s plaque, and notes that she appreciates what he tried to do for the world in spite of his drastic methods. Commercials deleted.
(This is the second of two programs on this asset. For the first, “Bionic Woman, The: Doomsday is Tomorrow [Part 1 of 2], see B:82987)
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: January 26, 1977 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:50:09
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:82988
- GENRE: Drama, fantasy/science fiction
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, fantasy/science fiction
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1976-1978
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Harve Bennett … Executive Producer
- Kenneth Johnson … Producer, Director, Created by, Writer
- Craig Schiller … Associate Producer
- Martin Caidin … Based on the novel "Cyborg" by
- Joe Harnell … Music by
- Jerry Fielding … Theme Music by
- Lindsay Wagner … Cast, Jaime Sommers
- Richard Anderson … Cast, Oscar Goldman
- Martin E. Brooks … Cast, Dr. Rudy Wells
- Lew Ayres … Cast, Dr. Elijah Cooper
- Kenneth O'Brien … Cast, Dr. Victor Evtuhov/Dmitri Muscov
- David Opatoshu … Cast, Mr. Satari
- Sam Chew … Cast, Russ
- Stack Pierce … Cast, Navigator
- Ned Wilson … Cast, Pilot
- George Whiteman … Cast, Co-Pilot
- Steve Powers … Cast, E.W.O.
- Ed Vasgersian … Cast, Technician
- Guerin Barry … Voice, ALEX