The Bionic Woman (Part II)

The Six Million Dollar Man	“The Bionic Woman (Part II)” S2 E20
Production 41244; Original Airdate: 23 March 1975
	Jaime dies.
	Produced by; Lionel E. Siegel; Joe L. Cramer
	Written by; Kenneth Johnson
	Directed by; Richard Moder
Guest Cast
	Guest Star(s); Lindsay Wagner as Jaime Sommers; Malachi Throne as Joseph Wrona;
	Special Guest Star(s); Martha Scott as Helen Elgin; Alan Oppenheimer as Rudy Wells;
	With; Ford Rainey as Jim Elgin; Paul Carr as Timberlake; Sidney Clute as Mr. Schwartz; Elisabeth Brooks as First Nurse; Walt Conley as Dr. Lomax; Margaret Impert as 2nd Nurse; Richard Jannone as Attendant;
Broadcast Order
Season 2
"The Bionic Woman"	"Outrage in Balinderry"
	Related episodes; "The Bionic Woman"; "The Return of the Bionic Woman"; "The Return of the Bionic Woman (Part II); "Welcome Home, Jaime"; "Welcome Home, Jaime (Part II)"

for other uses, see Bionic Woman (disambiguation)

"The Bionic Woman Part II" is the conclusion of a two-part story that introduces the character of Jaime Sommers.

Summary[]

Steve Austin and Jaime Sommers are happily preparing for their forthcoming wedding when Oscar Goldman visits them in Ojai and insists that they both go on a dangerous mission to retrieve another stolen printing plate from criminal Joseph Wrona. Steve and Jaime are lucky to escape with their lives when Jaime starts to reject her Bionics during the mission. Upon their return to Ojai Jaime's condition deteriorates. Dr Rudy Wells discovers that Jaime has a blood clot on her brain and is in grave danger. Tragically, despite the best efforts of Rudy and his team Jaime dies during surgery to remove the clot leaving Steve heartbroken.

Notable Quotes[]

Jaime: Steve... something that Oscar said back there kinda set me thinking...
Steve: What's that?
Jaime: Well, about how... uh... my Blue Cross didn't cover bionic reconstruction. Now, who's footing that bill?
Steve: Uncle Sam.
Jaime: Well, that's what I thought, but... uh... what exactly is it that Uncle Sam expects in return?
Steve: Well, I guess he wants you to be part of the team.
Jaime: How many people are on the team?
Steve: Well, Oscar's the head coach, and, so far, I'm the only player.
Jaime: I guess the stakes are pretty high then, huh?
Steve: Yeah... very high.

Steve: Now Jaime's going to be my wife, and I'm not gonna let you run her life like-like—
Oscar: Like we agreed?

Jaime: Gentlemen, I'm sorry, but I couldn't help overhearing your conversation. The, uh, bionic ear you both gave me.
Steve: Jaime...
Jaime: Steve, Oscar and Rudy made me bionic. They saved my life; now I'm going to return that favor.
Steve: You haven't had enough time to get used to the bionics.
Jaime: I perform very well under pressure. And you know I've been up against some very stiff competition.
Steve: Jaime, this is no tennis match! You hit a ball into this net and you'll get your head blown off!
Jaime: Well, then, I'll just have to aim high and serve nothing but aces.
Steve: No deal, Jaime.
Jaime: You can't speak for me. And you can't change the obligation I feel to Oscar and Rudy and the government for making me whole again. I gotta pay my own way.

Joseph Wrona: You did considerable damage to me, Colonel Austin. And now I'm going to do considerable damage to you.

Jaime: Tell me something?
Steve: Anything.
Jaime: We're gonna live happily ever after, aren't we?
Steve: You bet. Here's to us.

Steve: You really like her don't you?
Helen Eljin: Oh, I've liked that sweet girl ever since your day in the third grade. Remember, she helped you come home because you got sick from eating all that food?
Steve: Yeah, but I never told you which sweet little girl dared me to eat all that food.

Jim Elgin: Helen, you sure it's legal for the stepfather of the groom to give the bride away?
Helen: Well, as long as the stepfather of the groom isn't the father of the bride it's legal.

Rudy Wells: Jaime's body is producing massive amounts of white blood cells to fight off something foreign in her system.
Steve: You mean she has an infection?
Rudy: No, it's her bionics, Steve. Jaime's body is rejecting her bionics.

Steve: I love you Jaime, I've always loved you.

Trivia[]

Character[]

Public outcry over the death of Jaime Sommers made producers realize the character's appeal and bankability. They quickly went to work on resurrecting her for the season three premiere, "The Return of the Bionic Woman."
This episode marks the final appearance of Rudy Wells in season 2, and the last regular appearance of Alan Oppenheimer in the part. When we next see Rudy, he will be played by Martin E. Brooks, although Oppenheimer will play him once more in "The Bionic Criminal".

Story[]

The episode establishes that seven months elapse between Austin stealing the first plate and Jaime's botched mission to recover the second, making this likely the second longest timeline of any Six Million Dollar Man or Bionic Woman episode. The first is The Six Million Dollar Man pilot movie, in which Steve's recovery takes about a year ("The Peeping Blonde").

SMDM 220 BW2 prop invite accept sharpened — Jaime's acceptance of Wrona's invitation (sharpened for clarity).

Jaime's telegram accepting Joseph Wrona's invitation is dated March 1, stating that she would arrive on the 5th. Wrona's dialog establishes the tournament as being on the 8th. 1975 is of course assumed.
The tragic and rainsoaked finale is almost identical to the end of the two hour Incredible Hulk episode "Married" (1978) which was also written by Kenneth Johnson.

Bionics[]

Oscar's initial solution to Jaime's bionic rejection is to suggest to Rudy that her bionics be "adjusted to normal strength." This is the same procedure performed on Barney Hiller in "The Seven Million Dollar Man."

Production[]

This is the last episode produced by the Siegel/Cramer team.

Nitpicks[]

SMDM 220 BW Steve Jaime jump ladder — How much of the ladder might have been visible on TV in 1975.

When Steve and Jaime jump over the fence just before running into Helen, the ladder they leap from can be seen in the lower left of the screen. It may not have been as visible on TV screens of the time, but on DVD and Blu-ray, more of it can be seen.
Steve and Jaime make their escape from the estate of Joseph Wrona by jumping from the window. As they land, shadows reveal that they're jumping from a low ledge or ladder.
The events following Jaime's "death" are unclear, in the extreme. "The Return of the Bionic Woman" establishes that actions occur regarding Jaime immediately after her death, without Steve's knowledge. No reference is ever made to a funeral, but presumably there would have been one prior to Austin departing his ranch.

Novelization[]

Plot elements from this episode were incorporated into the novelization Welcome Home, Jaime by Eileen Lottman (published in the UK under the title Double Identity and credited to "Maud Willis").