Steve Austin(Lee Majors) is surprised to learn about a second bionic man named Barney Miller(played by Monte Markham) who was a former race car driver badly injured in a crack-up, and used as the subject of the same operation, only he has four bionic limbs, not three, and cost seven million dollars, not six! Still, Steve proves to be truly special when Barney can't psychologically adjust to his new condition, becoming overly violent and aggressive, requiring Steve to stop him before he does real harm... Intriguing episode with a fine performance from Markham, though it strangely introduces another character(named Carla) as one of Steve's original nurses, instead of bringing back Jean Manners(played by Barbara Anderson)!?
The Six Million Dollar Man (TV Series)
The Seven Million Dollar Man (1974)
User Reviews
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Human focus increases value
Fluke_Skywalker5 May 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Plot; Steve Austin discovers that he's not the only bionic horse in the OSI stable, but when his counterpart begins to get too power hungry, Steve shows him who's truly worth more.
My current bionic nostalgia aside, this is actually a very solid episode. The original 'SMDM' TV movie explored some of the issues of the adjustment by Steve Austin that were in author Martin Caidin's novel Cyborg (on which the series is loosely based), but as the series got rolling pathos and reflection were shoved into the backseat and the focus was put squarely on action adventure. Here it's brought back on center stage, much to this episode's advantage. Steve Austin is shown to have adapted to his situation smoothly, but his heretofore secret counterpart is struggling--With his loss of humanity, with his new found power, the fact that he could be replaced by the next model, the eight million dollar man if you will. It's not explored in any depth--even for a 70s genre shows--but it's handled effectively, and guest star Monte Markham does a nice job of showing that struggle. The other nice aspect here was that OSI and Oscar Goldman are shown to have kept a secret from Steve, and a big one at that. Any modern adaptation would likely show them to be more overtly duplicitous week in and week out, but more often than not Oscar and OSI are on the up and up.
Shelving the outlandish stuff (Robotic Bigfeet, aliens) and focusing more on a human story, this qualifies as one of the better episodes I've seen strictly based on merit.
My current bionic nostalgia aside, this is actually a very solid episode. The original 'SMDM' TV movie explored some of the issues of the adjustment by Steve Austin that were in author Martin Caidin's novel Cyborg (on which the series is loosely based), but as the series got rolling pathos and reflection were shoved into the backseat and the focus was put squarely on action adventure. Here it's brought back on center stage, much to this episode's advantage. Steve Austin is shown to have adapted to his situation smoothly, but his heretofore secret counterpart is struggling--With his loss of humanity, with his new found power, the fact that he could be replaced by the next model, the eight million dollar man if you will. It's not explored in any depth--even for a 70s genre shows--but it's handled effectively, and guest star Monte Markham does a nice job of showing that struggle. The other nice aspect here was that OSI and Oscar Goldman are shown to have kept a secret from Steve, and a big one at that. Any modern adaptation would likely show them to be more overtly duplicitous week in and week out, but more often than not Oscar and OSI are on the up and up.
Shelving the outlandish stuff (Robotic Bigfeet, aliens) and focusing more on a human story, this qualifies as one of the better episodes I've seen strictly based on merit.
nurse Clara ?
commandor_data11 October 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Many continuity problems...
The nurse, here called Carla, is actually the character Jeanne Manners (played by Barbara Anderson) from the pilot ("the Moon and the desert"), since Steve mentions that she was there all the time before he got his bionic limbs attached.
They completely erased their love story though. The scene with the arm-wrestling was one of the best moment of the series, and the joke with the "victim of the inflation" cracked me up.
Though I find it odd that Steve didn't knock Barney out with a punch on his head, when he had the chance when coming from behind in the basement.
Monte Markham's playing is sometimes very good, sometimes overdone, like that artificial laughs when Steve tells Barney he won't be "super" anymore.
Steve mentions that Goldman plans to create a third bionic man after Barney failed. We'll see Barney again in another episode, for our pleasure.
The nurse, here called Carla, is actually the character Jeanne Manners (played by Barbara Anderson) from the pilot ("the Moon and the desert"), since Steve mentions that she was there all the time before he got his bionic limbs attached.
They completely erased their love story though. The scene with the arm-wrestling was one of the best moment of the series, and the joke with the "victim of the inflation" cracked me up.
Though I find it odd that Steve didn't knock Barney out with a punch on his head, when he had the chance when coming from behind in the basement.
Monte Markham's playing is sometimes very good, sometimes overdone, like that artificial laughs when Steve tells Barney he won't be "super" anymore.
Steve mentions that Goldman plans to create a third bionic man after Barney failed. We'll see Barney again in another episode, for our pleasure.
Steve vs.Barney: full bionic action
friendsfor017 December 2007
This episode is one of the best episodes of SMDM -second season. Steve is astonished when he discovered hes not unique and there is another bionic man ready to take his place in case he ever becomes incapacitated.When former auto-racing champion Barney Miller is badly injured in a car crash, he becomes the new candidate for bionic replacements.This new bionic man has 4 bionic limbs and cost seven million dollars ,one million dollars more than Steve bionics;In simple words,Barney becomes better than Steve.But Barney becomes unstable ,unable to assume his new abilities.He got mad and decides there must be only one bionic man.Dr. Wells can do nothing and Barney so powerful decides to destroy the plans about the secrets of bionics. Only Steve is supposed to stop him.At the end we see a great battle between two bionic men.A real match,Barney seemed to be more powerful than Steve but Steve defeated him and showed hes the best.Because of that we realize that Steve Austin is unique.
Antagonist has more than one layer!
supergye9 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The beginning features a scene where Steve is arguing with Goldman, who is denying the presence of a man (later found to be Barney Miller) Steve saw on base hand his personal psyche tape to the secretary. This scene may have been overlooked by many but it really shows us how Majors can pick the right emotional tone for a moment.
I do not think enough is said about how well Majors played this character throughout the series, with a degree of sincerity and self-deprecation. If one just separates the acting out from everything else, I cannot think of a better actor suited for this cyborg-James Bond portrayal.
The premise for Barney Millers psychosis growing from depression appears to be based on the fact that he was an adrenaline junkie. A professional driver who won many awards. After the accident he had his legs, and arms replaced, and is not dealing with the bionics well. He feels "detached" from his body more and more; angry at what he has become. He says that in his previous life, winning the Indy, Le Mans race was all "him", now he is just wire and nuclear muscles, implying such as now he has an advantage. Subtly pointing out that he no longer can drive since he would have a mechanical advantage in his body, thus not legally allowed to drive professionally.
He is angry at the world and had to be stopped by Steve from abusing one of the bad guys during his first assignment. Later in front of Dr. Wells suggesting that he and Steve hire themselves to Oscar as independent contractors, no pay, no play. He wants to cash-in on his uniqueness to the government. I assume he is talking celebrity level money to make him richer and to force the government to keep his strength at a high level. He is jealous that Steve is doing this all for nothing more than service of his country.
Steve no longer trusts Barney, asks Oscar Goldman to neutralize Barney's bionics because of this outburst so he is just normal strength. After Steve tells Barney this, he blows up emotionally at Steve and goes to Oscar afterwards. Again, Barney threatens to go sole proprietor, all out on his own this time on a for hire basis.
I especially enjoyed the last part since it goes so much deeper into the understanding of Barney's psyche. It shows what an adrenaline junkie losing his sense of self does when he knows he will not have an opportunity to explore a new playground. A man wanting self preservation at its highest level. His back is up against the wall. He feels no other usefulness, or value in life if he is normal. Subsequently, decides to make himself more valuable to the government; to do this by destroying the bionic blueprints.
Barney visits Wells after getting the code book of where the blueprints are stored; exits the room asking him coyly, "can the machine be more lunatic than those who created it?" Perhaps giving us insight into Barney's rationale for blackmailing the government. Plus, using logic a psychotic adrenaline junkie would find reasonable. Doing this, just in order to rationalize their power control.
Actor Monte Markham did a marvelous job giving us the emotional undertones of a man on the verge of a psychotic event, bent on prolonging his survival as an agent which helps him again feel like a real man, no longer detached. The audience gets to see him explore his deep dark troubled development. I just enjoyed this episode from start to finish! Very well written!
I do not think enough is said about how well Majors played this character throughout the series, with a degree of sincerity and self-deprecation. If one just separates the acting out from everything else, I cannot think of a better actor suited for this cyborg-James Bond portrayal.
The premise for Barney Millers psychosis growing from depression appears to be based on the fact that he was an adrenaline junkie. A professional driver who won many awards. After the accident he had his legs, and arms replaced, and is not dealing with the bionics well. He feels "detached" from his body more and more; angry at what he has become. He says that in his previous life, winning the Indy, Le Mans race was all "him", now he is just wire and nuclear muscles, implying such as now he has an advantage. Subtly pointing out that he no longer can drive since he would have a mechanical advantage in his body, thus not legally allowed to drive professionally.
He is angry at the world and had to be stopped by Steve from abusing one of the bad guys during his first assignment. Later in front of Dr. Wells suggesting that he and Steve hire themselves to Oscar as independent contractors, no pay, no play. He wants to cash-in on his uniqueness to the government. I assume he is talking celebrity level money to make him richer and to force the government to keep his strength at a high level. He is jealous that Steve is doing this all for nothing more than service of his country.
Steve no longer trusts Barney, asks Oscar Goldman to neutralize Barney's bionics because of this outburst so he is just normal strength. After Steve tells Barney this, he blows up emotionally at Steve and goes to Oscar afterwards. Again, Barney threatens to go sole proprietor, all out on his own this time on a for hire basis.
I especially enjoyed the last part since it goes so much deeper into the understanding of Barney's psyche. It shows what an adrenaline junkie losing his sense of self does when he knows he will not have an opportunity to explore a new playground. A man wanting self preservation at its highest level. His back is up against the wall. He feels no other usefulness, or value in life if he is normal. Subsequently, decides to make himself more valuable to the government; to do this by destroying the bionic blueprints.
Barney visits Wells after getting the code book of where the blueprints are stored; exits the room asking him coyly, "can the machine be more lunatic than those who created it?" Perhaps giving us insight into Barney's rationale for blackmailing the government. Plus, using logic a psychotic adrenaline junkie would find reasonable. Doing this, just in order to rationalize their power control.
Actor Monte Markham did a marvelous job giving us the emotional undertones of a man on the verge of a psychotic event, bent on prolonging his survival as an agent which helps him again feel like a real man, no longer detached. The audience gets to see him explore his deep dark troubled development. I just enjoyed this episode from start to finish! Very well written!
Seven million due to inflation
coltras358 September 2023
Oscar has had another man fitted with bionic limbs but he becomes power hungry and wants to be even stronger, then heads out to destroy bionic blueprints and Steve must stop him before he can destroy the bionics source files.
If they - the scientists - were successful in installing bionics into Steve Austin, then they would definitely try again, and probably try to better the prototype and they do and the result is: the seven Million Dollar man. An ex-racing driver who got injured on the track. He's played excellently by Monte Markham. He captures the tormented persona of his character very well- the inability to cope with his new found powers and bitterness of being made of part machine. Lee Majors does well as Austin, showing enough sympathy for Monte. But as Monte's psyche gets rattled, they clash and this good episode ends with a lively fight.
If they - the scientists - were successful in installing bionics into Steve Austin, then they would definitely try again, and probably try to better the prototype and they do and the result is: the seven Million Dollar man. An ex-racing driver who got injured on the track. He's played excellently by Monte Markham. He captures the tormented persona of his character very well- the inability to cope with his new found powers and bitterness of being made of part machine. Lee Majors does well as Austin, showing enough sympathy for Monte. But as Monte's psyche gets rattled, they clash and this good episode ends with a lively fight.
My all-time favourite episode
Milk_Tray_Guy5 March 2024
I watched The Six Million Dollar Man first time around, and was 13 when this episode first aired. I was glued to the show every week, but this episode has stayed with me more than any other. Having just watched it for the first time in nearly fifty years, it's almost exactly as I remembered it (always loved that arm-wrestling scene). Lee Majors was the perfect choice for Steve Austin, conveying a fine balance of physicality and humility - but Monte Markham was apparently an early candidate for the role. He wouldn't have been right as Steve, but he is perfectly cast as Barney Miller, the Seven Million Dollar Man. Markham, always enjoyable to watch, is entirely convincing as a man becoming increasingly unhinged (full marks to him too for clearly doing ALL the action himself). Special mention to the stunning Maggie Sullivan as nurse Carla Peterson (sadly, she died in 2020, at the age of just 71).
Despite featuring a battle between two bionic men, this is one of those earlier episodes that delved into the psychology of someone having to come to terms with being not entirely human and possessing physical abilities beyond those of any other person on Earth. It's an absolute cracker. 9/10.
Despite featuring a battle between two bionic men, this is one of those earlier episodes that delved into the psychology of someone having to come to terms with being not entirely human and possessing physical abilities beyond those of any other person on Earth. It's an absolute cracker. 9/10.
Fun If You Overlook Things
tigger_6811 August 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Certainly this is a fun episode and the battle of the bionics is entertaining. I am also well aware of the Mystery Science Theater rule about accepting this is just a TV show.
But IF I am going to be picky there are a couple flaws here.
First off, while Barney Miller (wonder if that's where they got the show name from) is bionic he is also a man. We've seen that both Steve and Jamie are vulnerable to the same things normal people are (IE gas/suffocation/etc).
So why not have Rudy waiting with a team armed with tranquilizer darts ? Knock Barney out and do the procedure. Obviously the answer is if they did that we wouldn't have a cool fight scene.
A second flaw belongs to most bionic fight scenes. While they both have bionic limbs they are otherwise human. So when you slam someone in the back with your bionic arm you're going to shatter their spine, not stun them.
But IF I am going to be picky there are a couple flaws here.
First off, while Barney Miller (wonder if that's where they got the show name from) is bionic he is also a man. We've seen that both Steve and Jamie are vulnerable to the same things normal people are (IE gas/suffocation/etc).
So why not have Rudy waiting with a team armed with tranquilizer darts ? Knock Barney out and do the procedure. Obviously the answer is if they did that we wouldn't have a cool fight scene.
A second flaw belongs to most bionic fight scenes. While they both have bionic limbs they are otherwise human. So when you slam someone in the back with your bionic arm you're going to shatter their spine, not stun them.
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