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  • Wonder Woman (1975-1979)

    The New Original Wonder Woman

    Hippolyta: "I named this island 'Paradise' for an excellent reason. There are no men on it."

    Looking at all the Paradise Island scenes, in the TV movie, you also don't appear to have women of color on it. Just white women. Is this island only for them? I mean, I think I spotted one background Amazon of color, but I'm not positive.

    After finishing rewatching (and commenting on) some episodes of The Incredible Hulk, I figured I'd start doing to same with the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman series. So I sat down and rewatched the original pilot movie. As with the Hulk series, I will only rewatch select episodes, rather than all of them (59 episodes + the TV movie).

    The TV movie dropped the concept that Wonder Woman got the Diana Prince identity, by assuming the identity of a woman who looked exactly like her (and let Wonder Woman borrow it). I think this was a good decision. You've got Wonder Woman, who is named Diana. She comes to the States and happens to run into a woman with the same name and face. One or the other is one thing, but both would've been a stretch. Not to mention, this woman just randomly lets Wonder Woman, a total stranger borrow her identity. That might've been eyebrow raising. How does the real Diana Prince know that this other woman is not a Nazi spy (who wants to use her identity for espionage)? So it was a good move to drop it.

    I liked the TV movie, though there are some things that I'd like to wait to talk about, until I get to season 2 (when the show moved to the 1970s). Some reflections on the different settings of season 1 and the other two seasons.

    At 70 minutes, it's 20 minutes shorter than the original TV movie for The Incredible Hulk. So it does end up feeling a bit short. Those additional 20 minutes could've helped flesh the characters out a bit more.

    Fun fact: when the cast and crew of Dynasty (the producer of this show went on to be a producer on that) were getting ready for the fight between Alexis and Krystal, they sat down and watched the Wonder Woman vs. Marcia fight scene.
    Last edited by jon-el87; 07-30-2023, 05:04 AM.

  • #2
    Season 1, episode 2: "Fausta: The Nazi Wonder Woman".

    Thought Fausta Grables made for an interesting antagonist. Thought her turn, towards the end, was a little sudden. This was Fausta's only appearance on the show. She would reappear in Wonder Woman '77 Meets the Bionic Woman, where she is shown to have immigrated to Paradise Island, after the war.

    No idea why Wonder Woman would show up, wearing a mask, at that event. Why would she?

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    • #3
      Season 1, episodes 4 and 5: "The Feminum Mystique".

      Return to White Island... I mean Paradise Island. Though, you can probably understand my confusion. And, no, I will not stop criticizing the show for depicting Paradise Island as being all white.

      Drusilla/Wonder Girl is introduced. Nice seeing other female superheroes being introduced. After all, there are others in DC Comics (a show centered around one can help to showcase the others), and it makes sense for them to start off with Wonder Girl (a spin-off of Wonder Woman). We never got the see David Banner (on the TV show, not the later TV movies) interact with other Marvel superheroes on The Incredible Hulk. Granted, the show essentially ended in 1981 (with the last two episodes not being aired until 1982), while really the first Hulk spin-off character (She-Hulk) showing up in 1980 (born out of a fear that the show might create one, thus owning the copyright). So the obvious character to start with, was only introduced by Marvel, less than two years before the show wrapped production.

      Wonder Girl had been around for a decade. A character created by accident. At the time, DC had adventures with Wonder Girl, who was really just a younger Wonder Woman (like how Superboy, at the time, was just a teenage Superman). When the Teen Titans were first introduced (if I'm not mistaken), the writer mistook Wonder Girl for a separate character from Wonder Woman. It took several more years, before the character was given the name "Donna Troy".

      Drusilla is sent to America to bring home Diana, so that she can reassume her role as heir to the throne. Would there be any real point to that? The Amazons are immortal. The point of an heir would be for someone to take over, after Hippolyta dies. But Hippolyta is immortal and has ruled (based on statement made in the second episode) the Island for 26 centuries (might be time to think about getting a new head of state).

      I like the introduction of Drusilla, though, I'll hold off commenting on her (as she's got one more appearance). Better to give an overview, after having seen all three appearances.

      The episode also introduced the second of the three Hippolytas: Carolyn Jones, who played the role for season 1.

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      • #4
        Season 1, episode 6: "Wonder Woman vs. Gargantua".

        Gargantua is clearly just a guy in a gorilla suit, but was anyone really expecting them to have an actual Gorilla fighting the lead of the show?

        They really presented Wonder Woman with a physical threat in this episode. Previous episodes had established her as strong enough to move a jet and break a chain, strong enough to hold an elephant (along with being fast enough to intercept bullets). Regular people are physically no match for Wonder Woman. So they had her go up against a super strong gorilla (even by the standards of gorillas). Liked that it also gave her an opportunity to show compassion towards animals. Of course, it would be unlikely that Gargantua would survive a return to wilderness. Dr. Osmond speculates that Erica took Gargantua as a baby, so he would've spent his whole life in captivity. It would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for him to adapt to the wild.

        Speaking of where Wonder Woman sets him free (and where the episode starts). They used a map of Africa, from the 1970s, when it's supposed to be September 1942.

        Gargantua was created for the show. They did not use Giganta. Probably because Giganta was a gorilla, mutated into human form (complicated origin)... or they just weren't willing to hire a female builder for the part.
        Last edited by jon-el87; 09-10-2022, 11:54 PM.

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        • #5
          Season 1, episode 9 & 10: "Judgment from Outer Space".

          Among the episodes, that I intend to rewatch, there are an awful lot of two-parters.

          Season one was devoted entirely to WWII and Nazis, so it's a nice break to involve aliens (even if Nazis are still the villains of the two-parter. We're not given a break from them). One of the aliens is named Gorel. When Andros first said his name, I thought that he said "Gor-El" (indicating that this man might be Kryptonian. Which would've been a fun little detail), but the subtitles in later scenes gave it as "Gorel". I quite liked the diversity among the Council of Planets.

          Also appreciated the acknowledgement of internment of Japanese Americans, by the United States government. Though, Wonder Woman felt a bit dismissive about it.

          Goof: This is outright established as being September, 1942. The German General says that they will soon capture Paris (which happened in 1940). Not the best informed officer in the German army.
          Last edited by jon-el87; 04-12-2021, 12:03 PM.

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          • #6
            Season 1, episode 13: "Wonder Woman in Hollywood".

            The conclusion of season one. The episode marked the third and final appearance by Wonder Girl (never to be mentioned again, on the show). As I understand it, Debra Winger did not like working on the show or something. Which is a shame, as I would've liked to have seen more of the character. Granted, after this episode, they jumped forward 35 years. Would Drusilla (while being immortal) still be the same person 35 years later? They never gave her age in any of the episodes, but it would probably be silly of she was still Wonder Girl, after 35 years. It would open an interesting question. What should she do, if she's too old to be calling herself Wonder Girl, but there is a still active Wonder Woman?

            The episode also marked the final appearance by Steve Trevor(, Sr.), Etta Candy and General Blankenship. It was nice seeing Diana having a regular supporting cast. A critique that I leveled towards The Incredible Hulk show, was that David lacked (unless you count Jack McGee) a regular supporting cast. Friends that he could talk to on a regular basis. Diana had a best friend and co-worker in Etta. It's a shame that they never touched upon what happened to Etta after WWII. She could've had a daughter, who could've befriended Diana Prince in the late 1970s. Though, that would've likely shrunk the world. Diana comes back, and just happens to become friends with Etta's daughter. Even Steve's identical son, who has the same name, was a stretch. Not to mention, Etta's daughter would've presented some challenges. Would Etta still be alive? If so, what would her reaction be, when her daughter mentions having a friend named "Diana Prince"? If her daughter ever had looked at photo albums, belonging to her mother, would she have seen photos of Diana in 1942? Thus raising some questions why she, in 1977, knows a 20-something Diana Prince, who looks identical to the Diana Prince that her mother worked with in the early 1940s. Have a similar issue with Steve Trevor, Jr.. Though, I can buy that Steve, Sr. might not have had many photos of his wartime secretary lying around.

            Here, the Amazons are said to have arrived on Paradise Island 2000 years prior to 1942. A lower number than the one given in "Fausta: The Nazi Wonder Woman".

            Thought that the episode was okay, but I am really ready to get out of WWII and neverending Nazi schemes. Thought that the Gloria character was a bit too well-informed, for being just some actress that the villain had hired to lure one of the four American war heroes into a trap.
            Last edited by jon-el87; 12-13-2020, 09:36 AM.

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            • #7
              Season 2, episode 1: "The Return of Wonder Woman".

              With season 2, the show moved to CBS and jumped 35 years in time to the present. I appreciate that. No more anacronistic hairstyles. No more 1970s collars in the 1940s. No more exterior shots of places, where you could see cars from the 1970s. And, with exception to the second episode of season 2, no more Nazis. Wonder Woman is allowed to combat different types of criminal organizations, terrorists, etc. There is a greater variety to what she can face. In this episode, she's allowed to fight a robot, with enhanced strength. The time jump also allowed them to reflect the then contemporary world, rather than the world of 35 years earlier.

              Rather than simply moving events to the present (with no acknowledgement of season one), they made the time jump part of the story. Essentially giving it a reboot. After having gone back to Paradise Island, after WWII, and now goes back to the States, after meeting Steve Trevor's son... Steve Trevor, Jr. (no points for creativity when it comes to the name) and learning about new threats in the world. Diana no longer works for the Air Corps Intelligence Division, but for the IADC (Inter-Agency Defense Command). Though, based on what the Amazon doctor says, she's still Steve's secretary/assistent, even though they otherwise call her his "associate". Thankfully, over the course of the season, they have her simply be an agent of the IADC (rather than Steve's "associate/assistent").

              In the TV movie, Diana's interest in going to the outside world seemed entirely motivated by her attraction to Steve (the first man she ever saw, probably). Here, they have her explicitly wanting to go, to help humanity. Not because of an attraction to Steve.. or rather his son. And element that thankfully was dropped (it'd be weird if she had a thing for both Steve Trevor and his son). They show how she establishes her secret identity (though, it's questionable that she managed to get access to a secure area, without a valid identity. Regardless if Steve says that she's with him).

              The episode featured the show's third and final Hippolyta: Beatrice Straight. She would return in the fourth episode of the season: "The Bermuda Triangle Crisis". The last time that we'd see Hippolyta. They never returned to Paradise Island after this. Pretty sure that they essentially dropped all references to it eventually. I'm okay with that. Focus on Wonder Woman's adventures in the outside world. Don't have her run back home, every five minutes. Nor have her constantly talk about what a fantastic place it is. It's described as "paradise" and "pure". When they show us the population of Paradise Island, all I can think about is that we don't see any women of color. Does this paradise not include women of color? That is unfortunate. Some years back, I discovered that a lot of places that movies and television tends to present as "ideal", "pure", "paradise" (and so on), have a tendency to be places depicted as being all white. Giving a potential racist subtext to the creators idea of "paradise".

              I like the Wonder Woman character, but the handling of Paradise Island/Themyscira has a tendency to be problematic. At least in other media adaptations. Here, you've got an all white Paradise Island. In the 2017 movie, when Etta explains her job, Diana notes (without a disapproving look. Almost appears amused): "Well, where I'm from that's called slavery". That line bothers me a little. Best case scenario: Diana just compared slavery to a regular job (I said it was the best case scenario, not a pleasant one). Worst case scenrio: Diana implies that Themyscira has slavery (and, being the heir to the throne, might own slaves herself. Meaning that the hero is a possible slave owner). And that's just what is right there, on the screen. When you consider either version, you suddenly realize that Paradise Island/Themyscira (due to their one gender society. With characters considering it a cause for it being a "paradise") is probably deeply transphobic.

              Back to the episode. The timeline for the Amazons keep shifting. In "Fausta: The Nazi Wonder Woman", they're said to have been on the island for 26 centuries. In "Wonder Woman in Hollywood", the Amazons are about to celebrate the 2000 anniversary of their arrival to the island (where they're immortal). Here, an Amazon doctor is said to be (in 1977) 3200 years old. While Diana will be 2527, on her next birthday.

              Wonder Woman gets a new costume, which I think is an improvement over the season one suit. She also gets an upgraded invisible jet, that seemingly vanished after the third episode of the season ("The Man Who Could Move the World").

              We're introduced to Joe Atkinson, a recurring character for the first nine episodes of the season. Jessica Walter guest stars as Gloria Marquez. Gloria and Dr. Solano would return in Wonder Woman '77 Meets the Bionic Woman, where Gloria has become Dr. Cyber.

              I quite prefer season two, over season one.
              Last edited by jon-el87; 01-13-2021, 11:49 PM.

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              • #8
                Season 2, episode 9: "The Man Who Made Volcanoes".

                After season one, the show was re-launched with Charles B. Fitzsimons (wait, was FitzSimmons on Agents of SHIELD named after this guy?) as supervising producer. He served in that role, for the first 8 episodes. With this episode, the show was re-launched again, with new supervising producer Bruce Lansbury (Angela's brother), who would serve in that role, for the remainder of the series. The animated opening credits are dropped, in favour of clips from various episodes. The episode starts with a teaser, which I don't think any episode of the show before this had done. Joe Atkinson makes his final appearance, established as having been promoted. Steve takes Joe's previous job, and ends up sitting behind a desk for much of the remainder of the show (during which, his role was gradually reduced). Diana is now an IADC agent, working on her own. She's no longer Steve Trevor's secretary or associate/assistent. She's no longer wearing the glasses as a disguise (though, that happened in the episode before this).

                As for the episode. Roddy McDowall plays a scientist named Arthur Chapman, who has built a vulcao-making beam (okay, I'll go with it). It was McDowall's first of two guest appearances on the show. He also appeared as another character in a season three episode.

                There are some issues with this episode. Chapman and Diana Prince are depicted as knowing each other, apparently having worked together at the IADC. With Chapman noting that it's been two years since they last met. As this is 1977, that would've been 1975. However, the season premiere established that Diana was on Paradise Island from 1945 to 1977 (and joining the IADC quite recently). This would not be the only time that this type of error would happen. In the episode "Screaming Javelin" Diana is depicted as having been at the 1972 Olympics. Interestingly, Brian McKay was a writer on both episodes (though, he didn't write this one on his own).

                Wonder Woman just running away (when the villains confront her and the Chinese and Russian agents), so that she can turn back to Diana Prince, so that she can have an expositionary conversation with Chapman. Then, after she storms Chapman's operation as Wonder Woman, she's very passive and just talks with him (not attempting to take out his men, and rescue the five hostages). She even lets him open a panel (standing right in front of him), then turning a switch for the beam. Which does allow for a cool save, but poorly staged. Have her be too far away, to stop him. Also have her stop the beam with her bracelets, not her whole body. Previous episodes established that Amazons can be harmed by bullets, if they don't deflect them with their bracelets. Here, Wonder Woman is able to withstand a massive energy beam (clearly more powerful than a bullet). If her body can take this, then she should be able to survive bullets and bombs, without the bracelets.

                The inclusion of Joe Atkinson was a good move. While we'll never see him again, he's established as still being in the building. Having only recently been promoted upstairs, he might not have adjusted yet and still drops by. Probably still takes the elevator to this floor, when he arrives in the morning, out of habbit. I also like that we're given an explaination for his exiting the show and where he's going. We never learn what happened to Etta Candy or General Blankenship after the war.
                Last edited by jon-el87; 12-13-2020, 01:31 PM.

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                • #9
                  Season 2, episodes 10 and 11: "Mind Stealers from Outer Space".

                  Ever wanted to see Wonder Woman fight a bad Darth Vader knock-off?

                  "Mind Stealers from Outer Space" is a weak sequel to "Judgment from Outer Space". This two-parter was clearly trying to cash in on the then recent success of the original Star Wars. The Sardor creature is clearly based on Darth Vader, in his black garb, cape, hood and metallic mask. The Sardor even breathes like Vader. The language of the Skrills sounds not too unlike the sounds made by R2-D2. The Skrills look like something out of a cheesy, low-budget 1950s sci-fi movie (especially as they insist on having them standing around in broad daylight. Not that I think that a darker enviroment would've been more forgiving). Granted, they no doubt had a limited budget, but wouldn't it have been cheaper and more effective to have the Skrills be cloaked figures themselves? If they were to take inspiration from Star Wars. Just look at the Jawas and Tuskens, for inspiration (though, without just blatently ripping them off).

                  Almost facepalmed when that woman, in Diana's apartment building, just let two complete strangers into Diana's apartment. Sure, just take their word that they're friends of Diana, who want to surprise her for her birthday. For all she knew, those two could've been there to rob the place.

                  Andros is back... or rather his son, who is also named Andros (and visited Wonder Woman in the 1940s, and seems to have a similar romantic thing with her). No idea if this was a last minute change, because they couldn't get the original actor. However, as they had three different actresses playing Hippolyta, why not have Andros played by two actors? I did like the actor playing Andros. His name was Dack Rambo, who sadly passed away from AIDS in 1994.

                  I liked that the members of the Council of Planets were not the same, as in "Judgment from Outer Space". It means that the leaders of the council are not still the same individuals as 35 years earlier. They've probably served their term(s). New leadership has emerged. More planets might've joined the council, over the past 35 years. The council has not remained unchanged in that time.

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                  • #10
                    Season 2, episode 13: "Light-Fingered Lady".

                    Greg Morris of Mission Impossible fame (and father of Smallville's Martian Manhunter, Phil Morris) guest stars together with Bubba Smith. Diana Prince infiltrates a criminal organization led by Morris. I quite enjoy the episode. Though, I do must admit that it is one of those instances, where the show felt like it was becoming more Diana Prince, Secret Agent and less Wonder Woman. Diana transforms several times into Wonder Woman, but only to perform some tasks that could've probably been handled by spy gear (ex. when she changes into the Wonder Woman wet suit (second episode to feature it), so that she can go and talk to Steve. Could've been done with an advanced communication device) or with the aid of the IADC (when she broke into that building). In the end, it's Diana Prince who apprehends the villains, and not Wonder Woman... Feels a bit weird to talk about one person as separate entities, though. Of course, people often talk about Clark Kent and Superman like they were separate people (rather than one guy, wearing different clothes), and Diana has to transform into Wonder Woman to have access to her powers on this show (whereas Clark Kent always has his).

                    This episode also introduced IADC-agent Eve, who became a recurring character, appearing in four more episodes after this. I always appreciate recurring supporting characters. Sadly, like many other supporting characters, she didn't stick around for very long. While her last name, Welch, is given in the script for this episode, it did not become public knowledge until it was used in Wonder Woman '77 Meets the Bionic Woman in 2017. The character wasn't the most fleshed out. According to an alleged (I say "alleged", because there is no apparent source) quote on the actress' IMDB page, she got more to do, because of production problems with Lynda Carter. Meaning that some of the scenes, that she appears in, after this episode, were originally intended to be Diana Prince scenes (with Eve having to fill in for her). I think, looking at this episode, that the character had potential. A recurring IADC-agent, who is a master of disguise. A useful ally to Diana/Wonder Woman. Perhaps, if they had played their cards right, a possible role model for young girls of color.

                    Goof: when Wonder Woman jumps over that electric fence, you can see both the springboard and a crew member (looking and smiling at the stunt double).
                    Last edited by jon-el87; 12-16-2020, 01:09 PM.

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                    • #11
                      Season 2, episode 21: "The Girl from Ilandia".

                      My favorite episode of the series. A friend of Diana Prince discovers a girl, whom he names "Tina" (later revealed to be named Amadonna), whom Diana realizes come from a land in another dimension called Ilandia. Amadonna wears a necklace and bracelets that grant her superhuman powers. Among her people, only one out of 5,000 children are given those, then trained to become part of their version of the police.

                      The story places Wonder Woman in the position of being a mentor, to a young superpowered girl, who have only begun to learn how to use them. I quite like it. Perhaps Amadonna one day becomes a superhero herself. Maybe the new Wonder Girl (don't think that it was a coincidence that, while an original character, the writer gave the character the name Amadonna), or creating a brand-new superhero identity for herself. Either way, it puts Wonder Woman in the role as a mentor to a possible next generation superhero. Bit of a callback, perhaps, to Drusilla in season one. Though, with Wonder Woman feeling more like a mentor-figure, than with Drusilla/Wonder Girl.

                      Quite like that the writer gave Amadonna the ability to project force fields. No "bullets and bracelets" for her. It sets Amadonna apart from the two other superheroes (Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl) of this world. She's got a different power set.

                      Also like that we're never shown Ilandia. Had it been shown, it would've been with the limits of 1970's television. Maybe ten people (with a high likelyhood that they fail to consider hiring people of color). Just shot in a park (because they couldn't afford to show a city) or on an obvious set. This way, it's up to the imagination of the viewer what Ilandia might look like. How big and diverse the population is. What type of government system that they have. Ilandia is whatever your imagination wants it to be. Not limited to the budgets of 1970s television or the ideas of 1970s television writers, directors and producers. Amandonna's parents are mentioned, but only refered to as "parents" (unless I missed something), not "mom and dad". Maybe she's got two moms, or two dads. It's left up to your imagination. Ilandia being in another dimension felt like an updated idea for Paradise Island (which the show just had being an uncharted island, even in the 1970s). A more modern approach.

                      We never saw Amadonna again, unless you count her showing up in Wonder Woman '77 Meets the Bionic Woman in 2017, which I sort of don't. It was a crossover mini (always take crossovers with a grain of salt), with a franchise that DC Comics and Warner Brothers don't own the rights to. So, the question is if it can be regarded as canon. Superman and Spider-Man crossed over twice (that I know of), with those stories being set in a different universe than either DC Comics or Marvel Comics. So the Wonder Woman '77 Meets the Bionic Woman would probably be best regarded as being set in a universe, where a version of the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman and a version of Jaime Sommers co-exist.

                      I'm okay that we never saw Amadonna again. She's established to be 12-years-old. If she was to one day become a superhero, it could be closer to 1988. In 1978, she's still a little kid, who still needs to train and get better at using her still developing powers. You can't really have Diana/Wonder Woman take a 12-year-old with her on missions (with Amadonna/"Tina" being a type of "pre-teen IADC-agent").

                      Liked the mature handling of the ending. Wonder Woman knows where Amadonna is from, but does not know how to get her back to Ilandia (and, presumably, neither does any of the other Amazons). Amadonna is forced to grieve, when Bleaker (Alan Arbus of M*A*S*H fame. Interestingly, Gary Burghoff guest starred in the episode before this) gets away (with any hope of her ever goinghome). With Wonder Woman having to comfort her. This is not a fairytale ending, where the hero is able to fix everything with a snap of her fingers. There are real consequences here, that characters have to live with. Amadonna goes off, and probably lives a happy life with Simon Penrose, but she'll likely never be able to return to Ilandia.
                      Last edited by jon-el87; 08-09-2021, 10:13 AM.

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                      • #12
                        Season 3, episodes 20 & 21: "The Boy Who Knew Her Secret".

                        Like in "Mind Stealers from Outer Space", aliens are taking over human bodies (only a lot better this time). We're not given massive info dumps, at the start of the first part. Instead, we go directly into someone finding a mysterious small pyramid and becoming possessed by an alien entity. The whole thing feels less cheesy, than "Mind Stealers from Outer Space". We don't have people in ridiculous green suits, or knock-off Darth Vaders. In fact, we never get to see the aliens true form, which helps. Budget would've likely not permitted good-looking aliens (which would've likely just been people with painted skin or rubber foreheads, anyway, As in a lot of science fiction).

                        The first episode carries a lot of mystery. We don't know if the aliens from the pyramids are a threat, or if it's this mysterious shapeshifter, that runs around. Minor nitpick: we're not given a name for either the aliens from the pyramids or the shapeshifter. Would've been nice. I'm just going to call the pyramid aliens "the 99" and the shapeshifter "the changeling".

                        Thought the changeling was effective. At times, you're not sure who he is pretending to be. If there is someone in the room that they're currently in. It adds a feeling of paranoia. Like with Jaws, they added a music cue, to occasionally inform the viewer that it's the changeling that they're watching.

                        With the 99, I think the idea of the pyramids was a great idea. Doesn't feel very dated (unlike some sci-fi tech, in shows and movies, from decades ago). Had this been done today, they would've probably still used them (only with some CG-effects, for when people are being taken over). You can sort of buy them as being some type of advanced alien technology.

                        Thought that the titular character of Skip worked well. I liked that, when Wonder Woman decides to erase his memories of her identity, she talks to him, getting his consent before doing it. This aired a year before Superman II, where Superman does the same with Lois Lane, without really getting her permission to do it. Couldn't help but think about that, when I watched the scene. The scene also contains set-up for the next episode, which would've been the final episode of season 3, but it aired out of order. Resulting in the "Phantom of the Roller Coaster" two-parter being the show's closure. However, as it was intended to be the season ender (where Diana permanently relocated to Los Angeles, another re-launch for the show, so to speak), I will be rewatching that next (as the conclusion of this rewatch).

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                        • #13
                          Season 3, episode 22: "The Man Who Could Not Die".

                          As noted above, this episode was originally going to be the final episode of the season. Lyle Waggoner is not in the opening credits, having left the show. This episode was an apparent attempt at another revamp/re-launch, where Diana transfers to Los Angeles and gets a brand-new set of supporting characters. For a show that ran only for three seasons and 59 episodes, it got an awful lot of revamps/re-launches. First, with the opening of season two, which saw the entire cast (outside of Diana. Waggoner was still there, but playing a different character) dropped and the show jumping forward 35 years. They re-launched it again, with the ninth episode of the season, which saw new character Joe Atkinson dropped and Steve Trevor, Jr. put behind a desk. Here, they re-launched it again, with Steve, Jr. being gone, Diana moving to a new city and getting new supporting characters. The first re-launched was probably done for budget (period shows cost a bit), but they revamped/re-launched it again within nine episode. Was it done to boost ratings, or simply a new supervising producer with different ideas?

                          Diana's new boss didn't leave much of an impression. No idea why the IADC Los Angeles branch has got a little kid running around. Imagine the FBI or the CIA doing that. If they needed to have a kid there, give him some logic. The show had done several robots. Explain away his presence by having him be a robot or a cyborg. I liked that Diana is depicted as having only arrived in Los Angeles, rather than already being set up there (and already knowing everyone at the new IADC office). This is a move for us, just as it is for her. Thought the trigger for the episode was lazy. An invulnerable chimp (which turns into an unconvincing stuffed toy, after it's hit by a car) just happens to show up, right outside of the house of the newly arrived Diana Prince. No one has sent it there. Just escaped and, out of all of Los Angeles, just happens to end up at Diana's house.

                          Like the introduction of Bryce Kandel. Would've been interesting to see how he would've developed, had the show gotten a fourth season (provided that he'd be in it). Given Diana's "Man of Steel" line, and Bryce's remark of him wearing tights and a cape, maybe he would've developed into a superhero. Though, if you take Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77 (along with Batman '66, where George Reeves Clark Kent cameos in an issue) as canon, "Man of Steel" would already be taken. Still, it would've been an interesting development. Him joining forces with Wonder Woman, Wonder Girl and (eventually, perhaps) Amadonna. I like that they gave him a different power set from the other three. They've all got strength, he doesn't. However, he's invulnerable, they are not. Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl requires their bracelets to shield them from bullets. Amadonna's got her force field (which, perhaps, she could extent to others, with some training), but it takes concentration to manifest it (if she doesn't, she can get hurt).

                          The episode was written by Anne Collins. She also wrote "The Boy Who Knew Her Secret" two-parter and the "Phantom of the Roller Coaster" two-parter. As a result, she wrote the final five episodes of the show.

                          While there have been several Superman (animated and live-action) and Batman (animated) TV shows, over the past 40 years, there have never been another Wonder Woman TV series. David E. Kelley produced a pilot in 2011, that never aired or went to series (apparently, the creator of Ally McBeal wasn't the right pick for adapting Wonder Woman). The series starred Adrianne Palicki, who seems to be very unlucky in this genre. She started out playing "Kara", in an episode of Smallville (a character that was only mentioned once after that, for the sake of continuity, when they brought in another Kara). She played Nadia in the 2006 Aquaman pilot, who was killed (with the pilot being unaired). Then she did the unaired David E. Kelley pilot. She finally got a shot playing Mockingbird on Agents of SHIELD, for nearly two years. Her character departed (never to return) to star in a spin-off, that never went beyond an unaired pilot.

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                          • #14
                            RIP Cloris Leachman.

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                            • #15


                              RIP Douglas S. Cramer.

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