ORBzine - 2001.07 UK Television Review: "Wonder Woman"

Lynda Carter , the statuesque Miss America, takes the role which became synonymous with her. She fitted it so well that it's hard to believe that a new series may be on its way, a quarter of a century later. The purported replacement, Lucy Lawless , has her work cut out for her.

Wonder Woman, New Adventures of [Season 2, Episode 1]
The Return of Wonder Woman
Shown

bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce, wonder-busoms

This is an 80-minute special that introduces the campy 1970s show.

In her secret identity as Diana Prince [US secret agent] Wonderwoman wears a Clark Kent disguise. The difference between her and Superman [beyond the obvious] is that she spins OUTSIDE a phone booth, not in one. Of note, when she has changed into the special costume her normal-wear clothes are skimpier than her swimsuit!

Wonder Woman, New Adventures of [Season 2, Episode 2]
Anschluss '77
Shown

Diana Prince goes to South America, and uncovers a Nazi plot to clone Adolf Hitler.

Wonder Woman, New Adventures of [Season 2, Episode 3]
The Man Who Could Move The World
Shown 19th May - Saturday 2001

Guest-star Lew Ayres plays a scientist who develops a telekinesis machine. His test-subject, a middle-aged Japanese man, steals the machine and kidnaps the scientist. Diana Prince is called in to investigate. James Hong [a Chinese-American] plays the Japanese Ambassador.

As a boy the Jap was one of the Nisei, a civilian held in a Relocation [ie Concentration] camp in New Mexico. He uses his power to kidnap Steve [Lyle Waggoner]. Outwitted, Wonder Woman uses the memorable line I'll do whatever you want, unless it breaks any laws. Of course, there is a happy-happy ending.

Wonder Woman, New Adventures of [Season 2, Episode 4]
The Bermuda Triangle Crisis
Shown

The USA has built a secret nuclear reactor in the Bermuda Triangle, and only Diana Prince thinks this is dangerous! Of course, this is because her secret home is near there ...

The arch-villain is Raymond Manta - Deadly as the Manta Ray, we are told. This leads to a James Bond type situation, where the two Agents creep around his secret base [the South California Lighthouse used in V: Final Battle ] and avoid his small private army.

With the exception of a couple of studio shots, most of this episode takes place outdoors. This lets the Director use some stock footage of Pacific islands and US warships. The other give-away about the episode is that because it was filmed in South California there are lots of palm trees in view!

Manta notes that war leads to famine which leads to pestilence. To profit he sells guns, then food, then medicine. Of course, our so-called heroes must keep the world safe ... for American business interests!!!

One observation about this kind of show is that it implies the US Military-Industrial Complex has only ONE Agency, with only TWO Agents!

Wonder Woman, New Adventures of [Season 2, Episode 5]
Knockout
Shown

Diana goes to LA [without Waggoner] to defeat The Movement - a revolutionary group seemly based on the Symbionese Liberation Army and financed by the KGB. She meets a cabbie who looks like Paul Hogan, and we get to see her in a REAL swimsuit!

Wonder Woman, New Adventures of [Season 2, Episode 6]
The Pied Piper
Shown

A Rock Musician hypnotizes young women into stealing for him.

Wonder Woman, New Adventures of [Season 2, Episode 7]
The Queen and the Thief
Shown

Wonder Woman, New Adventures of [Season 2, Episode 8]
I Do, I Do
Shown

Wonder Woman, New Adventures of [Season 2, Episode 9]
The Man Who Made Volcanoes
Shown

Roddy McDowall [ Planet Of The Apes ] plays a mad scientist who uses a laser weapon to create volcanic eruptions around the world.

Wonder Woman, New Adventures of [Season 2, Episode 10]
The Mind-Stealers From Outer Space [Part I]
Shown

The Skrill - alien mind-thieves - are out to take over the world's top brains.

Wonder Woman, New Adventures of [Season 2, Episode 11]
The Mind-Stealers From Outer Space [Part II]
Shown

Wonder Woman, New Adventures of [Season 2, Episode 12]
The Deadly Toys
Shown

Frank Gorshin plays a mad toymaker who uses human androids to steal top-secret plans.

Wonder Woman, New Adventures of [Season 2, Episode 13]
Light-Fingered Lady [4th May - Friday 2001]

Special Guest Star Barney from Mission: Impossible hires the undercover Diana Prince to break into a secret vault. She is smuggled in using an ancient sarcophagus [on rollers!!], but has to use her super-powers to get out. One of her fellow robbers has a soft spot for her, but this is never developed. Neither is the fact that Barney's robbery doesn't threaten world peace or NATO security - it probably doesn't even fracture any laws!

Wonder Woman, New Adventures of [Season 2, Episode 14]
Screaming Javelin
Shown

Henry Gibson [ The Burbs ] plays an athlete-kidnapping megalomaniac.

Wonder Woman, New Adventures of [Season 2, Episode 15]
Diana's Disappearing Act
Shown

Wonderwoman faces off against an occult magician.

Wonder Woman, New Adventures of [Season 2, Episode 16]
Death In Disguise
Shown

Wonder Woman, New Adventures of [Season 2, Episode 17]
IRAC Is Missing
Shown

A villainous master of disguise steals the Agency's supercomputer/AI. Diana Prince struts around in high heels, while as Wonderwoman her activities are limited to defeating non-human obstacles.

The real revelation of the episode is the robot dog. Its vocabulary is limited to meep meep and aw shit, but the fact that it lays explosive turds speaks volumes!

Wonder Woman, New Adventures of [Season 2, Episode 18]
Flight To Oblivion
Shown

Wonder Woman, New Adventures of [Season 2, Episode 19]
Seance of Terror
Shown

Wonder Woman, New Adventures of [Season 2, Episode 20]
The Man Who Wouldn't Tell
Shown

A janitor accidentally invents a hi-explosive formula. Diana Prince is assigned to compete for the formula against the rightful owners and some Industrial spies.

Wonder Woman, New Adventures of [Season 2, Episode 21]
The Girl From Ilandia
Shown

This episode has little or none of Lyle Waggoner in view - but then, nobody watches it for him anyhow. Instead, Diana gets a benji-looking mutt as her new sidekick. She has to rescue a pre-teen Amazon girl who has Wonderwoman-type powers! Villains want a tame Wonderwoman they can force to help them.

Wonderwoman states that she can't stop the submarine - but in the Bermuda Triangle episode she out-swims an ultra-modern one. Then she wipes the villains' minds and lets the cops lead them away. They aren't given their Miranda rights, but that doesn't matter because they can't confess anyway - she wiped their memories, remember?

Wonder Woman, New Adventures of [Season 2, Episode 22]
The Murderous Missile
Shown

Diana Prince visits a small Midwest town near a rocket range. The rocket's guidance system is the telekinesis helmet from the episode The Man Who Could Move The World.

The Action is mostly in long-shot, so we aren't supposed to realise that the stunts are done by men! We get to see Wonderwoman chained to a bed. Also, we discover that she has a biker costume - well, it's her so-called swimsuit with a motorbike helmet on top.

Dark Angel

Xena: Warrior Princess

List of Books available at AMAZON.com (what better place to buy stuff about an amazon than on amazon)

Wonder Woman : Gods and Goddesses by John Byrne
Wonder Woman Archives by William Moulton Marston
Wonder Woman : The Life and Times of the Amazon Princess by Les Daniels
Wonder Woman : Featuring over Five Decades of Great Covers by Amy Handy
Wonder Woman : The Challenge of Artemis by William Messner-Loebs
How to Draw Wonder Woman by John Delaney
Wonder Woman : Lifelinesby Byrne John
Wonder Woman : The Contest by William Messner-Loebs
Wonder Woman Notecards
Wonder Woman Addresses

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ORBzine - UK Television Review: "Wonder Woman"