Wonder Woman 18
A weak start gives way to what is actually a good story with an interesting villain.
- The fourth episode produced for the new season and definitely the best so far. It has problems, yes, but they are minor compared to the flaws of the first three episodes. And the second half is great!
- The villain’s not really a villain, just a man with what he believes is a justifiable grievance. He’s also got telekinetic powers, making him into a truly formidable opponent for Wonder Woman.
- As the show went on, it tended to do this a lot: creating interesting one-episode characters who could easily feature in more episodes, or even their own spin-off series.
- So, while the villain reminds one of the great days ahead, the opening scenes are a reminder that we are still stuck in the early part of the CBS episodes: Joe is still a character, Diana is frequently off-screen and Steve takes center-stage a lot.
- The middle-of-the-night briefing that opens the story is bad. Stiff and boring. It’s the worst possible way to open an episode of an action-adventure superhero show.
- The conclusion, however, is magnificent. Not just for the tense showdown between WW and the villain but also for the moment when our heroine relinquishes her powers to meet him head on. Truly heroic.
- In this sequence, as well as all others, Lynda Carter is fantastic.
