Wonder Woman

I was jumping happily around my house when I suddenly remember Wonder Woman on this Good Friday. Yeah, yeah, yeah! The series walked with me through my 7th, 8th and 9th year of my life. I never forget that right after school, I rushed back home for some snacks and the Cantonese voice-overed Wonder Woman's power and justice.

As a little girl at such tender age, I was not interested in or envied her hourglass figure. I wanted to have her bracelets, her boots, her crown and of course her power! Not many of my little classmates followed this series because they loved Japanese cartoons more. From time to time I imagined I was powerful like WW to save people's life or even the world with my two bracelets like Lynda Carter. By the way, she's a great beauty, like most of the young fans, I followed her news for some time.

What made me even happier was the appearance of Justice League because the amazon woman was an important member. Once my elder sister asked me very innocently that if WW would be marrying Superman! Now I am thinking about what power their children will be endowed with if and only if they tie the knot! Super Wonder Kids!

Amongst the female American superhero like She-Ra or Superwoman, none of them achieved as successfully as WW. She is a part of my young memory.

Wonder Woman is a somewhat forgotten show, it's not on syndication much, but it's gotten a boost from a successful release on DVD. The first season takes place in the 1940s with Wonder Woman constantly fighting to dismantle the Nazi's schemes. The following two seasons take place in the 1970s, and they will be released on DVD soon.

The show is always bordering on the level of high camp, but like most every show from the 1970s, it tells its' story in a very plain straightforward fashion. Wonder Woman comes to the aid of Steve Trevor, who can never seem to help himself (the male in distress). Someone they know turns out to be an undercover Nazi spy, who is trying to steal valuable information or hurt many Americans.

One thing that is somewhat frustrating is how many times she is taken captured. She is chloroformed too many times to count (a 70s trademark - what action show didn't over-exploit chloroform?) Of course, how the hell does Steve never recognize that Diana is Wonder Woman, even when she happens to show up in the middle of Brazil to save him? And that music while she flies the invisible airplane?...yeeeeeaassh!

The good parts of the show - Lynda Carter, first of all. She seemed to hit her stride in the part as the series continued and she is often so charming and innocent that you can't help but like her. Her values and strength of character are idealistic, but they're also missing in today's female heroes, who are so dark sometimes, they lose their charm. In many ways, watching Lynda as Wonder Woman is a breath of fresh air and of course, there still doesn't seem to be a woman other than her who could wear that outfit and pull it off. When Wonder Woman first walks on the city streets in the pilot, you don't know what to think, but Lynda plays her so innocently she's fantastic.

She is the driving force, but the innocent quality of the show (good vs. bad) is unique from today's perspective. The comic book captions at the leads of scenes give it a tie to the comics. The guest stars are often interesting and have good roles and Lyle Waggoner is consistent in a rather thankless role as Steve Trevor.

It may not hold up perfectly today, but it's a nice time capsule series and Lynda Carter does hold up well in a role she was born to play. And along with the Hulk, this was the best of the slew of comic book hero shows from the 1970s-early 80s.

It's too bad that "Wonder Woman" strayed from its origins after it moved from ABC to CBS. The original ABC episodes were probably some of the best efforts at bringing comic book fun to life. Once the series was moved from its WWII setting to the present, the only thing that improved was Lynda Carter's costume. "Wonder Woman" became too much of a routine type of adventure show and lost its sense of good-natured fun and camp that the WWII episodes served up (and poor Lyle Waggoner became practically non-existent as "Steve Trevor, Jr.")

Still, there is little doubt that Lynda Carter made a lasting impression as Wonder Woman. Her qualities of incredible beauty and wide-eyed innocence enabled her to make the part her own and the reason why we've never seen a big screen adapation of Wonder Woman is because Carter's portrayal still looms large even today.

When Lynda Carter first graced TV screens around the globe, most viewers, when thinking about comic book adaptations of a super-hero, would probably think of Batman, the larger than life, tongue-in-cheek series of the 1960s. What made Wonder Woman so special, and Lynda Carter's portrayal so memorable, was that when the first script in which she featured (a pilot set in the 1940s)contained many influences that could be traced back to Batman, and some very over-the-top performances, Lynda Carter played it straight. Both Wonder Woman, and Diana Prince, had to believe in what they were doing. And that belief made it all seem very real to audiences, in particular the generation of children who watched each episode. Writers and directors rapidly responded, and an unexpectedly credible series emerges. Guest actors didn't give camp or exaggerated performances, as Lynda Carter made this role very much her own. Just as Christopher Reeve made Superman an almost impossible mountain for any other actor to climb, so Lynda Carter gave a performance that 30 years later still makes it impossible to imagine any other actress in the role. Beautiful she certainly was, and created by nature to have all the physical attributes that Wonder Woman required, but it is her decision to play it straight and give the series its believability and a unique feel all its own that has helped the series endure in the memories of people around the world.

I've been watching the reruns of late on the Sci-Fi channel, and am rediscovering how silly and entertaining the whole show is; I prefer the "New Adventures", but even the WW2 episodes are zany fun. Very 70s; everything looks dated... ...but Lynda? Whoa! I had a major thing for Lynda when I was a kid, and so did every other heterosexual male of the time; I still do, too... The show may be cheesy, but there is no denying that Lynda Carter plays one sexy and fun Wonder Woman. Unlike most of the Charlie's Angels, who look like sex symbols from a bygone era, Lynda looks great, 20+ years later. She hasn't aged that badly either.

The show itself definitely could have used some improvement; a continuing storyline and better sf/x could have made the show a little more timeless. Guest appearances by other DC super-heroines would have been cool, too. As far as superhero shows go, though, it's a definite improvement over the 60's Batman, and is on a par with the Incredible Hulk. (C'mon, though... a green Lou Ferrigno, or a buxom Lynda Carter?)

Definitely recommended viewing- although one should read the original comics (especially George Perez' run) to get a truer feel for Wonder Woman's mythos.

(I hesitate to see what will become of the Wonder Woman film currently in production- it's hard to see anyone but Lynda being WW.)