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Wonder Woman - Complete Season 3
RRP: £39.99
Our Price: £7.62 (subject to change)
Less Than Wonderful Final Season
Review date: 2008-09-27 Rating: 8 out of 10
Season 3 represents the final and most lackluster season of the 'Wonder Woman' TV series. There were a lot of very notable changes both on-screen and off. Behind the scenes, much of the original crew from co-creator Stanley Ralph Ross to costume designer Donald Lee Feld had moved onto other things as the series was re-tooled to make it more network friendly. Some of these on screen changes included the dismissal of references to Paradise Island, the decrease in Lyle Waggonner's likable part, and probably the hardest pill to swallow...the elimination of Diana Prince's eye glasses. Now, some might argue that the glasses for a disguise bit was cheesy anyway, but that would mean overlooking Lynda Carter's fine performance differentiating between the more outwardly Wonder Woman and the introverted Diana Prince that made the conceit more plausible (Think Christopher Reeve and his marvelous interpretation of Clark Kent). However, with the glasses gone, there is absolutely no contrast between Lynda Carter's handling of the the dual roles. As the season progresses and Diana Prince is made more glamorous (even having her hair long and wavy like Wonder Woman's), any and all semblance of reality is gone as one can't help but wonder why no one can tell that Diana Prince is Wonder Woman.
From a standpoint of storylines, this season offers Wonder Woman situations that seem somehow beneath her scope. Art thieves, football gamblers, and mischievous Leprechauns are not the kind of problems that one would expect a powerful princess who came to "Man's World" on a mission of peace to undertake. However, there are some rare gems in the otherwise banal plot devices such as the dark two-part "The Boy Who Knew Her Secret" and my personal favorite, "Disco Devil."
The extras on this set are very slim, which is not surprising as WB doesn't seem very interested in giving fans much in the way of extras with their TV show DVD releases. There is a commentary by Lynda Carter on the first episode, although I thought this was a poor choice as it is far from the best episode this season had to offer. Finally, there is a very brief documentary about what a great Feminist icon Wonder Woman is by, well...some females. As if this rather obvious notion wasn't already addressed thoroughly in the previous DVD release documentaries, it's drilled into our heads at nauseum in this one. I would much rather have preferred a retrospective on key episodes from Lynda Carter and whatever crew members they could scrounge up or some vintage promos and commercials...or both!
In closing, despite a lot of these negatives, I was very eager to add this release to my DVD library. Lynda Carter shines as always as Wonder Woman even when the scripts required the audience to leave their brains at the door. There's no telling what the future holds for Wonder Woman and her return to the screen, but it's certain that Lynda Carter will always represent Wonder Woman admirably to much of the world.
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Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Lynda Carter
Creators:
Lynda Carter (Primary Contributor)
Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 7321900717571
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 4
Format: Box set, PAL,
Release date: 2005-11-21
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Region code: 2
Running time: 999 minutes
Language: English (Original Language)