S02.E10: Mind Stealers from Outer Space (Parts I and II)

[MarkHB]

NOTE: This was originally broadcast in 2 parts, S2 E10 & 11, On December 2 and 9, 1977.

 

Diana has super-hearing even when she's not Wonder Woman, although she loses all her other powers?  How conveenient!

 

The Skrill, smartest villains in the universe since they figured out that Diana (going around without her enormous glasses) is also Wonder Woman by using facial recognition software... or maybe just a big Viewmaster.  That reminded me of the "most stupid woman in history" scene from Lois and Clark, done in reverse.

 

Really, I thought the vast majority of the story held up, even if a lot of the details were hard to overlook.

 

 

 

 

[Cress]

I didn't like these episodes that much with the weird Darth Vader knock off creature. The Skrill stealing minds took too long, and the arguments with the Council aliens were boring. I don't think they ever explained why that one sculptor lady was part of the think tank, and after making a big deal about capturing the think tank minds, the Skrill suddenly decide instead to invade the United Nations to steal Andros's mind. Wouldn't they just want to escape the planet right away to avoid the decontamination that was announced?

 

Young Andros, or Andros Jr., was interesting, but they glossed over how he met Wonder Woman before. Andros just said, "My father and I worked with her before" referring to the season 1 episode that only featured his father. Maybe we're to assume they came back again during World War II and we didn't see it. At the end Andros mentions that they last met in 1943, but we don't get any flashbacks or more info about that. They suggested romantic feelings between Andros and Wonder Woman, and he invited her to travel space with him, but she declined. I wonder if this was how they were moving Wonder Woman away from Steve Trevor Jr, but it seems a weird thing, since she was previously close to Andros's father, and I thought they were avoiding this father/son thing.

 

It also seemed that IRAC figured out that Diana was Wonder Woman in this episode, since IRAC refers to her as Princess.

Edited May 7, 2014 by Cress

[MarkHB]

I think the 1943 reference was a clue; all the S1 episodes were set in 1942 from what I remember, so '43 would imply that there was a further adventure that was never shown on TV.  It also helps explain the bit at the end of the ep where Andros calls Steve "Major"... I was surprised that wasn't remarked upon.  But there never seemed to be any romantic attachment between Andros Sr. and Diana, so I can see Junior being created specifically for that reason.

 

It also seemed that IRAC figured out that Diana was Wonder Woman in this episode, since IRAC refers to her as Princess.

Indeed; according to WP, this was the first hint that IRAC knew the truth.  Of course, if the Skrill could figure it out, why shouldn't the supercomputer?

[rainsmom]

Back in the day, these were two of my favorite episodes. Watching them now, though, they feel dated enough that I'm not as enthralled. I was always disappointed that they went with an Andros Jr because I loved Andros Sr. I can understand why they'd have made the decision to do so, though. Without the attraction between Steve and Diana, Andros Jr is a love interest of sorts. Honestly, it never occurred to me that there could have been an additional meeting in 1943; I just assumed they were retconning the original episode to have included both Andros and his son. Now I want to see a missing adventure!

 

I noticed Andros saying "Major" as well. That was a mistake, wasn't it? Was Steve Jr ever in the military? And didn't his father die a Colonel? Oy, I need to go back and watch The Return of Wonder Woman again.

 

I also noticed that Diana didn't wear her glasses in this episode, except in the office with Steve. She had sunglasses on her head (and face, occasionally), but I think she wore her glasses only around Steve.

 

Is this the only episode where DIana is rendered unconscious and carried? In most series, the women are carried around a LOT. But Lynda is not a small person. (Heck, Wonder Woman "carried" the men around!) I always figured it would be kind of awkward to heft her around.

[MarkHB]

I noticed Andros saying "Major" as well. That was a mistake, wasn't it? Was Steve Jr ever in the military? And didn't his father die a Colonel? Oy, I need to go back and watch The Return of Wonder Woman again.

 

I also noticed that Diana didn't wear her glasses in this episode, except in the office with Steve. She had sunglasses on her head (and face, occasionally), but I think she wore her glasses only around Steve.

 

I have no idea if Steve Jr. served in the military, and going by Lyle Waggoner's actual age isn't much help since I think he was playing below his actual age in both series.  It could have been that Andros Jr. confused him with his father, in which case it was his mistake and not the writers'.  So far as Steve Sr. goes, he retired as a major general (2 stars).

 

It seems that as the show goes on, Diana only wears the glasses to fool the people who see Wonder Woman often, like Steve.

[Cress]

 

But there never seemed to be any romantic attachment between Andros Sr. and Diana,

 

I'm not so sure. In the episodes they had lots of bonding, and I found his behavior to be like that of a courtly gentleman. After Andros left, Major Trevor remarked, "I saw the way that Wonder Woman looked at him, and I'm glad he's gone" as if he was jealous of some potential relationship. Diana said he had nothing to worry about, but she did say to Andros that she looked forward to meeting him in several years when he returned, because it would seem a short time to her, being immortal. (He said he'd be back to make another judgement on the human race in 50 years I think, but apparently he came back in 1943 with his son?) I think Diana did relate to Andros Sr. in a different way because he was an alien and she was still somewhat of an outsider in the USA. I think the writers wanted to build on that dynamic, but because the actor was older, they wanted to use a younger actor, so they invented Andros Jr. to increase the romantic sparks.