Review: Wonder Woman: The Complete Second Season DVD
Reviewed by Craig Byrne
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Unless you count the current storyline in the comics where the character has been blinded, now is a good time to be Wonder Woman. A new movie was just announced last night with Joel Silver (The Matrix) producing and Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) directing. And no matter who is cast in this new film, no one will wear the costume and tiara quite like Lynda Carter did in the original 1970's TV series.

I was born in 1977, so obviously I didn't catch Wonder Woman when it was first on the air. I remember seeing parts of it on the weekend when my Dad would watch repeats on Saturdays between The Incredible Hulk and In Search Of. I remember when it was part of the "Triple A TV" afternoon block on the fX cable channel back when it was still "TV made fresh daily," before the days of constant M*A*S*H repeats, and certainly before the time they finally got on the ball with critically-acclaimed dramas. Growing up seeing Wonder Woman only peripherally, Lynda Carter's image as the character is the one that stuck with me the most. The character has endured over the years with fantastic artists doing her comic - folks like George Perez, Phil Jiminez, and Adam Hughes. But to me, Lynda Carter was and is always going to be the definitive look of Wonder Woman in my mind. Christopher Reeve as Superman is one of the only other times there has been such a perfect transition from comics to film. Carter's Wonder Woman jumps off the comic book page - literally, if you check out the opening credits.

The first, and most impressive, thing I noticed about Lynda Carter's portrayal of the character on this DVD set is that she really became the character, and believed in it. Not every actress could pull this off. Some might take it the way of feeling ridiculous in the skimpy costume, or laugh at the concept of this Amazonian princess from Paradise Island who goes to the Man's world and helps rescue doofus Steve Trevor every week. The DVD bonus interviews, which include new material with Lynda Carter, talk about this approach and it made me all the more impressed.

My other major comment? I bought the Season One DVD set for Wonder Woman when it came out last year, and despite major guest stars like Cloris Leachman or Debra Winger, the World War II stuff, admittedly, kind of bored me. Season Two takes Wonder Woman to the 1970's and makes things more modern. Diana Prince (WW's alter ego) gets a better fashion sense and we are introduced to new technologies like IRA the computer. Sure, ghosts from the World War II past do spring up, but the episodes seem a bit less silly and more down to Earth this time.

Lyle Waggoner in Season Two plays Steve Trevor Jr., son of the original Steve Trevor, who he played during the show's first season. This plot device is very soap opera-like, but it works, in this case.

In addition to the second season's 22 episodes which include a feature-length season premiere, the DVD includes a bonus feature that includes interviews with Ms. Carter and comic book professionals Phil Jiminez (who may be Wonder Woman's biggest fan, though we know his heart belongs to Donna Troy), Andy Mangels, and Adam Hughes.

Click on the link below to order a copy of the DVD! You can read more about the Wonder Woman Season Two DVD by visiting Warner Home Video's page at WonderWomanDVD.com.

Note: The views of Craig Byrne don't necessarily represent the thoughts and feelings of everyone at KryptonSite.