Search - Wonder Woman - The Complete Third Season on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 3/13/2024...

What a great days of future past series!

All our hopes are pinned on season three

Robin Orlowski | United States | 03/18/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This last season of Wonder Woman continued the Amazing Amazon's adventures in 1970's America. 22 episodes comprise the 1978-79 season.



Notable episodes include "My Teenage Idol is missing" where Wonder Woman helps to crack the kidnapping-switching of a teenage singing idol with an impostor, while "Formicida" has Wonder Woman go against another super powered woman who takes nature preservation to dangerous extremes through her insect control: bugs are being dispatched to stop the manufacture of a deadly pesticide because this person does not believe the pesticide is good for the Earth. This latter villian is different from some of the other people Wonder Woman has faced because good initial intentions only became warped through extremes.



Wonder Woman also faces a similar ethical issue in "The man who could not die" because she must save a newly-invincible man from being captured and exploited by dangerous groups. Having superpowers ultimately does not mean much if you are then vulnerable to exploitation from being a public (and 'everyday') citizen. Her secret identity as "Diana Prince" might be all that keeps Wonder Woman from facing similar peril.



"A date with doomsday" eerily foreshadows the then-upcoming AIDS pandemic. Wonder Woman must prevent a virus from spreading around the globe. The all-critical plot catch being this deadly virus was first created in a laboratory and the HIV virus is rumored to have been created in similar conditions. I wonder if anybody in this series's scripting department knew anybody affected with what became HIV when this was written?



Unlike a lot of other shows past and present, the series production team knew when to end the show lest their product become stale. The diving suit was cool, but the wonder skate and bike suits were pushing sci-fi fantasy into 1960's camp absurdity. I mourned the series cancellation as a young girl, but now understand the wisdom of the television executive decision, Wonder Woman is now timeless for countless generations because somebody knew when to say `enough'.



There's some playing around with the theme song (adopting a disco influence) but the overall pop culture influence on this series is tolerable and certainly not as bad as it could have gotten (even the "Disco Devil" is a cut above other disco-themed series episodes in this era just because Carter is a good actress period). Of her second suits, I think the wetsuit kicks ass.



Special guest stars this season include Leif Garret, Roddy McDowell, Ted Shackelford and Joan Van Ark. Special features include star Carter's own commentary on the enduring power of Wonder Woman and her singing (in an episode). When some other celebrities are loathe to continue being associated with their signature role, Carter's ongoing warmth to the fans and continued enthusiasm for all things Wonder Woman is really admirable.



I am also thankful that the studios have thoughtfully kept the price of the DVD set down around 20 dollars. I can pass on the Shazzam series (one episode is included on a special bonus disc), but having all seasons of Wonder Woman is a mandate from Paradise Island.



Considering how difficult it is to find Wonder Woman reruns on TV, the incomplete DVD release status of some other 70's series (Charlies Angels...etc) and the arm-leg cost of other TV seasons on DVD, this purchase is definitely worth it.



"

Wonder Woman: The Final Set

Eric Pregosin | New Carrollton, Maryland United States | 03/19/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"How about that? 2 weeks after my copy of Season 2 (or the first contemporary season for literalists) arrives in my mailbox, I get to place my pre-order for the final season and at the same price to boot. There are some who say that this season's villains are not as comic strip like, but it's a toughie to call. Some of the things you notice in this final collection. 1) Charles Fox's music has been "jazzed up" a tad for during both the opening and closing credits, leaving Norman Gimbel's lyrics from both previous sets just a memory of the recent past. 2) Steve Trevor Jr's unexplained rank of "Major" (his father's rank from the war series) said to him first by Andros in the next to last segment of part 2 of "Mind Stealers" just as inexplicably becomes "Colonel". As Diana says in, "Flight To Oblivion" "Congratulations you finally got a promotion". 3) Some of the clips from the Opening Credits are different than in the last set (1 even includes the Rover). The clips with Lyle Waggoner are the same just showed in reverse of the way they were shown in set 2. They are completely removed in "The Man Who Couldn't Die" since he didn't appear in it (I still believe this was the finale despite the order these episodes will appear on disc), and replaced with clips from that episode (which were used in a previous episode as well). 4) The opening segments before the credits on some of these episodes are longer than on when they started using this format with "Man Who Made Volcanoes" in set 2 (the longest timewise I think is on "Deadly Sting" (which I still feel was the season premiere, listen to the music on the ending credits on this episode vis a vis any other in the collection and you'll hear why). 5) For the first time in the contemporary series, an actor reprises a role (in the war series Carolyn Jones played the Queen and Debra Winger plays Drusilla in both "Feminum Mystique" and "In Hollywood" making the only reprisal of a character by the same actor in the war series). Here Ed Begley Jr returns as Harold Farnum (the smitten college student in "Diana's Disappearing Act") in "Fine Art of Crime". However, for literalists, his famous father has gone from being a "Congressman" (referencing the House of Representatives) to a "Senator". In this same episode you also see Rover is not as pesty as you think when you first meet him, when he locks Harold in a closet when he tries to secretly get to see Ira after Steve says no. Rover also comes in useful in "Formicida", a bravura "speaking job" by the then popular husband/wife "mime" team of Robert Shields and Lorene Yarnell". Ok enough disecting this final DVD set of 1 of my favorites tv shows. BUY IT AND COMPLETE YOUR COLLECTION (or if you haven't started already, order all 3 together). NOW!"

Seems to be rushed

Twilight Comments | Australia | 08/31/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As the title of my review suggests, this DVD compilation is not the best - it definetly could have been better. Sure its wonderful to have the entire third season of episodes on DVD, but I wish Warner would have taken care in presenting the series EXACTLY as it appeared when released on television. All - in all it is the same. Again the closing credits have the current warner brothers logo instead of the original red labelled one. Most importantly is the opening credits. The sound is out of sync for several of the epidoes which is ridiculous as it was never that way. The opening credits in season three were supposed to have 'The New Adventures of Wonder Woman' against a blue background (a few episodes on this DVD are correct), but most here are black which only appeared in the episode 'The Man who made volcanos'. Luckily the stories themselves are unaffected otherwise this set would have been ruined.



I would have also liked to have the opening teasers for both 'The Boy who knew her secret part two' and 'the phantom of the roller coaster part two' which are missing on this box set. What a pity.



I know the stories are presented as they were aired, but for story continuity they should have placed the 'phantom of the roller coaster before the 'boy who knew her secrets' concluding with 'the man who would not die' in which Diana Prince moves to los Angeles with a new life. Lyle Waggonner is not in the credits any longer, assuming something has happened to Steve Trevor Jr.



The extra features are welcome, but I wish the directors would have given some incentive for Lynda to give new and intersting comments than content that already exists in seaon one and two box sets. We never really get to know the production path of the series, nor evidence of changes about new sound effects, fads and influences to change content. In addition Wonder Woman's new focus in life and comments of her evolution in attitude change becoming familiar with American culture.



overall it is not a bad compilation, but it certainly could have been presented better. A shame the third season compilation had to end this way. It feels incomplete."