The tepid conclusion to the two-part space saga "Mind Stealers from Outer Space" confirms that, first, the title is truly worthy of Ed Wood, second, even with Bruce Lansbury as supervising producer, "Wonder Woman" seemed to be running out of gas, and, third, Stephen Kandel's thin story could have been condensed into a single episode.
With Andros (Dack Rambo), an alien from the planet Octarus, down to his last 48 hours on Earth to round up the fugitive Skrill, deadly criminals who escaped Octarun custody and have been harvesting the minds of Earthlings, desperation sets in for him, Wonder Woman, and the Inter-Agency Defense Command before the Octaran high council sends its "decontamination unit" to Earth to recapture the Skrill, with decontamination likely to render at least two million Earthlings insane.
Moreover, the Skrill have grown bolder, sending the Sardor (Paul Baxley), the low-budget spawn of Darth Vader and the Punisher, to kill Diana Prince and luring Andros into a trap to kill him. When those actions fail, Skrill under the command of college student Johnny (Vincent Van Patten), whose body was commandeered by a Skrill, begin to seize elite members of a prominent think-tank as their harvesting of human minds escalates.
Implored by Diana and Steve Trevor, Andros asks his high council for more time, and when he is rebuffed, his instruction is to address the United Nations to brief the world on the impending decontamination. You might think that, upon hearing this shocking news, global outrage or panic would ensue, but Lansbury and his production staff didn't seem to budget for that. Instead, they send in the Sardor for the anticlimactic climax. Thanks to the stretching of Kandel's story across two parts, "Mind Stealers" only amplifies the limitations inherent in a formula one-hour weekly television series made on a quick turnaround time, particularly one dependent upon stunts and special effects to deliver the punch.
Ensconced in her role, Lynda Carter gamely flexes her limited performance chops while Lyle Waggoner supplies competent if unexceptional support as Rambo does what he can with yet another Klaatu iteration of the benevolent alien. A new twist is the suggestion of romance between Diana/Wonder Woman and Andros, although Diana's playing the straight woman to new character IRAC, the IADC's joke-telling computer, produces groans over and above the hoary gags IRAC trots out. Let's hope IRAC doesn't have the last laugh.
With Andros (Dack Rambo), an alien from the planet Octarus, down to his last 48 hours on Earth to round up the fugitive Skrill, deadly criminals who escaped Octarun custody and have been harvesting the minds of Earthlings, desperation sets in for him, Wonder Woman, and the Inter-Agency Defense Command before the Octaran high council sends its "decontamination unit" to Earth to recapture the Skrill, with decontamination likely to render at least two million Earthlings insane.
Moreover, the Skrill have grown bolder, sending the Sardor (Paul Baxley), the low-budget spawn of Darth Vader and the Punisher, to kill Diana Prince and luring Andros into a trap to kill him. When those actions fail, Skrill under the command of college student Johnny (Vincent Van Patten), whose body was commandeered by a Skrill, begin to seize elite members of a prominent think-tank as their harvesting of human minds escalates.
Implored by Diana and Steve Trevor, Andros asks his high council for more time, and when he is rebuffed, his instruction is to address the United Nations to brief the world on the impending decontamination. You might think that, upon hearing this shocking news, global outrage or panic would ensue, but Lansbury and his production staff didn't seem to budget for that. Instead, they send in the Sardor for the anticlimactic climax. Thanks to the stretching of Kandel's story across two parts, "Mind Stealers" only amplifies the limitations inherent in a formula one-hour weekly television series made on a quick turnaround time, particularly one dependent upon stunts and special effects to deliver the punch.
Ensconced in her role, Lynda Carter gamely flexes her limited performance chops while Lyle Waggoner supplies competent if unexceptional support as Rambo does what he can with yet another Klaatu iteration of the benevolent alien. A new twist is the suggestion of romance between Diana/Wonder Woman and Andros, although Diana's playing the straight woman to new character IRAC, the IADC's joke-telling computer, produces groans over and above the hoary gags IRAC trots out. Let's hope IRAC doesn't have the last laugh.