Science fiction in "Wonder Woman" goes intergalactic again, this time with literal little green men invading Earth in "Mind Stealers from Outer Space," the first of a two-part episode that heralds the return of a space alien named Andros (Dack Rambo), the son of the first Andros seen during a season-one two-parter ("Judgment from Outer Space").
This Andros is trying to stop the Skrill, a deadly criminal race that has escaped imprisonment and is heading to Earth, with Andros pleading with his high council on the planet Octarus to follow them and, with Wonder Woman's help, prevent the Skrill from sucking humanity's knowledge from its collective brains--and prevent his own people from incapacitating Earthlings with the "contamination unit" they want to send to recapture the Skrill.
Stephen Kandel's ambitious script soon meets the series' budget limitations and shooting schedule as the diminutive Skrill, despite their fearsome ray-weapons and mind-sucking, er, eggshells, are clad in what look like homemade Halloween costumes while they chirp like computerized birds. They do manage to inhabit the bodies of two college students on a field trip in the mountains, Debbie (Kristin Larkin) and Johnny (Vincent Van Patten), giving them disguises as they begin their conquest of Earth.
Meanwhile, Andros arrives and makes contact with Wonder Woman; then, working with her alter ego Diana Prince, they arrange a demonstration of his powers for the skeptical military types, one of whom is a Skrill in disguise, which Andros detects. Debbie and Johnny, spying on the demonstration, try to help their comrade; Debbie is captured, but Johnny escapes and reveals to the other Skrill that Diana and Wonder Woman are one and the same, with Diana's persona more vulnerable, and unleashes the Sardor (Paul Baxley), seemingly the low-budget spawn of Darth Vader and the Punisher, to dispose of Diana as the lukewarm cliffhanger.
At this point, Lynda Carter has made "Wonder Woman" her own although Lyle Waggoner gets more screen time than he's had in several previous episodes as mountainous settings lend some variety to the location filming. Still, only the second part can tell us whether the premise of "Mind Stealers from Outer Space" is inspiration or desperation.
This Andros is trying to stop the Skrill, a deadly criminal race that has escaped imprisonment and is heading to Earth, with Andros pleading with his high council on the planet Octarus to follow them and, with Wonder Woman's help, prevent the Skrill from sucking humanity's knowledge from its collective brains--and prevent his own people from incapacitating Earthlings with the "contamination unit" they want to send to recapture the Skrill.
Stephen Kandel's ambitious script soon meets the series' budget limitations and shooting schedule as the diminutive Skrill, despite their fearsome ray-weapons and mind-sucking, er, eggshells, are clad in what look like homemade Halloween costumes while they chirp like computerized birds. They do manage to inhabit the bodies of two college students on a field trip in the mountains, Debbie (Kristin Larkin) and Johnny (Vincent Van Patten), giving them disguises as they begin their conquest of Earth.
Meanwhile, Andros arrives and makes contact with Wonder Woman; then, working with her alter ego Diana Prince, they arrange a demonstration of his powers for the skeptical military types, one of whom is a Skrill in disguise, which Andros detects. Debbie and Johnny, spying on the demonstration, try to help their comrade; Debbie is captured, but Johnny escapes and reveals to the other Skrill that Diana and Wonder Woman are one and the same, with Diana's persona more vulnerable, and unleashes the Sardor (Paul Baxley), seemingly the low-budget spawn of Darth Vader and the Punisher, to dispose of Diana as the lukewarm cliffhanger.
At this point, Lynda Carter has made "Wonder Woman" her own although Lyle Waggoner gets more screen time than he's had in several previous episodes as mountainous settings lend some variety to the location filming. Still, only the second part can tell us whether the premise of "Mind Stealers from Outer Space" is inspiration or desperation.
