Wonder Woman(NBC) *Spoilers!*

[Takeru]

I was never thought much of the writing on Smallville, but at least it pretended to be smart and sophisticated. And at least that show always looked really good.

Smallville wouldn't have looked good if you saw a rough cut of an episode with unfinished effects.

The pilot wasn't that bad, but if it had gone to series I would have dropped the entire Diana Themiscyra identity, what's the point? She's just Wonder Woman without a costume, that would be fine if she had no secret identity, but they included the Diana Prince disguise, yet all of the supporting characters including Steve Trevor are connected to Diana Themiscyra/Wonder Woman, Diana Prince did nothing except looking sad and talking to her cat.

I would have renamed Themiscyra industries and made Diana Prince an employee, Etta would known her secret but no one else. Steve wouldn't meet Diana in the pilot at all, he would just interact with Wonder Woman.

I don't have a problem with Wonder Woman killing when it's necessary, she's a warrior and while she may prefer a peaceful solution she will kill you if there are no other options left. That said, there should have been no kills in the pilot, pushing that guy against the pipe was not very Wonder Womanly, I expect more from her, she should have noticed the pipe in time, saved his life and could then proceed to punch his lights out.

 

[Agent Richard07]

The pilot wasn't that bad, but if it had gone to series I would have dropped the entire Diana Themiscyra identity, what's the point?

I thought she was easily the best part of the show and the most fascinating of the three identities. If anything, it was the Diana Prince identity that didn't quite work or appear to serve a purpose. I haven't given a lot of thought to how I'd improve the show, but I do know that I wouldn't tamper too much with Diana Themiscyra.

 

[Guy Gardener]

The company spends months, maybe years designing that Doll, obviously millions of dollars getting the production and distribution sorted and then on the 11th hour, she has a hissy fit because the tits are the wrong size?

here's the odd bit.

How could her friends and collegues not know that would be her reaction?

Why persist down that avenue of endeavour if it was the antithesis of Wonder Woman?

If she was really their friend and colleague why did she ignore them wasting her money for months.

And if she was really angry why wasn't she firing people?

Asleep at the wheel much?

I looked up Diana Prince on facebook.

Stopped looking for her page after the first 50 results.

I loved the Slapsgiving countdown page How I met Your Mother produced to thrill their fanbase.

 

[Christopher]

Diana Prince is unnecessary, and until recently she'd been absent from the comics for a couple of decades. We've already got other major superheroes with secret identities. What made Wonder Woman distinctive as a character in the post-Crisis era was her lack of a secret identity, the fact that she was a public figure in her everyday life as well as her superheroic life. That's a dynamic that hasn't been explored much in TV/film adaptations of comics, except in things like Iron Man 2 and Fantastic Four. Replacing Ambassador Diana of Themyscira with Diana Themyscira of Themyscira Industries was a change, but still preserved the basic dynamic that defined the comics for twenty years, with Diana as a powerful and open public figure who played two roles but had only one identity. Tacking Diana Prince on top of that seems gratuitous, as if they were trying to amalgamate both approaches to the character into one, or simply couldn't choose between them. But given the choice, they should've gone with the public identity, because secret identities have been done to death.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Tacking Diana Prince on top of that seems gratuitous, as if they were trying to amalgamate both approaches to the character into one, or simply couldn't choose between them.

Right off the bat, a friend of mine characterized the decision to do this as a result of "over-engineering".

 

[DWF]

I think wthout the Diana Prince persona people familar with the older series but not familar with the comic book would be asking about her and why Wonder Woman doesn't use it anymore, had it been cut from this possible series,

 

[JD]

^Maybe they could have tossed in something about how she thought about doing something like that or made a reference to her having used the identity before she became more well known.

 

[Takeru]

Diana Prince is unnecessary, and until recently she'd been absent from the comics for a couple of decades. We've already got other major superheroes with secret identities. What made Wonder Woman distinctive as a character in the post-Crisis era was her lack of a secret identity, the fact that she was a public figure in her everyday life as well as her superheroic life. That's a dynamic that hasn't been explored much in TV/film adaptations of comics, except in things like Iron Man 2 and Fantastic Four. Replacing Ambassador Diana of Themyscira with Diana Themyscira of Themyscira Industries was a change, but still preserved the basic dynamic that defined the comics for twenty years, with Diana as a powerful and open public figure who played two roles but had only one identity. Tacking Diana Prince on top of that seems gratuitous, as if they were trying to amalgamate both approaches to the character into one, or simply couldn't choose between them. But given the choice, they should've gone with the public identity, because secret identities have been done to death.

But in the comics Diana is an ambassador and has diplomatic immunity, in the pilot she was (as far as the authorities were concerned) just a woman who liked to play "cop in a slutty uniform" at night. She needs a secret identity, otherwise there's no reason why she's not arrested for the crimes she's committing.

 

[Christopher]

But in the comics Diana is an ambassador and has diplomatic immunity, in the pilot she was (as far as the authorities were concerned) just a woman who liked to play "cop in a slutty uniform" at night. She needs a secret identity, otherwise there's no reason why she's not arrested for the crimes she's committing.

But that would only work if Diana Prince were her only civilian identity. In the pilot, she has an open alternate identity as Diana Themyscira, a corporate executive who is publicly known to be Wonder Woman. So if the cops wanted to arrest her, they'd know exactly where to find her.

 

[Guy Gardener]

I wonder what that guy meant by "You're not even genetically human"?

And she did see to throw around the word Amazon in a sort of I once boned Hercules sort of way...

What is she and where is she from and how long has... I'm almost questioning if she's not very very young if this Wonder Woman crawled out a Vat mostly grown?

 

[Agent Richard07]

^ I figured that she had the same basic backstory that we already know... Superhuman amazon from Paradise island who's probably very old.

 

[23skidoo]

I think wthout the Diana Prince persona people familar with the older series but not familar with the comic book would be asking about her and why Wonder Woman doesn't use it anymore, had it been cut from this possible series,

I agree with that. Remember that the series/pilot is not being made for the people who line up at the comic shop every Wednesday or who bitch about Action Comics being renumbered (like me) but to people who know nothing about WW outside of Lynda Carter's TV show. Hence the rumors that Lynda was going to appear in the series (probably as Diana's mother, even though the V remake already played that card with the other Diana). It's almost as if the makers wanted viewers to be given permission to accept the new TV Wonder Woman. (Similar to Zach Quinto's Spock meeting Leonard Nimoy in the movie.)

Odds are the only real nod to the diehard fans was the controversial doll scene. One other thing I liked about it was the presence of items I recognize from the local comic store like the statuettes, and I spotted the Alex Ross painting in the background. And I wouldn't be surprised if the "tits" doll wasn't a genuine item too as it sort of looked like a Tonner doll. (Well, not quite: here's how Tonner handles WW: http://www.tonnerdoll.com/dcstars.htm)

Alex

 

[jadcox@mindspring.com]

Would any kind soul out there be willing to drop tactful, non rule-breaking hints about how to obtain the pilot that leaked? Either here or by PM? Thanks!

 

[JRS]

There has been some reviews popping up of the pilot recently to youtube..and someone made this montage of the action scenes with the 70s theme music:
http://youtu.be/F1cDmZeHIY4

I have also..er..found the pilot from the net and I plan to write some comments later, as soon as I manage to watch it

Edit: Here is my review.

Well, I have now watched the pilot. It is sadly as bad as they say it is.
I really, really wanted to like this..but now I only wonder of why did they even shoot this stuff in the first place?!!?!
This project would have needed a totally new story and screenplay before they even started filming.
Money and time wasted to be sure..and I am actually almost happy that they did not air this one.

I think the first problem of the pilot is the premise itself.
See as you may have read, Wonder Woman is known to the USA also as CEO of a multimillion corporation known as Themiscyra. This is basically used to fund her crime fighting operations and intel.
She also uses media to taunt the evil criminals via live press conferences. I do not see the reason behind that one..one of the many things that do not make a lot of sense.

Diana also has an third identity as Diana Prince, that she uses to have what she calls "a normal life", that in this one means watching bad soap opera with your cat, eating chips and crying over the ex-bf Steve Trevor.
Yes, in this one WW is suffering a major identity crisis, I think this idea is simply stupid.
It does seem that in David E.Kelleys mind we cant relate to a superheroine unless she dwells in self-pity. Sorry, but I rather take that strong and smiling from the 1970s WW, thank you very much.
Wonder Womans personality seems off other ways too. She does not seem to be very smart and seems to be taking her job too personally. Plus she goes around saying things like "Leave revenge to me, I am good at it" or "If law wont get you, I will".
She also goes to hospital to torture a criminal to get some information..er..whaaaaat? Cant she use her corporate assets to find that stuff out..I guess she needs to fire some people.

But the problems of the pilot wont end there.
We are told that WW task in life is to fight crime..but she does not seem to be doing that much but instead just basically hangs out in the office talking mostly bad dialogue, worrying about Justice Department..and so on.
This should have been about Wonder Woman, not about office stuff. And come to think of it, how did WW even become an owner or major corporation?

We are told to believe that she just "decided to do it" Maybe Bruce Wayne gave her a loan..I dont know.
It begs the question, does she even need tons of money to fight crime?..its a bit absurd and silly really. I did like the action figure scene, though.
​

The cast really does not shine much, Palicki looks good in the part but she does not get to shine her acting muscle much because of the dull screenplay. I have to say that she is very fine looking woman.
Some of the supporting roles are badly cast, like the detective. One rarely sees that bad acting on TV these days.
The villain of the pilot is just another boring lady, who even comes to visit Diana and "make friends" in a stupid and silly scene.

Is there anything good in this one then? I liked most of the scenes with Wonder Woman plus the two action scenes where well done. I liked the way she used her lasso. Watching WW kick ass was good fun.
Sadly those where mainly the only scenes that worked.
This series could have been something great with another writer/producer in the helm and if it would have respected more of the roots of the character..and frankly the character itself.

 

[Christopher]

I think the first problem of the pilot is the premise itself.
See as you may have read, Wonder Woman is known to the USA also as CEO of a multimillion corporation known as Themiscyra. This is basically used to fund her crime fighting operations and intel.
She also uses media to taunt the evil criminals via live press conferences. I do not see the reason behind that one..one of the many things that do not make a lot of sense.

This could've worked in principle. A large part of the Wonder Woman story since the Perez reboot in the '80s, a large part of what makes her distinct from other superheroes, is that she's a celebrity and a figure of global prominence. She's the Ambassador from Themyscira and an activist for peace as well as a crimefighter. You can particularly see in the Phil Jimenez and Greg Rucka runs in the comics how her crimefighting and adventuring is just one component of this whole expansive diplomatic/activist/public-relations organization she's running to promote peace and enlightenment, with an embassy staff assisting her and everything. (Well, was. Her status quo has gone through a number of changes in the years since then even before the recent company-wide continuity reboot.) The pilot shifted her from diplomatic to corporate circles, but otherwise the idea of Wonder Woman being an industry unto herself, using her celebrity and high-status position to pursue her goals, isn't that different.

Diana also has an third identity as Diana Prince, that she uses to have what she calls "a normal life", that in this one means watching bad soap opera with your cat, eating chips and crying over the ex-bf Steve Trevor.
Yes, in this one WW is suffering a major identity crisis, I think this idea is simply stupid.

This part was strange. Odd to try to have it both ways -- the post-Crisis version where she's a public figure with an open identity and the original version where she has the Clark Kentish secret identity. It felt like they were hedging their bets -- trying to base it loosely on the more modern incarnation of the character but feeling they had to throw in Diana Prince so as not to confuse people who only know Wonder Woman from the '70s TV show.

It does seem that in David E.Kelleys mind we cant relate to a superheroine unless she dwells in self-pity.

I think that's just the way he portrays his female leads in general, nothing to do with whether she's a superhero.

Wonder Womans personality seems off other ways too. She does not seem to be very smart and seems to be taking her job too personally. Plus she goes around saying things like "Leave revenge to me, I am good at it" or "If law wont get you, I will".
She also goes to hospital to torture a criminal to get some information..er..whaaaaat? Cant she use her corporate assets to find that stuff out..I guess she needs to fire some people.

Yeah, the whole violence-and-torture thing was completely off base. I think Kelley had certain assumptions about what superheroes are, and kind of a jaundiced view of vigilantism (and really, it wouldn't be such a nice thing in real life), and he shaped his Wonder Woman to fit those preconceptions rather than trying to understand the essence of the character.

 

[Admiral_Young]

The violence aspect of Diana isn't completely off base though, certainly not if you have picked up a Wonder Woman comic in the last four or five years. This is a character who snapped Max Lord's neck in an attempt to free Superman from his brain washing. There are other examples I could give as well. The Kingdom Come version of Diana played heavily on her warrior mentality and this is why she came into conflict with Batman. The truth is that this has been a very violent character in the past, to completely ignore that side of the character I think would be a disservice. Every hero has their moments of going over the top and losing control. Diana has done this a few times.


I remember trying to read the pilot script for this and being extremely disappointed by page five. It seems to deserve the criticism it has received from those who have seen it or read the script.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

I haven't seen the pilot, so there's a lot I don't know about how things are handled in it. But I gotta ask (thanks for the review by the way JRS):

She also goes to hospital to torture a criminal to get some information..er..whaaaaat? Cant she use her corporate assets to find that stuff out..I guess she needs to fire some people.

In addition to using her corporate resources, why wouldn't Wonder Woman use her Golden Lasso of Truth?

 

[Christopher]

Apparently in the pilot, the lasso doesn't have truth-compelling powers, but is just some kind of super-whip thing that snags bad guys by the neck and strangles them.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

See, why bother? Don't they figure people will miss that quintessential stuff?

 

[Christopher]

Don't they figure people will miss that quintessential stuff?

The number of people who are already fans of Wonder Woman is a tiny fraction of the number of viewers a TV series needs to be successful on a major network like NBC. So the top priority is to appeal to new viewers, with fidelity to the source being secondary. It's not like NBC wanted to do a Wonder Woman show and hired David E. Kelley to do it; it's more like they wanted to do a David E. Kelley show and decided to use Wonder Woman as the raw material for it. In short, there are more Kelley fans out there than there are Wonder Woman fans, so they were more concerned with drawing in the former. So Kelley pretty much got to do what he wanted with the character.