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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Spells &amp; Karma" data-source="post: 62226" data-attributes="member: 23">THE QUEEN AND THE THIEF / I DO, I DO / THE MAN WHO MADE VOLCANOES / MIND STEALERS FROM OUTER SPACE / THE DEADLY TOYSOut with the old and in with the new in the half dozen episodes I've viewed over the weekend.I Do, I Do marked the final episode of the original phase of The New Adventures. Now, as you'll have got from my comments from this season so far, I've had my issues with some aspects of this version of the show, and there's certainly been a feeling of experimentation, with some traditional aspects of the show being dropped like a hot potato. True to form, that continued with the last few "Phase I" episodes. For example, I noticed the text boxes were absent during those last couple of Phase I episodes, something I'd thought only happened after the live-action titles were introduced. Either way, I can't say I miss those text-boxes, which were cheesy and distracting.The last two episodes were enjoyable enough. Both The Queen And The Thief and I Do, I Do were quite heavily plotted and none the worse for it. They had a story that held the attention, and it felt as though some effort was being made to keep the viewer interested. The former episode had someone posing as an undercover IADC agent to gain the trust of a royal visitor, for example. While the latter opened with Diana getting married, with the explanation of why she was getting married being given piecemeal throughout the episode. Neither was without its flaws, but I was happy to go along for the ride. Hell - even Steve Trevor went along for the ride, being more prominently featured than he had for several episodes.Juliet Mills was actually rather marvellous as the queen of a fictitious country, with some trouble taken to give the character background and believability (she was an ordinary woman who'd married a king, and had become queen when her hubby had died). She had some nice lines too, my favourite was to a bitter subordinate enjoying the idea of watching her fall from grace. She reminded him that while her head may roll, it would be the head of a queen. Or words to that effect.The Man Who Made Volcanoes ushered in Phase II of The New Adventures, which I'll hereafter refer to as the Bruce Lansbury era, this being his first episode as "Supervising Producer" and his name being plastered all over the freeze frame (he's Angela's brother, for anyone who may be wondering, and would later go on to a cushy job on her Murder She Wrote series when she gained some clout and replaced half the crew with her family members).There are some good things that come along with the new look: the cold opening setting up the story; the live action titles with a new, synthesised version of the theme; an even better wardrobe for Carter who whizzes round in her gorgeous powder blue Mercedes SL. There's a sense of confidence here.Diana now sports her amazing ponytail more or less full time. Along with the trendy clothes and the amount of time given to her out of costume the series now feels more like the infamous mod period in the comics, where Diana lost her powers and Amazon heritage, learnt martial arts and paraded around in a great wardrobe.<img src="http://www.wtv-zone.com/silverager/ads_house/new_ww_ad.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />Indeed, it was this era that the Cathy Lee Crosby version seemed most heavily influenced by. Funny how it's come full circle.None of this is necessarily to the series' detriment at this point.But there is some not so great about these early Bruce Lansbury episodes. Firstly, nostalgic as I am about the live action opening (Season Three was one of my earliest TV obsessions when it first aired), it does feel a little more generic. And then there are those annoying sound effects over the great music: the "boings" as she jumps; the swooshing as the ugly new title card jumps out at the viewer; the smashing glass sounds; the engine of Steve's jeep revving. It's at least as cartoony as the actual cartoon that was previously used. Who knows... maybe that was the idea.The scenarios so far are certainly highly cartoony. But not in a good way. So far we've had a man threatening to destroy the earth with a volcano (not too bad, really, but a far cry from investigating jewel thefts and the like); aliens stealing people's minds and a toymaker creating a duplicate Wonder Woman.One thing that is immediately noticeable about the Bruce Lansbury era is the over-reliance on effects. Watching it now, it's hard to believe they were ever good effects. One thing is certain though: they look a proper sight now. It's all there: lasers painted on screen (heavily used in Volcanoes and the Mind Stealers two-parter); space ships; melting robot doppelgängers; aliens dressed in body stockings and tinsel. They all serve to make the series look cheaper than ever. Sadly, there's no real substance to support it.<img src="https://farm1.static.flickr.com/584/22411093869_e479c8a1d7_b.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />The Mind-Stealers episode didn't make sense on a number of levels, but the biggest flaw was that Andros wasn't Tim O'Connor who in Season One promised to return to visit WW in fifty earth years. It's only meant to have been 35 years, but there's no sign of him. Instead, we get Dack Rambo. Dialogue at the beginning of the two-parter establishes that Dack's Andros is actually the son of O'Connor's Andros. But then in their conversation towards the end of Mind-Stealers, Wonder Woman seems to think that this is actually the same Andros she's met before.That said, naff as the evil monster was in the alien episode, the music was damned creepy. There have been some nice guest-appearances from Roddy McDowall, Dack Rambo and the wonderful Frank Gorshin. And any episode that sees Wonder Woman fighting herself has to be worth the entry fee.</blockquote>

Verification: What month follows July?