Recap / Wonder Woman S 1 E 1 The New Original Wonder Woman

All the world is waiting for you!

The world is in the grip of World War II. In moves of spy and counterspy, Nazi Colonel Von Blasko (Kenneth Mars) sends Captain Drangel (Eric Braeden) to fly to the mainland United States to destroy the Norden bombsight, a mission that "will put them behind by at least a year in their war effort". Unbeknownst to him, his aide, Nikolas (Henry Gibson) alerts the Americans of the plot.

Major Steve Trevor (Lyle Waggoner) is sent out to intercept the Nazi pilot over the Bermuda Triangle, but his aide, Marcia (Stella Stevens) alerts the Nazis that the Americans know! Fortunately for Major Trevor, the plan is already past the point of no return by the time Colonel Von Blasko is alerted. Unfortunately for him, he is forced to collide with Drangel's plane during the ensuing dog fight and is shot twice after ejecting. His luck is far better than Drangel's, though, who ends up as a snack for sharks.

Princess Diana (Lynda Carter) rescues the wounded Major Trevor from the beach on Paradise Island and delivers him to her mother, Queen Hippolyta (Cloris Leachman) and an Amazon Doctor (Fannie Flagg). Since men are not allowed on Paradise Island, the Queen decides that Major Trevor will be delivered back to America with no knowledge of the Amazons. She forbids her daughter to enter the tournament to decide which amazon will do the task, so of course, she does and wins the tournament.

After returning Steve to an American hospital, Wonder Woman explores 1940s America. She learns about money and foils a bank robbery by deflecting bullets, lifting cars, and beating up the bank robbers. This brings her to the attention of talent agent Ashley Norman (Red Buttons). Together, they solve Wonder Woman's short term financial problems by demonstrating her abilities in front of a live audience, one of whom fires an entire tommy gun at her. She deflects every bullet!

Norman, of course, turns out to be a Nazi spy and tries to steal Wonder Woman's take of the purse by holding her at gunpoint. "I can avoid that bullet faster than you can fire it," she informs Norman just before picking him up and flipping him on his back. She takes only her share of the money, of course, before leaving him to report to his Nazi superiors.

Steve has recovered just in time to be kidnapped by Marcia's gang. They need information out of him and arrive on the plan of robbing the safe in his office. And this leaves it up to Wonder Woman to save the day! She starts by knocking out Marcia in a surprisingly even battle, chasing down Colonel Von Blasko in her invisible jet, punching him out, taking him prisoner, destroying a Nazi submarine by crashing Von Blasko's plane into it, and delivering him to the police. Then she rushes to save Steve and apprehend the rest of the gang!

Along the way, she convinces the US Army that she's really Yeoman First Class Diana Prince and should be assigned to work for Major Trevor. Apparently the way to get a job in the military is to expose the previous holder as a Nazi spy. And with that, the adventures of Wonder Woman begin!

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Tropes

• Actor Allusion: Kenneth Mars plays the lead Nazi Colonel, after playing the Nazi-like Inspector Kemp in Young Frankenstein and the deranged ex-Nazi soldier Franz Liebkind in the original The Producers.
• Action Girl: Wonder Woman lifts cars, beats up bad guys and Nazis, overpowers multiple foes at once, breaks down doors, chases down planes, and more.
• Compressed Adaptation: This episode shows arguably the most true adaptation of William Moulton Marston's vision for Wonder Woman. The plot is compressed into an hour and a half, but one of the reasons that the series has had such longevity is how Lynda Carter portrays Wonder Woman figuratively and in the opening credits, literally, stepping out of the comic book and into the TV.
• Adaptation Dye-Job: Steve Trevor, blond in the comics and most adaptations, is here played by the brunet Lyle Waggoner.
• Adaptation Inspiration: This version of Wonder Woman was far more faithful to the vision of William Moulton Marston than Wonder Woman (1974) starring Cathy Lee Crosby, but there were many differences from the original source material. The emphasis on bondage and submission are entirely absent, as would be expected from a prime time network show. There was a considerable amount of girl power, most notably from Wonder Woman and the amazons of Paradise Island, but the comics took it much farther. In the comics, Wonder Woman would recruit Etta Candy and her college sorority, the Holliday Girls, who would assist Wonder Woman — even serving as infantry troops to beat up squads of Nazis. In the comics, very special ladies would be given the opportunity to travel to Paradise Island for training to unlock her super strength and fighting abilities. Nothing like that ever happened or was even hinted as being possible on the show. Simply featuring a woman fighting, winning, and being far stronger and more capable than anyone else around her was more than enough in The '70s.
• Adaptational Attractiveness: Wonder Woman herself. In the comics of the 40s through the 60s, she was beautiful but in an athletic and less well endowed manner. Lynda Carter changed the entire look of the character. She would never be the same.
  • What was perfect was her attitude, her body language and her face. She looked stunningly like Harry G. Peter's original drawings. Alex Ross famously said she looked like she'd just walked right off the page. This resemblance was deliberately played up. Pete Marston said that Carter put more magic into his father's original creation than anyone else on earth.
• Adaptational Curves: The original comic books up until The '70s portrayed Wonder Woman as a very slim and athletic build. Then Lynda Carter was cast as Wonder Woman and not only did she bring far more cleavage to the role, but the comic book character was forever transformed.
• Advanced Ancient Acropolis: Paradise Island is an uncharted island within the Bermuda triangle. In 1942, the Amazons wear togas and use bows and arrows, but they had an invisible plane, a truth serum, and guns to use in her "Bullets and bracelets" challenge.
• Advanced Ancient Humans: The Amazons live in what appears to be an ancient Greek civilization, but they have guns, invisible planes, telepathy, and each Amazon can lift far more than would be expected of a pin-up girl.
• Affably Evil: Ashley Norman played by Red Buttons, was cheerful, funny, and amiable whether he was hosting Wonder Woman's theater show, trying to steal her money, or reporting to his Nazi bosses.
• After-Action Patch-Up: Wonder Woman nurses Steve Trevor until he's healthy enough to be transported back to the United States.
• All-Loving Hero: Wonder Woman's theme says it clearly: Make a hawk a dove, stop a war with love. Much like the comics, she frequently rehabilitated or helped people rather than fighting them.
• Alliterative Name: Wonder Woman.
• Amazon Brigade: The amazons of Paradise Island. This becomes important later in the series.
• Ambiguously Human: Wonder Woman and the amazons of Paradise Island. They look like beautiful human women, but are much stronger, more agile, and immortal. The reasons for this are only tangentally explained.
• And Starring: Cloris Leachman was a Special Guest Star. Red Buttons was the first one listed in the Starring section.
• Animated Credits Opening: The opening credits showed Wonder Woman breaking through doors, rescuing people from buring buildings, and breaking ropes, in comic book/cartoon format and then transforming into the real life Lynda Carter.
• Applied Phlebotinum: Wonder Woman's golden lasso, bracelets, invisible jet, tiara, and belt of strength. All of them just work for the purpose of the plots and only the bracelets have any sort of explanation — that they're made of Feminum.
• Appropriated Appellation:
  Queen Hippolyte: Go in peace my daughter. And remember that, in a world of ordinary mortals, you are a Wonder Woman.
  Princess Diana: I will make you proud of me... and of Wonder Woman.
• Archaic Weapon for an Advanced Age: Wonder Woman faces off against gun toting bad guys armed with a boomerang tiara and a lasso.
• Artistic License – Geology: Paradise Island didn't appear on any map for inadequately explained reasons. No one discovered an idyllic island of super strong, beautiful amazons just because, well...they didn't. Until Steve Trevor almost did.
• Badass Adorable: Wonder Woman has the combination of ingenue, beauty, and raw power to leave many thugs wondering what just happened.
• Bang, Bang, BANG: When the bank robber shoots at Wonder Woman and she deflects the bullets with her bracelets, the gun makes the standard bang sound.
• Beauty Equals Goodness: Wonder Woman is a drop dead gorgeous pageant winner and shining beacon of justice and goodness. Steve Trevor is tall, handsome and a war hero. Paradise Island is populated by good and beautiful women who are all willing to become Wonder Woman.
• Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Wonder Woman always looks like she's competing in the Miss World pageant (which Lynda Carter actually did in 1972) regardless of the death-defying experiences she frequently endures. This includes crashing planes into submarines, beating up gangs, and knocking out Marcia in a surprisingly brutal fight.
• Big Bad: The Nazis are introduced in this episode and are a well that never runs dry.
• Blocking Stops All Damage: Wonder Woman's bracelets can deflect or block anything. It reached it's pinnacle in this episode when she deflected every bullet fired at her by a tommy gun while standing on stage at a theater. That much shrapnel flying all over the place that close to a tightly packed crowd would be enough to kill someone and wound many others. Even if it miraculously missed everyone, the stage itself would be literally shot to pieces. Thanks to a healthy does of the Rule of Cool all of the bullets disappeared once deflected.
• Bloodless Carnage: The show went to great lengths to keep the violence PG rated. In this episode, Wonder Woman blew up a submarine and deflected every bullet fired at her from a tommy gun, not only keeping them from hitting her, but from hitting anyone or anything else as well!
• Bragging Theme Tune:
  Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman
  All the world is waiting for you
  and the power you possess
  In your satin tights
  Fighting for your rights
  And the old Red, White and Blue...
• Brought Down to Normal: The effect on Princess Diana of not wearing the belt of strength of her Wonder Woman costume away from Paradise Island. She still retains her warrior training, but does not have Super-Strength. It is implied that her speed and reflexes as Diana Prince are also reduced to human norms.
• The Cape: Wonder Woman is an Ideal Hero who strives to do good for the sake of doing good, rehabilitate villains if possible, and, to quote her theme song, "stop a war with love".
• Captain Patriotic: Wonder Woman's outfit was initially based on Steve Trevor's American flag insignia.
• Cat Fight: Averted. Wonder Woman fights another the Nazi spy and sefl declared martial artist, Marcia, but it's a brutal fight that has nothing to do with hair pulling, eye scratching, or lack of skill associated with the trope. The show went out of its way to clearly show that Wonder Woman was the heroine and when she fought, it was a real fight.
• The Champion: Princess Diana becomes the champion of Paradise Island and becomes Wonder Woman. Invoked by Queen Hippolyta: The Amazon winner of a tournament will escort Steve Trevor to his country. Subverted because this is less for his safety than to preserve the Lady Land in Paradise Island.
  Queen Hippolyta: For his safety — and ours. One of our young Amazon girls will escort him to his country, and then return to Paradise Island.
  Princess Diana: But all the girls will want that task.
  Queen Hippolyte: I know. To forestall any ill feelings, I have planned a tournament of athletic games, by which I alone will determine the strongest, nimblest, and most likely candidate for the assignment.
• Changing Clothes Is a Free Action: This adaptation introduced the world to the way Diana Prince could spin to change her clothes.
• The Charmer: Major Steve Trevor, Sr. embodies this trope without trying. At the start of the episode, Diana enjoys a perfect life as an immortal princess and heiress apparent of a peaceful and Utopian society that is so idyllic that it is named Paradise Island. After one look at Steve, she's happy to abandon her life of privilege and bliss so she can assume a new, dangerous life that revolves around repeatedly saving Steve from Nazis. And Steve achieves this effect on Diana while he's unconscious.
• City of Spies: Going by this show, it would seem like half the population of Washington DC were Nazi double agents.
• Clark Kenting: Almost always played straight as pulling her hair back and wearing big glasses fools everyone.
• Clothes Make the Superman: Wonder Woman must wear her belt of strength to retain her strength, speed, and reflexes when she is not on Paradise Island.
• Combat Stilettos: Wonder's Woman's official uniform includes red boots with white trim and fairly high heels. Any viewer paying special attention during action sequences, however, can clearly see that both Lynda Carter and her stunt double used otherwise-identical heelless boots for running, fighting, etc.
• Cool Crown: Wonder Woman's tiara is a razor sharp boomerang. Although that ability is not demonstrated in this episode, it's still a cool crown here.
• Crapsaccharine World: Queen Hippolyta claims Paradise Island is an utopia because it is a Lady Land. Once Princess Diana had seen a man for the first time, she dares to disagree: Paradise Island is a Crapsaccharine World for the very same reason.
• Crystal Spires and Togas: All of the Amazons use multicolor vaporous dresses and use bows and arrows even if they live in an Advanced Ancient Acropolis
• Curb-Stomp Battle: This was true of most of Wonder Woman's fights. The producers of the show were very concerned about the visual of a woman being hit by a man in prime time television in The '70s. The solution was generally that her fights were so one sided that she would rarely be hit or even muss her hair.
• Cute Bruiser: Lynda Carter was 37-25-36 and 125 pounds when she played Wonder Woman. In this episode alone, she beat up two different gangs, lifted a car, chased down and beat up Von Blasko, delivered him to the police, and stomped on his chest. Cute? Check. Bruiser? Check, check, check, check, check!
• Dirt Forcefield: Constantly. Steve has been shot and he's immaculate. Wonder Woman knocks out an entire gang and she's ready for a Beauty Pageant. Steve lifts himself up for the first time in his hospital bed and his hair is blow dried and perfect. The amazons are competing in an island-wide athletic competition and they all look like they're ready for a photo shoot.
• Distressed Dude: Steve Trevor's very existence depends on this. His job is to get into trouble that Wonder Woman saves him from. In this episode, he's captured by his secretary's gang. Until Wonder Woman breaks down the door and makes a pile-o-mooks and unties him.
• Domino Mask: The Amazons on Paradise Island wore these types of masks during the competition to determine who would become Wonder Woman. Diana's mother, Hippolyta, forbade her from competing, but somehow couldn't recognize her in the mask.
• Earn Your Title: Princess Diana had to compete in a contest on Paradise Island to earn the right to return Steve Trevor to Man's World and fight injustice as Wonder Woman.
• Every Episode Ending: Each episode ends with a close-up of Diana smiling, followed by a freeze-frame. In this episode, it starts the trend by dissolveing into a comic book version of Diana Prince.
• Everything's Better with Sparkles: The opening credits featured sparkles gleaming from Steve Trevor's teeth and Wonder Woman's eyes. It was Lyle Waggoner's trademark at the time.
• Everything's Sparkly with Jewelry: Wonder Woman wears a gold tiara and gold or silver bracelets. Ooh shiny!
• Exposed to the Elements: Wonder Woman catching up to Colonel Von Blasko, a top Nazi spy, boarding his plane in midair, knocking him out, carrying him back to the invisible jet still in midair, and crashing his plane into a submarine is a great example. That had to be cold just judging from the heavy flight jacket and clothing he was wearing while failing to soil his hands.
  Colonel Von Blasko: Threatening to hit Wonder Woman I prefer not to soil my hands on female flesh, but if you insist.
  Wonder Woman: knocks him out with one punch to the jaw
• Failed a Spot Check: The fact Steve and everyone else seem unable to recognize Diana is Wonder Woman simply by her putting on glasses, covering her legs and putting her hair into a bun.
• Failure Is the Only Option: The goal of the first season was to defeat the Nazis and win World War II, but to actually do so would end the series.
• Faux Action Guy: Steve Trevor. He is a war hero, but when he gets surrounded by Nazi spies, captured, and held until rescued by Wonder Woman at the end.
• Feminist Fantasy: Wonder Woman was one of the great early shows to be led by a strong feminine protagonist.
• Fight Magnet: Wonder Woman fights on Paradise Island in the tournament, fights a bank robbing gang, multiple Nazi spies, and a Nazi colonel on his own plane in midair.
• Fighting Your Friend: Princess Diana competes against all of her sisters on Paradise Island for the right to become Wonder Woman. In the finals, she personally shoots a gun at the other finalist — who isn't nearly as proficient at bullets and bracelets as Diana.
• Fish out of Water: When Wonder Woman first walks the streets of Washington, D.C., this is exactly the point.
• Gender Rarity Value: The unconscious Steve Trevor is the only man that had reached the Lady Land/Hidden Elf Village Paradise Island in millennia. There was fear that he would become worshipped, so Queen Hippolyta declares an Amazon will escort him to his country.
  Princess Diana: But all the girls will want that task.
• Good Is Not Nice: Wonder Woman does not mess around with combat troops in World War II. Instead of seeking a peaceful resolution, she boards a plane in midair, knocks out the pilot, and crashes the plane directly into a submarine that she set up to die using her vocal powers.
• The Good Kingdom: Paradise Island is ruled by the benevolent Queen Hippolyta.
• Gorgeous Garment Generation: Wonder Woman's iconic transformation brings her gorgeous outfit from nowhere.
• Guns Are Worthless: One of the staples of every show is when Wonder Woman gets shot at and deflects the bullets with her bracelets. In this episode, talent agent Ashley Norman (played by the legendary Red Buttons) is the master of ceremonies for Wonder Woman's bullets and bracelets show where she deflects every bullet fired at her from a tommy gun. When Wonder Woman discovers that he's also a Nazi spy and breaks down the door of his hideout, he knows from experience that his gang's guns aren't going to help against her. His expression as he uselessly unloads his pistol at her is priceless!
• Henshin Hero: Away from Paradise Island, her powers are tied to her outfit. Her belt of strength allowed her to retain her superhuman strength, speed, and reflexes. Her bracelets were impervious to bullets which combined with the aforementioned speed, strength, and reflexes resulted in her bullet deflecting ability. Her tiara was a razor sharp boomerang. Her magic lasso compelled the truth among other things. All of these things went away when out of costume away from Paradise Island. She did retain her combat training, though.
• Heroic Build: Lynda Carter not only brought the superheroine build to the part, but changed the character forever.
• Hidden Elf Village: Paradise Island is an uncharted island within the devil’s triangle. Queen Hippolyta had decided to hide Paradise Island from the world: In this episode, she claims that no one in the last thousand years has ever found it. She also claims that any amazon who leaves the island may lose her immortality.
• Historical Fantasy: This is set in World War II, but a World War II that included Paradise Island and Wonder Woman defeating Nazis all the time.
• Hollywood Healing: Steve Trevor was shot, crashed unconcious onto Paradise Island, was flown back in an invisible plane, and finally kidnapped and drugged. Despite taking damage bad enough that even an amazon might not live through it, he was none the worse for wear by the end of the episode.
• Iconic Item: Wonder Woman has several items that are instantly recognizable even to the general public. Her invisible jet and magic lasso are prime examples, but her bullet deflecting bracelets and boomerang tiara are not far behind. One of the reasons that Lynda Carter's take on Wonder Woman has endured the test of time is that these items show her not merely adventuring while adorning herself with feminine accessories, but these very feminine items are each a source of power.
• Iconic Outfit: One of the reasons that the show succeeded is the return of the classic Wonder Woman outfit. At the time, there had been a failed TV movie/pilot that so botched the outfit that it bordered on In Name Only. The comics of the period also tried to move away from the outfit and failed spectacularly. Wonder Woman's outfit is so iconic that pretty much any woman — or man — wearing any outfit with a red top half and blue with white stars bottom half will be recognized as paying homage to Wonder Woman.
• Ideal Hero: Wonder Woman possesses super-strength, super-speed, bullet-deflecting bracelets, an invisible plane, a golden lasso that can compel people to tell the truth and obey other commands, a tiara that can be used as a boomerang weapon, and the ability to communicate in any voice. And she was played by an actress who previously represented the USA in the Miss World competition. There's a reason that Wonder Woman remains the iconic superheroine of the genre.
• If You Can Read This: The smaller-print newspaper headlines in this episode are variants on the "New Petitions and Building Code" format and the articles are filled with text that, while coherent, has no contextual meaning.
• Immortality Begins at Twenty: Wonder Woman is thousands of years old, but she looks like she's in her 20s — especially since Lynda Carter was in her 20s during the show's run.
• Impossibly Cool Clothes: The iconic Wonder Woman outfit is indestructible...and comes with a removable skirt!
• Innocent Fanservice Girl: It never occurs to Wonder Woman that she is basically wearing a strapless bathing suit everywhere she goes, or that there is anything wrong with this.
• Instant Costume Change: Nobody ever put a better spin on this trope than Carter did. Nobody.
• Lady of War: Princess Diana left Paradise Island and joined the United States Navy to fight in World War II "for the old red, white, and blue".
• Lady Land: The Amazons that live on Paradise Island are an all-female society, but still human — they just don't age on Paradise Island. However, Queen Hippolyta remembers the patriarchal societies of the past very well and she doesn't want these to spoil her paradise, so she forces the expulsion of the only man that had reached the island in millennia by assigning an amazon to escort him to the exterior world.
  • Interestingly, this was probably the only adaptation of Paradise Island/Themyscira to maintain the Golden Age's original idea that the Amazons were sequestered because they loved men too much, not because they were misandrists by nature.
• Leotard of Power: The iconic uniform. This version of Wonder Woman's satin tights were designed to match the World War II comic books including the "bullet bra" with an eagle motif.
• Meaningful Name: Invoked by Queen Hippolyta in regards of Paradise Island:

  Queen Hippolyta: I named this island "Paradise" for an excellent reason. There are no men on it. Thus, it is free from their wars, their greed, their hostility, their... barbaric... masculine... behavior. [bites her hand]

• Most Common Superpower: Until the television series, Wonder Woman was portrayed in the comics as a slim, athletic figure. And then Lynda Carter filled out the costume (and then some!) starting with this episode.
• Ms. Fanservice: Carter herself, of course. Casting Miss World USA to wear Wonder Woman's uniform turned out to be a great decision for an entire generation.
• Muscles Are Meaningless: Wonder Woman, Hippolyta, and every Amazon on Paradise Island had the physique of a pin up girl, yet every one of them competed in the tournament to determine who would become Wonder Woman. These events included arem wrestling, lifting huge boulders, high jumping 10 foot bars, and more.
• My Kung-Fu Is Stronger Than Yours: Princess Diana beat every other Amazon in order to become Wonder Woman.
• Neutral Female: Inverted, and how! The character of Wonder Woman was designed by William Moulton Marston to invert this trope. Her portrayal by Lynda Carter is true to Marston's vision.
• Nice Girl: Wonder Woman/Diana Prince herself, she is compassionate and very kind, and on a mission of diplomacy and peace, but will strive above all else to serve as a champion of freedom and justice. So yeah, she's sweet but not someone you should mess with.
• Nice Guy: Steve Trevor in spades. War hero, Fighter jock, tall, handsome, gleaming smile (literally true in the opening credits).
• One-Gender Race: The Amazons that live on Paradise Island are an all-female society, but still human (they just don't age on Paradise Island). However, Queen Hippolyta remembers the patriarchal societies of the past very well and she doesn’t want these to spoil her paradise, so she forces the expulsion of the only man that had reached the island in millennia by assigning an amazon to escort him to the exterior world.
• Older Than They Look: The Amazons look like 20-something pin-up girls, but are immortal and have lived for thousands of years.
• "Open!" Says Me: Wonder Woman introduces herself to Marcia's gang that is holding Steve hostageby breaking their door off of its hinges. And then she gets rough.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: Somehow Hippolyta doesn't recognize her own daughter in a blonde wig and domino mask while she competes in the tournament to determine who will be Wonder Woman.
• Parent Service: For an entire generation of children, the Wonder Woman series was their first exposure to a superheroine who could save the world entirely on her own. For the fathers of those children, the series had an entirely different kind of allure.
• Pilot Movie: This was a TV movie airing on November 7, 1975 complete with special guest stars such as Cloris Leachman as Queen Hippolyta and Red Buttons as Ashley Norman, the Nazi spy with the best reaction shot ever to Wonder Woman deflecting his bullets. It proceeded slowly from there to specials in April of 1976 to a short season on ABC in 1976-77 to two full seasons on CBS from 1977 to 1979.
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse: All of the Amazons of Paradise Island are slim, pin up girl physiqued women. All of them can compete in events such as arm wrestling, boulder lifting, and high jumping ten feet well enough to be a serious challenge to Princess Diana.
• Pretty Princess Powerhouse: Princess Diana is royalty, beautiful, and a warrior of the highest order.
• Primary-Color Champion: Wonder Woman's outfit is almost exclusively made of primary colors. Red bustier and boots? Check. Golden tiara, bracelets, belt and lasso? Check. Blue star-spangled bottoms. Check.
• Princess Protagonist: Princess Diana is the heir to the throne of Paradise Island and wins the right to become Wonder Woman.
• Rebellious Princess: Against the orders of the Queen Mother, Princess Diana participates in the tournament that allows her to become Wonder Woman. Doing so results in her leaving Paradise Island and venturing to Man's World, much to her mother's dismay.
• Royal Blood: Unlike the comics where she is made from clay or a daughter of Zeus, there is no backstory explicitly stated of Princess Diana's birth. She is simply the heir to the throne.
• Say My Name: The theme tune starts out with shouting her name.
  "WONDER WOMAAAAAN!"
• Secret Identity: Diana Prince.
• Sexier Alter Ego: Wonder Woman went to great lengths to make her Secret Identity, Diana Prince as mousy and unglamorous as it is reasonably possible.
• Ship Tease: Diana and Steve are matched from the start. Diana goes into detail about how she feels things she never felt before.
• Shooting Superman: Wonder Woman's agent and Nazi spy Ashley Norman empties his gun at Wonder Woman after watching her on stage deflect every bullet fired at her by a tommy gun. His expression is priceless.
• Small, Secluded World: The amazons claim Paradise Island is this: the youngest of these immortals have never seen a man before. However, Princess Diana recognizes a parachute, and the Queen can read Trevor’s English written documents without any problem.
• Something Person: Wonder Woman.
• Special Guest: Cloris Leachman was a special guest star in this episode.
• Spectacular Spinning: The famous spin-change used by Diana to transform into Wonder Woman. It was proposed by Carter; the producers were nervous about having Wonder Woman simply take off her clothes every episode.
• Statuesque Stunner: Lynda Carter was both tall and stunning in her satin tights.
• Stripperiffic: To Wonder Woman, she wears an indestructible ambassadorial outfit that demonstrates her allegiance to freedom and democracy, a razor-sharp boomerang, a belt of strength, bullet-deflecting bracelets symbolizing her heritage, and the magic lasso of truth. To the rest of the world, she's a stunningly gorgeous woman in a strapless bathing suit.
• Strong and Skilled: Wonder Woman has both Super-Strength and is a trained warrior.
• Stronger Than They Look: Every Amazon on Paradise Island looks like a model, but can bench press a car. And that doesn't touch what Wonder Woman does once she arrives in America.
• Super-Strength: One of Wonder Woman's powers. She and all of the amazons have this while on Paradise Island. A magic belt is necessary to use her amazonian strength elsewhere.
• Super Hero Origin: This episode shows her origin on Paradise Island, the competition she won to become Wonder Woman, and her first steps into the larger world.
• Superhero Prevalence Stages: The series is in an early setting with very few superheroes. Wonder Woman rarely faces villains with super powers or who even remotely come close to her own power level.
• Superhero Speciation: Inverted. Every Amazon on Paradise island has bullet deflecting bracelets, enormous strength, speed, and reflexes.
• Superheroes Wear Tights: Wonder Woman's iconic Leotard of Power.
• Think Unsexy Thoughts: After immortal Princess Diana of Paradise Island invokes What Is This Thing You Call "Love"? when she sees a man for the first time, her mother hilariously invokes this trope:
  Queen Hippolyta: There are some things that are better not known. Young Amazon minds are best occupied with athletic discipline, higher learning.
• Title, Please!: The episode, improbably named "The New, Original Wonder Woman" due to the failed pilot the year earlier, is never seen in the show itself.
• Transformation Sequence: The now-iconic twirl transformation was actually Lynda Carter's idea, which she suggested during the filming of this episode.
• Twinkle Smile: In the live action Title Sequence, Steve Trevor had a Twinkle Smile while Wonder Woman's eyes similarly sparkled.
• Victory Pose: Wonder Woman delivers Colonel Von Blasko to the police by carrying him over her shoulder, throwing his unconscious body to the ground, and stepping on him in the classic foot on chest victory pose.
• Violently Protective Girlfriend: Just ask Marcia's gang. After they kidnap Steve Trevor, they are alerted to Wonder Woman's presence when she caves in their front door in one shot. And then she gets rough.
• Voice Changeling: Wonder Woman copies Colonel Von Blasko's voice perfectly to draw out a Nazi sub and destroy it.
• Warrior Princess: Diana is a member of the royal family of Paradise Island. She could easily enjoy a comfortable life in a utopian society as the universally-adored heir to the throne. Instead, she devotes her life to saving Man's World from Nazis.
• We Do the Impossible: She's called Wonder Woman for a reason. In just this episode, she deflects all of the bullets fired at her from a tommy gun and chases a plane down in midair, boards it, beats up the Colonel piloting it with one punch, fakes out a Nazi submarine, and destroys it. And much more.
• What Is This Thing You Call "Love"?: The reason why Steve Trevor cannot stay in Paradise Island.
  Princess Diana: When I look at Steve Trevor, I feel things. Things I've never known before.
• Women Are Delicate: Averted. Wonder Woman deflects bullets, beats up gangs of men, lifts cars, and much more.
• Works Set in World War II: The spisode was set in 1942 during the height of World War II.
• World's Most Beautiful Woman: In the comics, Wonder Woman is canonically acknowledged as the world's most beautiful woman, due to the blessing she received from Aphrodite. In real life, Lynda Carter had already represented the USA in the Miss World pageant prior to being cast as Wonder Woman.

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