Airdate: 9/22/78
That’s it – WW’s
transition to the 70’s is official with this one: Leif Garret playing a teen
pop star who gets kidnapped for a 2 million dollar ransom! His kidnapper, a man
named Crichton, has managed to secure a doppelganger (his long-lost brother)
for the heartthrob, but when the imposter turns out to be just as good a singer
as the real deal, the star’s manager isn’t in a rush to pay up, leaving no
recourse for the bad guys but to murder their only source of leverage. The only
one wise to all these goings-on is a girl named Whitney, who, with the help of
WW, helps rescue her beloved dreamboat, just in time for a concert starring
both singing brothers.
Season three kickoff has streamlined all the elements that
have made the show a hit thus far: the WW rescue scenes, the spinning
transformations, alternate outfits for different modes of action (in this case,
the return of the biker suit), and less talky-talk at IADC headquarters (in
other words, less Steve). A new disco-infused opening is tighter and
faster-paced too, and the cold open appears to be getting longer, more closely
resembling a Bond film. All this hip window dressing didn’t seem to boost the
ratings a whole lot; this would be the final season for Ms. Prince and her
star-spangled alter ego, but for now we can certainly enjoy all her hijinks in
all their polyester-clad glory.
Another popular element here is the casting of Dawn Lyn as
Whitney, since she closely resembles young actress Quinn Cummings, a huge star
at the time having come off her supporting role as Marsha Mason’s daughter in The Goodbye Girl.
The DVD includes an audio commentary for this episode by
Lynda Carter. It’s quite informative – Ms. Carter is not always one to mince
her words – and we learn much about, among other things, when she was told the
series was cancelled, Debra Winger’s not-so-fond memories of being on the show,
and Carter’s regret that the show gradually lost its feminist message,
especially during the last season (her “speech” on what feminism is all about
is pretty profound).
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