Wonder Woman: "The Deadly Toys"

Premiered December 30, 1977

"You should have stuck with the toys you were best at, Hoffman ... the harmless ones!"  - Wonder  Woman

Three military scientists have been working for months on a project known as XYZ. One of the scientists, Dr. Royce Tobias (Donald Bishop) announces that Project XYZ is too dangerous to implement.  He and his colleagues destroy all the paperwork related to the project.

As soon as he makes this statement, he suddenly melts, revealing that he's an android! This means the real Tobias and all of his knowledge of XYZ are missing.

Diana Prince, aka Wonder Woman (Lynda Carter) and Steve Trevor (Lyle Waggoner) of the Inter-Agency Defense Command (IADC) are called in to investigate.  Steve has some personal interest in the case since his old friend Major Dexter (John Rubinstein) was spearheading Project XYZ.

Diana begins her investigation  in Tobias' laboratory.  When she encounters a suspicious man in the lab, Diana turns into Wonder Woman and confronts him.  He turns out to be another android.

While searching the lab, Diana finds a collection of toy soldiers.  She learns that the scientists play war games with toy soldiers in order to relax.

Dr. Prescott (James A. Watson, Jr.), another XYZ scientist, receives a box of similar toy soldiers.  One of the soldiers shoots him with a dart that puts Prescott in a trance.  He then receives a phone call that orders him to "do exactly what I tell you."  Prescott walks out of his apartment in a trance and is replaced by an android.  Diana visits Prescott and discovers the android. This leaves the third scientist Dr. Lazaar (Ross Elliott) as the only Project XYZ researcher left.  When Diana sees similar toy soldiers at Lazaar's home, she suspects there's a connection between the soldiers and the androids.

While all of this is happening, Christmas is approaching.  Steve asks IRA -- a supercomputer -- to help him pick out a present for Diana.  IRA tells Steve that the best way to find out what Diana wants for Christmas to "talk to Wonder Woman."

We learn that the androids are the creation of a maned named Orlich Hoffman (Frank Gorshin), who runs a toy store in Georgetown.  He's holding the real scientists captive in his basement.  Diana visits Hoffman's store when Lazaar tells her it's the store that sells the toy soldiers.  When Diana tells Hoffman she wants to buy toy soldiers, he plays dumb and says he doesn't have any.  Hoffman gives Diana a Santa Claus dashboard ornament and sends her on her way.

The dashboard ornament turns out to be a homing device.  Hoffman dispatches a model airplane armed with real bombs and weapons to kill Diana.  Thankfully, she transforms into Wonder Woman and stops the plane.

Diana later discovers that Dexter has been working with Hoffman the whole time.  Dexter is tired of taking orders from "idiots" and wants to get a lot of money and live the sweet life in exchange for information on Project XYZ.    Dexter and Hoffman decide to deal with Diana once and for all and hatch a plan to capture Lazaar and send him out of the country with the other scientists.  To do this, they will activate Hoffman's greatest creation: an android duplicate of Wonder Woman!

Can even Wonder Woman stop a duplicate of herself?  Will Dexter and Hoffman get away with their plans?  Will Steve figure out what to buy Diana for Christmas?

J.A. Morris says:

This is a fun episode, even if the plot isn't great.  Dexter's motivation for betraying his country and his friend Steve isn't very strong. 

Dexter is frustrated that things aren't quite going to plan.

But Wonder Woman was a generally fun series, and this episode is no exception.  Lynda Carter made this series enjoyable because she always played Wonder Woman in an earnest manner, never slipping into camp.  Lyle Waggoner is equally good, playing Steve Trevor in a very cartoony manner, and I mean that as a compliment.  Plus, we get an entertaining fight scene between Wonder Woman and her android double.

Frank Gorshin is also fun as the villainous Orlich Hoffman.  Sure he's a bad guy, but Gorshin makes him likable and almost sympathetic.

Of course, Gorshin is best remembered for portraying the antagonist of another DC Comics superhero.  He played the Riddler in ten episodes of the 1960s Batman series, plus an appearance in the movie. It's a shame he didn't play Hoffman again because he's a good opponent for Wonder Woman.

Christmas is not central to the plot of "The Deadly Toys," but the holiday season is certainly "in the air" throughout the episode.  There are Christmas decorations everywhere, "Joy To The World" and "Jingle Bells" play over the soundtrack, and Hoffman gives Diana a homing device that looks like Santa Claus.

"The Deadly Toys" is also a reminder that toys that talk, walk and play music can be a bit creepy sometimes.

Speaking of toys, my younger self owned two of the toys seen in Hoffman's store.  This image features Dragun, one of the giant Shogun Warrior toys:

Dragun on the right.  Did you own any Shogun Warrior toys as a kid?

And I also had Chimpy, the monkey drummer seen in this episode.

Chimpy (on the left, in the yellow hat) showed up under my Christmas tree in 1978.

Seeing these toys gave me pleasant memories of childhood.

The hairstyles and men's fashions on display are also amusing today.

This episode can be found on the Wonder Women:Season 2 DVD set.  It also streams on iTunes and Amazon.

"The Deadly Toys" is an exciting and funny nostalgic trip back to the 1970s.  It's recommended even if Christmas isn't its driving force. 

J.A. Morris' rating:

3 candy canes.

RigbyMel says:

This is a fun episode of a fun series.   The plot is paper thin, but the actors involved sell it well.  

Although the fight between Wonder Woman and her android double is entertaining to watch,  it did cause me to wonder what happened to the double afterwards?   Does she melt like the other androids or is there an android doppleganger running around out there somewhere?

The melting androids are actually kind of intense for a family show.   I did not see this particular episode until this year, but the melting faces and resultant puddles of goo would have definitely creeped me out had I seen this when I was little.

Yappy dachshund toy preparing to take down a guard.

Toys turning on people is kind of a trope in Christmas action shows.   This is probably not the first TV show to have someone be strafed by a model plane, but the scene is effective.   There's also an interesting bit where mechanical butterflies are used to incapacitate Diana -- that's not something one sees everyday!

Nobody suspects the butterflies!

Gorshin does a great job as Hoffman.  It's interesting that although they share characteristics, Hoffman does NOT seem to be the same character as long running D.C. comics villain the Toyman, who first appeared in 1943.

As J.A. Morris says,  Christmas is a bit in the background of the episode, but the toy angle and Steve wondering about what to get Diana as a present add to the atmosphere.   We also get a nice shot of Wonder Woman using a can of spray "snow" to decorate the toy store window at the end.

This epsiode works reasonably well, despite the somewhat flimsy plot, due to the great work of the actors involved.  It's a fun way to include Wonder Woman in your holiday viewing if you're so inclined.  (And why wouldn't you be inclined?  Wonder Woman is awesome!)  It's not an essential episode, but it's enjoyable.

Wonder Woman uses proper punctuation (of course!)  since she's only signing with initials.

RigbyMel says:

.5


2 and a half candy canes

Krampus

Premiered December 4, 2015

"Saint Nicholas is not coming this year.  Instead, a much darker, ancient spirit.  His name is Krampus.  He and his helpers did not come to give, but to take.  He is the shadow of Saint Nicholas." - Omi

It's December 22nd and the Engel family is preparing for Christmas.   Max (Emjay Anthony),  the family's youngest member, is having a hard time since many of his friends are convinced there is no Santa Claus and he still thinks there is.   His parents Tom (Adam Scott) and Sarah (Toni Collette) are distracted and not connecting well with each other or their kids and his big sister Beth (Stefania LaVie Owen) just wants to spend time with her boyfriend.   Only his German grandmother Omi (Krista Stadler) seems to have time for him. 

Max finishing up his letter to Santa.

To make matters worse,  their extended family is coming to visit.  Sarah's sister Linda (Allison Tolman), her gun loving husband Howard (David Koechner) and their brood of children, plus Aunt Dorothy (Conchata Ferrell) and their dog have come to share the holidays.   No one is very happy to see each other and family tensions keep anyone from having a good time.   Max's cousins Stevie (Lolo Owen) and Jordan (Queenie Samuel) pick on him about still believing in Santa.  They humiliate him by reading his letter with his wishes for his family aloud at the dinner table.   Max can't take it anymore, he fights with his cousins and snatches the letter away from them.   He runs upstairs to his room and rips the letter to shreds, throwing the pieces out of his window.    Christmas looks like it will be thoroughly unpleasant, just from the family dynamics. 

Overnight, a freak blizzard strikes their suburban neighborhood and knocks out the power and heat. No one else in the neighborhood seems to be around.   Creepy snowmen appear out of nowhere in the Engels' yard and a mysterious large bag of presents is delivered to their door.  

NOT Santa!!

Beth goes out to find her boyfriend and disappears.   Hours later,  Tom and Howard venture out of the house to try and find her, but instead encounter some kind of burrowing monster with sharp teeth! Howard nearly disappears as well, but gets rescued by Tom. They return to the house, deciding it is safer to hunker down with the rest of the family and ride out the storm.   

Omi tells them they should keep the fire in the fireplace hot.  It seems she knows more than she initially is willing to share about the ancient evil that seems to be stalking the family.   An Alpine demon called Krampus -- the anti-Santa -- has come to town! 

Will the Engel family live to see New Year?   They'd better watch out ... 

RigbyMel says: 

This is an interesting alternative to some of the more sentimental Christmas fare out there.   Be warned parents, it's NOT a movie for little kids!!   

Krampus is a real character from Alpine folklore and he seems to be having a bit of a popularity surge here in the U.S. of late.  Krampusnacht celebrations are cropping up all over the place, even right here in Richmond, Virginia.  Perhaps this is a reaction to the crass commercialization of the holidays? 

In traditional folklore Krampus punishes naughty children while St. Nicholas brings presents to the good ones.

Said commercialization is certainly a theme in Michael Dougherty's film.   The movie opens with the crassest of the crass modern holiday "traditions" a slow motion view of a Black Friday doorbuster stampede.  

Krampus exists to punish the bad while Santa (or St. Nicholas or Sinterklaass) looks out for the good ones.   There is certainly great potential for creepy, spooky, mischievous holiday horror hijinks a la 1984's Gremlins, and this certainly seems to be what Dougherty is going for with his take on Krampus.    Krampus and his minions (which include terrifying toys and demented gingerbread men) seem to delight in tormenting the Engel family for their lack of holiday spirit.    We even get a cool stop motion animated section, reminiscent of Rankin-Bass, in which we learn that Omi has encountered Krampus and his minions before.  

If you stick around through the closing credits there is also a rather cool Krampus-themed rendering of "Carol of the Bells".   You can have a listen via this clip: 

Unfortunately,  although Krampus was fun to watch,  I don't feel that it quite lives up to its potential. It feels like the punishments Krampus metes out in the film are out of all proportion to the actual crimes.   Teenaged big sister is the first to get taken and she seems to mostly be guilty of being … a teenaged girl.  Poor Max's rash act of tearing up his letter to Santa (implying his lack of faith? belief? what?) seems to be what summons Krampus in the first place.  However, based on what we know of the character, he seems to be a rather sweet, thoughtful kid who just got pushed a bit too far by his cousins' teasing and family tension.   What did the BABY cousin or the dog do to deserve being punished?   Personally, I'd much rather have seen Krampus wreck havoc on the Black Friday stampeders!  

I also found the deliberately ambiguous ending to be a bit of a let-down.

While there is definitely humor and spooky in this movie, it doesn't have quite enough of either to make it truly great.   This is a shame because the actors are appealing (especially Emjay Anthony as Max) and Krampus is an amazing piece of folklore.     Krampus is worth watching and may become a cult favorite in time, but it isn't quite a classic. 

RigbyMel's rating: 

.5


2 and a half candy canes

J.A. Morris says: 

I'm in general agreement with RigbyMel about Krampus.  It's okay, but feels like it could have been better.

One problem I had was that with the exceptions of Max and Omi, none of the characters in this film are very sympathetic.  When Sarah sees that Omi has cooked dozens of  beautiful Christmas cookies, she rolls her eyes and tells Omi that they just bought a bunch of cookies at the store.  Howard is generally boorish and rude to the Engels from the moment he arrives and does nothing to prevent his kids from bullying Max (Tom also seems oblivious to his son being bullied).  So when Howard is placed in jeopardy, I can't say I was very worried about him.

I was also bothered by the way Krampus and his minions are mostly kept in the dark.  Whenever I see this in movies, it makes me think that the filmmakers didn't think the special effects were good enough to show in good lighting.

But there are some positive aspects of Krampus.

There's a good scene where Max asks Tom why they have to spend time with relatives during the holidays, even if they hate them.  This is a question viewers of any age can relate to, since we've all had less-than-ideal Christmas visits with family members.

Aunt Dorothy is played by Conchata Ferrell.  Like myself, Ferrell is a graduate of Marshall University and she's enjoyed a prolific career as a character actress for four decades.  When I attended Marshall, Ferrell was appearing on L.A. Law and was a bit of a local celebrity.  I've followed her career ever since.  Ferrell has some of the funniest lines in Krampus and is a welcome presence, even if Dorothy isn't particularly likable.    

We get a scene where Howard gets attacked by a gang of killer gingerbread men.  I found this scene amusing and it gives David Koechner a chance to deliver one of the film's funnier lines.  The actors generally do a good job with the material they're given.

I'm not a big fan of recent horror movies.  But Krampus is worth seeing at least once, especially if you've overdosed on some of the more treacly holiday entertainment.

J.A. Morris' rating:

.5


2 and a half candy canes.

X-Men Evolution: "On Angel's Wings"

Premiered December 15, 2001.

Beast: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” 
Professor X: "Shakespeare?"
Beast: "The Bible." 
Professor X: "Ah, indeed.  Although, I don't believe this angel is of the heavenly variety."

In New York City, during the week of Christmas, a young man named Warren (Mark Hildreth) sits alone and watches a house burn down on the local news.

We discover that he has wings like an angel, which enable him to fly to the house and rescue a woman from the fire.

Outside the city, the X-Men are having a holiday party at the Xavier Institute.

Professor Xavier (David Kaye) hears about this "angel" and sends Cyclops (Kirby Morrow) and Rogue (Meghan Black) to seek him out.

They believe he's a mutant and want to help him deal with his powers and provide emotional support.  Rogue also wants to go so that she can have some fun in the big city.

The Angel becomes a sensation for saving lives.  During an accident on the Brooklyn Bridge, he saves a little girl named Hayley who falls in the East River.

After the rescue, another super-powered man interferes and sends the girl back off the bridge.  Angel saves her again, but the public turns on him and blames Angel for the accident.

The people turn on Angel, as Magneto (wearing a hat) eggs them on.

Warren goes to the hospital where the little girl is being treated after her fall and encounters Rogue & Cyclops. They attempt to pursue Angel so they can tell him about the Xavier Institute,  but Warren eludes them.

He later goes to a church where the little girl's parents are praying for her recovery, only to be accosted by the mysterious stranger from the bridge.   This stranger turns out to be the mutant known as Magneto (Christopher Judge), master of magnetism.  He wants to recruit Warren.

Magneto tells Angel that humans will never accept him because he's different.  He tries to pursuade Warren to join his war against humanity.

While Warren is conflicted about his mutant powers,  he's not sure he wants to join Magneto ... or anyone else!

Will Warren/Angel be seduced by Magneto's line or will Rogue and Cyclops convince him to give the X-Men a chance?


RigbyMel says:

I am a fan of the X-Men generally, but am not quite sure how I feel about X-Men: Evolution based solely on this episode.   The series chooses to de-age some of the characters, which sorta kinda works, seeing as the X-Men really is about adolescence.

There are some nice Christmas-y interludes and it's fun to see teenaged Nightcrawler flirting with Kitty Pryde using mistletoe.   But,  I would have liked to see more of what the other X-Men get up to on their holiday break with their families.  For example, we get to see Kitty Pryde (who is my favorite X-Men character in the comics) lighting a menorah with her folks for all of (maybe) 10 seconds.

There's also a little teenage drama subplot involving a nascent triangle between Jean Grey, Cyclops and Rogue.

Warren is having a hard time dealing with his new mutant abilities  (let's face it, big honking wings are difficult to conceal),  but his impulses to use his wings to help others are most definitely admirable.

When Warren catches a falling Rogue, she wonders if he really is an angel.

That being said, although there seems to be a lot of potential for drama, I don't feel like this episode quite manages to capitalize on this as well as it could.   It rings a teensy bit hollow, but maybe that's because I haven't seen more of the series.

"On Angels Wings" has been released on a DVD titled X-Men Evolution:Powers Revealed.  It's also available for streaming on Amazon and iTunes.

If you're a fan of the X-Men, "On Angel's Wings" is worth checking out at least once, but I wouldn't call it a holiday classic.

RigbyMel's rating:




2 candy canes.

I'm going to part with my co-blogger on this episode.  I haven't seen many episodes of X-Men:Evolution, but I was a huge fan of X-Men comic books when I was a kid.  Angel has always been one of my least favorite X-Men.  In comics, he's basically a spoiled rich kid who can fly.  "On Angels Wings" made me care about Angel, since it depicts him as a selfless character who simply wants to help people in need.

Angel chases a thief through a snowy Central Park.

It's appropriate that Magneto serves as the antagonist of "On Angel's Wings."  The central story line of the X-Men (in any medium) has always focused on Xavier's belief that mutants must protect humankind and act as superheroes and Magneto's contrasting view that mutants (meaning Magneto himself) should rule the world.  In this episode, that conflict plays out with Angel caught in the middle of the two philosophies.

We get some nice scenes of  snow-covered New York locations at Christmas time, including Central Park, Washington Square and Rockefeller Center.

There are also more references to the spiritual side of Christmas than we usually see in cartoons aimed at children.  Cyclops wonders aloud if Warren really is a guardian angel. The Beast quotes a passage of the Bible (from Hebrews 13-2) and the climactic battle takes place inside a church.  

We get plenty of Christmas scenes of X-Men interacting with each other and their families.  Beast (Michael Kopsa) and Xavier spend Christmas at the mansion, showing that for some, your close friends sometimes become your family.  Wolverine is invited by Xavier to spend the holiday at the mansion.  He declines and we're later shown Wolverine by himself at a billiards hall.  A reminder that some, for better or for worse, spend Christmas alone.

If I have any problems with this episode, it's that we see very little of Storm,Wolverine and Kitty. They're three of my favorite Marvel characters but they're mostly in the background here.

"On Angel's Wings" is recommended Christmas time viewing and I think it's also a good introduction to this series.

J.A. Morris' rating:

3 candy canes.