Wonder Woman: Wonder Woman vs. Gargantua!

"Wonder Woman vs. Gargantua!" is the title to the seventh episode from season one of the superhero fantasy series Wonder Woman, which is based upon a character created by William Moulton Marston, who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The episode was directed by Charles R. Rondeau and written by David Ketchum and Tony DiMarco. It first aired on ABC on Wednesday, December 18th, 1976.

Synopsis
In the Republic of the Congo, an over-sized gorilla lumbers through the jungle. Wonder Woman emerges and the two briefly fight, but then she blows a whistle which causes the beast to calm down. Afterward, she removes a face mask revealing that this not Wonder Woman at all. In truth, it is Erica Belgard, a Nazi agent who has been pioneering a new behavioral control technique that she believes will earn her special recognition with the Nazi high command. Erica works alongside an agent named Hans Eichler and his crony, Carl. Eichler has his own mission, however. He must travel to the United States to acquired a Nazi turncoat named Conrad Steigler, who has been giving top-secret information to the allies. Erica feels that this will be a perfect opportunity to unleash her brainwashed gorilla, Gargantua, confident that he will be able to defeat Wonder Woman.

Back in the United States, the Air Corps Intelligence Division has Conrad Steigler squared away in a secret interrogation building in a hotel in Washington. Colonel Steve Trevor conducts the interview and Steigler gives up vital information about secret Nazi safe houses located in the Washington area. The Air Force is concerned that Nazi agents will attempt to recover Steigler, so they secure him in a room at the hotel with armed guards and a special alarm system. Eichler, Belgard, Carl and Gargantua sneak into the United States. They find out where the Air Force is holding Steigler and send Gargantua to go get him. After tossing about some MPs outside the building, the gorilla scales the side of the hotel and leaps through the window. He dispatches another guard then nabs Steigler and returns him to the others. Erica makes sure to leave behind a clue to their whereabouts, hoping that Wonder Woman will find it and fall into her trap.

Steve Trevor and Diana Prince go to the hotel and talk to the guard who tells them about being attacked by a gorilla. Steve thinks he's lying, but Diana finds a tuft of ape hair laced with oil. Piecing the clues together, she determines that the Nazis have taken Steigler to a waterfront warehouse.

Diana changes into Wonder Woman and goes to the location. Erica releases Gargantua and the beast attacks Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman evades the ape's lunges and realizes that he has clearly been mentally manipulated into a psychotic rage. She tries to calm him down, but Gargantua isn't having it. Trevor and some more MPs arrive as Erica, Hans and Carl make their escape with Steigler. One of the guards gets a little trigger happy and begins shooting at Gargantua. Wonder Woman deflects one bullet with her feminum bracelet, but the other strikes Gargantua in the arm. They sedate the wounded animal and take him to Doctor Osmond. With Doctor Osmond's help, they are able to reverse the mental conditioning that Erica had conducted on him. Wonder Woman is upset that someone would do something so awful to an animal.

Erica Belgard meanwhile, is resolute in her plan to recapture Gargantua and defeat Wonder Woman. Hans Eichler on the other hand, has had about enough of Erica's ambitions and simply wants to return Steigler to Berlin, as per his orders. She convinces him to give her one more try.

Erica goes to Doctor Osmond's office and incapacitates him. She frees Gargantua and sees that he has reverted to normal. She reprograms him with the same mental condition she used the first time, and Gargantua becomes a psychotic killer gorilla once again.

When Diana Prince discovers that Gargantua is missing, she goes to track him down as Wonder Woman. She finds Gargantua and the Nazis, and Erica lets the ape loose. The second round of reconditioning didn't work as well as the initial treatment, and Wonder Woman is able to get the ape to side with her. She then ensnares Erica Belgard in her magic lasso, and she is turned over to the military.

Sometime later, Wonder Woman brings Gargantua back to the Congo so that he can live out the remainder of his days in peace and freedom. She then returns to the United States in her invisible plane. When Steve Trevor ask Diana why she is so late getting back, she tells him, "I was dropping off a friend".

Notes & Trivia

 * Wonder Woman is based on characters created by Charles Moulton.


 * Developed for television by Stanley Ralph Ross.


 * Copyright holder: MCMLXXVI, D.C. Comics, Inc. - Warner Bros. Television. All rights reserved.


 * This episode was filmed at the Burbank Studios in Burbank, California.




 * Producer Wilfred Lloyd Baumes is credited as Wilford Lloyd Baumes in this episode.


 * Associate producer Arnold F. Turner is credited as Arnold Turner in this episode. He is credited in the end-title sequence.
 * Script writer Anthony DiMarco is credited as Tony DiMarco in this episode.


 * Actor James Driskill is credited as Jim Driskill in this episode.


 * Herb Voland's character is credited as Dr. Osmond in the closing credit sequence.


 * This is the only episode of Wonder Woman directed by Charles R. Rondeau. He is also known for directing episodes of Batman, Gemini Man, The Immortal and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.


 * This is the second episode of Wonder Woman written by David Ketchum. He writes three episodes of the series in total. He previously wrote "Fausta, the Nazi Wonder Woman". His next episode is "The Pied Piper".


 * This is the first episode of Wonder Woman written by Tony DiMarco. He also writes "The Pied Piper".
 * The events of the beginning of the episode take place in May, 1942 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Later scenes take place in September, 1942.


 * Erica Belgard is the first character seen in this episode. She is disguised as Wonder Woman however, so it is actually actress Lynda Carter who is the first cast member seen in this episode.


 * Erica Belgard is the second character in the series to disguise herself as Wonder Woman. The first was Fausta Grables in the episode, "Fausta, the Nazi Wonder Woman".


 * Wonder Woman #227 by DC Comics was released to retailers at about the same time that this episode first aired. It carried a September, 1976 cover date. Most comic book issues have cover dates that are 2-3 months after the actual release date.

Allusions

 * The photograph of Wonder Woman that Erica gives Gargantua in order to reprogram him is a still from episode 1x04, "Beauty on Parade".

Quotes

 * Hans Eichler: Interesting. But I can see a trained animal at the circus.
 * Erica Belgard: Gargantua is not just a trained animal. He has been programmed to help us. Any Way I want him to. Don't you think this is something the High Command will be interested in?

....
 * Hans Eichler: I agree with Carl. We leave right now.
 * Erica Belgard: All right, Hans. But remember, my report to the High Command will have to be that you personally aborted my plans to capture Wonder Woman. Shall I tell them that?

....
 * Major Steve Trevor: What happened to Gargantua?
 * Wonder Woman: Well, Erica obviously tried to reprogram him and he went berserk. But I think he's all right now.
 * Major Steve Trevor: He must have sensed you wouldn't have hurt him.
 * Wonder Woman: It's just a little kindness and tenderness and love that transcends those barriers with animals. And with people.
 * Major Steve Trevor: Wonder Woman, you're amazing.