Small Wonder (TV Series) (DVD)

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Teens Ass

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"She´s a small wonder&a girl unlike other girls&"

For years, a question burned in my mind, remaining unanswered for decades. Was VICI bound by the three laws? If not, we´re all in big trouble. I distinctly remember an episode where she bodyslammed Jesse Ventura so that whole robots not harming humans thing probably wasn´t applicable.

"Small Wonder" premiered in syndication in 1985, a throwback to the gimmicky sitcoms of yesteryear like "Bewitched" and "I Dream of Jeannie." Honestly, I think it has more in common with "My Mother the Car." This time, it´s my sister (or cousin, depending on the episode) the robot.

Ted Lawson (Dick Christie) is an engineer for United Robotronics who invents the Voice Input Child Identicant or V.I.C.I. (Tiffany Brissette), for short. Ted attempts to teach Vicki how to be more human along with his wife, Joan (Marla Pennington), and his precocious son Jamie who, contrary to popular rumors, was not played by Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins fame, but by Jerry Supiran. They also do their best to keep Vicki a secret from the rest of the world. Not an easy task since they live next door to the obnoxious Brindles. The patriarch of the family, Brandon Brindle (William Bogert), is Ted´s boss at Robotronics while wife, Bonnie (Edie McClurg of "Ferris Beuller" fame), finds any way to invite herself into the Lawson home. The biggest pain though is little Harriet (Emily Schulman), a freckle-faced redhead with pigtails and a lisp. Like Mrs. Kravitz from "Bewitched," Harriet is constantly spying on Jamie and the rest of the family. Personally, I think people should have been suspicious of the fact that Vicki wore the same exact red and white dress everyday.

The majority of the humor from "Small Wonder" comes from the literal way in which Vicki performs commands. Mention that she "picks things up easily" and she´ll literally pick someone up above her head. In addition to super-strength, Vicki has an electrical outlet in her armpit and speaks in a deliberate, monotone voice, just in case you forgot she was a robot. The special effects involved in Vicki´s feats of strength look really terrible even for the 80´s. The dialogue is just as cheesy with corny lines like, "She´s quicker than a tongue at an ice cream factory."

This four disc set includes all 24 episodes of the series´ first season. The episodes include:

-Disc 1-
"Vicki´s Homecoming" - Ted builds Vicki as an aide for handicapped children, but she quickly becomes a beloved member of the family.

"The Neighbors" - When the Brindles suffer a blackout, they worm their way into the Lawsons´ for dinner and meet Vicki for the first time.

"The Sitter" - Ted and Joan go out on the town and leave Vicki in charge, much to Jamie´s dismay.

"The Suitor" - Warren, the school nerd, starts hanging around the house after meeting Vicki and falling madly in love with her.

"Sibling Rivalry" - Jamie runs away from home when he feels Mom and Dad are paying more attention to Vicki.

"Spielberg Jr." - Jamie directs a sci-fi film for a class project, but being director goes to his head, like Michael Bay.

-Disc 2-
"The Lie" - Jamie learns his lesson about telling fibs when his parents don´t believe him that he didn´t break a teapot.

"The Bully" - Jamie and his schoolmates receive unexpected help from Vicki when a bully pushes them around.

"Slightly Dishonorable" - Jamie gets on the school honor roll, but only because he got Vicki to do his homework.

"The Adoption" - The Lawsons are in danger of losing Vicki when Child Services arrive demanding to know about her past.