54: Deathmask (3.20)

1980; 46 minutes
Written by Nicholas Corea; Produced by Robert Bennett Steinhauer;
Directed by John McPherson

On campus of University at Prestonville young blonde women/students are being killed by an unseen assailant.  David is helping out at the university library as he begins attracting some unwanted attention from the male students, who appear to be on the verge of forming a lynch mob: David's unknown face is a prime candidate for murderer in their eyes.  The police chief becomes aware of his presence and also wants to talk to him, but one night when David is nearly killed himself as the real murderer attempts to attack one of the girls who David is with, he is thrown into the limelight of suspicion and arrested in a media frenzy.

Deathmask (thus named because the murdered places a blank face-piece on each of his victims) wanders surprisingly close to slasher movie territory.  John Carpenter's Halloween had been massively successful in the two years or so before, so possibly that may have been an influence over Corea's story, but it also places this one more firmly into adult viewing than many of the other episodes had been.  The atmosphere builds up a sense of tangible menace as David's predicament spirals out of control.  It is also underpinned by a surprising turn by Gerald McRaney as the chief with some major psychological issues of his own.  McRaney is one of those prolific TV actors who could turn up multiple times in a series as different characters (previously he had appeared in The Incredible Hulk episodes Death in the Family, Ricky, and The Disciple, each time as a different character!).  His character's private conversations with David take the concept of Deathmask to darker depths than would be the television norm for the era in which this was made.

Number of Fists: *****

53: A Rock and a Hard Place (3.19)

1980; 46 minutes
Written by Andrew Schneider; Produced by Robert Bennett Steinhauer;
Directed by Chuck Bowman

David continues his knack for choosing the wrong employers here, although I guess if you're only ever expecting to get cash in hand with no ID and no questions asked then it's somewhat understandable.  He's working as a handyman for what is apparently a harmless old woman, but who actually turns out to be a long-running criminal plotting one more job.  Picked up by the FBI David's cover is blown, however, they use this to effectively blackmail him into spying on the old maid and her henchman.  When the latter grows suspicious and beats up David, the woman witnesses the end of a mini Hulk rampage in the basement, and then blackmails David into helping her!

An aptly titled episode David's caught right in the middle of the old woman's crime plans and a plot to catch her right in the proverbial act, specifically driven by a cop who's close to retirement with an odd career-long affection for the criminal.  On both sides one part of David's secret is out in the open, and thus he is forced to remain on the scene until he can find some way out.

Number of Fists: ***

52: The Psychic (3.18)

1980; 46 minutes
Written by Karen Harris, Jill Sherman, George Arthur Bloom; Produced by Robert Bennett Steinhauer;
Directed by Barry Crane

Whilst on the run through the streets of San Francisco during a simultaneous police chase of a small-fry gang, Hulk is seen just before his escape standing near a critically injured member of the gang, effectively a teenage boy.  Elsewhere a young woman with psychic tendencies leaves her job following yet another incident where her powers of foresight bring her more trouble than they appear to be worth.  On her way home she bumps into David, and is filled with visions of his secret alter ego.  Down on her luck with the rent she sees a newspaper story about the Hulk, and the offer of a $10000 reward for information leading to his capture.  She calls in McGee, but before he arrives in town she runs into David again at the hospital (where he's awaiting news about the boy he apparently injured).  This time she realises what kind of person he is in reality, despite the affliction.  Developing a kindred understanding between each other She offers to help him out for a while as events take a turn for the worse - McGee is on the scene and the hospitalised boy dies.

A poignant story for a number of reasons.  Notably the psychic Annie is played by Brenda Benet, Bixby's wife, with whom he had a divorce a few months before the shooting of this episode.  Aside from the divorce there was only further tragedy to follow, as their son Christopher Sean Bixby died about a year later, with Benet taking her own life a year or so beyond that.  Particularly touching when there are scenes in The Psychic of both Banner and Annie's characters considering taking their own lives in separate instances.  The tale here again showcases Bixby's fine acting (although I'm not so sure he is truly acting in one or two of the more upsetting scenes) as Banner becomes distraught over the belief that he has killed a boy whilst in the form of the Hulk (the factor that leads to his desire to end his life).  McGee, whilst initially on the scene to capture the creature, becomes instrumental in uncovering the truth.  But a particularly strong moment at the end of this episode stays with you: throughout the course of the story we see glimpses of Annie's visions whenever she comes into contact with someone, yet at the final moment when she last makes physical contact with David, she is visibly distressed by whatever she sees, albeit in a very subtle way, but we do not as viewers get to witness whatever it was.  A small detail but an emotional hint of great sadness to come in Banner's life.  One of the series' standout episodes.

Number of Fists: *****