57: On The Line (3.23)

1980; 46 minutes
Written by Jill Sherman/Karen Harris; Produced by Robert Bennett Steinhauer/Jill Sherman/Karen Harris
Directed by L Q Jones

After being found/rescued in the woods by a crew fighting a raging forest fire, David is forced to return the favour by sticking around to cook meals, transfer water, etc.  The problem is that the fires are being started deliberately and while some suspicion falls on David, being the new face and all, he himself saw the female firefighter inexplicably in the vicinity of one of the new blazes.

For a story so embedded in the potential drama of uncontrollable fires there is something strangely dull about On The Line, which is a shame because this one closes a season that contains a lot of really good episodes.  Even McGee's appearance and near-discovery of David helping out fails to elicit much of a response.

Number of Fists: **

56: Nine Hours (3.22)

1980; 46 minutes
Written by Nicholas Corea; Produced by Robert Bennett Steinhauer/Jill Sherman/Karen Harris;
Directed by Nicholas Corea

An injured gangland kingpin is being treated in hospital with an entire floor to himself and under constant guard due to the fact that he is rumoured to be helping the FBI with enquiries, therefore associates want him dead.  In a plot to assassinate him his colleagues have noticed that one of the technicians working there (David) is friends with a local kid that he lives in the same block as.  They kidnap the boy as a blackmailing tool to persuade David to unlock the back doors for them in the dead of night, thus allowing unrestricted access to end the life of the crime lord before he says too much.

A couple of vast illogicalities let an otherwise reasonably entertaining story down with several threads going on at once.  One problem occurs again with some unexpected intellect on Hulk's part when he intercepts a getaway car by running along the underground tunnels - of course there's hardly a chance that Hulk would know which direction to run underground or that he would come up through a manhole in the right location.  The other issue is with the improbability of David and a bummed-out cop's successful street enquiries leading them to the boy's imprisoned location.  Having said all that, the appearances of Hulk are actually pretty exciting with a high level of destruction alongside some strong camerawork.  I quite like the way the ex-cop is personified although he cleans up a bit too quickly by the conclusion.

Number of Fists: ***½

55: Equinox (3.21)

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

A poor little rich girl is holding a party for her shallow friends on a small island, the celebration being equinox.  Aware that 'John Doe' (McGee's name for the Hulk's alter ego) is present on the island he swindles his way into the party with the intention of capturing Doe/Hulk.  David, meanwhile, is simply attempting to get away from the whole thing, whilst elsewhere there are about to be several attempts on the spoiled woman's life which inevitably will cause David some problems.

Centred around an embarrassing masquerade party the main character, Diane, is a narcissistic brat of a woman who ends up being rescued by Hulk and sympathised with by David, despite the fact that she has little in way of visible redeeming qualities and even goes so far as to slap David for spurning her advances!  It's a pity the wannabe killer wasn't successful on this occasion.  One of the problems with this episode is the contrived appearance of Hulk, which in each case serves little purpose except to encourage McGee, who spends the whole story getting closer to Hulk - this in itself is a potential saving grace, and the conversation that he has with a masked David is a strong moment, but otherwise it's a sad episode to view after the fantastic Deathmask.

Number of Fists: **