Written by Nicholas Corea; Produced by Robert Bennett Steinhauer, Karen Harris, Jill Sherman
Directed by John McPherson
Having acquired a number of near-unobtainable chemicals from a pharmaceutical firm he has managed to get into, David is performing experiments in the comfort of the family home that he's lodging at. They have their own domestic issues, generally revolving around the father's tendency to work on ships at sea for months at a time. The daughter, probably in the absence of a consistent father figure, develops an infatuation with David. However, problems escalate when the chemicals that he injects into himself in attempt to suppress the monster inside actually succeed in bringing out an evil side to his personality, making him a threat to the girl and the wider world around them.
Fine fantasy-based story that plays almost literally on the Jekyll and Hyde theme of the show as a whole, turning David himself into a scarier monster than the Hulk ever was, particularly in the face of the potential loss of innocence of a teenage girl (she is 'over age' but it was still a brave move on the part of the show's makers). There is drama aplenty as the wayward husband struggles to reconnect with a daughter that is becoming infatuated with a much older man. A really interesting sequence though is when Hulk appears for the first time, as the 'Hyde' version of David is out causing trouble. He actually takes pleasure in the fact that he knows the transformation is occurring and then Hulk himself is influenced by the same chemicals in his system, meaning a genuine homicidal streak hitherto absent manifests itself, and the primitive monster who's supposed to be driven by rage is stripped of the usual benevolent tendency that occasionally marrs credibility. Absolutely great stuff.
Number of Fists: *****
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