81: A Minor Problem (5.07)

1981; 47 minutes
Written by Diane Frolov; Produced by Karen Harris, Jill Sherman, Andrew Schneider
Directed by Michael Preece

After being offered an interview for a laboratory assistant position at the Dere chemical research institute, David arrives at the place only to find he can't get in - it appears to be deserted.  He looks around the local town, but there's nobody there either, with food left half eaten, etc., as if the populace simply vanished instantaneously...

The opening ten minutes or so sets up a very intriguing premise that reminds me of watching something like an episode from The Twilight Zone or the sixties Avengers TV series.  I had hoped that it was because, with this being the last episode, there were efforts at play to wrap things up to some extent, but it was never to be.  I suppose closure would more so arrive in the form of the final TV movie that Bill Bixby himself directed in 1990 (Death of the Incredible Hulk).  Still, it was a pretty good episode to go out on, with some enjoyable scenery destruction from Hulk himself as a parting gesture.

Number of Fists: ****

80: Slaves (5.06)

1981; 47 minutes
Written by Jeri Taylor; Produced by Jill Sherman
Directed by John Liberti (Libertini)

Following a minor mishap on the road when a woman ploughs her car right off it, David assists but can't do anything about a broken radiator.  So the two head off across the desolate highway towards the next town, estimated to be thirty miles away.  They're picked up by another driver a few hours later, who takes them into a town where he says he lives by himself.  That's not quite true of course, as they're both taken captive to work down the mines looking for gold.  Their captor is a descendant of slaves and holds a grudge against white Americans, irrespective of whether they as individuals are guilty or not.  And being an ex-convict, he wants to get rich by fair means or foul.

Decent episode again, largely taking place within the confines of the mine of one of the shacks in the desolate desert town.  John Hancock puts in a great, sometimes chilling performance as the scorned Isaac Ross, while it's also nice to see pre-V Faye Grant as the sexy, stubborn female that yet again causes David a whole heap of trouble (if she had only picked him up instead of driving right past him).  Charles Tyner also puts in a good show as Isaac's drunken sidekick.

Number of Fists: ***

79: Triangle (5.05)

1981; 47 minutes
Written by Andrew Schneider; Produced by Jill Sherman
Directed by Michael Vejar

Working for the Jordan lumberjack company David has met and fell in love with a prospering young woman who's achieved an MBA and wondering what to do next with her life, other than spend it with the traveller who has a past still enshrouded in some degree of mystery of course.  Mr Jordan himself, however, appears to be cursed with infatuation for the woman, and because he's not entirely happy with her hooking up with a 'drifter', he arranges to have David run out of the town.

Aside from an excess of smooching and romanticism, Triangle is quite a good story with a number of ensuing complications arising out of the relationship between David and his new-found love (an attractive presence in the shape of Andrea Marcovicci, whose most interesting moment of fame in my opinion came with her role in the tongue-in-cheek horror movie The Stuff).  Some fun bit parts also help to raise this a smidgen above the standard of season five, namely in the ever-enjoyable Charles Napier, Mickey Jones (Ricky himself), and the besotted Jordan played by Peter Mark Richman.  Unusually, this particular tale culminates in a twist.

Number of Fists: ***½

78: Sanctuary (5.04)

1981; 47 minutes
Written by Deborah Davis; Produced by Jill Sherman
Directed by Chuck Bowman

After a young man being smuggled across the border is shot by one of his captors he escapes to a nun-owned santuary where David is working as a helping hand.  The criminals attempt to get the man back so the nuns ask David to impersonate an absent priest in order to give their presence a bit more authority.

David certainly wanders off the beaten track during his adventures!  The titular domain is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, the location making for an attractive setting.  David's turn as a priest is not entirely convincing but it does give way to an interesting story development for a while (and you know that the tree they cannot uproot early on is going to find its way out of the ground one way or another in this episode...).  Hulk's angry first appearance momentarily almost reminds of the raging creature that he was supposed to be, however, overall this episode continues the mundane but watchable trend of season five.

Number of Fists: ***

77: Veteran (5.03)

1981; 46 minutes
Written by Reuben Leder, Nicholas Corea; Produced by Robert Bennett Steinhauer, Jill Sherman, Karen Harris
Directed by Michael Vejar

A man, apparently suffering from combat shock, stumbles into the alleyway where David is putting out rubbish.  The latter foils an attempted mugging and helps the Vietnam veteran back to health.   Once Hewitt is back on his feet he locates a place where he can conveniently unfold an assassination attempt on a local politician, who he blames for 'killing' him back in 'nam.  This location happens to be a studio run by a woman who is forced to be held hostage until the shooting can take place.

Centering around a good performance from the veteran, played by German-born Paul Koslo (he also played Rivers in Long Run Home), there is some amusement to be had from Hewitt just staggering into the studio saying that he needs to use the place, but the character is clearly a complete psychological mess (something that is explained later in the story by deeper issues than him simply being a returner from the war, as if that wouldn't be enough!).  Some enjoyable small scale destruction from the Hulk in the first half, after David has been tortured in a rather disturbing fashion, keep this one moving along.

Number of Fists: ***

76: Two Godmothers (5.02)

1981; 46 minutes
Written by Reuben Leder; Produced by Jill Sherman
Directed by Michael Vejar

While collecting laundry from a female detention facility, David - ever in the wrong place at the wrong time - is taken hostage by three escaping prisoners and forced to drive the van out into the middle of nowhere as the women aim to hold up for a night or two.  A bigger problem is that one of them is pregnant, with the birth not too far away as the shaking of the vehicle on bumpy roads stimulates movement of the new arrival.

The group are pursued by a fascist warden controller while David himself is believed to be voluntarily assisting the group.  The drama is enhanced a little by their forced pause in a shack as the authorities close in, at the same time as the birth is underway, although on the whole this is a running of the well worn mill.

Number of Fists: **½

75: The Phenom (5.01)

1981; 46 minutes
Written by Reuben Leder; Produced by Jill Sherman
Directed by Bernard McEveety

After befriending an up-and-coming baseball pitcher David accompanies him to a couple of trials to support him in making it into the bigger games.  David is warned that an unscrupulous agent has his eye on the player but the distracted traveller inadvertently allows the agent's female friend to beguile the titular 'phenom'.  David of course runs into trouble with the agent's heavy associates.

A reasonable start to the ill-fated season five, featuring a moderately engaging story, a sexy femme fatale who unexpectedly becomes attracted to the man she's supposed to screw over (no pun intended of course), and a suitably nefarious bad guy (nicely played by Robert Donner, who was also in Sideshow the previous year).

Number of Fists: ***

74: Patterns (4.17)

1981; 46 minutes
Written by Reuben Leder; Produced by Andrew Schneider, Karen Harris, Jill Sherman
Directed by Nick Havinga

Working at a clothes factory David is dragged by his well-intentioned boss into a plan to borrow money in order to fund a fashion show, which should bring multiplied returns.  David is unaware that he has been labelled as the boss's partner when the debt collectors show up.

The narcissistic world of fashion does not make for my favourite theme, although had they done something satirical with it then this could have turned into something better.  1981 was probably given to the kind of perceptiveness for that kind of approach.  The performances of the debt collectors are quite good, and there is a slight tension in the drama the unfolds between them and the factory boss, but on the whole this episode is a continuation in season four's decline that began directly after Interview with the Hulk, which was the last decent show of that season.  Even the title here lacks any kind of inspiration, although I suppose inadvertently it does reflect the series' trend on ending each season with a mundane closer.  Oddly this one concludes with a 1980 date stamped after the credits, though it definitely aired first in the midst of 1981.

Number of Fists: **½

73: Danny (4.16)

1981; 46 minutes
Written by Diane Frolov; Produced by Robert Bennett Steinhauer, Karen Harris, Jill Sherman
Directed by Mark A Burley

Wandering along the roadside David hitches up with a man who is on the run from pesky town's people.  He takes the traveller back to a camp where he and his friend are living free of the system.  There's also a woman there with a baby called Danny.  David stays for the night but departs the next morning as he realises all is not well within the little group: the woman, Rachel, is discontent and she heads off on the same morning.  One of the guys, frustrated that Rachel has spurned his advances, assumes the two of them have left together, thus he goes out looking to track them down, which lands David in a usual heap of trouble.

Taking place in the middle of nowhere with very few characters this one feels like it was made on a very small budget.  Robin Dearden (who also played Joleen in Brain Child) is quite good as the distraught mother Rachel but this episode otherwise feels very by-the-numbers, boring to watch and of little value to the series as a whole.  It's difficult as a viewer not to feel sorry for the baby Danny ('actor' uncredited), who spends much of the episode crying, screaming, and generally in distress.

Number of Fists: **

72: Half Nelson (4.15)

1981; 46 minutes
Written by Andrew Schneider; Produced by Robert Bennett Steinhauer, Karen Harris, Jill Sherman
Directed by Barry Crane

David arrives in Baltimore and helps out a midget being mugged in an alleyway...  The little guy, who seems to have three names, is mixed up with some criminals whilst making a living as a wrestler.  He takes David in for a few days, at the same time getting him into trouble with the aforementioned gangsters.

Probably the nadir of the entire Incredible Hulk run, the whole far-fetched debacle is difficult to watch - the bad guys are the worst type of generic stereotypes (whose conversation consists largely of what to eat next), the alleyway mugging is a bit of a joke, and when David attends a party full of small people dancing and the like, it teeters over into parody.  Hulk's appearances are obviously also contrived in an episode that may desperately attempt to tackle the difficulties faced by those who are 'different' from what is considered to be the norm, but can't quite do anything skillfully enough to give it any substance.

Number of Fists: *

71: Interview With The Hulk (4.14)

1981; 47 minutes
Written by Alan Cassidy; Produced by Robert Bennett Steinhauer, Karen Harris, Jill Sherman
Directed by Patrick Boyriven

One of McGee's colleagues - a science journalist by the name of Fletcher - attempts to steal his big story when he accidentally takes a call from a witness who has seen the man who becomes the Hulk.  Fletcher heads out and tracks down the mystery man via the woman who saw him change, and instantly recognises him as David Banner as a result of his previous writings in the science field.  Fletcher's insidious motivation leads him to make a deal with Banner to tell the his story in the newspaper with guaranteed anonymity.  However, as Banner divulges information about what's been happening over the last few years, Fletcher begins to sympathise with him, ultimately questioning his own ethics.

I wasn't entirely convinced by Michael Conrad's performance as the unscrupulous reporter hiding a difficult historical experience that allows him to sympathise with Banner's plight, but there are a number of good things about Interview With The Hulk, including the fact that it veers from the established formula for a change (Hulk only really appears in this episode once, aside from some flashbacks, and it's quite a nifty creature-trapped-on-the-roof sequence that reminds me of old monster movies), plus it's nice to see Banner in a position where he can lift the weight from his shoulders by telling his tale of loneliness and inner torture to another person, even though he is essentially forced into it.  The ongoing sadness of the character is prevalent in this story.

Number of Fists: ***½

70: The Harder They Fall (4.13)

1981; 47 minutes
Written by Nancy Faulkner; Produced by Robert Bennett Steinhauer, Karen Harris, Jill Sherman
Directed by Mike Vejar

After being struck by an out-of-control vehicle David wakes up in hospital unable to move.  The doctors diagnose a spinal injury that has likely resulted in permanent paralysis of the legs, this leading to a period of depression and readjustment for David.  As time passes he becomes friends with another paraplegic and during an evening at a bar a scuffle results the wheelchair-bound David being pushed down some stairs.  This of course triggers a transformation, but Hulk's own mobility is affected somewhat.  After the outburst of anger and destruction the beneficial effect of his radioactively enhanced rapid cellular regeneration puts David on the road to recovery, but his new friend is dealing with monetary issues of his own, something that prompts him into planning a bank robbery.

Bixby handles well his character's descent into shutdown following the accident that leaves him effectively crippled, and I like the way Hulk himself is also debilitated when he arrives on the scene.  There is a moment where in his desperation David considers deliberately triggering the transformation as he remembers the regenerative effects that occur.  He pulls back from this temptation, despite his discontent, but fate as usual takes over.  Denny Miller, as David's new buddy, also appeared in Killer Instinct as the enraged footballer (his character here was also coincidentally in the same profession, and it would have made a nice tie-in if they had decided to make the man one and the same).

Number of Fists: ***

68/69: The First (4.11/4.12)

1981; 47+47 minutes
Written by Andrew Schneider; Produced by Robert Bennett Steinhauer, Karen Harris, Jill Sherman
Directed by Frank Orsatti

In the town of 'Vissaria' a group of teenagers run into car trouble near a dead scientist's house and break in hoping to find shelter from the storm outside.  Taking more of a nosy look around the place than they should, one of them is killed by an unseen being.  A year later David arrives in Vissaria after discovering historical stories about the ominous scientist Clive and a green creature that reportedly appeared around the time of his experiments at the old house.  After uncovering more information David believes he is on the trail of not only someone else who became a Hulk-like monster, but a cure for the same condition.

A fantastic idea for the series, The First two-parter essentially brings another 'Hulk' into the equation with some strange and terrific results in equal measure.  It begins in lovely horror-movie style with a malfunctioning car near a creepy old house, leading to revelations of townsfolk that live in perpetual fear of what once happened there.  This story is unusual for the series in that it features several actual deaths (rather than mere injuries) one of which is a shooting on screen.  There are at least a couple of wonderful sequences, for example when David witnesses the transformation of the other man, with scientific fascination and shock combined.  The main difference with this man - David's nemesis ultimately - is that he actually wants to change into the creature, smiling whilst undergoing the transformation.  As David discovers in Clive's notes (a reinforced point from one of the earlier stories) the creature's personality is driven by its alter-ego's outlook, and the megalomaniacal man who becomes the monster in this case really is a different kind of beast to the Hulk, one who is actually willing to kill.

The second episode brings its own exemplary scenes, the favourite of mine being, naturally, the showdown between the two monsters.  Truly a boyish but charming homage to the classic monster clashes of the likes of Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man, etc.  This particular battle is preceded by one of the entire series' most staggering moments; when David is confronted with the other creature, his glimpse of hope (in the form of a serum) is tragically destroyed by his new nemesis.  David's reaction of absolute despair is a shiver-inducing occurrence, one that leads up to transformation into a confused Hulk, who takes a while to begin reacting to the threat before him.  There are several references to Universal chillers of the 30s/40s, from the overall setting to the Frankenstein-like creation that is the titular character, the names Clive (i.e. Colin Clive, who played the Doctor in the first two Universal Frankenstein films), and Frye (i.e. Dwight Frye, a regular misshapen assistant in many of those movies).  The place is also very similarly named to the location of the classic battle in the aforementioned Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man, which is called Vasaria.  It must be said that Dick Durock's turn as the monster borders on parody, but it's so freakishly bizarre that it also leers towards the legitimately eerie.

Number of Fists: *****/*****

67: Wax Museum (4.10)

1981; 46 minutes
Written by Carol Baxter; Produced by Robert Bennett Steinhauer, Karen Harris, Jill Sherman
Directed by Dick Harwood

David becomes a helping hand at a wax museum - the scene of a fire where the previous owner was killed.  His daughter now crafts the dummies, but she suffers from mental difficulties, neurosis, and hallucinations.  The current business partner appears to be torn between supporting the woman, who wishes to continue her father's vision, and balancing the depleted finances.

The first sequence of Hulk is a rather pitiful one, whereby David being burnt causes transformation that leaves Hulk with little to do except throw the source of the problem across the room.  They try to extend this with a comedy item with Hulk getting a little frustrated with an ATM, but it doesn't work for me.  What strikes me with this epsiode is that the scale and budget looks like it was restricted quite significantly.  There's no gloss, the limited locations/sets come across as cheaper, and there's a generally unsatisfying feel to the whole episode.

Number of Fists: **