25: Like A Brother (2.13)

1979; 48 minutes

Director of Photography John McPherson 
Written by Richard Christian Matheson/Thomas E Szollosi

Produced by James G Hirsch
Directed by Reza S Badiyi

Completely eschewing the temporary progress he made in A Solitary Place, David manages to wander into a predominantly black neighbourhood to obtain a job in a ghetto not particularly welcoming of white folk...  Working at a car wash he finds himself on the bitter side of a black colleague who he later befriends after helping one of the guys with a cut wrist.  It turns out the young man is looking after his diabetes-inflicted brother whilst on the verge of becoming a runner for a local drug-dealer-cum-dodgy club owner.

David certainly knows how to land himself in trouble, and this time it's with a black gang who were never going to take kindly to a white man befriending one of their 'brothers', who is effectively being groomed to be a gofer.

Ineffectual Hulk-outs are marred by contrivance and another attempt to draw out Hulk's softer side when his anger is momentarily dissipated to pick up a child/pushchair (which amusingly slips out of the mother's hands to roll right into the middle of the action, as her friends hold her back...).  Pertinent at the time, since then very tired, the story overlays conventional criminal antics with race relations commentary. 

Number of Fists: **

24: A Solitary Place (2.12)

1979; 48 minutes

Director of Photography John McPherson 
Written by Jim Tisdale/Migdia Varela; Produced by Nicholas Corea
Directed by Jeffrey Hayden

Banner has been living in a makeshift hut in the Mexican woods for a month now, without incident, the solitary existence he finds to be generally something that facilitates the calm required to maintain his more 'human' form.  This is until a woman stumbles into his camp.  She's a doctor who was held responsible for the death of a child on the operating table, and she too is seeking a little solitude from the world and its, or her, problems.  She is also being hunted by the father of the girl who died, who is accompanied by his son and one Jack McGee.  Exaggerating a damaged knee she persuades Banner to let her stay for a few days, but this of course means that her trouble is about to become his trouble...

An unusual premise with David's self-imposed isolation from society taking precedence as he realises that Hell Is Other People.  And just to prove the point, as soon as a woman wanders into his safe bubble, strife begins, even leading McGee right there inadvertently.

Spoiler ahead:  The theme of revenge is turned on its head here as the hunter is about to kill the doctor when a jeep crash causes his own son to become almost fatally injured, and the doctor herself has to save him, thereby redeeming her in the eyes of the would-be killer.  David's problems are not resolved though, and he has to leave behind his month of non-incidence as he heads back out on to the road.

Number of Fists: ****

23: Wildfire (2.11)

1978; 48 minutes

Director of Photography John McPherson 
Written by Brian Rehak; Produced by James G Hirsch
Directed by Frank Orsatti

Wildfire, one of a dwindling number of independent oil drilling companies, is close to financial collapse and run by a stubborn veteran of the industry who feels that they are close to hitting metaphorical gold.  Meanwhile a corporation, recognising the potential in Wildfire, is trying to buy out the small company before they actually do find oil in their current land-based spot, while the price can be kept low, but one of its employees is prepared to go to any lengths to sabotage Wildfire's chances of success.  At the same time David is generally getting in the way as a new operative at Wildfire, whilst forging a relationship with the owner's daughter.

Note that there is a spoiler in the following text.  Saved from being filed under M for Mundane by a dramatic final third when the oil rig blows up, leaving a fire to rage almost out of control.  Hulk's first appearance, after David is trapped in an oil drum by the no-good employee of the opposition, is quite witty in that Hulk's attention on the bad guy is irretreivably diverted to the truck's radio, leaving the guy to scarper.  This child-like, animalistic nature is illogically subverted during the final act when Hulk shows a little too much intelligence when he rescues the owner from the burning rig before capping the escaping oil.

David once more manages to develop a relationship with a female during this story, before having to move on again (although this time with a major boost in finances provided by some fruitful shares in Wildfire, which could arouse some cynicism regarding his motives for sticking around in the first place).

Number of Fists: ***

22: Escape From Los Santos (2.10)

1978; 49 minutes

Director of Photography John McPherson 
Written by Bruce Kalish/Philip John Taylor; Produced by James G Hirsch
Directed by Chuck Bowman

Hitchhiking near the border of Mexico,  David is offered a 'lift' into the town of Los Santos by a passing policeman.  On arrival he is promptly shuffled into a cell next to a distraught woman where both of them are about to be falsely accused of murdering the woman's husband.  During some ill treatment David changes into the Hulk and breaks out (through the wall of course - Hulk never was one to let mere bricks and mortar stop his progress).

Getting the woman to safety David later learns that her husband had accumulated evidence against the local authority, the employees of which seem to be completely corrupt.  The problem is that the two of them are now being treated as escaped convicts, and are now on the run both for their own safety and to attempt to retrieve the evidence that will clear their names.

An air of menace pervades the opening of this episode as an mildly distracted David witnesses the police chasing the woman who he will eventually hook up with as he himself ends up on the run.  There is a prominent feel of desperation about this story given the difficulty of two innocent individuals attempting to get back to their lives against the oppressive face of corrupt officials, and this results in a number of fairly exciting chases and interspersing encounters.

Number of Fists: ****

21: Stop The Presses (2.09)

1978; 48 minutes

Director of Photography John McPherson 
Written by Susan Woollen; Produced by Nicholas Corea
Directed by Jeffrey Hayden

At the National Register newspaper headquarters competition between reporters is rife, while McGee's weekly reports on Hulk sightings are beginning to lose respect with the chief editor.  One of the less scrupulous reporters, determined to make his way into the elite, fabricates stories to attract attention, and his most recent endeavour is a vendetta against fledgling restaurant Brunos, where he and a colleague plant trash in the kitchens, photograph it, and then print a 'horrifying' story about the lack of hygiene.  David has actually obtained a job there in the kitchens and is accidentally caught on photograph by the invading reporters.  The two lady owners of the place are determined to stop the story and retrieve the photos before their business is ruined, but David, whilst all too happy to assist the women, has his own reasons for wanting to stop those pictures being printed.

Played partly for laughs the story itself is a strong concoction of unfortunate circumstances that lead David into a situation that he truly doesn't want to be in.  This involves the National Register premises, where David and the women have to make several trips in order to initially persuade the unwilling reporter to drop his story leading to actual attempts to steal the photographs.  Of course McGee is heavily present, much more so than the average episode.  His own reputation is deteriorating over his obsession to capture the Hulk.  What is especially unexpected is that McGee is displayed here as a reasonably decent person, who actually objects to less than ethical techniques, even within the sometimes questionable profession that supports his means of living.

Aware that Hulk is in the vicinity McGee borrows a tranquiliser gun from an odd English (?) hunter where a fantastic showdown occurs in the basement of the presses themselves.  Both Hulk and McGee are shot (by McGee!) before a progressively slower chase leads to a transformation back to Banner occurring just feet away from the relentless journalist, but of course he is lapsing into unconsciousness himself as the moment of revelation nears.  Aside from some oddly handled Hulk-outs, this is an exciting episode with some pivotal moments for both the hunter and the hunted.

Number of Fists: ****

20: Killer Instinct (2.08)

1978; 48 minutes

Director of Photography John McPherson 
Written by Richard Landau/William M. Whitehead/Joel Don Humphreys

Produced by James G Hirsch
Directed by Ray Danton

American Football is the backdrop here: David is interested in the work being undertaken into the source and control of aggression by a Dr Stewart, who has used one of the players - John Tobey - in his hypnotherapy experiments.  The problem is that, rather than having greater control over his aggression Tobey is actually losing it, becoming increasingly volatile on the field and even in training.  Only Tobey's wife and David recognise that Tobey's ability to rationalise is deteriorating but David's attempts to invoke remedial action in Stewart are fruitless.  David realises that the doctor's treatment has elicited historical anger from the footballer's childhood, allowing it to rise and boil on the surface unrestrained.

Some interesting theories presented during discussions between Banner and Stewart, although I'm not sure that Denny Miller (who would amusingly turn up in a later episode of The Incredible Hulk as a different character) as Tobey pulls of the chaotically minded player completely convincingly.  Careful use of stock footage is evident but the absence of an actual crowd during episode filming does inherently limit the way Hulk's second appearance can be shot.

Hulk's treatment of the raging Tobey closely resembles how he deals with the angry father in A Child in Need.  Females should be quite taken with Hulk's first showing, as he sweatily emerges from a steam room with nothing more on than a very skimpy pair of shorts.  Hulk's reaction to himself is intriguing when he wanders in front of a full mirror, he looks at it for a few seconds and then smashes the whole thing - is Banner's own discontent with the creature surfacing at that point?

Number of Fists: ***

19: Alice in Discoland (2.07)

1978; 49 minutes

Director of Photography John McPherson 
Written by Karen Harris/Jill Sherman; Produced by Nicholas Corea
Directed by Sigmund Neufeld Jnr.

After taking a job as a bartender at the 'Pandemonium' Disco, David notices that one of the regulars is a girl he looked after for a while when she was little.  She doesn't recognise him now but what he does notice is that she has a drinking problem, and some interconnected complexes arising either because of that or to cause it.  Alerting the local health authority about the fact that she needs help David inadvertently brings some trouble to the disco for serving alcohol to underage people, and soon of course he is attracting unwanted attention to himself.

Once again the series makes the brave move of addressing something which was little spoken about back in 1978, that of teenage alcoholism.  The scene that takes place at an alcoholics group is touching and Bixby himself looks visibly moved.  The disco dancing/DJ sequences, whilst obviously capitalising on the craze of the time, are unavoidably dated now and will probably have today's Tiktok-obsessed gen-zs reaching for the stop button, if their attention deficit disorders have even allowed them that far.  The groovy title refers to the story that David used to read the girl when she was young, and which she still refers to for inspiration (the 'Lewis Carroll' tale of course).

Number of Fists: **

18: Another Path (2.06)

1978; 49 minutes

Director of Photography John McPherson 
Written by Nicholas Corea; Produced by Nicholas Corea
Directed by Joseph Pevney

Stormy night and David is on the road.  Against the driver's consent he hitches a lift in the trailer of a heavy goods vehicle, unaware that a) there is an old Chinese man, Li Sung, in there sheltering also, and b) the driver is a bit of a sadist.  The trailer is actually a huge refrigeration unit and to teach David a lesson he switches it on, not realizing of course that David's alter ego will soon teach him a lesson...  

After the inevitable carnage the two stowaways discuss life, control, and meditation before joining up and heading to San Francisco where Li Sung began a philosophical group years before to teach people better ways through ancient techniques.  While he has been gone the student who took over has turned it into a more nefarious martial arts club and is holding the whole area to ransom.

Another Path appears to be an attempt to capture some of the limelight of the martial arts craze of the time.  David sticks around Li Sung because the meditative techniques that he teaches can possibly help to control the monster that lurks within.  Aside from the fact that the new club owner recognizes a deterioration of discipline consuming the culture in which he has grown up, the idea of a racket is a little boring, leading to an episode that engages the viewer less than it should.  This is unfortunately despite the core concept of non-technological, traditional approaches to overcoming or reversing physical problems being one of great interest.  A later follow-up episode brought David back into contact with Li Sung: The Disciple.

Number of Fists: **

17: A Child In Need (2.05)

1978; 50 minutes

Director of Photography John McPherson 
Written by Frank Dandridge; Produced by Chuck Bowman/Nicholas Corea
Directed by James D Parriot

Whilst working as a groundsman (gardener) at a school, David meets an emotional pupil who's exhibiting a large number of cuts and bruises on his arms.  David takes him to the nurse who reveals that this is only one of a number of times that she's had to patch up Mark.  He takes the boy home but despite the exhibition of an apparently normal suburban surface David suspects something is not quite right, and goes to speak to the mother (who he finds out works at a local store during the evenings).  She is none too compliant, but David notices that she has a bruise on her arm too; enough evidence for him to realise that the father is beating the boy as well as his wife.

Surprisingly dark material for a family oriented TV show in the seventies, child abuse is widely spoken about now but was something the world was largely ignorant to at the time.  In fact,  deliberate ignorance is poignantly reflected in some of the characters here when David hears Mark being beaten: he rushes round to each of the neighbours to call the police, only to find that none of them want to get involved.  Neither, indeed, does the school nurse for fear of losing her own job.

I think there are some great performances in this episode, most notably as usual from Bixby himself (whose persevering interference for once is completely understandable), Ferrigno's touching appearance as the force that puts the bully into line, and Sandy Kirkland as Mark's mother, who maintains her assertion of love for the aggressor whilst torn emotionally between the dilemmas she is faced with.  Not only was this story a brave move but the writer goes one step further - it's the easiest option for all of us to assume that child-abusers are pure monsters, but the Hulk's own beating of the father by the final act brings about the revelation that the man himself was beaten as a child, laying down the unfortunate foundations for what he was to become.  The conclusion is possibly slightly too rosy but this doesn't mar what is otherwise an excellent entry in the second series.

Number of Fists: *****

16: Rainbow's End (2:04)

1978; 49 minutes

Director of Photography John McPherson 
Written by Karen Harris/Jill Sherman; Produced by James G Hirsch
Directed by Kenneth Gilbert

David learns from the news that a previously aggressive race horse has been tamed enough to become a contender through the unique application of native American herbs.  He travels to the race track where concoction inventor Thomas Logan is looking after the horse (the eponymous Rainbow's End), and manages to acquire a job there.  Logan is initially suspicious of David's enquiries, but after seeing a transformation first hand he agrees to help, despite reservations about administering his natural drug to a human being, a hitherto untested situation.

Refreshingly absent of criminal activity there are only business and family politics to contend with here, the primary problem stemming from a bitter old man who sold off his assets prior to them becoming potentially hugely profitable.  There is a sizable devotion to David's exploration of a controlling solution to his problem when he befriends Logan, and for a while it looks as though it may have a positive effect when, after ingesting the cocktail, David's nightmares (this time of his most recent wife, Caroline Fields from the Married season 2 opener) do not invoke the Hulk.

Taking the reins from legendary composer Joseph Harnell, Charles Cassey delivers ominous music which plays a strong role during the mystical sequence where David and Logan are at work on the liquid that provides the cursed man with some hope, and the recall of the aforementioned events of Married are surprisingly well handled.  McGee makes a brief appearance, offering another priceless reaction when he realizes the Hulk has shown up in the most unexpected of places.

Number of Fists: ***