66: King of the Beach (4.09)

1981; 49 minutes

Director of Photography Edward Rio Rotunno 
Written by Karen Harris

Produced by Robert Bennett Steinhauer, Karen Harris, Jill Sherman
Directed by Barry Crane

Carl Molino is a body builder who works in the back of a diner for next to nothing whilst dreaming of opening his own Italian restaurant.  A local con-girl tries to partner up with him and persuade the big man to enter the 'King of the Beach' body-builder competition with hopes of earning them both a packet of cash.  The naive girl also gets herself wrapped up with corrupt businessmen whose interest in the competition does not accommodate the presence of Carl.

A fun episode where Lou Ferrigno actually appears in non-Hulk form as Carl, which was a fantastic idea.  In fact almost the entire episode features Ferrigno in one form or another, making this quite a likable novelty in the series.  I quite appreciate the way Ferrigno plays the part of Carl (adopting some of his own characteristics of course, including the fact that Carl's hearing does not function at 100%).

It's plenty of opportunity to show off Ferrigno doing what he did best back in his prime - demonstrating a massive physique (he'd obtained plenty of professional world-class competition experience during the seventies, including first-place wins).  I also found Crane's handling of the first Hulk sequence to be reasonably strong, whilst the presence of Bixby and Ferrigno on screen together has an emotional tug to it.

Number of Fists: ***

65: Goodbye Eddie Cain (4.08)

1981; 48 minutes

Director of Photography John McPherson 
Written by Nicholas Corea

Produced by Robert Bennett Steinhauer, Karen Harris, Jill Sherman
Directed by Jack Colvin

A private investigator is questioned by the authorities about a murder - his story encompasses criminal goings-on that are intermingled with the presence of a gardner called David who has no tracable past.  Then there is the eventual unexplained appearance of a large green monster...

Told from the perspective in retrospect by the titular character, the epsiode takes on the form of a 40s/50s film noir, in terms of both plot and style of narration.  The dialogue can be looked on as quite corny but I guess that's a deliberate aspect of the whole approach.  It's a novel and refreshing idea in the context of the series, but when Hulk does appear he seems to have stumbled onto the wrong set, his presence being completely at odds with the atmosphere of the story.

Interest wanes as the episode progresses unfortunately, despite the novelty.  This was the first of two episodes directed by Jack Colvin, aka Jack McGee of course (the character himself not appearing here), the second foray being East Winds later in the same year.

Number of Fists: **

64: Fast Lane (4.07)

1981; 48 minutes

Director of Photography John McPherson 
Written by Reuben Leder

Produced by Robert Bennett Steinhauer, Karen Harris, Jill Sherman
Directed by Frank Orsatti

David hires a car to travel to New York for a tightly scheduled interview he's had lined up.  He's unaware that the boot contains a million dollars of criminal money, and that one of the employees of the hire company is going to use the traveller as a decoy so that he can get away with the cash, unhindered by the mob who he hopes will then be after David.

Frustratingly padded with stock footage of car racing (reflecting the memories of the hire car employee, whose life has taken a turn for the mundane), Fast Lane is essentially a road movie contained within 48 minutes.  It plods along at the opposite pace suggested by the title, appearing to be heading towards disaster.  The story is enhanced by the complicating arrival of a failed waitress with problems of her own, and things finally pick up as the various threads entwine for an exciting escape for what must be a bewildered David as he's forced to take part in a car chase that he probably could do without.

Number of Fists: ***

63: Bring Me The Head of The Hulk (4.06)

1981; 48 minutes

Director of Photography John McPherson 
Written by Allan Cole, Chris Bunch

Produced by Robert Bennett Steinhauer, Karen Harris, Jill Sherman
Directed by Bill Bixby

David applies for a job helping out a revolutionary scientist in the area of genetic study, not realising that the whole laboratory has been set up by a French mercenary (La Fronte, played by Jed Mills) who is intent on killing the Hulk - after months of studying patterns of Hulk activity he's nailed down the conditions under which the creature generally appears.  La Fronte initially took his offer to the Register before going to competition after McGee objected to the intent to kill rather than capture.

Despite the improbable nature of the premise it possesses a certain degree of intrigue knowing that Banner/Hulk has been cornered against his knowledge.  This is followed up later on when, aware that the person who becomes the Hulk is in their midst, La Fronte rounds up all of the staff at the base with the objective of smoking out the monster (quite literally - he sets the place on fire before trapping them all).  This leads to one of the few occasions where Banner owns up to being the creature, although it is to plead to La Fronte's non-existent sense of humanity in order to save the others from being burned alive.

It does lose its way by the final act as the supposedly highly intelligent La Fronte seems to lose all grounding in rational thinking as his homicidal streak takes over.  Nicely helmed by Bixby - this would be the only episode of the series that he'd direct, although he did return to the seat for the three TV movies made between 1988 and 1990.  Sandy McPeak, playing Alex, the criminal with burgeoning sense of morality, had previously done a convincing job as the abusive father in A Child in Need. 

Number of Fists: ****

62: Deep Shock (4.05)

1980; 48 minutes

Director of Photography John McPherson 
Written by Ruel Fischmann

Produced by Robert Bennett Steinhauer, Karen Harris, Jill Sherman
Directed by Reza S Badiyi

Whilst trying to help out a colleague on a construction site, David is changed into the Hulk, who receives a powerful electric shock.  Comatosed, David is taken to hospital where he finds, after awakening two days later, that the shock has somehow triggered fleeting tendencies towards premonition.  He's disturbed to foresee him (as Hulk) seriously injuring the aforementioned colleague in a later event whose preliminary circumstances are currently still enshrouded in mystery.  His attempts to leave, primarily in order to avoid the premonition becoming truth, are then thwarted when his friend loses control after being made redundant.  This appears to be leading David to a point where he cannot avoid a certain future.

Quite an intriguing idea doesn't start well with Hulk's first rather contrived and lazy appearance, quite early in the episode compared to most.  The question of whether the events of the future can be averted in any way is tackled to some extent, although mainly through the occurrences within the story rather than any philosophical dialogue exchange.  It does all build towards a reasonably entertaining climax, with McGee once again very close to his obsession.  I never could quite figure out though why this ace reporter never carries a camera, particularly as many people who he attempts to convince of the Hulk's existence refuse to believe him...

Number of Fists: ***

61: Dark Side (4.04)

1980; 49 minutes

Director of Photography John McPherson 
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.

An especially interesting sequence occurs 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, this results in one of the best Hulk appearances of the show's run, as the creature becomes the raging monster of menace that was suggested at the very beginning. 

Number of Fists: *****

60: Free Fall (4.03)

1980; 48 minutes

Director of Photography Edward Rio Rotunno 
Written by Chris Bunch, Allan Cole

Produced by Robert Bennett Steinhauer, Karen Harris, Jill Sherman
Directed by Reza S Badiyi

David is working for a skydiving team that are mixed up with corrupt politicians and old friends with grudges to bear.  They're also willing to make their points by resorting to extreme measures. 

Thoroughly mundane entry, particularly after the explosive season four opener that was Prometheus.  Some good aerial photography and a pretty exciting moment where David falls out of the plane without a parachute just about elevate this one beyond complete boredom.

Number of Fists: **

58/59: Prometheus (4.01/02)

1980; 48+48 minutes

Director of Photography John McPherson 
Produced by Robert Bennett Steinhauer, Karen Harris, Jill Sherman
Written and Directed by Kenneth Johnson

A potentially destructive meteor is spotted by a space observation centre closing in on Earth's atmosphere, subsequently being tracked during the hours before it crashes in Utah.  In the vicinity, David is helping a blind woman (having saved her from drowning) who's moved away from the city, trying to adapt to a more solitary life.  He sees the flash through the sky just prior to the impact explosion and heads through the forest to investigate.  As he gets closer to the object, the gamma radiation being emitted from the object interferes with his body chemistry, causing him to stagger backwards.  Putting his hand into a wasp nest the resulting swarm prompts a transformation that leads to some small scale destruction before Hulk wanders back towards the woman's cabin.

Following his return, the frightened blind woman is present during the reverse metamorphosis, but it stops half way - David's body becomes trapped in a halfway state between the two beings, both physically and mentally.  Returning to the crash site the military close in on the scene and mistake David/Hulk for a possible extraterrestrial, capturing him in a solid steel prison for further analysis back at a laboratory (Prometheus) designed to exploit lifeforms originating from outer space.

What a corker of a story to open season four.  As a whole these two episodes veer completely from the formula that has been established in the series, with the possible exception of having David help the almost-annoying blind woman whose presence seems to be a little contrived in order to elicit sympathy.  The first part builds tension quickly as a near science fiction scenario is developed (it is suggested that the meteor is flying at an angle that leads to speculation that it is piloted) until David's reverse change results in a rather creepy hybrid, interestingly using two actors (Bixby himself for close-ups, and Ric Drasin - obviously a little more muscled than the former but not quite up to the mass of Ferrigno - for medium to long shots).  Bixby, as was routinely the case, shines as an actor, pulling off his diffused mental intellect combined with bouts of uncontrollable anger convincingly.

Part 1 concludes with a classic cliffhanger leading to the second part taking place largely at the military base where the creature has been captured, while McGee has tricked his way in hoping to finally learn the secret behind the monster.  The second part is the most Hulk-heavy (no pun) episode of the entire series, with Ferrigno being on screen significantly more than he generally would otherwise (the decision to have him running around for much of it in, er, shorts was possibly a mistake, however - and this is when shorts were shorts...).  The overly tidy conclusion wraps things up with marginal dissatisfaction, and excessive use of one of the principle incidental themes during Hulk's rampage during the finale of Part 2 are the only real negatives in an otherwise great double episode.

Number of Fists: *****/****½

57: On The Line (3.23)

1980; 48 minutes

Director of Photography John McPherson 
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.  David finds himself embroiled in a mystery that the people surrounding him are increasingly suspicious that he is the cause of.

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; 48 minutes

Director of Photography John McPherson 
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 sadly pitiful ex-cop is personified although he cleans up a bit too quickly by the conclusion.

Number of Fists: ***