Best of The Incredible Hulk TV show, part 1

Originally published March 31, 2000, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1376

Again, we’re falling into the realm of short-term memory problems, but it suddenly occurs to me (hopefully accurately) that I never followed up on the open request for favorite episodes of the Hulk that I gave to you, the readers.

If you’ll recall, some time back Columbia House video approached me. The reason: They wanted me to oversee the selection of a “Best of” collection for the old Incredible Hulk TV series. Now I’ve seen a number of “Best of” tapes for other TV series and always thought the same thing you probably did: “Gee, I wish they’d asked me.” So I took the opportunity to do exactly that by offering to hear whatever input you folks wanted to offer. The final list was a combination of some Columbia House mandates (such as the pilot), reader input, plus my own preferences. Since the set provides two episodes to a tape, I tried to provide episodes with some sort of thematic link. For instance, I linked “747” with “My Favorite Magician” on the same tape—even though “Magician” wasn’t a large vote-getter—because both of them featured former co-stars of Bill Bixby (Brandon Cruz of The Courtship of Eddie’s Father and Ray Walston from My Favorite Martian. Not to mention that the title itself was a reference to Bixby’s unfortunately short-lived series, The Magician.)

So for all of you who are interested, herewith a list of the “Best of The Incredible Hulk.” I didn’t incorporate every single preference of any one reader, but there was such a consensus on so many of the episodes that, for the most part, I think I did hit a majority of everyone’s wish list.

TAPE 1– “The Incredible Hulk (Part 1)

“The Incredible Hulk (Part 2)

“Within each of us there dwells a deep and raging fury.” With those cautionary words, producer Kenneth Johnson launched the TV incarnation of Marvel Comics’ “The Incredible Hulk.” As created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the Hulk was a rampaging behemoth, the alter ego of Dr. Bruce Banner, on the run from the army, capable of juggling tanks and laughing off bazooka shells. Johnson “humanized” the Hulk, bringing him down to a more vulnerable (and budget-efficient) scale to make him more accessible to the non-comics fan. He also crafted a “lost love” tale as heartsick Dr. David Banner, angst-ridden over failing to rescue his trapped wife during a fatal car crash, sought both rationalization and absolution as he tried to learn why others–but not he—found the strength to saved loved ones in similar situations. His quest unlocked more than he bargained for.

TAPE 2– “Death in the Family” (Part 1)

“Death in the Family” (Part 2)

The two-part “Death in the Family” is Bill Bixby’s second outing as the tortured Dr. David Bruce Banner, whose unbridled fury unleashes the green behemoth known as the Incredible Hulk.

This time out, Banner this time stumbled upon the predicament of young Julie Griffith (Laurie Prange.) Crippled since the accident that caused the death of her father, Julie was under the watchful care of her stepmother, Margaret (Dorothy Tristan.) However, the reputation of stepmothers everywhere was about to take another hit, as Banner realized that Julie’s supposed caretakers were actually killing her… and not with kindness. Unable to find any allies, Banner was forced to take matters into his own sizeable green hands, as both Banner and Julie found that they had to overcome their personal afflictions if they were to have any hope of surviving.

TAPE 3–”Married” (Part 1)

“Married” (Part 2)

It’s an all-too-familiar TV formula: Our hero encounters the love of his life and they marry. But since she’s a guest star, you know that their love is doomed.

Series developer Kenneth Johnson twisted and pretzeled the formula for his two part “Married” (which he also directed), and the result is one of the two most popular episodes in the history of The Incredible Hulk.

“Married” kicked off the series’ second season with a bang as David Banner traveled to Hawaii to seek the aid of Dr. Caroline Fields (Mariette Hartley), whose pioneering efforts in hypnotism might have enabled Banner to keep his rampaging alter ego in check. But Caroline had problems of her own: She herself was terminally ill. The pair of doctors worked together, and their mutual aid society blossomed into a union as starcrossed as anything Rome and Juliet ever experienced.

Bill Bixby turned in one of his best performances, particularly moving in a scene where—through a folktale—he explained the necessity of appreciating joy even in the face of certain doom. Mariette Hartley won a Best Actress Emmy for her performance in this two-parter. This episode also provided one of the few times when Bixby and Lou Ferrigno actually appeared together, in a “mindscape” confrontation echoed in later comics stories (they would also work together in “King of the Beach.”)

TAPE 4– “Another Path”

“The Disciple”

When is a two-parter not a two-parter? When it consists of these two episodes, placed several seasons apart but unique in the history of The Incredible Hulk in that they are the only two to feature a recurring character other than Banner, the Hulk, and the ever-persistent Jack McGee.

David Banner (Bill Bixby) met, and then revisited, an aged martial arts expert whose teachings might finally have presented the tortured doctor with the means of controlling his emerald alter-ego. In their first encounter, Banner found himself in the midst of a clan war that threatened the authority and power of his newfound friend—and possible mentor—Li Sung. In the gripping follow-up, the ailing Li Sung had a successor in mind–a cop named Michael Roark who has just lost his policeman father in a shootout. However, Roark had to battle not only his own thirst for revenge, but that of his brother, if he had any hope of being a worthy “disciple” to Li Sung’s teachings. The theme throughout both parts was learning control and inner discipline, in the hope that mental teachings could help Banner where scientific teachings had failed.

TAPE 5– “Mystery Man” (Part 1)

“Mystery Man” (Part 2)

It had to happen. After two seasons of fruitlessly pursuing the Incredible Hulk, Jack McGee—

a reporter with no deadlines, one story to pursue, and an apparently bottomless expense account—

finally comes face-to-face with the man he didn’t even know he’d been chasing.

David Banner’s track record with automobiles was abysmal, and it didn’t improve at the top of this episode as a car crash resulted in a case of amnesia. Johnny-on-the-spot as always, McGee (Jack Colvin) offered to bring the heavily bandaged (and thus unrecognizable Banner) to an amnesia expert, chartering a plane to expedite matters. But Banner’s luck with small planes was as lousy as with cars. They crash landed, and an injured McGee found his life depended upon the man whose life he has unknowingly plagued for two years. Banner found his attention torn between McGee’s deteriorating condition (including a possibly gangrenous leg), a raging forest fire, and his own tattered shreds of memory.

Even casual fans, when queried about their favorite episodes, say, “Be sure to include the one with the bandaged Banner and the forest fire”… and so I did.

The rest of the “winners” next time, including the single most popular episode of The Incredible Hulk… well… ever, I guess.

(Peter David, writer of stuff, can be written to at Second Age, Inc., PO Box 239, Bayport, NY 11705.)