MeTV's SuperSci-Fi Saturday Night

[The Old Mixer]

But they didn't. As the general explained, his ancestor was known as "The Butcher" because he inexplicably led his troops against Jackson's strong west flank and got them killed even though the investigation showed that the signal rocket indicated that the east flank was his weak point. The whole reason the general felt such an urgent need to go back was so that he could ask his infamous ancestor why he'd made such a disastrous decision. We saw at the end that the signal rocket was accidentally fired in the wrong direction -- but nobody realized that because they were all distracted by fighting Tony and Doug, and presumably Hotchkiss, the one person who did realize it, was mortally wounded and never got to report the fact. So the ending didn't change the outcome, it merely explained the mystery of it.

But whether it was predestined or not, they were there to play a role in events. It wasn't a matter of their presence making no difference as Tony implied.

(I also notice that he has a lot of bodybuilder photos on his Hulk wall as well as bodybuilder magazines beside his lamp. Maybe those were just meant to suggest his aspirations to be big and strong, but I wonder if they might've been implicitly coding him as gay.)

But that was only after he became obsessed with the Hulk and redecorated. It was all about the Hulk, like the map, and what appeared to be a statuette of a Greek god painted green, just as several of those photos seemed to have been hand-colored green.

 

[Christopher]

But whether it was predestined or not, they were there to play a role in events. It wasn't a matter of their presence making no difference as Tony implied.

You said, verbatim, "they'd change the outcome of the battle." They did not. Yes, they played a slight role in bringing about the known outcome, but that's the way it always worked in The Time Tunnel. They never changed history. Whatever contribution they made to events always resulted in history turning out the way it had already been recorded.

But that was only after he became obsessed with the Hulk and redecorated. It was all about the Hulk, like the map, and what appeared to be a statuette of a Greek god painted green, just as several of those photos seemed to have been hand-colored green.

That's not what I'm talking about. In the scene where Harold called the TV news, there was a closeup on his lamp table, and next to (and slightly under) the lamp were a pair of bodybuilder magazines. And even with a Hulk obsession, the fact that he'd include green-tinged photos of musclemen alongside actual Hulk pictures implies a certain fetishism going beyond interest in the Hulk as a news story or whatever. It was common in TV and movies for generations to code villains, nerds, and weirdos as gay, even if they couldn't come out and say it directly. You may be right that it wasn't meant that way, but it certainly could have been.

 

[The Old Mixer]

You said, verbatim, "they'd change the outcome of the battle." They did not. Yes, they played a slight role in bringing about the known outcome, but that's the way it always worked in The Time Tunnel. They never changed history. Whatever contribution they made to events always resulted in history turning out the way it had already been recorded.

You're getting hung up on the semantics of a facetious statement. I've since clarified the intent of the statement. They did make a difference in the outcome, whether that difference was already factored into the timeline before they got there or not.

In the scene where Harold called the TV news, there was a closeup on his lamp table, and next to (and slightly under) the lamp were a pair of bodybuilder magazines.

Which was still after he developed his obsession with the Hulk, so the magazines were likely intended to play into that.

 

[RJDiogenes]

You might find the similar posts that I've been doing for the weekly TOS 50th anniversary rewatch threads a bit more to your liking:

Ah, yes, lovely. Except for Sinatra.

 

[Christopher]

This will be my last TTT unless Decades does a Binge or something.

Or you could just do what I do and watch it on ShoutFactory's site, no subscription required.


One more detail I noted about Hulk: "The Confession": The computer lab had a couple of sound effects in common with a number of Filmation Saturday morning shows like Space Academy and Jason of Star Command -- specifically the melodic beeping of the computers and the alert siren. I guess the show must've had the same sound effects provider, or rented the sounds from the same library.


Land of the Giants: "Terror-Go-Round" was pretty silly. Getting captured by circus folk was not one of the show's more impressive plots, a lot of the character choices seemed arbitrary to advance the plot, and, oh, look, this alien planet has the same ethnic stereotypes we do! Also, it's frustrating how little the female leads get to do most of the time. Irwin Allen shows were not good at spreading the wealth among ensemble casts. Joseph Ruskin was effective as the villain, though. The balloon escape was kind of interesting, though it was telegraphed almost from the start.


Planet of the Apes: "The Legacy" wasn't bad. The story about the search for lost human knowledge had some stakes to it, though they didn't do much with it. There were some good performances, though; Mark Lenard was in fine form in his scenes with Booth Colman's Zaius, and there was an interesting turn by a teenage Jackie Earle Haley as the devious urchin Kraik. Zina Bethune was rather lovely as Arn, though I had to wonder how a half-starving homeless woman in an ape prison managed to get such beautifully coiffed hair.

This is the second episode (after "The Trap") with scenes in a ruined city. The production benefitted from the fact that MGM's backlot had recently been sold off and was undergoing demolition, giving them a ready-made ruin to film in. Better yet, the castle set that served as Virdon's prison was left over from Young Frankenstein!! They managed to get in their filming in the week before the set was scheduled to be torn down.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Or you could just do what I do and watch it on ShoutFactory's site, no subscription required.

Hmmm...thanks for the info, but I'm not invested enough in the show to prioritize it over all the crap that's been accumulating on my DVR. I was happy to sample a few episodes and join in while I was, though.

One more detail I noted about Hulk: "The Confession": The computer lab had a couple of sound effects in common with a number of Filmation Saturday morning shows like Space Academy and Jason of Star Command -- specifically the melodic beeping of the computers

Billy Batson was using that one to communicate with the elders a few years before either of those shows.

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Heh...Shazam! and Isis would be perfect for H&I's Saturday Comic Book Heroes block.

 

[Christopher]

Oh yeah, I remember that now. Well, that particular bleeping sound was used on a lot of Filmation shows -- I think it may even have showed up on TAS once or twice.

Then there was also that weird, eerie rising-and-falling tone that Filmation used as an ambient sound in all the outer-space scenes in a lot of its later-'70s shows including the ones I mentioned. I never quite understood what that sound was supposed to represent, but I got used to thinking of it as the way outer space sounded.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Another lost opportunity with David making tapes of himself that don't become a plot point.

Being secretive, he would not--and in this episode did not--leave any personal information, which is the only way the tapes would be of value story wise.. Even he knows that he tends to lose things / lose control of things after a Hulk out, so he would not leave anything that would risk exposure.

McGee should just relocate to CA...the Hulk seems to get out there a lot.

Yeah, after all, the Hulk was "born" in California...but McGee is still on Steinhauer's leash, so he's not so free to change offices.

I took note of that...clearly he is a phenomenon, but still might be seen as a hoax by the general public and mainstream media.

So, in the TV universe, the Hulk is as known and/or disbelieved as Sasquatch in the general culture of 1979.

Note that the Register is sold in vending machines like a respectable paper. Not sure if that's common for sleazy tabloids.

At the time, some tabloid papers were sold in vending machines, along with sex rags, so......I guess the Register has a place somewhere between that.

I know the guy's got issues, but that's pretty rich coming from someone who got into that situation by lying...

Ha! True, but he's also a hyper defensive nerd who sees any rejection as a form of unacceptable behavior "attacking" or "hurting" him, so he's incapable of recognizing his Hulk-sized level of hypocrisy.

And he specifically indicated that saving Harold was more important than getting the Hulk's identity. Ponder upon that, if you will.

I'll counter that with McGee arrived before the Hulk's appearance, witnessed Harold begin to attempt suicide, but after the Hulk appeared, he did not care about Harold at all, wrangling TV news crews to help him net the Hulk. Nevermind about that pesky Harold.

Agreed...while the cure-related activity set up the story but wasn't its central focus, it was definitely more than lip service.

Yes, the adrenal control angle's keeps that brief opening in the important zone, since its part of a line of Banner's discussed approaches to the problem.

Agreed. Seemed like a waste to set her up and let her go, when Jack could have used a buddy character to have scenes with and exposit to.

That's why I thought at least a line about her whereabouts in some random episode would have respected the value of the character. Of course, with McGee's Hulk obsession, he cannot have an associate, since he's considered the single-minded antagonist of the series, and Pamela

But that was only after he became obsessed with the Hulk and redecorated. It was all about the Hulk, like the map, and what appeared to be a statuette of a Greek god painted green, just as several of those photos seemed to have been hand-colored green.

Which was still after he developed his obsession with the Hulk, so the magazines were likely intended to play into that.

All true. There was no (reaching) intentional or unintentional gay subtext to the character at all. To support his view of the Hulk--and that which he thought would convince Pamela, he littered his place with bodybuilder photos, the crude colored images, etc. It was all a means to an end clearly laid out in the story.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Being secretive, he would not--and in this episode did not--leave any personal information, which is the only way the tapes would be of value story wise.. Even he knows that he tends to lose things / lose control of things after a Hulk out, so he would not leave anything that would risk exposure.

But he was leaving his voice...which McGee might conceivably have been able to identify.

All true. There was no (reaching) intentional or unintentional gay subtext to the character at all. To support his view of the Hulk--and that which he thought would convince Pamela, he littered his place with bodybuilder photos, the crude colored images, etc. It was all a means to an end clearly laid out in the story.

Upon further consideration, I'd concede that he may have already had the magazines, and just put them to use by coloring the images and hanging them on his walls. One thing we do see in his apartment before his Hulk encounter is a set of weights. So I think that the Hulk played into an existing issue with him wanting to be a stronger, alpha male type.

 

[publiusr]

And the book-burner analogy doesn't work, because book-burners are usually members of the elite group wishing to suppress subversive ideas that would challenge their cultural or political power. The power dynamic was the other way around in this case.

The professor was the one shot--so

"By the same token, yes, there are members of oppressed groups who make negative generalizations about the group that oppressed them, but that's kind of understandable under the circumstances. It's very different from the negative generalizations that the oppressors invent to justify their oppression. It's not symmetrical when there's a fundamental difference in the power dynamic. A victim's hate for victimizers is not a good thing, no, but it's not nearly as bad as a victimizer's hate for their victims. The former is a reaction to being deprived of power, the latter is an excuse for abusing power."

I see your point--I really do. It has to be taken into account. Then too--the Germans didn't respond to reparations by saying "You know something--you're right. We're the bad guys--we will gladly pay X." Humans don't think that way. In the Middle East, bringing up who did what to whom just isn't going to work. I was angry at how a local hospital that law enforcement nicknamed "Kill On The Hill" treated my father. Resentment is--after all--a poison you drink in the hopes that the other guy dies. Comparing wounds can get messy after all.

Plenty of artifacts end up in museums through consensual arrangements with the people who have a rightful claim to them, whether through donation, tours, or outright purchase. So it makes no sense to defend the outright theft of artifacts as some sort of cultural necessity. Consent makes all the difference.

But what if someone doesn't consent to taxes behind the museum? Eaements, rights-of-way--all of this is part of gov't--which is civilization. Libertarians love to talk about "takings" after all. So who has consent and agency and who doesn't? All very messy.

Then too--I've heard it that libertarianism is astrology for men

Oh yeah, I remember that now. Well, that particular bleeping sound was used on a lot of Filmation shows -- I think it may even have showed up on TAS once or twice..

I think people respected the craft then. I miss a lot of those sound effects.

 

[Christopher]

But what if someone doesn't consent to taxes behind the museum? Eaements, rights-of-way--all of this is part of gov't--which is civilization. Libertarians love to talk about "takings" after all. So who has consent and agency and who doesn't? All very messy.

Consent doesn't mean you're guaranteed to get your way, just that you have the right to participate in the decision-making process. Obviously if there are multiple groups with different agendas, they can't all get their way in every instance. But if the system is fair and inclusive, then everyone will have a chance to win. Freedom and equality are about opportunity, not absolute entitlement. The fact that everybody has equal opportunity means you don't get your way 100 percent of the time, and anyone who would equate occasionally losing a fair competition to being oppressed is a self-entitled jerk who has no idea what oppression is.

 

[publiusr]

That's a good point.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

But he was leaving his voice...which McGee might conceivably have been able to identify.

Voice? Are you referring to the recording Banner made in act 1? If so, that was on his personal recorder, which was destroyed in the Hulk's rampage.

Upon further consideration, I'd concede that he may have already had the magazines, and just put them to use by coloring the images and hanging them on his walls. One thing we do see in his apartment before his Hulk encounter is a set of weights. So I think that the Hulk played into an existing issue with him wanting to be a stronger, alpha male type.

The weights are an important point that further snuffs out the fabricated "gay" suggestion about the writer regarding Harold possessing images of bodybuilders. As a nebbish man with image/ego issues, he would see bodybuilders as a means of becoming a strong, more appealing male, and in 1970s culture, the bodybuilding craze was often packaged with that desire. The Hulk being an amazing physical specimen would only add to Harold's body image desires.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Tonight, on The Incredible Hulk:

"The Quiet Room"
Originally aired May 11, 1979

Working as an orderly in a hospital, David discovers that a doctor is doing experiments on his patients.

Events in the news the week this episode aired:

May 8 – The Woolworth's store in Manchester city centre in England is seriously damaged by fire; 10 shoppers die.
May 9

• The Salvadoran Civil War begins.
• A Unabomber bomb injures Northwestern University graduate student John Harris.
• Laos recognizes the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).

May 10 – The Federated States of Micronesia becomes self-governing.

New on the U.S. charts that week (@RJDemonicus , you may wanna avert your eyes and ears):

"Heart of the Night," Poco

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(Peak positions: #20 US; #5 AC; #96 Country)

"Boogie Wonderland," Earth, Wind & Fire w/ The Emotions

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(#6 US; #14 Dance; #2 R&B; #4 UK)

"Ring My Bell," Anita Ward

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(#1 US; #1 Dance; #1 R&B; #1 UK)

Also, at #1 for the second of four weeks (its chart debut having been skipped by me a few weeks back):

"Reunited," Peaches & Herb

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(#1 US; #4 AC; #1 R&B; #4 UK)

*

 

[Shaka Zulu]

"Like a Brother": It's another episode by Richard Christian Matheson & Thomas Szolossi, authors of "747" last season. And it's a Hulksploitation movie! All the uncomfortable stuff you'd expect from white '70s writers trying to write about black people -- funky music, inner-city poverty, drugs, a flamboyant crime boss and the noble street preacher opposing him, and of course the kindly white liberal who wins them all over with his superior knowledge and skills and wisdom. Oy. Okay, shows like this are usually about the hero being the smart and sensible one who helps the guest stars with their problems, but when it's a white hero and minority guest stars, it does tend to fall into the white-savior stereotype, and this is no exception. Even aside from that, it got pretty hokey at times.

Still, at least it had plenty of funky '70s music. Joe Harnell was better at working in that style than he was at trying to do disco music.




You're far more generous than I was. Sensitivity, sure, but only in a condescending "White hero knows best" sort of way.




And that's the problem with the episode right there -- the fact that it worried more about the community's "racism" against David than about the genuine systemic racism that created their poverty and disadvantage in the first place, as if David were the only victim. It's not like their life experience would have given them any reason to automatically trust white people.




Not surprising. He wasn't very good.




I recognized him from the MacGyver episode "The Challenge," where he played a community-center leader and friend of MacGyver's who was murdered.





Beautiful downtown Backlotica.




David put the bracelet into his back pocket just after receiving it. It struck me as odd that he'd do that just after being given it as a gift, rather than putting it on his wrist. It seemed kind of dismissive. So I realized "Ahh, they want it to survive the impending Hulk-out." I figure the in-story rationale is that he was taking wet rags out of the washer and didn't want his new bracelet to get wet.




I didn't say I wanted an entire channel devoted exclusively to that, I just said I wanted to see some channel do that -- set aside a particular time slot as a "showcase" that rotated through various different short-lived shows. I'm aware that the SciFi Channel did it for a while, but nobody's done it lately.

This kind of episode is why I prefer the two movies (and appearances by by the Hulk in the two Avengers movies) instead. In fact, I also prefer the Hulk cartoons (the early '80's one, the 1990's one that aired on UPN and in syndication, and the recent one HULK & The Agents Of S.M.A.S.H.) to this show.

I think that's giving too much credit to a story that was basically just a knockoff of the blaxploitation genre.

Way, way too much, especially for a genre that had died out by 1979 when this show aired.

 

[Christopher]

The Time Tunnel: "Crack of Doom," in which Tony and Doug happen to land on Krakatoa just hours before its destruction, had some interesting aspects, but it was badly undermined by the racist portrayal of the "primitive" superstitious islanders (played by white actors in brownface, of course) as hell-bent on human sacrifice to appease the volcano. And they could've made Torin Thatcher's character seem more courageous in his dedication to risking his life for scientific data that could help millions in the future, but they painted him more as a fanatic. Ellen McRae -- actually a young Ellen Burstyn -- was rather bland as his daughter.

The gag with bringing Tony back to find everyone frozen in time was an unusual twist for this show. A clever way to get information from the Tic-Toc Team to Tony, but maybe having them also establish voice contact after Tony got back was a bit redundant and should've been saved for another episode. The sequence was inconsistent in showing the imaging system engaged while time was frozen, since it clearly wasn't on when Tony came out of, or went back into, the tunnel, all of which happened in a split-second.

What is it with "random" time machines, like this one and the TARDIS in classic Doctor Who, that constantly deposit their travelers right at the moment when something really dangerous is about to happen? If it's random, shouldn't most of the landings be in uneventful moments? Heck, statistically speaking, if it's random, then they'd be several times more likely to land in the middle of the ocean, or in the wastes of Siberia or the middle of some desert, than anywhere populated.

Speaking of landings, a couple of the "arrival" shots in the past couple of weeks have made it clear that the "time travelers" are sliding along some kind of zipline and then dropping down onto the set. That was noticeable with Carroll O'Connor last week (and he actually pulled off the first upright, non-tumbling landing) and with Tony's arrival here.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

^ I think in the case of Doctor Who it was implied that the TARDIS took the Doctor where he needed to be. Or at least it was retconed as such.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

"The Quiet Room"--

Valley View Sanatorium is the latest job site of orderly David Balin. Tommy, treated for pyromania (along with being violent & antisocial), is discharged, cheerfully celebrating the healing powers of Dr. Murrow, to David's delight. Dr. Joyce Hill joins in on the Murrow cheerleading, with David noting that 20 years earlier, Tommy would have been a candidate for a lobotomy.

David: "So who is more amazing: the patient that's cured, or the doctor that cures?"
Dr.Hill: "Mmm--the phenomenal Dr. Murrow. He's taken society's misfits and made them functional, non-violent human beings."

Later, David races to a recreation room after a patient--Kathy Allen--lashes out with a chair, enraged at something not expressed. She is quickly comforted by Dr. Murrow, and sent back to the "Quiet Room"--a place she was allowed to leave thanks to a patient nicknamed "Houdini." Curious, David approaches Murrow--

David: "Dr. Murrow, you mind if I ask about Kathy Allen--how long has she been having her attacks?"
Dr. Murrow: "She had the first one..two years ago. She hasn't spoken since she nearly killed her child."
David: "But you're convinced that the attacks are more physiological than psychological?"
Dr. Murrow: "Yes, it is. The physical abnormality of the amygdala is what causes the severe emotional reaction. Most attendants don't take such a clinical interest in the patients."

Dr. Hill continues her celebratory predictions of Murrow's work on criminally insane patients, and of David says--

Dr. Hill: "Anyone can tell you're too smart to push a broom."

Dr. Murrow successfully performs surgery on Kathy Allen's amygdala. With time and testing, the woman is determined to be recovered enough to be released to her husband and young daughter. David happens to see one of Murrow's videotaped sessions with Kathy and Tommy, where the pyromaniac is prodded into an exercise where he picks up an empty gun, aiming it at the woman and pulling the trigger. He's congratulated for following the command. At that moment, Murrow spots David watching. The doctor explains--

Dr. Murrow: "David, my work will change the face of society. Fewer criminals..fewer victims...less violence."
David: "That's not my immediate concern, doctor. What I saw on that tape wasn't dealing with less violence. If that gun had been loaded, Kathy Allen would be dead."
Dr. Murrow: "But it wasn't loaded! You see David, its important that I determine the extent to which normal behavior is altered by my procedures--it was a simple test."
David: "One that you've kept very secretive. Doctor, I've read the patient consent forms. Mind control is not part of the agreement."
Dr. Murrow: "My only obligation to the patients here is to return them to society as viable human beings. You saw Mr. Vincent. You saw Mrs. Allen. As far as I'm concerned, my obligation has been fulfilled.Nothing else concerns me."
David: "But about the possibility of your...technique...falling into irresponsible hands?"
Dr. Murrow: "Heh-heh-heh...David..you're clearly an intelligent, capable man, yet I'm afraid there's aspects of my work that you could never hope to understand. Well--I'll try to put it simply...Nobel created dynamite and gave it to the world, but could Nobel control what others do with his discovery--do you see what I'm saying, David??"
David: "Yes...I think I do. Nobel made a great deal of money."
Dr. Murrow: "Exactly! Because science is a business! Just like any other business! You've got to peddle your wares in order to keep working!"
David: "And to whom do you intend to peddle your wares? Do you see what I mean....doctor?"
Dr. Murrow: "Yes. I see exactly what you mean. I'd hoped you'd cooperate with me, David."

Murrow calls orderlies to take David prisoner, who grabs the session video and races from the building; he manages to hide the videotape, but is captured. Murrow feeds Dr. Hill a convenient story used to admit and "treat" David--

Dr. Hill: "..yes he did seem nervous..and quite tense, but I never imagine--"
Dr. Murrow: "..he was begging for help--something sent him over the edge.I blame myself for not recognizing the symptoms.."
Dr. Hill: "Well, can I see him?"
Dr. Murrow: "Of course. He's suffering from paranoid delusions. He thinks we're his enemy, now."

David lays struggling--bound in a straitjacket. He pleads with Hill to find the tape and stop Murrow's experiments, but in his agitated state, Hill buys Murrow's story and orders David to receive 400mg of Amytal (sedative). Fearing what;s coming, David struggle violently, falling to the floor--triggering a Hulk-out--the transformation ripping the straitjacket. The enraged creature leaps from a window, down to the patients' commons area; breaking his way through a wall, the Hulk unintentionally leads a group of patients on a run for the outside world. The Hulk is somewhat dazed, and stops short of making his escape. The patients all surround the resting giant, murmuring support for the creature, as he changes back to Banner--just in time for Murrow, Hill & the orderlies to restrain Banner once again, administering Amytal.

Sadly for Banner, he realizes all too late that he was only a few feet away from freedom, as mentioned by a patient--

Patient: "47 more steps...47."

Unfortunately for Banner, the Hulk's destructive escape gives Murrow the weight to continue his control & abuse of the man--and an unexpected look at how the Hulk syndrome effect on David--

Dr. Hill: "I don't know how you could hold yourself responsible for not noticing the symptoms of one employee."
Dr. Murrow: "I did some preliminary tests on David...the limbic system is definitely affected. And as you can see, the cranial structure is typical of those patients who suffer from violent seizures. Hmm...the physical strength exhibited by these patients is phenomenal!"
Dr. Hill: "All of the patients insist that they saw this...large...green creature....and the wall--"
Dr. Murrow: "That wall has been crumbing for years, and with the weight of twelve men against it, its no wonder. And as for some giant creature--group hallucinations, which is not unusual under stressful situations."
Dr. Hill: "I assured David that he would not have to go to a state hospital."
Dr. Murrow: "Oh, no--there's no public or private facility that could offer better care. I do think, doctor, that surgery is his only hope."
Dr. Hill: "Well...we'll have to uh..postpone the patients--"
Dr. Murrow: "Oh, yeah, because when David has another seizure, he could injure one of the staff, or one of the patients, or himself.His symptoms are critical--I don't see how we can wait!"
Dr. Hill: (reluctantly) "Alright."

The patient nicknamed Houdini sneaks into David's isolation room, frees him, and drags the drugged Banner outside. Spotting a laundry truck, Houdini begs David to make a break for the vehicle, but stops short of gaining his own freedom--

Houdini: "David...David...you go ahead--I can't go. I've been out there...I'd get lost...go ahead!"

The heavily drugged Banner's vision is blurred as he slowly tries to understand his surroundings. He makes his way to the truck--the driver promising to help by placing David in the back...and quickly discovered by the orderlies. Dr. Hill is clearly not on the same page as her boss, and questions the amount of medication David receives--

Dr. Hill:" Is he alright?"
Orderly Sam: "Yeah, he's alright--but we put enough drugs in him to tame King Kong! I'm surprised he got as far as he did."
Dr. Hill: "Only Dr. Murrow's qualified to prescribe medication in appropriate amounts."
Orderly Sam: "I'm sorry...doctor."

Hill is sympathetic, trying to reason with Banner, who stresses finding the tape....

The next day, David watches as several patients are playing with a frisbee in the courtyard; one finds the tape, conceals it from the orderly and Dr. Murrow, but slips it to Dr. Hill. With little choice, Murrow plays the tape for Hill,

Dr. Murrow: "Do my methods offend you?"
Dr.Hill: "..no...I'm not offended. Just confused."
Dr. Murrow: "That's understandable, because this is a part of my procedure I purposely kept away from you."
Dr.Hill: "Why?"
Dr. Murrow: "Because..I didn't want you to be involved in a part of my work that might be unattractive to you."
Dr.Hill: "Well, I can't make a moral judgement about it until I know what I've seen."
Dr. Murrow: "What you've just seen is a part of my surgical procedures carried to the next logical step."
Dr.Hill: "Total behavioral control?"
Dr. Murrow: "The potential for behavioral control--yes!"
Dr.Hill: "Um, Tom Vincent? Kathy Allen?"
Dr. Murrow: "Yes. I've performed my procedures on four others before you arrived. Gene and Mark were patients here before they became attendants!"
Dr.Hill: "I had no idea."
Dr. Murrow: "--and they're not lobotomy patients, but useful, healthy people! Controllable when necessary, but completely functional on their own. i took nothing from Tom and Kathy--on the contrary--I gave them back their lives!"
Dr.Hill: "Sometimes I think that we should keep our work theoretical, until we have a say in how it is used!"
Dr. Murrow: "Joyce, the men who split the atom also helped build the atom bomb. Scientists who do not have that kind of commitment about their work do not---in my opinion--deserve to be called scientists!"
Dr.Hill: "Are you uh--almost done with your..research?"
Dr. Murrow: "Yes, and I'll let my colleagues be the final judge. Scientists such as yourself. Do I have your support?"
Dr.Hill: "Um..yes. Yes, you have my support. And my help, if you want it."

David is wheeled into a prep room; despite Dr. Hill admitting she watched the tape, she appears to be utterly indifferent--a show for the orderlies, as she purposely misses David's arm, injecting the mattress and unlocking one of his wrist restraints. David plays along, and after he's left alone, slowly frees himself, but is locked in the room.

Elsewhere, Dr. Hill gives Sam the tape for safe keeping, but is prevented from calling the police by Murrow and his cronies; Murrow has her taken to the operating room, while David can see Hill's screaming protests--and sedation on the room's TV. David's call to the police is rewarded with a long hold time, just as Murrow prepares to operate on Hill. The mounting frustration turns Banner into the Hulk, who busts through two rooms to reach the O.R., rescuing Hill. The Hulk takes the groggy Hill to Sam, then flees as head physician Caldwell returns....

Days later, Hill follows up with Kathy, now recovering from a reverse procedure of Murrow's treatment. David drops in to say goodbye, learning hill gave her deposition on Murrow to the D.A.

NOTES:

I recall a reviewer once trying to write this off as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in Hulk trappings, but anyone reaching that conclusion was lazy-minded, and that's being fair. The point or drive behind this episode--mind control through chemicals and surgery has been a staple of fiction for generations, but it has darker roots in reality. In fact, the subject & practice was one of the most well-covered & controversial parts of the Church Committee's 1975 investigation into CIA activities (along with a FOIA release of 20,000 related documents in 1977). So, during a period of mass distrust of the U.S. government, tales of real life mind control naturally influenced fiction in every medium. In a far less clinically based way, the 1977 pilot for The Amazing Spider-Man featured Thayer (Dark Shadows) David as the antagonist using mind control with deadly results.

Jack McGee and The National Register do not appear or are mentioned.

This is a non-cure related episode.

David seems to have bad luck with "radical treatment" doctors--from Murrow to season one's Dr. Rhodes (Andrew Robinson) from "Life and Death."

A group of patients witness the Hulk transform back to David, so this falls into the running category of characters who learned David's secret. That said, being patients in a sanatorium--no one would believe stories about a giant green man turning into attendant David if they ever talked.

Typical of numerous Universal TV series, producers had no trouble liberally using their classic horror films as in-series TV programs. In this case, it is scenes from Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man (1943).

Ferrigno's bodybuilder friend/stunt double @ 27:08

Murrow reads a file on a patient with a "supervising physician" named Stephen Caldwell...AKA one of the well known producers of The Incredible Hulk.

Next week: the season two finale!

GUEST CAST:

Joanna Miles (Dr. Joyce Hill) started her acting career in the soap opera The Secret Storm (CBS, 1954-74), a genre she would revisit a few times in her career. Miles guest-starred on one episode of Bixby's The Magician in 1974. Her fantasy work includes

• Search (NBC, 1973) - "Numbered for Death"
• Bug (Paramount, 1975) - starring then-future TIH guest star Bradford Dillman
• The Ultimate Warrior (Warner Brothers, 1975)
• The Dark Secret of Harvest Home (Universal TV, 1978)
• A Fire in the Sky (NBC, 1978)
• Darkroom (ABC, 1981) - "Stay Tuned, We'll Be Right Back"
• Star Trek: The Next Generation (Syndicated, 1990 / 1991) - "Sarek" & "Unification I" - as Perrin
• Natural Selection (Trimark, 1994) - aka Teresa's Tattoo
• Judge Dredd (Buena Vista, 1995)

Phillip Abbott (Dr. Murrow) --

• Alfred Hitchcock Presents (CBS, 1956) - "Portrait of Jocelyn"
  
• The Invisible Boy (MGM, 1957)
  
• Steve Canyon (NBC, 1958) - "Fear of Flying"
• Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond (ABC, 1959) - "The Dead Part of the House"
• The Twilight Zone (CBS, 1961 / 1963) - "Long Distance Call" & "The Parallel." NOTE: Abbott's first role for Rod Serling was in the infamously butchered "Noon on Doomsday"--(part of The United States Steel Hour live anthology series) originally inspired by the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till.
• The Outer Limits (ABC, 1963 / 1964) - "The Borderland" & "ZZZZZ"
• Ark II (CBS, 1976) - "The Rule"
• The Six Million Dollar Man (ABC, 1977) - "Deadly Countdown: Part 1" & "Deadly Countdown: Part 2"
• The Bionic Woman (ABC - 1976 / 1977) - "The Jailing of Jamie" & "Escape to Love"
  
• Salvage 1 (ABC, 1979) - "Mermadon"
• Hangar 18 (Sunn Classics Pictures, 1980)
• Monsters (Syndicated, 1990) - "Refugee"
• Iron Man (Syndicated, 1995) - voice of Nick Fury
• Spider-Man (Fox Kids, 1995 / 96 ) - voice of Wardell Stromm & Nick Fury

Vince Howard (Mark) -- this would be Howard's second and final appearance on TIH; he was last seen in season one's "Of Guilt, Models and Murder."

• Star Trek (NBC, 1966) - "The Man Trap"
• The Time Tunnel (ABC, 1967) - "Kill Two By Two"
  
• Captain Nice (NBC, 1967) - "That Thing"
• The Invaders (ABC, 1967) - "The Spores"
• Kolchak: The Night Stalker (ABC, 1975) - "Mr. R.I.N.G." & "Primal Scream"
• The Six Million Dollar Man (ABC, 1974, 1976, 1978) - "The Pioneers" "The Return of Bigfoot: Part 1" and "Date with Danger: Part 2"
• Project U.F.O. (NBC, 1978) - "Sighting 4004: The Howard Crossing Incident"
• The Amazing Spider-Man (CBS, 1978) - "Night of the Clones"
• The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries (ABC, 1978) - "Arson and Old Lace" & "The Last Kiss of Summer: Part 1"
  
• The Greatest American Hero (ABC, 1981) - "The Beast in the Black"
• Tales of the Unexpected (ITV, 1984) - "The Dirty Detail"

Robert F. Lyons (Sam) --Lyons will return in "Fast Lane"--a 4th season episode from 1981.

• Land of the Giants (ABC, 1969) - "The Chase"
• Rod Serling's Night Gallery (NBC, 1971) - "Midnight Never Ends"
• The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver (The Shpetner Company, 1977)
  
• The Ghost of Flight 401 (Paramount TV, 1978)
• Dark Night of the Scarecrow (CBS, 1981)
  
• Darkroom (ABC, 1981) - "A Quiet Funeral"
• Voyagers! (NBC, 1983) - "All Fall Down"
• Automan (ABC, 1983) - "Staying Alive While Running A High Flashdance Fever" --yes, that's the real title...
• Freddy's Nightmares (Syndicated, 1990) - "Interior Loft Later"
• The Omega Code (TBN, 1990)
• Roswell (The WB, 1999 / 2000) - recurring as Hank Whitmore
• Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction (Fox, 2000) - "One for the Road"
• The Burning Dead (Uncork'd Entertainment, 2015)

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

New on the U.S. charts that week

Strong memories, as always, Mix! Some good, some not-so good, but even the poor songs are still easy on the ears.

 

[Christopher]

^ I think in the case of Doctor Who it was implied that the TARDIS took the Doctor where he needed to be. Or at least it was retconed as such.

Very belatedly retconned, a few years back in "The Doctor's Wife." Though it was a fan theory (or at least my theory) for decades before that.


The Incredible Hulk: "The Quiet Room": Or, "Hulk Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." This one doesn't really come together for me. For one thing, you'd think that David would be interested in Dr. Murrow's technique as a potential cure, but there's only the vaguest implication that that's what's driving him. Maybe it's because by this point we know the drill, but given the tendency to shift away from cure-seeking episodes this season (or at least it feels that way -- Mixer, does your list bear that out?), it feels like they were almost ignoring the connection.

For another thing, it's kind of repetitive, with two failed escape attempts and David continuing to end up back where he started. The title room wasn't the only thing that was padded. And it's arbitrary how quickly the Hulk tired out after his first escape. I mean, he didn't exert himself that much compared to some of his rampages, and we've seen him stay Hulked out for hours. And this was before David had been drugged, so there's no justification for the Hulk conking out so quickly except for a very, very obvious plot contrivance.

Speaking of repetitiveness, I think this is the second time we've had an episode involving a medical clinic where Bixby had to spend half the episode acting heavily sedated or the equivalent (the last one was the one with the baby-selling clinic, and I think they poisoned him there). Plus, whenever a TV show gives a doctor a name that sounds like "Moreau," it's kind of a giveaway that he's conducting immoral human experimentation. A bit too on-the-nose there. The portrayal of mental patients wasn't too flattering either.

I appreciate the Cincinnati name-drop, the location of the conference the clinic director was leaving for at the beginning.