Michael Jackson singing about the Force, those were the days...
MeTV's SuperSci-Fi Saturday Night
- Thread starter JD
- Start date
The Incredible Hulk: "Metamorphosis": I always found it fitting that the opening two episodes of season 3, this and "Blind Rage," were both named for aspects of the Hulk. And I always rather liked this one and found Mackenzie Phillips impressive as Lisa Swan. It's a rather potent story and she does a good job playing the layers of a troubled character. But looking back on it now, I'm a bit more ambivalent about it. For one thing, it seems kind of quaint in its "rock and roll is the devil's music" sensibilities, painting Kiss-style shock/glam rock as an intrinsically dark and corrupting genre, with the only happy ending being to reject it in favor of a wholesome country-Western sort of sound. I mean, I was never a fan of hard rock, but that doesn't make it evil.
Also, I see Phillips's performance in a different light knowing what I know now. At the time, I only knew her as a cast member of one of my then-favorite sitcoms, One Day at a Time, and as an actress who impressed me with her performance, looks, and voice. But now I know that during that show, and when she made this episode, she was suffering from serious drug addiction, as well as some rather horrific things in her home life. I guess that explains why a 20-year-old actress had such a rough, textured voice and sad eyes well beyond her years, as well as why she was so skeletally thin. It makes her very effective in the role, but it's sad to watch, knowing that her character had it easy next to the actress's own troubles.
A problem I often have with episodes about rock concerts is that, as a rule, every concert the singer character performs is just the same one song over and over. And usually the same recording of it too, though I think there were at least two different takes of "Necktie Nightmare" used here. I understand why they'd only have the budget to commission one or two songs, but it does sort of undermine the verisimilitude.
Speaking of soundtracks, though, it was an effective touch to do the third-act cliffhanger with no sound other than the buzzing of the electric arc. Nicely ominous, that.
David and the Hulk having an acid trip was an interesting sequence. David's hallucination of the Hulk reused shots from his meditation/dream sequence in "Married," so it's continuing an established thread; but this is the first time we've seen the Hulk reacting to David, and it seems that "Hulk hate puny Banner" is true in any continuity.
Note that the Green Goliath has a new voice. Ted Cassidy died the previous year, so Charles Napier took over doing the Hulk's growls. I can kind of recognize his voice, although I might not have if I hadn't known to listen for it.
This is definitely a post-"Mystery Man" episode (as the production-order list posted last week confirms), given that McGee is asking who was present before the Hulk changed and trying to track down the roadies. He's looking for "John Doe." It's to David's benefit that Jackie and Ken didn't want anyone to find out about Greg drugging him at Jackie's suggestion. They inadvertently protected David from McGee in trying to protect themselves.
Also, I see Phillips's performance in a different light knowing what I know now. At the time, I only knew her as a cast member of one of my then-favorite sitcoms, One Day at a Time, and as an actress who impressed me with her performance, looks, and voice. But now I know that during that show, and when she made this episode, she was suffering from serious drug addiction, as well as some rather horrific things in her home life. I guess that explains why a 20-year-old actress had such a rough, textured voice and sad eyes well beyond her years, as well as why she was so skeletally thin. It makes her very effective in the role, but it's sad to watch, knowing that her character had it easy next to the actress's own troubles.
A problem I often have with episodes about rock concerts is that, as a rule, every concert the singer character performs is just the same one song over and over. And usually the same recording of it too, though I think there were at least two different takes of "Necktie Nightmare" used here. I understand why they'd only have the budget to commission one or two songs, but it does sort of undermine the verisimilitude.
Speaking of soundtracks, though, it was an effective touch to do the third-act cliffhanger with no sound other than the buzzing of the electric arc. Nicely ominous, that.
David and the Hulk having an acid trip was an interesting sequence. David's hallucination of the Hulk reused shots from his meditation/dream sequence in "Married," so it's continuing an established thread; but this is the first time we've seen the Hulk reacting to David, and it seems that "Hulk hate puny Banner" is true in any continuity.
Note that the Green Goliath has a new voice. Ted Cassidy died the previous year, so Charles Napier took over doing the Hulk's growls. I can kind of recognize his voice, although I might not have if I hadn't known to listen for it.
This is definitely a post-"Mystery Man" episode (as the production-order list posted last week confirms), given that McGee is asking who was present before the Hulk changed and trying to track down the roadies. He's looking for "John Doe." It's to David's benefit that Jackie and Ken didn't want anyone to find out about Greg drugging him at Jackie's suggestion. They inadvertently protected David from McGee in trying to protect themselves.
"Metamorphosis"--
Rock star Lisa Swan performs her unusual act in front of throngs of followers, with her set piece being an arc of electricity. During the chaos, as fans rush the stage, a fan is trampled--no one hearing her screams at all. That night after the event, Lisa & her sister (and manager) Jackie Swan drive along the highway, with the ambitious sister going on and on with plans for greater success to a disenchanted Lisa--
Jackie: "Oh--oh Alice called earlier--he wants you for his TV special, but i said no--no TV, its too mainstream! What is the matter with you? You were terrific!"
Lisa's problem is compounded by a radio news report--
Radio: "This just in--a 16-year old girl lies in critical condition tonight after a riot broke out at a rock concert featuring Lisa Swan and Shock. Diane Markon was severely injured when several thousand frenzied fans rushed the stage during Miss Swan's performance. The million-selling New Wave rocker could not be reached for comment."
Lisa--unmoved by Jackie's promise to "handle" the situation--speeds out of control, leading to a fiery crash, which gets the attention of drifting David. Banner helps remove the dazed Lisa from the car before it explodes. After she's released from the hospital, David accompanies the Swan sisters to Lisa's large home, where David recommends rest, but his advice is lost in the enabling prattle of Greg. Despite Jackie making several offers to pay him for his help, David only asks for coffee, saying he could not accept money for his deed.
Lisa is appreciative of David, and offers him a job currently held by Greg--written off as "too wasted to do more than one thing at a time"--a crack the offended Greg will not soon forget, and is not at all pleasing to Jackie.
During rehearsals, Lisa complains about the addition of two additional "starburst" electric arc producing ribbed insulators--the big gimmick of her stage show; she's not a fan of the effect--bothered that this is yet something else her sister failed to tell her. Greg tries to give some "Orange Sunshine" (LSD) pills to David, and of course, David declines the offer. By the way, David's job is to stand at the edge of the stage, aiming a handheld receiver (for the amplifiers) at Lisa's wireless microphone.
As Lisa & the band go through a sound check, McGee walks into the arena--David completely unaware. The reporter casually walks toward the stage when an annoyed Jackie stonewalls his request to speak to Lisa about the Diane Markon trampling. McGee informs her that Diane's condition took a turn for the worst--the threat of permanent paralysis, but Jackie refuses to allow McGee to see Lisa--even after trying to shove his way past the woman.
McGee: "Look, Miss Swan, I don't want to make your sister look bad. As a matter of fact, I--I don't wanna be on this story at all. I'm on another story--its a bigger story, and in my opinion, a better one! But I have my orders, so if you'll allow me to have a few minutes, I'll--"
Jackie: "I don't care to deal with your paper, Mr. McGee! It caters to the baser instincts, and I don't want this matter exploited!"
McGee: "And what sort of instincts do you cater to, Miss Swan?"
Jackie: "Let me show you out."
Later, as David & Lisa have lunch, she recalls her band's history, how Jackie masterminded their current act. Her pianist plays a song Lisa has not heard in some time, and sings along to something that sounds like the lighter country-flavored songs of the period. David finds the song pleasing, but according to Lisa, her sister disregards it as having no commercial value. Lisa enjoys both sides of her music, but is drawn to the kind of responses she receives with her edgier songs.
At the Paragon Records studio, Greg is increasingly jealous & pissy at the idea of David's presence, complaining to Jackie--
Greg: "I don't get it, man--she's like a puppy dog around him, and she bites my head of!!"
Jackie: "Don't let her get to you, Greg. She's tired."
Greg: "She's down on my case about drugs..I mean how long I been with her? I never let her down...and this David cat comes along, and its instant Donnie & Marie!"
Jackie: "Well, maybe if you got him loaded, he'd lighten up. Or, if he can't handle it, maybe he'll split. So why don't you go in there and help him out."
Greg is ready and willing to act on the sinister idea and tries to offer David "Orange Sunshine" pills again--
Greg: "It could show you a side of you you've never seen before!"
David smiles at the hidden irony of Greg's comment, but refuses the drugs. As Greg leaves, he drops a pill into David's bottle of orange juice.
Some time passes. David--having finished most of the juice--begins hallucinating, seeing everything from the room shrinking, double vision, to imagining his feet are unable to move. David frantically calls out to Jackie, but she cannot hear him the soundproofed recording studio. The hallucinogenic breaking point comes as David imagines the Hulk coming after him--his inner fears of being pursued by the creature (as seen in "Married") sending Banner into a panic. The drug-induced Hulk prepares to crush David with his foot, which triggers a real Hulk-out.
The rising creature also suffers from the effects of the drug--seeing snakes in place of microphone cords..and a beckoning David--which angers the Hulk; the creature lifts a stand and throws it with shocking amount of hate, believing he's doing the same to Banner. The commotion finally gets the attention of the startled Jackie and Ken (her engineer) just as the returning Greg comes fact to face with the creature. The Hulk's altered mind sees Greg transform into David, and once again, he attacks, flinging Greg across the studio & ready to do more damage, until distracted by the engineer. The creature breaks out of the room, running away.
In the aftermath of it all (including police covering the scene and David considered missing), McGee walks in, smugly addressing Jackie--
McGee: "Well! Word is out that you had unexpected company!
Ken: "King Kong city, man! But green...and big! And I do mean big!"
Jackie: "Police are taking care of it, Mr. McGee."
McGee: "Who was here before it happened?"
Ken: "Just me, Jackie and a couple of roadies."
Jackie: "Mister McGee, I have a person missing! I have a mess to clean up, and I have a really rotten headache, so now if you would leave my sister and me alone--"
McGee: "This no longer concerns just you and your sister, Miss Swan. Now where can I find these roadies?"
Jackie: "I'm asking you to leave us alone!"
McGee: "You ever hear of the First Amendment, Miss Swan? I will talk to whoever I have to, and will find everybody who was in this room!"
At Lisa's house, the depressed singer finishes off a bottle of whiskey as David--travel bag on shoulder--visits.
Lisa: "Last night I started thinking about that poor Markon girl...and wanted to die. You know she's paralyzed?"
Lisa takes notice of David's travel bag--
Lisa: "Where you going?"
David: "I--uh--just came over to say goodbye."
Lisa: "David--you can't leave now! You're the only one I can talk to!"
David: "I told you I'd be moving on someday."
Lisa: "Yeah, but...not so soon! J-just a little longer..."
David: "I really have to go, Lisa."
Lisa:"No you don't.I need you....I wanted to go visit Diane Markon today. But I can't face her alone. Would you go with me? Please?"
David: "Okay."
Visiting Diane, Lisa plays unreleased songs for the girl; Diane does not blame Lisa for her injury, but it does nothing to relieve the singer of guilt. Returning to her home, she elaborates--
Lisa: "When you create a monster like that, eventually, it's gonna just take control of you. I planted the violence in those kids, and now it's blossomed into something I can't stop!"
David: "Lisa, those seeds are in all of us"
Lisa: "But I made them grow! And what is to stop it from happening again? Maybe even worse!"
David: "You. Lisa, you can stop it. If you want to."
Lisa: "You're right."
David: "What are you going to do?"
Lisa: "Tonight's my last concert."
David studies her, almost as if she's means something else...
At Paragon, David returns to assess the damage. Jackie informs him that Lisa's ready for the concert, suggesting an attitude quite the opposite of the one Lisa exhibited earlier. As usual, Jackie writes it off as fatigue, instead predicting that this tour will make Lisa the hottest music star in America, and firing back at David's concern--
Jackie: "Wait a minute, David. Let's get something straight...right now! I am the one that decides what's best for Lisa--I always have, even when we were kids, because I KNOW what Lisa wants! I KNOW what she needs--I know what she thinks--I even know how many times she breathes in an hour, BECAUSE I CREATED LISA SWAN--AND SHE WOULDN'T BE WHERE SHE IS WITHOUT ME--NONE OF THESE PEOPLE WOULD!!"
Both momentarily take stock of each other--
Jackie: "You stay away from her!! Lisa will be fine!!"
In the concert hall, Lisa touches the new "starburst" ribbed insulators, as if expecting to be electrocuted; she flips the power switch, watching the arc of electricity flow between the insulators, staring at its power....
The night of the concert, Jackie-come-lately asks if Lisa is okay, and accepts her sister's vague reply. David catches McGee trying to question Lisa again, and once again, Jackie blocks any contact--
Jackie: "How many times do I have to say no to you?"
McGee: "Look Miss Swan--"
Jackie: "Back off, mister!!"
Before David can speak to Lisa, he's called to his position on stage.
The concert plays to an excited audience, with Lisa rousing the audience--curiously playing into the kind of energy she complained about earlier. Lisa mounts the steps of the starburst display, crossing the danger point; David sees this, but he cannot get Greg's attention while he's surrounded by screaming fans. Lisa moves closer to the arc, and it becomes clear to David that her way of keeping her promise--making this her last concert--will be achieved with a public suicide, not only ending her life, but the horror of the act ending the frenzy of her fans.
True to form, her fans close in, arms waving, screaming, and beginning to force David to the ground, where he's stomped into a Hulk-out in the middle of the wild crowd. The creature makes his way to the stage, preventing Lisa from touching the arc. At that moment, McGee demands a roadie call the police; the Hulk grabs the starburst display--receiving the full charge, which generates another arc from his free hand, striking anything near--much to the elation of the audience thinking its part of the show.
Lisa watches the Hulk destroy the set piece...the audience, then the truth dawns on her--
Lisa: "When I saw that creature, I realized if I electrocuted myself in front of the audience, it wouldn't put an end to it...it would only feed their appetite. i've been avoiding the fact that I've become a freak--instead of a musician. After seeing that creature, and seeing the audience react to the raw, unbridled violence, I understood how useless my suicide would have been....it wouldn't have taught them anything...just turned them on more."
The next day, David checks in on Lisa at the recording studio--
David: "Well, I really was worried about you."
Lisa: "Well, it won't happen again, I promise you. I don't want anyone else like Diane Markon on my conscience."
David: "How about your relationship with Jackie?"
Lisa: "We'll make it...she's listening to me now! With my music and her business sense, who needs the effects? Whatever happens, it beats suicide."
David: "Yes, it does. Well, i better leave you to your work."
Lisa: "Wait. I want you to hear something."
Lisa plays a sample of a decidedly non-rock piece she's thought about for some time. With that, the two part ways.
NOTES:
Some would hope Jackie would face some sort of judgement for her opportunistic, sickening behavior throughout this episode--after all, she told Greg to drug David--not knowing or caring about the effects. It should be understood that spiking food or drink with drugs was by no means uncommon in the 1970s, and the music industry no stranger to this abhorrent act. Further, her blatant disregard of Diane's injury turned Jackie Swan into one of the most soulless characters in TIH history.
While KISS influenced the band's make up, to careful ears the music was must have been composed by someone paying some attention to the changing musical trends of the day. The songs were not rock, but bleeding over into the kind of sound that would influence post-Punk, early New Wave European groups who were moving into less melodic, more experimental sound that would become common radio fare in the '79 - '81 period. In fact, the radio reporter labeled Swan's music as part of the New Wave sub-genre. Of course, the story did not depend on the quality of the purpose-built music, so like many single episode TV singers or groups, you can disregard it favor of the larger picture.
"Orange Sunshine" was a very powerful LSD derivative in reality, so in using it in the story, no punches were pulled by creating a fantasy drug, like other series have from time to time.
I think its safe to say the audience knew the "Alice" Jackie referred to was the legendary Alice Cooper, who--by 1979--had several TV/music specials under his belt, including Alice Cooper & Friends, along with appearances on everything from The Muppet Show to the The New Soupy Sales Show, promoting some of his most memorable (if not landmark) songs of the decade. He was very effective in selling a once "fringe" image to audiences of all ages.
Although Lisa's piano piece ("Lisa's Tune") was not from the pen & hands of series main composer Joe Harnell, it seemed to come from slightly similar creative inspirations as The Lonely Man. The Dave Fisher piece could have easily fit in the series as a secondary leitmotif.
The victim of the "crowd crush" was TIH's comment on the danger of wild, single-minded fans in concert situations. A few months later, in a tragic, real life version of this behavior, 11 fans would be trampled to death as fans raced to get seating for a concert by The Who held on December 3, 1979.
The starburst ribbed insulators--contrary to various accounts--were not leftover from the creations on the legendary Kenneth Strickfaden, the man who created numerous electrically powered machines and mechanical accents for the most famous "mad scientist" labs in cinema history, The Bride of Frankenstein (Universal, 1935) at the top of the list. Universal's prop department eventually created several versions of the Strickfaden creations, many used in film & TV series for decades to come, with its greatest visibility in The Munsters (CBS, 1964-66).
GUEST CAST:
Mackenzie Phillips (Lisa Swan) has a well covered history of family abuse/manipulation & substance abuse, so her role in this episode sparked much curiosity at the time, as some viewed it as Phillips (temporarily) trying to overcome at least one personal problem by taking such a role. Of course, few TV series would delve into all of the kind of terrible problems Phillips had in just one hour.
Rock star Lisa Swan performs her unusual act in front of throngs of followers, with her set piece being an arc of electricity. During the chaos, as fans rush the stage, a fan is trampled--no one hearing her screams at all. That night after the event, Lisa & her sister (and manager) Jackie Swan drive along the highway, with the ambitious sister going on and on with plans for greater success to a disenchanted Lisa--
Jackie: "Oh--oh Alice called earlier--he wants you for his TV special, but i said no--no TV, its too mainstream! What is the matter with you? You were terrific!"
Lisa's problem is compounded by a radio news report--
Radio: "This just in--a 16-year old girl lies in critical condition tonight after a riot broke out at a rock concert featuring Lisa Swan and Shock. Diane Markon was severely injured when several thousand frenzied fans rushed the stage during Miss Swan's performance. The million-selling New Wave rocker could not be reached for comment."
Lisa--unmoved by Jackie's promise to "handle" the situation--speeds out of control, leading to a fiery crash, which gets the attention of drifting David. Banner helps remove the dazed Lisa from the car before it explodes. After she's released from the hospital, David accompanies the Swan sisters to Lisa's large home, where David recommends rest, but his advice is lost in the enabling prattle of Greg. Despite Jackie making several offers to pay him for his help, David only asks for coffee, saying he could not accept money for his deed.
Lisa is appreciative of David, and offers him a job currently held by Greg--written off as "too wasted to do more than one thing at a time"--a crack the offended Greg will not soon forget, and is not at all pleasing to Jackie.
During rehearsals, Lisa complains about the addition of two additional "starburst" electric arc producing ribbed insulators--the big gimmick of her stage show; she's not a fan of the effect--bothered that this is yet something else her sister failed to tell her. Greg tries to give some "Orange Sunshine" (LSD) pills to David, and of course, David declines the offer. By the way, David's job is to stand at the edge of the stage, aiming a handheld receiver (for the amplifiers) at Lisa's wireless microphone.
As Lisa & the band go through a sound check, McGee walks into the arena--David completely unaware. The reporter casually walks toward the stage when an annoyed Jackie stonewalls his request to speak to Lisa about the Diane Markon trampling. McGee informs her that Diane's condition took a turn for the worst--the threat of permanent paralysis, but Jackie refuses to allow McGee to see Lisa--even after trying to shove his way past the woman.
McGee: "Look, Miss Swan, I don't want to make your sister look bad. As a matter of fact, I--I don't wanna be on this story at all. I'm on another story--its a bigger story, and in my opinion, a better one! But I have my orders, so if you'll allow me to have a few minutes, I'll--"
Jackie: "I don't care to deal with your paper, Mr. McGee! It caters to the baser instincts, and I don't want this matter exploited!"
McGee: "And what sort of instincts do you cater to, Miss Swan?"
Jackie: "Let me show you out."
Later, as David & Lisa have lunch, she recalls her band's history, how Jackie masterminded their current act. Her pianist plays a song Lisa has not heard in some time, and sings along to something that sounds like the lighter country-flavored songs of the period. David finds the song pleasing, but according to Lisa, her sister disregards it as having no commercial value. Lisa enjoys both sides of her music, but is drawn to the kind of responses she receives with her edgier songs.
At the Paragon Records studio, Greg is increasingly jealous & pissy at the idea of David's presence, complaining to Jackie--
Greg: "I don't get it, man--she's like a puppy dog around him, and she bites my head of!!"
Jackie: "Don't let her get to you, Greg. She's tired."
Greg: "She's down on my case about drugs..I mean how long I been with her? I never let her down...and this David cat comes along, and its instant Donnie & Marie!"
Jackie: "Well, maybe if you got him loaded, he'd lighten up. Or, if he can't handle it, maybe he'll split. So why don't you go in there and help him out."
Greg is ready and willing to act on the sinister idea and tries to offer David "Orange Sunshine" pills again--
Greg: "It could show you a side of you you've never seen before!"
David smiles at the hidden irony of Greg's comment, but refuses the drugs. As Greg leaves, he drops a pill into David's bottle of orange juice.
Some time passes. David--having finished most of the juice--begins hallucinating, seeing everything from the room shrinking, double vision, to imagining his feet are unable to move. David frantically calls out to Jackie, but she cannot hear him the soundproofed recording studio. The hallucinogenic breaking point comes as David imagines the Hulk coming after him--his inner fears of being pursued by the creature (as seen in "Married") sending Banner into a panic. The drug-induced Hulk prepares to crush David with his foot, which triggers a real Hulk-out.
The rising creature also suffers from the effects of the drug--seeing snakes in place of microphone cords..and a beckoning David--which angers the Hulk; the creature lifts a stand and throws it with shocking amount of hate, believing he's doing the same to Banner. The commotion finally gets the attention of the startled Jackie and Ken (her engineer) just as the returning Greg comes fact to face with the creature. The Hulk's altered mind sees Greg transform into David, and once again, he attacks, flinging Greg across the studio & ready to do more damage, until distracted by the engineer. The creature breaks out of the room, running away.
In the aftermath of it all (including police covering the scene and David considered missing), McGee walks in, smugly addressing Jackie--
McGee: "Well! Word is out that you had unexpected company!
Ken: "King Kong city, man! But green...and big! And I do mean big!"
Jackie: "Police are taking care of it, Mr. McGee."
McGee: "Who was here before it happened?"
Ken: "Just me, Jackie and a couple of roadies."
Jackie: "Mister McGee, I have a person missing! I have a mess to clean up, and I have a really rotten headache, so now if you would leave my sister and me alone--"
McGee: "This no longer concerns just you and your sister, Miss Swan. Now where can I find these roadies?"
Jackie: "I'm asking you to leave us alone!"
McGee: "You ever hear of the First Amendment, Miss Swan? I will talk to whoever I have to, and will find everybody who was in this room!"
At Lisa's house, the depressed singer finishes off a bottle of whiskey as David--travel bag on shoulder--visits.
Lisa: "Last night I started thinking about that poor Markon girl...and wanted to die. You know she's paralyzed?"
Lisa takes notice of David's travel bag--
Lisa: "Where you going?"
David: "I--uh--just came over to say goodbye."
Lisa: "David--you can't leave now! You're the only one I can talk to!"
David: "I told you I'd be moving on someday."
Lisa: "Yeah, but...not so soon! J-just a little longer..."
David: "I really have to go, Lisa."
Lisa:"No you don't.I need you....I wanted to go visit Diane Markon today. But I can't face her alone. Would you go with me? Please?"
David: "Okay."
Visiting Diane, Lisa plays unreleased songs for the girl; Diane does not blame Lisa for her injury, but it does nothing to relieve the singer of guilt. Returning to her home, she elaborates--
Lisa: "When you create a monster like that, eventually, it's gonna just take control of you. I planted the violence in those kids, and now it's blossomed into something I can't stop!"
David: "Lisa, those seeds are in all of us"
Lisa: "But I made them grow! And what is to stop it from happening again? Maybe even worse!"
David: "You. Lisa, you can stop it. If you want to."
Lisa: "You're right."
David: "What are you going to do?"
Lisa: "Tonight's my last concert."
David studies her, almost as if she's means something else...
At Paragon, David returns to assess the damage. Jackie informs him that Lisa's ready for the concert, suggesting an attitude quite the opposite of the one Lisa exhibited earlier. As usual, Jackie writes it off as fatigue, instead predicting that this tour will make Lisa the hottest music star in America, and firing back at David's concern--
Jackie: "Wait a minute, David. Let's get something straight...right now! I am the one that decides what's best for Lisa--I always have, even when we were kids, because I KNOW what Lisa wants! I KNOW what she needs--I know what she thinks--I even know how many times she breathes in an hour, BECAUSE I CREATED LISA SWAN--AND SHE WOULDN'T BE WHERE SHE IS WITHOUT ME--NONE OF THESE PEOPLE WOULD!!"
Both momentarily take stock of each other--
Jackie: "You stay away from her!! Lisa will be fine!!"
In the concert hall, Lisa touches the new "starburst" ribbed insulators, as if expecting to be electrocuted; she flips the power switch, watching the arc of electricity flow between the insulators, staring at its power....
The night of the concert, Jackie-come-lately asks if Lisa is okay, and accepts her sister's vague reply. David catches McGee trying to question Lisa again, and once again, Jackie blocks any contact--
Jackie: "How many times do I have to say no to you?"
McGee: "Look Miss Swan--"
Jackie: "Back off, mister!!"
Before David can speak to Lisa, he's called to his position on stage.
The concert plays to an excited audience, with Lisa rousing the audience--curiously playing into the kind of energy she complained about earlier. Lisa mounts the steps of the starburst display, crossing the danger point; David sees this, but he cannot get Greg's attention while he's surrounded by screaming fans. Lisa moves closer to the arc, and it becomes clear to David that her way of keeping her promise--making this her last concert--will be achieved with a public suicide, not only ending her life, but the horror of the act ending the frenzy of her fans.
True to form, her fans close in, arms waving, screaming, and beginning to force David to the ground, where he's stomped into a Hulk-out in the middle of the wild crowd. The creature makes his way to the stage, preventing Lisa from touching the arc. At that moment, McGee demands a roadie call the police; the Hulk grabs the starburst display--receiving the full charge, which generates another arc from his free hand, striking anything near--much to the elation of the audience thinking its part of the show.
Lisa watches the Hulk destroy the set piece...the audience, then the truth dawns on her--
Lisa: "When I saw that creature, I realized if I electrocuted myself in front of the audience, it wouldn't put an end to it...it would only feed their appetite. i've been avoiding the fact that I've become a freak--instead of a musician. After seeing that creature, and seeing the audience react to the raw, unbridled violence, I understood how useless my suicide would have been....it wouldn't have taught them anything...just turned them on more."
The next day, David checks in on Lisa at the recording studio--
David: "Well, I really was worried about you."
Lisa: "Well, it won't happen again, I promise you. I don't want anyone else like Diane Markon on my conscience."
David: "How about your relationship with Jackie?"
Lisa: "We'll make it...she's listening to me now! With my music and her business sense, who needs the effects? Whatever happens, it beats suicide."
David: "Yes, it does. Well, i better leave you to your work."
Lisa: "Wait. I want you to hear something."
Lisa plays a sample of a decidedly non-rock piece she's thought about for some time. With that, the two part ways.
NOTES:
Some would hope Jackie would face some sort of judgement for her opportunistic, sickening behavior throughout this episode--after all, she told Greg to drug David--not knowing or caring about the effects. It should be understood that spiking food or drink with drugs was by no means uncommon in the 1970s, and the music industry no stranger to this abhorrent act. Further, her blatant disregard of Diane's injury turned Jackie Swan into one of the most soulless characters in TIH history.
While KISS influenced the band's make up, to careful ears the music was must have been composed by someone paying some attention to the changing musical trends of the day. The songs were not rock, but bleeding over into the kind of sound that would influence post-Punk, early New Wave European groups who were moving into less melodic, more experimental sound that would become common radio fare in the '79 - '81 period. In fact, the radio reporter labeled Swan's music as part of the New Wave sub-genre. Of course, the story did not depend on the quality of the purpose-built music, so like many single episode TV singers or groups, you can disregard it favor of the larger picture.
"Orange Sunshine" was a very powerful LSD derivative in reality, so in using it in the story, no punches were pulled by creating a fantasy drug, like other series have from time to time.
I think its safe to say the audience knew the "Alice" Jackie referred to was the legendary Alice Cooper, who--by 1979--had several TV/music specials under his belt, including Alice Cooper & Friends, along with appearances on everything from The Muppet Show to the The New Soupy Sales Show, promoting some of his most memorable (if not landmark) songs of the decade. He was very effective in selling a once "fringe" image to audiences of all ages.
Although Lisa's piano piece ("Lisa's Tune") was not from the pen & hands of series main composer Joe Harnell, it seemed to come from slightly similar creative inspirations as The Lonely Man. The Dave Fisher piece could have easily fit in the series as a secondary leitmotif.
The victim of the "crowd crush" was TIH's comment on the danger of wild, single-minded fans in concert situations. A few months later, in a tragic, real life version of this behavior, 11 fans would be trampled to death as fans raced to get seating for a concert by The Who held on December 3, 1979.
The starburst ribbed insulators--contrary to various accounts--were not leftover from the creations on the legendary Kenneth Strickfaden, the man who created numerous electrically powered machines and mechanical accents for the most famous "mad scientist" labs in cinema history, The Bride of Frankenstein (Universal, 1935) at the top of the list. Universal's prop department eventually created several versions of the Strickfaden creations, many used in film & TV series for decades to come, with its greatest visibility in The Munsters (CBS, 1964-66).
GUEST CAST:
Mackenzie Phillips (Lisa Swan) has a well covered history of family abuse/manipulation & substance abuse, so her role in this episode sparked much curiosity at the time, as some viewed it as Phillips (temporarily) trying to overcome at least one personal problem by taking such a role. Of course, few TV series would delve into all of the kind of terrible problems Phillips had in just one hour.
- Viper (Syndication, 1998) - "The Full Frankie"
- The Outer Limits (Showtime, 2000) - "Down to Earth"
- Battlestar Galactica (ABC, 1978) - "The Lost Warrior"
- Hard Time on Planet Earth (CBS, 1989) - "Wally's Gang"
- Seven Days (UPN, 1998) - "Pilot: Part 1" & "Pilot: Part 2"
- Bigfoot and Wildboy (ABC, 1977) - "Sonic Projector"
- Devil Dog: Hound of Hell (CBS, 1978)
- Time Express (CBS, 1979) - series regular as Conductor R.J. Walker
- The World's Greatest Superfriends (ABC, 1979) - "Rub Three Times for Disaster" - various voices
- C.H.O.M.P.S. (AIP, 1979)
- Hotline (CBS, 1982) - with Lynda Carter
- No Place to Hide (CBS, 1981) - with Mariette Hartley & Keir Dullea
- Alien Nation (FOX, 1989-90) series regular as Detective Matthew Sikes / TV version produced by Kenneth Johnson
- Robot Jox (Columbia / Trans World, 1990)
- The Presence (NBC, 1992)
- Necronomicon: Book of the Dead (Davis Films, 1993)
- Alien Nation: Dark Horizon (FOX, 1994) - Detective Matthew Sikes
- M.A.N.T.I.S. (FOX, 1994-95) - series regular as Capt. Ken Hetrick
- Star Trek: Voyager (UPN, 1995) - "Cold Fire"
- Alien Nation: Millennium (FOX, 1996)
- Alien Nation: The Enemy Within (FOX, 1996)
- Alien Nation: The Udara Legacy (FOX, 1997)
- Steel (Warner Brothers, 1997)
- Seven Days (UPN, 2000) - "The Fire Last Time"
- Sheena (Syndicated, 2002) - "Stranded in the Jungle"
- Star Trek: Enterprise (UPN, 2001-05) - recurring as Vulcan Ambassador Soval
- Star Trek: Of Gods and Men (2007) as Ragnar
- InAlienable (Renegade Studios, 2008)
- Universal Dead (Unconventional Films, 2010) as Dr, David Macavoy
- Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey (Jupiter 9 Productions, 2010)
- Star Trek Renegades (2015) - Pilot; as Ragnar
- Renegades (2016-17) - "The Requiem: Part 1" & "The Requiem: Part 2" as Ragnar
- The Incredible Hulk (CBS, 1981) - "Goodbye Eddie Cain" as Vickie Lang
- The Demon (Gold Key Entertainment, 1981)
- Voyagers! (NBC, 1982) - "Agents of Satan"
- Knight Rider (NBC, 1984) - "K.I.T.T. vs. K.A.R.R."
- Tales of the Unexpected (ITV, 1985) - "Nothin' Short of Highway Robbery"
- Misfits of Science (NBC - 1985-86) - series regular as Jane Miller
ELO--one of the most most innovative groups of the decade, but this song--from the Discovery album--was a low point. Giving in to disco at the tail end of that genre was uncharacteristic of a group that was so ahead of many musical curves.
"Sad Eyes," Robert John
(#1 US; #10 AC; #31 UK)
Their best years were definitely behind them.
Chic still produced a quality song at the end of the decade, free of the excesses of other acts producing danceable music.
Now there's a song that nearly every 1979 male under 20 was swearing was a revelation. I recall some silly music critics predicting The Knack were the next Beatles. All over one song. Sheesh.
His last period of semi-normalcy.
Not throngy enough....
As does the TV-budget scale of the venue...they play it like she's a big star, but she's doing a fairly small theater within a casual drive of her home.
There's David starting the episode on the road again! And how much use is that sister...letting Lisa drive while she's still taking off her makeup?
What's with David and people trapped in burning cars anyway? At least he manages to save this one...and without even Hulking Out!
"I couldn't accept money for a thing like that...plus, I can't cash checks."
(I didn't catch a David B. alias in this one--did anyone else?)
Forced to cover a real story again, however reluctantly. (And "arena" is definitely overselling it.)
I have to defer to the sister's commercial sense...David hardly seems like the sort of audience they're targeting.
Particularly the music cues.
A season later and still in style!
Ah, you beat me to it--very much taken note of here. In the Hulk's defense, though, he was tripping.
-23:41, which is notably on the late side...and it's somewhat novel for the Hulk to trigger the HO.
...right into the stock alley shot.
Another List I Didn't Think to Compile: How many HO's it takes to recover from various conditions.
Acid trip: One Hulk-Out.
(Implying that King Kong wasn't big....)
-4:51, which appears to now be our third-latest.
The retrospective voice-over during the second Hulk incident is a novel technique for the show, if a little cringy in spoon-feeding us The Moral of the Story. We also get a couple of cute gags about people not noticing the Hulk in this one...first in the recording studio, then with the guitarist who's so engrossed in his solo.
Dunno...I balked a bit when they described her as "New Wave"...seems like the show-makers were just slapping a trendy label on something that struck me more as warmed-over...
Though she did have a sort of Pat Benatar-ish quality to me, makeup aside...which is interesting, considering that Pat's breakout was still just around the corner.
Indeed, just Ask President Carter.
I actually didn't catch that, though it makes sense now.
I know you just list the genre rolls, but it seems a bit odd when the actor has a signature non-genre role that doesn't merit a mention.
Huh! I was trying to place the guy...I assumed I'd seen him in something contemporary like Wonder Woman...never in a million years would have realized he was that guy!
*
Alright, I was trying to be a gentlemen the first time, but now you're begging the question--Did you, y'know, ring it?
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I don't think he gave one.
Are you counting from the appearance of the real Hulk or the hallucinatory one?
Pretty much the definition of a self-fulfilling fear.
Not sure that counts, because an acid trip is something he would've recovered from after a while anyway (probably, unless he had a bad reaction or something -- I know very little about this subject). And we didn't see David again until the next day, so there's no indication that it wore off faster than usual. This would be a category more for things like gunshot wounds, poison, burns, amnesia, paralysis, or the like, things that would either take a long time to heal or be incurable/fatal. (But keep this idea in mind for next week.)
I took it more as reinforcement than the contradiction that a strict grammatical reading would suggest.
Effectively directed/edited, though. This is the first episode with former unit production manager (and National Register publisher namesake) Robert Bennett Steinhauer as producer, and it's a promising start.
Of course, since this is a Kenneth Johnson show, I was thinking of Gary Graham more in relation to his lead role in Alien Nation nearly a decade after this. I guess this is maybe the first time they worked together.
And it got used yet again by the end of the year, though we'll be getting to that one....
I'll always associate it with... http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/janet-renos-dance-party/n10946
Actual Hulk-Out, start of transformation, usually by the audio cue, as mentioned previously.
A sister more concerned with spewing her plans for greater success than truly managing her sister.
Coincidence? He works for AAA?
While true to a point, check cashing hole-in-the-walls that catered to exactly the kind of I.D.-challenged people like David existed in that era.
(I didn't catch a David B. alias in this one--did anyone else?)[/quote]
I did not catch one, either. This could be a rarity where "Banner" or a "B" alias would be not used.
This is a point the series will touch on (somewhat) in an episode down the road. In real life, no reporter would be tolerated openly resisting all real stories in favor of some fantastic quest he's never been able to prove. Even after the "Mystery Man" revelation, McGee only has his word that man changes into the Hulk. Perhaps that he's working for the anything other than a top tier paper has something to do with their tolerant treatment of McGee's obsession for two years.
But David is acknowledging the real side of Lisa's musical interests. Jackie's New Wave exploitation would not last that long into the 1980s, which would leave Lisa a musical has-been of a short trend. In fact, if Lisa followed her instincts, she would be in position to profit from the rise of the kind of hit ballads once different, stronger bands (e.g. Foreigner, The Cars & Chicago) embraced in the 80s.
-and a nice continuity nod to the warring sides of his psyche as detailed in "Married".
Depends on the condition: in "The Incredible Hulk", the morning after his first Hulk-out, he was shot with a rifle; after returning to Banner-state, Elaina said the wound was almost completely healed. In "Mystery Man", Banner's severe burns were healed within a couple of days, and I believe there was only one Hulk-out by the time he saw his reflection in the pond.
It was handled well, instead of having Lisa explain this to Banner after the fact. Besides, it took a major event (the Hulk's appearance and stopping her attempted suicide) to shock her into understanding in the moment.
The music style was definitely channeling 1st generation New Wave/late punk sounds of the era. Swan's group could have slipped into the catalogue from The B-52's without a hitch.
Hey! Then TIH predicted the future!
Okay, Philips signature role was...was... oh, I cannot name that show! Let's just say it was Carol Morrison from American Graffiti!
Yeah--from playing an indifferent dope head in TIH, one would never see him as a sensible detective, or dealing with aliens.
Not too much of a rarity...this would be #7 so far.
I can buy likening it to punk, since it was loud and brash...but I'm not hearing anything like the B-52's in Lisa's music.
What they gave us last night was much more "mainstream rock"...that and the makeup say "Kiss" to me.
Land of the Giants: "The Trap": This feels like another very early episode. There's still some formality in the way the characters address each other (Dan calls Mark "Mr. Wilson" at one point, and Betty calls Fitzhugh "Commander" even though that was revealed as a fake title in the pilot), the giants still seem more alien than they later became (they even have an alien script here, though I think we've seen them use English writing in other episodes), and there's more emphasis on the full ensemble and stronger character-building, which is usually more the case in the early episodes of an Irwin Allen series. Fitzhugh and Barry have a pretty good arc, and Valerie gets better characterization than I've seen from her in a while, a nice, strong, snarky role which is a refreshing change from the past few weeks where she's mostly just stood around in the background looking pretty. The premise of the dramatic conflict was a little implausible, though. It supposedly came down to a choice between sacrificing half their fuel for the distraction and sacrificing the women, but not only did they give up too easily on finding alternative distractions, they barely even needed the distraction anyway, since they were able to sneak in and out while the giants were asleep. So this is a rare case (for this show) where the character work was stronger than the plotting.
The Time Tunnel: "Massacre": I was hesitant to watch a '60s episode about Custer's Last Stand at all, expecting the old viewpoint that made Custer the hero, but after reading some descriptions, I had to see for myself. It's a problematical episode, because on the one hand it's trying to be nuanced and sympathetic to the Sioux and to acknowledge that Custer's hubris and hunger for war were the real cause of the massacre, but on the other hand it's loaded with all the worst stereotypes of savage Injuns speaking broken English, so it undermines its own message. And it still clings to the idea of Manifest Destiny, the notion that Westernization and assimilation were inevitable and should be accepted. There was a common pattern in American fictional portrayals of non-European cultures, in which the "good" members of the population were the ones who'd had Western educations and had culturally assimilated, rejecting their cultures' traditions and beliefs. Perry Lopez's professor here was a classic example. Stereotypes aside, though, Lawrence Montaigne did a good job as the Sioux who was brought forward to the Tunnel. (That happens more often than I remembered. It's getting contrived that they're repeatedly able to retrieve everyone except Doug and Tony.) This is a good episode for Trek guests; in addition to those two, there's also Paul Comi as Major Benteen.
Planet of the Apes: "The Deception": This is not one of the episodes that were combined into syndicated TV movies, so it's possible that I haven't seen it in a long, long time, if ever -- though there may have been a time in the '90s that the SciFi Channel showed the full series, so I may have seen it. Anyway, it's a pretty good one, an allegory on the Ku Klux Klan and lynch mobs, with a band of hooded, human-murdering ape terrorists and the decent gorilla lawman trying to stop them. It's even kind of touching in its plot about the blind ape woman who falls in love with Burke believing him to be an ape. I'd thought it would turn out to be her uncle that had committed the murder he'd blamed on humans, but his role in the resolution was more satisfying than that. It shows that, even halfway through the series, they were still writing to an adult level. I've read that there was an attempt to dumb it down more for the kids toward the end, to make the good guys and bad guys more clear-cut and simply defined; I'm wondering when that will kick in.
The Time Tunnel: "Massacre": I was hesitant to watch a '60s episode about Custer's Last Stand at all, expecting the old viewpoint that made Custer the hero, but after reading some descriptions, I had to see for myself. It's a problematical episode, because on the one hand it's trying to be nuanced and sympathetic to the Sioux and to acknowledge that Custer's hubris and hunger for war were the real cause of the massacre, but on the other hand it's loaded with all the worst stereotypes of savage Injuns speaking broken English, so it undermines its own message. And it still clings to the idea of Manifest Destiny, the notion that Westernization and assimilation were inevitable and should be accepted. There was a common pattern in American fictional portrayals of non-European cultures, in which the "good" members of the population were the ones who'd had Western educations and had culturally assimilated, rejecting their cultures' traditions and beliefs. Perry Lopez's professor here was a classic example. Stereotypes aside, though, Lawrence Montaigne did a good job as the Sioux who was brought forward to the Tunnel. (That happens more often than I remembered. It's getting contrived that they're repeatedly able to retrieve everyone except Doug and Tony.) This is a good episode for Trek guests; in addition to those two, there's also Paul Comi as Major Benteen.
Planet of the Apes: "The Deception": This is not one of the episodes that were combined into syndicated TV movies, so it's possible that I haven't seen it in a long, long time, if ever -- though there may have been a time in the '90s that the SciFi Channel showed the full series, so I may have seen it. Anyway, it's a pretty good one, an allegory on the Ku Klux Klan and lynch mobs, with a band of hooded, human-murdering ape terrorists and the decent gorilla lawman trying to stop them. It's even kind of touching in its plot about the blind ape woman who falls in love with Burke believing him to be an ape. I'd thought it would turn out to be her uncle that had committed the murder he'd blamed on humans, but his role in the resolution was more satisfying than that. It shows that, even halfway through the series, they were still writing to an adult level. I've read that there was an attempt to dumb it down more for the kids toward the end, to make the good guys and bad guys more clear-cut and simply defined; I'm wondering when that will kick in.
Such an angry sound.
"A high-amperage arc can produce a pressure wave blast with a force of up to 1000 pounds. The victim can be thrown by the force of this pressure"
I seem to remember a similar incident, when an injured electrical worker also had an arc jump from his hands.
And Yet, I'd still rather have seen Daft Punk and the pyramid at Cochella
https://thump.vice.com/en_us/articl...story-of-that-fateful-night-at-coachella-2006
Rock Lobster (for one example) was just as loud, brash and bit dissonant.
What they gave us last night was much more "mainstream rock"...that and the makeup say "Kiss" to me.[/QUOTE]
Gene Simmons would "brain" you with his bass for that.
Sorry, I don't hear any similarity with the B-52's...nor anything terribly new or innovative for the time about Lisa Swan's music.
Hell, we had music (that's since become known as "proto-punk") a decade before the episode that was more cutting edge than "Necktie Nightmare"....
Hell, we had music (that's since become known as "proto-punk") a decade before the episode that was more cutting edge than "Necktie Nightmare"....
Ah, The B-52s. Now we're getting somewhere. 
Two songs, actually, and it was a good album overall. But it wasn't uncommon for critics and DJs to be announcing the new Beatles in those days-- The Bay City Rollers was another one that springs to mind (and they had a bunch more than two songs).
Ah, The B-52s. Now we're getting somewhere.
Two songs, actually, and it was a good album overall. But it wasn't uncommon for critics and DJs to be announcing the new Beatles in those days-- The Bay City Rollers was another one that springs to mind (and they had a bunch more than two songs).
Even with two songs...the next Beatles? Its not like The Knack (or the Bay City Rollers) changed music to any degree. Personally I do not agree, but i could see the period reasoning some used to say the Bee Gees had a better claim to that title--one, by being one of the stronger acts of a growing genre actually making consistently creative music, even before the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. That could be the reason Stigwood cast the Bee Gees in--
...yes, that was a horrible film, but if anyone was going to reach for the Beatles' crown--at that time, it would have been this group.
One of my contenders for the Summer of '79 post just came up in my Halloween playlist, so what the hell:
"The Devil Went Down to Georgia," The Charlie Daniels Band
(#3 US; #30 AC; #1 Country; #14 UK)
"The Devil Went Down to Georgia," The Charlie Daniels Band
(#3 US; #30 AC; #1 Country; #14 UK)
^^ I have to admit, I get a kick out of that one. It was especially funny that you used to hear different versions on AM and FM radio (yes, some AM stations, like WRKO, were still playing Top 40 in those days).
Oh, it's ridiculous, of course, it's just something that DJs (and desperate marketers) used to do in those days. Remember, it was only about eight years or less since The Beatles broke up, and I think they were in the Top 40 once or twice even after that.
Tonight, on The Incredible Hulk:
"Blind Rage"
Originally aired September 28, 1979
No events in the news the week the episode aired that anyone saw fit to put on the Wiki.
New on the charts that week:
"5:15," The Who
(#45 US)
"Dreaming," Blondie
(#27 US; #2 UK)
"Still," Commodores
(#1 US; #6 AC; #1 R&B; #4 UK)
*
"Blind Rage"
Originally aired September 28, 1979
No events in the news the week the episode aired that anyone saw fit to put on the Wiki.
New on the charts that week:
"5:15," The Who
(#45 US)
"Dreaming," Blondie
(#27 US; #2 UK)
"Still," Commodores
(#1 US; #6 AC; #1 R&B; #4 UK)
*
There we go.
They never got back up to the level of their first album, but this was a really good one, and a return to form.
Meh. But The Commodores were never really very good. Aside from "Brick House," the only one I can remember liking was "Sail On."
Thought that one might be up your alley.There we go.
Well this seems like a double excuse for...
A SUMMER OF '79 FLASHBACK!!!
"Long Live Rock," The Who
(Released as a single in 1979 following its use in The Kids Are Alright: #54 US; #48 UK)
"Sail On," Commodores
(#4 US; #9 AC; #8 R&B; #8 UK)
