MeTV's SuperSci-Fi Saturday Night
- Thread starter JD
- Start date
He's mentioned it more than one time, so it seems to be the one part of his past life that does not betray his "dead" status, and comes off as a genuine reference.
The police did not have it at their ready disposal, but if they needed / wanted to press for more information, prints were typically sent as high as the F.B.I. for cross matching, and if necessary, the feds could obtain any existing information from the military.
Still, even if they know a man changes into the Hulk...then? It does not really go anywhere, it does not compromise Banner's true identity, since to the camp, he's only "1124"--a number who was railroaded in a largely illegal penal work camp. By the time the Hulk bails, no one (namely McGee) would be in any position to act on this information, and there would be a major lack of processing information. No prints, no mugshot--we have to assume--absolutely nothing.
But McGee cannot assume the inmates or guards saw anything other than the Hulk. Additionally, the female reporter and Holt were so dismissive of McGee's questioning, that he was cut off before he could continue. Considering Holt's behavior (and the fact the reporters were taken to the camp by the Jensen police), I doubt anyone would press him on the Hulk story.
That would be a Bixby-related overload. One can only guess how they would effectively add a returning Brandon Cruz to that story.
Head canon at best, with nothing to firmly confirm it in the show. It's an intriguing possibility, but if it was meant to be an actual part of Banner's background, they were missing the opportunity to give him a vet trauma episode or two.
It isn't really enough for him to get injured--there has to be some malice. he didn't hulk out the first time he tried to change the tire and dashed his hands. He didn't know that was a shovel--may have thought it was a rock fall. The fear of the snake venom, of being beaten to death, etc.
Yes, I would have found the vet angle interesting--and what memory was too difficult to deal with.
If you're referring to the pilot, yes--he did experience his first Hulk out when changing the tire, and slamming his hand against the pavement. If you recall, minutes earlier, his anger was already rising from assuming the gamma dose failed to give him instant strength. The tire incident only pushed his anger over the edge.
Land of the Giants: "The Golden Cage" was pretty good. They are encountering fellow Earthlings way too regularly of late, but this turned out to be an interestingly dark and creepy sci-fi story about a captive who'd known nothing but captivity for so long that she was happy as a lab rat. Celeste Yarnall was lovely as Marna, though maybe a bit too seductive for a young woman who'd never met a human male before. (I guess she could've been trained to act that way by her keepers, though.) The interplay among the cast was good too, though I'm not sure how in character it was for Mark to suddenly be the bleeding heart and Steve the cold pragmatist.
The Time Tunnel: "Secret Weapon" was an interesting change of pace, a spy story over an interval of just 12 years from past to present. Of course it was a bit simplistic in its portrayal of Iron Curtain baddies (who came from the same homeland as so many communist villains in '60s TV, the nation of My Country), and its attempt at Cyrillic lettering was laughable (mostly just backward or upside-down Roman letters, or random Cyrillic jumbles), and I think it passed off a shot of Istanbul as an "Eastern European" city. But it was a change of pace from the usual mucking about in history, instead going for a story about the time travel arms race, Tunnel vs. Tunnel. Which makes this episode unusual in its lack of dependence on stock footage; it saved money instead by being a bottle show, set mostly on a redress of the Time Tunnel set itself.
The timing of the opening is confusing. The travelers get a message from the Tunnel crew within a minute or two of their arrival in 1956. But the Tic-Toc crew doesn't know in advance where they'll end up, and surely they couldn't have sent them there deliberately. It would've taken them a lot more time to arrange with the government to send those messages. Although, granted, we have seen that the Tunnel crew can move their time lock forward or backward. So even if it took them hours to set up this plan with the government, I suppose it's possible that they could've moved the time lock back to just after Doug & Tony arrived and sent the messages there. Still, that seems like a stretch.
In addition to possible plot holes, there are a couple of bloopers: In one scene midway through, Whit Bissell addresses Lee Meriwether as "Lee" instead of "Ann." There's also a later shot where we hear Tony speak a line but his lips don't move. And when Ray puts the message probe in the Tunnel, his shadow on the rear wall spoils the forced-perspective illusion, a mistake the directors on this show make frequently. On the plus side, though,we get an unusual side angle of the Time Tunnel and its display window showing a scene from the past.
The Time Tunnel: "Secret Weapon" was an interesting change of pace, a spy story over an interval of just 12 years from past to present. Of course it was a bit simplistic in its portrayal of Iron Curtain baddies (who came from the same homeland as so many communist villains in '60s TV, the nation of My Country), and its attempt at Cyrillic lettering was laughable (mostly just backward or upside-down Roman letters, or random Cyrillic jumbles), and I think it passed off a shot of Istanbul as an "Eastern European" city. But it was a change of pace from the usual mucking about in history, instead going for a story about the time travel arms race, Tunnel vs. Tunnel. Which makes this episode unusual in its lack of dependence on stock footage; it saved money instead by being a bottle show, set mostly on a redress of the Time Tunnel set itself.
The timing of the opening is confusing. The travelers get a message from the Tunnel crew within a minute or two of their arrival in 1956. But the Tic-Toc crew doesn't know in advance where they'll end up, and surely they couldn't have sent them there deliberately. It would've taken them a lot more time to arrange with the government to send those messages. Although, granted, we have seen that the Tunnel crew can move their time lock forward or backward. So even if it took them hours to set up this plan with the government, I suppose it's possible that they could've moved the time lock back to just after Doug & Tony arrived and sent the messages there. Still, that seems like a stretch.
In addition to possible plot holes, there are a couple of bloopers: In one scene midway through, Whit Bissell addresses Lee Meriwether as "Lee" instead of "Ann." There's also a later shot where we hear Tony speak a line but his lips don't move. And when Ray puts the message probe in the Tunnel, his shadow on the rear wall spoils the forced-perspective illusion, a mistake the directors on this show make frequently. On the plus side, though,we get an unusual side angle of the Time Tunnel and its display window showing a scene from the past.
Planet of the Apes: "The Tyrant": This one wasn't bad, a nice focus on Roddy McDowall as he gets to do a lot of roleplaying and character voices. Kind of a dark beginning with Virdon & Burke's attack on the grain wagon getting the kid killed in retaliation (though they kind of glossed over that -- it was the kid's own fault for the most part, but V&B didn't do enough to dissuade him), and with lots of complicated intrigue and scheming going on. We even got the unusual circumstance of Urko being a somewhat sympathetic character for once, while still being as stubbornly Urko-ish as ever. Quite a cast, too -- not only good showings for McDowall and Mark Lenard, but the strong voices of Percy Rodriguez and Joseph Ruskin. Also Michael Conrad as the bereaved father, but his plot thread kind of fizzled out.
A lot of Star Trek names in this one also. In addition to Lenard, Rodriguez, and Ruskin, Galen's cousin Augustus was played by Tom Troupe, who played Harold, the only survivor of Cestus III, in "Arena." Also, the episode was directed by Ralph Senensky, who did six and a half TOS episodes (he was replaced midway through "The Tholian Web").
A lot of Star Trek names in this one also. In addition to Lenard, Rodriguez, and Ruskin, Galen's cousin Augustus was played by Tom Troupe, who played Harold, the only survivor of Cestus III, in "Arena." Also, the episode was directed by Ralph Senensky, who did six and a half TOS episodes (he was replaced midway through "The Tholian Web").
Saturday, on The Incredible Hulk:
(Yeah, after-dinner lull, I'm bored and I've got a long weekend.)
"My Favorite Magician"
Originally aired October 26, 1979
Events in the news the week the episode aired:
And at #1 on the U.S. charts for the second of two weeks:
"Rise," Herb Alpert
(#1 US; #1 AC; #17 Dance; #4 R&B; #13 UK)
That one entered the charts the week of July 28...so let's keep it company with...
ANOTHER SUMMER OF '79 FLASHBACK!!!
"After the Love Has Gone," Earth, Wind & Fire
(July 7; #2 US; #3 AC; #2 R&B; #4 UK)
"Driver's Seat," Sniff 'n' the Tears
(July 21; #15 US; #42 UK)
"Cruel to Be Kind," Nick Lowe
(July 28; #12 US; #36 AC; #12 UK)
"Don't Bring Me Down," Electric Light Orchestra
(August 4; #4 US; #3 UK)
All still bumping around somewhere in the Hot 100 the week that "My Favorite Magician" aired.
(Yeah, after-dinner lull, I'm bored and I've got a long weekend.)
"My Favorite Magician"
Originally aired October 26, 1979
Events in the news the week the episode aired:
And at #1 on the U.S. charts for the second of two weeks:
"Rise," Herb Alpert
(#1 US; #1 AC; #17 Dance; #4 R&B; #13 UK)
That one entered the charts the week of July 28...so let's keep it company with...
ANOTHER SUMMER OF '79 FLASHBACK!!!
"After the Love Has Gone," Earth, Wind & Fire
(July 7; #2 US; #3 AC; #2 R&B; #4 UK)
"Driver's Seat," Sniff 'n' the Tears
(July 21; #15 US; #42 UK)
"Cruel to Be Kind," Nick Lowe
(July 28; #12 US; #36 AC; #12 UK)
"Don't Bring Me Down," Electric Light Orchestra
(August 4; #4 US; #3 UK)
All still bumping around somewhere in the Hot 100 the week that "My Favorite Magician" aired.
Looks like her debut is about six weeks away at this point.
Not a bad batch this week....
....although I've always had a strong dislike for Herb Alpert.
Mediocre, but I can't remember much that was outstanding from Earth, Wind & Fire aside from "Shining Star." There may have been one other, but I can't think of it.
Yeah, this was a goodie.
Classic.
This is in the same box as "Shine A Little Love." A far cry from their glory days, but catchy and fun.
Pat Benatar was one of the great high points of the 80s-- "Love Is A Battlefield" notwithstanding.
(This guy's not in love with Herb....)
Outside the timeline of the show, but Rolling Stone put this one on their list:
(July 5, 1975; #12 US; #5 R&B; #329 on the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time)
Funny story for "Driver's Seat"...I'd been doing a lot of work on my '70s playlists this past year, but it was a low enough charting one-hit wonder that it didn't turn up on the main site I was using to browse for ideas. I heard it in a grocery store that usually plays good stuff from the '60s and '70s, recognized it from way back in the day but had no idea who did it and couldn't make out what the title was, scribbled down a couple of the lyrics that I could understand, and googled it when I got home. (It's amazing what you can do with "Jenny was sweet" these days.)
Really? I think this is about as Beatlesque as they ever sounded (as far as their charting singles go, anyway), and John commented before he died that if the Fabs had stayed together, they'd probably have sounded like ELO.
No, definitely not.
That's a good one, although I had forgotten about it. I looked up their discography and "Fantasy" is the one I was thinking of, although that didn't chart very high. "September" was another good one.
Strangely, I don't connect "Driver's Seat" with that time period at all. If you had asked me to guess, I would have put it in the early 70s for some reason.
Interesting. I don't think of "Don't Bring Me Down" as Beatlesque at all, although ELO definitely did a couple that brought the Beatles to mind-- notably "Mr. Blue Sky."
Into the airlock with you!
Oh jeeze....did I hit the egress button on the airlock yet??
"Don't Bring Me Down" was the last hurrah for ELO in terms of quality during the transition to post-disco music, although they would chart with three songs from the flop 1980 musical Xanadu, (#8 on the Billboard Hot 100) "All Over the World" (#13) and "I'm Alive" (#16). However, the glory days were over for Jeff Lynne & his talented group.
Pat Benatar was one of the great high points of the 80s-- "Love Is A Battlefield" notwithstanding.
I'll say her quality output was too short-lived to be a great point of the 1980s.
I see what you did there.
I never understood the "sounds like the Beatles" line about ELO; yes, early on in the Move days Lynne (more than Roy Wood) was influenced, but they took on another universe of sound The Beatles only touched on in the fairly short Sgt. Pepper's / Magical Mystery Tour days but had had abandoned for their last three--arguably most influential albums (The Beatles, Abbey Road, Let it Be). After MMT, The Beatles (aka "The White Album") tracks were so about forging each member's own sound, that the larger, experimental work (some critics accuse ELO of borrowing) was a memory.
Lennon's statement is odd--if you listen to each member's early solo work, I do not see those distinct sounds changing if The Beatles remained together--especially the work of McCartney.
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I always thought the ELO/Beatles comparison was a bit of an exaggeration myself...but if ever there was a perfect example of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts, it was the Beatles. Had John and Paul continued a functional songwriting partnership into the '70s, who knows what they might have produced...?
Nevertheless, John evidently wasn't the only former Beatle to see something compatible in Jeff Lynne's sound stylings...George tapped him as producer for Cloud Nine, one of his most successful solo works...then the assembled Threetles put him to work on their new contributions to the Anthology project.
Nevertheless, John evidently wasn't the only former Beatle to see something compatible in Jeff Lynne's sound stylings...George tapped him as producer for Cloud Nine, one of his most successful solo works...then the assembled Threetles put him to work on their new contributions to the Anthology project.
I hear what I did there...song's been stuck in my head all morning....I see what you did there.
Okay. Big fan of Herb Alpert and Earth, Wind & Fire. Noted.Into the airlock with you!
Oh jeeze....did I hit the egress button on the airlock yet??
Eek. I really hated the Xanadu stuff. Olivia Newton John had gone off the rails at that point, too. However, looking at their singles chart, they did have one more mediocre, but pleasant, hit in "Hold On Tight."
I'd have to disagree there. She had a long string of hits in the early 80s, which were attached to strong albums, right up until the unfortunate "Love Is A Battlefield." She even had a couple of decent songs after that.
What about her classic foray into sci-fi: "My Clone Sleeps Alone."
(Yes, that's a real Pat Benatar song.)
Well, what is there to say about "My Favorite Magician" that doesn't go without saying? It's a fun reunion of Bill Bixby and Ray Walston -- although I saw this episode multiple times before I ever heard of/saw My Favorite Martian and went "Ohhhh, so that's what that was referring to!" They do have good chemistry, and Walston's always fun. We've also got Robert Alda, a pre-ALF Anne Schedeen, and a small part for Bob "Commissioner Gordon" Hastings as the diner guy.
The Hulk doesn't really get much to do here beyond providing plot beats for Jasper's story. The bit with the married couple wanting a photo of the Hulk was the most interesting bit of his first appearance, since otherwise he was just squinting at the stage lights and reusing the old first-season stock footage of smashing through a wall. In the second Hulk-out, I wondered how the Hulk knew that Giancarlo was a bad guy who should be flung to a humiliating fate. I don't think David ever met him or saw what he looked like, and I'm not sure the Hulk would retain enough recall of social conventions to deduce that he was the groom from his attire or position or whatever.
Interesting, also, that they omitted the Metamorphosis Chorus for the second Hulk-out. I can't recall if we've had a metamorphosis without the music before (either the standard version or the early pilot version).
The bit where Jasper conjures up the candle and flower in the diner bugs me, because David and the owner are standing behind Jasper and should be able to see how the trick is done.
The Hulk doesn't really get much to do here beyond providing plot beats for Jasper's story. The bit with the married couple wanting a photo of the Hulk was the most interesting bit of his first appearance, since otherwise he was just squinting at the stage lights and reusing the old first-season stock footage of smashing through a wall. In the second Hulk-out, I wondered how the Hulk knew that Giancarlo was a bad guy who should be flung to a humiliating fate. I don't think David ever met him or saw what he looked like, and I'm not sure the Hulk would retain enough recall of social conventions to deduce that he was the groom from his attire or position or whatever.
Interesting, also, that they omitted the Metamorphosis Chorus for the second Hulk-out. I can't recall if we've had a metamorphosis without the music before (either the standard version or the early pilot version).
The bit where Jasper conjures up the candle and flower in the diner bugs me, because David and the owner are standing behind Jasper and should be able to see how the trick is done.
In what was most definitely a "cure-related" episode, the Metamorphosis Cue was omitted for the first time since the second transformation in Married (thrown over the balcony and into the furniture).
Same here...I knew of the existence of My Favorite Martian...I think I'd seen a cartoon adaptation of it...but had no idea it was Bixby's breakout role until many years later.
And speaking of chemistry...I think I'm going to have to count this as a cure-related episode, as David "Barker's" serum angle did play a role in the plot, however small it was.
-26:14. Prior to the transformation, in some shots of David in Neptune's Torture Chamber, the left handcuff is obviously not closed.
-05:17
As did I. That was definitely stretching the creature's situational awareness beyond things that even David could have known.
That stood out for me, too. I based my SHO time on the first obvious Hulk noise from the trunk.
And speaking of Hulk noises...this is the first episode in which it was obvious to me that his growls were different.
