MeTV's SuperSci-Fi Saturday Night

[Christopher]

The radio thing was in the new footage exclusively, though since they were reusing the movie's suits, I'd assume the waist units served the same purpose there.

Oh, that's one other camera-placement error giving away the illusion of the sets: In the long shots, we could see that the supply dump was a quonset hut, but in the closer shots of the hut's exterior, we could see that the front of the hut extended into a larger vertical wall above the corrugated archway. That's an odd mistake.

 

[The Old Mixer]

The perspective of the hut in the long shots was terribly fake.

 

[Skipper]

POTA:

Taylor: "In less than an hour we'll finish our six months out of Cape Kennedy. Six months in deep space...by our time, that is. According to Dr. Hasslein's theory of time in a vehicle traveling nearly the speed of light, the Earth has aged nearly 700 years since we left it...while we've aged hardly at all."

And in what do Dr. Hasslein's theory differ from theory of relativity's time dilation..?

 

[Christopher]

The perspective of the hut in the long shots was terribly fake.

Also, after it blew up, it continued to burn in the Lunar vacuum...

All of the material with the quonset hut was new to the episode, apparently, including the long shots. There was no such structure in Destination Moon, because that was about the first voyage to the Moon. In fact, there are portions of the movie I'm surprised they didn't use, like the bit in the spacewalk where one guy falls into space and they use an oxygen tank as a thruster to get him back, or the climactic portion where they dismantle as much of the rocket as possible to try to reduce weight enough for liftoff.

 

[JD]

I'm off today so I hope to at least check out The Wild Wild West.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Tonight's episode:

The Incredible Hulk
"The Disciple"
Originally aired March 16, 1979

David once again visits Chinese philosopher Li Sung in hopes of finding a cure. However, he finds Sung dying and in search of a successor, the prime candidate being a police officer coping with the murder of his father.

In the news that week:

March 13 – Maurice Bishop leads a successful coup in Grenada. His government will be crushed by American intervention in 1983.
March 14 – In China, a Hawker Siddeley Trident crashes into a factory near Beijing, killing at least 200.
March 16 – End of major hostilities in the Sino-Vietnamese War.
March 17 – The Penmanshiel Tunnel in the U.K. collapses, killing 2 workers.

New on the U.S. charts that week:

"Good Times Roll," The Cars

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"Renegade," Styx

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"Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy," Bad Company

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And entering the charts just over two years after this episode aired:

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*******

 

[Christopher]

I'm off today so I hope to at least check out The Wild Wild West.

I don't think I'm up for any more of that. I couldn't get through 15 minutes of this one, thanks to all the ethnic stereotyping and brownface casting (without even bothering with the brownface makeup, except in Mr. Singh's case). If I'd realized Singh was played by Boris Karloff, I might've stuck around a bit longer, but there are surely better places to see Boris Karloff.


The Incredible Hulk: "The Disciple": This is that backdoor pilot we talked about a few months back, the sequel to "Another Path" focusing on Rick Springfield. It's written by "Path"'s writer Nicholas Corea along with fellow producer James G. Hirsch, who would later get another go at a martial-arts series as a co-executive producer of Sammo Hung & Kelly Hu's Martial Law. This is the series's only sequel to an episode driven by a guest character, and Mako's Li Sung becomes the show's first recurring character besides the series leads. There will be only one other, McGee's editor Mark Roberts (Walter Brooke) -- unless you count McGee's never-seen publisher Bob Steinhauer.

I didn't remember a lot about this one. I knew it was martial arts-centric, but I didn't remember that it went for a "martial arts as superpowers" angle, not just fighting ability but effectively superhuman strength and senses and physiological control, and with a hint of mysticism too. That makes this the first of the very, very few TIH episodes to involve a (borderline) sci-fi idea not connected to the core Hulk/gamma radiation premise.

I remember finding this a strange episode the first few times I saw it, before I realized it was a backdoor pilot. It was odd to see a story focusing so heavily on a guest star and so little on David. It was kind of frustrating that we hardly saw any of David's training. The saga of the Roark family wasn't all that interesting at first, and I didn't like Gerald McRaney's character much -- he was a real jerk. (He couldn't even get his racist references right. Charlie Chan was a detective, not a martial artist.) But it got better. I liked how Michael's arc focused on choosing protecting life over taking revenge -- a kind of moral stance that seems to have been more common in '70s TV than it is today. And though Rick Springfield's acting at this early age wasn't very impressive, there were some good dramatic moments. The wordless scene after Michael saw the Hulk change back to David was compelling, though that was almost entirely thanks to Bixby's wonderful reactions.

And that makes this, sort of, the second episode in a row where someone new discovers his transformations. How many are we up to now, on the list of living people who are aware of David's secret? I guess we have to strike Li Sung from that list now. Also, David calls the creature "the Hulk" again, this time without the context of responding to McGee's use of the name. Is that a first?

There were a few production glitches. In the closeups of the Hulk's feet, it's evident that Ferrigno is wearing green hose or tights. And given that the episode was set in San Francisco, why was the front-page newspaper headline about the hunt for the cop-killer in the Los Angeles Chronicle? On the other hand, Mako's old-man makeup was a little less unconvincing this time; at least they tried to use makeup to conceal his head stubble.

This episode reminds me a bit of a later backdoor pilot, The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, featuring Daredevil. They both put David in essentially a supporting role to a new, slightly-superpowered crimefighter character who learns his secret and bonds with him. (And even has heightened senses and special skills taught to him by a blind martial-arts master!) Although in that one, David didn't even Hulk out in the final act. This may have been a pilot for Rick Springfield, Kung Fu P.I., but they still wouldn't diverge that much from the Hulk formula. Though was the first Hulk-out atypically late, Old Mixer?

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

The Incredible Hulk

"The Disciple"--

In this sequel episode to "Another Path," a San Francisco-based police family--Sgt. Tim Roark & his sons Colin and Mike--speak to Jo Lee--a prostitute supplying information about the location of a long-wanted criminal named Joe Lynch--known for being an organized crime assassin specializing in explosives. The elderly Tim believes in doing things as in years past--including not using what he considers unsavory contacts like Jo Lee, and attempting to enter Joe Lynch's building with no back-up or a search warrant (suggested by Mike). As the Roark trio head out, elsewhere in Chinatown, David Blaine (yes, I know) returns to Li Sung's school, seeking help to control his Hulk problem. After Li Sung gives his attentive class a demonstration with his hands & ankles locked in a pillory, he happily reunites with David.

At Joe Lynch's building, Tim and Mike Roark find Lynch's room. Tim asks his son to kick in the door "using some of that fancy stuff" he's learned; as the officers break in (to the screams of Lynch's woman), Tim believes Lynch used the fire escape, and follows (against Mike's charged warning), only to step on a trip wire which detonates a bomb, mortally injuring Tim...just as Lynch--who was hiding in another room--uses his successful trap to tear out of the room. Tim begs Mike to go after Lynch, and during the pursuit, Mike and Lynch shoot each other, leaving Mike losing consciousness as the wounded criminal hobbles away.

Meanwhile, at Li Sung's school...

Li Sung: "So many nights, I wondered how you were..where you were. Then, after so much time, I receive your phone call. Do you believe such things are a part of our destiny, David?"
David: "Perhaps. I do know that nothing that I've tried has succeeded on helping me control my problem. I came closer with your teachings than ever before."
Li Sung: "Then we must begin your training at once. Tonight!"

Suddenly, Mike stumbles in, calling for Li Sung before collapsing; David quickly to tend to his abdominal wound, but Mike's blood pressure is dropping, and is close to going into shock. Li Sung takes a different approach:

Li Sung: "Michael, listen to me, please! Concentrate--remember what you have learned since you've come here! You must no longer reject--open yourself to the truth, Michael!

Michael weakly attempts a mudra in order to counteract his declining condition and ease his psychological tension, but his agony over his father's fate naturally prevents him from concentrating--but Li Sung pushes until it works--Michael's pulse grows stronger. David is amazed--

David: "Oh my God! The bleeding...its stopping!"

Elsewhere, a doctor works to save Lynch's life, with the assistance of the criminal's grumbling associates. While Lynch recovers, Tim Roark is laid to rest with the expected full police honors; Michael watches the televised ceremony, but thinks of Li Sung's training--control over his body's functions, even to the point of temporarily slowing his heart rate down to register as asystolic on his monitor.

Over time, Mike able to return to Li Sung to continue his training, making steady progress...

Joe Lynch slowly recovers, but is highly agitated--revenge-minded as he loads his gun....

Colin visits Mike at Li Sung's, wondering why his brother is not back on the force--and on the trail of their father's killer. Colin does not understand or respect Mike's adopted philosophy--

Colin: "What the Hell's going on here, Mike? What is all this mumbo-jumbo--"
Mike: "Leave it alone, Colin! I don't want to fight with you, so quit trying to bait me!"
Colin: "Alright."
Mike: "This is my life I'm dealing with, not yours!"
Colin: "Alright! There's detective shields in this for us--it's official. You and me...detectives."
Mike: "For what?? For lettin' dad walk into a trap? For not doin' what we knew was right--and stopping him??"
Colin: "Alright, alright, but what about the guy who did it, huh? What are you gonna do--you just gonna sit out here with the flowers and forget about him??"
Mike: "I'm not forgetting anything!"
Colin: "Cone on, Mike--get up! You'll go home with me right now, and forget all about this Charlie Chan stuff, and you can help me find Joe Lynch!"
Mike: "I can't! Not right away--i've gotta work it out for myself!"

Frustrated, Colin leaves.

Training continues; through it all, David observes* Mike's progress, taking it all in; unbeknownst to the class, Li Sung grabs his chest in pain....

Later, Li Sung lectures on that which David seeks:

Li Sung: "The power in each of us to command body and mind is pure concentration.."

While watching Mike harness this command by bending a metal bar, David wonders if he will ever have such control. That evening, as Li Sung is training David (by having his hands & ankles locked in the pillory), he passes out. David yells for help, but all have gone home for the evening, leaving David fighting to escape, (cutting into his wrists) and he does...as the Hulk, just as Mike returns. The Hulk hands Li Sung to Mike, and crashes out of a window--but not before the ailing instructor identifies the creature as David.

Mike pursues the Hulk, only to see the creature tear a spotlight apart and hurl it through a store window. Eventually, the Hulk rests in an alley, and transforms back to David, with Mike watching the event. David resigns himself to being exposed yet again.

The next day, David, Li Sung and Mike talk about the previous night's event---and the future.

Mike: "What are you gonna do now, David?"
David: "I think I should leave. Now that the Hulk has been seen, my time's going to be running out pretty soon."
Li Sung: "Your demon's appearance would not have happened if I had not felt ill."
David: "It isn't just a matter of your feeling ill--you collapsed, Li Sung. He should be receiving treatment in the hospital."
Li Sung: "There is no need. My body can pass away when it chooses now. I have held it off for so long, but now, I have my successor."
Mike: "Li Sung, we've\ talked about this before..."
Li Sung: "Many times."
Mike: "..and I've told you many times how I feel...I'm not your successor. Not now, not ever!"
Li Sung: "You can't change what you are, Michael."
Mike: "What I am is a cop."
David: "You're sure, Michael?"

At Lynch's hideaway, the doctor warns the impatient man..

Doctor: " Any sudden movement..any at all, could cause another rupture of that liver, break that clot loose, and then you're a dead man."


Li Sung wonders if Mike (sort of considered the surrogate son he's wanted) will ever return...

The Roark home is the scene of a memorial gathering for Tim. His widow sits in their car, and as explained by Colin--

Colin: "She'll just sit there for awhile, then go back inside. She does that a lot. Says the old car reminds her of pop's cigars....old woman in that old car. Glad you came back, Mike. I just pray we're the ones who corner Lynch."
Mike: "Colin...it isn't Lynch who is to blame for dad's death."
Colin: "What are you saying??"
Mike: "Put a crazy rat in a corner and he fought back--we didn't give him a chance to surrender."
Colin: "What is that--some sort of crazy philosophy you picked up at that Chinese school of yours?? That cornered rat killed our father!"
Mike: "Will killing him change anything? Will it help mom??"
Colin: "IT'LL HELP ME!!! I want to see him wasted the way he wasted pop!!! I wanna see him BEGGING before I blow him away!!"
Mike: "You're wrong, Colin! all my life, I've listened to the SAME thing from you and from dad--it doesn't have to be that way! I know that now! i won't let you turn into something that's as bad as Lynch!"
Colin: "And just what the Hell are you gonna do to stop me? Are you gonna pray for me in that so called...uh, 'temple' of yours?? You gonna light little Chinese candles for me??"
Mike: " Whatever I do, Colin...it won't be your way."
Colin: "You just go ahead, Mike--you go and try to go against your blood!! You can't change what you are--you're a Roark, dammit!! And you're a cop!! You hear me Mikey--you're a cop!!"

Mike walks away both disgusted and determined....

Elsewhere, David and Li Sung sit in his garden. Because of his poor health, David thinks Li Sung should be indoors, However, Li Sung is reveals more about his life's view, and his successor--

Li Sung: "I wanted my Zen garden. Zen...Hinduism...Islam...Christianity.. My friends have always said I was incurably eclectic. It is the one thing that Michael always understood about my teachings. Like me, he too sees the many sides of each issue. He'll need your help, David. My strength is nearly gone."
David: "I'll do everything I can, Li Sung."

The two gently hold hands, knowing Li Sung's time is approaching...

In the city, a police car chases down a speeder--which happens to be Mike. lost in thought. The fellow officer reassures him that he knows what Mike is going through, but he will be alright. Hostile onlookers mock then attack the officer, then turn their attention to Mike, who represents Li Sung's training well--fighting off all of the attackers, but he's left feeling ill or confused.

He returns to Li Sung's, and discovers David holding the lifeless body of Li Sung.

Mike: "...he's sleeping?"
David: "No..."
Mike: "You're crazy--he's just sleeping! Li Sung..please! Wake up! You have to tell me what to do!"
David: "He's gone, Michael. He waited as long as he could."

Mike slowly moves Li Sung's body over to his arms, both men mourning his passing.

Days later at the school, Jo Lee visits to give Mike another tip about Lynch's location (the Crosslyn Hotel)--and his condition. She refuses the usual pay for the tip, because she does not want "blood money"--probably assuming Mike would kill Lynch in revenge for his father. Caring about Mike, she suggests he let the active police get him, since they're already surrounding the building.

To David, its clear Mike will go after Lynch--

David: "Michael, I'd like to go with you."
Mike: "No way."
David: "You might need a friend."
Mike: "Look David, I don't know what you promised Li Sung, but whatever it was, forget it! I loved him as much as you did, but neither of us would be here if he hadn't manipulated us into doing what he wanted."
David: "I don't believe that. You don't believe that."
Mike: "Doesn't matter what I believe."
David: "Michael, don't throw away everything that you have learned here. If you're going to kill Lynch--"
Mike: "Who said anything about killing him?"
David: "In that case, take me with you!"
Mike: "Look--I don't want you involved in this!"
David: "If you're going to get Lynch and help him..and bring him in, you're going to need a doctor!"
Mike: "Okay."

Mike and David speed to the hotel, and as Jo indicated, its surrounded by the police. David is prevented from following Mike beyond the barrier. Once he reaches his brother, Mike tries reasoning with the angry man--

Mike: "Lynch is sick, Colin. He's hurt."
Colin: "Well, he wasn't too sick to blow away the first man who tried to go in there! SWAT team's on its way."
Mike: "He needs medical treatment!"
Colin: "SAVE IT! You're too late--Lynch is a dead man!"
Mike: "I want a chance--"
Colin: "NO!!"
Mike: "You can't just kill a man--"
Colin: "SHUT UP, Mike!! Just shut up!! Now I've waited too long for this! If you wanna help--fine! If you don't, you get outta here!"

Mike shakes his head in disapproval.

Mike: "Okay...if that's the way it's gonna be...what do you want?"
Colin: "You got your weapon?"

Mike nods "no."

Colin: "Figured as much.What's happened to you Mike? What is it??"
Mike: "You want me to help, or not?"

Colin gives his shotgun to Mike--the younger Roark going to another side of the hotel, with David watching with concern that Mike is going to kill Lynch after all. Mike makes his way around the building, leaving the shotgun behind, again using a mudra and concentration displayed earlier (to bend the metal bar) to strike a padlock from the door to a side entrance.

Somehow, David cross the barricade to plead with Colin--

Colin: "Get out of here!!"
David: "I know what he's going--"
Colin: "and I told you to GET OUT!

On Colin's orders, officers pull David away, and lock the frantic Banner in the back of a police car.

Inside the storeroom of the hotel, Mike calls out to Lynch, stating he's there to help, which is met with shots from Lynch. As Mike makes his way through the room, he catches sight of one of Lynch's explosive tripwires...

Outside, David panics as SWAT pulls up and on Colin's orders, prepare to "go in shooting--no slack." This triggers the fastest Hulk out so far in the series; the creature tears through the floor of the car, lifting the body, and tossing it forward. SWAT fires at the Hulk, but miss (of course) as he crashes into the hotel. Inside, Lynch fires on Mike, just as the Hulk runs in, trips the wires, setting off several explosions, except for one line, which Mike snaps. The Hulk hurls a crate at Lynch; in turn, the criminal takes aim at the creature, but is quickly disarmed and rendered unconscious by Mike. Mike carries Lynch out of the hotel, directing the Hulk to run away.

Mike heads for the exit, but is confronted by Colin--

Colin: "Alright, hold it right there! Put him aside, Mike."
Mike: "Colin, he's my prisoner!"
Colin: "Put him down, Mike! He tried to escape, and we had to shoot him!"
Mike: "He's my responsibility--I won't let you kill him!!"
Colin: "PUT HIM DOWN, NOW!!"
Mike: "Dad is dead!! We can't change that!!"
Colin: "PUT HIM DOWN!!"

Colin aims his gun--seemingly at Mike--

Mike: "You wanna shoot? GO AHEAD!!"

After a moment, Colin sheepishly lowers his gun at the moment SWAT & the other officers enter the building. Lynch is taken to a hospital.

Mike: "Colin--thanks."
Colin: "You're my brother. The only one I've got. You coming?"
Mike: "Sure."

Days later, David is packed and ready to leave; Michael is now a private investigator, but complains about the kind of client type he will get more often than not (chasing bad marriages, insurance fraud, etc.), but adds--

Mike: "If I'm going to carry out everything Li Sung stood for, I'm going to have to choose my clients as carefully as they choose me."
David: "Michael, there's always people that need help...legitimate help. You gonna do just fine."
Mike: "What about you?"
David: "I'm not sure."
Mike: "You learned more than you realize, David. Stay a little longer, and I can teach you."
David: "Thanks, Mike--very much, but with Li Sung gone..."
Mike: "I understand."

David parts ways with Mike, hitchhiking on the road to someplace else.

NOTES:
A cure-related episode..on the minor scale.

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

As backdoor pilots go, "The Disciple" was a hit and miss affair. Obviously, CBS was not interested in this going forward, but there was some potential in the concept. As in the case of many backdoor pilots, the series hero merely acts as a sounding board, support and/or partial bridge for the pilot action, so its no surprise that Banner is not the driving force of the story. That is the "miss" part. Examples of the same thing happening in other TV series:

• Happy Days - "My Favorite Orkan." The entire Mork-tries-to-kidnap-Richie plot / Fonz coming to rescue (for the millionth time) has both stars reacting more than interacting, all to showcase the dubious appeal of the Mork character.
• The Brady Bunch - "Kelly's Kids." Mike & Carol act as the sounding board or support for Ken and Kathy Kelly (...okay...), but largely take a back seat as the episode focused on the racially centered hi-jinks (...again..okay...) of the Kellys and their soon to be adopted children.

The series-that-never-was contrasted Mike with the racially/socially negative views held by his brother. One true element is that no matter how long one works in a racially diverse city (in this case, San Francisco), it does not mean all will accept or just tolerate cultures other than their own. The Incredible Hulk series was not afraid of exploring that in characters, particularly in this season. Rare for superhero series.

CBS passed on this, but had no problem going to series with the crash-and-burn spin-offs of Alice (Flo - 29 episodes) and The Dukes of Hazzard (Enos - 1 season / 18 episodes) - both from the 1980-81 season. Not much wisdom at the "eye network."

While David returning to Li Sung was perfectly logical and in keeping with continuity, the audience knew two things from the start:

1. David would never finish his training with Li Sung or Mike, because--you guessed it--The Incredible Hulk was a fresh series nowhere near any kind of resolution.
   
2. After the events of the "Mystery Man" 2-parter, David knew McGee was more determined than ever to achieve his "fortune and glory" from the flesh of the Hulk, so had to keep moving--even from the fairly safe environment of Li Sung's school.
3. David loses someone he cares for yet again. He would be better off going back to the mountains.

GUEST CAST:

Rick Springfield (Mike) flirted with fantasy a few times before becoming a soap opera star:

• Mission: Magic (ABC, 1973) - The Filmation spin-off of the their Brady Kids cartoon, Springfield voiced his character, that was largely based on the then-singer. Like many an early 1970s cartoon featuring teenagers, the "teen idol" angle was a partial inspiration, with Springfield contributing songs for each episode.
• The Six Million Dollar Man - "Rollback" (1977).
  
• The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries - "Will the Real Santa Claus...?" (1977).
• Battlestar Galactica - pilot movie - "Saga of a Star World" (1978). Springfield portrayed Zac, the ill-fated son of Adama.
• Wonder Woman - "Screaming Javelins" (1978) / "Amazon Hot Wax" (1979).

After TIH---

• Nick Knight (1989).
• Johnny Bravo - voice - (Cartoon Network, 1997).
• Legion (1998)
• Supernatural (2016)

...and of course, his so painfully 80's sci-fi music video for the song "Bop 'Til You Drop"--

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Stacey Keach, Sr. (Tim Roark) had a career dating back to the early 1940s, but his first fantasy credit came more than three decades later in "Sighting 4007: The Forest City Incident," a 1978 episode of Project: U.F.O. That same year, he appeared in The Clone Master, written by name familiar to TOS fans--John D.F. Black. Post TIH, Keach. appeared in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1981) and the Twilight Zone reboot (1985). Keach also worked in animation, providing voices for Thundarr the Barbarian (NBC, 1980), Ultraman: The Adventure Begins (1987), and his final fantasy credit, The Pirates of Dark Water (1991).

To audiences not caring about his very notable serious work, Fred Ward (Lynch's henchman) is remembered for the misguided Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (MGM, 1985). For fantasy fans, he's racked up a long list of credits. Short list-- Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann (1982), UFOria (1985), "Dead Heat," an episode of the cult HBO series The Hitchhiker (1987), and his biggest fantasy film, Tremors (Universal, 1990) and its sequel Tremors II (1996).

Lina Raymond's (Jo Lee) first fantasy job was in the Rock Hudson sci-fi flop, Embryo (1976), followed by the Logan's Run pilot movie (CBS, 1977). Raymond's most prominent fantasy role came in the Bette Davis horror miniseries The Dark Secret of Harvest Home (Universal, 1978). Post TIH, she guest starred on a number of short-lived series: Manimal (NBC, 1983), Automan (ABC, 1984), and the Asimov co-created Probe (ABC, 1988).

I'll get into the career of 4-time TIH guest star Gerald McRaney (Colin Roark) in his final series appearance.

 

[Christopher]

Worth mentioning Rick Springfield's slightly more successful genre-series lead role, as Christopher Chance in the very short-lived 1992 version of DC's Human Target, developed by the 1990 The Flash's Danny Bilson & Paul DeMeo. He gave a much better performance there. It ran for only 7 episodes (which are on YouTube, it turns out), but that's 7 more than "The Disciple" got.

 

[The Old Mixer]

This is that backdoor pilot we talked about a few months back

Ah, that answers a question I had. I didn't have any idea that was the case going in, but was wondering about it at the end when Rick was describing what his life as a P.I. was going to be like.

That makes me wonder all the more if this episode's / potential series's concept had anything to do with the later Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, in which 1990s Caine had a son who was his student and a cop.

And though Rick Springfield's acting at this early age wasn't very impressive

Granted he wasn't a rock star yet, but age-wise, he was turning 30 that year.

And that makes this, sort of, the second episode in a row where someone new discovers his transformations. How many are we up to now, on the list of living people who are aware of David's secret? I guess we have to strike Li Sung from that list now.

Six if we count Li Sung...he did live past the episode in which he learned it, but here he's sort of tag-teaming with Rick.

Also, David calls the creature "the Hulk" again, this time without the context of responding to McGee's use of the name. Is that a first?

I noticed that, too. Possibly a first, since we thought it was unusual last time.

In the closeups of the Hulk's feet, it's evident that Ferrigno is wearing green hose or tights.

That's actually been pretty common. Given that they're often doing it when he's indoors, I have to think it may have been a shortcut around painting his legs and feet.

And given that the episode was set in San Francisco, why was the front-page newspaper headline about the hunt for the cop-killer in the Los Angeles Chronicle?

I noticed that, too.

Though was the first Hulk-out atypically late, Old Mixer?

Not at all. at -25:49, it was right on formula.

David Blaine

Are we sure about that? I didn't catch him using an alias in this one.

" This triggers the fastest Hulk out so far in the series

-5:53.

SWAT fires at the Hulk, but miss (of course) as he crashes into the hotel.

I noticed that Ferrigno was never even in the same shot as the policemen. Likewise, when he bursts out of the warehouse through the brick wall and runs down the alley, was that footage from another episode? It seemed familiar.

Days later, David is packed and ready to leave

Sporting his peacoat for at least the third appearance of its stock Lonely Man sequence.

CBS passed on this, but had no problem going to series with the crash-and-burn spin-offs of Alice (Flo - 29 episodes) and The Dukes of Hazzard (Enos - 1 season / 18 episodes) - both from the 1980-81 season. Not much wisdom at the "eye network."

That were two seasons later, so they weren't exactly competition.

...and of course, his so painfully 80's sci-fi music video for the song "Bop 'Til You Drop"--

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I know you like to focus on genre gigs, but that was hardly the peak of his musical career. Mental floss!

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*******

 

[Christopher]

That makes me wonder all the more if this episode's / potential series's concept had anything to do with the later Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, in which 1990s Caine had a son who was his student and a cop.

Seems doubtful, since there weren't any common creators involved (aside from Nicholas Corea writing one 3rd-season episode). I think KF:TLC was a cop show for the same reason the original was a Western: Because that was the prevailing TV formula of the day, and you can't sell something offbeat like an Asian-mysticism show to a TV network unless you can plug it into a conventional formula.

Six if we count Li Sung...he did live past the episode in which he learned it, but here he's sort of tag-teaming with Rick.

That many? Who else is there? Let's see, Julie Griffith and Michael from "A Death in the Family"; Thomas Logan from "Rainbow's End"; Li Sung (formerly); Jack McGee (without knowing his true identity, though I guess some of the others didn't either); and now Michael Roark. So yeah, six, now down to five.

That means that, statistically speaking, if you know David's secret, there's a 40% chance your name is Michael -- and that you're co-starring with Gerald McRaney.

Thinking about it, though, there's no real narrative reason for Michael to learn David's secret. The story would've played out much the same way if he hadn't found out, and Michael's knowledge of David's condition had no effect on their later interactions. It's another indication of the backdoor-pilot nature of the episode -- bringing Michael into David's circle of confidence was a way of setting him up as a fellow lead character rather than just another guest star, and maybe setting up future crossovers.

I noticed that Ferrigno was never even in the same shot as the policemen.

There was one, I think, where he ran past them toward the warehouse. Although I could've been fooled by editing.

Likewise, when he bursts out of the warehouse through the brick wall and runs down the alley, was that footage from another episode? It seemed familiar.

Oh, yeah, that's the standard smash-through-brick-wall shot they've been using since the early first season. I think maybe it debuted in "Final Round," but I'm not sure.

 

[The Old Mixer]

That many? Who else is there? Let's see, Julie Griffith and Michael from "A Death in the Family"; Thomas Logan from "Rainbow's End"; Li Sung (formerly); Jack McGee (without knowing his true identity, though I guess some of the others didn't either); and now Michael Roark. So yeah, six, now down to five.

I wasn't counting McGee, since he doesn't learn who John Doe is. I was counting Mark Hollinger ("A Child in Need").

 

[RJDiogenes]

New on the U.S. charts that week:

Well, Styx and Bad Company were good. 1979 didn't suck completely.

...and of course, his so painfully 80's sci-fi music video for the song "Bop 'Til You Drop"--

Ouch. What's really painful is how much the Painful 80s are still with us.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Six if we count Li Sung...he did live past the episode in which he learned it, but here he's sort of tag-teaming with Rick.

To present a complete list, you should also count the other dead people who learned his secret, such as Marks & Fields, and characters from episodes yet to air: Michael Sutton from "The Snare" and Dell Frye from "The First" 2-parter. In the future of this series, others will learn, including Katie Maxwell in the 2-part "Prometheus," and I believe Elizabeth Collins (...yeah...) also from "The First" and the Register reporter Emerson Fletcher in "Interview with the Hulk."

Are we sure about that? I didn't catch him using an alias in this one.

Not stated on-screen, but it appeared in some production material.

I noticed that Ferrigno was never even in the same shot as the policemen. Likewise, when he bursts out of the warehouse through the brick wall and runs down the alley, was that footage from another episode? It seemed familiar.

Yep--the most famous "stock" Hulk shots of the series--Ferrigno busting through the brick wall, and the alleyway run.

That were two seasons later, so they weren't exactly competition.

I did not mean they were competition, but the fact CBS greenlit two abysmal series (Enos & Flo), but passed on a backdoor pilot concept that had potential.

I know you like to focus on genre gigs, but that was hardly the peak of his musical career. Mental floss!

Well aware of it (I remember watching Mission: Magic when Springfield was known only as an Aussie singer) , but "Bop 'Till You Drop" is so 80s awful, that I could not resist.

 

[Christopher]

I wasn't counting McGee, since he doesn't learn who John Doe is. I was counting Mark Hollinger ("A Child in Need").

Oh, that's right, the kid saw David change back, didn't he? As I said, I'm not sure McGee's really an exception, since some of the others didn't learn that he was Dr. David Banner, just that he was some guy named David. Indeed, I don't remember if any of the surviving ones did on-camera, though he probably confided his full backstory to Li Sung, at least.


Land of the Giants: "Ghost Town": This was an odd episode to air second, since it's pretty clear that the characters have spent a considerable time on the giants' world, given how relieved they are when they think they've gotten back, and given that they've clearly had time to bond and get to know each other. And you'd think it would be better to spend more time establishing the status quo of the giant world before faking us out with a "We're back home!" premise. Also, you'd think the revelation of the "dimension lock" or whatever, the fact that other humans have come to the LotG before, would be a bigger deal, since it means there may potentially be a way back.

Otherwise, kind of a cute story, with the collector giant as a benevolent jailer and with the real threat coming from his sweet, adorable, utterly sadistic little granddaughter. And a clever way to build an episode around the studio backlot and avoid having to deal with giant props and sets for a change. (All the more reason why it's odd to air it second, since the giant stuff would be more of a lure for the audience.)


Planet of the Apes: "The Gladiators": This is Art Wallace's second and last script for the series, and it does feel like a continuation of the pilot -- both plotwise, with Virdon still fixated on the magnetic disk, and thematically, with the use of the premise as a means of social commentary about human nature, war, and violence. That aspect works pretty well, and John Hoyt's Prefect Barlow is a nicely complex character, an intelligent and empathetic chimp who nonetheless organizes lethal combat between his human slaves because he believes it's the best way to control their intrinsic violence and keep them peaceful the rest of the time.

At the same time, it highlights what's going to be a limitation of the series going forward, the need to focus entirely on villages where humans are the majority population ruled over by a few apes, because they just can't afford to put too many actors in ape makeup. This episode did a fairly good job of using that setup to its advantage, since the human community was the target audience of the "games," but I doubt that will always be the case. Also, it's hard to get interested in the magnetic disk as a driving plot element, given that Virdon is the only one of the leads who believes it's even worth bothering with, and even he admits it's a tenuous hope. It's no wonder (spoiler alert) that the show soon drops the whole thing.

And there's a certain irony in seeing a couple of chimpanzee characters talk about how humans are the only species that wars on its own kind, when we now know that chimps do the same. The original PotA franchise got the behavior of all three species of great ape totally backward. The chimps were pacifists, when they're actually the only great ape species that rivals or surpasses the viciousness of humans; the gorillas were the hyperaggressive warriors, when they're really the most placid of the great apes unless provoked; and the orangutans were the community leaders, the political and religious heads, when real orangs are the least social or communal of the great apes.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Well, Styx and Bad Company were good. 1979 didn't suck completely.

In case you think I'm not exercising any discretion...this also entered the charts that week

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To present a complete list, you should also count the other dead people who learned his secret, such as Marks & Fields, and characters from episodes yet to air: Michael Sutton from "The Snare" and Dell Frye from "The First" 2-parter. In the future of this series, others will learn, including Katie Maxwell in the 2-part "Prometheus," and I believe Elizabeth Collins (...yeah...) also from "The First" and the Register reporter Emerson Fletcher in "Interview with the Hulk."

The purpose of the list to include only people who lived was stated from the beginning. And any such lists or tallies are being made as we go along.

Not stated on-screen, but it appeared in some production material.

Afraid I won't be counting it for my purposes, then.

*

 

[The Old Mixer]

As I said, I'm not sure McGee's really an exception, since some of the others didn't learn that he was Dr. David Banner, just that he was some guy named David.

I see what you're saying, but I think McGee's a unique case. If he had as much information as the people on the list did (all of whom saw his face and knew he called himself "David"), the cat would be out of the bag for McGee.

John Hoyt's Prefect Barlow is a nicely complex character, an intelligent and empathetic chimp

Wow...he really is in everything....

*

 

[Christopher]

I see what you're saying, but I think McGee's a unique case. If he had as much information as the people on the list did (all of whom saw his face and knew he called himself "David"), the cat would be out of the bag for McGee.

Yeah, that's just it -- I'm not quite sure whether to count him or not, because he is a distinctive case. It depends on how you parse it. Are we counting people who know that some guy they got acquainted with becomes the Hulk, or that some guy who's named David and looks like Bill Bixby becomes the Hulk, or that Dr. David Banner becomes the Hulk because of an experiment he performed on himself? The list changes size depending on where you choose to draw the line.

But I suppose that what we're really looking for, thematically, are people who share in the main character's secret. People that he's let into his confidence and can trust not to expose him. So in that sense, McGee would be omitted, because David still has a secret from him. Which would mean that the current list of living people who are fully in the loop would comprise Julie Griffith, her friend Michael, Thomas Logan, Mark Hollinger, and Michael Roark. (And it's going to increase by at least one more before long, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.)

 

[The Old Mixer]

But I suppose that what we're really looking for, thematically, are people who share in the main character's secret. People that he's let into his confidence and can trust not to expose him.

Yes, that's pretty much the spirit of the list as I intended. I was thinking "people he might have gone back to, if the series wanted to go there". Li Sung was the only case where that actually happened.

 

[Christopher]

It is kind of frustrating that all of David's weeks studying under Li Sung here were not only glossed over in favor of Michael's journey, but completely ineffectual at altering David's status quo. It seems that, in theory, he should've been able to use these teachings to gain more control over the transformation -- maybe even learn, to an extent, to choose whether or not to change, and to have more influence over the Hulk's actions. It might've benefitted the series to some degree to get away from the need to contrive situations where David got hurt or trapped or desperately angry twice per episode. It might've been better to see David deciding that the Hulk was needed, rather than just constantly happening to be absurdly clumsy or unlucky and never getting any better at reining in his temper.

At the very least, it would've been nice to see a departure from the formula for just this one episode -- say, have David use Li Sung's teachings to summon the Hulk by choice and partially control it just this once, with guidance from Michael, but then be unsure if he'd ever be able to repeat it. At least then there would've been some payoff to his storyline in this particular episode, and it wouldn't have felt so much like he was just tacked on to a backdoor pilot about the other guy.