MeTV's SuperSci-Fi Saturday Night

[TREK_GOD_1]

Should've saved my Stones video....

Please do not post that...........

On the subject of how aware the authorities are of the Hulk...notice that the involvement of a green monster in David Banner's death doesn't come up.

Probably due to the lack of file sharing at the time between agencies. Historically, that was a real world problem (particularly between the NYPD and FBI of that time), so the Hulk warrant could have been recognized by certain local police, but as far as the file generated by the FBI, it may only note the city investigator's initial report of Banner meeting his end in the lab explosion.

29:29. I'll consider it an ineffectual FHO because the Hulk never even gets out of the basement, but at least it serves an important plot purpose, however contrived.

...and that was the point--for Lucy to learn David's secret, so the scene and the Hulk-out were vital.

I found Lucy to be pretty charming and likable in spite of myself...she reminded me of Esther Rolle's character in "Behind the Wheel".

Agreed; and I also found myself thinking of Rolle's character, with the "charming liar" routine.

Definitely an interesting and memorable plot point...though one that might have been put to better use in a story more significant to David's situation.

That's why I pointed out that it would have moved the series more in The Fugitive direction, since any high level acknowledgement would effectively force Banner to leave the country--and take the story out of McGee's hands, since its not a stretch to think the FBI would not want a tabloid jockey interfering with their investigation.

Huh!

Yep, that's the Munster home. Its been used so much that its difficult to name all of the Universal series where the structure appeared as a central location, or could be clearly seen in the background.

And probably the only ones who learn that without also learning that he's the Hulk.

So far, that might be the case.

The unspoken possibility here, which could be considered a plot hole, is what if Lucy and Preston ever compared notes about David?

I think Lucy respected David enough to never tell anyone--DeKalb included.[/QUOTE]

 

[The Old Mixer]

I can definitely see Lonely Man David Banner hitching a ride on Reb Brown Cap's motorcycle as he rides around trying to Find America.

If I recall the TV movie Cap's MO correctly, they would have been more comfortable finding America in the van, breaking out the motorcycle for the costumed action.

You've pretty much covered all of the late-'70s live action Marvel properties there except Dr. Strange. No reason he couldn't fit into TV Hulk's world...the sorts of things he dealt with wouldn't have been seen or known by somebody like Banner. Any superheroic elements are going to seem out of place in a naturalistic setting until you introduce them. I remember all of the hand-wringing around here about introducing the Flash into Arrow's reality.

_______

Batman
"Hizzonner the Penguin"

Originally aired November 2, 1966​

"Dizzoner the Penguin"

Originally aired November 3, 1966​

A satire that's still all too timely today, for all its sixties references.

Indeed! It's scary how much more timely the episode has become in light of electoral events since your review. Just look at how loudly these lines resonate now:

I'm convinced that the American electorate is too mature to be taken in by cheap vaudeville trickery. After all, if our national leaders were elected on the basis of tricky slogans, brass bands, and pretty girls, our country would be in a terrible mess, wouldn't it?

The Penguin depends upon the cynicism of the people while I depend on their good judgment.

Meanwhile, this one...

Most politicians are honest servants of the people. The dishonest ones are the exception.

...is so pre-Watergate.

"Tippecanoe and Pengy too!", OTOH, goes back a lot further than the 1960s.

The baby-kissing incident, in particular, strikes me as symbolic of the sort of gaffe that the more intellectual, issues-driven candidate is liable to make that loses them support with voters in, say, the Rust Belt.

Switching things around, though, in this story Batman's the one not trusting the polls...and the votes swing unexpectedly in his favor. His victory is more immediately prophetic of Nixon's "silent majority".

Batman himself ultimately resorts to trickery, using his brand in a bait-and-switch scheme to win the election for Linseed.

"I'm flattered, gentlemen...but I thought your party had a candidate for 1968." I'd assume that this call would be from the Democrats, since Johnson was the incumbent. Ironic, as he'd famously refuse to run in '68.

And of course, this episode originally aired the week before the midterm elections of Nov. 8, 1966, when Ronald Reagan won the governorship of California.

(Although including a deathtrap at all seemed rather random, given that Penguin seemed to be winning.)

But it does fit in with Penguin's MO of generally resorting to dirty tricks. And bringing back the parallel to current events, maybe Penguin was just really that perturbed that Batman was running against him at all...like, say, somebody who'd won electoral victory, but couldn't get over the fact that he'd lost the popular vote. (Just imagine how epic the Penguin's Twitter rants could have been....)

If anything, the episode seemed weakest when it reverted to the standard tropes of deathtraps and fight scenes, as if the writer just wasn't particularly interested in those. Which is a worrisome sign -- was the show's creative staff starting to get tired of its format already?

I have to say...I've been feeling that way myself lately. The show has gotten kind of same ol', same ol', such that--at the risk of incurring the wrath of the Silver-Eyed One--I'm starting to look forward to Batgirl joining the show.

I find this story, however, to be a welcome shot in the arm...much more entertaining than other recent installments. And while it would have worked without the deathtraps and fight scenes, we can assume that they were written in because they were considered to be obligatory ingredients in the show's formula at that point.

As for the deathtrap itself...I can buy Batman's costume being acid-proof, but it looks far from watertight.

(Odd, though, since the debate moderator in the previous scene, played by Jack Bailey, looked much more like Cronkite.)

I concur.

One nice little bit--we get a look at what happens between the stock shot of Batman & Robin running up the stairs of police headquarters and the scenes in Commissioner Gordon's office, as the Dynamic Duo ride on a crowded elevator! It's also funny that Batman fights a group called the Nighthawks, since that name would come to be used for his counterparts in the Squadrons Sinister and Supreme.

The convention floor sequence was generally good, but the "convention floor" itself was pretty underwhelming in scale.

It supports my previous observations about the pecking order of comic-based villains on the show that Penguin's threatening to give the Riddler a higher position than the Joker.

And I'd be remiss not to revisit that the first part featured an appearance by Paul Revere & the Raiders:

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Although now I think it would have been a nice continuity nod if they'd been rebranded as Benedict Arnold & the Traitors for the show.

That they were featured in such a casual role, not introduced by name or plugging one of their singles, probably owed something to the fact that they were, around that time, serving as the de facto house band for Dick Clark's Where the Action Is, which was also airing on ABC.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Please do not post that...........

I already did, you must have missed it. It was embedded in a text link rather than posted as a video link.

Probably due to the lack of file sharing at the time between agencies. Historically, that was a real world problem (particularly between the NYPD and FBI of that time), so the Hulk warrant could have been recognized by certain local police, but as far as the file generated by the FBI, it may only note the city investigator's initial report of Banner meeting his end in the lab explosion.

I'll accept that as a patch for the continuity discrepancy noted by @Christopher , with earlier episodes mentioning warrants for the creature.

That's why I pointed out that it would have moved the series more in The Fugitive direction, since any high level acknowledgement would effectively force Banner to leave the country--and take the story out of McGee's hands, since its not a stretch to think the FBI would not want a tabloid jockey interfering with their investigation.

That would depend on the circumstances of the specific story...who learned the secret and how they chose to use it. Story possibilities abound, and the one they chose seemed kind of "So what?" for wasting such an intriguing plot point on.

 

[Christopher]

You've pretty much covered all of the late-'70s live action Marvel properties there except Dr. Strange. No reason he couldn't fit into TV Hulk's world...the sorts of things he dealt with wouldn't have been seen or known by somebody like Banner. Any superheroic elements are going to seem out of place in a naturalistic setting until you introduce them. I remember all of the hand-wringing around here about introducing the Flash into Arrow's reality.

I'm not talking about whether you can handwave it, but about whether it fits the creative tone and voice of the series. The original show was very grounded as a deliberate creative choice; I think even the two episodes about precognition were too fanciful to fit its tone, even though there was a lot of credulity at the time about such things possibly being real. I didn't like the decision to bring in Thor because it was a poor fit stylistically for this particular show. It would've been fine for any of the other Marvel or DC television adaptations of the '70s and '80s, because they were more fanciful and broad in their approach, but TIH made a point of avoiding the more overt sci-fi and fantasy stuff that its contemporaries embraced. Steve Austin, Jaime Sommers, Diana Prince, and their ilk often dealt with aliens and robot impostors and cryptids and so on, but TIH never went there. With a few rare exceptions, it never included sci-fi or fantasy elements beyond the core premise of gamma mutation, despite having five years' worth of chances. So their absence was part of what defined its distinct character as a series. Adding Thor was a radical change to the series' character and tone. What I'm looking for are Marvel characters that could've been included in the TIH universe as it was originally defined without requiring such a radical change in perspective on how the show's universe worked.

It's not the same as Arrow and The Flash, because those producers only spent a year doing a "grounded," Nolan-Batman-type show to appease the caution of the executives before starting to ease into more sci-fi stuff like Mirakuru, which introduced the concept of superhuman powers in a limited way to soften up the audience for the eventual introduction of the Flash and metahumans. Even the first season went sci-fi by the end with the earthquake generators. So they started ramping up the more fanciful stuff early on and eased the audience into it gradually, so it seems pretty clear that they planned or hoped to do it that way all along. It's not like doing a whole 5-year show in a grounded reality, then reviving it years later -- without the involvement of the original developer -- and suddenly doing it in a far more fanciful mode. That just feels inauthentic.

Don't get me wrong -- I actually like a lot about The Incredible Hulk Returns. Its approach to Donald Blake and Thor is highly inauthentic to the comics, but I think it works well and is fun to watch. I just don't think it's a good fit to the original series. And I wouldn't have thought Dr. Strange would be a good fit either.

And while it would have worked without the deathtraps and fight scenes, we can assume that they were written in because they were considered to be obligatory ingredients in the show's formula at that point.

Sure, but the trick is to work them into the story in a way that doesn't feel like it's just going through the obligatory motions. Find a persuasive story reason for the deathtrap to be there, rather than just tossing one in because it's 24 minutes into the story.

The convention floor sequence was generally good, but the "convention floor" itself was pretty underwhelming in scale.

Well, it wasn't an actual political convention, it was a gem show in the Gotham City Convention Hall. Which was kind of a labored wordplay to set up a "convention reporting" sketch, but the payoff was worth it.

It supports my previous observations about the pecking order of comic-based villains on the show that Penguin's threatening to give the Riddler a higher position than the Joker.

I think that in the comics at the time, there was nothing that made the Joker really stand out above the other rogues; it wasn't until the '70s that he began to recover his original persona as a ruthless murderer and mastermind. And the Riddler had been the debut villain of the series, with Gorshin's performance making him a standout.

 

[The Old Mixer]

I'm not talking about whether you can handwave it, but about whether it fits the creative tone and voice of the series.

But the comics themselves demonstrate that individual series can have radically different tones while sharing a continuity. Had the late-'70s Marvel shows crossed over, it wouldn't necessarily have been all about making everyone else match TIH's tone.

 

[publiusr]

If Iron Man were in TIH, I can't see him flying--but being a bit more like the hero from the campy Exo-Man movie.

 

[Silvercrest]

The unspoken possibility here, which could be considered a plot hole, is what if Lucy and Preston ever compared notes about David?

I think Lucy respected David enough to never tell anyone--DeKalb included.

But it might slip out if — as seems likely — McGee interviewed them at the same time.

 

[RJDiogenes]

^ Have you been peeking? That's coming up real soon.

I only peek in the line of duty. Actually, I didn't like The Clash at first. I mentioned before how jarring the change in the social Zeitgeist was when the sunny 70s turned into the grim 80s, and The Clash was kind of emblematic of that. The lyrics to "Train In Vain," once I actually listened to them, was one of the things that started to soften my opinion. It's such a sad, weepy song once you get past the Punky aesthetic.

 

[Christopher]

But the comics themselves demonstrate that individual series can have radically different tones while sharing a continuity. Had the late-'70s Marvel shows crossed over, it wouldn't necessarily have been all about making everyone else match TIH's tone.

But the very thing that made TIH distinctive is that it was almost completely divorced from its comics roots. That's my point. It wasn't like the comics, and it wasn't like other comics-based shows. You're arguing that it can be homogenized retroactively, and obviously the existence of The Incredible Hulk Returns demonstrates that it already was. But the hypothetical I'm trying to explore here is, what if it hadn't been? What I'm proposing is a conjecture, a thought experiment, a creative exercise. Imagine that we're trying to adapt other Marvel characters the same way Kenneth Johnson adapted TIH -- tone them down, ground them, minimize the sci-fi and fantasy elements. Think of it as a "What If...?" premise. What if Kenneth Johnson had been willing to bring other Marvel characters into the show but still wanted to keep it as grounded as possible? Who might he have been willing to use? How might they have been done in a more toned-down way? What characters would've fit into the very constrained SF parameters the show had already defined -- i.e. radiation-induced powers, rapid metamorphosis, superstrength, fast healing, psychic phenomena, and artificial intelligence (as seen in "Brain Child")? I've already given my list of various characters that I think would have fit those parameters. I'm open to additional suggestions.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

But the comics themselves demonstrate that individual series can have radically different tones while sharing a continuity. Had the late-'70s Marvel shows crossed over, it wouldn't necessarily have been all about making everyone else match TIH's tone.

Any 70's Marvel TV character crossing over with TIH would need somewhat of a matching tone in order for both sides not end up comprised to the point where none feel like themselves--a greater concern to the more fixed format of TV drama than comics. On that note, the Hammond Spider-Man was nowhere near as dramatic/tragic as TIH, but it was grounded, as he was the only fantasy element in his series, with the exception of his clone, which was no more "out there" than the Frye Hulk was to TIH. Hammond's Parker/Spider-Man was caring, serious and light when he needed to be, and would have fit with Bixby's Banner.

Aside from Hammond's Spider-Man, at the time, I thought characters such as Luke Cage and Iron Man would have worked in Kenneth Johnson's grounded universe--

• Cage--an enhanced being sans the flashier bells and whistles--could be pulled off, along with the kind of human interest/social commentary that was a hallmark of TIH. Of top importance would have been avoiding the influence of "Blaxplitation" characterization the comic Cage was so heavily based on in his early publication years.
• Iron Man's armor was not beyond the ability of craftspersons of the era (think Cylons), and he could lean in the direction the early comic IM--without the gadget overload of the current MCU character. Perhaps he would only use the armor in times of great crisis (so its not overexposed) and has a connection to the branch of the government seen in "Prometheus," which opens the door to his meeting Banner.

Either could have been additions to TIH under Johnson's control, with the series not losing its identity.

 

[Christopher]

Any 70's Marvel TV character crossing over with TIH would need somewhat of a matching tone in order for both sides not end up comprised to the point where none feel like themselves--a greater concern to the more fixed format of TV drama than comics. On that note, the Hammond Spider-Man was nowhere near as dramatic/tragic as TIH, but it was grounded, as he was the only fantasy element in his series, with the exception of his clone, which was no more "out there" than the Frye Hulk was to TIH.

There was a telekinetic villain in "The Curse of Rava," and a mind control gas in "Wolfpack." But TIH allowed for precognition and Asian mysticism, so I guess telekinesis wouldn't have been too great a stretch beyond that.


I haven't had time to watch this weekend's Irwin Allen shows yet, but Kolchak: The Night Stalker should've been "Bad Medicine" right? This is the second one in a row about a villain that changes into a canine. This time it seems to be a loose interpretation of the Native American skin-walker myth, though with about the level of cultural sensitivity you’d expect from the ‘70s. A pretty routine episode, though I like it that Kolchak finally has an ally of sorts in the office, in the person of Emily Cowles. It’s a nice change from having him constantly butt heads with everyone.

 

[Christopher]

Finally:

Land of the Giants: "The Mechanical Man": The season 2 premiere brings some slight changes. Mark has apparently built a couple of gadgets to help the Little People get around in the Giants' world, including a realllly long periscope and a laser cutter. Although they no longer seem to carry rope with them. What do they do, climb up and down the periscope? We also get the debut of a mechanized doll with flailing legs for the giants to hold in their hands -- not a very convincing illusion, but it's a step up from just pantomiming picking something up, I guess. Also, Valerie and Betty inexplicably have new outfits. I can certainly buy spoiled heiress Valerie Scott bringing more than two outfits with her on the flight, but why did she wait a year before wearing the third?

As for the main story about the "Hydraulic Man," once again we get the weird mismatch of the Giants' world supposedly being 50 years behind Earth (which would mean late 1930s) yet having sci-fi technology well beyond what Earth had in 1969-70, or indeed even 2017. They never could make up their minds. The story wasn't all that interesting or coherent; was the Hydraulic Man merely a remote-controlled puppet, or did it have a will of its own, as when it saved Chipper? No effort was really made to explore that. (I'd expected it to turn out that Stuart Margolin's assistant character was evil and had deliberately used the robot to kill, but no, it was just a malfunction.) Also, why in the world would the SID guy see a burned building with a door knocked down and a man bludgeoned to death, both feats requiring enormous physical strength, and somehow conclude that the Little People were to blame? Granted, people with a monomaniacal focus on an enemy can reflexively blame them for everything, but this was particularly implausible and felt contrived to set up the story.


The Time Tunnel: "Attack of the Barbarians": Okay, when even the title is racist, that's not a good sign. A Marco Polo episode that embodies all the worst aspects of '60s TV Orientalism. All the Asian characters are played by European actors in yellowface. All of them are evil except the beautiful princess. Marco Polo inexplicably has a whole regiment of European soldiers to serve as the good guys, even though he works for Khubilai Khan. They play fast and loose with history -- Batu was real but died before Khubilai took the throne, and Sarit is fictitious, plus the real Khubilai had at least three daughters -- and they rob the Chinese of credit for inventing gunpowder, which was being used as a functional explosive in the East centuries before this. They also falsely credit Marco Polo as the first European to explore the Far East, when in fact he was brought there by his father and uncle on their return visit. On top of everything else, they use stock footage of the Cossacks from Taras Bulba to represent the Mongols.

And they can't make up their mind how to pronounce Genghis Khan's name. They get it right a few times, as "Jen-gis," but usually use the erroneous hard-G version. It's odd to me that so many people pronounce it that way. It's actually more like "Chingis," which is pronounced in Chinese and sometimes transliterated as "Jinggis." "Genghis" originated as a Westernized version that was supposed to have the same first syllable as in "general" or "gentle," since G before E or I is usually soft. Indeed, that's the whole reason for the H after the second G, to indicate that it isn't soft. I can't think of an English word starting in "gen-" that's pronounced with a hard G, so it's surprising so many people get this wrong.

In addition to the racial stereotypes, we had Ann McGregor written as "the girl" far more than usual, letting her emotions get in the way of her professionalism in a way I don't think she's done before. It seems out of character for her to get so sentimental about Tony's romance with Sarit -- and it doesn't help that said romance springs up so abruptly with very little setup. Even Captain Kirk needed longer than that to fall for Rayna Kapec. Also, why did it take Tony until the third act to realize that he had no control over whether the Tunnel transferred him or not?

 

[The Old Mixer]

This week, on The Incredible Hulk:

"Deathmask"
Originally aired March 14, 1980

When a serial killer surfaces on the college campus at which David is working, a misunderstanding leads to his arrest.

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Events in the news since the previous episode:

March 3

• Pierre Trudeau returns to office as Prime Minister of Canada.
• The Audi Quattro, a four-wheel drive sporting coupe, is launched in West Germany.

March 4 – Robert Mugabe is elected Prime Minister of Zimbabwe.
March 8 – The Soviet Union's first rock music festival starts.
March 14 – LOT Polish Airlines Flight 007 crashes during an emergency landing near Warsaw, Poland, killing a 14-man American boxing team and 73 others.

New on the charts those weeks:

"Think About Me," Fleetwood Mac

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(#20 US; #39 AC)

"Stomp!," The Brothers Johnson

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(#7 US; #1 Dance; #1 R&B; #6 UK)

"You May Be Right," Billy Joel

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(#7 US; #48 AC)

 

[RJDiogenes]

"Think About Me," Fleetwood Mac

Wow, I don't remember this at all. Even listening to it right now, it brings up zero associational memories or feelings.

"Stomp!," The Brothers Johnson

Same with this one, although they are clearly the "Strawberry Letter" guys. No recollection of this one, though.

"You May Be Right," Billy Joel

Ah, but this I definitely remember and I always found it amusing.

 

[The Old Mixer]

I always thought "You May Be Right" had something of a Stones vibe to it. Channeling his inner Mick?

Wow, I don't remember this at all. Even listening to it right now, it brings up zero associational memories or feelings.

The third single from Tusk, but not the least successful--That would be single #4, "Sisters of the Moon" (Charted Jun. 7, 1980; #86 US).

Think I heard "Think About Me" on the radio back in the day, but it's hard to tell...been listening to Fleetwood Mac for years.

 

[Christopher]

The Incredible Hulk: “Deathmask”: Wow, this is a dismal episode. It tries to be topical in addressing what, at the time, was probably the novel idea of female self-defense, but it’s mostly pretentious twaddle, a “mystery” in which the killer’s identity is obvious almost immediately and he gives himself away to David at the earliest opportunity. And why is David even willing to work on a campus that’s in the middle of a crime wave attracting media attention, let alone to sit in the bleachers while his love interest is being interviewed by the TV news? He should’ve left town before the episode even started.

The only source of interest here is the casting. It’s the last of Gerald McRaney’s four TIH appearances, and the love interest is played by Melendy Britt, who was voicing Princess Aura on Filmation’s Flash Gordon around the same time, and had played Batgirl and Catwoman on The New Adventures of Batman a couple of years earlier -- but would be best known for playing She-Ra, Princess of Power a few years later. There’s also a bit role for Land of the Giants’s Don Marshall, who deserves better. But then, they all deserve better than this lousy episode.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

The Incredible Hulk--
"Deathmask"

Prestonville State University--a man dressed in a black ski mask & clothing leaves the dead body of a female student in the bushes--with a strange, white mask placed on her head--similar to four previous crimes in the area. The fifth murder leads PSU students and faculty to become agitated...paranoid about the identity of the killer, with the males roaming around as some sort of Student Alliance, and the town's older residents (including the father of a victim) certain the killer will simply get off on an insanity plea.

Mayor Tom Fowler & Chief Frank Rhodes examine the murder victim, with the mayor repeating his relief that the former Chicago policeman is on the Prestonville case. To that end, Rhodes is unusually determined to stop the killer...

In the campus library, David Brent concludes long hours of study--once again trying to solve his Hulk problem, when student Miriam Charles makes small talk with Banner, noting she's taking a self defense class taught by the woman Banner will be dining with--Joan Singer. Miriam seems put off by this information, and during the self defense class, turns up the aggression while glancing at David. Joan notices Chief Rhodes observing...

Joan: "You disapprove?"
Rhodes: "Well, I could never be as sure of myself as you seem to be. I don't know. This offensive resistance idea of yours could be potentially dangerous."
Joan: "What do you mean" More dangerous than assault or murder?"
Rhodes: "Joan, what do you say you and I call a truce? I've been in Prestonville for six months and all we've done Is battle. Come with me, we'll have a drink, we'll sit down, we'll talk some more. Maybe we could understand each other better. "
Joan (calling attention to David): "Frank, I'm sorry...I can't. Not tonight."

Appearing to hold no hard feelings, Rhodes introduces himself to David.

That evening, another female student--one of Joan's best--is murdered; in the aftermath, the Male Student Alliance itches to pin the crimes on someone--throwing suspicion at David, simply because he's the "new guy" in Prestonville. Rhodes suggests Joan's resistance training could have pushed the attacker to kill, and for a moment, she buys into his nonsensical theory, until David--admitting he does not have the answer to ending assault on women is, he assures her that women taking their defense in their own hands is better than doing nothing. Joan--a former victim who decided to fight back--blames herself for the way she might have influenced the latest victim.

Rhodes breaks up the Male Student Alliance's attempt to intimidate David, asking Banner to have himself checked out at the station to ease suspicions. David takes that as his sign to leave Prestonville---not before sharing a kiss with the interested Miriam. Still, he asks the smitten woman to deliver a letter to Joan, then decides to toss cold water on the situation by leaving.
Suddenly, from the rear seat, the attacker pushes Miriam aside and tries to drive away; David tries to stop the man, but is thrown from the car...triggering a Hulk-out. The attacker runs from the car and into the path of the ever-so-vigilant Male Student Alliance's cars--with the Hulk (pushing the cars out of the way) hot on his heels. The arrival of the police sends the Hulk away--allowing the attacker to escape unseen.

Unfortunately, the dazed Miriam calls out for David--leading all to think she was identifying the attacker....

As expected, the following day is a circus of rage, and a thirst for justice; as a handcuffed David is hustled through screaming, punching crowds to the police station. Inside, David listens to Rhodes & Mayor Fowler argue over David's location; Fowler insists on keeping David at the local station, not buying Rhodes belief that the atmosphere threatens to turn into a lynch mob. Fowler has other concerns--

Fowler: "Your probationary contract still has six months to go. Now look, why don't you let me tear it up right now? Sign you on as a permanent member of this community? What do you say? How about it? Chief of police? That's four years...all the benefits."
Rhodes: "Tell me something, Mayor Fowler, what do you get out of this, huh? A head start on the governor's race, something like that?"
Fowler: "Well......something like that."
Rhodes: "Yeah, yeah.."
Fowler: "We're both practical men. The confession, and the conviction of this Deathmask Killer could mean an awful lot to the both of us."
Rhodes: "I see."
Fowler: "Good! Good, I'm glad. You know, it helps when people understand each other."

That kind of conversation leads Banner to believe he has no way out.

That evening, the killer studies collected articles on his victims, but flies into a rage after watching a TV interview with Joan--

Joan: "...that the man arrested by the police department is not the Deathmask Killer. Now this is only an opinion, of course, but its an opinion based on knowing David Brent personally. And by knowing this killer the same way, as only a former victim of the same kind of man can. And I know personally that this kind of individual is an animal, a creature that prowls only in the darkness. And only then to terrorize, to humiliate, and murder those who are weak, and alone, and..."

Tolerating no more, the killer flings the TV into a wall.

At the station, Rhodes interviews David, who finds the procedure less than formal--

David: "Do you--uh--always interview prisoners at this time of night? I mean, shouldn't there be an attorney present? My attorney?"
Rhodes: "Well, Sid here is a witness. And I'm an honest cop, but if you want to bring a lot of other people into this, I'll be happy to oblige you."

David initially refuses to answer any questions--including the "Bowman" name on his Montana driver's license and "Brown" on his Social Security card, but shifts the discussion to the killer. The frustrated Rhodes trails off, talking about his ability to relate to almost anyone in society--including those occupying it lowest positions. David makes a mental note of that, and his placing himself opposite of Janus (the Roman god), making more than a few, personal observations on the duality of a people.

Rhodes: "Cops see some things, man. Especially big city cops. All of the people swarming all over this damned planet, and I can understand every one of them. There are Hells inside of each one of us. Filth. All of us. And I can feel it--I can feel it. "

David pays close to attention to what is happening...

Rhodes: "Mushy, huh? My old man used to say I was all mush...my old man...him and his women. And you, whatever the Hell your name is, you are not what you seem to be. You are a runner. And Janus understands running. He runs from Rhodes all the time. All the time.... "

Rhodes catches himself, rising from his chair--

Rhodes: "Do you understand what I'm saying?"
David: "....I'm not sure."
Rhodes: "I empathize with your problems, that's all I'm saying. I empathize."

By morning, the angry locals wait outside the station, using beer to fuel their personal fires; Joan uses the ever-present news media to challenge the mayor about his lack of evidence in the case / David's innocence. If David did not have enough trouble, Jack McGee is covering the case, asking to see the suspect, while the father of one victim--certain the "killer" will be transferred (out of reach) plots the law into his own hands come nightfall.

Inside the station, David uses Rhodes' own ability to empathize with anyone as a way of leading him toward the idea that he's holding an innocent man. David's amateur psychiatrist move gets Rhodes to dig deeper into his own problems, from dealing with the self serving mayor, to his past in law enforcement. It is enough probing to get Rhodes to slip--

Rhodes: "...maniac that kills for no reason..."
David: "There's always a reason."
Rhodes: "Yeah, yeah. Sure, reason. You're right. And when it's women...cheap...blonde....that's all the reason he needs, you see, that's what he thinks. My old man loved the blonde ones. He used to take me along, can you imagine that? Yeah, he used to take me along so my mom wouldn't get suspicious. There I'd be, sitting in some damned kitchen, waiting for him...hearing them down the hall Always some cheap blonde."

David silently absorbs the increasingly clear meaning behind Rhodes' story, and as the man stares out of the window, David turns the microphone in his direction--

Rhodes: "...girls nowadays, I used to see them all the time in Chicago. The worst parts of the city. Just strolling along there, you know, hitchhiking...braless...cute. And I'd give them rides--I'd take them wherever they wanted to go, just to get them off the street, you know. And I'd warn 'em. I would tell them they were just asking for trouble--I'd warn them! And they just laughed. They laughed. He must really hate blondes. Got something to do with blondes. Gentlemen prefer blondes....gentle...men. But he's not gentle. No, no, no, no, no, no. He hates. He's always saying how much he hates. "
David: (rising) "HE'S always saying?!?"
Rhodes: "Get back! Get away from me! "

Outside, the lynch mob sets their plan in motion...

Rhodes: "It's terrible, isn't it? Horrible."
David: "I'm sorry..I don't understand."
Rhodes: "You understand perfectly. Being able to see. Knowing what's real and unreal. It's a terrible thing. It's much better if you--if you don't see. Better not knowing.......Joan's in love with you."
David: "Uh...I don't think so."
Rhodes: "No, no, no ,no. I know. I can--I can see. She defends you. She knows. She knows you're not the killer."
David: "But you say I am."
Rhodes: "Well, you have to be! There's no other choice! There's no choices, David."

Rhodes now speaks as if he's another man--

Rhodes: "I saw him last night the way he really is. Rhodes is weak. He always has been. Rhodes'd let you go, see, 'cause he...he doesn't understand about survival, but I do! And he's blind. Rhodes is blind! You know, he never even sees those little blonde teasers with their powder and lipstick masks! He doesn't see them making fools of him! "

Rhodes is sweating...shaking--

David: "Rhodes...Frank are you all right? Frank?"
Rhodes: "What? You don't know what its like, do you? You don't know what its like when you have to...keep something locked up inside you...something...dangerous. A terrible thing I-it's like a cancer. A monster."
David: "Talk to somebody about this, Frank, a doctor. Tell him what you're telling me."
Rhodes: "I'M TALKING TO YOU!! I'M TALKING TO YOU!!"

The recorder's tape runs out; aware that he was caught with a borderline confession, Rhodes destroys the tape. He sees the lynch mob crowd waiting outside, then handcuffs Banner, shifting to his killer identity more than that of Frank Rhodes--.

Rhodes: "There's no choice, David. No choice at all."
David: "Rhodes, whether it's me or you--"
Rhodes: "--It's just there's no choices at all. There's just no choice--"
David: "Let me talk to Frank--"
Rhodes: "No, he's not here."
David: "Yes, he's here."
Rhodes: "He's not here. You see him around here someplace?"
David: "Frank...hear me. you've got to hear me."
Rhodes: "There are no choices..."

Outside, the mob takes McGee & an officer hostage, while the panicking mayor (discovering the phone lines have been cut) begs Rhodes to do something. Seeing the angry mob, Rhodes--despite David's calm request that Frank return to the forefront of his identity--is only concerned with his survival--and seeking out Joan, blaming her for training one of his victims to fight back (the reason he killed her).

In a trance-like state, Rhodes leaves David cuffed to a table, eventually moving through the mob & ignoring McGee's pleas to protect the prisoner. The mob rushes the courthouse, breaks into the interrogation room and swarm David--triggering a transformation. The Hulk flings the attackers across the room, breaks out, and races to stop Rhodes. As Joan walks to her car, Rhodes--in his black attacker's gear--attempts to strangle the woman until the Hulk arrives; terrified, Rhodes climbs scaffolding but is jerked to the ground by the creature. The stunned Rhodes is unmasked by Joan--

Joan: "Oh, Frank!"
Rhodes: "Rhodes deserves to die. Rhodes could never survive inside me, Joan. It's him! Him!"

As Rhodes sobs, Joan walks away.

Days later, Joan runs into the recovered Miriam--

Miriam: "Has anyone heard what happened to David?"
Joan: "After the way this town treated him, I didn't blame him for not coming back that night, or ever. You were under sedation. Rhodes ordered it. You couldn't have told anyone the truth, and its not your fault."

NOTES:

This is not a cure related episode, even with the library scene.

Gerald McRaney delivered a layered performance as a true split personality of polar opposites (the point/focus of the story), with the dark side (apparently) consuming him in the end. A very dark way to end the story without the TV-usual (and unrealistic) "redemption" plot. David slowly turning the interrogation tables on Rhodes: Bixby's sensitive, underplayed aiming of the mirror to was fascinating to watch. Anyone else would have battered that scene like a lawyer or psychiatrist stereotype.

The episode is set in April of 1980. Not sure how many episodes (aside from the Thanksgiving-themed "Homecoming") was so firm with a date.

David beating a path out of town--without any goodbyes to Joan (or Miriam) was a more than acceptable exit for Banner, under the circumstances.

It was not a stretch to conclude Rhodes was against Joan's self defense, as her students would pose a potential threat to his nighttime activities.

Life on the run has many drawbacks--and it requires one to be on the top of his game at all times...but we see David was not--far from it--as he established himself in a new town as "David Brent" while carrying the "David Bowman" driver's license and a Social Security card with different names. He's not perfect, and it was realistic that he--as careful as he's tried to be--would not update all of his phony information (or had the means to do so, being poor) all together on some tight schedule.

McGee covering a non-Hulk story? Who knew? In any case, he was sort of half-used in this episode.

Joan's self defense instruction paralleled a real world explosion of women joining this type of class, or pursuing traditional martial arts during the 1960s & 70s. To a degree, (beyond practical influences) training gained popularity as another form of independence during the second Women's Liberation Movement of the period.

David and Joan? David and Miriam? Dr. Banner is what was once called an operator.

Miriam's car appears to be a 1970 Plymouth Valiant--like one of the models used in the TV movie Duel; as Universal was the studio behind both Duel and The Incredible Hulk (and the Valiant was used in season one's "Never Give A Trucker an Even Break"), this could be one of the models left over from the former production.

GUEST CAST:

As promised back in the review of "The Disciple," its time to cover the fantasy credits of Gerald McRaney (Frank Rhoades). This Gold Medalist of TIH guest appearances (his fourth and final of the series) also appeared in--

• Night of Bloody Horror (Cinema IV, 1969)
• His Wife's Habit aka Women and Bloody Terror (Howco International Pictures, 1970)
• Rod Serling's Night Gallery (NBC, 1972) - "Deliveries in the Rear"
• The Six Million Dollar Man (ABC, 1977) - "To Catch the Eagle"
• The Fantastic Journey (NBC, 1977) - "The Innocent Prey"
• The Brain Machine (Howco International Pictures, 1977)
• Logan's Run (CBS, 1978) - "Turnabout"
• The Aliens Are Coming (Quinn Martin Productions, 1980)
• The NeverEnding Story (Warner Brothers, 1984)
• The People Across the Lake (Columbia Pictures Television, 1988)
• Love and Curses and All That Jazz (CBS Entertainment, 1991)

Melendy Britt (Joan Singer) was a well known voice actress for Filmation and Ruby-Spears, dating back to the 1970s. Usually, i'll cite actors who ended up on the other live action CBS superhero series but Britt had a few memorable DC animated heroines under her belt, as well as other famous characters --

• The New Adventures of Batman (CBS, 1977-78) - series regular as the voice of Batgirl/Barbara Gordon & Catwoman, replacing Jane Webb who voiced both in The Batman/Superman Hour (CBS, 1968-69)
• Tarzan and the Super 7 (CBS, 1978) - as the voice of Batgirl & Catwoman
• The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show (ABC, 1979) - as the voice of Penny & The Chief
• Flash Gordon (NBC, 1979-62) - as the voice of Princess Aura
• Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure of All (NBC, 1982) as the voice of Aura
• The Secret of the Sword (Syndicated, 1985) - as the voice of Princess Adora/She-Ra & Catra
• She-Ra: Princess of Power (Syndicated, 1985-87) - as the voice of She-Ra/Adora, others
• He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special (Syndicated, 1985) - as the voice of She-Ra
• Weird Science (USA Network, 1994) - recurring as Marcia Donnelly
• Avatar: The Last Airbender (Nickelodeon, 2005) - as the voice of Gran Gran
• Hotel Transylvania 2 (Columbia Pictures, 2015)

Marla Pennington (Miriam Charles) landed the fantasy TV job of a lifetime...or a job no one wanted as the matriarch of the infamously bad girl robot sitcom Small Wonder (Syndicated, 1985-89).

Frank Marth (Mayor Tom Fowler) had fantasy credits going back to the dawn of the Golden Age, and appeared in a sizable number of live-action superhero productions--

• Inner Sanctum (NBC, 1954) - "Reward for Janie"
• Suspense (CBS, 1949 / 1953/54) - "A Cask for Amontillado" / "The Death of an Editor" / "Operation: Barracuda"
• The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse (NBC, 1951) - "Mr. Arcularis"
• Studio One in Hollywood (CBS, 1957) - The Night America Trembled"
• The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (NBC, 1965) - "The Virtue Affair"
• Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (ABC, 1966) - "The Sky's on Fire"
• The Green Hornet (ABC, 1966) - "Hornet, Save Thyself"
• The Invaders (ABC, 1967) - "Task Force" & "The Innocent"
• Satan's School for Girls (ABC, 1973)
• Kolchak: The Night Stalker (ABC, 1975) - "The Sentry"
• The Six Million Dollar Man (ABC, 1975/77) - "Danny's Inferno" & "The Deadly Test"
• Wonder Woman (CBS, 1977) - "Knockout"
• The Bionic Woman (NBC, 1978) - "The Martians Are Coming, The Martians Are Coming"
• The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (ABC, 1978) - "Dangerous Waters"
• Battlestar Galactica (ABC, 1979) - "Greetings from Earth"
• Captain America (CBS, 1979)
• Voyagers! (NBC, 1982) - "Sneak Attack"
• Manimal (NBC, 1983) - "Night of the Scorpion"

Last, but not least, Don Marshall (Dan Erikson from Land of the Giants / Lt. Boma from "The Galileo Seven") made a brief appearance as "Man" (one of the would-be lynch mob) in his third and final appearance on TIH.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

I always thought "You May Be Right" had something of a Stones vibe to it. Channeling his inner Mick?

More like channeling his Inner Rip Off drive. "You May Be Right" was such a kiss-ass, "See! See! I can wear the big boy rocker pants like the Stones" failure.

 

[The Old Mixer]

^ Don't mince words, @TREK_GOD_1 ...tell us what you really think.
_______

To its credit, the episode is another that puts David into an interesting situation of his own, rather than just somebody else's situation. And the interrogation scenes have a certain atmosphere.

David tries to stop the man, but is thrown from the car...triggering a Hulk-out.

-32:08 (easily the season's earliest at this point).

including the "Bowman" name on his Montana driver's license and "Brown" on his Social Security card

I wonder if there was any actual continuity in there, other than just the names having been used. Was he a Bowman in Montana, for instance?

The mob rushes the courthouse, breaks into the interrogation room and swarm David--triggering a transformation.

-05:10.

This is not a cure related episode, even with the library scene.

That's what I categorize as Implicitly Cure-Related Business.

David slowly turning the interrogation tables on Rhodes: Bixby's sensitive, underplayed aiming of the mirror to was fascinating to watch. Anyone else would have battered that scene like a lawyer or psychiatrist stereotype.

That was good.

McGee covering a non-Hulk story? Who knew? In any case, he was sort of half-used in this episode.

And he was exposed to yet another David B. alias onscreen. McGee's so identity-blind, maybe David should just take to wearing a pair of glasses so that McGee wouldn't recognize him....

David and Joan? David and Miriam? Dr. Banner is what was once called an operator.

I thought the double-romance angle seemed gratuitous and out of character for the show. His alias wasn't David Bond.

the fantasy credits of Gerald McRaney

Probably best known for his non-fantasy co-starring role on Simon & Simon.

 

[Greg Cox]

I see that Svengoolie is showing "The Phantom of the Opera" tomorrow, but which version, I wonder? Claude Rains? Herbert Lom? I can't imagine they're showing the original silent version with Lon Chaney . ...