MeTV's SuperSci-Fi Saturday Night

[Skipper]

I don't know how to do that. Usually I just copy things onto a thumb drive as I go, but I prioritize my fiction and important stuff like that, and I sometimes forget about side projects like the reviews.

It's quite simple With Google Drive (for example) you can have 14 GB of cloud space:
https://www.google.com/drive/
Then you can install the application on your pc and it will upload on the cloud any folder you choose. You just need to configure the first time and then it will synchronize the files in background.
Then you will able to access your files from any computer/device (there is a Google Drive app for Android too).
Here a video guide:

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[Christopher]

How secure is it to store personal data on the Web, though?

 

[Skipper]

How secure is it to store personal data on the Web, though?

Quite secure. Just be careful with your password
You can read this article on the argument:
Are my files really safe if I store them in the cloud?
Another plus, you can edit your files from everywhere (even from your smartphone) and keep the previous versions of them.
See what’s changed in a file

 

[JD]

Hmm, I wrote out a post after watching Saturday's TIH, but apparently it didn't get posted, or I posted it in the wrong thread.
This was a pretty good episode. The stuff with the blind girl was pretty good, although it did feel a bit padded.
The whole thing with David being trapped in partial Hulk form was a pretty cool twist on the show's usual set up.
I think the end was the biggest set piece I've seen on the show so far.
As for my request about not posting analyses before the MeTV airings, I didn't mean for anyone to stop posting them or at all, I was just asking for you guys to wait. Rather than just a thread for these shows in general, I had originally intended for it to be a thread specifically for the airings on MeTV. Basically the same kind of thread we do for currently airing shows, like The Expanse or the Arrowverse shows only for the shows on Me, but I will admit it has probably moved beyond that a bit now. It honestly didn't even occur to me at first that people would be watching them through other means.

 

[Nerys Myk]

^Backup in cloud. I learned it after a disastrous data loss

Nemesis was years ago and come on, Spiner was getting too old for the part.

 

[Silvercrest]

I thought he was backed up, y'know, before.

 

[RJDiogenes]

They'll find his head eventually. They always do.

 

[Skipper]

I thought he was backed up, y'know, before.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

I think what Mixer is suggesting is that revising the series format in that way, introducing a new approach and antagonists, would've been preferable to the slow fizzling out of the existing formula that we got. Having David be on the run from the military would've added a new urgency and higher stakes. As for McGee, maybe he could've even been reworked into an ally for David, learning the truth about him and running interference to stymie the investigations of Ross, Talbot, or whatever equivalent character they used.

As noted the other day, the problem is that a full-on military antagonist would not face much (believable) interference from a reporter, particularly if a Ross type had the full support from "on high" to capture the Hulk, and was not merely the personal vendetta usually seen in the comics. They would be ruthless and not tolerate anyone trying to be a stone in their collective shoes. Perhaps someone from another branch of the government--one with an interest in and sympathetic to the Hulk (learning that Banner was the man behind the monster) would be a more believable ally to fight against Ross, instead of stretching things to have a single reporter to be so successful a bulwark against a major military force (of the kind a Ross type would command) tracking down the TV Hulk.

And maybe McGee would expose that Ross intended to develop weapons based on what he learned from the Hulk, conduct illegal experiments, that sort of thing. So the government would cut his funding in response to the PR nightmare. So Ross would still be hunting the Hulk and trying to vindicate himself, but without the resources of the full US armed forces behind him, and thus he'd only be an intermittent threat.

Maybe, but it would be a stronger sell if McGee worked with that sympathetic government representative I mentioned, so the channels for direct, quick action (against Ross) would be in place.

I thought it was Curt Swan who redrew Superman's head. He was pretty much the definitive Superman artist for decades. Wasn't Anderson his inker?

Anderson was his inker on occasion. Swan and Neal Adams also redrew Kirby heads (angering Kirby to no end).

 

[The Old Mixer]

As noted the other day, the problem is that a full-on military antagonist would not face much (believable) interference from a reporter, particularly if a Ross type had the full support from "on high" to capture the Hulk, and was not merely the personal vendetta usually seen in the comics. They would be ruthless and not tolerate anyone trying to be a stone in their collective shoes. Perhaps someone from another branch of the government--one with an interest in and sympathetic to the Hulk (learning that Banner was the man behind the monster) would be a more believable ally to fight against Ross, instead of stretching things to have a single reporter to be so successful a bulwark against a major military force (of the kind a Ross type would command) tracking down the TV Hulk.

One hypothetical situation--McGee learns that John Doe is Banner, doesn't tell the government, puts on a front of continuing to pursue John Doe, and feeds false information to a government agent whom he's supposed to be working with.

And government pursuit could be as simple as one "face" agent doing the regular legwork, perhaps occasionally calling in the national guard when he has reason to believe he knows where a Hulk incident might take place (which probably wouldn't be often, since Hulk incidents were so brief).

Sending tanks and jets after him routinely wouldn't be practical considering that he's never the Hulk for that long. A subtler approach would be in order. They might be called in to cordon off an area or somesuch.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

The Incredible Hulk
"Prometheus Part Two"--

Chicago - At a child's birthday party, a Prometheus representative and two MPs inform Dr. John Zeiderman that--

"We have a visitor."

Zeiderman promptly leaves with the men.

Houston - Dr. Jason Spath conducts a test with robotic arms when he--like Zeiderman--is visited by another Prometheus representative with the same message.

Southwestern New Mexico - At the site of an archeological dig, Dr. Charlene McGowan soon leans her presence is required...

Central Colorado - the Prometheus convoy now transports the red container (or "Alpha Chamber") by truck, making the long journey to its destination--a massive installation carved into the side of a mountain. Jack McGee--still in disguise--is visibly overwhelmed by the scene. Echoing throughout the massive, hangar-like structure, the commands from the P.A. system adds to his speechless state--

Male voice: "Standby First Encounter Units 7, 8, 9."
Female voice: "Attention First Encounter Unit 4--attention! Ready decontamination units and receiving areas in surgery."
Male voice: "Stand by radar scan and x-ray. Keep your instruments sharp focused on the Alpha unit. Watch for hostile action! Unit 7, keep a watch for hostile action!"
Female voice: "Attention Unit 8, adjust your magnetometers to zero volt, and please recalibrate to 517, 517."
Male voice: "Stand by for phase three and prepare to activate all infrared and microwave scans on my mark."

As McGee watches the swarm of activity, the Hulk rocks his red prison--punching the walls leaving large protrusions on the surface; at the male voice's command, the container--now on a circular staging area-- is subjected to various scanning procedures. If the threat to McGee's quarry was not apparent before, the following orders removes all doubt--

Male voice: "Low quarters recording animal-like sounds within the Alpha Chamber." / "All personnel, keep firearms focused on the holding area!" / "Lasers in the holding are armed and ready!" / "Release all safeties on firearms!" / "All units on the lower levels, be alert for hostile action!" / "Stand by for incineration if necessary!"

Slowly, a crane moves the container over a large opening in the floor, ringed with spotlights. Lowered into a holding chamber, the opening is sealed with an airlock, as McGee hears the growling creature for what could be the last time...

Kaite--still unconscious--is taken to an exam room--its walls covered in computers. From an observation deck, a man sits watching Dr. Zeiderman and his team (In contamination suits) study the woman--

Colonel Brad: "What's your instinct, John?"
Zeiderman: "Well, apparently, a normal human female. She was at the scene?"
Colonel Brad: "Right in the impact zone. Accompanying the creature that we've captured."
Zeiderman: "And you think the creature is extraterrestrial?"
Colonel Brad: "Its very possible, John! Wait until you see the tapes!"
Zeiderman: "I want to see the creature."
Colonel Brad: "Oh, you will."

Charlena McGowan arrives at the complex, quickly taken to lower levels for sterilization; hearing this, McGee finagles access to that level by pretending to have an association with the doctor. Sometime later, the colonel gets Charlena and Jason Spath up to speed on the meteor; both scientists play with the idea of the oddly-shaped object being some sort of alien vehicle, with no pushback from Brad, who notes the meteor's high level of gamma radiation. Once Zeiderman joins the group, they watch the video of Katie & Demi-Hulk at the impact site, the transformation to full Hulk level, and the creature's attempt to punch his way out of the Alpha Chamber. Brad excitedly theorizes about possible extraterrestrial origins of the Hulk, but McGowan and Spath are less than convinced.

Elsewhere, McGee stumbles into the situation room where a curious staffer watches a monitor of the Hulk trapped in the holding area; pretending to be an authority figure, McGee learns the holding area platform is surrounded by a high intensity microwave barrier where its outermost area is burning hot, thus preventing the Hulk from trying to escape. McGee's wheels turn, but he has no idea how he might retrieve his target. Fumbling around the monitor controls, he passes by a map of North America with the header, "ALLIED MISSILE SITES" and "FORWARD BASES - HOSTILE" and of interest, "TACTICAL OFFENSIVE -- WORLDWIDE -- ALIEN INFLUENCE PROGRAM" with links to all national security agencies before switching to a feed of the alien monitor room. There, McGee listens to the scientists analysis of the creature's vitals and scans--

Zeiderman: "It's respiration seems quite human. Oxygen conversion into CO2. But there's an average of 30 breaths per minute."
McGowan: "Here are the X-rays--the structure of the bones seems very human, though enlarged. He's quite a heavy-duty fellow."
Spath: "What's his body weight?"
McGowan: "Almost 320."
Zeiderman: "What about the facial structure, Char?"
McGowan: "Well, the jaw is reminiscent of Neanderthal and upper Pleistocene in general. The brow is more like Australopithecus, though more pronounced."
Spath: "It's hard to think it could fly a spacecraft."
Zeiderman: "Yes--there's been no sign of metamorphosis back into what it was before?"
Brad: "None."
Spath: "What about the color of its skin?"
McGowan: "God only knows."

Trying everything from playing the Hulk's growl back to him (angering the creature), to direct communication produces no informative results. Spath tries contact through a remote robot arm in the holding area, only for the Hulk to tear it apart. Zeiderman exposes the Hulk to a small piece of the meteor, but it triggers the same painful headaches experienced at the impact site. The creature hurls the piece into the microwave field, destroying it, then pounds and stomps his way through the thick, concrete floor, dropping down to Level 7--a sort of underground water and power level, with steel doors no match for his power. Brad sends the base to red alert & activates security seals, while McGee races to find the creature. Always ahead of the base security guards, the Hulk tears a hot steam conduit apart, using its business end to burn / disable a group of armed men.

Stumbling across the infirmary, he sees Katie demanding to be set free; McGee sneaks into her room, informing her of where she's being held. Although McGee tries to pass himself as benign, revealing his name stiffens Katie--the woman remembering all Demi-Hulk said about the reporter. Adding to his enemy credentials is his bringing up the National Register reward...

Running up several levels, the Hulk slams and smacks his way to the infirmary hall, where he sees McGee escorting Katie. The sight of the reporter casts a grim frown on the Hulk's face--

McGee: "Now, wait--"

The Hulk pushes the reporter into a wall, and runs off with Katie in his arms, the woman trying to warn the David side about McGee...

In the control room, McGee is questioned--

Spath: "You mean you've seen this thing before?"
McGee: "Of course I have! I've chased it back and forth across the country for the last three years!"
Brad: "I'd like to know just how in Hell you chased him into here!"
McGee: "A good reporter doesn't give up easily."
Brad: "Well, this good reporter may find himself in prison!"
Zeiderman: "Easy, Brad--"
McGee: "No, its okay. Some real terrific books have been written there. I'm sure the public would be fascinated to find out about this complex. Just that room that I was watching from is fascinating in itself, with maps for tactical offensive using alien influences."
Zeiderman: "What?"
McGee: "Come on. Don't be coy."
Zeiderman: "What room is that, Brad?"
Brad: "The situation room, I think."
Zeiderman: "What situation room?"
McGee: 'Where military minds can plot out tactical offenses, using new techniques or weapons gleaned from alien influences, right?."
Zeiderman: "Is this true?"
McGee: "Of course its true."
Zeiderman: "But we designed Prometheus for peaceful study of what comes to us from space."
McGee: "That's swell, but look, somebody, and I think I know who, has sunk a ton of money into this mountain. Now don't you think they are going to want to see some practical result?"
Zeiderman: "To take advantage militarily of contact with some brand new life form...I just don't believe it."
McGowan: "Better learn to, John."
Zeiderman: "You knew of the military applications of our work?"
McGowan: "Not for sure, but I sure noticed all of those uniforms around me."
Spath: "Char the cynic!"
McGowan: "Char the realist! You've got to give to get!"
Brad: "John, we would've never put men on the moon if there hadn't been military applications."
McGowan: "And there's nothing wrong with that."
Spath: "As long as it's used sanely."
McGowan: "Yes, In the meantime, look at this facility we've got."
McGee: "And look at the opportunity you've got. This isn't some Martian loose inside here, I don't think. Yet it is one amazing creature worthy of your closest study. It is a man who metamorphosizes into something...superhuman. Jekyll into Hyde--only not fiction...fact. I've seen it myself--so have you."
McGowan: "Do you know why it happened?"
McGee: "No. Maybe pain? Anger? I don't know. All I do know is this--that in the three years that I have been chasing him, this is the first time he has come close to being captured or contained. What an opportunity you have."

...and McGowan's insightful mind lays out the truth behind McGee's "all in the name of science" speech:

McGowan: "And what a story you have."
McGee: "Well, you've got to give to get."

Brad orders more men--armed with gas and tranquilizers--to search for the creature; Zeiderman blurts out another accusation, but is countered by McGowan's repeated call to be reasonable, knowing how their employers work.

In a lower level, Katie continues pleading with the Hulk to return to his other half, but thanks to the effects of the nearby meteor, his transformation stalls in the Demi-Hulk state--only moments before they are spotted by the Prometheus crew. Brad prepares to go after the escapees, but McGee begs to be allowed to talk to him--fearing that the aggressive approach will prod the Hulk to "tear the place apart." With McGee in tow, the Prometheus crew--and guards--corner Katie & Demi-Hulk; McGee tries to convince Demi-Hulk that he--and the scientists can help him, but Katie (again, knowing who McGee is) warns him not to trust the reporter or anyone else. Before Demi-Hulk's clouded mind can process truth from lie, guards rush the escapees, pulling Katie away from Demi-Hulk; McGee pleads for the guards to stop, but he is ignored as Brad & his guards fire several tranquilizer darts into the man-creature...triggering a Hulk-out.

The creature--angrier than ever--lives up to McGee's warning: he tears the place apart, causing steam to obscure the sight of the dart-gun happy guards. Ripping a sizable piece of machinery from the floor, the Hulk sends it flying into the concrete wall which dead-ended the ventilation shaft, rescues Katie, and carries her through the shaft. Brad orders the massive shaft hydraulic shut-off valve closed--but its no match for the strength of the Hulk, who forces it back into its housing--overloading the motor to the point of causing a chain reaction of explosions throughout the complex.

The Hulk and Katie escape into the forest, easily outdistancing McGee. Finding a place to rest, Katie feels the Hulk's face as he finally transforms back to David. Overjoyed, David & Katie embrace.

Washington D.C. - days later, McGee & Dr. Charlena McGowan discuss the recent events--and what comes next--

McGee: "You're closing down Prometheus?"
McGowan: "Until we've redesigned it all. Our first experience was rather a disaster."
McGee: "Yeah, you could say that. Well, how long do you figure its gonna take you?"
McGowan: "Who knows? New technology will have to be developed--several years, at least."
McGee: "It's quite a story."
McGowan: "Yes, I know. Its also classified top secret, out of a desire to avoid publicity and panic, if we ever have a close encounter."
McGee: "Still, the people have a right to know."
McGowan: "Yes they do. It's very delicate--the balance. Let me talk to Washington. Maybe its time we loosened up a little."
McGee: "Yes, I think maybe it is."

Back in Utah, David escorts Katie to a bus stop. After her experiences at Prometheus, Katie's confidence is soaring--enough for her return to New York, and her music--

Katie: "I'm writing something. A concerto for you--in three movements, one for each..."

David is touched by the meaning behind that, and hugs Katie again before she departs, leaving David to walk off to...

NOTES:

A condition-related episode.

The proof of a successful adaptation: Banner & the Hulk are not on screen close to the first 20 minutes of this episode, yet the Prometheus member scenes are compelling without a direct appearance from or interaction with the dual identity hero.

No matter what the Prometheus team thought the Hulk was (but should have known better, since no alien wears boxers), his full exposure to a government agency should have been the turning point of the series. No longer a Bigfoot-like tall tale, the account of random citizens with no hard evidence or a tabloid reporter, the Hulk was there for all in the organization to see, and should have become a government priority to find and capture--pretty much moving the show closer to its comic book roots. Certainly a missed opportunity in an otherwise "best of" story of the series.

This two-parter was clearly the proving ground for the kind of large-scale, "sci-fi meets military" environment Kenneth Johnson would explore with great effect in the first V miniseries.

Johnson mirrors the third act of the pilot with the Hulk carrying the female protagonist away from an explosion & into the forest at night, the only difference is that Katie--unlike Elaina Marks--lives.

The coda--McGee & McGowan somewhere in Washington D.C.-contained the necessary dialogue about McGowan's view on dealing with the government about the destruction of the Prometheus complex, and how McGee was never free to reveal anything he witnessed, which brings this to...

...the most unrealistic moment of the episode: McGee had no leverage in his "I'll tell" / "book" threat to Brad; by violating several federal laws by sneaking into a secret government complex posed as an employee, removing a person (Katie) in--at the time--government custody, and threatening to reveal classified strategic installations & targets, he (if so charged by the government) would find himself convicted, and probably serve a considerable stint in prison. Moreover, thanks to the classified nature of the base he was exposed to, McGee would find his every form of communication (limited as it would be) monitored / controlled. In real life, many--from former government employees to whistleblowers have been sent to prison for less, so the idea of McGee making a threat he could not possibly act on was the unrealistic part of a superhero TV series.

However, I will give the McGee character a slight break, in that his questions (not the threats) about government transparency were as relevant in 1980 as they are today.

Echoing Brad's point, Zeiderman was shocked that any government program originally created for scientific research also has practical military applications funded & explored? Where was he living the past 40 or so years from that date? On Naiveté Island?

Brad gives an indication of how strong the Hulk is by noting how he nearly punched his way out of 14 inches of homogenized steel. Then we see him force the hydraulic valve back to its housing. There should be a way of measuring how strong TV Hulk was.

"Prometheus" is the first Marvel adaptation to actively use location title cards--something that would be one of the visual hallmarks of Captain America: Civil War some 36 years later.

GUEST CAST:

As usual, we see the continuing casting lineage from the Universal bionic series. This time, its Monte Markham (Brad), who proved a be a more expensive challenge as Barney Miller/Hiller in The Six Million Dollar Man episodes "The Seven Million Dollar Man" (1974) and "The Bionic Criminal" (1975).

• The Second Hundred Years (ABC, 1967-68)
• Project X (Paramount, 1968)
• The Astronaut (ABC, 1972) - Produced by Harve Bennett
• Visions (CBS, 1972)
• The Invisible Man (NBC, 1975) - "Power Play"
• The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries (ABC, 1977) - "The Mystery of Pirate's Cove"
• Beyond Westworld (CBS, 1980) - "Take-Over"
• Judgement Day (1988)
• Neon City (Trimark Pictures, 1991)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Syndicated, 1996) - "Let He Who Is Without Sin"
• Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show (Syndicated, 1999) - recurring as William Tecumseh Jennings
• Millennium Man (1999)
• Fringe (Fox, 2011-12)
• The Rift (Morein Group, 2016)

In addition to acting credits, Carol Baxter (Dr. Charlena McGowan) made her mark as a writer; following her appearance here, she wrote TIH's 4th season episode, "Wax Museum" (CBS, 1981). Baxter also contributed several scripts for Filmation's She-Ra: Princess of Power (Syndicated, 1985-87).

• Battlestar Galactica (ABC, 1978) - "Saga of a Star World" & "The Lost Warrior"
• The Curse of Dracula (NBC, 1979) - part of the Cliffhangers! TV series

Whit Bissell (Dr. John Zeiderman) returns to TIH. His first appearance was in season two's "Kindred Spirits" opposite Kim Cattrall. As noted in that episode review, Bissell has to be one of fantasy TV & film's Most Valuable Players, considering his remarkable list of credits--

Out There (CBS, 1951) - "The Bus to Nowhere"
Creature from the Black Lagoon (Universal, 1954)
The Atomic Kid (Republic Pictures, 1954)
Target Earth (Allied Artists, 1954)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (uncredited; Allied Artists, 1956)
Science Fiction Theater (Syndicated, 1956) - "Doctor Robot" "The Green Bomb" & "Sound of Murder"
I Was a Teenage Frankenstein (AIP, 1957)
The Veil (Hal Roach Studios, 1958) - "Whatever Happened to Peggy?"
One Step Beyond (ABC, 1959) - "Brainwave"
Men Into Space (ABC, 1959) - "Christmas on the Moon"
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (CBS, 1962) - "Burglar Proof"
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (NBC, 1964) - "Behind the Locked Door"
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (ABC, 1965) "The Peacemaker"
I Dream of Jeannie (NBC, 1966) "Fastest Gun in the East"
The Time Tunnel (ABC, 1966-67 / series regular)
The Invaders (ABC, 1967) - "Dark Outpost"
Star Trek (NBC, 1967) - "The Trouble with Tribbles"
Land of the Giants (ABC, 1970) - "The Secret City of Limbo"
City Beneath the Sea (NBC, 1971) - Irwin Allen TV movie / pilot
Soylent Green (MGM, 1973)
Psychic Killer (AVCO Embassy Pictures, 1975)
The Bionic Woman (NBC, 1977) - "Over the Hill Spy"
Project: U.F.O. (NBC, 1978) - "Sighting 4023: The I-Man Incident"
The Time Machine (NBC, 1978)
Darkroom (ABC, 1982) - "Lost in Translation"

 

[The Old Mixer]

Well, now I'm in a quandary. Do I post my preview post after the first review has already been posted? Do I merge it with my own review? And if so, do I post that now, or wait until after the episode airs? Maybe I'll let @Christopher be the tiebreaker between @JD and @TREK_GOD_1 .

[wimpyhalfkirk]Somebody...make...the decision....[/wimpyhalfkirk]

 

[RJDiogenes]

Time is not linear. Do your own thing, dude.

 

[Christopher]

Well, now I'm in a quandary. Do I post my preview post after the first review has already been posted? Do I merge it with my own review? And if so, do I post that now, or wait until after the episode airs? Maybe I'll let @Christopher be the tiebreaker between @JD and @TREK_GOD_1 .

[wimpyhalfkirk]Somebody...make...the decision....[/wimpyhalfkirk]

Well, a preview, by definition, comes before viewing, so there's no harm posting it before the episode airs. And as I said before, I'm perfectly willing to wait to post my review until after the episode airs.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Well, I'd been tentatively planning to start posting it on Friday night, but it feels weird posting it after the first review.

_______

This week, on The Incredible Hulk:

"Prometheus: Part II"
Originally aired November 14, 1980

Exposed to radiation from a meteor that has crashed into the Earth, David transforms into a half-Hulk, half-human state.

Recap link.

Events in the news the week that the episode aired:

November 10 – November 12 – Voyager program: The NASA space probe Voyager I makes its closest approach to Saturn, when it flies within 77,000 miles of the planet's cloud-tops and sends the first high resolution images of the world back to scientists on Earth.

New on the U.S. charts that week:

"The Tide Is High," Blondie

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

(#1 US the week of Jan. 31, 1981; #3 AC; #1 Dance; #1 UK)

New at #1:

"Lady," Kenny Rogers

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

(Charted Oct. 4; #1 US the weeks of Nov. 15 through Dec. 20; #1 AC; #1 Country; #42 R&B; #12 UK)

And because we have room this week...here's our first...

HIATUS OF 1980 FLASHBACK!!!

"Against the Wind," Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

(Charted May 3; #5 US; #8 AC)

"Misunderstanding," Genesis

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

(Charted May 24; #14 US; #32 AC; #42 UK)

"All Out of Love," Air Supply

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

(Charted June 14; #2 US; #5 AC; #11 UK)

 

[The Old Mixer]

Chicago - At a child's birthday party, a Prometheus representative and two MPs inform Dr. John Zeiderman that--

"We have a visitor."

Zeiderman promptly leaves with the men.

Houston - Dr. Jason Spath conducts a test with robotic arms when he--like Zeiderman--is visited by another Prometheus representative with the same message.

Southwestern New Mexico - At the site of an archeological dig, Dr. Charlene McGowan soon leans her presence is required...

That assemble-the-team montage seemed like a lot of set-up for characters we hardly got to know.

This episode begins with a Hulk Incident in progress from the previous episode, so it breaks the formula as far as the FHO goes.

Echoing throughout the massive, hangar-like structure, the commands from the P.A. system adds to his speechless state--

Male voice: "Standby First Encounter Units 7, 8, 9."
Female voice: "Attention First Encounter Unit 4--attention! Ready decontamination units and receiving areas in surgery."
Male voice: "Stand by radar scan and x-ray. Keep your instruments sharp focused on the Alpha unit. Watch for hostile action! Unit 7, keep a watch for hostile action!"
Female voice: "Attention Unit 8, adjust your magnetometers to zero volt, and please recalibrate to 517, 517."
Male voice: "Stand by for phase three and prepare to activate all infrared and microwave scans on my mark."

All that "3-3-3, 2-2-2, 1-1-1, mark-mark-mark" business drove me crazy as a kid. Seems like you couldn't wipe your ass in that place without the guy on the PA doing a countdown.

Kaite--still unconscious--is taken to an exam room

How did they get her out of the container anyway? And why are they all wearing hoodies?

Spath: "What's his body weight?"
McGowan: "Almost 320."

And we get a weight pegged down for the TV Hulk...less than a third that of his comic book counterpart at the time.

Trying everything from playing the Hulk's growl back to him (angering the creature)

They should have tried throwing a green mannequin in there with him....

The creature hurls the piece into the microwave field, destroying it, then pounds and stomps his way through the thick, concrete floor, dropping down to Level 7

In this one episode we get lots of more impressive feats of strength than usual...pounding dents in 14 inches of steel; the microwave barrier; closing the valve...but breaking through the floor was a particularly comic-booky touch. Quite a change especially from our more ineffectual FHOs, in which he sometimes doesn't even manage to leave the room in which he transformed.

McGee tries to convince Demi-Hulk that he--and the scientists can help him, but Katie (again, knowing who McGee is) warns him not to trust the reporter or anyone else.

We have to assume for the purpose of this scene that the Demi-Hulk McGee is seeing looks more like the long-shot double than Bixby.

McGee pleads for the guards to stop, but he is ignored as Brad & his guards fire several tranquilizer darts into the man-creature...triggering a Hulk-out.

Back on formula at -09:58. It appears that this will become and remain our third-earliest SHO, with no earlier ones for the remainder of the series. (Yes, I'm counting it as a SHO because of its positioning in the episode, rather than being too literal about the designation.)

Brad orders the massive shaft hydraulic shut-off valve closed--but its no match for the strength of the Hulk, who forces it back into its housing--overloading the motor to the point of causing a chain reaction of explosions throughout the complex.

It appears that Prometheus builds their bases to be no more sturdy than their helicopters. Both are prone to exploding in a stiff wind.

McGee: "You're closing down Prometheus?"
McGowan: "Until we've redesigned it all.

To be less explodey, no doubt.

David is touched by the meaning behind that, and hugs Katie again before she departs, leaving David to walk off to...

...an episode-specific LM.

A condition-related episode.

I'd agree, though I'm wondering if two-part stories should count as two separate episodes for that list. I don't recall offhand how I did it for "Mystery Man". And the pilots and "Married" originally aired as single episodes.

No matter what the Prometheus team thought the Hulk was (but should have known better, since no alien wears boxers), his full exposure to a government agency should have been the turning point of the series. No longer a Bigfoot-like tall tale, the account of random citizens with no hard evidence or a tabloid reporter, the Hulk was there for all in the organization to see, and should have become a government priority to find and capture--pretty much moving the show closer to its comic book roots. Certainly a missed opportunity in an otherwise "best of" story of the series.

Weren't you arguing against this last week?

Anyway, I have to wonder why Prometheus existed...had there been confirmed alien contacts before in this world, that they'd devote a government facility to potentially exploiting them? And at the end, they still seem more interested in potential alien contact than in the superhuman creature already Lonely Manning around on their own planet. A missed opportunity for the Prometheus scientists in-setting as well as for the show.

 

[Christopher]

“Prometheus, Part II”: This is a classic example of Kenneth Johnson’s imitative tendencies, because the opening of this episode is a pretty blatant riff on The Andromeda Strain, with the scientists being glimpsed in their everyday lives before the military arrives to summon them to their secret alien-studying project. Though the sequence in the big underground facility, with McGee watching in awe as the Hulk’s cage is moved to the containment area, is rather evocative of Close Encounters with all the procedural bustle and PA announcements. Anyway, that’s an amazing location they found, and the awesome thing about older shows is that when you see something like this, you know it’s not CGI -- they actually did it for real, in full scale. They really blew the budget on this one. I’d really like to know what that vast facility actually was.

But what’s odd is that this is the biggest, most epic and spectacular episode of the entire series… and the star of the show is hardly even in it. Bixby only has a few scenes in the second half of the episode, and he isn’t playing his normal character until the end. McGee is more the viewpoint character for the majority of it, though I wish we could’ve gotten a bit more insight into his thinking. He stumbled into a story here that’s much bigger than the Hulk. I know he wants vindication about the reality of the Hulk, but exposing a secret government project of this magnitude could’ve given him the respectability he craves so much. Although on the other hand, since he already has a reputation as a tabloid fraud, nobody would take it seriously if he did report it. Anyway, it’s a bit implausible that nobody in the government and military has ever heard of the Hulk, given all the police warrants and searches there were back in season 1. But it’s a good chance for McGee to dominate the situation when he’s found out, since he’s the only one who knows what’s going on, and Jack Colvin is in fine form.

Honestly, I’m kind of mad at Katie for telling half-Hulk David not to trust McGee, because I believe Jack was sincere about helping him find a cure. We see the impact of their conversation in “Equinox,” with McGee now knowing that “John” is haunted by his condition and wants to cure it, and so he’s sympathetic toward that goal. Of course, as we saw, Monte Markham’s character was treacherous, but I think McGee was on the level. Though maybe it was shortsighted and/or self-serving of McGee not to see that double-cross coming.

The climax goes a bit overboard with the Hulk inadvertently blowing up half the facility (courtesy of more movie stock footage, apparently from a 1965 film called Operation Crossbow). And yet they make sure to let us know in voiceover that there was nobody in the giant facility that blew up, referred to as a fuel store even though it was full of missiles and weapons in the stock footage.

Several returning guest stars in this one. In addition to Laurie Prange, all three Prometheus scientists are second-time guests -- Whit Bissell was a very similar scientist character in “Kindred Spirits,” Arthur Rosenberg had a minor role in “Earthquakes Happen,” and Carol Baxter was the main guest in “Haunted.”

Anyway, I have to wonder why Prometheus existed...had there been confirmed alien contacts before in this world, that they'd devote a government facility to potentially exploiting them?

You don't need confirmed contacts, just an awareness of the possibility. In real life, governments have been developing protocols for how to respond to alien visitations since the days of the first UFO sightings. For a while there, it seemed like a real possibility that aliens could be visiting us, and governments and academics developed contingency plans. There are still plans in place for what procedures the scientific community will follow in the event of a first contact via SETI, or, more improbably, through direct visitation.

That was basically the setup in The Andromeda Strain, which this is a knockoff of -- the government had a contingency plan for dealing with an alien infectious organism, which came in handy when one actually arrived.

And at the end, they still seem more interested in potential alien contact than in the superhuman creature already Lonely Manning around on their own planet. A missed opportunity for the Prometheus scientists in-setting as well as for the show.

Despite what fiction tends to assume, scientists are not universal experts in everything, any more than athletes play every sport at once or musicians play every instrument. Scientists specialize, as much as anyone else does. People whose specialty was the study of extraterrestrial life would have no qualifications to study a radioactively mutated human, and probably no interest in doing so unless it could tell them something about extraterrestrial life.

 

[The Old Mixer]

You don't need confirmed contacts, just an awareness of the possibility. In real life, governments have been developing protocols for how to respond to alien visitations since the days of the first UFO sightings. For a while there, it seemed like a real possibility that aliens could be visiting us, and governments and academics developed contingency plans. There are still plans in place for what procedures the scientific community will follow in the event of a first contact via SETI, or, more improbably, through direct visitation.

That was basically the setup in The Andromeda Strain, which this is a knockoff of -- the government had a contingency plan for dealing with an alien infectious organism, which came in handy when one actually arrived.

Contingency plans are one thing...a tax-gobbling specialized facility for something that they don't know exists is another.

Despite what fiction tends to assume, scientists are not universal experts in everything, any more than athletes play every sport at once or musicians play every instrument. Scientists specialize, as much as anyone else does. People whose specialty was the study of extraterrestrial life would have no qualifications to study a radioactively mutated human, and probably no interest in doing so unless it could tell them something about extraterrestrial life.

Still, it seems odd for them to just shrug off the Hulk..."Eh, he's not an alien, nothing to see here."

I think that both the existence of Prometheus and their blase attitude toward the Hulk are indications that there may be more superhuman phenomena going on in this world than just the Hulk. Like a guy in New York who crawls up walls...a super-soldier experiment...weird mystics...that kind of thing.

 

[RJDiogenes]

"The Tide Is High," Blondie

I like Blondie a lot, but it seems like it was their worst stuff that was most popular. How could "Attack of the Giant Ants" not be a number one hit?

"Lady," Kenny Rogers

Not a big Kenny Rogers fan....

"Against the Wind," Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band

On the other hand, I love Bob Seger and this is one of my favorites. And it seems to become a bigger favorite as the years go by for some reason.

"Misunderstanding," Genesis

Good band, good song, as Worf might say.

"All Out of Love," Air Supply

No doubt many think of Air Supply as cheesy or melodramatic, and they'd be right, but they are the highest quality cheese and melodrama. This is a great example of that. A couple of years later, they would prove an unlikely but perfect match for the operatic song stylings of Jim Steinman.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Yeah, I'd been planning to skip most of Air Supply's stuff, but the one time I threw them in, they proved to be surprisingly popular. Guess they sold all those records for a reason.