747

DVD, The Incredible Hulk S1 (747)

It had been a while, but it's good to get back into greenness again. Halfway through Season 1 we come to an episode which doesn't follow the usual rules or formula (except in the fact that David Banner (or David Brown as he is here), has to turn into the Hulk), doesn't even feature Jack McGee (you'd think with that many witnesses to the green giant he'd have a full-on story on his hands!), or an enemy to be defeated! That last bit isn't quite true - we do have the nefarious 'Phil,' presumably First Officer of Flight Columbia 14, since he's not the Captain (though he pretends to be), and sits in the co-pilot chair, who has plotted with the flame-haired flight attendant Stephanie to steal King Tut's relics which are taking the journey of the flight, too. Steph wasn't the most reliable co-conspirator, failing to keep an eye on the cups of coffee she'd drugged which leads to Banner's fellow passenger slumping into a stupor, and arousing his suspicions as a doctor. Then she shows herself to be really guilty and fails to keep the cabin crew's early nighttime from her fellow flight attendant and the whole plan goes to pot! Mind you, it was Phil's mistake to try dealing with Banner and stimulating the first Hulk-out of the episode.

My question would be, with both Hulk-outs, are they caused by frustration or fear? Evidently Banner is horrified to be pushed in that metal box towards the open hatch high above the mountains (Phil must be strong to be able to move both a grown man and the sturdy metal box he's in!), but is it despairing anger or the fear of death that causes the green-out? Hulk is remarkably helpful in his appearances this time, saving Phil's life (though that could have been inadvertent as he sort of slips on leaking pipe fluid as he's near the hatch, pushing the bad guy away), and in a much bigger way, getting the plane down to the ground. That second Hulk-out was unfortunately too funny to be taken seriously as you just pity this big, neanderthal confronted by a cockpit full of switches and a headset with a Captain Bob Brandes on the ground repeating instructions over and over, then boy genius Kevin runs in and tells him what to do. Actions that require complex motor skills are not in the spirit of the character: Hulk Smashes! You have to feel for him as he looks around bewildered, getting zapped by any button he mashes to pieces, stuck in this flight chair and probably dully knowing in the back of his peabrain that lots of lives are depending upon him!

I actually wondered if the best transitional makeup we'd seen so far was so that they could get away with the notion of Banner losing control, but still having enough willpower and understanding to achieve the desired result of bringing the plane safely to landing, or maybe even that Lou Ferrigno wouldn't fit in the chair! I was wrong on both counts, as we see the full transformation take effect after a while. They should have either gone with an even more drawn out semi-change, or had Hulk smash through the cockpit, fall out the front and pull the plane down, pushing against the wheels to halt it, as that would have been more in keeping with the character's abilities. As it was, the two Hulk-outs came at suitable points, though the question of fear or irritation comes up with Banner getting overwrought as the pressure of saving the plane and the steering column not releasing to the correct position sets him off. He's very agitated, and usually such a rational mind doesn't give in to fear, but he doesn't usually have one hundred and fifty-three lives on his hands!

The premise was based in a good place: Banner has to get to Chicago to see Dr. Sanford Charles who has made some progress in Gamma Ray research, as we see on the newspaper headline 'Researcher Links Gamma Rays With Aggression' (though at first I felt they hadn't framed the zoom-in on the paper very well as my eye was drawn to the 'Tut Exhibit Heads East' sub-heading, though it came to light that that was the more pertinent clue to the story), and he has to get their fast before this Dr. heads off to Europe for three months. So there was the potential for jeopardy there, only the story didn't 'take off' until Banner interferes when the old guy in the seat next to him is drugged. Being a doctor, he's not going to be fobbed off with half answers or lack of interest, knowing the damage that wrong medicine can do to a person. I think what the episode lacked was enough Banner, because whenever he's on screen it quivers with anticipation because of the situation we know is happening. Too much time was spent on the few talking passengers, Mr. Leggett, the comedy character, Kevin and his Mum, and the old couple, the MacIntire's in Banner's row, as well as the flight attendants, yet we don't really learn much about them, certainly not enough to care if they live or die.

The best moments are Banner in peril as his doctor's skills and detecting nous puts him in peril or forces him to take the lead in putting the situation right - the kind of guy you'd want on your flight if something went wrong! I was imagining this could be quite a good story as they were so constrained by the one location of a plane, and creativity tends to thrive on constraint, but this was far from being 'Air Force One,' and was too sedate for the most part, the baddies too easily sorted out to make a real threat. There were little moments such as Banner's reactions to his situation, or Leggett seeing the Hulk in the toilet (what's behind door number three?), and my favourite perhaps being when flight attendant no. 2 (I didn't catch her name, if it was spoken), goes to Stephanie to ask her to help get the passengers ready for an emergency landing - she shows great forgiveness and compassion by offering her support by showing that she believes her friend can still do her job, even though she'd been willing to put their lives at risk, and indeed, their lives were still at risk, so it was a striking show of mercy and grace. She also gets one of the better lines when David just makes it to the door in time for final boarding and she notes she wouldn't want to make him 'angry on our airlines'! She must be pretty dedicated as she seems to know every passenger's name - Mr. Leggett is named by her, as is David, and I never saw either of them tell her.

It seemed like a bit of an anomaly that Banner felt he could call the Captain out mid-flight in order to report the drugged passenger, as surely the Captain can't be disturbed like that, but I don't know much about the rules and regs of airlines and planes. As usual it ends in the saddest way with Banner only making it as far as Denver from San Francisco, unable to reach Chicago in time to catch Dr. Charles and once again not getting that deserved and desired next step to a solution, or at the least, the potential to cross off another avenue in his quest for an answer. The sad end leaves us ignorant of Phil and Steph's fate, or what the nameless attendant and Kevin might have said about the green man that saved all their lives and ran off into the horizon, but because these people weren't developed it doesn't dent the sweet sadness of the moment, poignantly highlighting Banner's eternal journey, and that he can't know anyone for long or where he'll be in the future. Impressive that they didn't seem to use stock footage of the plane, going to the trouble of filming new shots; as the wing smashing a hut on the side of the runway, and external shots of the plane landing, showed - though little in the way of sights, it felt expensive. A couple of faces stood out from 'Starsky & Hutch': Sondra Currie who played Stephanie had also been in that series' Season 2 episode 'Tap Dancing Her Way Right Back Into Your Heart,' and Controller Charlie was played by J. Jay Saunders who'd been in that same season's 'Vendetta' and returned as another character in Season 3's 'Manchild on The Streets'.

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