The Waterfront Story

DVD, The Incredible Hulk S1 (The Waterfront Story)

I thought we might get something special for the last episode of the season, perhaps a showdown with Jack McGee, the roving reporter that has dogged the Hulk's steps ever since he first appeared, or even some kind of settling down for Banner, especially as he'd found a woman in the same situation as him. No, not turning into a big, green monster whenever she got annoyed, they both had lost their partner; both widowers. It was something that maybe wasn't explored enough in favour of the political race between two candidates, Tony Kelly, slimy man number one, and Cliff McConnell, talks nice, but I suspected him of sinister motives almost from the start, perhaps from the way he wasn't taking no for an answer from Josie. It was special in one way as we get three Hulk-outs, though I'm not sure the first could be counted as it happens right at the start and we come to it mid-Hulk, which must be new. As usual David's snooping around something bad going on, his nose for trouble twitching like a superpower (maybe he was affected by more than just turning into a green giant…), a smuggling racket at the docks, so that's how he got involved as the Hulk at first, though he's really staying in the area while he works at Josie's bar.

In all honesty not a lot happens and there isn't a lot to comment on, disappointing with this being the end of Season 1, but it could be they didn't plan for this to be the season ender, or that such things were only ever meant to be another episode, just like 'Starsky & Hutch' from the same era never finished on a special episode or a cliffhanger. There are the usual collection of characters, most of which are flimsy, two-dimensional constructs with little to recommend them, such as Marty Hammond the heavy who appears to be on Kelly's side at first, but is revealed to be secretly working for McConnell - as soon as David and Josie went in to find Cliff's place smashed up I suspected he'd organised it himself, though I thought it was to gain sympathy and Josie's endorsement (her husband being the previous candidate, I think), I didn't suspect Hammond to be working with him. Hammond isn't much of a character, just the usual heavy to cause trouble. The bar workers Sarah and Vic weren't bad, and I did enjoy her meeting with the Hulk, hiding him from the police and chattering away the whole time. And Josie wasn't badly sketched, with a theme of standing on your own two feet and facing up to things, but it was all a bit watered down and pedestrian.

One thing that should have been played up was McGee being in the area right from the start. True, Banner (or David Barton as he is this week), had a close shave when McGee walks out of a building in front of him, but there was never much of a feeling that the reporter was homing in on him, or whether he was suspicious of this dark-haired guy showing up wherever the Hulk does and trying harder to get an interview with the man. It should have felt like he was around any corner, but he barely comes into it again, a waste of a good premise. I hope he's used more effectively next season, and I did wonder if he might find out that Banner was alive by the end of this season - I can't imagine the cat and mouse game continuing forever and there have been some wonderfully narrow escapes for Banner, but it could be that he eventually just gives up.

Hulk-out two was in the bar after Hammond's set him up for a beating by slipping a fish into a customer's jug of beer, leading to a rather weak and halfhearted bar fight, though there was nothing halfhearted about the way Banner was thrown over the bar and through into the back room! The better Hulk-out was the third when Josie and David are running from the crooks, in a nicely directed scene that had already been given away in the teaser, then Josie falls unconscious or faints after falling and hitting what looked like cardboard boxes, which leads them to be captured and locked in a crate, which leads Banner to get frustrated and smash out. I'm surprised no one ever made the connection that two people were put in and then green man appears with the girl… Maybe the hideous sight was too off-putting and lost them the ability to think! This was one rare moment when we see the Hulk moving in fast speed - usually he's shot in slow motion to give him weight (like he needed it!), but there's a shot where he stands up from Josie's prone form and chases the boat Captain who'd just walloped him with a plank of wood, and it looks like they forgot to slow it down as he goes like a shot!

Banner was a better Spider-Man in this episode, climbing up on to the roof of the warehouse Josie Larkin was trapped in, and finding a way in and down to floor level! But as a Hulk episode, or even a Banner story, it left a lot to be desired. It doesn't stop me from wanting to see more, but I don't feel, on the whole that this season fulfilled its potential. A couple of good episodes, and mostly reasonable stories that were all a bit samey leave it lower in the estimation than it might have been. But you have to watch these things with the era they were made firmly in mind because that's what defines them and makes them what they are, and if the TV of the day called for individual, mostly unconnected episodes, then they need to be judged on the merits of each episode rather than a greater whole. What stands out to me is that Bill Bixby creates such a charming hero in Dr. Banner, a man that has the mind of a professor, but has to tip out rubbish bins to make ends meet. Whether he's performing demeaning tasks or using his knowledge of medicine or science, he always does it to help those around him, just like 'Star Trek: Voyager' where they were forever stopping to help people or solve problems. Banner could have stayed away from people and probably found a cure more quickly, but his natural instinct is to get involved, and that's what makes the series work.

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