The Incredible Hulk: Seasons 3 & 4 DVD Review

Just in time for the release of the summer blockbuster of the same name, Season 3 & 4 of The Incredible Hulk find their way to DVD.

Seasons 3 & 4 continue the episodic adventures of David Bruce Banner (Bill Bixby) and his angry alter ego and titular character, The Hulk (Lou Ferrigno) as he travels around the country looking for a cure with intrepid reporter Jack McGee (Jack Colvin) hot on his trail and always one step behind.

David Banner is pretty much, the perfect man. He’s kind, polite, respectful of women (even when they aren’t respectful of themselves), he’s insanely smart and always knows exactly what to do in every situation. He also values all human life; even those who are trying to take his. Which comes in handy since no matter where he goes, no matter what town or city he stumbles into, he always manages to find that one person desperately in need of help and that one group of people that manage to bring out the Hulk.

While continuing the themes that made the show popular in it’s first two seasons, the creators of the show manage to break away from the formulaic scenarios once in a while and try something new which is always refreshing. In one episode Banner is convinced to come with a rich man back to his private island only to learn the man has developed a taste for hunting humans. In this episode the only person Banner has to save is himself. In another, we delve further into the world of Jack McGee as he seeks proof of the Hulk to save his job. In another highly entertaining episode Banner is a secondary character who gets caught up in a black mail scheme with only one over the hill down on his luck private detective to solve the case. It even has the oh so wordy Film Noir voice over to give it that extra appeal. There is even one wonderful season 4 episode were Lou Ferrigno has a speaking role as a body builder trying to open his own restaurant. Seeing Lou come face to face with his Hulked-out self is quite amusing.

The Incredible Hulk TV show is certainly dated, but it is no less entertaining and charming. Bill Bixby is a wonderful actor and even when the cast around him isn’t holding up their end Bixby manages to hold the most ridiculous episodes together. There are some weak episodes scattered throughout these seasons, but for the most part they are very enjoyable and almost anyone can appreciate the joy of this show.

Episodes:

Season 3: Disc 1:

Metamorphosis 9/21/1979

David must protect a suicidal rock star but is put in danger himself when a jealous crew member spikes his orange juice with LSD.

Blind Rage 9/28/1979

An accident at a chemical warfare research station causes David to go blind!

Brain Child 10/5/1979

David picks up a young hitchhiker who turns out to be a child prodigy. She convinces him to help her find her mother while the institute she escaped from will do anything to get her back.

The Slam 10/19/1979

When David is arrested for vagrancy he is placed in a hellish work camp run by a cruel warden. Only with the help of David (and the Hulk of course) will the prisoners be able to set things right.

Season 3: Disc 2:

My Favorite Magician 10/26/1979

David gets a job as an aging Magician’s (Ray Walston) assistant and ends up getting mixed up in a mystery involving his estranged daughter and a rich ex-girlfriend.

Jake 11/2/1979

Working as a medic at a rodeo David learns that an aging cowboy has a possibly fatal health condition. The cowboy’s younger makes matters worse by getting mixed up with a couple of cattle rustlers (one being Fred Ward).

Behind The Wheel 11/9/1979

David gets a job as a taxi driver for company that is being muscled out of business. Well, you know what happens when you try and muscle the Hulk!

Homecoming 11/30/1979

During a quick trip home David visits with his sister and father in an attempt to patch old wounds.

The Snare 12/7/1979

David is invited back to a rich man’s private island only to find out the man enjoys hunting humans. He becomes even more obsessed when he catches an eyeful of the Hulk.

Season 3: Disc 3:

Babalao 12/14/1979

David gets a job working for a young physician who’s trying to convince the people of New Orleans that the local witch doctor is really a crooked con artist.

Captive Night 12/21/1979

While working the night shift at a department store David and his co-workers becomes hostages to two bumbling brothers trying to rob the place.

Broken Image 1/4/1980

David becomes a victim of mistaken identity when he moves into a building with criminal who looks just like him (also played by Bixby)!

Proof Positive 1/11/1980

When a new publisher takes over the National Register, Jack McGee must prove the Hulk does exist or risk losing his job.

Sideshow 1/25/1980

Working for a carnival David must help a mind reader who is blamed by crazed preacher for the death of his son.

Season 3: Disc 4:

Long Run Home 2/1/1980

David is befriended by a biker who is trying to escape his gang life. Too bad his gang life doesn’t want to escape him.

Falling Angels 2/8/1980

David learns that the orphanage he is working for is really the cover for a crime school and does everything in his power to stop it.

The Lottery 2/15/1980

When David wins the lottery he convinces his only friend, an ex-con artist, to collect it for him. But when the con gets his hands on the dough, he’s got one last big con in mind.

The Psychic 2/22/1980

A woman with psychic powers identifies David as the Hulk. When the Hulk is suspected of killing a teenager the psychic predicts that Jack McGee will be the real killer’s next victim unless David does something about it.

A Rock And A Hard Place 2/29/1980

In Atlantic City, FBI agents catch David with contraband belonging to a local gang of thieves. He is forced to help the FBI in hopes that they will not dig up his true identity.

Season 3: Disc 5:

Deathmask 3/14/1980

David is mistakenly arrested for series of murders on a college campus. While he figures out the identity of the true killer an angry mob begins to form.

Equinox 3/21/1980

While working on a private island for a spoiled heiress, David gets stuck at a masquerade party where Jack McGee as popped up uninvited. Meanwhile, someone is plotting to kill the heiress.

Nine Hours 4/4/1980

To save the lives of a reformed gangster and a kidnapped boy, David turns to an alcoholic ex-policeman for help.

On The Line 4/11/1980

While helping fight a raging fire up in the mountains Davis becomes suspected of being the arsonist and must find the real criminal before it’s too late.

Season 4: Disc 1:

Prometheus, Part 1 11/7/1980

When a highly gamma radiated meteor crashes near David it leaves him stuck halfway between himself and the Hulk and easy prey for a secret government organization called Prometheus with only a blind woman and Jack McGee to aid him.

Prometheus, Part 2 1/14/1980

Trapped inside the walls of Prometheus it is up to the blind woman to help him escape before scientists can perform tests on the Hulk.

Free Fall 11/21/1980

While working as an assistant for a professional high diver, David gets stuck in a feud between him and the son of a crooked politician and David finds himself falling out of an airplane without a chute!

Dark Side 12/5/1980

In an attempt to rid himself of the Hulk David does an experiment on himself that unintentionally brings out his primal darker side and endangers the family he is staying with.

Season 4: Disc 2:

Deep Shock 12/12/1980

While working at a power plant, David survives an electrical accident that allows him to see moments in the future including the Hulk attacking his new and only friend. So David does everything in his power to prevent it from happening.

Bring Me The Head Of The Hulk 1/9/1981

When Mercenaries narrow the identity of the Hulk down to a few people, including David Banner, only Jack McGee can save him.

Fast Lane 1/16/1981

David unwittingly rents a car with mob money in the trunk and now two groups of people are after him to get it back.

Goodbye, Eddie Cain 2/6/1981

David finds himself a secondary character in a ’40s style noir detective story.

King Of The Beach 2/6/1981

In an effort to get the money to open his own restaurant, a body builder (played by Lou Ferrigno!) competes in a body building contest, however there are those that want to see him lose.

Season 4: Disc 3:

Wax Museum 2/13/1981

David gets a job helping reopen a burnt down Wax Museum. Unfortunately, some one is going to great lengths to keep the place closed and it may cost the owner her sanity.

East Winds 2/20/1981

David rents an apartment in San Francisco’s Chinatown that happens to have gold hidden in it and some local gangsters will do anything to get their hands on it.

The First, Part 1 3/6/1981

In this second two parter of the season, David learns of a man who became a Hulk 30 years before and was cured! Now with the help of the cured man David just might have a chance. That is until the cured man reveals he doesn’t want to be cured anymore.

The First, Part 2 3/13/1981

With a second, more evil Hulk on the loose David must risk loosing his chance at a cure to stop this new killer Hulk.

The Harder They Fall 3/27/1981

David is paralyzed from the waist down when he is hit by a car; and while he knows a Hulk-out moment will cure him, he is unwilling to risk letting the beast loose.

Season 4: Disc 4:

Interview With The Hulk 4/3/1981

When a rival of Jack McGee’s steals one of his Hulk leads he comes face to face with presumed dead David Banner and gets the interview of a lifetime.

Half Nelson 4/17/1981

David finds himself in Baltimore where he befriends a midget wrestler with a bad habit of telling tall tails that gets David in trouble with some local gangsters.

Danny 4/3/1981

David gets caught up with a family of tractor thieves. The widow of one of the brothers wants out and asks David to help her.

Patterns 5/22/1981

David gets a job working for a fashion design company. Unbeknownst to him and the designer, her father has borrows money from gangsters and they want their money back.

Both seasons are presented in a fullscreen format 1:33.1 and English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono. For the most part these shows look good, there is some dirt on the screen, especially in the stock footage but nothing too distracting.

Season 3:

Remembering The Incredible Hulk: An American Classic: (17 min.) This is a nice little retrospective with the creative crew behind the show talking about the production of the show.

The Incredible Hulk Sneak Peek: (4 min.) Typical little puff peace for the new flick.

Season 4:

Commentary by creator Kenneth Johnson on Prometheus Parts 1 and 2: Kenneth is a very well spoken man who knows a lot about his craft and the way he refers to Bill Bixby as “Bix” is very endearing. It’s a shame he doesn’t do more commentary of the series.

Creating An Iconic Character: The Hulk: (10 min.) This one talks about the casting and creation of the look of the Hulk for the show. This is also a nice little piece.

A Behind-The–Scenes Look At The Incredible Hulk: (4 min.) Same one that comes with season 3.

Inside An Episode: Prometheus Photo Gallery (2 min.)

This a fun show! It’s cheesy, it’s campy, it’s very dated, but Bill Bixby’s charm and Lou Ferrigno’s iconic Hulk make this a very memorable 80’s television series. There are good episodes, there are bad episodes, but they’re almost all worth watching.

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Universal presents The Incredible Hulk: Seasons 3 & 4. Created by Kenneth Johnson. Starring Bill Bixby, Lou Ferrigno and Jack Colbin. Running time: Season 3: 1080 minutes. Season 4: 867 minutes. Not Rated. Released on DVD: June 3, 2008. Available at Amazon.com.