Judgment Day Reviews the Incredible Hulk Season 3 on DVD
Comic Book fans are some of the most demanding when it comes to how their heroes are portrayed onscreen. They have a fanatical dedication and they want their heroes to appear on film the same way they do in the comics. That in mind, the Incredible Hulk TV show shouldn’t have been a success. The TV version varied greatly from the comic in terms of the Hulk’s level of power and the overall, often subdued tone of the show. But a funny thing happened along the way…the show started pulling in an older demographic than just kids, and not just older, but also pulled in a very heavy female demographic that seemed to related to the show’s tragic nature. Bill Bixby as Dr. “David” Banner became a sensitive, sympathetic, and romantic lead character. A nice guy who troubled followed. Lo and behold, the show ran for four plus seasons before being canceled in its fifth season. The Hulk would later return for three made-for-TV movies and more were planned before Bixby’s death in 1993.
To coincide with the brand new Incredible Hulk feature film, Universal Pictures has releases seasons 3 & 4 on DVD for the first time. Season three features 23 episodes on five DVDs. If you’re counting, these would be episode numbers 35 through 57 of the series. Season three was overall very good although not as good as season two. The good episodes were very good but there are also a few clinkers mixed in as well.
“The Slam” finds David arrested and tossed into a work camp prison run by your typical clichéd prison warden who mistreats the prisoners. Charles Napier plays the bad boy prisoner who befriends David. Cheesey but fun…
One of the best episodes of the season was “Homecoming”. After seeing a story about his hometown on the news, David returns home for the first time in years to see his sister although he doesn’t want his father to know. His sister, played by Diana Muldaur, is also a doctor who is trying to find a cure for a plague of beetle worms that are destroying crops and threatening the family farm. This is the first, and only time we’ll see the family and there’s some great tension between David and his father.
Another great episode is “The Snare” co-starring Bradford Dillman as a hunter who hunts people on a deserted island. He would pick the wrong quarry with David Banner.
“The Psychic” co-starred Bixby’s real life wife Brenda Benet as a psychic who discovers David’s secret. Tragically, Benet committed suicide after the couple’s son died.
The Incredible Hulk was very much a formula-driven show with Banner on the move in each episode and while this season was solid, you get the feeling at times, such as the terrible season finale “”On the Line” that the writers were struggling to make the show interesting and fresh each week. Certainly they were under great constraints budget-wise and didn’t have today’s modern effects in their favor. Without a regular cast outside of Bixby, Ferrigno, and Jack Colvin as Jack McGee, the producers had to tap guest stars each week. Some of them, such as John Marley playing David’s father were brilliant, while others didn’t work at all.
Overall, season three was very good and further developed both the characters of David Banner and the Hulk. The Five disc set comes with a featurette Remembering “The Incredible Hulk” An American Classic that features interviews with several of the writers and producers of the show. There’s also a sneak peek at the new Incredible Hulk feature film. Grade B+
