General:

I think on average, in comparison to the first 3 seasons, season 4 most probably is the best season, in total 18 episodes of which 12 episodes got a 7/10 or higher, so about 66% of the season was okay or higher. The season starts exciting with a two-parter called “Prometheus”, but ends on a disappointing note, because the final episode is below par and the two previous episodes before the final episode, are also mediocre at best. It is my opinion that a season finale needs to be a strong one, go out with a blast, make the audience want to come back for the next season.

McGee:

Jack Colvin, he plays McGee, gets to direct a few episodes. His character McGee is reluctant to grow, sometimes I think he finally begins to see what is happening, the Hulk saved him countless times by now. He still thinks the Hulk killed David Banner and Elaine, but after that the Hulk never hurt anyone, he always takes out the bad guy, saves the innocent, but McGee is still relentless in trying to capture the Hulk. It seems to me that McGee only thinks of his career, he wants to be the one who exposes the Hulk. By now McGee should have had a sense of what the Hulk is, that he is just a man that transforms into the Hulk, he even has spent lots of time with him during the season two two-part episode “Mystery Man”, so he knows what kind of a man he is. Yes, in some episodes I think I see a change in McGee, but that is gone the next episode. So, I do see some growth, but not consistently.

Guest Stars:

A recurring theme in my Incredible Hulk blogs are the guest stars, because that is always fun to see if you recognize actors from other TV shows or movies. I recognize more than I write down because in most cases I recognize a person, but not specifically of any TV show or movie.  In the first episode I recognized Laurie Prange, she was there in the second episode of the first season also. Other guest stars: William Lucking; Jed Mills; Sandy McPeak; Robert F. Lyons; Victoria Carroll; Lee de Broux; Victoria Carroll; Christine Belford; Michael Conrad; Robin Dearden; Don Stroud; Bruce Wright and Robert O’Reilly. You know of course Lou Ferrigno plays the Hulk, but this season he also got to play a guest role in the episode “King of the Beach”, where you can see him without the Hulk make-up where he plays a bodybuilder. It is an average episode but what shines through in the episode is the apparent friendship between Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno, that was nice to see.

Best episodes:

So, 5 episodes out of 18 I graded an 8 or higher. That is not much, still, this season is overall the best season, in part perhaps because it’s a shorter season than the earlier seasons, so less mediocre episodes because of that.

The seasons opens with the two-parter “Prometheus”, strong opening where David and the Hulk are in serious trouble because of a secret military organization named Prometheus, who is investigating and trying to capture the Hulk. They suspect him of being extra-terrestrial. Best episodes since the pilot, few things that bother me, Why does the Hulk keep standing there, waiting to be captured. His normal instinct always is to run, doesn’t compute with me. It’s too easy how McGee can infiltrate without any problems, a bit too convenient. Episode 6 “Bring me the Head of the Hulk” is another favorite of mine. Definitely one of the best episodes of the Hulk series. David walks into a well set-up trap, a mercenary, LaFronte, is after the Hulk and has been following him from a distant for quite a while. McGee, who has a conscience, wants to capture him but not kill him, like La Fronte wants. In the final moments McGee saves the Hulk by riding his car between the Hulk and La Fronte firing a bazooka. Finally, how the first fire in the lab occurs did annoy me, how reckless the doctor was, so that David has to become the Hulk.

Episode 8, “Goodbye Eddie Chain” did not earn an 8/10 but I still found this episode very interesting because of the fact that it was told in a different way. Either you like this or you hate it I guess, a totally different set-up of the episode which appealed to me, the story is told via Eddie Chain, whom you can compare with Stacey Keach’s character Mike Hammer, minus the roughness. I liked it because I yearn for more than the standard which is used here in almost every episode. Directed by Jack Colvin (McGee). Episodes 12 & 13, the two-parter “The First”, I liked part one, part two was actually stronger. We get to see another Hulk-like character, who was there before David Banner’s Hulk. What struck me is that this other Hulk’s alter ego needed a few more punches to get there, with Banner a good shove will do it to become the hulk. It was a solid episode, certainly one of the best this season. You see what kind of a man he (Banner) is, not using the serum himself before he wants to inject Del (the other Hulk), because he is a murderer and his Hulk also has those trades. I do not really understand McGee, after all that he has been through with the Hulk.

“The Harder I Try” did not get an 8/10 either, still, I thought this was a good episode where the audience see how people with a physical disability have to cope with things that are so normal for people without a physical disability. What I did find a bit strange why it takes David weeks to realize that becoming the Hulk will help him heal. Again, it speaks for his character that he almost hurts himself on purpose, but does not go through with it, because people might get hurt. On the other hand, if he would keep up with the news about the Hulk, he would know it has never hurt a civilian in any way, he only throws around with furniture, through walls and windows and likes to throw around bad people. “Interview with the Hulk” I even graded a 8.5/10, which is rare with this TV show. Perhaps (now) the best since the pilot. This was a strong episode, even if it is much of a clip show. David can finally unburden himself to a man he respects and who has also felt so much loss with the death of his daughter. I liked it when David talked about his alter ego and that his alter ego only is seen as a monster. David himself is not even aware of the Hulk’s vulnerability, and his alter ego’s emotional side. For McGee this couldn’t get worse, a colleague of his getting the story and yes the Hulk yet again saves McGee’s life. As said earlier, the last 3 episodes of this season where kind of a letdown.

Again, the Positives and the Negatives:

Let’s start positive, I liked the fact that a military organization is keeping tabs on the Hulk, this change should have been recurring in the 4^th season, unfortunately it did not. Perhaps season 5 or the TV movies? What I also liked was the obvious friendship Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno had, at least, that’s how it looked during the “King of the Beach” episode. In episode 17 “Danny”, an otherwise mediocre episode, shows the Hulk massively grinning when he is looking at a baby.

What I still dislike is the fact that David Banner cannot seem to win a fight without becoming the Hulk. If he at least was able to hold his own for a few punches, but he is down after a shove, a push or a punch, it’s like he is as light as a feather. I also don’t like the standard storytelling. It is basically the same story been told every episode and the only thing that is different is the setting, the surroundings. I really would like to have seen more episodes that actually dealt with his alter ego, how to solve this. I am going to stop there but I think I can sum up a few more things that disappoint me about the show.

Final Word:

I purchased the set $80 including shipping, so, I was not going to quit watching it, even though it crossed my mind more than once. I don’t think I will ever rewatch this again, except perhaps only the episodes which I graded an 8/10 or higher. I am really happy I am almost done with watching The Incredible Hulk, I expected more of it, but most of the time the stories were just mediocre. I loved it as 10-12 year old, that’s why I wanted to rewatch it again after all these years, but it turns out that as an adult, it rarely excited me.

Screencaps taken from IMDb.

I've added the word document with the episode ratings with descriptions and comments for the ones who are interested in this. Just be aware, it is a draft document, sometimes also can be confusing because of grammar errors and some sloppiness.