STARRING- BILL BIXBY , JACK COLVIN AND LOU FERRIGNO
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Incredible_Hulk_%28TV_series%29
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077031/
This show- I remember watching it as a kid- from the pilot movie to the end of the series- it came on when I was about 10 years old! I remember it had profound effect on me as a kid- a man who had a problem he had to deal with everyday- and sometimes it hurt others and or himself- but he did his best to always keep it at bay and to live and enjoy life at its fullest ! ( of course in words and thoughts a 10 year old could understand).
Well-in past few months , I was able to find a goldmine- Amazon had the box set of the whole series for a majorly awesome price ! So- I went all spontaneous and bought it ! I figured I would enjoy it and have great memories of watching it again now- and it would be light hearted. I could NOT be more wrong! Yes- I did enjoy it- yes- I did have a blast having fond memories of watching it as a kid. What I didnt expect was to see the way as an adult- I could see the depth it had- the deep thought provoking series it really was. The challenges that it could bring to me as a viewer.
The challenges I felt were being given ( intentional or unintentional doesn't matter)- the fact is it was there ! First off- the show started off tragically , dealing with a loss of a loved one ,his wife. Then it all goes downhill from there- we all know how it goes , Banner plays around with the gamma radiation and so on- but then an explosion in laboratory which is a result of the Hulk and in this his assistant is killed and while the media ect is there the Hulk escapes but is seen by Jack McGee reporter for a tabloid paper- and the emergency personal only find body of assistant and they assume that Banner is dead- so now- the Hulk is blamed for 2 deaths. Banner has to go under alias' and pretend to be dead and dodge McGee (all in a nutshell). So talk about life changing ! Geeezzzzz! That would totally suck ! The thing that got me is this- Banner becomes a drifter- goes from town to town- always walking and hitchhiking- going from place to place- working odd jobs. What kind of life is that ?? How depressing- not real friends , no love interests that last , no place to call home , and always fighting himself (to keep the Beast at bay all the while trying to dodge McGee . Then I thought- every episode- even though it always ended with Banner walking at the end again- going off into sunset so to speak - with that sad lonely piano song ( played by Joe Harnell - soundtrack available on Amazon) - he had a rewarding life. Who ever said a rewarding life is lonely- maybe bittersweet - and has sad moments. Banner- he always found some good people- and bad of course- but the good folks- were typically downtrodden and trying thier best to rise above, and he ended up being able to help them and even empower them to achieve the best , and the small time spent he would make heavily concentrated close knit friendships and 'family" ties with folks- granted he knew that would end at some point- he relished the time- and made the best of it! My challenge was this- seeing it as an adult- I have my own issues- my own little things that drive me me crazy , but do I let those things get in the way of enjoying my life , do I really relish the folks I do cross paths with in life ( family or friends)- how much do I appreciate the time I spend with these folks?
I know- its only a TV show- but that does NOT mean I cant learn a little something from it- and that it cant touch me in some aspect that is a deeper thought then a "man turns into beast to help others" - so I challenge you all- find a way to make every minute of every day mean something- bad or good- and let it teach you something wonderful- let it show the greatness we do have- even if at end of day , we hear that lonely tune that played while Banner walks away- to some new place , some new people, to find a new home !
So how do I rate this series- I rate it a 7.5 out of 10- why ?? There were some stinkers- and some very good episodes- it had a point for us all, and nothing gets a 10! If you watched it as a kid- get this box set- its wonderful- not a lot of extras - but some , and they are fun! Some great interviews , and a gag reel ( Bill Bixby was an onry dude, even at time he'd get crass, who would have thought it ??)
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