The Incredible Hulk. Season 2, Episode 9. "Stop the Presses"
This one sparkles.
One of my all-time favourite episodes of The Incredible Hulk. And, watching it again for the first time in years, I can easily see why I love it so much.
The story is good, the characters are adorable, the guest cast is perfect, the script does a lot of work on Jack McGee, Bill Bixby gets to flex his comedy muscle, the second Hulk Out is spectacular and the show starts to change it's status quo.
David is working in small restaurant, and the owners are in trouble. Maybe they will have to go out of business. It could be any of about forty Hulk/A-Team episodes, but this one has enough detail to lift it up and put at the head of the pack. A sleazy journalist, faking photos of bad conditions in kitchens, is an interesting bad guy and the script wisely creates conflict for him on several fronts. It doesn't redeem him, or make him complex (he's remains a one-note character), but it makes him easy to understand and believe in.
David's co-workers at the restaurant are immediately likable. So much so that you could easily imagine them having their own TV series. I know I'd follow Jill, Karen and Fred's weekly adventures in a comedy-drama if it went to air. The idea that both Karen and (especially) Jill have a crush on our hero is inspired, and generates many hearty laughs in the opening scenes (such fantastic chemistry between all four performers). It's also rare/wonderful to see a show creating a strong, believable friendship between two women. A friendship without rivalry, of the sort often shown on TV. Yes, both of them seem smitten with David, but in a fun and light way which never seems likely to come between their friendship.
Mary Frann and Pat Morita are two of my favourites, but Julie Cobb pretty much steals the show. She alternates between cute and sexy whenever she wants, and it's quite distracting. Sam Chew Jr. (of The Bionic Woman) and Art Metrano make great bad guys.
This is a terrific Jack McGee episode. He gets several scenes and each one adds to his character. If you didn't already like/love the guy before this episode aired, you certainly will after seeing it. He's a hard worker, but - at this stage - it seems that he's still got some semblance of an outside life (that will change, of course). He's a decent guy, who doesn't hide his disrespect for his fellow journalist's methods. It's obvious that he wishes he could help the two ladies who are in trouble, but can see no legal way to do it. Most of all, we see in this episode that not hurting the creature has become a priority for him. Sure, he still sees the creature as a murderer, but multiple encounters with it have obviously shown him that there's compassion there, too.
Bill Bixby could do anything. But this show doesn't often allow him the chance to be funny. It happens, yes, and when it does it's usually terrific. Such as here. Lots of light comedy with regard to the two ladies he works with, but the highlight comes in the elevator scene and the lead-up to it, as David outsmarts the security guard.
Action-wise, this a top drawer episode. Great location filming, once again, makes the Hulk seem more real than ever and the chase at the end is surely one of the very best in the show's entire run.
And, of course, there's the moment where a heavily-drugged Jack McGee comes face to face with David Banner. Even now, it causes my heart to skip a beat. A true high point in the series and an opening of the door for the events of Mystery Man later in the season.
Perfect in pretty much every way and, as if that wasn't enough, it contains one of the saddest final scenes ever.
Honestly, does it get any better than this? A+ 10/10
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The Incredible Hulk. Season 2, Episode 9. "Stop the Presses"
