The Incredible Hulk - The Beast Within

* *½ / * * * *

Well, you do get to see Dr. David Banner and his alter ego, the Hulk, in the zoo. And Caroline McWilliams is a nice intellectual, scientific colleague for Banner to bounce ideas off of in regards to anger regression in dangerous animals. Banner can reveal his advanced scientific mind, surprising McWilliams’ Dr. Claudia Baxter with how much he knows about her research and work. Dabbs Greer, as a doctor and superior to Dr. Baxter, who is secretly working in concert with a South African smuggler of jewels and fellow vet dirtbag named Carl (Richard Kelton, who even attempts to back over her with a jeep, leaving Banner in a cage with a gorilla to be torn apart), is one of the main villains of the episode. My favorite scene, besides the Hulk accepting peanuts from a girl who considers him not a threat at all, is Dr. Baxter, unknowingly in the presence of Dr. David Banner, speaking about how disappointing it is she couldn’t meet him before his “death”, even offering David “Bradford” a box on Banner’s work. He encourages her to continue the research, offering theories to her to follow even. Fun setting, giving the Hulk a fight with a stuntman in a gorilla costume that might earn some groans and criticism. I thought returning Banner to a hunt for a cure was smart considering the previous episode had Banner aimless. McGee just seems to always be where Banner is, no matter how inexplicable it might be. Whether attending a boxing match in Wilmington or happening to be in the area of the zoo, strategically McGee shouldn't be in so many of the same places of Banner...it does stretch credibility a bit.

My IMDb review from December 2015:

After a trip to the boxing ring in the previous "Final Round", where Bixby and Martin Kove had a chance to befriend each other, the show gets back on track in regards to Banner's mission to find a cure for his inner Hulk with a visit to a zoo in "The Beast Within". Good guest spot by Caroline McWilliams (Benson) as a scientist with work in the field of developing an "anti-aggression" serum for animals. McWilliams is Dr. Claudia Baxter, working in the zoo ran by Dr. Malone (Dabbs Greer; Little House on the Prairie), contending with a bewildering series of animal deaths. Malone and another scientist in the zoo, Carl (Richard Kelton) tell Claudia that it is a viral disease that seems to be the cause, but recent zoo-cleaning hire, David "Bradburn" (Bixby's David Banner's most recent last name from the grab bag) believes otherwise. Claudia is amazed to learn of this man's biochemical knowledge as the two discuss her work, his interest seemingly as much romantic eventually as intellectual/scientific. But when David questions the faux death of a chimp much to Malone and Carl's aggravation, his suspicions might just encourage danger towards him. Carl's injection of an experimental drug in a test subject gorilla named Elliot, and entrapment of David in the cage as the primate starts to react violently, soon the Hulk will emerge causing quite a stir.

Fun casting of Greer as the scheming boss of McWilliams and a coldly sociopathic Kelton who is his partner in crime (they are using animals to smuggle gems from South Africa), and an entertaining setting for this episode assure a good time. Seeing the Hulk in a battle of titans with a guy in a gorilla suit tearing up a lab is perhaps more laughable than thrilling, but I won't sit here and say I didn't enjoy it just the same. Hulk's pleasant encounter with a little girl who offers him peanuts, and David awakening to find himself in a tiger's exhibit (the Hulk took a rest inside it, coddling a tiger baby!) are also highlights. The Hulk not only breaks through a door but takes a nice chunk of wall with him! As was the case in "Final Round", Jack Colvin's investigative reporter follows the news of Hulk sightings, showing up at the zoo to interview Claudia who sees the Hulk first hand. Also like in the previous episode, we see Bixby gradually transform from Hulk back to David. Good chemistry between Bixby and McWilliams, also.

I like when the show focuses on David trying to find a cure instead of just his adventures "on the road", although I understand that if you want longevity in a series it is a necessity. The tease of getting close to a possible serum to cure the Hulk, only for matters out of his control deterring from success is all part of what kept the showing going. It offers sympathy to the character of David as he always finds himself leaving for somewhere else, befriending folks along the way only for a brief time. If the situation was different, perhaps Claudia and David could have been an item.