By Geno McGahee
“That’s not an act. That’s the Hulk!” – Jack McGee (Jack Colvin)
There is something special about those that dress up in elaborate costumes and play heavy metal music. In the 1979 episode of The Incredible Hulk “METAMORPHOSIS,” a musical act “Lisa Swan and Shock” are taking over the nation with an act that involves face paint and violent stage antics. I immediately began thinking about the movie “TERROR ON TOUR” with the Clowns. It’s nothing new. I often think of that movie, but here it was relevant.
It was amusing to see the band. Outside of the lead singer, Lisa (Mackenzie Phillips), the rest of the band seems to be just a bunch of older gents that they dolled up like bad asses. You can’t make a bad ass out of a 50 year old balding guy with a porn mustache. I think they would have gotten away with it if they didn’t keep focusing on that guy during the concert segments. I wonder if that guy knew a producer and demanded face time. Or it could just be a case of it’s not who you know, it’s who you blow.
After a concert, the audience riots and a girl gets trampled and paralyzed. This impacts Lisa to the core and she begins driving recklessly with her sister and manager, Jackie (Katherine Cannon), in the car. They get into a car accident, which captures the attention of David Banner (Bill Bixby), who was just casually walking around. Poor guy had no place to stay that night.
A heroic rescue leads to a job with the band, but the trampling incident brings along a reporter to investigate and guess who they send? That Hulk pain in the ass, Jack McGee (Jack Colvin), and he tells Jackie that he has a much more important case, but he was assigned this one. I know he’s obsessed with the Hulk, but did he have to sort of bring it up to Jackie. He wanted her to say “Really? What’s your more important case?” She didn’t. He left disappointed and sad.
David’s inclusion into the band is not well received by her sister or her brother, Greg (Gary Graham). They try to get rid of him by slipping him some acid, but the freak out makes him change into the Hulk (Lou Ferrigno) and fuck shit up. He throws musical instruments and breaks through a door like an insane Jehovah’s Witness. Of course, the Hulk incident has now got Jack McGee lingering around on a regular basis. Banner cannot shake this prick. He should have just turned into the Hulk, grabbed McGee, bent him over and split him like firewood.
The paralyzed fan and push for more violence on stage gives Lisa an idea to give the people what they really want…her suicide on stage. When Banner realizes it, he tries to save her but the crowd begins trampling him, but he’s no joke and he’s not going to be paralyzed like the fan was. He turns into the Hulk and runs onto stage to save Lisa and she comes to some realizations and changes. She is going to return to her old music and look, and I can’t imagine that being popular. At one point in the show, she sings an old tune with that porn mustache guy and it’s wretched.
METAMORPHOSIS is a very solid episode of the Hulk series. I think that Lisa Swan and the Shock only had one song, but damn, was it popular. The crowd loved it. I highly recommend this episode. It’s very fun with great visuals.
Rating: 8/10
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