David Banner(Bill Bixby) accepts a job offer to be a handyman/driver at the Chesley Heights Home For Girls, an orphanage for teenage girls. Unfortunately, the manager, a woman named Rita(played by Annette Charles) is secretly(along with her boyfriend) training the girls to be safe-crackers, shoplifters, and pickpockets! When David finds out, he tries to stop the plan and redeem the girls before it is too late, as a fancy fund raiser will be used to rob the would-be donors. Marginal episode is undeniably far-fetched, bordering on silly, but fine acting and lively direction compensate, though this is certainly not a highlight of the series...
3 Reviews
Orphaned Hulk
Chase_Witherspoon16 December 2011
David (Bixby) takes a job as a handyman in a girl's home, where a couple of troubled teens are cajoled into criminal activity by an unscrupulous crook (Herrera) and his girlfriend (Charles) who works at the home. Groomed to perform a number of swindles, David develops a close bond with the reluctant one (Morgan-Weldon) managing to keep them out of harm's way until the Hulk emerges to settle the score on a more permanent basis.
Low-key Hulk episode struggles to contrive the necessary circumstances for the Hulk to appear; his first incarnation develops from a minor altercation with a couple of, essentially, law-abiding sanitation workers. There's a couple of humorous moments (the Hulk answers a ringing pay phone with an irate woman at the other end), the usual attempt at social commentary (racial prejudice in this instance) and an apparently "Shaft"-inspired musical theme that isn't bad, but it's a time-filler at best and not for the Hulk highlight reel.
Low-key Hulk episode struggles to contrive the necessary circumstances for the Hulk to appear; his first incarnation develops from a minor altercation with a couple of, essentially, law-abiding sanitation workers. There's a couple of humorous moments (the Hulk answers a ringing pay phone with an irate woman at the other end), the usual attempt at social commentary (racial prejudice in this instance) and an apparently "Shaft"-inspired musical theme that isn't bad, but it's a time-filler at best and not for the Hulk highlight reel.
Tutelage in Crime
flarefan-819062 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
David has run into more than his fair share of crooks, but what does he do when the crooks are two cute little orphan angels? An ex-con has managed to find herself a job at an orphanage (some pretty shoddy background checking there), which she uses to recruit two of the girls to steal from the orphanage's wealthy patron.
The setup for David getting a job is hilariously contrived. "Hey, one of those girls who just happened to run into me just happened to drop her locket!" "Thank you sir, for returning the girl's locket. I just happened to be trying to fix this water heater." "Well, I don't know much about water heaters, but... Hey, I just happened to figure out the problem!" "Hi, I'm the orphanage director. I just happened to be stopping by just as this man was working on the heater, so I assume you've hired a new maintenance man, since we just happen to need one."
I like the concept here. The episode doesn't shy away from pointing out that the two orphan girls are being groomed for a life of crime and misery, and it's hard not to think of the real world parallels to this far-fetched premise. Even the ending has a faintly sinister tone: as David hugs one of the girls goodbye, she picks his pocket, though she immediately gives the money back.
There are major problems, though. David's plan for beating the villain is to have the girls steal the jewels but then plant them in the villain's pocket. David concocting a plan so morally questionable and incredibly dangerous for the girls is violently out-of-character. And the finale has the Hulk very conveniently doing just as Banner would. A very mixed bag.
The setup for David getting a job is hilariously contrived. "Hey, one of those girls who just happened to run into me just happened to drop her locket!" "Thank you sir, for returning the girl's locket. I just happened to be trying to fix this water heater." "Well, I don't know much about water heaters, but... Hey, I just happened to figure out the problem!" "Hi, I'm the orphanage director. I just happened to be stopping by just as this man was working on the heater, so I assume you've hired a new maintenance man, since we just happen to need one."
I like the concept here. The episode doesn't shy away from pointing out that the two orphan girls are being groomed for a life of crime and misery, and it's hard not to think of the real world parallels to this far-fetched premise. Even the ending has a faintly sinister tone: as David hugs one of the girls goodbye, she picks his pocket, though she immediately gives the money back.
There are major problems, though. David's plan for beating the villain is to have the girls steal the jewels but then plant them in the villain's pocket. David concocting a plan so morally questionable and incredibly dangerous for the girls is violently out-of-character. And the finale has the Hulk very conveniently doing just as Banner would. A very mixed bag.
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