David Banner(Bill Bixby) while working as a dishwasher in a diner meets an ailing magician named Jasper The Great(played by Ray Walston) whose inability to pay his bill gets him thrown out and David fired(!). Jasper offers David a lift and a job as his assistant in his act, but has health problems that lead to a near fatal accident in his show, while his daughter shows up to help, as Jasper is determined to stop the wedding of an old flame to a con man(played by Robert Alda). Amusing episode cleverly reunites former series costars Bixby & Walston(from "My Favorite Martian") while referencing another Bixby series "The Magician".(Short-lived and little known effort, but later referenced by a young Fox Mulder in "The X-Files").
3 Reviews
My Favorite Martian Meets The Hulk
AntonCvetan8 November 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Considering Ray Walston guest stars in this episode, the episode title is a nice wink to Bill's and Ray's former acting job together on their hit TV show "My Favorite Martian." Having seen a few episodes of "My Favorite Martian," I think it's great that this episode reunites Bill and Ray working together and sparring off each other again.
Having known prior to watching this episode that Bill in real life was a professional magician made this episode very enjoyable for me, especially when David tells Jasper (Walston) that he doesn't know anything about magic (I had a good laugh at that). Having only one sequence of a magic act, it doesn't disappoint especially when the Hulk makes his appearance. A very funny moment occurs after the magic act of a husband and wife coming across the Hulk outside and asking for his autograph and to take his picture. Although, white eyes and very bright lights don't mix. Your eyes would be very sensitive. Lastly, this is a kind of a filler episode with David taking a scheduled serum to try to help keep the Hulk at bay. It's not a perfect episode, but it's very enjoyable.
This episode boasts great guest stars, including Ray, with Scatman Crothers (The Shining, Twilight Zone Movie), Robert Alda (father of Alan Alda), and Anne Schedeen (TV's Alf).
Having known prior to watching this episode that Bill in real life was a professional magician made this episode very enjoyable for me, especially when David tells Jasper (Walston) that he doesn't know anything about magic (I had a good laugh at that). Having only one sequence of a magic act, it doesn't disappoint especially when the Hulk makes his appearance. A very funny moment occurs after the magic act of a husband and wife coming across the Hulk outside and asking for his autograph and to take his picture. Although, white eyes and very bright lights don't mix. Your eyes would be very sensitive. Lastly, this is a kind of a filler episode with David taking a scheduled serum to try to help keep the Hulk at bay. It's not a perfect episode, but it's very enjoyable.
This episode boasts great guest stars, including Ray, with Scatman Crothers (The Shining, Twilight Zone Movie), Robert Alda (father of Alan Alda), and Anne Schedeen (TV's Alf).
Magician's Delusion
flarefan-819062 May 2017
Though the title cleverly references earlier Bixby roles, this episode is a smorgasbord of styles, from the tense opening as David gives himself a precisely timed injection that may cure him of the Hulk, to a goofy sequence as an elderly dandy of a magician presents himself in the restaurant where David is busing tables, to the more dramatic and heartfelt scenes as the rather intricate plot develops.
David winds up as the assistant of the magician, Jasper, who is full of tales of his past glories and is starting up his show once again. There's a lot going on with Jasper: his asthma is acting up, a friend relies on him to help get his theater going, a woman he's been pining after for decades is soon to marry a crook, and his daughter is pursuing him since he (no surprise here) escaped from a medical facility. This might sound like too many plots crammed into one episode and saddled onto one character, but the script beautifully balances and intertwines these threads, making a story which is dense and fast- paced rather than bloated.
This is, in sum, an episode which has it all, and does it all at least reasonably well. We even get to see the Hulk acting as both a problem and a lifesaver, capturing the character's double-edged nature quite nicely. The drama is great, the plot is involving, the human interest is compelling, and the humor is amusing. Season 3's streak of so-so is firmly broken.
David winds up as the assistant of the magician, Jasper, who is full of tales of his past glories and is starting up his show once again. There's a lot going on with Jasper: his asthma is acting up, a friend relies on him to help get his theater going, a woman he's been pining after for decades is soon to marry a crook, and his daughter is pursuing him since he (no surprise here) escaped from a medical facility. This might sound like too many plots crammed into one episode and saddled onto one character, but the script beautifully balances and intertwines these threads, making a story which is dense and fast- paced rather than bloated.
This is, in sum, an episode which has it all, and does it all at least reasonably well. We even get to see the Hulk acting as both a problem and a lifesaver, capturing the character's double-edged nature quite nicely. The drama is great, the plot is involving, the human interest is compelling, and the humor is amusing. Season 3's streak of so-so is firmly broken.
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