I hated this one when I was a kid, more so than
any other. Watching it now, I don't know exactly why. The sound that the slime makes annoyed the heck out me. That was probably enough but I think it also had to do with the
redundancy of the Hulk being the solution, yet again, to this week's problem.
("NOTHING can stop this stuff! Wait...it disintegrates when the Hulk
is around!) This episode certainly could have benefited with no network
restrictions because I think it would have been a lot of fun to see the Hulk
pound it to bits. Certainly a run-of-the-mill episode but I was expecting full hatred. I can't help but think I would have liked it better if it had aired earlier in the season before all of these concepts became conventional.
This is an unashamedly
over-the-top monster story that is one of the series' most memorable episodes.
Dr. Proto is pretty much an archetypal mad scientist (who grows truffles on the
side, no less!), and his new lifeform that eats anything is a creature worthy of
any self-respecting Saturday morning cartoon. One thing I find interesting is
that the obvious military applications of such a destructive lifeform remain
unmentioned throughout the episode. When the yellow slime affects a conveniently
placed fault-line under the base and the Hulk then shows up, we do get treated
to some welcome scenes of large-scale destruction worthy of a Hulk cartoon.
Although, having the slime being vulnerable to gamma rays, and consequently, the
Hulk, is far too much of a simple solution to stopping it. I think it would have
been better if there was a more intellectual way of dealing with the slime. I
found it interesting to note that in this episode, more than any other, the Hulk
himself is treated as a plot device, showing up whenever advancement is needed,
and ultimately responsible for the solution to stopping the lifeform. However,
despite its many shortcomings (especially the treatment of the Hulk), the
episode is a refreshingly fun piece of work.
|