This is the first episode that I reviewed for this section so that means this is the first time I have watched this show in MANY years.  I didn't know what to expect since most Saturday morning cartoons don't hold up well over time and I have little childhood memory of this episode.  For the most part though, I have to say that I'm impressed.  At times, extremely impressed.  Even though I saw every episode of this cartoon as a child, I don't think I realized the creators were reaching for a bit more depth of character than had been attempted in any of their prior cartoons. Banner is truly struggling with an inner demon and the story is played straight forward with no goofy humor or any 1980s Saturday morning cartoon gimmicks (besides the "magically" reappearing clothes).  This was obviously intended for an ALL AGES audience, JUST like the comics books have always been.  So this was refreshing from what I was expecting.  Since Banner actually found a cure, I did groan at the decision that he must subject himself to Gamma rays again to stop the Sonar Crystallizer.  Couldn't they have tried to stop the Spymaster in some other way before resorting to that drastic decision?  I also confess that I half-expected the tribal prince Hulk to change back and have magically reappearing tribe garb.  Given the seriousness of this story (which I am now expecting from the other episodes) the decision to have Banner's clothes reappear seems even more strange.  

     
For me personally, this episode was extremely effective when I first saw it, as it was originally the last episode shown in the UK. So with Banner actually finding a cure, this episode was something of a special event, seemingly with the very real possibility that he might actually be rid of the Hulk. I do think that as a season finale this would have been perfect. The sonar crystallizer is a fairly unremarkable plot device, and the villain who wants it, Spymaster and his dumb sidekickT Cosmso are pure Saturday morning stuff. The discovery of an ancient Hulk is an interesting original development, and actually stating that he was cured makes the promise of a cure for Banner very real. When finally confronted with the cure, I was surprised that Banner was actually able to drink it and cure himself rather than have a plot device take it away from him. This made for some unique scenes of Banner as a truly happy man; his promise to ask Betty a special question after so long comes across as a very real reaction to him losing his terrible affliction. While the use of Spymaster as a villain to force Banner to bring the Hulk back to life is unsatisfying, the revelation of Banner discovering that the Hulk is the only way to save Betty is handled superbly. Banner and Rick's reaction is strong stuff that comes across as being very real and unforced. Banner's final walk into the desert alone after telling Betty that his special question is on hold is a very emotional scene.