She-Hulk had only recently been introduced to the comics prior to this episode, so it was inevitable that she would show up in the series. The opening scenes are effective at showing us the radically different set-up for the She-Hulk, in that she's based in a city and has full control over her transformations. Banner's attitude towards having caused Jennifer's change is pleasingly consistent with other episodes, with his guilt still apparent. It's also nice for Marvel fans to see the hordes of Hydra make an appearance, although they do seem slightly out of place outside of the 1960s comics. With She-Hulk on the scene, she's given some time to stand out on her own, with the original Hulk's initial appearance kept at bay for quite some time. The plot however, unfortunately relies on far too many coincidences, such as Banner, Rick and Betty all being in LA at the same time, Rick being the first guinea pig for Hydra's smog weapon and so on. I get the impression that the episode was merely designed to be showcase for the She-Hulk rather than a half-decent Hulk story. One thing that I did really like was the inclusion of an articulate Hulk. The few scenes with him successfully mirrored the comics of the time which also featured the Hulk with Banner's mind, but with the original Hulk's personality dangerously close to the surface. It was a nice touch to yet another dead end in Banner's efforts to improve his life.  


This was my second favorite episode as a child.  A CLOSE second, of course, because it had exactly what I wanted this show to have: strong ties to the Marvel Universe!  The biggest shocker of all was the inclusion of the "intelligent Hulk".  I had started buying the comics at the time simply because of that storyline and to see it animated was a real treat.  (Since it mirrored the comic, I was constantly crossing my fingers in hopes that the "black costume saga" would appear on Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends.)  I was utterly disappointed that Banner lost control but that's only because I hadn't come to realize that the status quo must be the same at the end of every episode.  Regardless it got high praise from my nine year old self...but watching it today is a different story.  It is still fun to see the She-Hulk in action when re-watching the episode after all these years but, damn, the coincidences were awful.  Hydra decided to test their smog on a civilian; out of all the people in LA, RICK was the person they chose, despite the fact that they have no idea who he is and is seemingly miles away from their headquarters.  Give me a break.  Powerful nostalgia wins me over though...and this one oozes with it.  Three and a half stars.