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Why David Banner trying to get rid of the Hulk doesn't make sense

posted 12 years ago by WWu777
22 replies | jump to latest

This show is great with great actors, genuine characters who were kind and likable, and interesting plots, as well as funny action scenes with the Hulk beating up the bad guys.

However, there are so many logic flaws in it that are very apparent:

- Isn't it ironic that Banner is trying to get rid of the Hulk, yet the Hulk saves his life in almost every episode, so that without him, he would have been dead many times over? lol. Why would you want to get rid of something that saves your life everyday? lol

- Also, if Banner has a habit of getting beaten up all the time and putting himself in situations where he is about to be killed unless he Hulks out, then how did he ever survive before the Hulk was in him? lol

- If Banner doesn't want to turn into the Hulk, all he has to do is not get angry all the time and not get into situations where he keeps getting beaten up. Most people do not get into situations where they get beaten up. So why does he get into them every week? Furthermore, since his character is kind, gentle and highly likable, it is highly implausible that he would ever get beaten up at all, especially since he never does anything morally wrong. Theoretically, Banner should be able to live a normal life and never have to worry about turning into the Hulk.

- Banner does not need to run from Jack McGee. Why not face him and tell him the whole truth about what happened? McGee is a nice guy and should be understanding and try to help him. McGee should also confess to Banner that he started the fire which killed the woman he loved in the pilot episode.

- Every time Banner meets good people that want him to stay, he does not have to run again just because he Hulked out a few times. What is he running from exactly? McGee is not even a threat or a bad guy. He could just confront him and befriend him or tell him the truth.

- Banner must have the worst luck. His first wife dies because her car hits a pebble and flips over and then explodes (totally ridiculous, can't they come up with a more plausible accident?). Then his woman friend whom he loves dies unnecessarily in the pilot episode. And so does everyone else he falls in love with. No guy as nice as him could be that unlucky.

So you see, he really has no need to get rid of the Hulk, and the logic of this show is ridiculous.

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[–] AaronCapenBanner 12 years ago

1. David wouldn't be on the run in the first place if it weren't for the Hulk! No Hulk, no reason to be running, and his life wouldn't be in danger.

2. David didn't live a dangerous life before the Hulk; it was a kind of curse thrust on him, like Laurence Talbot becoming the Wolf Man.

3. David gets involved in people's lives, especially when they are in trouble. He is a kind-hearted man who can't look the other way when good people are in need of his help.

4. Jack McGee is only interested in exploiting the Hulk for publicity, and not someone David could ever trust, though I agree he isn't evil, just stubborn.

5. David's car blew a tire and flipped over, exploding because the gas tank was ruptured. His friend Elaina suffered fatal injuries from the lab explosion, which didn't affect the Hulk, who can heal from his wounds.

I see no logic problems in this series when you understand the character of David Banner. Watch 'Interview With The Hulk', which brings up some of these points(as well as 'Mystery Man')

[–] The-Phantom-2040 12 years ago

Well-said. Most of the series actually makes a lot of sense--when someone puts even a modicum of effort into paying attention.

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[–] WWu777 12 years ago

Come on. You guys are making excuses.

David Banner is a very nice guy who is kind and helpful. In real life, someone like him would not be getting beaten up for the most trivial things, or trapped in boxes. He never does anything wrong. So he should get into no trouble.

It just happens because the show needs an excuse for him to transform into the Hulk, NOT because it makes sense. Come on now. TV shows don't usually make sense.

Why would bad guys need to show up in every episode, even in the most common situations? Not because it makes sense. It's so there is a story and conflict for him to turn into the Hulk. Duh. It has nothing to do with making sense.

No one accidentally runs into bad guys everyday. How come I've never met any?

David Banner does not do anything unusually dangerous. He just wanders from place to place getting a job and being kind and helpful to everyone. How is that dangerous? If you did that, your life would be routine and boring. You would not run into criminals everyday who are willing to kill you to get rid of witnesses. Come on now. Get real.

The show doesn't make sense. And you know it. Admit it.

Even cops in real life do not run into bad guys everyday. Most cops never even have to use their gun in their whole career.

Furthermore, FYI, cars do not flip over after hitting a rock on the road or getting a flat tire. And cars do not explode. Google "Do cars explode" and many articles will tell you NO! Have you ever seen a car flip after having a flat tire? Have you ever seen an accident on the road where a car flipped and exploded? No, of course not.

Jack McGee started the explosion in the pilot episode when he hid in the closet and knocked over something. It was very contrived and didn't make sense. No closet full of chemicals would be set up in such a way that knocking over one little thing would cause a huge explosion. Get real. That's never happened.

An explosion requires chemicals and a trigger. It has to be rigged to explode. Knocking over a gas tank or even shooting a gun at a gas barrel is not going to cause an explosion.

You guys need to learn some science.

Movies are not realistic and do not make sense and are not meant to.

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[–] AaronCapenBanner 12 years ago

I don't feel like I am making excuses, and stand by my five points.

I do wish the formula of the show had changed over time though, perhaps David could have collaborated with a trusted group of scientists so that they could find a cure, which would have made an interesting story arc. Another possibility was the military pursuing David after the events of 'Prometheus', but some fans don't think that a good idea either.

I don't know why David kept encountering trouble, why did Richard Kimble find trouble everywhere he went on "The Fugitive"? Why does "Columbo" keep investigating wealthy, super-intelligent murderers on his show? The average detective may meet one or two in a career, but Lt. Columbo meets at least 69! It's the premise of the show, either you go with it, or you don't.

I don't see the big deal about David's car exploding; if circumstances are right, it can happen, but perhaps the guys on "Mythbusters" should take a shot at testing it, if they haven't already!

The chemicals in the lab are unknown, so who can tell about their combustability? If you want to get hung up on science, I don't see how you could accept the premise of a man changing into the Hulk in the first place!

[–] The-Phantom-2040 12 years ago

I'd like to expand upon one point--the premise of the show. Every work of fiction, or nearly every work, has one basic element that may fly in the face of logic, but that's okay--when that element isn't the focus of the series. Here, yes, the basic idea of a guy turning into a giant, green, rage-monster is more than simply ludicrous--it's stupid. And the running into card-carrying villains almost every week doesn't help--but those elements weren't the focus. They ere plot devices to tell another kind of story--one of tragedy and hope, one being hunted. As Kenneth Johnson has said often, he used the basic idea to spin a Les Misérables-like tale.

Another example of a stupid premise being just fine is Limitless (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1219289/). The premise kicks off with the idiotic idea that we "only use <X> percent of our brains", which has been thoroughly debunked. However, that's not the point of that story. It's about a man given everything--but he wants more, which almost costs him everything he'd gained and his life.

It's the same with this series--the basic premise may be ludicrous, but that premise isn't the point. It's the kind of story the premise is used for that matters.

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[–] AaronCapenBanner 12 years ago

The one further point I would make is that, given such a farfetched premise, I thought Kenneth Johnson, the writers & actors all made it as believable as possible, since grounding the fantastic premise in reality was the primary goal.

Bill Bixby was the anchor to the show, his performance could not have been better, and is the primary reason why I love it so!

God bless Mr. Bixby, gone nearly twenty years...

[–] The-Phantom-2040 12 years ago

I fully agree with that, especially how well-grounded the series was, and how skilled an actor Bixby was. However, I'd like to say that Ferrigno's skill as an actor was important, too. The Hulk could have been truly nothing more than a mindless srage-machine, but he wasn't. Ferrigno was allowed to bring nuance to the character.

I mean, who can forget "Married" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078904/), and the panic, fear, and pain Ferrigno's Hulk displayed as he held the dying Caroline in his arms. You could see that the Hulk was confused, which made him angrier. The woman was obviously being attacked, but he couldn't help her, couldn't stop whatever it was that was hurting her.

That's just one example, but there are others throughout the series. I do think Johnson and Bixby are what helped make the series as wonderful as it was, but I also think Ferrigno did, too.

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Sometimes You Plant Seeds For Trees You Will Never Sit Under

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] frogalini 8 years ago

In OP's second post in this thread, OP says:

"TV shows don't usually make sense."

and

"Movies are not realistic and do not make sense and are not meant to."

I do not understand how OP can make these statements and then go on to fault the show for not being believable.

[–] Danimal_77 11 years ago

McGee had NO knowledge that it was him that was responsible for starting the fire.

[–] WWu777 11 years ago

Ok I understand that it's a show, and the events have to happen or else the Hulk wouldn't appear. But the logic of the show doesn't make sense.

Why does David have to run? No one is after him. McGee is not trying to arrest the Hulk. He just wants to do a story. He could confront McGee, give him a story to help him sell newspapers and then be done with it. Why run perpetually? David is not guilty of any crime. He has nothing to run from. You see my point?

What would happen if David turned himself in to the US government and told them the truth? Would it be like the movie "ET" where they lock him up in a lab?

It seems that the whole show is based on a little misunderstanding between David and McGee, which could be cleared up with a little talk between them.

Also, it is way too implausible that every single time David is turning into the Hulk, the people that caused it just happen to turn away so they can't see the transformation. Way too contrived.

Moreover, if you threw David into a room and the Hulk came out, you could logically assume that David turned into the Hulk. Yet no one in the series has been able to figure out such an obvious thing. Again, too implausible. You can't deny that.

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[–] emp1966 11 years ago

Why does David have to run? No one is after him.

Actually according to the tag scene in Origin Pilot, McGee sent a description of the creature to several law enforcement agencies and a warrant was issued. Now granted many cities probably thought it was a gag, and didn't put up the poster but still. Even in the opening credits, Ted Cassidy states "the creature is wanted for a murder he didn't commit", and David reiterates this line in the tag of "Death In The Family".

[–] other_random_dude 10 years ago

A bit late to the party but I did like to read your 3 posts here and agree with you on actually every point.

Fanboys always make excuses for illogical things that happen on their favorite show. I love Miami Vice but can laugh at the show all day at the same time.

Yes, a car cannot flip and gas tanks don't explode. Good lord, the manufacturer wood get sued left, right and center.

Also chemicals in a closet that explode would not be in a closet in the first place.

David was a doctor. He could have been on the run and just stay in remote log cabins. He must have had the financial means. What, no savings? Nothing?

If I wanted to get beaten up today I would have to think long and hard to come up with a scenario where this would become very likely. I've never even met a man that had been in a fights like David.

[–] AaronCapenBanner 10 years ago

Well, at the risk of being called an excuse-making fanboy...

1. Cars can indeed flip over, I've seen it happen

2. True, I've never seen a gas tank explode, but again, if circumstances are right, it's not impossible(though whose to say the car David was driving that day wasn't defective?) Gives me an idea for my other thread...

3. One would hope combustible chemicals wouldn't be stored unsecured in a closet, but in this case, it did happen(I suspect a screw-up occurred, or their combustibility was unknown, which is most tragic for everyone that night

4. How can David find a cure for his condition staying cooped-up in a log cabin? These are the pre-internet days it should be remembered!

5. David gets beaten-up because he keeps getting involved in helping people in trouble, often mixed-up with criminals, who clearly don't find our hero intimidating(the Hulk on the other hand

The same point could be made about The Fugitive TV series, The Invaders, etc.

[–] Pamela42 10 years ago

David was a doctor. He could have been on the run and just stay in remote log cabins. He must have had the financial means. What, no savings? Nothing?

David's "death" was not something he planned. He was presumed dead as the result of a totally unforeseen accident, and had to decide on the spur of the moment whether he wanted to stay "dead" or not.

He probably had savings. We know he had a very nice house. But how are you suggesting these were supposed to benefit him? How was he supposed to access his financial resources if he was pretending to be dead?

[–] Manth_Sigdaw 10 years ago

It is hard to routinely provoke people to beat you up weekly like David does. But David always works those menial, minimum wage labor type jobs. I hate to say this, but many people who do those type of jobs can be unsavory types. No, certainly not all, or even most, but you will find a greater percentage of people with a questionable background doing those types of jobs then in other fields.

For instance I once knew a couple that had a small restaurant near a coastline, and they were always looking for cooks and servers, nearly everyone they hired were ex-cons or someone who had a shady quality to them. I would always ask them why don't they hire high school or college kids, and they would say those kids usually wanted to work in bigger franchise resturants or had schedules that wouldn't fit with their establishment. So they were forced to take in whoever would apply. If a nice man like David applied to be a cook at their restaurant, and some other cook or server was an ex-con there, maybey some thugs would show up to collect some money from the ex-con and David being the nice guy he is would step in to help. Or just by being such a nice guy, these type of low class people may see David as an easy target to pick on and bully. At my own job I had always thought I recognized one of the girls that does custodial work, then I realized she was a stripper I had seen at a strip club not too far away from work. Yes stripping is legal work, but it's also kinda shady work and many strippers work as prostitutes. So there's a higher likelihood that those types of people doing menial work have a more questionable background.

OK this is stretching it, even in these situations dealing with menial jobs, you likely aren't going to get beat up every week, but it's not so far fetched that you would meet people with more shall we say "drama" in their life in those type of jobs then you would in other fields. You had to suspend your disbelief a bit that anyone would get beat up so much like David did.

[–] jefgg 9 years ago

I think David was afraid of The Hulk because he could not control it and was afraid it could hurt someone.

There was an episode with an older man who occasionally transformed into a Hulk-like creature. He embraced it and said something about liking the strength.

David Banner was believed to be dead. I think it is against the law to fake your own death, but that might be only if you financially benefit from it. And David didn't fake it. He was just assumed to be dead after the laboratory explosion. I thought it was odd that David visited his own grave.

[–] terryc316 9 years ago

I thought it was odd that David visited his own grave.

Well, Elaina Marks' grave was there too. He was obviously visiting her. That was all at the end of the pilot.

But, yes. While looking at his grave, he was seemingly pondering the whole "...he must let the world think that he is dead, until he can find a way to control the raging spirit that dwells within him" that is in the intro from then on.

[–] scamper67 9 years ago

At the end of each episode it shows him moving on from yet another situation he had gotten into, but I never thought of it happening as frequently as once a week, could have been weeks or even months between each problem he came upon.

We also need to consider the time this took place, transients were not all that unusual, going from job to job, back in the day you didn't need a background check to even sell fruit.

If you allow yourself to be transported into a world where this could happen, most anything can be possible and explained.

Of course we all can relate to poor David, as each of us have battles within ourselves that sometimes come to the surface, whether it be anger, pain, fear, jealousy, or hate.

[–] basterd7 9 years ago

If David never got into some kind of physical altercation each week, you wouldn't have a show. Is it exaggerated that someone would get beat up every time he rolled into a new town? Sure. But what's the option? David feeds the birds at the park for an hour? Structurally, this show is a lot like "Kung Fu." A mystery man with abnormal powers walks into town and affects the lives of the people he meets, usually resolving matters for the better by using those powers.

As far as McGee, who would trust a slimy reporter who works for a rag like the National Register? He's only interested in his own fame, not with helping Banner in any way. McGee would turn Banner into a sideshow freak if he ever found out the truth.

And this idea of turning himself into the authorities? The Prometheus episode showed us how that would work out. The Hulk is completely uncontrollable, even under the most secure conditions.

[–] mjd_subs2 9 years ago

It's been awhile since you posted and I didn't read any of the responses your post received.

However, I think you are looking at the situation in hindsight which David doesn't have at the time. He just knows the Hulk is scary and upsetting to people and he doesn't want to do that. Besides, he was a scientist before the accident so he probably wasn't washing cars, lugging tires or building railroads for a little spending cash before then.

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[–] jefgg 8 years ago

There may have been at least one self induced transformation into The Hulk. In the "No Escape" episode David said "don't make me do this" before starting a fight that he knew would cause a Hulkout. Please click on
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLfN_nOWZ8E