Althugh I wanted to discuss the entire Second Season DVD of The Incredible Hulk in one entry, I thought I would make a special entry for a truly great episode entitled "A Child In Need," an episode that attempted social commentary by centering the plot on a boy abused by his father who has no where to turn until David Banner stumbles upon his plight and tries to make things right. In today's day and age, the series would never have such human interest storylines and would be filled with lame CGI Hulks and villians and, subsequently, it would not be as memorable as the classic series we have here now.

This episode is one of the best of the series and it achieves this lofty goal in spite of some overblown meladrama and on the nose scriptwriting. I guess that goes to show the world that neither of those flaws really are that bad when you stop to think about it. The reason that these negatives are overlooked in this particular episode is because it is an episode that resonates greatly with kids and it has a certain humanity to it that makes the episode on that is worth repeated viewing. Yes, much of it is very dated in the mold of the 1970's when serious subjects such as child abuse were starting to be taken seriously on nightly television entertainment. (Personally, I always considered the child abuse episode of GOOD TIMES to be the absolute best treatise on the series because of the frightening chilling and notrious 'hot iron' scene. For third best, I would rank an episode of STARSKEY AND HUTCH that dealt with the subject matter)

I think what makes this particular episode so effective is that the children who made up the audience for the program were generally confused misfits in their early years. After all, all nerds start off as kids, right? So, if you have an outcast and a loner kid watching he may identify with the abused child of the story as the abuse presented can end up being symbolic of whatever pressure, stress, bullying or difficulty they may be facing.

If a child is in a situation he may find uncomfortable, there will be a desire for a savior so to speak. Many kids who internalize their feelings may create fantasy images of a hero figure who will save them. In this episode, both Banner and the Hulk represent the savior and fulfill the childs needs. Hence, the title of the episode "A Child In Need" has a bit more depth to it than one would initially assume.