The Incredible Hulk: Haunted (1979)
Season 2, Episode 14
9/10
Grim Revelations
1 May 2017
Season 2 really seems to be hitting more winners than flops and so- so episodes combined. This time David loans himself out as a moving man to 30-year-old Renee, who's moving back into her old family home. Trouble is, the reason she left in the first place was because her twin sister Becky drowned right in front of her when they were 11 years old. And now Renee is apparently being haunted by Becky's ghost.

Given the nature of this series, it seems safe to assume right from the start that the child stalking Renee is not a for-real ghost. Despite this, "Haunted" keeps you continually guessing. Does Renee's cousin really want the family home badly enough to use Halloween scare tactics on her? Or is Mr. Levitt, who's suspiciously interested in getting Renee to sell the house, the culprit? Or has Renee flipped her lid and started hallucinating her sister? Or maybe, just maybe, does the Hulk actually live in a world where ghosts are a reality?

By about halfway through the episode I was leaning towards what proved to be the truth, and even then, the climactic revelation was a chilling moment. There's an extra plot twist on top of it, and though it feels a bit tagged on, it does add an insightful texture to the characters involved in this haunting drama. The only bad note is the same one that hit "A Child in Need": the ending is overly cheery given the revelations which just took place. A happy ending does feel appropriate here, but the carefree dialogue does not.

Interestingly, in neither of the Hulk's appearances does he act as a deus ex machina. In fact, he has no impact on the plot at all. Which is perfectly fine, because these appearances are so memorably striking that you won't realize until afterward that they were unnecessary.
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