Starsky and Hutch (TV Series) Black and Blue (1978) User Reviews

Starsky and Joan

[garciayadi · 6/10 · 3 September 2021]

When Hutch is shot Starsky pulls out all the stops to bring his shooter to justice.

With Hutch lying in the hospital Starsky teams with a female detective to bring down a criminal enterprise dealing with fenced goods. Since the enterprise is in African American neighborhood Starsky is teamed with an African American police officer....after initial friction ...Starsky doesn't exactly know how to deal with his female partner...he feels the need to protect her ...which she informs him is totally unnecessary....as we come to the dramatic conclusion.... Starsky learns she can take care of herself

The fifteen minute warning Unless a show is a two-parter , you know by the time you are 45 minutes in....things are going to get settled.

While Starsky's female partner- Joan Meredith is getting the evidence on the crooked pawnbroker.... Hutch's shooter sneaks up on Starsky and pulls a gun on him...the shooter is a teenage a black girl- Vivian, who talks tough she marches Stsrsky in to meet Mr. Big blowing Joan's cover. Joan pulls her gun and holds the pawnbroker ...but when Vivian threatens To shoot Starsky ....Joan drops her gun.

Somehow , Hutch, lying in his hospital bed...senses things are going south for his partner and he leaves the hospital...meets up with his Captain...and uses the only tip he has a answering service that is giving tips to the thieves....to find Stsrsky

Starsky and Joan are tied to cheers while Mr. Big is evacuating his operation....it's moving day for this latter day Fagin...but before he goes he wants Vivian to kill Starsky and Joan...a very bold move...she doesn't want to do it...and Stsrsky is figuring out she is just a scared little girl who shot Hutch because she was afraid of going to jail and panicked...Mr. Big is still trying to get Vivian to shoot them...very Satan like ...he won't shoot anybody himself he'll convince another...so they lose their soul...both Starsky and Joan are very stoic while all this is happening

Spoiler alert Hutch arrives and yells freeze ....Starsky takes the opportunity to crash into Mr. Big...sending him into the wall...Vivian tries to escape but Joan trips her...and then holds her in place with her foot on Vivian's back.

Later on....in the police station ...the case wrapped up.... Starsky is saying goodbye to Joan...he says she's a good cop...and we see they are mutually attracted to each other...as they are looking into each other's eyes ...Hutch gets between them and says: " it's time to hit the road " seemingly a little bit jealous..Afterall Starsky is his partner...

Freeze frame ending with Starsky and Josn looking at each other with Hutch in the middle...

good message

[petjack-48104 · 10/10 · 29 August 2021]

This episode is very interesting, the first part is very brutal and dark.

Whiplash

[monomerd · 4/10 · 14 August 2016]

Expect a serious case of whiplash if you happen to watch this episode. No one acts consistently and most everyone does something completely stupid. It would be difficult and time-consuming to point out all the strange and ridiculous actions depicted, and the plain stupidness that characterize this episode, and I'm afraid once I start, I won't be able to stop myself. It will be hard to pick which issues to highlight. I will do my best.

Hutch gets shot when he is unable to shoot first at an armed teen girl in the middle of a home burglary. He seems seriously hurt and out-of-commission for a while. So Dobey assigns Starsky a replacement partner, a black female who fills two "quotas" for the police department diversity initiatives (not to mention this show's). Starsky doesn't believe in her capability until they have a little throw-down (which if it had been real, she would have had no chance for sure. And what was with the tiny gun she carries? What police officer would carry such a thing? Too delicate to carry anything bigger?) (I have a feeling I'm going to need a lot a parentheses for this review.)

OK, moving on. Meredith is now going to infiltrate the burglary ring by dressing like a teen (and she's black, so she fits the profile of the thieves) and taking a "stolen" TV to the hideout. (She can't come anywhere close to looking like a teen, no matter what she wears, but they do it anyway.). They drive, together, in her car, and park outside the hideout. They both get out of the car and Starsky gets the TV out of the truck and hands it to her. So she can now go in and pretend she stole it. (I mean, come on!). Guess what? Someone in the gang sees them and figures out it's a cop set-up ploy. It happens to be the cold-hearted teen who shot Hutch. She now sticks her gun into the face of the inattentive Starsky (as he sits in the car across the street waiting for Meredith.) She viciously threatens his life and forces him into the hideout. The thief ring has now captured two cops.

The teen girl, when she shot Hutch, initially has no remorse. But the thief ring leader threw her out of the group for her action because he didn't want violence. Then she held a gun on Starsky and threatened to kill him right there in his car. Now, as they all abandon the hideout, the leader demands that the teen kill Starsky and Meredith and suddenly she has no guts for it, and keeps protesting that it's not right. That change of heart and total switch between characters' attitudes came on with no explanation (and no reason to believe or expect it. Hence, the whiplash).

Hutch finds out from a call from Dobey that Starsky and Meredith are missing. Dragging himself from his hospital bed, less that 48 hrs after being shot, he comes to the office, looks at the file for 15 seconds, discovers the key clue, figures out where the hideout is, busts in with his one arm in a sling and his gun in the other hand, and saves the bound Starsky and Meredith. (Dobey enters, huffing and puffing, after it's over). (Are you still with me? That's OK. Perfectly understandable).

I have said in the past that Earl Bellamy and Don Weis seemed to be strongest, most reliable directors of Starsky and Hutch. On the flip side, I think Rick Edelstein is probably the weakest. He wrote and directed this episode and is responsible for much a Season 4. I realize it may be an unfair assessment, since his arrival on the scene might just coincide with a change to the series that was going to happen anyway. Was he the catalyst or just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? There is no way to know. But, he is undoubtedly responsible for this very poor episode all the way around.

I have left out Starsky's narcissism and the implied sexual relationship between Starsky and Meredith. (Wink, wink, check out those special smiles between them). This episode only gets even a 4 rating because of the strong, stoic performance by DS as our injured Hutch, who has to save everyone the day after he almost dies. In Season 4, I often can't understand who DS wants Hutch to be now. But here he does his best to hold it all together and I appreciated him. Thanks, DS.

In the end, Dobey tells Starsky and Meredith that they did a good job. No. No, they didn't.

Okay Message Episode

[hypestyle · 5/10 · 11 June 2021]

Vonetta McGee is a beautiful, underrated actress. She is rather wasted in this guest-spot as a detective with the police department who is assigned to be Starky's temporary partner. At the beginning of the episode, Hutch hesitates when facing a teen thief armed with a pistol, and fares the worse because of it. This leaves him out of action (not dead of course), but Starsky and Vonetta's character have to solve the case of a ring of teen burglars.

The teens are led by a Fagin-style adult leader who berates and manipulates the young adults who are stealing various merchandise for him, which he sells.

An implied romance sparks between Vonnetta's character and Starsky. It doesn't sell especially well on screen.

In another world, Ms. McGee would be the co-star of her own television detective show, but work for black actresses at this time was scarce.