You can tell that PMG enjoyed himself when he got to direct. He tries out a lot of stuff, and this episode has a lot of edge to it coming from his work. I am glad to see that he has found a way to keep Starsky in the stories when he is directing. In previous attempts, he would all but disappear as Starsky and leave DS mostly on his own. The show is much more enjoyable for me when it actually involves both Starsky AND Hutch.
It's almost as if the story on this one is secondary to the acting and staging and drama, though. The story itself is not even completely told; we just get a feel for who this bad guy is, but we don't get his whole background or many details; we start in the middle and never really hear the beginning. We have to keep asking ourselves what is going on and try to sort out bits of info. It feels more modern that way and actually is not a bad thing, because sometimes trying to get too much explanation into the hour show gets too messy. This is neater, but different from what we often get. The climax is a bit of a dud. After Starsky shoots the assailant, things feel off. I don't know what it needed, but it needed something.
There is much more suspense in this episode, moving away from fast action and chasing down the bad guy and more into outwitting and manipulating the evil genius. Not a bad direction, when they play it straight and still work as a team. There is a maturity of the characters that could have continued and gotten more interesting. It's just that they keep mixing these episodes up with the goofy stuff and you can't get a read on who Starsky and Hutch are anymore. And, as usual, we have to put up with a goofy, over-acted tag. What was with these tags?
I am not sure if I'm being objective when I review this show. Well, I guess I almost certainly am not, because I have a huge soft spot for it, as I loved it so much as a teen. This episode seemed very strong and watchable to me after forty years, but someone else might see something a lot more dated and contrived. I only know that there are few other shows from the 70s that could come back and captured my attention and imagination the way that this one does.
It's almost as if the story on this one is secondary to the acting and staging and drama, though. The story itself is not even completely told; we just get a feel for who this bad guy is, but we don't get his whole background or many details; we start in the middle and never really hear the beginning. We have to keep asking ourselves what is going on and try to sort out bits of info. It feels more modern that way and actually is not a bad thing, because sometimes trying to get too much explanation into the hour show gets too messy. This is neater, but different from what we often get. The climax is a bit of a dud. After Starsky shoots the assailant, things feel off. I don't know what it needed, but it needed something.
There is much more suspense in this episode, moving away from fast action and chasing down the bad guy and more into outwitting and manipulating the evil genius. Not a bad direction, when they play it straight and still work as a team. There is a maturity of the characters that could have continued and gotten more interesting. It's just that they keep mixing these episodes up with the goofy stuff and you can't get a read on who Starsky and Hutch are anymore. And, as usual, we have to put up with a goofy, over-acted tag. What was with these tags?
I am not sure if I'm being objective when I review this show. Well, I guess I almost certainly am not, because I have a huge soft spot for it, as I loved it so much as a teen. This episode seemed very strong and watchable to me after forty years, but someone else might see something a lot more dated and contrived. I only know that there are few other shows from the 70s that could come back and captured my attention and imagination the way that this one does.
