OK, I'm staring to love Season 3. Except for the weirdness of the opener on Playboy Island, the rest so far has been interesting and the plots are getting smarter. I didn't really get Season 3 when it first aired in 1977/78. At 17, I probably wasn't sophisticated enough to catch the story lines, especially in an episode like this one. Maybe I did miss the car chases more than I thought as the series shifted focus a bit. But now I can really see and appreciate some of the growth that was going on with the show and the characters.
The handling of the homosexual topic in this episode was done amazingly well for that time period. Sometimes watching this forty-year-old show can be a bit cringe-worthy based on how we treat people today. (Making a play for your fellow lady cops was a given, not sexual harassment, and calling your informant "Fatso" and plying him with donuts was funny, not bullying. Fat-shaming did not exist). But they never pushed the portrayal of the gay characters over the top in this episode, which they could have done. Even the cross-dressing entertainer is played with beautiful subtlety. I like that Starsky and Hutch have to examine their ideas on homosexuals, and that they still are treating everyone, except the bad guys, with respect. There is an unexpected twist on who the bad guy is that caught me by surprise.
I thought Dobie's part and lines were considerable better in this episode also. Instead of just spouting and yelling, he gives the impression of a boss who is taking the stress so his cops can do their job. I also like it that Huggy and Hutch go undercover at the gay bar, but they don't have them waltz in there in ridiculous costumes and be weird (for a refreshing change). Dancing quietly in the corner, they look like they do belong. Someone is finally pulling things together and keeping it real for this show.
This episode is very watchable today and seems ahead of its time.
The handling of the homosexual topic in this episode was done amazingly well for that time period. Sometimes watching this forty-year-old show can be a bit cringe-worthy based on how we treat people today. (Making a play for your fellow lady cops was a given, not sexual harassment, and calling your informant "Fatso" and plying him with donuts was funny, not bullying. Fat-shaming did not exist). But they never pushed the portrayal of the gay characters over the top in this episode, which they could have done. Even the cross-dressing entertainer is played with beautiful subtlety. I like that Starsky and Hutch have to examine their ideas on homosexuals, and that they still are treating everyone, except the bad guys, with respect. There is an unexpected twist on who the bad guy is that caught me by surprise.
I thought Dobie's part and lines were considerable better in this episode also. Instead of just spouting and yelling, he gives the impression of a boss who is taking the stress so his cops can do their job. I also like it that Huggy and Hutch go undercover at the gay bar, but they don't have them waltz in there in ridiculous costumes and be weird (for a refreshing change). Dancing quietly in the corner, they look like they do belong. Someone is finally pulling things together and keeping it real for this show.
This episode is very watchable today and seems ahead of its time.