When Hutch's ex-wife ends up dead on the floor of his apartment, killed with Hutch's gun, who is going to believe that it wasn't Hutch who pulled the trigger? Hutch's story that it happened while he was out jogging seems unconvincing, especially when witnesses saw him arguing with her the night before. Only Starsky's unwavering support of Hutch's innocence keeps Hutch out of jail, but ultimately the arrest warrant comes anyway. Starsky and Hutch have one chance to prove Hutch innocent or end up as fugitives.
I do like this episode. The story is tight and suspenseful. The drama builds as the noose tightens around Hutch's neck and you wonder how he will get out of this. PMG plays the supportive Starsky without a flaw. His first question of "what happened?" on finding Hutch with the dead woman is said with just the right tone to suggest he knows it's not what it looks like. Starsky takes for granted that there is no way Hutch would murder someone, and Hutch takes for granted that Starsky would never believe it either. (I only wish there had been more to that scene; it ended too fast.). Later, when Starsky does show up with the arrest warrant and another cop to take Hutch in, this scene is really good. PMG and DS play that scene really well and Starsky conveys through eye contact with Hutch that he has a plan, and the two escape together. Nice.
My only criticism of that scene is that when Starsky does produce the warrant, Hutch's initial responses are touched with anger and there is an edge to his words to his partner. Before he realizes that Starsky has a plan, he seems to wonder if Starsky is betraying him. I would not have had DS deliver his character's lines like that. Hutch should have had a hopeless feeling, but not anger at Starsky. I don't think the lines would have needed to change much, but the feeling from Hutch should have been different. Any anger should have been directed at the situation, not at Starsky. He should have expressed fear and disbelief, until Starsky would get his attention again and make him realize there was still some hope. (I may not be a director in real life, but I have definite views on how I expect Starsky and Hutch to act.) Maybe I'm just imagining it from viewing Season 4, but I already feel like there are signals that Hutch's character is getting more angry and brooding. We'll see what the rest of Season 3 brings. I stopped watching the show regularly at about this point when it first was airing in the 70s because I could feel the shift in the characters even then. I couldn't put a reason behind it then, so I'm trying to figure it out now.
The end tag is a worthless throw-away. Often those tags are so useless that they detract from the episode. This was one of those. Starsky could at least look at Hutch when he speaks instead of talking to his stupid ball of fluff that had no reason for being there. Tags.
I do like this episode. The story is tight and suspenseful. The drama builds as the noose tightens around Hutch's neck and you wonder how he will get out of this. PMG plays the supportive Starsky without a flaw. His first question of "what happened?" on finding Hutch with the dead woman is said with just the right tone to suggest he knows it's not what it looks like. Starsky takes for granted that there is no way Hutch would murder someone, and Hutch takes for granted that Starsky would never believe it either. (I only wish there had been more to that scene; it ended too fast.). Later, when Starsky does show up with the arrest warrant and another cop to take Hutch in, this scene is really good. PMG and DS play that scene really well and Starsky conveys through eye contact with Hutch that he has a plan, and the two escape together. Nice.
My only criticism of that scene is that when Starsky does produce the warrant, Hutch's initial responses are touched with anger and there is an edge to his words to his partner. Before he realizes that Starsky has a plan, he seems to wonder if Starsky is betraying him. I would not have had DS deliver his character's lines like that. Hutch should have had a hopeless feeling, but not anger at Starsky. I don't think the lines would have needed to change much, but the feeling from Hutch should have been different. Any anger should have been directed at the situation, not at Starsky. He should have expressed fear and disbelief, until Starsky would get his attention again and make him realize there was still some hope. (I may not be a director in real life, but I have definite views on how I expect Starsky and Hutch to act.) Maybe I'm just imagining it from viewing Season 4, but I already feel like there are signals that Hutch's character is getting more angry and brooding. We'll see what the rest of Season 3 brings. I stopped watching the show regularly at about this point when it first was airing in the 70s because I could feel the shift in the characters even then. I couldn't put a reason behind it then, so I'm trying to figure it out now.
The end tag is a worthless throw-away. Often those tags are so useless that they detract from the episode. This was one of those. Starsky could at least look at Hutch when he speaks instead of talking to his stupid ball of fluff that had no reason for being there. Tags.
