I guess this is one of the better episodes of Season 4 but I can't say I really like it. It does give us a story line that is in keeping with typical Starsky and Hutch drama, but it is definitely darker and more negative than past episodes and reflects the changes that occurred in Season 4. Starsky and Hutch will not come out of this story with a warm, fuzzy feeling, and neither will we.
The story centers around the rape of a cop's daughter. The cop generally has followed the rules and done his job all these years and is respected, but now that the victim is his own daughter, he wants revenge because he can't count on justice. The cop shoots the rapist in a fit of rage, but does not kill him. Starsky and Hutch are assigned the rape case and are supposed to somewhat keep an eye on the cop so he doesn't do anything else stupid. In the end, they pretty much fail.
There is really no case here for Starsky and Hutch to be assigned to. The rape case is in the hands of the prosecutor. Most of what Starsky and Hutch have to do is again convince the attorney to prosecute the rapist and not just let him off easy, which is our standard 70s story line regarding crime and justice. Since we've all seen this again and again in our cop shows, it is no surprise that the cop wants to take matters into his own hands to get justice for his daughter. The cop hatches an elaborate plan to get the rapist killed by other cops in the course of a crime orchestrated by the cop himself. It works, almost. Starsky and Hutch dissect the plan and try to derail it, but they are too late.
The story is handled very seriously and darkly. Mary Crosby plays the shattered rape victim almost too well. She can barely respond to anyone and her father is completely at a loss to comfort or help her. I was glad that they didn't try to have a scene of Starsky and Hutch questioning her. Starsky and Hutch do question the roommate, and that is where we mostly get our lesson on how society is responsible for the objectification of women. We wouldn't want to have missed that. (I have a copy of the script for this show, and there was even more information about rape that we were originally supposed to be hit with in some of the dialog. A large percentage never made it off the pages.)
The fact that Starsky and Hutch can't stop the father from taking his revenge and end up having to arrest him leaves a bad taste for everyone at the end of this episode. Hutch is especially despondent and disgruntled. DS was playing a very unhappy Hutch in most of Season 4, and this story gave him a lot to work with. (I miss the Hutch that was more optimistic about life every time I watch anything in Season 4). I gave this show a 7 rating because it was well-done, but I don't feel like it is one I will want to watch again.
The story centers around the rape of a cop's daughter. The cop generally has followed the rules and done his job all these years and is respected, but now that the victim is his own daughter, he wants revenge because he can't count on justice. The cop shoots the rapist in a fit of rage, but does not kill him. Starsky and Hutch are assigned the rape case and are supposed to somewhat keep an eye on the cop so he doesn't do anything else stupid. In the end, they pretty much fail.
There is really no case here for Starsky and Hutch to be assigned to. The rape case is in the hands of the prosecutor. Most of what Starsky and Hutch have to do is again convince the attorney to prosecute the rapist and not just let him off easy, which is our standard 70s story line regarding crime and justice. Since we've all seen this again and again in our cop shows, it is no surprise that the cop wants to take matters into his own hands to get justice for his daughter. The cop hatches an elaborate plan to get the rapist killed by other cops in the course of a crime orchestrated by the cop himself. It works, almost. Starsky and Hutch dissect the plan and try to derail it, but they are too late.
The story is handled very seriously and darkly. Mary Crosby plays the shattered rape victim almost too well. She can barely respond to anyone and her father is completely at a loss to comfort or help her. I was glad that they didn't try to have a scene of Starsky and Hutch questioning her. Starsky and Hutch do question the roommate, and that is where we mostly get our lesson on how society is responsible for the objectification of women. We wouldn't want to have missed that. (I have a copy of the script for this show, and there was even more information about rape that we were originally supposed to be hit with in some of the dialog. A large percentage never made it off the pages.)
The fact that Starsky and Hutch can't stop the father from taking his revenge and end up having to arrest him leaves a bad taste for everyone at the end of this episode. Hutch is especially despondent and disgruntled. DS was playing a very unhappy Hutch in most of Season 4, and this story gave him a lot to work with. (I miss the Hutch that was more optimistic about life every time I watch anything in Season 4). I gave this show a 7 rating because it was well-done, but I don't feel like it is one I will want to watch again.
