Now this is more like it. I'm still trying to understand what makes this show work so well sometimes, and I think in this case it's the writing, and of course, the delivery by PMG and DS. In fact, they give this episode all of its best stuff.
The story is complex enough to keep it interesting and to give Starsky and Hutch a lot to do. After a big drug bust, Starsky and Hutch are confronted by the crime boss who owned the drugs because he thinks they kept some for themselves and he wants it back. Starsky and Hutch believe their inside informant must have been responsible and go looking for him. When the informant turns up dead, Starsky and Hutch think the crime boss got back his drugs. But when they are still targeted by the crime boss, they realize the drugs must still be missing. That can only mean one of the other cops in on the bust is the guilty party. Starsky and Hutch must solve that mystery at the same time they are trying to stay alive and take down the crime boss.
The dialog between Starsky and Hutch in this episode is just smart; they discuss and dissect what is happening at each step and they are constantly thinking. It makes so much difference when PMG and DS have good stuff to work with. The story makes sense and is tight. There is also the feeling that everyone is against them, from the crime boss to their fellow cops, and they only have themselves to trust. Whenever that formula shows up in the stories, it always improves the final product. I don't always feel the delivery from the other actors is necessarily great; some of their stuff comes off dated and borderline corny. But PMG and DS are just into their characters so well that everything they do works. I love when the dialog between them is succinct and they don't know everything immediately. ("Did you see him?" "No. You?" "No") That seems like such a small thing, but that kind of dialog makes it feel so much more real.
And again, I have to note how good PMG and DS can be in communicating the emotions of their characters without saying a word. In the final confrontation with their fellow cops who took the drugs, Starsky and Hutch have to fight for their lives against guys they've worked side by side with. We don't see all of Hutch's fight, but when Starsky comes in, DS has Hutch sitting on the floor, completely spent emotionally and physically. Hutch has had to kill his fellow cop in a life-or-death struggle. He has won, but he takes no joy in killing this man whom he has known and worked with. There is a whole lot wrapped up in the way DS has Hutch sitting there and looking at the end result. Maybe I read too much into it, or maybe they were just that good at what they did. (They were).
Maybe this episode should have only gotten a 7 rating, but I kicked it up a point because I really liked the dog story line. Of all the little side stories or spoof-y things that have ever run through an episode, this thing with the dog was the very best.
The story is complex enough to keep it interesting and to give Starsky and Hutch a lot to do. After a big drug bust, Starsky and Hutch are confronted by the crime boss who owned the drugs because he thinks they kept some for themselves and he wants it back. Starsky and Hutch believe their inside informant must have been responsible and go looking for him. When the informant turns up dead, Starsky and Hutch think the crime boss got back his drugs. But when they are still targeted by the crime boss, they realize the drugs must still be missing. That can only mean one of the other cops in on the bust is the guilty party. Starsky and Hutch must solve that mystery at the same time they are trying to stay alive and take down the crime boss.
The dialog between Starsky and Hutch in this episode is just smart; they discuss and dissect what is happening at each step and they are constantly thinking. It makes so much difference when PMG and DS have good stuff to work with. The story makes sense and is tight. There is also the feeling that everyone is against them, from the crime boss to their fellow cops, and they only have themselves to trust. Whenever that formula shows up in the stories, it always improves the final product. I don't always feel the delivery from the other actors is necessarily great; some of their stuff comes off dated and borderline corny. But PMG and DS are just into their characters so well that everything they do works. I love when the dialog between them is succinct and they don't know everything immediately. ("Did you see him?" "No. You?" "No") That seems like such a small thing, but that kind of dialog makes it feel so much more real.
And again, I have to note how good PMG and DS can be in communicating the emotions of their characters without saying a word. In the final confrontation with their fellow cops who took the drugs, Starsky and Hutch have to fight for their lives against guys they've worked side by side with. We don't see all of Hutch's fight, but when Starsky comes in, DS has Hutch sitting on the floor, completely spent emotionally and physically. Hutch has had to kill his fellow cop in a life-or-death struggle. He has won, but he takes no joy in killing this man whom he has known and worked with. There is a whole lot wrapped up in the way DS has Hutch sitting there and looking at the end result. Maybe I read too much into it, or maybe they were just that good at what they did. (They were).
Maybe this episode should have only gotten a 7 rating, but I kicked it up a point because I really liked the dog story line. Of all the little side stories or spoof-y things that have ever run through an episode, this thing with the dog was the very best.
