It seems like many of these episodes improve on the second or third viewing; this is one that definitely does. The story is very suspenseful and the plot is filled with tension. Starsky and Hutch have a lot of work to do to save the day.
The story is complex but neat. An armored truck driver is killed and a crook takes his place. A second driver is held at gunpoint and his wife is held hostage to get him to go through his route and pick up money for the crooks. A neat little plan that would probably not be noticed until it was over. Except Starsky and Hutch just happen to stumble upon the murdered driver and get a clue that something strange is going on. Since they are aware of this same plot being used in another case elsewhere, they are able to start the process of trying to help the kidnapped driver and his wife before it's too late.
Starsky and Hutch have a lot to do in this episode. First they meet the kidnapped driver, pretending to be employees where the truck is picking up money, and give him instructions and get information from him. John Ritter played the part of the driver very well. At the same time, Starsky and Hutch try to find and rescue the wife. They go to the home, find a neighbor kid who witnessed the kidnapping, get her to identify a mug shot, then search several locations for the person she identifies. Finally they find and rescue the wife. Then they waylay the armored car to save the innocent driver. But they still aren't done yet. They then drive the armored truck to the meeting point to catch the rest of the criminals. The neat little plot is no match for our smart and resourceful team.
PMG and DS have plenty of nice scenes in this episode. They interact well with kid. Then they meet up with an informant/prostitute named Sweet Alice. We don't know the whole story of their relationship with this woman, but that makes the scene more interesting. Hutch and Sweet Alice obviously have some history and Starsky stays to the side and lets Hutch do the talking. DS gives Hutch a nice touch in that scene. So we just have a lot of interactions going on as Starsky and Hutch race around to track the criminals and save the wife.
I guess it is time that I forgive George McCowan for the Playboy Island episode at the beginning of Season 3 and give him credit for this episode and all the others that he directed that were very good. Of the 14 episodes he directed, which includes two of the very best ones of the series, only the Playboy Island one was out-of-control and bad. It's time to stop holding that one show against him, give him his due for everything else and accept that Playboy Island was the outlier. (It really was; even additional viewings will not change my mind about that one).
This is my final review of Season 1 episodes. I think my average rating for all of Season 1 is around 7.5, so it was a very good set of shows and a good start for Starsky and Hutch. I'll be quite happy to watch and enjoy most of these episodes multiple times.
The story is complex but neat. An armored truck driver is killed and a crook takes his place. A second driver is held at gunpoint and his wife is held hostage to get him to go through his route and pick up money for the crooks. A neat little plan that would probably not be noticed until it was over. Except Starsky and Hutch just happen to stumble upon the murdered driver and get a clue that something strange is going on. Since they are aware of this same plot being used in another case elsewhere, they are able to start the process of trying to help the kidnapped driver and his wife before it's too late.
Starsky and Hutch have a lot to do in this episode. First they meet the kidnapped driver, pretending to be employees where the truck is picking up money, and give him instructions and get information from him. John Ritter played the part of the driver very well. At the same time, Starsky and Hutch try to find and rescue the wife. They go to the home, find a neighbor kid who witnessed the kidnapping, get her to identify a mug shot, then search several locations for the person she identifies. Finally they find and rescue the wife. Then they waylay the armored car to save the innocent driver. But they still aren't done yet. They then drive the armored truck to the meeting point to catch the rest of the criminals. The neat little plot is no match for our smart and resourceful team.
PMG and DS have plenty of nice scenes in this episode. They interact well with kid. Then they meet up with an informant/prostitute named Sweet Alice. We don't know the whole story of their relationship with this woman, but that makes the scene more interesting. Hutch and Sweet Alice obviously have some history and Starsky stays to the side and lets Hutch do the talking. DS gives Hutch a nice touch in that scene. So we just have a lot of interactions going on as Starsky and Hutch race around to track the criminals and save the wife.
I guess it is time that I forgive George McCowan for the Playboy Island episode at the beginning of Season 3 and give him credit for this episode and all the others that he directed that were very good. Of the 14 episodes he directed, which includes two of the very best ones of the series, only the Playboy Island one was out-of-control and bad. It's time to stop holding that one show against him, give him his due for everything else and accept that Playboy Island was the outlier. (It really was; even additional viewings will not change my mind about that one).
This is my final review of Season 1 episodes. I think my average rating for all of Season 1 is around 7.5, so it was a very good set of shows and a good start for Starsky and Hutch. I'll be quite happy to watch and enjoy most of these episodes multiple times.
