When a story has a lot of holes and feels sloppy, it's difficult to care about the outcome. This episode is the epitome of that type. It feels as if this got slapped together in a big hurry with no thought. And unfortunately, both DS and PMG play it like it was a pain in their necks to have to do it. So, in just about every way, it feels all wrong. But at least it doesn't drop into comic territory; that at least keeps it above a 5 rating - just barely.
The story is of a crazed actor who had been hit by a cab and crippled, taking his revenge by killing cabbies. The villain and his grandfather are played well, but the nature of the villain and his killer artificial hand are very old-time James Bond-ish. That this crippled, irrational guy can kill able-bodied men is not credible. The whole time table of the accident and when the guy gets out of the hospital and all the killings just don't fit at all. That Hutch visits the grandfather for no apparent reason at like 6am, just in time to get the info to save Starsky, is also mysterious. And we really needed a better injury for Starsky to sustain in order to have him feel at all threatened by the villain. All of those inconsistencies just make the story too hard to accept.
What's worse, though, is the way that Starsky and Hutch characters come across in this episode. DS is playing quite an angry Hutch here; he doesn't seem to have any patience or sympathy for anyone. Meanwhile, PMG's Starsky is acting like a man who really is sick of his job and wants to bag it. And it doesn't feel like it's just PMG's take on his Starsky character's feelings; It's much more like PMG is channeling his feelings about his job through Starsky's lines. Starsky as the all-night cabbie is tired and wants to go home; PMG also seems to want to be done with being Starsky and just go home. It's a bit sad that PMG and DS weren't able to enjoy themselves longer in playing these characters, because they could do it so well. I wish they could have reveled in the success instead of getting trapped by it.
This is my final review for episodes from Season 3. About half of them are worth watching again in the future, and the other half won't need to be seen again. The tone of the show was very uneven in Season 3, but some good stuff was done. I don't know if Starsky and Hutch could have worked in a different decade, but it feels like it was wasted in the 70s. It seems like it could have had a much better run and been handled smarter in a different time. It should have been the equivalent of an NYPD Blue or an NCIS of its time, but it didn't quite work out that way. More is the pity.
The story is of a crazed actor who had been hit by a cab and crippled, taking his revenge by killing cabbies. The villain and his grandfather are played well, but the nature of the villain and his killer artificial hand are very old-time James Bond-ish. That this crippled, irrational guy can kill able-bodied men is not credible. The whole time table of the accident and when the guy gets out of the hospital and all the killings just don't fit at all. That Hutch visits the grandfather for no apparent reason at like 6am, just in time to get the info to save Starsky, is also mysterious. And we really needed a better injury for Starsky to sustain in order to have him feel at all threatened by the villain. All of those inconsistencies just make the story too hard to accept.
What's worse, though, is the way that Starsky and Hutch characters come across in this episode. DS is playing quite an angry Hutch here; he doesn't seem to have any patience or sympathy for anyone. Meanwhile, PMG's Starsky is acting like a man who really is sick of his job and wants to bag it. And it doesn't feel like it's just PMG's take on his Starsky character's feelings; It's much more like PMG is channeling his feelings about his job through Starsky's lines. Starsky as the all-night cabbie is tired and wants to go home; PMG also seems to want to be done with being Starsky and just go home. It's a bit sad that PMG and DS weren't able to enjoy themselves longer in playing these characters, because they could do it so well. I wish they could have reveled in the success instead of getting trapped by it.
This is my final review for episodes from Season 3. About half of them are worth watching again in the future, and the other half won't need to be seen again. The tone of the show was very uneven in Season 3, but some good stuff was done. I don't know if Starsky and Hutch could have worked in a different decade, but it feels like it was wasted in the 70s. It seems like it could have had a much better run and been handled smarter in a different time. It should have been the equivalent of an NYPD Blue or an NCIS of its time, but it didn't quite work out that way. More is the pity.
