This is another Season 1 episode that I don't quite know how to rate. A lot of these episodes are mostly solid but don't stand out with any special story line or dialog. This one fits that category and might get a 7 rating if not for some of the visual mistakes that detract from the show.
The premise of this episode is basically in the title; a dirty ex-cop who was put in jail by Captain Dobey escapes from prison and come back to kill the captain and his family. Starsky and Hutch and the whole force work to keep that from happening. Despite that, the criminals manage several near misses, but are ultimately foiled.
Starsky and Hutch seem to be friends with Dobey's family, even though we have never seen any of them before (and will never see any of them again). They call his wife by her first name and comfort his little girl when she's scared. TV in the 70s didn't allow for character development from week to week, so we are often faced with new people for whom we have no background. That's just the way it was.
I thought Mrs. Dobey's character see-sawed between tough and hysterical just a little too much. She has the fortitude to smash the prep with a fireplace poker AND to shoot him before he can get into her home, but she dissolves into hysterics when Starsky and Hutch show up. She got no credit for her tough stand in scaring off the attack; everyone just comforts her. Women in the 70s got no respect for being capable.
There is a cringe-worthy scene in this episode where Starsky and Hutch ply their heavy- set informant with donuts, all the while referring to him as "Fatso" and "Fatman". I'm quite sure this was humorous forty years ago, but now Starsky and Hutch come off as inconsiderate bullies. It's actually quite shocking and really indicates how attitudes have changed during this passage of time. Even if there is still discrimination toward heavy people, no one would ever speak like this now, and Starsky and Hutch certainly wouldn't. It's a strange scene to watch now.
But mainly it was just that there are so many visual mistakes. Some are noted in the goofs section of this page, with the clothes changing in the car scene and Starsky driving from the wrong side of the car. Additionally, the whole shoot-out from the hearse is messed up. The bad guy is shooting from a coffin in the back of the hearse, but how? It looks like it's thru the window, but when we see the hearse, the window is not open. Then when it drives away, the shooter has moved from the coffin in the back to the passenger seat in a matter of a few seconds. Things that make you go "What"?
So, when an episode does not have anything special going for it, it at least needs to be tight and well-done. Since this one isn't, it falls from the 7 rating it would have gotten down to a 6.
The premise of this episode is basically in the title; a dirty ex-cop who was put in jail by Captain Dobey escapes from prison and come back to kill the captain and his family. Starsky and Hutch and the whole force work to keep that from happening. Despite that, the criminals manage several near misses, but are ultimately foiled.
Starsky and Hutch seem to be friends with Dobey's family, even though we have never seen any of them before (and will never see any of them again). They call his wife by her first name and comfort his little girl when she's scared. TV in the 70s didn't allow for character development from week to week, so we are often faced with new people for whom we have no background. That's just the way it was.
I thought Mrs. Dobey's character see-sawed between tough and hysterical just a little too much. She has the fortitude to smash the prep with a fireplace poker AND to shoot him before he can get into her home, but she dissolves into hysterics when Starsky and Hutch show up. She got no credit for her tough stand in scaring off the attack; everyone just comforts her. Women in the 70s got no respect for being capable.
There is a cringe-worthy scene in this episode where Starsky and Hutch ply their heavy- set informant with donuts, all the while referring to him as "Fatso" and "Fatman". I'm quite sure this was humorous forty years ago, but now Starsky and Hutch come off as inconsiderate bullies. It's actually quite shocking and really indicates how attitudes have changed during this passage of time. Even if there is still discrimination toward heavy people, no one would ever speak like this now, and Starsky and Hutch certainly wouldn't. It's a strange scene to watch now.
But mainly it was just that there are so many visual mistakes. Some are noted in the goofs section of this page, with the clothes changing in the car scene and Starsky driving from the wrong side of the car. Additionally, the whole shoot-out from the hearse is messed up. The bad guy is shooting from a coffin in the back of the hearse, but how? It looks like it's thru the window, but when we see the hearse, the window is not open. Then when it drives away, the shooter has moved from the coffin in the back to the passenger seat in a matter of a few seconds. Things that make you go "What"?
So, when an episode does not have anything special going for it, it at least needs to be tight and well-done. Since this one isn't, it falls from the 7 rating it would have gotten down to a 6.
