I recently saw this one for the first time, though I am a big fan of 70's and 80's series. Basically, Hutch gets kidnapped because some gangster wants his girlfriend, and they try to make Hutch tell them where she is by getting him hooked on heroin. After a week of injecting him with the stuff he is hopelessly addicted and talks, however he manages to escape. A brilliant scene follows, where Starsky finds his partner and together with Huggy Bear, they hide him. He basically has to go through 48 hours of hell to get all the heroin out of his system, and seeing his partner suffer like this, Starsky decides to hunt the people who did this to him down. Everything is acted out into detail, the episode is without a doubt the best one I have seen, and a triumph to the producers.
3 Reviews
Stunning
monomerd25 July 2016
Warning: Spoilers
I think this is the first episode where we see a unique and special quality of work by PMG and David Soul that is going to make this show a major hit. It's not just your typical cop show now. The pacing and the writing and the acting and the staging all work together to make this a very dramatic, dynamic and memorable episode.
Hutch gets kidnapped and is forcibly given heroin in order to get info from him. We know Hutch is in trouble, but Starsky doesn't yet, so that builds drama and draws the viewer into the show. Starsky starts to get concerned that something is wrong and starts looking for Hutch. Finally, when Hutch manages to escape, Starsky finds him and he's in really bad shape. That scene is done really well by PMG because he gives great facial expressions to show his mind is racing to figure out what has happened to Hutch and then what to do.
The next scenes with Starsky helping Hutch thru his withdrawal from the drug are some of the best of the series. First Starsky has to hold on to Hutch as he goes thru the terrors. They both do great with this, and there are more facial expressions from PMG that lets you know he's worried he's not going to get Hutch back the way he was before. Then you have more interaction where Starsky stands by patiently while Hutch rages around like a caged animal. There is a great scene where they sit across from each other and Starsky tries to get Hutch to remember what happened and think of clues to help find the culprits. Starsky is patient and determined, Hutch is still haunted and hurting and wants it all to just go away. When Starsky sees that Hutch is thru the worst part and is going to be OK, he sets out to find the people who did this to him and make them pay.
The quality of the scenes of Starsky helping Hutch thru his withdrawal is due largely to that elusive factor of "chemistry" that everyone notes between PMG and David Soul. From my perspective, the real source of it is their ability to let each other into their personal spaces and be physically close to each other without being self-conscious or uncomfortable. Every culture has acceptable, unspoken rules for personal space and appropriate contact between men and women, women and women, and men and men, depending on relationships and situations. These scenes that include the close physical contact between Starsky and Hutch signal that their relationship is at the highest level of safety and security for both of them. This is powerful stuff, and that PMG and David Soul can pull this off is why everyone watches them and calls it "chemistry".
In one of the final scenes, Starsky helps Hutch climb down from the top of the fence where he has jumped to safety. Hutch falls into Starsky for a spontaneous hug. From one safe perch to the other. And a big silent "thank you" for pulling him thru. There are no words; words wouldn't say it all anyway. Starsky's happy laugh signals everything is going to be fine. So the symbolism and actions are even more expressive than the dialog. Somebody was really on his game when he put together these scenes. I would have loved to have been around in the day to see how they evolved. What was scripted and planned, what happened spontaneously, what PMG and David Soul cooked up between them in playing out their characters. I think this episode set the stage for a lot of fine work to come.
Hutch gets kidnapped and is forcibly given heroin in order to get info from him. We know Hutch is in trouble, but Starsky doesn't yet, so that builds drama and draws the viewer into the show. Starsky starts to get concerned that something is wrong and starts looking for Hutch. Finally, when Hutch manages to escape, Starsky finds him and he's in really bad shape. That scene is done really well by PMG because he gives great facial expressions to show his mind is racing to figure out what has happened to Hutch and then what to do.
The next scenes with Starsky helping Hutch thru his withdrawal from the drug are some of the best of the series. First Starsky has to hold on to Hutch as he goes thru the terrors. They both do great with this, and there are more facial expressions from PMG that lets you know he's worried he's not going to get Hutch back the way he was before. Then you have more interaction where Starsky stands by patiently while Hutch rages around like a caged animal. There is a great scene where they sit across from each other and Starsky tries to get Hutch to remember what happened and think of clues to help find the culprits. Starsky is patient and determined, Hutch is still haunted and hurting and wants it all to just go away. When Starsky sees that Hutch is thru the worst part and is going to be OK, he sets out to find the people who did this to him and make them pay.
The quality of the scenes of Starsky helping Hutch thru his withdrawal is due largely to that elusive factor of "chemistry" that everyone notes between PMG and David Soul. From my perspective, the real source of it is their ability to let each other into their personal spaces and be physically close to each other without being self-conscious or uncomfortable. Every culture has acceptable, unspoken rules for personal space and appropriate contact between men and women, women and women, and men and men, depending on relationships and situations. These scenes that include the close physical contact between Starsky and Hutch signal that their relationship is at the highest level of safety and security for both of them. This is powerful stuff, and that PMG and David Soul can pull this off is why everyone watches them and calls it "chemistry".
In one of the final scenes, Starsky helps Hutch climb down from the top of the fence where he has jumped to safety. Hutch falls into Starsky for a spontaneous hug. From one safe perch to the other. And a big silent "thank you" for pulling him thru. There are no words; words wouldn't say it all anyway. Starsky's happy laugh signals everything is going to be fine. So the symbolism and actions are even more expressive than the dialog. Somebody was really on his game when he put together these scenes. I would have loved to have been around in the day to see how they evolved. What was scripted and planned, what happened spontaneously, what PMG and David Soul cooked up between them in playing out their characters. I think this episode set the stage for a lot of fine work to come.
The Girl Was Not Worth It
eti5511 May 2014
Warning: Spoilers
This is the first of many episodes where Hutch hooks up with the wrong girl. In this case the girl Hutch is in love with is Jeannie, who used to be the girlfriend of a psychotic gangster named Forest (Robert Loggia). She's hiding from him and makes Hutch swear not to tell anyone, not even Starsky, the location of the beach house where she's staying. Hutch is planning on spending his vacation with her, but before he can get there he's kidnapped by Forest's men at his place. They spend the next few days getting Hutch hooked on heroin, then they cut him off to get him to talk (pretty evil stuff).
Meanwhile, Hutch is late getting back from his vacation and nobody seems to know where he is. You would think that if this girl really cared about Hutch that she would have told, oh, maybe Starsky that Hutch never showed up, right? Nope.
She never says anything. Ultimately Hutch breaks from the pain from the withdrawals and tells Forest where to find Jeannie, and given her inaction after Hutch was a no show, she got what she deserved.
The episode does a good job depicting heroin addiction and David Soul portrays the pain of withdrawals in a way that's all too real. It also shows how tight S&H really are as partners and friends. But it's so unpleasant to watch, and pointlessly so, given how useless this girl is.
It should be no surprise that in a future episode Hutch unknowingly falls for a hooker.
Meanwhile, Hutch is late getting back from his vacation and nobody seems to know where he is. You would think that if this girl really cared about Hutch that she would have told, oh, maybe Starsky that Hutch never showed up, right? Nope.
She never says anything. Ultimately Hutch breaks from the pain from the withdrawals and tells Forest where to find Jeannie, and given her inaction after Hutch was a no show, she got what she deserved.
The episode does a good job depicting heroin addiction and David Soul portrays the pain of withdrawals in a way that's all too real. It also shows how tight S&H really are as partners and friends. But it's so unpleasant to watch, and pointlessly so, given how useless this girl is.
It should be no surprise that in a future episode Hutch unknowingly falls for a hooker.
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