Shanbo5150 Reviews

Starsky and Hutch: A Body Worth Guarding (1978) Season 3, Episode 14

Starsky & Hutch Channel The Young & the Restless

[2/10 · 1 May 2014]

The boys are tasked with protecting a visiting Soviet prima ballerina who is being targeted by neo-Nazis in order to blame dissident Jews protesting her visit. After the initial setup, it's a rapid segue into soap opera land as Hutch and the Ruskie fall head over heels.

Once again, the natural chemistry of Glaser and Soul and the edginess and pace of earlier scripts is sublimated to satisfy some bizarre quest to transform the show into a daytime TV romantic romp. The fact that this one involves two starry-eyed love bugs whose jobs as detectives is relegated to a minor storytelling detail does nothing whatsoever to redeem this snore-inducing episode.

Starsky and Hutch: I Love You, Rosey Malone (1977) Season 3, Episode 3

Starsky and Hutch Go Soap

[2/10 · 22 April 2014]

I'm part-way through the third season, and this is not looking good. Gone is the pace replaced with the pathos; the car's used for smooching not chasing. The impact and excitement of the first series is completely absent in this drippy, maudlin soap opera. The plodding, formulaic dialog is delivered without conviction or effort. This is hugely disappointing as the show once relied upon edgy, intelligent story lines and well-rounded characters. It would be fascinating to know who or what sent the show into such a mind-numbing spiral of forgettable dross. If this episode sets the tone for the rest of series 3, I'm amazed they managed to pull off a 4th.