Sweet Revenge

DVD, Starsky & Hutch S4 (Sweet Revenge)

Not a disappointment as I wasn’t expecting much. Oddly this last episode is similar to the finales of both 'BUGS' and 'The Champions' with a main character spending most of the time in a hospital bed. Never works all that well. It might have been better to have all the characters involved in some big mission, but it was good the way Dobey and Huggy were more involved, and felt like they knew this was their last hurrah.

Directed by Paul Michael Glaser so you know it's going to have a lot of ponderous camera shots and not much of Starsky. Actually there aren't too many of those shots, and there's a good reason for Starsky's smaller part. Directing was again a bit florid or obvious, but there were some nice touches, and he has learned as a director.

Sometimes I think it might have been better to have him die, to make more impact and an unexpected end, but then I think it wouldn't have been in the style of the series. It didn't usually go out of it's way to be different, and it had a lot of humour, and a sad ending wouldn't have fitted even if it had given greater resonance to the final episode (like in 'Starsky's Lady'). I did wonder if they would actually be brave and kill off Starsky, it being the last and all. I really was unsure... up until the bit in the hospital when the doc says he might pull through. Then you know that it’s not going to be anything 'special'. But it would have been a very sad end.

The scene at the end is purely for those four actors. I think they must have known this was it, and it's so nice to have them all together just 'goofing'. It was the right way to finish the series, and a heartwarming little moment.

The episode proper wasn't too bad, but wasn't that exciting either. I was a bit confused about the villains and the story wasn’t particularly well put together. The attempts on their lives, like the 'Targets' serial could have been more and better. And Starsky and Hutch don't seem to have much to do with bringing down the organisation, it seems to be falling apart on it's own. Good that they brought back the villains from 'Targets' even if they weren't really used all that well over all. The important part is the last scene, and if the rest of the episode had been as enjoyable as that it could have been great.

I suppose that sums up for the series in my eyes. 'Could have been great.' To those in the 70's who saw it then, no doubt it had more impact, and people still love it today, but I find there are probably about 50% of episodes that aren't worth watching, or only show flashes of brilliance. But they weren't trying to change the TV world, only make a successful series. And in terms of the characters and some of the episodes they did succeed, and it is still a good watch today. So, 'Starsky & Hutch' then... It went out as it lived. Not particularly inspiring, not always at it’s best, but likeable and a good watch.

**