Terror On The Docks

DVD, Starsky & Hutch S1 (Terror On The Docks)

Not a bad story, not one of the best, but it had elements about it, particularly regarding the partnership of S&H, who are at their jokey best, my favourite moment being the scene after the fight on the docks (one of the better fights so far in the series, though Starsky's stunt double was clearly visible in a shot or two), where Starsky braves the cold sea thinking Hutch might have gone down. It's a typical thing for one of them to do for the other, and it's also typical that one ends up looking silly - Hutch had already got out, and it's much to Starsky's displeasure that he ends up being the one with a cold, though it gives him reason to wear the thick, knitted jacket he wore in the pilot, and for Huggy to pop over to Hutch's place with broth - Hug hasn't been needed so much because episodes have been focusing less on the seedy side of the city, Huggy's speciality. This one features busy docks, offices and a church, with only the rundown sinister dwelling of the charlatan Ezra Beame to bring the tone down. I wonder if that was included, with all his pagan paraphernalia, to 'balance out' the positive church view we get? The opening is great fun, with the jolly, rosy-cheeked Father one of the only characters who could fall into the quirky list, along with his opposite number, Ezra, both chubby little round-faced figures!

Most of the action is with hardened criminals or if we do see others, they're either Nancy, an ordinary girl, or Mr. Banks, Father of Ted, who's murdered cold-bloodedly by Billy. The actor that played the Dad was clearly accomplished, seeing how much he wrings out of his only scene, making the episode more affecting, as it is when S&H get an earful from an angry Nancy after confronting Billy in his den. She's another of those people Starsky or Hutch knew years ago and only recently have come into contact with again in time to foil some nefarious plot by those around them, but I'd probably award this with being the first in that category. The episode also falls much more into a category of reality, with serious crooks out doing serious violence, though Billy is a tough one to pin down. He's happy to manipulate Nancy, yet doesn't seem all that intelligent. He's happy to 'burn' anyone he feels like, yet doesn't take obvious enjoyment from it. Maybe he feels the power over people, and with a stronger performance we might have had a worthier villain to go up against S&H, but he comes across as a daring sort that's been fairly fortunate so far - he even pulls off his mask whenever he jumps in a car!

If Billy was unconvincing in his position, he makes Nancy look rather stupid, she not realising he's been pumping her for information. She seems like a nice, ordinary girl, yet she's been so easily used. Perhaps it was having her Catholic Mother around so much, who was rather a force to be reckoned with? S&H should have realised Billy was bad news thanks to his slapdash ways - arriving late, littering with his gum wrappers. Other people who looked stupid in this episode: the police guy that was watching the gang at work - he's running around close to them speaking on his radio and doesn't expect anyone to spot him in broad daylight? Actually that's another point: there wasn't much terror on the docks, and maybe if it had been filmed at night there would have been, though night filming was probably expensive and difficult to make work on film. The other person left looking stupid was the masked guy that goes to grab a box which Billy then tells to leave. It looks from the weight of it that it's empty, so he wasn't going to get any Japanese cameras from that.

There are a few action moments that aren't done badly (not including the halfhearted attempt to run S&H over with Ted's van - why was he so eager to speak to them after he'd done that?). As well as the fight on the docks, we have Billy exiting down the outside of a building and shooting at Starsky, Hutch chasing him at the end, and a shootout in Beame's house (I was also expecting a bit of a punch up after Starsky overturned the poker table, but they were wise enough not to go for it). The house looked like a familiar location, so they may have returned to film there again. No wonder, as it seemed to have magical properties. Not the cult stuff - the inside appeared bigger and longer with its hall, than the outside, which appeared square.

Not a lot of the usual tropes of the series, no running jokes, but there were references: actors Vincent Price (I'd heard of), and Gene Autry (I hadn't heard of), though they never actually named a Western or the film about the elephants being shipped over. Nancy's Mum got in a mention of the Three Stooges, who were a comedy team that made films. And look out for a rare chance to see another Gran Torino - Billy's partner in crime drives a burgundy one which has the name clearly stamped on the side in one early shot. I would also mention Kenneth Tobey as Wilkins, the guy who's docks are full of terror - he was in a lot of films, including westerns (and an episode of 'DS9'), though sadly he wasn't in the scene where Starsky talks about the genre. Not quite there as a full episode, but one of the more promising entries in Season 1.

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