The Bounty Hunter

DVD, Starsky & Hutch S1 (The Bounty Hunter)

My main thought was 'this guy isn't much of a bounty hunter.' When an episode is named for a guy, you expect him to live up to the name, and while I understand that bounty hunting is a real profession, and not some kind of Boba Fett fantasy figure, they could have come up with better casting and a better idea for an adversary for S&H, than Bo Rile. He's under the thumb of the silver-maned Lola, he barely shows any cunning, and he doesn't even kill anyone himself, failing in the attack on Denise, Jerry Konig's girl! He's a chubby, middle-aged bore in a brown suit, and his only claim to fame is that he makes S&H look silly (even getting away with breaking, entering, and attacking Denise, claiming he's a bounty hunter, so, like, he can go where he pleases if it's for the cause, right?), since they can't even spot that it's him running away from "Konig's" crime scenes, who looks nothing like the man, and he keeps popping up there. But then S&H, or Hutch at least, is too busy gazing at exotic dancers or thinking about his girlfriend to be much use this episode. It doesn't help that the whole production has a beige and brown veil to it in the locations they visit (some of which look familiar - the bail bonds area, the clothing store, the alley outside the Mission Ice House), the clothing that's worn and the plot, too, could be described in that way.

It's not that it's a terrible episode and I wouldn't call it out as the worst of the season because it's not boring and there is some enjoyment to be had in seeing S&H do their typical thing of darting round the city on a mission, talking to a few oddballs and nagging at each other in that warm way. At the same time, it's not a very good story and there isn't much action going on, the highlights in that department being the confrontation at the abandoned dock/dump area where they once again take on a shooter with a rifle and have to get to him before he kills them, just as in 'Texas Longhorn' and 'Jo-Jo.' To give Bo his dues, he did get the upper hand in that shootout, knowing when to scarper, but he gets his comeuppance at the paint factory in the best part of the episode: Starsky (his stunt double anyway), leaps through a stack of metal cans, taking Rile down a staircase, then they tussle around shelving full of paint tins that splash all over them (reminding me of the 'Smallville' episode 'Shimmer'), and Hutch (stunt Hutch), throws him around a bit too. I don't usually notice Hutch's double, but in this episode I saw him twice - in this fight, where no matter how hard he keeps his head down, you can see in the body language that it isn't Hutch, and when he takes Rile down as he's trying to kill Denise.

Both times Hutch does his trademark move of leaping onto the baddie's back to tackle him to the floor (or was that Starsky's move?). Both S&H also do the roll over the bonnet of the Torino as if they know this is the last episode so they're going to get in as many of the expected cliches as possible. That runs to the pop culture references too, as if they'd stored up all the unused credits of the last few episodes and crammed them all into this one. I lost track of how many there were, but Starsky's weird book of 'facts' was responsible for such subjects as Big Foot and The Red Baron; we see a villain reading a Marvel Comic ('Werewolf By Night' - ironic, considering he looked a bit like one); George Brent and Bette Davis come up thanks to the Hollywood clothing store; 'Police Story' is mentioned (presumably a cop show); and there's even time for Starsky to do his Bogart impression ("You better believe it, shweetheart!"). Something I learned was the origin of the word 'geek,' according to Starsky the name for circus performers with repulsive acts in which ugly people run around gobbling up snakes and chicken heads. The funny thing is they're discussing this from his book, and then the modern interpretation of the word is seen in his and Huggy's realisation they've both read the same book, and their enthusiastic discussion of it!

The running jokes are more apparent than they have been in recent episodes, with the book being the main one, Starsky's complete belief in its stories giving Hutch reason to tease him. The other thing going on is Hutch's preparations for his two-day fast with girlfriend Abigail, meaning he's eating fruit all the time (if I was him, I wouldn't have consumed anything while in the environment Monty lived in!), and the kind of weird health food Starsky always has such aversion to. The other biggie is the much-missed "I'm Starsky, he's Hutch," the variation this time being from a guy with a speech impediment who calls them Starchy (or Starpy) and Hup, making it "I'm Starchy, he's Hup." Eddie Hoyle was a nice old guy, one of the victims of society that S&H like to be befriend, it seems, though I knew he wasn't going to die as he's one of the few who comes back in Season 2. His treatment at the hands of Bo, and mind of Lola, make them more villainous than they would have seemed otherwise, and he was a likeable character in the quirky vein.

There were things in the plot that didn't go anywhere, unfortunately something of a flaw for the series. This time it was Jim Nedloe and his wife, set up as if they're going to be integral to the story, and then all but dropped, Nedloe's trip to intensive care only there to show how dangerous Bo Rile is, that he'll go to the lengths of shooting a cop if it keeps the cover story going. It was another time when I found myself wishing Nedloe, or even his wife had been a character we'd known before the episode or had had meaningful scenes with, as that would have given us some connection to them and would have given his attack meaning. We don't know them, they aren't so well written that we want to know them better (see my review of 'DS9' episode 'The Ship' for an example of that being done right), so there's no cost in seeing them hurt, except to send a message to S&H, and get Dobey riled up.

The thing is, there's a negative feel running through the episode and it ranges from characters, to the places they inhabit. We have two people with speech impediments (one, Konig, so Bo can imitate his voice and fool Denise, and the other Eddie, to gain sympathy), with little reason except to use them because of it, and Monty Voorhees, a former 'geek' circus performer, shown living in a mess. But there's no sympathy for him, and S&H feel perfectly justified in antagonising him with nasty teases which is one of those things that tells of its time, and something modern policing wouldn't allow. Monty seems like a bit of a victim himself, so there isn't the usual amusement from these quirky characters, they're not really funny at all, and so when they are made fun of, it's S&H that look bad. There's a degree of bad taste, or at the very least, a lack of professionalism from the detectives, which isn't usually the case. Take the black couple at the beginning, Jim Nedloe and his wife - S&H are having some banter and wife-beating comes up as a joke! I know it's not to be taken seriously and it's far too easy to find fault in a politically correct way, but it stood out to me as not being quite appropriate. There's also the way they charge around waving their guns and frightening the general public, before imperiously holding up their badges to quell any fear two young men with large guns might have on innocent passersby, but by then it was too late.

I didn't like the seedy aspect to the episode, either, not that the Jungle Club was the worst place they've visited (look out for the guy behind the goldfish bowl - I'm sure he's a stock extra that's been in other episodes, such as 'Texas Longhorn' with the blood clinic where he stares at S&H like… well, a goldfish), but it seemed like the makers were really proud of this set they'd built, so we had to see it for as long as possible - let's get people watching with all the 'exotic' dancing, regardless of plot (and embarrassingly, like the sleazy shot of Huggy in the cinema, used in this season's opening credits so you're constantly reminded of that scene, they liked the dancing so much they used it in other seasons' opening credits!). The only good things about it were the monkey with the flashing eyes, and the traffic lights pinched from Starsky's home set!

I felt Denise was a weak character, who, considering her job, wasn't exactly the most upright person to be trying to 'reform' Jerry. She was also very gullible both times she was rung up by Jerry's killers. But it was Hutch who was at his worst, gazing at the blonde dancer for ages in the same episode in which his girlfriend features most! Again, it made him look bad, and only if it turned into some shamefaced joke on him at the end, would it have made sense for the story. Instead, we get him and Starsky having dinner at his place, made by Abi, and the joke's on Starsky (whose wacky jumper and squirming at the food is admittedly comical), and then it ends with a dull line about Starsky keeping an eye on Hutch. And that's it? I wanted something that felt like an ending, with Huggy and Dobey along, but maybe they didn't know this was going to be the last episode of the season?

It was good that Abi was in the series so much, from her introduction in 'The Deadly Imposter,' return in 'Silence' and the odd mention in other episodes, culminating here in her definite position as Hutch's girlfriend, and it was something I'd never noticed before, even watching the episodes in order, because it's so underplayed. I'm not sure if she came back in Season 2, but I have a memory of him having to say goodbye to some blonde girl, so maybe it was her - I'll pay more attention in future. That's one good thing about writing down your thoughts in review form after each episode: it gives you a more cohesive sense of the season as a whole, and little references dropped here and there become recognisable as parts of S&H's lives, something you might not always understand if you watch episodes singly, since they were designed to be viewed without prior knowledge so people weren't put off by thinking they'd missed important information.

It has also made it possible to see its developments as a weekly creation. It began as one thing, sort of nudged into something else, and by this episode had merged those two sides, though not in the most accomplished way. The pilot was all about S&H against a corrupt city, a corrupt police authority, only able to fully trust and rely on each other. Then with Captain Dobey becoming their strong advocate, even while chewing them out on a regular basis, they weren't alone any more and so they could have a bit more fun, and they also had help from Huggy Bear, so there became more of an ensemble feel. That's why the first half of the season works better, and once Dobey and Huggy's roles were stripped back again, after they'd begun to build them up, Huggy losing his locale and sense of place, Dobey appearing in less scenes (though in this one he does get out of the office, and shows frustration at the injustices of perpetrators getting off to shoot cops), it returned more to the idea of S&H out there on their own, though never in the same isolation thanks to them having so many friends on the street or in the force. I've been judging episodes on whether they fall into the hard and dirty negative category or the promising and hopeful positive. Later episodes have blurred the boundaries a little, but the distinction still held true throughout.

This episode falls back into negativity through the strange more than wacky people they meet (such as Voorhees), the rundown parts of the city they go to, and the lowdown things that take place. At the same time there's never a mood of despair or S&H taking their lives into their hands for the protection of the city - they have plenty of banter, and it's more about Bo and Lola trying to keep the wool pulled over their eyes, than any danger to themselves or people they care about. So it was an uneasy mishmash of style and content that doesn't end the series on a high. Season 1 was generally much more serious and realistic (in this episode we actually see Hutch reload his gun, for once!), compared with later series, but Season 2 was the better season because although it moved into more humour, playing up their characters, it also had better action and stories and was a bit freer in what it could do, summed up in the change of title music. Season 3 was the pendulum swinging back to Season 1 seriousness, and 4 was the other way, and it's an interesting progression to watch, and one I look forward to commenting upon.

**