Savior

DVD, Smallville S9 (Savior)

Not so much a story as a cacophony of people and places, none of which is terribly coherent. In fact, the series is triumphant in its quest: it genuinely does feel like a comic book on TV. In other words, almost impenetrable, full of characters that don't really mean anything, events that flash by with a minimum of fuss or relevance, and a story you need to read every part of to even begin to make sense of. Maybe that's unfair to comics, I'm sure there are plenty of great ones out there amidst the tens of thousands of mediocre fare, but this is what I think when I think 'comic book.' As you can see, this is hardly a compliment, and I'm afraid I found very little to praise in an episode that feels more like a blockbuster film in terms of the quality of the writing and the ability for nothing to seem like it matters, than an episodic TV series. If there could be any doubt, this is extreme serialisation, but it couldn't be more dense with the foliage of confusion than if they'd been hopping around through time. I'm hoping time travel will explain the reappearance of Zod, since he's apparently meant to be younger, a Major at the head of a Kryptonian army. This is what came out of, or was drawn by, the purple orb Tess had last season, though she had her orders from someone else, she claims. It's fortunate that this army somehow lost its expected powers under the yellow sun of Earth or they might be a threat! As it is, they're bizarrely against their Major, and leader, until he gives a 'rousing' speech and gets them back on side, which only makes them look like very easily swayed lackeys: 'I saved over half the soldiers in this room,' he claims with tears in his eyes, then pushes down the black guy, and everyone falls at his feet?!

I was hoping there weren't going to be any scenes set in Smallville, for then I could render the immortal line 'there's now no Smallville in 'Smallville,'' but there was. They really make worthwhile use of those old sets that had so much meaning in the early seasons. I say sets, but what I mean is the barn, as the house isn't even glimpsed. This time the imperative action that takes place in there is… a fight. Clark uses all his ability, and the old trick of hanging a tractor engine up on a chain, then sending it swinging into his opponent - he must keep it up there for just that purpose as I can't imagine this version of Clark Kent pottering around farm machinery or putting in stakes. All that is beneath him nowadays, which I suppose is fair enough - if you've got Superman's abilities, you're not going to be a farmer all your life (though think of how many crops he could manage!). I didn't understand how he and this Kryptonian woman from the future (a ninja-type that arrives chasing Lois, with a mission to draw Clark out, which was easy to guess) ended up at the barn, having met at another barn that was hosting underground fighting matches. And was it she that left the burning 'S'-logo around where he'd been, or was Clark, in his new guise as just 'The Blur,' wanting to leave his mark? I was unsure of her powers as much as the army's, as she seemingly has them since she throws down the gauntlet of Blue Kryptonite with which to drain Clark's, making it a fairer fight in her scarily blue eyes. Then again, we see her again, a different version that Clark didn't mercilessly kill (even though he sort of had to as she felt it was a must to knock him off, or Earth would be destroyed), as part of the army.

We should talk about Clark's new identity, as he's now more Batman than Superman, having dropped the Red-Blue in 'Red-Blue Blur,' to go for a more stylish black, with a long black cape, sorry, I mean coat. The only thing missing from this disguise is Batman's cowl, or indeed any facial masking at all. This might have been a sensible addition for someone who goes around saving people, but wants to keep his identity a secret, as with all the CCTV cameras and phone cameras someone's bound to get him sooner or later. Oh, but that's right, he's a blur. Well yes, he is, but not when he's mooching about high above the city, or (in what was one nice moment for the episode), standing atop the Statue of Liberty, though that was lessened by the realisation that it was actually just a simulation in his mind as he tried to learn to fly. There must be cameras around in the upper regions of the city, just as below, that's my point. Simulations are about all he's doing successfully these days as he's back at the Fortress of Solitude, getting that training from his disembodied Pa, Jor-El. This is another aspect of the series I'd forgotten about - I thought The Fortress was destroyed, falling on Lex at the end of Season 7. I vaguely remember some other crystal, but I can't remember how the Fortress came back into being, only that it was there, since he fought Doomsday in it. I think (it's been a while). The trouble is, like Luke Skywalker he can't complete his training because of some outside connection - thoughts of Lois are distracting him.

She, of course, is still gooey over The Blur, and his exclusive chats with her at phone boxes, but the only time they meet is when she's unconscious, he having caught the train that was messed up in the time jump of Lois and her ninja assassin, and seeing her prone form. Otherwise he was busy with training. If this ninja woman is Kryptonian why didn't she completely mash Lois up, or burn her with her eyes, instead of getting knocked out in the crash. Granted, you could see they threw money at that sequence (another reason this feels reminiscent of big budget films, even though they couldn't stretch to fully believable CGI for the train crash), and it looked good, but it was ultimately rather pointless as we learn later it was just a ploy to get Clark to come. Except it didn't work, so it was just a ploy to make us think this is a cool series, instead of stringing us along, as it does! It was a bit of a weak suggestion that Clark can't fly because his mind won't let him, and that's because of his attraction to Lois, because Superman never had any trouble like that in other iterations, as far as I know. In a way, it was better when they just didn't acknowledge the flying, but they can't escape it now. Just as Clark can't escape Chloe's depressingly moaning nature, clearly jealous that he spends time chatting to Lois as The Blur (who thinks Clark's off somewhere visiting family), and he won't turn back time and save Jimmy. How selfish of him!

In terms of the other characters, we have a new actor, Callum Blue, stepping into the role of 'Person Who Will Die By The End of The Season,' as Major Zod. He's English, so he must be bad… There's also Brian Austin Green of 'Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles' fame (I really wish he'd had a third season of that to go to rather than this), as field reporter John Corben, Dr. Hamilton returns as Chloe's willing associate, Tess has her own plan that the Kryptonian army somehow figure into, and Oliver Queen tries to drown his troubles in alcohol-fuelled underground fighting, whom Lois tracks down seemingly just to tell him that she's found someone who's a real hero. I get that she wants to help him get himself back together, and the more heroes the merrier, but that seemed very slight motivation for all the good he was going to be. Unfortunately our own Tom Welling must take some of the blame for the series' faults now, as he's become Co-Executive Producer as well as the series star, but perhaps that was the only way to get him to keep turning up to something that had seen better days a few years before. Still, I admire the longevity of the series, if not the narrative structure, lack of sense and character, and the mess that it all appears to be in. Maybe if I were to watch a chunk of episodes in one go it would be easier to digest, instead of feeling like I stumbled into somebody else's TV show that I missed up to now, in which case 'Smallville' may do well in the Netflix era of binge viewing. For me, I like to have a rounded story to enjoy with a beginning, and a sense of conclusion, whether that be learning something about a character by what they go through, or feeling like an important piece of a greater puzzle has settled into place for me. In this case, I got neither.

There are the occasional throwback lines about Cousin Kara or Jonathan Kent's death, and the Blue Kryptonite, but it's not those things that are the problem. They were real people and events that happened, not flashes of stories that we have yet to understand the significance of. Even the characters were off, but you'd expect that in a world in which they've gone through the things they've gone through, as they'd probably be insane. Somehow they hold onto sanity, even if Chloe's become something of a thug, threatening people with a gun, hacking into a company's website because she's unhappy with the service she's getting, accusing Clark of losing all trace of humanity because he won't change history (with the time ring?), and save Jimmy. She even falls for the old trick Lois uses to escape her care, when she gives in to her cousin's demands too easily, going off to get a sedative! Schoolgirl error, there. Even her talk about Clark's absence not being about what she wants, but what the world needs, sounds eerily similar to 'The Dark Knight' ('the hero we need, not the hero we deserve,' or some such arrangement). Any suggestion that they were influenced by that film? Clark mentions that his old life seems very far away, and I'd have to agree, but his old life was a far more watchable life and I, for one, miss it. Still, I can always go back to Season 1 and 2, but I fear its memory may be sullied with so many seasons that messed with the formula and became a big, confusing mass to disguise the fact they couldn't write good stories any more.

**

Death In A Different Place

DVD, Starsky & Hutch S3 (Death In A Different Place)

Furthering the impression garnered by this season of a much more serious edge to proceedings, last time it was mental health, this time it's sexual politics, as a police Lieutenant is murdered in a dodgy hotel, and S&H find that they have to tread carefully as their superiors are watching and putting pressure on Dobey (now goatee-less again). It's serious in more ways than one as there aren't a lot of light moments, especially as Alec Corday, a 'narco' cop (narcotics, I guess, only he's a dealer rather than a deal-breaker!), murders people left, right and centre. A baddie on the inside, who can think on his feet, coming up with a plausible story for why he's at the apartment of a murdered man, is a dangerous type, not to mention ruthless and efficient. It all makes you ask where Internal Affairs are when you need them? It's not the first time we've had dodgy dealings on the force (look at Lieutenant Fargo and the group of vigilantes in last season's 'The Committee'), but there was never any mystery this time, Corday killing John Blaine right on camera at the start (or technically, in camera, as he pushes the pillow into the audience's face). There are a few 'in your face' moments during the episode, the directing style, in places, full on and dramatic: when S&H squeal up to the hotel we see their arrival from a shaky cam on-the-street view (reminiscent of a Season 1 episode, I can't recall which, though I think it was part of the credits, at some point), jiggling around as they push past the interested passersby.

The best scene is the chase of Nick Hunter, the suspect in the Blaine killing, with closeups of his face as he dashes madly away from the pursuing Hutch in his battered old car, 'trash cans' snagged under it, but inexorably it keeps coming, until the missing Starsky suddenly belts round from the other side and catches him. The episode definitely falls into the negative view of the city, with seedy bars (The Green Parrot), and hotels (St. Francis), in a dodgy part of town (Holloway Boulevard), not to mention the familiar back alleys and streets. Like Hutch's car, the episode is rundown and dishevelled - speaking of which, the Torino lets the side down, as during a heat wave the engine keeps breaking down, meaning S&H's drive to work is messed up. This would have been a running joke in another season, but here it's just a 'light' opening for the buddies (where they get angry at each other!), and for much of the episode they use Hutch's dented vehicle, though inexplicably the Torino's fine again later! For a heat wave it's ironically overcast, missing the usual blue skies for the duration! If there'd been a reason for the Torino to be out of action I could have understood it, but it seemed to offer no connection to the story other than to open the episode. It felt a bit of a weak story, too, and despite flashes of directing flair (a nice sequence was Hunter's dramatic exit from Lawford's place, smashing a chair through a window, then leaping down into the alley, Corday following like a predator stalking his prey, the camera looking up at him as he traverses narrow concrete beams), it wasn't one of the most memorable.

If only they could have gone into more detail about the fact that Blaine was a friend of Starsky's, he'd grown up next to the family and the man had taught him how to fight, as I always love it when we hear some backstory to the main characters. Still, Starsky's quite shocked at the compromising position Blaine was discovered to be in, and we see the heartbreak of his wife at both his death and learning the truth, or accepting the truth, about her husband. Hutch doesn't really comment, but Starsky admits he doesn't know how he'd have felt if Blaine had told him, rather than living the double life he did, so that was interesting, but there's not a lot else of great interest, and very few of the usual gags or oddities. Sugar is the only wacky character (unless you count Lawford, who makes custard and calls it cooking, when he's nervous!), and really it's all an act (Hunter tells him to cut it, when things get serious), although in his stage performance we get the only pop culture references, as he does basic impressions of 'Marilyn,' 'Carol,' and 'Bette' at The Green Parrot. For once, Huggy goes undercover with Hutch (we first meet him, surprisingly, and inexplicably, in a smart suit, registering people to vote, so I'm not sure what his angle was there, whether he had something going or was genuinely assisting in a public service way, which seems very unlikely!). As nice as it was to see him in the episode, he really didn't have anything to do, you barely see him.

At least the showdown at the Parrot was a bit of action, with Corday using Sugar as a shield, S&H powerless to stop him, but they don't look powerless - Starsky shows one glinting eye round the corner as he watches Corday retreat down the corridor, like a tiger waiting to pounce as soon as the corridor's clear - a coiled spring ready to snap into full action, and rarely is it so apparent as there. I also liked the mirror trick, used to protect Hunter when he's the bait for Corday, who shoots the mirror image instead of the real man - it certainly had me fooled! There were one or two moments in the episode where S&H's stunt doubles looked likely, though usually it was too far away to tell, except when Starsky throws himself over the piano at the Parrot, and Hutch over the bar, to take out Corday. The joke at the end seemed halfhearted, as if they were driving away from the events of the episode and trying to think of something amusing to finish on, with Hutch asking Starsky if men that spend seventy-five percent of the time together are likely to have certain tendencies, which Starsky innocently agrees, having just admitted he's not for or against such things, but it's something to be contended with, then Hutch points out that that describes their partnership. Not very funny, in an episode which wasn't very funny, or notable. I thought I recognised Gregory Rozakis, who played Hunter, and I did: he was in Season 1's 'Pariah,' a far better story!

*

Lost City

DVD, Stargate SG-1 S7 (Lost City)

Someone was right about one thing (whoever it was that said it): it wasn't the best time for a change in Stargate leadership! This episode seems to go in circles, in that we don't find what we were looking for (beyond an immediate defence of Earth against Anubis' fleet), and it sags in places, though much happens. We have Hammond replaced, O'Neill once again using his head (in the most literal sense), and an actual attack on the planet. There's talk of full disclosure to the people about the SGC, a sense of things coming to an end, and the genesis of new beginnings. I'm not surprised they chose to put it out there as a feature-length episode rather than the usual two-parter, but I wasn't expecting it until I fired up the DVD! When it was shown on TV I saw it as two individual episodes, and while I sometimes think a feature-length works better than a split, I'm not sure in this case. Regardless, it was a good, solid story that ends a good, solid season. I'm glad they had everyone back together for this season, with Daniel's return, Dr. Fraiser alive for most of the season, and Hammond there in the backup position for his last year in command - even Jonas came back. Nowhere is that sense of family more evident than when Carter, followed by Daniel and Teal'c (brandishing doughnuts like a sacred password), followed by Hammond, show up at O'Neill's delightful house for an impromptu gathering - one last time for the five original members of the cast, as I believe this is where General George Hammond finally bid adieu to the series.

He may appear again, I don't know, but I remembered that he left the series, and since he's been reassigned by no less than President Hayes himself, it feels pretty final. His stint as Captain of the Prometheus, I imagine, was only a stopgap measure, his experience used to its full in defence of his world. I'm not sure the usual Captain would be too pleased to be stepped over at the time of greatest need, but as Dr. Jackson says to Dr. Weir, he's a great man. I'm not sure if he had the obvious experience in commanding a space vessel, but he's had plenty commanding a space crew, as his SG teams have gone into and through space many times, and no doubt combat experience counts for something. The real reason is to give Don S. Davis something special to do in his last episode as a cast member, so I can forgive any incredulity I may feel, and he gets to show Hammond's mettle by having the man order Prometheus into an attack run: if they're going to go down, they're going to take Anubis' ship with them! Of course, it may be that after this taste of battle, Hammond can retire in peace, something that he wanted to do before being co-opted by Hayes. It would be nice to think he'd stay around the White House as a sort of liaison/expert, that way they could bring him back for guest shots whenever needed. What am I saying? The series ended years ago, but I suppose I still think of it as coming out, from my point of view, especially as the next season was as far as I got on TV.

Space should be given for Hammond's successor, Dr. Elizabeth Weir, who immediately appears likeable. It's difficult introducing a new character in a series, especially this late in the day, but she quickly appealed - when I first saw her I thought it was Carter, but if anything, her hair's even wilder than the Major's! I wonder if they picked someone who looked similar to Carter to make things more interesting for O'Neill? I found myself hoping she was going to be a new cast member for the spinoff series, 'Stargate Atlantis,' as I imagined we'd be meeting some of them here, when in fact there's no connection to that series (as far as I know), except for the obvious of searching for Atlantis. Weir came across as capable, balanced, intelligent, assertive of her own views, but ready to listen, and you can't ask much more from a leader. There wasn't a lot of time to get to know her, what with events that called for even the President's handling, and that everyone's operating off their own back: Teal'c goes off with Bra'tac to find Jaffa willing to defend Earth (I thought he'd end up separated from the others as that tends to happen at the end of seasons), and most notably, Jack 'does it again,' by having his head filled with the Ancients' download device. You've got to credit his logic: Carter's brain is far too important, as is Daniel's, who was needed to translate, and Teal'c, well he's plenty deep. But Jack, well, he's got the emptiest head, so why not fill it with magic!

This, for me, is where things went round in a bit of a wild goose chase: they go to a planet where the download device is, Jack has it downloaded into his brain, then they blow it up (the device, not his brain), and as expected he starts to say weird stuff (weirder stuff than normal, I mean), and doing things on autopilot, taking them to another planet with the use of the ship Bra'tac procured (from Ronan, too easily as it turned out), all for the sake of a power unit from one 'outpost,' to take back to Antarctica, where they assume the Lost City will be, except it's just another 'outpost,' and we still don't know where the City is. I really thought it would be found, but I suppose you've got to have something for the 'Atlantis' pilot to do. Or the start of 'SG-1' Season 8. I like Super O'Neill, with his magical healing touch - I was in two minds as to whether Bra'tac would really die, as I'm always half expecting it, and it was a good setting: hovering in a ship over a lava planet, having it out with a spy of Anubis', Ronan (played by Marc Worden), seemed a little too eager to please, his voice too silky to be trusted, so I was ahead of them there. A good twist that he stabs Master Bra'tac in the symbiont, instead of the heart, and now that Bra'tac doesn't have one (a symbiont, not a heart), it's not so damaging to him. It still handicapped the old guy, but even with a bleeding wound, he was more than a match for the young pretender! I don't feel like we've seen enough of Bra'tac this season, so I was gratified by his involvement. And it makes a change from Jacob, who usually turns up piloting one of these ships!

It's a question who's the cheesiest baddie out of Anubis and Kinsey. If only the now-Vice President wasn't so snarling and obvious, preferring to use charm and wit to take people under his control, he might have a bit more success in that area. But both Hayes (who asks for his resignation), and Weir, are quick to realise what sort of man he is, and his threats fall on deaf ears, only securing his position as someone not to trust in their eyes. He tries ever so hard to get in early and direct Weir against SG-1, even admitting he wants them all out, but he picked the wrong woman in her - she hasn't had so much success brokering peace deals between nations for the UN to be easily bullied into decisions, as Kinsey finds out, and skulks off once again, snarling empty threats and slinking away like a beaten dog. The fate of Anubis is less clear. Did he get annihilated when his mothership went up in flames, or is he impossible to kill because he's not really there… A couple of times he pulls a 'not really there' trick in this reality, using holograms to dismay his enemies, but, like Kinsey, no one takes him for real. He's definitely an evil being, having his Kull Warriors mow down a troop of Goa'uld soldiers who failed to prevent SG-1 from destroying the all-important Ancients device, but he doesn't have a big voice in proceedings. And when he does speak, it's very theatrical… and cheesy. It was a great moment when O'Neill's automatic shenanigans controlling Ancients tech unleash golden jellyfish of death upon the enemy, with both the Warriors and Anubis' ships suffering.

I wonder how the jellyfish knew who to attack and who to spare? Was O'Neill in full control all the time, like a glorified gun? Whatever, he was very useful, even if he was strangely reticent about Carter, not encouraging her in her quest to say what she really feels. Maybe he's just embarrassed, or knows he'd probably have to resign if fraternisation occurred. What happened to her new boyfriend? Did he get scared off by all the weird stuff that happened earlier in the season? I have a feeling we'll be seeing him again. Actually, O'Neill did resign, but whether he meant it just for that particular mission, to put Carter in charge while he was unfit for duty, or permanently, is uncertain. I'm pretty sure he's in the series for Season 8, though probably leaving during or after that. Sticking him in a block of ice in the final moments was an odd way to end, reminding me more of a 'Smallville' season-ender than this series, but I suppose his brain had to be preserved for the time being, since the Asgard were nowhere to be found. I wish we'd at least had a reason for their lack of intervention, as that was the whole reason why Earth couldn't be attacked before - all they needed to do was have Thor send a message that the Replicators had overrun them, but that would have complicated matters. There is a line about all their alien allies being unreliable of late, so that gives us something to go on, and they didn't do a bad job recently of upsetting the alliance between the Tok'ra, Jaffa and Tare, so they must have been anticipating the dramatic need for Earth to stand alone here.

What more to say? The idea of telling the people of Earth about the existence of the 'gate, aliens and all, doesn't sit well with me. I prefer the mysterious, clandestine operation of the SGC program that it's always had, as it's harder to believe in a world where we all know. The President didn't get a chance to make his grand speech this time, but I fear it's only a matter of time. There's some nice little moments of action (the aforementioned knife fight between Bra'tac and Ronan; the attack on SG-1, and that other team, when attempting to retrieve the Lost City info; and the big battle over Antarctica), but it was the characters being together and being especially at home with each other that shone out. I liked Weir, I like the President, I like Kinsey being put in his place. It's all good, and for the time, the battle between Anubis and Jaffa ships was dramatic and fast. The mysteriousness of the Ancients' outposts was also suitably well shot, and I love that music which reminded me of the inside of a 'Zelda' or 'Metroid' Temple. Having the band back together certainly helped the episode, and the season in general, and while there seemed to be less emphasis on the ongoing System Lords/Anubis ramifications, I think that was good for giving the series a greater sense of reality as those bad guys so often come across as old-fashioned moustache-twirling villains. They also did a good job of continuing so many stories, and I look forward to seeing how things continue, due to my limited memory.

***

Murder Ward

DVD, Starsky & Hutch S3 (Murder Ward)

Another in the horror sub-genre of the series, is how I think of this one, but while it does go to extreme lengths to put it into that category, it tends to be much lighter in general, with the real fears, in themes such as Starsky beginning to identify with patients trapped in a mental ward, poking through only momentarily. The big giveaway that this is going to be a creepy episode (or supposed to be one), is the shuddering violin music that opens the episode and other scenes, usually focusing on the hospital (Cabrillo Mental Institution). This works fine when we see the building shrouded in darkness, but during the day, the sunny, blue skies and green lawns tend to exorcise the attempted mood. There's a slight worry when dealing with subject matter of those less fortunate, those that are subject to disturbing mental problems, that they can either be portrayed in comical ways that might encourage laughter at their childishness, or else paint them as dangerous, twisted evil to be feared. It's never an easy line to walk, and back in the seventies I'm not sure it was even considered that such things might be in bad taste. Fortunately, the inmates aren't really made fun of, even though I don't know whether such behaviour is natural when it comes to such illness, or whether it's stereotype. Either way, you can't deny that Starsky's undercover performance was a little more successful than with Rosey Malone.

This time he didn't fall in love with someone which upset his cover, he was ratted out by one of the patients who was put away by S&H, Charlie Deek. It would seem bad form for them not to consider the possibility that one of the psychos they caught might be residing at Cabrillo, but then where would the drama be? And it's fair to say that Deek makes the only really creepy scene of the episode, and perhaps the best moment of the season so far: Hutch, undercover as an orderly, has his apple drugged by Dr. Matwick, and as it begins to take effect, is met by Deek sporting a knife and eager to use it. Only five episodes in and this is the second episode in which Hutch is being attacked by a mad person with a blade - in this case Deek relishes the moment, whereas Diana Harman was all seething rage. Deek's slow advance is what saves Hutch, giving him time to stumble away in a nightmarish scenario, desperately pulling over chairs and any object he can in his semi-conscious state. The directing is excellent, with a distorted image of Deek grinning into camera which is a lot scarier than Papa Theodore's chuckling closeups. Here, too, the music comes into its own, and we're left on the edge of our seats as Starsky's already been put out of action by Matwick, tied to an examination bed and unable to intervene.

Matwick must have been a malevolent customer. Not only is he introduced smiling smugly at a glass case of mice, which tells you everything you need to know about his character, one which delights in experimentation on living creatures and the control it affords him, but he's happy to give in to the whims of Deek, and set up the Hutch hunt, when he could easily have just poisoned him, or shot him and Starsky at any time. He's not above murder, as the very reason S&H are there at all is because they're investigating suspicious deaths, undercover as Rudy Skyler and Hansen (surprisingly, no one says their names the wrong way round, though that could be because there's not meant to be any connection between them). Hutch doesn't do a bad job, it's not until Deek points them out that Matwick is informed of their true identities and profession, although I got the impression the Doctor was slightly suspicious of Hutch anyway, but then he seemed the sort to suspect any and everyone of ulterior motives, probably because he had his own huge ones! Someone else who wasn't fooled was Miss Bycroft, the main operator of the institution. She seems to be convinced by Starsky's madcap antics, but later, when Matwick has sent her to inject Starsky, instead she lets him go, in a great moment, and a continuation of the best scene.

This then allows Starsky to enter the fray to save his partner's life, chasing down Matwick in another excellently shot sequence, the portly Doctor running under the corridor lights, taking potshots at the pursuing, but unstoppable Starsky, until Hutch intervenes, tripping him. The raw emotion of rage on Matwick's face, his teeth gawping at them like a pike, shows just what a nasty customer he was. Not only did he murder patients, which he considered part of his research, he was quite comfortable with coldblooded murder of a colleague, when Switek, blackmailing him, meets his comeuppance and is found by the cleaning lady in a bath. So there are really three separate villains, all with their own agenda, but what interests me is that Deek was played by Blackie Dammett, who'd previously plagued Huggy in Season 2's 'Huggy Bear and The Turkey.' It would have been great if they could have somehow made him be the same character, although I allow it would have been difficult, since it was Huggy's episode, so S&H really had nothing to do with him. This was the more memorable role, for sure, his long face perfect as a menacing mental patient. Dammett wasn't the only recognisable face from previous episodes as we have Miss Bycroft played by Fran Ryan, who was also in Season 1's 'Jo-Jo,' Ned York as Switek, who was in 'Bust Amboy' in Season 2, and most impressively, Suzanne Somers as 'crusading girl reporter,' Jane Hutton, her third role in as many seasons (she was also in Season 1's 'Savage Sunday,' and 2's 'Vampire'), so they obviously liked her.

I didn't really believe in her character being able to get around the institution at will, never being questioned or noticed, even if she was used to it, and she never seemed the slightest like a mental patient, so it makes me wonder how she got inside. I suspect she bribed one of the orderlies to get her in and arrange some false papers, but if anyone had been paying attention they would have seen S&H and her making contact, but I suppose the staff had their hands full most of the time. If we're talking wacky characters you don't get much more than the group we have here: Weeze (played by Vincent Schiavelli who's face is in many a film and TV show), Howard, Bo and Freddie Lyle all fit that description. I suppose Weeze isn't that crazy a character, even if he did cheat at cards, but he was overly sad at the death of 'The Cabrillo Kid,' heartlessly squashed by Miss Bycroft after almost winning the First Annual Cabrillo Cockroach Derby, organised by Starsky to give Jane a diversion. You could never say the episode was boring! At the same time it doesn't really gel fully - if only the tone had been as strong as the attack at the end, it would have been a classic. It also returns to the usual ending that treats everything lightly and reminds us that the series is 'fun,' not serious, when S&H accompany Jane on a return visit to the institution to throw a party for the inmates. It is heartwarming, and is definitely one of those scenes that recalls the self-sacrificing aspect of their natures that we've seen many times before, but there's no thought to what drove a Doctor to perform illegal and aberrant experiments on innocent patients, or any further exploration of Starsky's feelings of isolation.

He never really has to experience true and total cutoff from the outside world - although neither Dobey nor Huggy are in the episode, since it takes place entirely within the institution, Hutch is never far away, as is another ally in Jane. Even so, he admits to feeling like a patient, a moment that was one of the more interesting, for me, as usually S&H aren't really that affected by their environment. Yes, they've railed against dirty streets and the bad people that pollute them, but this was something different. From the environment aspect I would say this was in the positive category, as despite clinical corridors and neat, clipped lawns not being exactly comforting, they're far from the miasma that sometimes is expressed on the street. And the party atmosphere ending the episode progresses it along that path, too. I would have liked more on the psycho-chemical experimentation that Matwick is said to be playing with, and whether any of his research might indeed have positive potential, but this isn't 'Star Trek' or even remotely a science-based series, inevitable that such things would fall into the background, hidden under the veil of the methods of Matwick's madness. In his own way he was as much a mental patient as those he operated on, having lost, or not possessing natural emotions of compassion and empathy, and I would have liked to have known his fate. Perhaps a shot of him sitting alone in a cell in the same outfit as his patients had worn would have been a more artistic, poetic conclusion!

Not that the episode doesn't have any artistic qualities. While the attack scene is well directed, as I mentioned, there was another scene, a conversation between S&H, that made good use of light: the lights get turned off automatically at eleven, so S&H stand in Starsky's room talking in silhouette from the illumination of the corridor outside. There's also a bit of experimentation in the music - as well as the violins some electronic sounds are mixed in here and there to unbalance viewers who wouldn't have been used to such a style in the series. I prefer the violins, but I appreciated the intent and attention to detail. Talking of which, there are a lot of pop culture references in this one, with Freddie imitating the famous gumshoe, Sam Spade; Hutch giving Starsky a couple of detective novels to read ('The Big Sleep' and 'The Long Goodbye'); Starsky claiming, at Matwick's question, that he entered his office by flying in like Peter Pan; Jackson, one of the staff, seen reading a 'Tom & Jerry' comic, and mention of Babe Ruth at the end (whose birthday they decide to celebrate - I used to think it was Bo's they were really talking about as he reacts, but now I'm not so sure…). You might even include Howard's tick about being late as a reference to the White Rabbit of 'Alice in Wonderland.' There aren't many stunts, but I definitely Hutch's double when Starsky collides with him running amok down the corridor. Also, those wide lawns looked very much like the location used in last season's 'Vendetta.'

Starsky's messy hair came in for some use for once, as it helps him act the part of a fool, only this time it's matted and messier. He claims he's been put away for being a sex maniac, but he may have been joking to Jane, as I can't imagine he'd have been allowed to freely mix with the women. Another thing was Hutch not seen taking the drugged apple - you see him pick up the sandwich in its tray, but not the fruit, then in the next shot he's walking down the corridor eating it. And I wondered if Leon Charles as Dr. Matwick, meant to push the handset off his office phone as he walks slowly round his desk, having heard Starsky in the next room? It looked quite natural, and may have been a choice, or a mistake. As I started this review, so I'll finish: the attitudes to mental health. If it feels strange to be watching such a setting for an entertainment show, or using it to sell creepiness, I would say that the episode doesn't really make fun of the patients or go over the top with them, and the horror is shown to be from the evil inmate and an apparently perfectly sane Doctor in a position of authority. At the same time you get an idea of the attitudes of the time when the ambulance driver transporting Starsky to the institution calls him a loony, and Jackson speaks of one of the patients as 'nuttier than a pecan pie,' which I don't think people would get away with nowadays. The place seemed remarkably open and unrestrained, and while Starsky had to be put in restraints, the inmates seemed able to roam at will throughout the building. This doesn't increase the attempts to make a sinister atmosphere which is undeniably undermined by humour, though is neither funny enough or exciting. It might be edging it as the best episode of the season so far, but if so, only slightly. Fun, not serious.

**

Inauguration

DVD, Stargate SG-1 S7 (Inauguration)

It started so well, with an inside view on, well, the inauguration of a new President (spoiler alert in the title!), and more specifically, the revelation to him of the Stargate Programme, not to mention aliens, hostile ones at that, and teams of people out in the galaxy helping to keep Earth safe. As he says himself, the people elected him to govern the country, not the whole galaxy, and if not for the guy's innate sense of humour and down-to-earth attitude, he might have been overwhelmed by the information provided by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It's fun and different, and turns into a political drama that also happens to be set in the 'Stargate' universe, or at least that little backdoor we commonly call Earth. I'll bet any time a President of the United States is made part of a story the Americans love it, in a way that we mere Britons, who wouldn't be all that bothered about the Prime Minister's appearance in a drama, couldn't understand. Saying that, we all know what power is, and it's commonly accepted that the Prez is the most powerful individual in the world (for the moment…), so even if you don't come to it from that, it is fascinating to see that figure made aware of the sci-fi details we know so well, and makes great 'what if?' TV - one of my favourite films is 'Air Force One' in which a fictional US President is solely responsible for saving his hijacked plane! As I said, he's a good character, with a sense of humour, so it's easy to warm to him. It also makes a difference that, I believe, we'd never before seen the President of the previous administration, so to get such a fresh and engaging introduction was certainly different.

And if the whole episode continued that theme it could have been a good one, but while I didn't dislike the story as I did on first viewing, it was an inescapable fact that this was, or was going to be, a clips show. And there was me thinking we'd moved beyond those hated wastes of space - indeed, it was actually a second before I saw the 'Excerpts by' coming up on screen that it twigged that this had the potential to be one of the dreaded clips episodes… and then it was. But I think that does it a disservice, because without that warning at the beginning, I might not have felt quite as negative about it, since there aren't that many clips and they were generally short. If anything, the episode feels more like a primer to prepare us and bring us up to speed ready for the start of the spinoff series, 'Stargate Atlantis,' and what I assume will be the grand discovery of the Lost City of The Ancients in the final episodes of the season. So from that perspective it makes sense to remind us of key events or interrelationships of the cast (the question of an inappropriate relationship between Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter is spoken about for perhaps the first time outside of the main characters), what they fear, what they've done, weak points, faults, successes, that kind of thing, while also referencing The Ancients and the basic information that got us to this point. It also helps that the episode is populated with some good characters… and Kinsey.

Now Vice President, his own evil ways have come back to bite him - if he'd only played his nefarious secret power struggles in the background as he always used to, instead of showing his hand (or his cold, dead eyes), to the President, and the innuendo around him came to light, he might well have kept the new President in the dark about his intentions and motives. Instead, thanks to a surprising man of conscience, his real face is exposed. Something tells me this equitable, reasonable, but shrewd President would have seen through him at some point, but it seems, thanks to Woolsey, it wasn't before he realised the value of SG-1 and Hammond. I must say, though, that the other SG teams don't come off very favourably. I know SG-1 are considered the best, having the all-important connections to the outside galaxy (through Sam with her Father and the Tok'ra, through Teal'c with Bra'tak and the Jaffa, through Daniel with The Ancients themselves, and through O'Neill and the Asgard), but no other team is even mentioned, neither for positives or negatives! If they wanted this series to spread and become a wider franchise in the style of 'Star Trek,' they could have done a better job of making them seem part of a larger organisation, not the sole important members: it makes it seem like if we lost SG-1 we'd lose everything! But that wasn't Woolsey's contention while he was working under Kinsey - he felt that too many mistakes had taken place, but he didn't suggest the obvious, which is that it wouldn't have made any difference if it had been other humans who'd been in SG-1's shoes, as most of the time it was human vulnerability, not personal judgement.

It's a credit to Woolsey that we see him realise just what Kinsey's about, and this motivates him to speak out, Picardo excellent at being a man of principle who feels he must stand up. He doesn't accept SG-1's faults, but he also recognises the damage Kinsey's capable of, a man who truly believes in his country and in doing things honourably and correctly. When he meets the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs you can tell he wants to hand it off to this man of authority, but after opposing him (and the guy certainly had plenty of good points in support of Hammond and the team in opposition to Woolsey's cherry-picked rundown of their failures), he remains cold, and the burden remains on Woolsey. But, being a man of integrity he takes it on the chin and continues his course, going so far as to present the President with the floppy disk upon which evidence of Kinsey's crimes lies. The only question left for the President to ponder is: 'where can I find a floppy disk drive now?' Actually, he seems pretty pro-SGC, rather like the previous incumbent, but he doesn't know if he'll be able to protect them. This may be setting things up for George Hammond's departure, as I seem to remember him leaving at the end of this season, which will be sad, but seven years is a great run.

If it weren't for Hammond appearing in this episode, the entire thing would have happened without a contemporary appearance by one of the main characters (not counting the clips, obviously), and when you consider that the episode isn't boring, this is a compliment to the characters that do carry it. So were the cast just told to take the week off? It always seems strange to me that they would bother to make a clips episode at all, as in some ways you might just as well cut an episode from the schedule as pad one out with extracts of previous. But as I said, I can see some reasoning for a refresher before the expansion of the franchise into new territory, even if I can't imagine this being the best way for a new viewer to have gotten into the universe - they were preaching to the converted, really, but it's useful for the converted to remind themselves of the facts, after all, so while the pall of the clips show monicker hovers over the episode, it comes through as at least an interesting one, if not an enthralling one. The biggest irony I felt was in seeing the first clip was a clip from a previous clips show! You can't get more meta than that.

**

I Love You, Rosey Malone

DVD, Starsky & Hutch S3 (I Love You, Rosey Malone)

Starsky evidently didn't learn much from partner Hutch's mistakes in 'Fatal Charm,' as this week it's his turn to get entangled, only this time it's more romance and less horror, though the result is just the same: things get messy and dangerous. Only this time it's not so much personal danger for Starsky as it is putting a syndicate man's daughter in potential danger when it becomes known she's 'dating' a cop. It was a bit much of Hutch to say that Starsky knows how to pick 'em after the previous episode's debacle, from which he's evidently fully recovered, coming across as light and happy, perhaps to give greater contrast to his partner's turmoil and angst - he was in it so little that it could almost have been a David Soul-directed episode, though it wasn't - perhaps he seems more relaxed than usual because of it? Starsky just isn't the man for the job when it comes to wooing as an undercover operation, he wears his heart on his sleeve and he just doesn't have the strength to separate personal feelings from professional duty. I'm sure he's gone off on one in the past about how they aren't robots, and he always was a very emotional sort, full of energy and love for life, so for him to even try and contain that, despite his assertion, as Hutch reminds him: "we're cops first, unquote," he's not tough enough to deny himself when the reality of his situation dawns, and though he wouldn't put his loyalty on the line, he does play a middle road. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened had he not been snitched on by Chambers, and whether it was his main deception of not telling Rosey he was police that broke down not only his cover, but his desire to carry out his mission.

He continues to say, and to Frank Malone's face, that he's against the man's organisation, but he also loves his daughter and wouldn't do anything that would harm her. And it was nice at the end that Malone, having decided to take the offered out and leave, taking Rosey with him, despite despising cops as the enemy in general, and hating Starsky's involvement with his daughter in particular, compliments him as much as he could, by answering a distraught Starsky, who says he'd protect her, that he wouldn't be the first cop who died trying to save someone. It shows he believes Starsky's intentions are true and that he would go that far, but it would still be to no avail in his view. The relative complexity of the interpersonal and the legal, was something I enjoyed more on this viewing, and reminded me of 'The Dark Knight' for not avoiding complication in favour of simplification, whereas before I just saw it as another dull romantic escapade. The story's a convoluted one, led by Chambers and Goodson, two attorneys for the Justice Department Senate Investigating Committee, who are heading up the investigation of the Malone syndicate, and the underhand tactics they use to swing things to their advantage, using Starsky as a pawn in the game when he inadvertently makes contact with Rosey Malone while he and Hutch are out jogging.

It was good to see S&H jogging together, as it's usually Hutch's domain (we've seen his interest in it before), Starsky bored by it, needing a goal instead of the never-ending motivation for fitness and health, which he spots in a pretty girl who's also running, and (using his and Hutch's age-old tactic of bamboozling the other with distraction techniques to ensure first attempt at charm), heads off to intercept. The only running gag of the episode is that we end with a similar scene, only this time it's Hutch who's feeling out of shape, and Starsky who's bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, enjoying the jog in a three hundred and sixty degree shift in perspective. Yes, I did just make a gag out of the running gag being a running gag… but that's about as much humour as you can find in the episode, as it's once again deadly serious for much of the time, unless you count Dobey's angry interaction with Hutch: after snapping at him, he snatches his candy bar, newly bought from the vending machine outside the Captain's office, and slams back inside! Similarly, the only action is when S&H speed up to Shelby's numbers house in the Torino, followed by three screeching pandas, after an anonymous tip sets them on the trail (unless you count Hutch slamming Goodson up against the wall of his own office in a rage, after he insults Starsky, suggesting Rosey now has a 'ring through the nose' of Hutch like his partner).

The two lawyers play a dangerous game, putting Starsky at risk by telling Shelby (said to be a thorn in Malone's side, but one that's 'too big to burn'), anonymously that Malone's daughter is with a cop, not to mention getting his operation busted as they give S&H that tip anonymously, too, playing both sides against each other so it'll look as if Malone is on their side (he'd been subpoenaed to testify before the Senate Committee, which they would drop), and he'll be forced to accept a deal with them, rather than plead the Fifth Amendment (which, I believe, would have meant he wouldn't say anything, destroying their case). Backing him into a corner was what all this legal wrangling was about, and seemed quite sophisticated for a simple action cop TV show. It certainly fits with my view they were aiming for a more serious angle for Season 3. If I were to play the old positive/negative category game again, I'd say this would have to be on the positive end, with art gallery, restaurants and a bright, sunny park with children playing and the public enjoying themselves, as settings. The only hint of the gutter is the warehouse they bust, but it's all about money and high class professionals, whether they be lawyers or criminals (I'm sure the guy who tries to burn some papers had been in it before - Starsky tries to extinguish the wastepaper basket using the guy's hat, before putting it back on his head - he may have been a regular stunt guy in case the hat caught fire).

It's not just the story that gives the impression of greater seriousness to proceedings, Starsky a lot less sure of himself and not in the best of moods: his hackles are quick to rise when S&H first meet Goodson and Chambers, taking a quick dislike to Goodson (who calls him Starksy, a play on the usual mixing up of the pair's identities, though that was also done, Chambers talking to 'Starsky' when it's Hutch they're addressing, and he replies "Hutchinson, he's the other one" - Starsk gets his own back by calling Goodson, Goodman). S&H usually have friction with outside authority, and you can see that, while Dobey's none too happy, he accepts the need to work with them (he's gone back to the goatee, which may mean this episode was filmed before 'Fatal Charm' where he'd shaved it off). There's some work being done outside his office, so I wonder if this is a visual hint that it's a different set, and they were redecorating, as inside the office it now has a wall of books opposite the side door, which I've not noticed before. I recognised Chambers, played by bug-eyed blonde, James Keach, but it was because he'd already been in Season 1's 'Lady Blue.' Looking back at that episode I've come over all conspiracy theorist with weird connections all over: as well as Keach, we have a guy called Fifth Avenue in that, and the Fifth Amendment in this; Starsky and a lady he's trying to help; his apartment; Hutch being all irritated about people being just numbers in a similar way as Starsky is irritated about being too caught up in his heart when it comes to people. Okay, they're all coincidences, but it is entertaining to note similarities like that!

Starsky really has got it bad in this one, falling for Rosey hook, line and sinker. She doesn't seem like the typical syndicate boss' daughter, all charity work and art lover - like an early Tear Craft operative, she buys native art to sell in the city and sends the money back to them. It's as if all the badness of her Father has been sucked out of her - he must have had the desire to cultivate something good and kind in the world, perhaps subconsciously to leave behind at least something positive in his legacy on this planet. Or maybe I'm reading too much into it, and it was simply the indulgence of a rich Father, allowing her to blossom into any of the passions she enjoyed. That level of freedom also lays her open to people like Starsky, who initially went in to do a job, without really thinking, and then beats himself up about it when he upsets Rosey by not telling her his real motive, after a string of joke professions in which he pretends to be employed. He plunges in full heartedly, which sounds very like foolhardily, and despite Hutch's warnings, it's already too late by then. You could almost say that his affection for Rosey was almost a psychological excuse for his behaviour, so that when Malone finds out, and tells her, it's like an answer for his 'crime' of using her. But he certainly believes it, and so does she, and you can see their sorrow at parting forever, when she chooses to accompany her Father in a new life away from Shelby and his kind. Starsky starts to jog off, breaks into a run, then a sprint, hurling all his anguish into the effort. I always loved that ending, the best moment in the episode, and thought they should have closed the episode out on that freeze frame, with no lighthearted finale to follow.

I had thought Rosey got shot and killed, but it was the parting that motivates Starsky's run ('Starsky's Run' might have been a good title, though the actual title they used should technically be amended to 'I Love You, Too, Rosey Malone,' as I think that was the only time he said the line). The last scene isn't bad, in fairness, with Starsky chasing after another woman when he and Hutch are out jogging again (at first I thought this was totally undermining his affection for Rosey, and that it was showing he's got over her by chasing someone else, but in fact he thought it was her), and his disappointment clear, so much so that she almost wishes she were who he thought she was. Hutch advises him to stop trying to forget Rosey and they have a playful moment of friendship on the child's roundabout after Starsky has gazed wistfully in the direction of some children, which I took to be a callback to the 'fairytale' he told Rosey about, how he used to imagine having a family and children. The episode was quite subtle on the whole, with another little callback happening between S&H, and Goodson and Chambers - Hutch, following Starsky's angry exit from the meeting in Dobey's office, wishes them a nice day, which is repeated by Chambers when he and Goodson leave at another time later on, like a slap in the face. I liked that both Hutch and Chambers were cool and light, while it was Starsky and Goodson that had bad blood between them, though it made Chambers seem quite a cold, slimy fellow, as he's the one who coolly makes the tipoff calls.

You can see the struggle Starsky has, as more than anyone, he hates being used. Initially, I thought the lawyers were going to warn him off Rosey after he stumbled into her circle, but it's quite the opposite, them wanting him to make another attempt. I'm not sure quite why he was so adamant that it had to be him doing it, but I suppose it was a bit of professional, if not personal, pride at stake. We don't see a lot of the usual lighthearted Starsky in this episode, something that I sense was missing from much of the season, as if Glaser wanted to do more serious acting within the constraints of the series, just as he was creatively challenged by directing. After a couple of years doing something it's only natural to want to develop instead of doing the same old thing, but the trouble is that an audience tends to want the same old thing, and many performers have experienced the dreaded typecasting, and I don't just mean in subsequent roles - it can mean that a character does the same things within a role instead of branching out and changing. It was even tougher back in those days as it was all about keeping the status quo and not changing anything for fear of losing viewers if they missed an episode, which is why they went as far as undermining the punch of an episode's ending as they did with this, feeling it a necessity to have the characters back to 'normal' by the end. Yet I think it would have worked just as well, if not better, to give the audience something to think about in the intervening week, and leave them with the punch of emotion.

Although there wasn't the action, and consequently the need for S&H's doubles, I did spot Starsky's when there's a long shot of him arriving at Rosey's gallery, which I would assume was second unit stuff with the double, rather than Glaser, especially as he doesn't have the same walk. There's no Hug (except for the romantic sort!), in this one, but there's not a lot going on that he could help with, so I'll give them this one. There is a little of the hard cop, hard cop routine, only this time it's serious: Hutch pushing Goodson against the wall, and Starsky saying sweetly, "He's the good guy." There are a few references: Hutch calls Rosey 'bag lady for the Godfather' when they're told she's in on her Father's bad business; Starsky shows his broad range of taste: he likes Stevie Wonder, he likes Mozart; and he mentions seeing Doris Day films on the late show; Rosey mentions Barbara Streisand; and Hutch at one point calls him a 'sad excuse for a Romeo,' in a nice way. But there aren't any quirky characters, everything having a much greater attitude of gravitas, since they're dealing with dangerous men. We see Starsky's familiar pad for the first time this season, the one with the bookcases, bamboo chair, and the tiny latticed window in the door, first introduced in Season 2's 'The Committee,' and the one he'd have for the rest of the series, I think.

On the whole, this was another episode which wasn't as bad as I remembered, thanks to a bit more depth to the story than I realised, though the romantic stuff is still slow and dull, and overdone, with cooing flute music to heavily emphasise the lovey-dovey mood. It's not that you need screeching tyres and adrenaline-fuelled fistfights all the time, but if it's just one of the main characters and a guest it's not really what the series is about, and this lessening of S&H's screen time together, or perhaps I should say, the desire to have a different chemistry in a number of episodes, is partly responsible for the season lacking something it had in the first two. This is all from memory, of course, so it may be that too many episodes just weren't that good, and maybe the stars were tired and wanted a break from so much of the daily grind, I don't know. That's the interesting thing about going through a season, episode by episode, and seeing how the series changed or remained the same.

The stern attitude is portrayed strongly through Starsky's short fuse as he shouts at Goodson or icily insults him (something like: 'you better be a good son to your Father, assuming you had one'), flares at Dobey, Hutch, even Rosey at the end, which sometimes came across as melodramatic, but because it was a bit off in that scene it felt right, as if they weren't acting, but really were angry with themselves and each other. One exchange sums up the gulf between them expertly, when, after he's expressed distaste with the people he has to work with in the force, she asks why he doesn't leave, and he replies why doesn't she stop being Frank Malone's daughter? It was as impossible for him to quit that life as it was for her (though it would become possible in Season 4, 'Targets Without a Badge'). At least he was truthful in his dealings with her, except for the sin of omission, not telling her his real job: he answered her question truthfully about how long he knew she was the daughter of Malone after they'd met him, and he says it was since he first heard her name was Rosey Malone, which is true, as he didn't know who she was until the attorneys told him. Truthful, yet deceiving at the same time!

**

Resurrection

DVD, Stargate SG-1 S7 (Resurrection)

The law of averages says that after a great episode you're going to get a weak one, and while this isn't bad, it is a bit of a nothing. Which is a shame, because it was written by Michael Shanks and directed by his costar, Amanda Tapping, so you can't get any deeper entrenched 'Stargate' blood than that. The title was a misstep for a start, hardly the most sensitive, following directly on from Dr. Fraiser's death (much like 'Star Trek: First Contact,' which was originally to be called the same, and following Kirk's death in 'Star Trek: Generations' it would have begged the question), and while it was very unlikely to be connected, you can't help but make the link. Another thing that hurts it a little is that it doesn't feel very of the series, being one of those stories bound to planet Earth, that will feature a threat to the planet, or some of it, anyway. Usually this means more time at the SGC, and perhaps more General Hammond, but in this case it's completely on location, and not a very attractive one, being a dark, musty industrial complex. There's very little humour, since O'Neill is said to be still in recovery and, like the General, doesn't appear at all. None of this would matter if we had an incisive, exciting story, but the episode fails on this front, too.

It's not uninteresting, as Daniel gets to do what he's good at, and talk to an alien woman who has some sort of problem/ is a captive/ an unknown experiment (made me think of 'Frozen,' where Jonas had a similar role; or even Carter and Cassandra in Season 1). It's just that it felt rather derivative, like we'd seen this a few times before, not just on the series, but on other sci-fi shows as well. Again, repetition isn't necessarily a mark against it, but it's a lumpy episode that can hardly be said to rattle along. There's a bit of mystery with the team called in to the remnants of a rogue NID operation, on the say-so of Agent Barrett (whom I at first confused with Carter's new boyfriend, which made me think they were at first being extremely professional and distant, until I realised!), to see a Nazi horde of Sekhmet, a Goa'uld who served Ra and was exiled for plotting against him, living on earth for much of his dynasty. Among her plunder is an ark, but just when it threatens to get exciting, perhaps setting it up for the girl to be Sekhmet herself, the best they could come up with was a bomb hidden within the ark, which gives us the ticking clock for the episode.

The only clue is Anna, a woman kept in a glass cage by Dr. Keffler, the rogue behind it all. Keffler wasn't bad as a heartless villain (played by Brad Greenquist whom I know best from 'DS9' as one of the mafia-type aliens of 'Who Mourns For Morn?' so I'd never seen him out of prosthetics, which added a note of interest - I recognised that slimy voice, which I couldn't place at first…), who gets his gory comeuppance at the end, constantly smoking, and smiling knowingly. His guard was pretty stupid though, allowing him to get some water and then walking right up to him so he could pull that diversionary stunt. What do they teach them at Agent School? There is a pitiable character in Anna, for Daniel to be at his empathetic best with, but it does rather devolve into his recounting events from the series (such as losing his own memory; the Harseses), which distracts from the possible connection between the two. Not even when we learn she was bred by Keffler with Goa'uld DNA, or in some such experiment, so he could get at the race's genetic memory for the advantage of the human race (or, more likely, his own), with a split personality developing, did things get moderately interesting - it probably wouldn't have been that different if she had turned out to be Sekhmet rather than a snake-less homebred Goa'uld.

She even escapes her prison, using Daniel's meditation lesson to get a candle and burn her disturbing drawings. These people always have nasty dreams that they draw on large sheets of paper - I'm sure they'd do better as tortured artists, and their works would sell for millions. But she doesn't get to have that life, preferring to commit suicide after taking out her tormentor, Keffler, and using his remote control to die in Daniel's arms. Another unfortunate soul he was unable to save. So we end on rather a downer, even if it was a nice, affecting shot as we pull back from the two of them, past the shot-up body of Keffler. But the story doesn't really have any bearing on anything, nor does it teach us anything new about the characters or is full of great dialogue and scenes that impress. Even though it was an interesting pairing to have Dr. Lee and Teal'c be the bomb defusers, it wasn't really explored, and the whole bomb scare was just there to add a little time-related tension. The real drama was, or should have been, in the mind of this young woman, an experiment that had a tragically short life, and that she died for something. But she didn't. And again I say, it's a shame that a Shanks and Tapping created episode should fall flat, but I can't deny it.

**

Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge

GBA, Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge (2003) game

Amazing what they could do on such a limited system, really, but the humble Game Boy Advance (standing on the shoulders of the giants of the original Game Boy range), played host to some strong titles and should never be discounted for its contribution to console gaming. At the same time there's no point going into this game with expectations of another platforming epic to rival the N64 classics, but if you never got tired of 'Banjo-Kazooie' and 'Banjo-Tooie' and simply wanted more of that world, then you'll probably enjoy this. In the absence of 'Banjo-Threeie' (jokingly mentioned at the end of 'BT'), this is, as far as I'm aware, the only other starring role for the bird and bear (not counting minor appearances such as 'Diddy Kong Racing,' Banjo's first role in Rare's catalogue, or 'Banjo Pilot'), so you have to make the most of it. It's actually pretty impressive that they managed to evoke the feel of Banjo's world on the handheld, the same colour, style and Game Boy version of the music and 'animal talk' voices, not to mention many of the same moves as the N64 versions, despite limited control options.

The story, as ever, is about Grunty causing havoc again, but this time cunningly set between 'BK' and 'BT,' despite coming out three years after the latter game. This time Grunty's ghost is sucked out from under the rock which pins her corpse at the end of 'BK' to inhabit a machine body which, for some reason, goes back in time with the help of loyal Klungo. I'm guessing the time travel story was partly so they could get away with simpler levels that didn't need to look like the big brother console's vast lands, and there was no need to worry about continuity with characters and locations. It may also be that Rare themselves didn't actually make the game as it's the THQ logo that comes up first, so I'm uncertain whether it was just published with the Rare name on it, or whether they really were responsible - published at a time Microsoft had bought them out, yet I think the Banjo characters were owned by Nintendo (though I could be wrong on that), so it was a sort of backdoor way of releasing another Banjo game. Regardless, they didn't just put out a rush job to capitalise on affection for the old games, it's a technically proficient release that has many of the hallmarks of the other games, but in miniature.

The music really stands out for me, with Spiral Mountain having the same jaunty tune as 'BK' did, and while the other levels aren't as memorable (it would have been more fun to visit past versions of existing levels), it's all in the same familiar style. The same can be said for the sound effects, with that pleasing wobble as you pick up notes, and Kazooie's harsh cries as the bird takes to the ground or makes a jump. The baddies are similar, too. There aren't many of the old character back (which made me wonder if it was for rights reasons), but there are a few (so maybe not), such as Klungo, Jiggywiggy, Honey B, and of course, Mumbo Jumbo, this time a much younger version. Not that you'd really know, as I didn't feel they made use of the time travel story beyond being able to set it between the other games - they could have shown Mumbo to be a lot less reliable in his magic, or had them meet young versions of other classic characters (Boggy, for example), and there does feel like a lot less character to the settings. You always have to keep in mind the limitations of the system, so these are only minor points and don't detract much from a fun experience, similar to what we'd seen before: notes and Jiggys to collect, as well as Mumbo tokens (only one per world this time, won by beating Klungo), and honeycomb pieces which you can take to Honey B, as in 'BT.'

There's even the option to fire eggs and become invincible with golden feathers, though you're restricted to using them from pads rather than any time you want to, but that's fine as it would make the game too easy if you could do that anywhere. The game's difficulty comes more from the fact that enemies reappear almost the moment you move away from the screen you defeated them on, but again, I guess there were limited ways to make a simple game difficult. Mumbo's magic once again changes you into different creatures, which on this occasion you can change into on any level, though this isn't worked into the puzzles much (the candle and the octopus were most enjoyable). For obvious reasons there's no flying, although the worlds are cleverly designed in a three-dimensional way thanks to a layered approach - not isometric, but straight up three-quarters, plan-view, a bit like the 'Zelda' Game Boy games, but with added height. This, while being impressive and helping to give the game its feeling of size and weight, also caused the only real fault I could find: you're not always sure which platforms you can reach, and which are too high. It was just a small thing that would obviously not have been an issue in a true 3D world.

The levels aren't huge, but they are reasonably varied, having different themes within, rather than sticking rigidly to one setting, such as cliff tops as well as sand, wooded as well as industrial, though this also means that some levels are a bit samey, repeating the themes of others. There are only five levels, not counting the overworld of Spiral Mountain, but it is a Game Boy game, and I'm not sure how much more they could have squeezed in. As well as collecting, you have the usual quests of helping people, fighting, and playing minigames. These were in the same style as 'BT,' top-down battles against three other opponents to hold or collect something could seem a bit basic on the N64 game, whereas it suits the small screen perfectly. There's quite a bit of repetition in these games, with fishing, shooting, battling opponents and racing down a slide being the main types of game, repeated in variations, but at least it gives the feel of the other games. You soon feel right at home with all these tasks to complete, and the game begins without Kazooie, who's been captured, which gives it a different feel as you learn Banjo's basic moves.

It's a shame Spiral Mountain isn't the same layout as the other two games, but as it's set in the past that isn't a problem, and it's great fun spotting the landmarks, such as the giant stone witch head (this time you head, pun intended, inside the hat for the final battle), mole hills, the Jiggywiggy Temple, Mumbo's Skull, Banjo's house and the boulder (though only in the cutscenes). The landscape is so similar that it's a shame when you can't experience the freedom you're used to, such as climbing trees. As I said, the layered approach gives a sense of 3D ground to cover, and it took me a while to work out that to progress from Spiral Mountain all I needed to do was whack the Jiggy switch outside the Temple to get in, rather than scouring every cliff face thinking I ought to be able to get up somehow! Grunty was the hardest challenge, and though the game took only about seven hours to finish, it would have been about an hour less if I hadn't taken so long to beat the final battle - partly it was the confined screen and small controls (excuses, excuses!), which made changing things (like swapping eggs mid-battle or swapping to Kazooie for a turn of speed), less intuitive and comfortable. But as a whole it was a pretty easy game, which is no bad thing when you get tired of scrunching up, bent over a small screen with cramped hands… It was nice to see the return of the game show aspects to the final battle, too, as you're forced to recognise sounds and sights, and replay minigames.

The Banjo games had earned a lot of love, but while they couldn't have been accused of playing off of the name, I'd have liked a little more ingenuity, and perhaps more humour, as, if you strip away the sound effects and music, it could almost be any 3D platform game, with the usual beach, ice, lava, water lands. But they were lush and colourful, as you'd expect, soundly done, and more of the same, which is what you want (although I wished they'd had the changing jigsaw puzzles you had to put together in a limited time in order to unlock levels). I didn't understand the significance of the coins you can collect in the end credits slide minigame, but it may have been just a novelty as they don't show up in your game totals, despite the game autosaving. The main draw is for the novelty of playing a Banjo game on a handheld, why, it's a novelty to be playing one at all that isn't 'BK' or 'BT'! It does enough to be a good experience, not just the licence slapped on another game, and makes me long for a modern update on one of the current consoles, with the return of the charm, humour, ingenious puzzles and beautiful lands to explore. The story nicely resolves with Grunty's beaten spirit returning to its bouldery grave, Klungo trying to shift it, and the witch ordering him to contact her sisters, as well as the Jinjos thanking Banjo and going off to reclaim their land ready for 'Banjo-Tooie.' The bottom line is, if you want more Banjo, this is the place to come.

***

Fatal Charm

DVD, Starsky & Hutch S3 (Fatal Charm)

The charm of this episode never gets anywhere near fatal, but it's not as terrible as I thought it was. It's just that the idea of a nurse being a psychological time bomb waiting to explode into a truly homicidally jealous maniac is hard to reconcile. Then again, we hear in the news about awful things some doctors and nurses have done, so as ever, truth is stranger than fiction, and more incredible, and after all this is 'Starsky & Hutch,' a series in which the detectives go undercover to bust a baddie by setting him up with a female colleague, then they wait right across the street in a white-striped red Torino in full view, so the lack of care of one nurse is not the greatest stretch of the imagination the series calls for! And actually there is a bit of charm to the story, and the added incentive of finally, after two episodes away from home, getting back to the familiar: Dobey (now ex-goatee wearing Captain - I wonder if Bernie Hamilton had it for another job, or during the hiatus and didn't feel like getting rid of it, or maybe it at first snuck by those in charge and they told him to lose it?); Huggy (actually involved in their setup!); the Torino; the battered old car Hutch drives; Venice Place; the happy hunting ground of S&H, that grimy, dirty, no-good city they patrol, adding humanity into its sordid mix. Trouble is, this time Hutch doesn't do himself any favours in adding salt and light into a tasteless, dark territory, as his loose living comes home to roost.

We're supposed to see Diana Harmon as a completely unhinged and unreasonable madwoman, but seeing the episode again now, I can't help but feel a little sorry for her, and perhaps even see her point. Just a little. Not to justify the extreme lengths her ridiculous rage drives her to, and the fact that she is in a delusional state of seeming to believe Hutch is her fiance, but in the fact that Hutch casually has an evening of fun with her, then has no real response to her obvious need for a companion. She oversteps the bounds by getting herself into his apartment, but he'd already overstepped some bounds of his own, without realising it, because it was behaviour that was the accepted norm for a young man. Diana is a dichotomy between an old-fashioned girl who thinks any romance is serious and basically for life, and a woman that isn't above having the fun, assuming he feels the same way she does. The fact that she was already being dishonest when they first met away from her professional capacity is only the tiniest sign of warning, as anyone might make up a reason to see someone again. Her confession is almost like a complete opening up to Hutch, who doesn't give it a moment's thought, not realising the seriousness of her thought processes. She's not the most sociable of people, monopolising Hutch, refusing to engage with others (she doesn't accept Starsky's offer of a dance), and has a twisted hardness, a nasty selfishness to her personality that tricks and steals what she wants: pulling the glass off the napkin so it spills on Kathy, a friend of S&H's, was a glimpse of the mean nature beneath her cutesy exterior.

I found it interesting from a psychological aspect, watching this woman who is probably a bit spoiled and used to getting her own way, force Hutch into taking things a little further than he was comfortable with: she turns up at his apartment to cook a meal which he comes home to, as if playing out a weird fantasy version of what it would be like to be married to this guy, then she clearly hopes that Starsky and Kathy will go off and leave them be, but Starsky's joyful, inclusive personality misreads the situation, thinking Hutch is fond of her, and Hutch is either too lazy or too embarrassed, or doesn't want to hurt her by stating there and then that this is all a farce and they'd had their fun, there was no need to continue the association any longer, which would have put a damper on the party atmosphere of seeing an old friend. So it goes from awkward to super-awkward, when she refuses to bond with Starsky while Hutch has a dance with Kathy (he assumes she's upset because she's not dancing with Hutch, which is why he offers), too busy grinding her teeth in jealousy that she has no right to feel. She advances from merely jealous to obsessive, delusional (a $1200 watch for a person you hardly know, engraved 'Forever Diana' is taking things a little far at the best of times!), to vindictive (attacking those she thinks are close to Hutch, when she batters Linda, Hutch's undercover colleague, with a metal bar!), to murderous maniac, but it's all with no attempt to examine her personality. How did she become someone that would be capable of such acts, had she done things like this before, did she have a shady past?

This is where the episode is let down by the usual seventies TV conventions of action being the prime mover, and motive being of secondary importance. There are a couple of nice little action scenes: the opening where S&H chase a bag snatcher (you could tell it was the stunt guys trying to climb the fence or shinning up the drainpipe!), showed their partnership well: a comedic, yet successful double-act against crime. The other set-piece was when they lure the mark, Max Frost, into taking part in a buy with Linda, the undercover policewoman (played by Roz Kelly, who'd already had two roles in the series: Season 1's 'Death Notice,' and 2's 'The Las Vegas Strangler' two-parter, so it's no wonder they gave her 'Special Guest Star' billing this time, she was practically one of the cast!). It's a bit farfetched, but Huggy's out drilling the 'sidewalk' with a 'jackhammer' (translation: drilling the pavement with a pneumatic drill), from his cousin Mervin, which makes enough noise that Starsky can creep behind Frost's car and attach a metal cable to the rear chassis and the other end to a tree, so when Linda pulls a gun and he tries to scarper, his back wheels are pulled clean off. It's classic 'S&H,' with a comedic element, but a serious result (plus, it ends with Starsky doing his patented leap up and off a car roof, only this time it's only half a one, as Frost doesn't get out quick enough for a takedown, instead getting a take up: pulled off his feet by Starsky atop the roof!).

I wonder if the plot could be said to be entrapment, since they used a cop to make the buy, but such things aren't even on the agenda, it's spectacle, and shows S&H working as a team again, which is always nice, as is having Hug along in a serious role. So the pieces are all in there, but like Diana, the episode isn't entirely stable, veering off into the horror sub-genre for a third time in three episodes. In that respect I couldn't really say whether the old positive/negative side to the episodes is still relevant, as there is some sign of back alleys, there's the men leering at Linda as she waits on the street, and it's not the most upbeat story, but on the other hand the usual troubles they face on the street are like nothing compared to the real threat: a working professional who frequents places like the disco joint (didn't notice the usual blonde dance couple in the background, unless the woman who winks at Starsky was one of them), the hospital, or the home of Kenneth Hutchinson, plus we see green lawns and suburbia. It's the creepiness of possession that takes over (as in Diana feels she possesses Hutch, rather than any other kind). At first, Hutch's ego is fluffed up that this woman would follow him, rather than being chilled by her stalking - I thought the comment about there being no personal service in hospitals any more would be a running joke, but it actually became a running trauma as Hutch gets more personal service than he bargained for, or wanted!

Diana comes on very strong, but it's only after Hutch has had done with her that it irks him. His old habit, a bizarre one for a police officer, of leaving his door key on the lintel comes into question, since Diana was able to get in - it looked like he couldn't find the key, except we later learn that she bluffed her way in by telling the landlord she was his kid sister from Boston, so was I misreading that key search or was there a lack of logic in the script? Either way, he finally changes those locks and stops putting his key up there, but only when he checks himself - he was going to put it up there again out of habit! In a way it's a shame to see his easy casualness lost by Diana's madness, but it's a bit of a wakeup call. It might have been acceptable for her to bawl him out in front of his colleagues at the station, and if that was as far as she'd gone, shaming him and making a scene about his behaviour to her, she might not have come across abnormally, but that was only the start. Not only does she go crazy on his apartment (even the guitar isn't safe), with a knife, I might add, she comes back later, and, in an inverted 'Psycho' homage (I assume), knifes him in the shower! I know this probably isn't the first thing you'd think of if you'd been attacked by a mad woman in your own bathroom, but after shutting her out, I'd have thought turning off the water would have been a good idea, so he could hear her. He probably wasn't thinking straight at that point, because despite all her outlandish vengefulness, I don't think Hutch realised she would go as far as trying to kill him!

The sequence was well shot, with the horror film jerky framerate and wild, unrestrained scream later used to even better effect in 'The Avenger' (though in that one the cry was "You! You!" whereas here she screeches "Liar! Liar!"), the creepiest moment of the episode. Granted, her hiding place at one end of his piano wasn't the best, but I would assume it was TV darkness - we can see her, but in the 'real life' of the episode she's hidden in shadow. Her frilly black collar jutting out of her white coat like a spider's web, was a great choice to show her mixed-up character, white and pure as a nurse on the outside, malevolent dark arachnid heart inside. Starsky, of course rushes to Hutch's aid after he and Dobey have worked it out after finding Linda badly beaten with the same tactic used to get into her place as Hutch's. Hutch is one-handed thanks to the stab, and barely manages to hold her off, although she was petite, but her fury gave her strength. Why didn't she keep stabbing instead of vacating the bathroom after the first slice? Either she wanted him to know he was going to die, or his violent repulse fended her off, but why he needed to creep round his apartment instead of switching on all the lights and picking up something for a weapon can only be put down to dramatic necessity!

The horror of it all is rather undermined by the comedy conclusion, as so often was the way, and rather than leave you with something to ponder, we never hear anything about her or Hutch's reaction. It's ends with Dobey and S&H visiting Linda in hospital, and Starsky cunningly diverting the Captain's attention from the roadworks bill left by Huggy's 'work' (totalling $800 dollars, I believe - they should have sold Hutch's expensive gift watch to pay for it), by saying Hutch was going to take them all out for a Mexican, and of course the food card always works on Dobey. Ha, ha. So we never learn how Diana became a nurse in the first place, whether she'd ever had a boyfriend before, or anything about her past. One of the things against the episode is that it makes Hutch look a little bad, an indictment of his loose lifestyle, although he didn't deserve the terrors that awaited. It would have helped if Diana had actually had any charm, instead she was just ruthless, devious and scary, which makes Hutch look a little silly for ever falling for her. And it's not great publicity for nurses! So as a whole there's too much pulling the episode apart for it to be successful, which is a shame, because with a bit more polish it could have been a really creepy, terrifying story, as it is whenever we see their personal lives affected. Still, good to see the pair back at it again in familiar environs, with a spot of clowning (Starsky has trouble with another vending machine; I think we'd seen someone working on a model ship previously - might have been the old Commodore in 'Murder At Sea'), but definitely a harder-edged tone, with Hutch's life in danger - if only he could have learned a lesson or two because of it.

**