The Collector

DVD, Starsky & Hutch S3 (The Collector)

It has many of the hallmarks of the series, but S&H came across a little muted compared to their usual screen presence, and I think this is what lets the episode down, because, on paper, it wasn't bad, it had a couple of interesting villains, and… well, that's it, really, it was the villains who were the star of the show. I don't know the significance of Susan Tyrrell, but she was obviously somebody well known at the time since they give her 'With the Special Appearance of' credit, something they'd only done once before (for Mary Jo Catlett, Fifi in Season 2's 'Starsky And Hutch Are Guilty'), with usually a 'Special Guest Star' sufficing. Her character, Isabel Katherine Oates, was a tragic figure, but not in a sympathetic way - a former child star under the guise of Lil 'O' Annie (seen on the posters in her home), since fallen on hard times and turned to crime. It makes you wonder how she ended up, an acrophobic, living in a ramshackle junkyard atop a ramshackle house high above - if this had been made nowadays they'd probably be announcing a prequel series for her, showing how she got to that state! And in fairness that's probably an interesting story, maybe more interesting than this episode. I think they were saying acrophobic (the extreme fear of heights), but it could just as easily have been agoraphobic (fear of crowded spaces), as she's sequestered away living in a doolally fantasy world, reliving past glory. Not that we see her acting out roles or doing anything particularly strange, just that her personality is clearly unstable, a mix of childishness and ruthlessness, and she sits around in old dresses like a latter-day Miss Havisham.

When into her life climbs the friendly Jack Cunningham (an alias for John Gallagher, third on the most wanted list, apparently), a slimy individual that is actually far more interesting than the unexplored Annie. He gives us a little backstory so that we can actually begin to feel some sympathy (and a sympathetic villain is a good step towards a strong story), when he talks to Hutch's new girlfriend, Molly (Hutch sure got over Judith's departure at the end of 'The Plague,' didn't he - he's gone from a doctor to what appears to be a teenager, though it could be that she's just small and young-looking for her age). In a series of questionable decisions, S&H put her into their investigation as an undercover lure to trap Jack by pretending she's a worried young girl that, it's implied, needs money for an abortion because her boyfriend's Father won't approve. It's blatant entrapment (the same tactic they play on Danny Devito's character, John John the Apple, by having Starsky, whom he doesn't know, try to place an illegal bet, with Hutch, whom he does, watching - but how could anyone in that city, even the least-informed, not have heard of Starsky and Hutch as partners!). But back to the point, which is that Jack shows a concerned face for the only time in the episode, he's actually honest, as if the strict religious upbringing he had under The Sisters of Hope Convent, has at least instilled reverence for life. Unfortunately, much of his problems also stemmed from them, for the constant hitting over the head he endured, and that his Father smuggled him out in a suitcase!

None of which excuses his psycho behaviour, calmly blowing up Frank Carroll's barroom toilet by remote detonation while he stands right next to it, or smothering his gun in minced meat to fool Duvcha Khan, Annie's vicious guard dog, who can smell guns. He's shown to be a resourceful, if devious and violent, man, his only objective to get Annie's money (she somehow being the head of an extortion racket, or protection, or whatever it's called when loans are given at ridiculous levels of interest - how she ever met Joe Garras, or anyone, for that matter, is a mystery). It almost seems a wasted effort for the small handful of notes he struggles to stuff into his pockets wearing gloves, at the end, though he does survive to face justice. I just felt as if there was a disconnect between the potential of this wacky (in the true sense of the word, and we really haven't seen many this season, Annie the only other example of this episode), dangerous lone wolf, willing to do anything without mercy, and the actual investigation of S&H. As I noted, they seemed muted, they didn't have their usual level of jokiness, and not because of the gravity of the situation, they weren't entirely in the episode, it felt like. Nor did they get to take part in much action, really the only moment of excitement being when Hutch goes up the stairs and has a shootout with Jack. But even then, the crazy guy jumps out through a window in a reckless bid to escape, smashes through the wooden rail and plunges to a painful drop, so S&H didn't really have to do much to get their man!

S&H were definitely in the episode, it wasn't even that they were supporting characters to Dobey or Huggy, they were the focus, alright, but only as a secondary interest to the villains. Much of what they do is merely talk, whether that's to Molly's Dad, Lee, owner of a restaurant takeaway place (not of the highest health standards, either, as he smokes and makes sandwiches without washing his hands, and there was a general air of grime about the place!), Molly herself (when they're sitting in front of the desk at HQ, the camera pans rounds across the table, and at one end is Pinky or Perky, and the other is Mickey Mouse, and it makes it look as if they're almost part of the conversation, unless I was reading too much into it!), or the Captain. The scene with the water cooler in his office and his quest to get a simple cup of water, wasn't a bad visual gag, but it didn't stand out, it was simply a way to move the scene along and stop it being dragged down. Indeed, I would say it was pretty good from a directorial standpoint, it was the story that was the problem, and a lack of drive for S&H. Pedestrian is the word, yet it didn't have the overly serious air that I associate with Season 3, and that can make it seem dry.

The fact that S&H are on a three-day weekend should have meant something, but it didn't go anywhere, except that they were called back to work. Again there's that impression of a kernel of an idea, as if they thought up the basic episode, but didn't have time to flesh it out. Granted, it's halfway through the season and the creative juices may have been stuttering slightly, but it is remarkable the sense of inertia about the episode. Even the fact that it mostly takes place in rundown areas (sad that Hutch has to live in that area of town, as he confirms when they turn up at the place Joe was shot), doesn't mean much, as it's not given a negative view of the city beyond the physical streets and buildings themselves - it's not about the people. S&H do more than their fair share of manipulation, too - first with John John, then getting to Jack, and before that, trying to get Minnie Kaplan (Marki Bay's first role in what would become a slight recurring character), whom they dub a 'meter maid' (which was never going to get her onside - she corrects them, calling herself a Traffic Coordinator), to act as the lure before Molly steps up. Starsky threatening never to share cakes with her again doesn't stop her being useful to them in future! It shows them treating her differently based on her gender and not seeing her as an equal, but they also have a fun, teasing relationship with her, if I remember correctly, and she tends to get one up on them.

One important moment in the series occurs in this episode: Huggy first opens The Pits (or at least he would have if his liquor licence hadn't run out!), his first position as proprietor of a regular establishment since Season 1, that I believe continued for the rest of the series, finally realising that he needed a home base for S&H to visit him in, instead of appearing to be a wandering vagabond, almost! It's only a short scene, but it's good to see him getting his dues. Once again we have previously used actors popping up again - I hadn't realised that Robert Viharo, who played Jack, had been in Season 1's 'Running,' so it throws up some surprises if you keep track of the cast names across all the episodes. He did a fine job, although I got the sense he was putting on the Irish accent (the only one with a genuine Irish name was Jack O'Leary, who played Joe Garras), and concentrating so hard on it that he stumbled on his lines a few times (though so did Carroll, and he didn't have the excuse of doing an accent!). I always think Devito was in it more than he was, but it was a good character and he made you want to see this guy, he's so natural, and it's no surprise he went on to greater success (though I suppose it's easy to say that with hindsight), but I wish he'd had a regular role on this series. Lee Bristol was played by Dave Shelley who'd also been in Season 1, way back in 'Savage Sunday,' and Roberto Rodriguez (Mike Todesco, the guy that gives S&H the report at Joe's place of murder), may have been in it before as Robert Rodriguez (in Season 2's 'The Velvet Jungle'), the two names too similar, and I felt I'd seen his face before.

In regular categories we have Hutch turning up in jogging gear, having been out doing just that, Starsky berating him for walking over his car again, and references to Santa Claus, Gunga Din and Gordo. Annie didn't seem the type to have lots of money at first, until you realise she's pretty mad, keeping it in notes under her mattress rather than spending it on a decent abode, or clearing up her junkyard - I should point out she's in no way connected to Little Orphan Annie (aka Orange), from Season 1. The only other thing was the question of what happened to Duvcha Khan? Starsky says something about zapping the dog, but we don't find out what happened or how he went about it, the dog's just gone when all the action breaks out. And why did Jack have to be so clever: he could have simply shot the dog instead of sliming up his gun with meat. Finally, the bridge he drives over in Annie's neighbourhood looked very like the one Hutch used to live next to in Season 1, so it could have been the same location, knowing how they liked to reuse areas.

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