The Game

DVD, Starsky & Hutch S4 (The Game) (2)

You could be forgiven for thinking this is the first episode of the season for all the reintroduction of the familiar elements of the series that it presents: we have Huggy Bear back, and not only that, but the return of The Pits, first introduced last season in 'The Collector,' an important location for the series, perhaps in its own way, as much as Police HQ, since the unofficial lines of inquiry can often hinge around Huggy. There's also Hutch's place, Hutch's car, and of course Starsky's Torino (though that had been in 'Discomania'). And on top of that we get reference back to all the trouble Hutch has with his mobile mode of choice to the extent that Merl The Earl makes his third (and I think, final), appearance, having clocked up two previous episodes. So we feel like the series has come home again, and the quick-fire, mile a minute repartee of old between S&H further enhances this impression. From these opening two episodes Season 4 already feels more open and loose than the previous season. They also do what they know works, having S&H separate and going up against each other or the bad guy, a style of episode they would even go so far as to use for the final ever episode (some might say controversially). Starsky versus Hutch (quite apart from being an actual episode title from this season), is a concept that could have been the sole premise, their game of hide and seek across the city over a free weekend a bracing and invigorating idea that might have made this a classic had they concentrated on it exclusively.

Instead, it gets watered down a little bit, first with the twist that Hutch has been poisoned with botulism by eating clam chowder soup at room temperature out of an infected tin from the Ryland's Soup Company, a rare example of a slobby nature usually associated with Starsky - Starsk throws the empty tin into the back of Hutch's car as an example of his attitude (Hutch warns him it's not a garbage dump and he retorts "Could'a' fooled me"), though when it comes to their cars this casual attitude is usually reversed, with Starsky treating his Torino with great care, while Hutch more casual, but this is more to do with the fact that vehicles aren't high on Hutch's priorities while for Starsky it's his pride and joy. But the point is that Hutch's life is on the line and he's not going to take any message left by his partner as anything other than a trick to reel him in, since they have two week's wages wagered! I like the twist, but again, this could have been enough to sustain the episode, easily, but a third plot is chucked into the mix with nasty criminal Ray Pardee on the loose, the cause of all the reevaluation between S&H which leads them to their wager: Hutch's old banger cuts out just as Pardee (with his apparent sixth sense for police proximity, except when there's a closed door between them as when Hutch bursts into his hovel near the end and sends him flying!), makes a run for it with his reluctant girl, Gina. Starsky's dissatisfaction with the state of affairs leads him to suggest Hutch should be happy in future riding shotgun in the Torino, while Hutch naturally takes the credit for being the brains of the operation with Starsky the 'not inconsiderable' brawn.

They have the weekend off so why not stake some money on a game of hide and seek with specific rules so as to make it fair: Hutch agrees to remain in the city limits, contact someone they both know every two hours, and sleep somewhere they both know, and the contest will last from 8am Saturday to 8am Monday. It's a great idea and I wish it had been fully explored, with Starsky using all his wiles to try and track his errant buddy, while Hutch evades him by the skin of his teeth, split second escapes and, no doubt, slapstick humour abounding, but instead they don't go that route, sadly. It is fun to see Hutch use his resources to fool Starsky by wearing disguises, a total of four: a guy on the run who goes to Ernie Silvers for a place to stay, an old tramp selling pencils, a down-and-out with cap and glasses in a mission (I thought he was going to be the one playing the mouth organ since we hear that first, then pan across to where he's pretending to be dozing on the organ-player's shoulder), and a surgeon in scrubs when sneaking into the hospital to see if Starsky really is in danger of his life. My favourite was the old tramp, with Starsky already too worried about Hutch's life to be concentrating on little details. It says something about Hutch's confidence in his own acting abilities (despite the nervousness on a real set in 'Murder On Stage 17'!), that he would toy with Starsky so blatantly, but David Soul really does a good  job in his various guises. As the guy on the run from S&H he changes his whole body language, mannerisms and speech to fool Silvers.

I always think Ernie has been in it before because he's so natural and such great fun as this lowdown rat that talks big in front of criminals, doing down S&H, very funny when he eventually realises it's Hutch he's been harbouring and talking so freely to, offering drugs, insulting S&H! But in reality I must be just remembering this episode, although there have been plenty of Ernies S&H have had run-ins with over the course of the series. If only Starsky had paid a little attention to an old man he might have solved the problem (then they could have cured Hutch and got on with tracking down Pardee), but one little aside that comes out of the tramp scene is Huggy's compassion. He tells Starsky not to bother the old man, then buys one of his Golden Eagles pencils. Makes you think what a nice guy Hug is, probably because he's in tune with the streets and knows what it's like for the folks out there, as does Starsky, but he was too distracted. As great as it is to have the Bear back, it's strange that a lot of scenes that potentially would have been his were taken by his new waitress, Anita (not Rita). Was she being set up to be a recurring character, or was it just a special role for a known face at the time since Liz Torres gets a 'Special Guest Star' credit? She's fine, and I suppose it wouldn't have worked if Huggy had been the one Starsky performed his trick in front of as he wouldn't have sold it, would have smelt something fishy, plus if Ernie had spoken to him he'd have immediately got in contact with Starsky, so Anita served her purpose. I don't remember her being in it again, so it'll be interesting to see if she is.

I must admit, despite having seen the episode several times I completely forgot the holdup at The Pits was a setup by Starsky and his police pals, Simmons and Babcock. I was thinking that it wasn't very wise for Starsky to stand up and, even carefully, confront the balaclava man training a gun on him, but as soon as the other guy came running in saying he was a cop I realised it was a ruse, and a very good one at that. Starsky's day couldn't have got much worse if he really had encountered a mugger and been shot for it, what with his weekend plans being ruined by news of the botulism, the realisation that Hutch is infected, and Pardee still on the loose after a failed attempt to stop him! You can see how much S&H care about each other, both in Starsky's horror at the possibility of the soup Hutch ate giving him fatal food poisoning, and the shock Hutch has when Ernie lets him know about Starsky's shooting - he stays in character, but he's immediately softened and though he's suspicious of his friend, expecting all kinds of tricks and tactics to wheedle him out into the open, he has to know for sure. The reality is that if Starsky is frequenting all the places they both know and making a nuisance of himself round the city, you can imagine that he would be in greater risk of being shot or potentially poking his nose in somewhere he's not wanted, so it's a plausible outcome, and Starsky knows it - maybe he's got just as much of the brains after all, just as Hutch has just as much of the brawn.

Hutch doesn't use his brain as much once he's suffering from the bacterium, though, taking on the job of finding Pardee when he should have phoned up Captain Dobey for assistance, but maybe he was pridefully imagining taking in the crim while still evading his partner for the ultimate way to rub Starsky's face in it. But Pardee is no game, and while Hutch successfully corners him, the food poisoning gets the better of him much to Pardee's delight. As well as failing to take advantage of the hide and seek idea as much as they could have, Pardee's subplot is also not handled as well as it could have been. It's ironic that if Pardee's window hadn't stuck and he'd had that extra second to get out, he'd have soon left Hutch clean behind. What is also rather ironic is that Starsky speeds to the rescue followed by pandas with full flashing lights and sirens screaming, but Pardee doesn't hear them until they're almost running him over! For someone so attuned to the police and self-survival it's hard to accept that he suddenly failed to notice three cars approaching and stands there shocked as the Torino heads straight for him, not even loosing a bullet at Starsky. So the conclusion was all too easy, and as ever, I'd have liked an end scene that had at least something to do with the episode or its theme - just mention that Hutch paid up because Starsky did technically find him and he conceded that he won, or an argument where Starsky refuses to take advantage and won't take the money.

Instead we have another odd, unrelated end scene in which Hutch tries to teach Starsky about meditation and free association until his friend realises he put a special Buddy Holly album into the oven instead of the pizza he was holding in his other hand. It's amusing, undoubtedly, and fulfils the usual criteria of leaving the audience with a positive feeling and a smile, but it is odd and it's not like they've never done a final scene that is connected to the episode or that has a note of poignancy or conclusion to the story. I wonder if Starsky's memory of hiding from his Father in a 'closet' on his eighth birthday was a serious thing as that would have been interesting to hear about! There was a kind of reference to their history during the episode, but only in the most vague way: Hutch claims he's been carrying Starsky since day one. I know, I'm reaching, but even the tiniest mention of day one, which was a real moment in their lives, presumably when they first met, is worth noting. I also liked the carefree way the episode begins with a shot outside a sunny Police HQ with music that says all is well today, and what with the talk of the weekend it's quite a summery, relaxing atmosphere, at least to begin the episode. That's one of the things I love about the series, that it feels like it's always sunny and bright and S&H have the freedom of the city, like it's their playground, only they don't play, they have to deal with some nasty stuff, but they so often do it with good humour, enjoying their lives, jobs and company, so we do, too.

Saying that, I would suggest this is more in line with the negative view of the city that some episodes present, even though it's not a seedy, nasty story, we tend to see rubbish-strewn streets, ugly little apartments almost empty except for mess and the bare bones of life, most obviously in Pardee's hovel where Hutch finds him. In contrast, Gina's house is quite nice, and I wonder if it was somewhere they rented or she owned - you can see a lot of decor that makes it seem quite homely. In particular you can see a photo on the wall when Hutch enters and when he leaves with Gina he brushes against it so it hangs askew. They must have had a maid or cleaner of some kind, because when Gina returns to phone through a message for Starsky we see the picture is back to hanging straight! I thought Gina was quite a good character - this terrified woman that wants to escape the violent and dangerous Pardee, but is too frightened to do so. It appears he was going to leave her behind originally, but whether that meant she was a goner, or she would be left in place as a base for him to return to if needed, I don't know. It was a good scene when Starsky enters the house and immediately grabs her, pulling her around the room, common courtesy suspended in the light of the threat from Pardee. He's professional as he checks out the rooms with gun drawn, but doesn't let up on Gina. We've seen it before that when one of their partners are in trouble, all lightness of touch disappears and they become like professional robots doing everything possible, following their training, but with acute accuracy and haste.

Gina was played by Suzanne Charney who had previously portrayed Ginger way back in Season 1's 'Death Notice' (there are several characters named Ginger in the series, so it must have been a popular name back then!). As I mentioned earlier, the only other returning face is Raymond Allen as Merl The Earl, but though it's credited as the same actor who played the role in both 'Jo-Jo' and 'Bloodbath' I always think it's a different actor, since he does look different - checking back on the DVDs, it's simply that he had a beard then, and now it's just a moustache which changes a face quite a lot. He was always a good character and I enjoy it when they enhance the world by bringing back a known face, especially played by the same actor, but Merl didn't have as good a scene this time. One of the pop culture references comes from him when he says for money he'd work on Ben Hur's chariot, as Starsky questions him working on Hutch's beat up old motor. Other references include Hutch reading aloud from 'Anthony and Cleopatra,' he sarcastically says he's Bugs Bunny when Ernie asks his name, and of course he owns a rare autographed Buddy Holly album (only eight in the country). The brown, tiled lab where Starsky speaks to the doctor had been seen before, first in 'The Plague,' I believe. Hutch's illness recalled his drug dependence in 'The Fix,' and Pardee laughing over him as he slumped with blurred vision was like 'A Coffin For Starsky' where another villain laughs over the prone, paralysed form of Starsky. And we find out that The Pits' address is 1348, 6th Street, when Anita rings for an ambulance.

Going in the right direction, but the episodes still weren't quite getting there. That's how I feel about this enjoyable, but not entirely satisfying instalment. It showcases the banter (but only to an extent, since S&H are separated for much of the time), features both Huggy and Dobey (but only in minor roles), and brings back more of the favourite aspects of the series, from locations to vehicles. It could have done with more action, perhaps, or played up the friendship connection between S&H through their mutual concern, and the bad guy, though a fearsome looking meanie, could have done much worse to make us fear for Hutch's life. But the supporting cast aren't bad, and although there isn't much in the way of quirky characters, it's quite a fun episode, even with the peril - Ernie and Merl fit that category for sure, but the only other one is Anita, and she has to carry some emotional weight with the cruel, but necessary trick Starsky plays on her to sell his injuries. I didn't quite buy she'd have been as upset as she was, considering she only just met S&H, but maybe she's more tenderhearted than her rough exterior suggests?

**