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As a die-hard fan of "Starsky & Hutch", I eagerly awaited the DVD release of the second Season.
This Season showed Paul and David in prime form (characteristically and otherwise) and acheived a nice balance between comedy and drama. The chemistry, still strong as ever, is what makes this show MAGIC, and there's plenty of it here.
A nice mix of episodes.."Las Vegas Strangler"..and one that I barely remember seeing till this release, "Little Girl Lost"..which is now among my definite favorites.
Comedic moments abound in "Murder at Sea", "Tap Dancing...", "Long Walk Down a Short Dirt Road" and (especially)"Murder on Stage 17", but that isn't to say that this Season was turned into fluff. Despite First Season complaints that the show was too violent, the series still managed to hang onto their edge with eps like, "Vendetta", "Gillian", "Nightmare" and "The Psychic", to name a few.
"Bloodbath", directed by Paul..and "Survival", directed by David, both were chock-full of angst and hurt/comfort, and showed that these two talented actors could do more than just look pretty for the cameras.
..and speaking of angst, "Gillian" is a definite tearjerker, as is "Starsky's Lady"; both of which nicely showcase both actors' ability to express raw, gut-wrentching emotion.
Through it all..I think it is the CHEMISTRY that makes this series fly. No other show (that I've seen) has ever had two leads so effortlessly feed off each other with the warmth, humor, compassion and genuine understanding that these two actors seemed to have. Their "dance" is a treasure to watch and a gift to us all.
As for the DVD, itself, I wish there were more extras, other than the typical DVD promos for other shows and Paul's promos (which were also in Season One's DVD) for each eppy. How about an extra on bloopers?..the kind committed by the actors, themselves..and not prop failures (as mentioned in the first DVD set). I'm sure every fan would love to see these.
Now..let's get to quality. I DO have some complaints. As has been mentioned, the quality of "Murder at Sea" is erratic at best, in some places. The corridor scenes are noticeably blurry..as are other scenes here and there..and there is a scene with Starsky on deck that tends to jump a bit, from what I have seen from someone else's set. I can't remember if mine jumps there, too, but most likely it does. Worse, in MY copy of the DVD, there is a scene between Gillian and Starsky that skips a few frames and cannot be remedied no matter what I do. Things like this are a major annoyance, especially "skipped" scenes..and between problems such as these and mis-spellings ("Dobie", "Starsky Slady"), it only leads me to believe that this DVD was a rush job. WHY? I'd rather it were done right than be released to coincide with that (dumb) movie.. (My apologies to those of you who liked it).
One last thing.. From what I understand, these eppies aren't even UNCUT. A source told me, in fact, that several episodes are missing some scenes, not to mention that they're not even in order.
These problems aside, the complete second Season of Starsky & Hutch is a must-have for any fan..be they an S&H fan, or a fan of 70's crime dramas, in general. But lest anyone get the wrong idea, Starsky and Hutch was UNLIKE any other 70's crime drama--it was BETTER. It defined the 70's, it defined COOL..and imo, it is still hip to this day. That makes it a CLASSIC..a classic to be enjoyed through the ages.
Can't wait for the next Season's DVD!
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