BOOK CLUB QUESTIONS B
"Esta Ramon
aqui?" (Velvet
Jungle)
• 51. You
know Thistleman is a bum when he parks at work in a “20
minute zone.” You know Ben Forest is a bum when he wears
his hat indoors. Name some other characters that display
poor manners and three other characters that show good
manners as a symbolism of their morals. (Set-Up, Fix)
• 52. “My conscience is as clear as any man’s” Mike
Ferguson says to Starsky and Hutch. Watch the look on
Hutch’s face as Ferguson’s face as this is said. Is this
comment on conscience necessarily reassuring? (Iron Mike)
• 53. It is insinuated that Laura’s father was a cop and
was killed in the line of duty. Is this why she won’t date
Hutch or is it something more? (Deckwatch)
• 54. Why does Dobey tell Starsky, after Prudholm kills a
second cop and calls Metro, “Your friend called you again,”
when he is trying to keep Starsky’s head together? (Pariah)
• 55. “At the time, I didn’t put it together but I saw gum
wrappers folded exactly like that at Ted Bank’s apartment.”
This means Starsky is having Billy checked out even before
he and Hutch go to have dinner at the Blake’s and before he
understands the gum wrapper clue. What makes Starsky go
down that track? Just general paranoia due to his job or is
it something else? (Terror on the Docks)
• 56. The whole conversation with Hutch, Starsky and Dr.
Franklin when Starsky is first taken to the hospital has
the undercurrent their speaking about sexual assault. How
would this episode play differently if this were the case,
with or without the twenty-four hour deadline? (A Coffin
for Starsky)
• 57. Memo to Huggy: When you get that Commendation from
the Police Department for your help, don’t put it on your
wall—it might hurt your street cred. Explore the ways Huggy
has to work both sides of the fence to remain effective
both as a friend to Starsky and Hutch while keeping his
street reputation intact.. (Snowstorm)
• 58. Why does Hutch say to Starsky regarding Gillian that
“you never did like her” or “understand her”? Does Hutch
feel this is true or is he reacting out of blunt grief?
(Gillian)
• 59. Gillian professes her love for Hutch eight times,
seven directly to Hutch. Hutch never uses the word in
return. Does he express it in other ways than verbal? Does
he love her? Who else does Hutch express his love to in the
series, other than to Starsky? (Gillian)
• 60. Starsky asks Dr. Quo, “What you are saying is she’s
going to die. It is only a matter of when.” Contrast this
with Starsky’s comment to Tallman, “Even dying’s a living.”
(Pilot, Starsky’s Lady)
• 61. It isn’t really money Tabor wants from Sue Ann, it’s
to be remembered. Even Sue Ann says to him that the money
doesn’t mean anything to her either. At one point in the
episode, she says that perhaps the money would even things
out. How are Sue Ann and Tabor both sides of a karmic coin?
Extra credit for discussion regarding Sue Ann Grainger’s
“willingness” to take on Tabor’s blame as an example that
of Professor Gage’s theory, “The victor and as well as the
victim is responsible for his life and death…” and “the
subtle and obvious ways we choose our own executions.”
(Long Walk, Class in Crime)
• 62. “Thy hand, great Anarch, lets the curtain fall and
universal darkness buries all.” Voltaire 1744, says Zane.
Fat Rolly says nervously, “I knew that.” In fact, they are
both wrong. It is from Alexander Pope’s “Dunciad.” Does
this exchange make Zane or Rolly look like a bigger idiot?
Knowing he gets literary quotes wrong make Zane a more or
less effective bad guy? And is there any significance to
the Zane’s choice of Pope’s literary satire as his reading
material? (Pilot)
• 63. Hutch complains about his hand while in the emergency
room. Starsky tells him it is just a scratch, downplaying
Hutch’s pain. Is Starsky’s dismissal a foreshadowing of the
later situation with Diana? (Fatal Charm)
• 64. Why does Hutch refer to the assignment of Anna as one
that was “going to be the assignment of my life”? (Body
Worth Guarding)
• 65. Iron Mike defends himself saying, “My conscience is
as clear as any man’s.” Dr. Matwick claims, “My conscience
is quite clear… the work I do here is of the utmost
importance.” How are these two men’s rationalizations the
same? How are they different? (Iron Mike, Murder Ward)
• 66. Does the character of Terry Roberts and the episode
she is in qualify as a “Terry Sue”? (Starsky’s Lady)
• 67. When Hutch says Ted “has everything he needs…a
beautiful family, a good job, a comfortable home,” is Hutch
making a general comment regarding a man’s happiness, or
just Ted’s? Contrast and compare this to Tony’s comment,
“You “work all your life for that dream house, picket
fence...” (Action, Discomania)
• 68. Hutch gives Laura a silly list of jobs he would do if
he stopped being a cop, which is his way of saying he has
no intention of leaving the profession. Starsky gives Rosey
Malone a list of silly jobs as he is evading telling Rosey
what he really does for a living. Starsky tells Rosey
Malone that he has no more intention of quitting the force
as she does of quitting being her father’s daughter. Is
Starsky and Hutch’s dedication to their job as much a
dedication to the career itself, or to being partners with
each other, regardless of the job? Envision Starsky and
Hutch as go-cart drivers and sushi chefs. (Deckwatch, Rosey
Malone)
• 69. Is Starsky, Hutch and Huggy’s choice of “Somebody Bad
Stole the Wedding Bell” foreshadowing the bogus marriage
between “Thorne” and Charlotte Connery? Extrapolate.
(Playboy Island)
• 70. When poisoned, Starsky tells Hutch not to antagonize
the people he needs. Later, when Hutch is ill, Starsky
antagonizes the people they need. If Hutch were present
when Starsky he does this, would Hutch point it out? (A
Coffin for Starsky, Plague)
• 71. Why is Starsky skeptical about National Geographic’s
article about one hundred forty-eight year old people when
he seems to believe just about any other odd trivia? Is
Starsky or Hutch a more gullible person? Provide examples.
Extra credit for picking Hutch. (Plague, Bounty Hunter)
• 72. Is Starsky’s duplicitous with Emily Harrison
regarding his identity and interest in her about even with
her duplicitous with him regarding her role in the robbery
and relationship with Don Widdicombe? Will they have equal
amounts of anger for themselves as well as for each other?
(Blindfold)
• 73. Starsky isn’t a very good liar, except when he is
undercover, says Hutch. Hutch comments that Starsky ought
to be “good at” Liars’ Poker. Starsky tells Callendar, “I
don’t lie.” Can these three statements coexist and still be
valid? (Action, Plague)
• 74. Dr. Kaufman says Hutch’s vulnerable upper lip “gets
right to a woman’s heart.” Is this why he grows a mustache
in Season Four? (Plague)
• 75. Starsky tells Helen not to touch Ritchie to avoid
becoming infected with the plague. She replies, “Do you
think I care?” Comment on Helen’s remark and how it relates
to Starsky as he fights to go into the sick room with
Hutch. (Plague)
• 76. Compare and contrast the two times Starsky’s name is
written in red on something as a message. (Bloodbath,
Plague)
• 77. It is Callendar’s nice shoes that give him away to
Hutch. Later, when he comes to the hospital, he is wearing
ratty tennis shoes. Was Callendar’s mistake of the nice
shoes because he was sloppy when he wasn’t feeling well? Or
for another reason? (Plague)
• 78. Hutch knows John-John, but Starsky doesn’t, as it is
pointed out the collector is working Hutch’s neighborhood.
Hutch tells Starsky, “Every snitch on your circuit…” is
talking about Starsky and Emily. How much of Starsky and
Hutch’s professional lives don’t overlap? And what are some
other examples of things they don’t share? (Collector)
• 79. When Starsky tells Hutch, “You know how I feel about
dogs,” is he expressing a fear/dislike of dogs? Doesn’t
want to tangle with Duvcha specifically? Does he use this
line as an excuse to say “no” to Hutch’s plan? Jack Ives
also professes a discomfort around dogs as well. Is he
speaking as Hutch or as Jack Ives? And how does the viewer
reconcile those statements with Starsky and Hutch’s obvious
comfort around the Spotted Dog. (Groupie, Collector,
Snowstorm)
• 80. Starsky tells Hutch, “I know how, where, when you
eat, walk, sleep, talk, what you know, how you know it.”
Does Hutch know Starsky as well? And if he does, is putting
mayonnaise rather than mustard on Starsky’s pastrami
sandwich an act of defiance? A deviation of knowledge?
Payback for Starsky’s digging around in his jacket to get
the fifty-dollar bill back, while standing in front of
Simonetti, in a possible cut scene? Or is it an excuse to
call Starsky, “Gordo”? (Game, Collector)
• 81. Hutch tells Anna,
“Only friends should have secrets.” What does he mean by
this remark? That only friends should have secrets between
them or that only friends should have secrets from each
other? And what secrets does he have with / from Starsky?
(Body Worth Guarding)
• 82. Comment on the line that
Judge McClellan, "won't have time to go to the bathroom
much less worry about who put the finger on him," with the
fact that the Judge is shot and killed in the john.
(Targets 1)
• 83. Both Callendar and Solkin are caught, in part, due to
their shoes. Extra credit for tying in Starsky’s remark to
the woman at the disco about how he worked with Brady’s
brother at a shoe store. (Plague, Vendetta, Discomania)
• 84. Why does Starsky refer to Chris Phelps’s age and say,
“26 is a beautiful age”? (Heroes)
• 85. Who knows Huggy better? Starsky or Hutch?
• 86. “Confidence, Huey, confidence.” Hutch reads the
funnies to Starsky. Foreshadow this caption with the
basketball game he and Starsky play against Huey and Tony
later in the episode. Was it a lack of confidence that made
Huey lose? (Savage Sunday)
• 87. Is Starsky’s watch accurate? Hutch comments Crandell
is five minutes late, Starsky says, “More like ten,” making
Hutch’s watch appear quite inaccurate. When Starsky pleads
with his watch, “Please be fast, just this once” when
driving the white Chevy to the field. Starsky also chooses
his watch’s accuracy over the Torino’s dashboard clock,
saying the Torino’s clock is three minutes fast. Are there
clues regarding the actual accuracy of Starsky’s watch?
Some hints: Starsky’s watch may be a bit fast as Starsky
appears surprised with the extra time he got when he pokes
his head out of the bush. And Bagley is shown to be
obsessed on arriving at the coffee shop on Brady at
precisely two o’ clock, even making an extra phone call to
make sure; this would point to the Torino’s clock indeed
being on the fast side. (Snowstorm, Savage Sunday, Trap)
• 88. Speculate on how the old squad car license plate hung
in Huggy’s bar (E60975) could have been the plate from
Starsky and Hutch’s car in their days in uniform. (Texas
Longhorn)
• 89. Starsky explains to Dobey that capillaries get
pinched with love. Later, Monk can’t find a vein and
complains about needing a ladder with Hutch. Compare and
contrast these two mentions of Hutch’s cardiovascular
system. Extra credit for juxtaposing heroin and lust as two
things that cloud the thought process. (Fix)
• 90. Speculate on three futures for Crandell. Corman and
Burke say they would have only waited another fifteen
minutes for the apparently tardy Crandell and they “would
have split.” This would have saved Crandell from getting
shot five times and dumped in a field. At least for now.
Freddie was also after Crandell and there was talk of
Crandell’s arm getting put in a meat machine. And finally,
Starsky and Hutch were also on Crandell’s tail, wanting him
to set up his boss. All three scenarios make Pennsylvania
in the winter seem positively benign. (Snowstorm)
• 91. Crandell was dealing with three different people’s
“interests” (Stryker, Corman and Burke, Starsky and Hutch),
which is pretty ballsy. What were his major mistakes? Is
there any other bad guy in Bay City that could have pulled
it off? (Snowstorm)
• 92. Dobey seems surprised, and pleased, hearing Corman
and Burke are going to go fishing together. Perhaps he sees
it as a Team Building Exercise. What other team building
things could Dobey organize for the department? Bringing in
Emily Harrison for a “Blind Trust Walk”? Or the
ever-popular “Trust Fall”? Perhaps a fun “Human Knot”?
Envision Homicide, Vice and the Commissioner all going on a
retreat and working with a facilitator. This years’ topic:
“Communication in the Workplace, When the While-You-Were
Out Pink Memo Isn’t Enough” (Snowstorm, Blindfold)
• 93. Huggy gets in trouble only twice because of his own
doing, at least on screen, and both times are when he lies
to Starsky and Hutch. In all other cases, trouble comes to
him because of his relationship with Starsky and Hutch. Do
you think he should find some different friends? Or are the
problems he encounters by way of Starsky and Hutch
outweighed by his friendship with them? Or by what they
overlook a la Iron Mike? (Kill Huggy Bear, Trap, Deadly
Imposter, Snowstorm, Huggy Can’t Go Home, Iron Mike)
• 94. Starsky, Hutch and Huggy are in Huggy’s upstairs room
twice. Contrast and compare why they go there and the
outcome? Comment on Starsky and Hutch sitting at the same
table in that same room, with Huggy close by or keeping
watch. (Kill Huggy Bear, Fix)
• 95. Describe what could be going through Dobey’s head: he
knows Starsky and Hutch went to Huggy Bears because there
was trouble there. He then receives phone call by way of
Hutch requesting an ambulance, backup and no other
information. (Snowstorm)
• 96. When Starsky and Hutch do the three-way phone trick,
Dobey asks, “Is this Starsky or Hutch?.” Merle refers to
them as one person, “Starskinson.” What are some other ways
Starsky and Hutch one soul/brain occupying two bodies?
(Death Notice, Bloodbath)
• 97. Starsky says, “The notion that something’s got to
taste rotten in order for it to make you feel good,” is
what will win Hutch the Masochist’s Medal. Hutch later
calls Starsky a “hedonist.” Starsky replies, “Just so long
as I enjoy myself.” How close or far off are these two
labels? (Pariah, Body Worth Guarding)
• 98. Two parties steal “bread” from Lou Malinda. He loses
his $50,000. And Hutch walks out with an actual loaf of
bread in the tag. After his Bakery Parable to Starsky and
Hutch, which bread loss does Malinda find more unnerving?
(Kill Huggy Bear)
• 99. Starsky and Hutch note to each other that Huggy isn’t
straight with them for “the first time,” regarding the
light green Ford parked in his alley. Three years later,
another “first time” occurs when Huggy is asked to cover
for J.T. Washington. How many “first times” do Starsky and
Hutch allow Huggy? Does it have to do with what all three
characters consider a lie? Anything else? (Huggy Can’t Go
Home , Kill Huggy Bear)
• 100. Compare and contrast religion, at least as shown in
this episode, in the lives of Harold Dobey and C.J.
Woodfield (Captain Dobey, You’re Dead)