BOOK CLUB QUESTIONS H

• 351. When Dobey threatens to take Starsky and Hutch off the Washington-Boseman case, is this the first time he has threatened to take both men off a case? (Huggy Can’t Go Home )

• 352. Comment on the symbolism of the color red in Huggy Can’t Go Home. Big Red drinks a red pop, Starsky grabs a red napkin off of Huggy’s bar, Huggy’s sweater is red, Big Red wears a red shirt to the robbery, the red blood stains J.T.’s stomach while he lies in the basement, the light shining through the red liquid in the basement bottle, Huggy’s red Cadillac, the bag of money stained by blood... (Huggy Can’t Go Home )

• 353. When Starsky throws the wedding cake in Hutch’s face, and Hutch tastes the pie off of Starsky’s face, is this symbolizing the wedding custom, suggesting Starsky and Hutch are really meant to be together? (Deckwatch, Terror on the Docks)

• 354. Rigger speaks into his microphone to Starsky and Hutch. He says, “They brought Daniel and they cast him into the den of the lions.” It is a metaphor for what is happening to Rigger, though his ending does come out as well. (Targets Without a Badge 1)

• 355. Huggy pushes Jamie on the swing, telling her, “Hang on Jamie, you’re on your own now,” which is exactly how it is. (Targets Without a Badge 1)

• 356. Huggy has intense anger at Starsky and Hutch over Rigger’s death. He also refers to his connection to Starsky and Hutch as an “already fragile relationship” after he is beat up by Bagely’s men. Starsky tells Hutch that Huggy doesn’t seen to be happy to be “part of the team.” What are some other examples of Huggy not being happy about his role as their finest snitch? (Targets Without a Badge 1, Trap)

• 357. Starsky and Hutch both have “a bottle of Chianti here someplace” and locate an unopened one under the sink. What other things are similar about their apartments? (Foxy Lady)
358. Both Lisa and Emily get involved with bad men because “he was exciting.” Are there any male characters that hook up with a woman for the same reason? (Blindfold, Foxy Lady)

• 359. Professor Gage harasses Hutch for being late, telling him his apology is Hutch’s “own sense of limiting convention under the guise of politeness.” While Gage is a twisted ass, is he right about Hutch’s apology at that particular moment? (Class in Crime)

• 360. Gage prides himself on preparedness, yet he leaves the scope in the car. Does he do this out of arrogance, forgetfulness or does he subliminally want to either get caught, or shoot Michelle? A pro can hit the target at 70 yards, he tells Michelle he was only 70 yards away from Allen, she points out she was 65 yards and Todesco measures it at 71 yards. And to add further intrigue, Gage has to put his glasses on before he makes the shot. Knowing what Gage thinks about his abilities and his Philosophy of Crime, what is going on here? (Class in Crime)

• 361. What do a peach pit and Starsky’s dirty laundry have in common? (Foxy Lady, Hutchinson for Murder One)

• 362. What is Starsky doing with Hutch’s handcuffs? Is it a ploy to make John Carelli get him closer to Hutch and Lisa? Or something else? (Foxy Lady)

• 363. Got the Balls? Hutch bounces a tennis ball on his table after looking in at sleeping Allison. He tells Starsky they went into the case with “all the finesse of a wrecking ball.” Hutch is bouncing a tennis ball when he hears of Starsky’s heart attack. (Targets Without a Badge 3, Sweet Revenge)

• 364. Dobey says, “I know a lady when I see one.” Jessie lectures Starsky and Hutch on “wolves in sheep’s clothing.” Compare these two mistakes of character. (Silence, Foxy Lady)

• 365. Kalowitz says Edward Crown “had you cold, Starsky,” and notes Starsky should be grateful to Corman for shooting him. It appears Starsky saved himself with plenty of time, making Kalowitz’s statement a little hollow. Is this symbolic of Kalowitz’s limited vision and bad judgment in hanging around Corman and Burke and ragging on Starsky and Hutch? (Snowstorm)

• 366. “Love. It’s going to put him in the poorhouse,” Starsky predicts. He isn’t too far off. (Fix)

• 367. Track the symbolism of the Candy Bar as it applies to this episode. (Fix)

• 368. It is Hutch that flat out can’t believe that Huggy would be dishonest with them, “Ah, come on Starsky, we’re talking about Huggy!” Starsky just nods, points out that for “$100,000, a guys’ brains could go out to lunch.” What makes for the difference in their trust levels in the reality of Huggy? (Kill Huggy Bear)

• 369. Does Starsky have guilt after telling Hutch that “he” still has a long way to go, rather than “we.” I’d clear off that buffet too, after hearing Starsky say that. (Fix)

• 370. Anton Rusz may have not known the seriousness of the threat with Ginger, but when he writes that Sonia is next, he is crossing a line that Kathi Carmer has already crossed. Anton Rusz could have saved the life of at least one girl if he had decided to tell the police what he knew. He tells Starsky and Hutch he kept quiet because he was afraid his cheating the phone company would get him deported. Starsky and Hutch must feel this is a good enough reason, as they invite him to their house to cook later. A lot of characters make selfish, frightened judgments. What makes Starsky and Hutch feel kindly towards Anton, when they don’t feel sympathy towards others in similar positions? (Death Notice)

• 371. Hutch tells Dobey, “I already got a partner, I don’t need another one.” Is Hutch telling Dobey that if Starsky dies, Hutch is through too? (Sweet Revenge)

• 372. Despite his flaws as a sicko murderer, Tony Mariposa has redeeming qualities regarding his mom. He calls her regularly, is concerned about her being alone, offers to have her move in with him and tells her he loves her. Juxtapose Tony’s relationship with his mother to Eugene Pruitt’s relationship with his mother. (Discomania, Las Vegas Strangler)

• 373. Hutch says to the car wash guy, “You know your humanity is surpassed only by your honesty and good looks.” Starsky tells Huey Chaco, “You are one of the warmest, most responsive human beings I have ever had the pleasure to meet.” Starsky and Hutch meet a lot of dreadful people; what about these two make them make these comments? (Psychic, Texas Longhorn)

• 374. Fat Rolly disdainfully tells Marty, moaning on the floor, “I like you cause you’re so fast on your feet.” Stryker goads his thug, effectively restrained by Starsky by his own jacket, “I’ll sleep better at night, knowing you are guarding me.” Explore the idea of these sarcastic pecking order moments. (Texas Longhorn, Snowstorm)

• 375. “They really got to be coming out of the sewer,” Hutch tells Starsky at the oilfield. Starsky tells Hutch, “Nice world, huh?” after pulling Ginger out of the pool. Hutch tries to cheer Starsky up after his bug-in-the-toilet bowl comment, combined with at persistent flusher, that “at least we’re a couple of bugs who know how to swim.” With all the horrifying things they see in their life, what are some of the successes? (Pilot, Death Notice, Texas Longhorn)

• 376. Starsky tells a brutally frank Huggy, “If a sixteen year old kid isn’t worth it, who is?” What changes Starsky’s attitude by the time he chastises Hutch about Kiko? Or is there something else going on? (Pariah, Running)

• 377. Hutch tells Starsky, “Looking rich makes you nervous.” Starsky replies it is “these kinky clothes,” he dislikes. Starsky also doesn’t like the shoes Hutch bought for him. When Starsky complains about the shoes killing his instep, ‘the inside of his sole,” is he really referring to his “soul” instead, implying the whole thing doesn’t feel right to him? Compare this moment when Starsky notes Amboy’s house makes him uncomfortable. Is it true that the finer things in life “offend his grosser nature”? (Bait, Bust Amboy)

• 378. Hutch is holding two people in front of them who take a bullet meant for him. The first is Billy Harknes and the second is the guy in parking lot who attacked him with knife. Henderson takes the bullet that could have killed Starsky. Is this considered a fairly major tactical error, as a bullet has a good chance of continuing through a second body? Or a matter of luck? Or a screenwriter’s way of making the story work? (Sweet Revenge, Bait, Pilot)

• 379. Starsky and Hutch tell Cheryl her job is done, “We just needed your help. You don’t have to bleed for us.” No, that comes later. Compare the characters Cheryl Waite and Lionel Rigger. (Targets Without a Badge 1, Bait)

• 380. What is going on when Hutch doesn’t tell Starsky until they are walking into the warehouse that he told Agent Carter the wrong address? Is Hutch that sure of Starsky’s agreement in this plan? Or of Starsky’s knowing what to do without previous preparation? Telling him they have no back-up and that Hutch doesn’t, for whatever reason, have is gun, seconds before they walk into the warehouse seems foolhardy, as well as rude. Is there any other time that one man makes a decision for the other and doesn’t tell him despite having the chance to? (Bait)

• 381. In four years, Dobey and Huggy have only one apparent instance of their bodies touching each other. It is when Dobey slaps Huggy’s back after getting won ton soup. (Bait)

• 382. Billy Desmond was an Eagle Scout and straight A student at the University for two years. What happened to him to turn him so totally crooked? (Terror on the Docks)

• 383. Explore Starsky’s apparent feeling of ease around old women, citing his conversations with Mrs. Greene and Mrs. McMillan and his card playing with Hannah. (Black and Blue, Deadly Imposter, Deckwatch)

• 384. Starsky and Hutch are two men that have substitute father figures with secrets, who ultimately disappoint and come to a bad end. Contrast and compare the Starsky/Blaine relationship and the Hutchinson/Huntley relationship. (Death in a Different Place, Birds of a Feather)

• 385. Laura Kanen and Vanessa are two women who make Hutch very angry. Comment. (Deckwatch, Hutchinson for Murder One)

• 386. There is only one instance of a lit fireplace being used with a “good” character and it is with Anna . In all other instances, only the bad guys, including Kira and Diana, have lit fireplaces. (Body Worth Guarding, Starsky vs. Hutch, Fatal Charm, Iron Mike)

• 387. Compare the checklist Starsky and Hutch go through in Hutch’s car, perky and thorough, to the one they go through right before Hutch’s mad dash to save Joanna Haymes. (Pilot, Psychic)

• 388. Kingston St. Jacques tells Hutch half his drivers have quit and only a “god-forsaken fool” would apply for a job at Metro now. Enter front stage, Starsky. (Quadromania)

• 389. Starsky and Hutch get put on the cabbie murders, replacing Detective Henderson. Have Starsky and Hutch ever been taken off a case, and replaced by other detectives? (Quadromania)

• 390. Sex ‘N Steaks. A common lure for copulation with Starsky and Hutch is the promise “a couple of steaks in the refrigerator.” (Committee, Satan’s Witches, Fatal Charm)

• 391. Hutch calls himself “Hutchinson” when he scolds himself. “Hutchinson, you sure picked a winner,” he tells himself about Diana. When he is deep in Marsha’s lair, he asks himself under his breath, “What did you get yourself into, Hutchinson?” What do you think Starsky refers to himself under similar circumstances? (Fatal Charm, Tap Dancing)

• 392. Dobey almost takes Starsky off Helen’s case because of Starsky’s personal interest in it. Yet in Linda Baylor’s attack Dobey tells Starsky and Hutch, “Knowing how you feel about Linda, I’m going to assign you to her case.” Why the difference in how he sees emotional involvement of his officers in these two cases? (Fatal Charm, Lady Blue)

• 393. Starsky says he would request Meredith next time he needed a new partner. Of Linda Baylor he says, “I’d trade her in for you any time,” referring to Hutch. He even calls Rosie Dobey “Partner.” Would it be harder for Starsky or Hutch to work with someone other than each other? (Captain Dobey, You’re Dead, Fatal Charm, Black and Blue)

• 394. Contrast and compare Ted McDermott, Doris Huntley, Vic Rankin and Freddie in their gambling habits. (Action, Birds of a Feather, Losing Streak)

• 395. Compare the characters of Ted McDermott and Jerry Konig, two men who have paid enough and take a brief, pitiful stab at action. (Bounty Hunter, Action)

• 396. Starsky tells Huggy he has been on the street “too long” when he mixes up the words “horse” and “whore.” Starsky tells Hutch “working on the street must have warped your mind,” when Hutch is cynical about McDermotts setting up a blind date. What are some other moments that Starsky and Hutch would recognize as being too long on the streets? Give examples of some “lighter” moments as well as much more serious ones. (Death Ride, Action)

• 397. One clue that Hutch was married twice (Nancy and Van) is that he tells Starsky that Nancy used to run back inside, thinking she had left the water on. This seems like a very un-Van-like thing to do (Pilot)

• 398. Starsky and Hutch, in order to get information, have sex with people as part of their job. Would female detectives be asked to do the same? What are the professional implications of these information gathering sessions? (Rosey Malone, Ballad for a Blue Lady, Tap Dancing)

• 399. Rosey Malone admits she has secrets, “Doesn’t everybody? Don’t you?” Starsky looks down. Anna tells Hutch a secret, in little test to make them friends, but he doesn’t reveal his to her. What would Starsky’s secret be, aside from his being undercover? What would Hutch’s secret be? (Rosey Malone, Body Worth Guarding)

• 400. Starsky’s Fat’s Domino album is stolen. Hutch’s Buddy Holly album is melted. Could this be a clue to why we never see Starsky or Hutch listening to music at home? (Starsky and Hutch Are Guilty, Game)