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Post by stefancrosscoe on Aug 27, 2023 14:40:54 GMT
Season 1 - Episode 06: One Eyed Jack (1984)
"Lombard's the kind of guy...you could steal his wife, you can run off with his daughter...but you mess with his money, that's it." During a surveillance mission, Sonny all of a sudden bumps into one of his flames, who in turn find herself in deep trouble due to gambling addiction.
This soon leads them onto a bigger fishes within the criminal underworld of Miami, as the great white shark of the business Albert Lombard (Dennis Ferina), is the one calling all the shots.And the classic episodes just continues on, as some big changes had appeared since last time. And as a worthy replacement to the former Lieutenant Lou Rodriguez, in comes his total counterpart in Martin Castillo (Edward James Olmos), a man of few words, and even less of an emotional expression. But you know this is a guy that you do not want to get on the wrong side of, and there is little time for small talk and having fun on the job while Martin is on the case.  Where as Ricardo jokes about his new boss as the "Cuban Charles Bronson", the minimalistic desk with some pills and eye drops, kind of sums up Castillo and his "lively" persona. You sure do not want to get into a staring contest with this man. However, for all the serious style he puts out, he is not a man that is complete avoid of emotions, as witnessed when a sleazy FBI agent (Dan Hedaya) tries to blackmail Crockett and bully him, during a investigation. Beside a few well known faces and names, you get the obvious ones with Dennis Farina, as the powerful mobster boss Lombard, and Joe Dallesandro as his sleazy second in command DeMarco. Both men would re-appear later on, but Lombard kind of became the new big baddie after Calderone, and one that was both evil and charming. Philip Michael Thomas once again showcases his dance moves on the floor, and while there is a darker theme with gambling on the schedule, there is also some funny and light hearted scenes, such as when Tubbs and Crocketts tries to take down a big gorilla, almost bringing down the entire restaurant with them, to having Elvis crashing another party at the bay. The Pointer Sisters is back, this time with Jump (for my love), and great scenery inside another lively night club, full of sleaze and adventure: Another thing to notice, is how the main theme by Hammer has finally included the synth guitars, along with the tv-logo having a bit of an update as well:   All in all, another classic episode, and love the trio of guest stars with Farina, Dallesandro and Hedaya. 9/10 |
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Aug 27, 2023 14:57:56 GMT
Season 1 - Episode 07: No Exit (1984)
"That's our boy." The Vice district has tried to get hold of the weapon dealer Tony Amato (Bruce Willis) along with his operation. But just when they are about to get close enough to do so, all of a sudden the place is swarmed with agents, who play by their own rules.
But these "rules" are about to be tested, when Amato's wife is tired of living in a destructive relationship, knowing well what her husband is capable of, and sees it not other way around, than to kill him.Another classic, where a young and probably not too well known Bruce Willis, appears as one son of a bitch, a real piece of work, who abuses his wife on a daily basis, then changes into a "charming" weapon dealer at night. I love how the episode makes great use of surveillance and where the team comes close into the Amato's "happy" life, which is built upon violence, threats and where Sonny finds it hard to witness it all, knowing he cannot interfere, and just have to accept certain things about this kind of work manners. Also, another episode full of great music, where Phil Collins once more arrives late with a fitting number in I Don't Care Anymore. But my favorite is Jan Hammer and his Airport Swap: Also, this episode kind of feels like a continuation from Cool Running, in which a couple of trigger happy cowboys arrives early, in a big van and comes well prepared with fireworks, gunning into a crowd of innocent people. This is not something Tubbs has forgotten about: "I hate machine guns!".
9/10 |
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Aug 27, 2023 15:15:27 GMT
Season 1 - Episode 08: The Great McCarthy (1984)
"He's crazy. Wild and crazy, totally insane, but he wins." When Crockett and Tubbs get a hold of a notorius informant, the latter turns into a songbird when he realizes he might end up in prison for a very long time.
One of the names that soon appears, is that of a successful businessman in Louis McCarthy. But in order to get close to his operation, one must have a certain talent of fast speed boats and even faster women.A bit of a "downer" compared to the earlier episodes, maybe because the main villain is not exactly too "exotic" or "memorable". But it is not all too bad that there is also some variation within the world of the criminals. As soon there would be a bit too many wannabe Tony Montana's arriving, and it got tiresome, very early. McCarthy and his promiscuous girlfriend, lives in a totally different kind of criminal world, where the upper class rules. But that does not mean the "lower" class is no where to be seen, as there is enough common interest in greed and shady deals for both parts, but over time, it usually means bad business. While the main guests are maybe not all that interesting, the spectacular boat race and beautiful footage of Miami from the skies, is what makes it so much fun:   Another frequent guest star, usually as a loose mouthed informant, is the character of Izzy, played by Martin Ferrero, who had earlier appeared in the pilot episode, as a hitman disguising himself as a woman. Along with Noogie, both would appear over the 5 seasons, not always for the better, but when they do work out, it is usually done very well. Ricardo once more, ends up letting the wrong head steer him towards another failed relationship with a beautiful woman. At least, some fun of the surveillance part, is the rewards that sometimes comes with it, something that Zito and Tubbs soon find out:    Beside the big hit that was Born To Be Wild by Steppenwolf, there is a pretty good cover band during the party of McCarthy, which plays some tunes from both Rod Stewart and Laura Brannigan. But once more, it is Jan Hammer who steals the show for my part, this time with the fitting and relaxing theme called Marina: 7/10 |
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Aug 27, 2023 15:25:56 GMT
Season 1 - Episode 09: Glades (1984)
"Why do I feel like I'm suddenly in the Twilight Zone?" When an important witness flees the scenes, just days before a big court case, the Vice guys must take a little travel into the nearby swamps of the Everglades.
But it soon becomes too obvious that it will be more like looking for the needle in the haystack.Well, it had to happen, sooner or later. Glades is the one I just never warm up to, easily the weakest one from season 1. Which is kind of frustrating, since the potential for something far better, lie there, but instead it soon turns into some kind of a silly b-movie with trigger happy hillbillies and cliches. Thankfully it did not end up into another Deliverance (1971). But yeah, trigger happy folks, everyone seemed to carry a gun, and then even more gun carrying bad guys, and I liked the idea of taking a break from the big city life, into the mysterious and unfriendly swamps, but yeah, just wished for something a bit more exciting than this.  John Pankow arrives early, as the typical "friendly" welcome commitee: 4/10 |
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Aug 27, 2023 15:36:04 GMT
Season 1 - Episode 10: Give a Little, Take a Little (1984)
"But now I plan to expose you to an elite clientele." Gina and Trudy goes undercover as ladies of the night, in an attempt of catching the attention of a well known pimp (Burt Young).
Another so-so episode, which could have some potential, but instead seems kind of lazy and uneven. A shame, since it does go into another round of sleaze and seedy world of creeps and lowlifes, and you get the chance to see what kind of danger the ladies of Vice is putting themself into, as Gina makes one mistake too many, which will haunt her for a long time. Also enjoyed the payback scene, in which another creep is not about to slime away, but is punished. The chemistry between Gina, Trudy and Stan plus Zito, was also a highlight. Michael Madsen arrives here, but gets very little to work from. I wonder what the hell happened to some of the sound quality, as Burt Young felt like he was dubbed early on, and very badly. But later on, it seemed like his voice returned. There is also some creative "wizard" who thought having a whole bunch of random freeze frames, would be either cool or dramatic, but it just looked goofy. So all in all, a pretty average episode, that sadly comes with a nasty surprise for Gina, and one I never liked. 5/10 |
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Aug 27, 2023 15:51:08 GMT
Season 1 - Episode 11: Little Prince (1984)
"The saddest thing is an uptown junkie. They're only into it because they hurt so much inside." While trying to get hold of some of the lesser citizens of Miami, the police all of a sudden stumbles upon the son of one of the most powerful businessmen in Miami.
From there on, it does not take too long, until realizing that a young man with drug problems, is the least of worries for Mark Jorgenson.
Since he is about to land a huge deal with some heavy money involved, and this means the Vice squad can make great use of Jorgenson Jr. to get close to dad's drug operation.This might just be the very first Miami Vice episode I saw on tv, when Norwegian television sent the show on reruns back in winter of 2004. I remember specially the use of Todd Rundgren and his Tiny Demson, as well as other 80s music from Frankie Goes To Hollywood and Autograph with Turn Up the Radio. Just as with a few other recent seen episodes, it all opens up with the world of seed and sleaze, drugs, prostitutes, pimps and other "charming" creatures of the night. Anyway, when Crockett and Tubbs finds Mark Jorgens Junior, halfway into a coma, Tubbs is the one who has most symphathy with the young man, due to all the wasted opportunity, and since he has seen all that, so many times before in the streets of New York. At times, this feels almost like it could have been directed by John Hughes, which is no minus, but the plot and characters is kind of a let down, while the music and style lifts it up to a bit more enjoyable ride. Speaking of the music, the use of Todd Rundgren and Tiny Demons fits well with the haunting scenery, and made me dig up some of his albums, which was not such a bad idea. 6,5/10 |
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Aug 27, 2023 16:06:58 GMT
Season 1 - Episode 12: Milk Run (1985)
"Louis and Eddie are gonna ride this lucky streak to the sky, man." Two naive young men, with huge ambitions in life, sets their eyes on some "easy" money, but ends up getting arrested on their way to the airport.
This is where Crockett and Tubbs tries to scare the boys onto better thoughts.
Sadly for both parts, this backfires when the young duo decides to seek up the opportunity of fast success by a visit to Bogotá.
However, the real world awaits them when they return to Miami.This one is likely among the most emotional and tragic episodes of the entire series, and still feels very much relevant in how young people are willingly putting their lives at risk, for a lifetime of riches. This is what I love about Vice, where it kicks off in a positive and uplifting way, with ZZ Top and Legs, while Sonny and Ricardo is looking up the goods:   But from there on, things get serious, while two 19 year old New York citizens, with their heads far up in the clouds, dream of owning their personal nightclub, and all it takes is one big deal. However, accordring to the police, about 90 percent of these "deals" ends up in blood baths and murders, since there is not a briefcase of money waiting in the other end, but a gun barrel. It is Sonny who takes it the hardest, as he obviously wants to scare the boys away from a world he knows far too much, and promises them everything is gonna be alright. Jan delivers one of the best themes with Rain, which captures the combination of innocence and tragedy so well. All in all, after a few not all impressive ones, this is surely among the all time classics. 9,5/10 |
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Aug 28, 2023 14:19:55 GMT
Season 1 - Episode 13: Golden Triangle Part 1 (1985)
"No way that guy's a cop." With the recent news of a small group of policemen, who seems to work a little "extra" on the side, through prostituion and drug dealing at some luxurious hotel.
And a such, Crockett and Tubbs must go undercover as pimps, but there is more than just sleazy customers on the other end, since all of a suddenly there is mutilated corpses arriving, and which seems to lead Martin Castillo to believe it has something to do beside sex and drugs, but something form his own past. Not a bad episode, and interesting to see Lieutenant Castillo out on duty once in awhile. Among the guest stars, I really liked the sweet yet tough call girl that was Candy, one of the many female characters which ended up having her own theme written by Jan Hammer. And one that fits her well, with an upliftning and sweet sound. Anyway, Crockett realizes he gets nowhere with the usual tough guy routine, and has to improvise a little in order to fool his victim, but instead looks more at home in one of the Revenge of the Nerds movies. 8/10 |
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Aug 28, 2023 14:29:54 GMT
Season 1 - Episode 14: Golden Triangle Part 2 (1985)
"I can't allow it. The department's not my private detective agency." Haunted by former ghosts from the past, Martin Castillo must find the right timing and strategy in how his department must handle the news, when an former druglord and enemy reappears in Miami, with intention of starting up all over again.Part 2 of the Golden Triangle is a worthy ending for this Martin Castillo adventure, and as mentioned, it is nice seeing him out among his men, fighting and taking down bad guys, as well as deliver some funny one-liners. Loved the whole cultural collision going on, where you also had the generational shift between the agening General Lao and his new rich grandkids, who only wants to get out of his shadows and start up for themselves. In other parts, the sleazy Dale Menton is played great by John Santucci, who seems to be a frequent guest, appearing several times over in the show. With all the drama and tension, Zito and Switek has pimped up their surveillance van, and seems like they have attracted some female honeybees along the way:   Also, few scenes I have seen in the show, oozes more 80s neon-cocaine slaeze, as much as Dale's penthouse apartment:   All in all, another great epsiode, love the Jan Hammer music once more: 8,5/10 |
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Aug 28, 2023 14:37:30 GMT
Season 1 - Episode 15: Smuggler's Blues (1985)
"I always like to take a goodbye look at America. Just in case it's my last." When a group of smugglers is blown to kingdom come, it forces to police into taking heavy action in order to find out who is responsible.
This means another little exotic trip for Sonny and Rico, which means deep into cocaine-country and into Cartagena to set up a deal, and hopefulle be able of coming out of there alive.
Among the earlier episodes where the show has a main musical star as guest, and you have Glenn Frey as some wild cowboy flying dope and coke in and out of dangerous places, and his character is supposed to be a former Vietnam buddy of Crockett. Sadly, another one I have never liked all that much, seems like one that many others do, not quite sure why, as I felt it was another wasted chance of doing something a bit different. Way too much use of Glenn Frey and his 80s hit single Smuggler's Blues, and just to make sure the viewer did not miss out the first time it gets played, so yeah, then just follow up 4-5 times more in the same episode. Lots of random shootouts and all of a sudden you have Trudy being set up on top of a bomb, and it ends up into some kind of psychological thriller. Anyway, no changes in how I feel or rate it, since mye last visit. 5,5/10 |
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Aug 28, 2023 14:43:20 GMT
Season 1 - Episode 16: Rites of Passage (1985)
"Pretty girl like you shouldn't be all alone in Miami." Tubbs gets a surprise visit from an old New York flame in Valerie (Pam Grier). However, her visit to Miami is not because of romance and good memories, but is down to having her little sister disappearing, and rumoured to have fallen into the hands of a sleazy pimp.Always nice to see Pam Grier, and she did end up making quite a few visits of the 5 seasons as Valerie. Once again, the theme is prostitution and sex, and some rather dark stuff as well, so in comes another round of Zito and Switek with some upgrades for their car:  Once again, as with beautiful female guest stars, Jan has another classic made up on the spot: 7/10 |
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Aug 28, 2023 14:49:25 GMT
Season 1 - Episode 17: The Maze (1985)
"They stopped being kids when they started using guns."
After a cop gets killed due to his partners agressive style of taking care of problems by, it ends up with the killers seeking shelter inside a huge building complex.
Which makes the whole situation even more unpredictable and dangerous, since there is a whole lot of innocent people trapped there as well, and Tubbs decides to go in as undercover, trying to cool down the situation.One of those episodes I did not quite like the first few times, but somehow it grow a lot more since then, and sure, there is a few scenes that is a bit too over the top, and yet this one delivered something a bit different this time. Also, the show had started to look at times like some kind of fashion or musical contest, where talents could show off their "goods", some probably did well by that, others felt more like annoying clowns, but yeah, here we have this eccentric fella, doing his cocaine-snort moves: 8/10 |
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