So, I used to be a lurker (mostly was here to see Good Omens stuff). Then I got into Miami Vice.
I guess I'm not a lurker anymore. 😉 It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it.
I curate my dash carefully because I'm here for a few very specific things. Most of those are old shows, like Miami Vice, Quantum Leap, Torchwood, Starsky & Hutch, Moonlight, The Sentinel. I could go on and on with the list, but these are the main ones. The 'recent' shows I'm into are Leverage and Good Omens.
So, I was watching an episode of MV, and in one shot, he shows his ID... and I could swear it's not a photo of DJ, but some other guy.
And in the screenshot below, is it for real? Did police IDs really say "A Regular Deputy Sheriff?? That just sounds weird to me. But maybe they did.
But also, he apparently uses quotes when he signs his name, "Sonny" James Crockett. I've had nicknames, but never one that everyone called me my whole life, but I think I'd probably just sign either my legal name or my nickname. Maybe it's required to have both? I don't know, I've never been a Vice cop.
I'm going to try and pay more attention to their IDs in the future.
Okay, so. I'm often trolling the internet for rare Miami Vice promo shots that I haven't seen before, and tonight I came across this.
Yeah, I know. These two. But this one is special. I don't know what to say. Honestly, I need someone to explain what's going on here. What kind of a pose is this?!
Is that... the car door? Yeah, it is. They are like, squished together between the door and the car. I can't say much else. Just.
The thing I find interesting about these two as co-stars is this: they both, by all accounts, had exceptionally healthy egos. Yet they got along so well. DJ has said they never had an argument in all five years they worked together. And even when it became the Sonny-Show. They liked each other, and it showed. Right up to the finale (and beyond, as obvious from PMT's two appearances in Nash Bridges).
Even when PMT would have been justified in frustration and anger. Maybe that speaks to his graciousness, or savvy about knowing the 'way things were' and working within the system as best he could... Personally, I'm not sure Philip's ego was anywhere near as big as Don's, but he is the one who coined the term EGOT and announced he would achieve it. Could be just the way he was perceived by some people because of his strong confidence (which could be an essay in itself). But still. How often do two co-stars work together this well?
I love that we have a canon song/group that Rico likes. It lines up with him putting the cassette in the player, so I'm good with considering it canon. I'm not really a rockabilly fan, but I do love this song and the scene.
The lyrics to the song, combined with Rico being followed by the patrol car, are a powerful message, too.
He Doesn't Belong To The City (they belong to each other) #4
S2, E1: Prodigal Son
Recap 4
Slash shipping time.
Waiting for the showdown scene, as they once again face possible death against great odds, side by side.
Val saved the day.
And here's the second fade out. All of them are Rico/Val fading into Sonny angst. What a coincidence... 😏
Isn't it funny how they put this whole scene on TV in the 1980s, but in 2026 it's too risque for the internet? 1986 we were worried about the Moral Majority and the PMRC. 2026 we have to use words like 'unalived' because of censorship.
Here's the third fade out. Sonny, leaving the hotel alone, and Rico/Val. They did it not once, not twice, but three times. Do we need to be hit over the head with a 2x4? Nope, but it's sure nice.
If only Rico could see Valerie's face. Too bad we didn't get to see what their goodbye scene was like. Did she give him the boot? Did he speak first, saying he's going back to Miami? Inquiring minds really want to know.
☹😢😭
Sunglasses indoors, huh? (even in the hotel room). Does he need to hide his eyes?
Is this the best ending of any ep in MV or what?! Sonny, thinking his partner isn't coming back, Rico tearing through the airport to make the plane.
Rico made his choice, and he chose Sonny.
Look at the guy behind the counter. He thinks they’re hot… but obviously only have eyes for each other. 😉
Yeah, he then looks down like, I’ll give them a moment.
Then he’s grinning at Sonny’s lame pick-up line. 😁
Best ending EVER. Deep sigh.
They are happy to be home, but no one is welcoming them back.
It's business as usual.
Except for Gina, who welcomes them home, looking beautiful. Everyone should look so great out of the hospital after getting shot!
All is well in Sonny's world. Gina is okay, and Rico is where he belongs. 🧡💕🧡
What a wonderfully satisfying episode. Thank you, Paul Michael Glaser!
I'm obsessed with the way Sonny is looking at Rico in this shot.
He blew Rico's cover when he screamed Tubbs when the shooting started. Whoops.
So, he finally goes to ask for his gun back, after the scene in the club with the shooting -- all he had was his backup in the ankle holster. I bet that freaked him out.
And it’s stalker Rico again. I can’t believe he brought up her dead sister. He deserved that slap. Oh well, at least he’s honest, I guess. He says he can’t promise to understand.
Okay, I finally caught Sonny doing the tongue thing with someone else. So, just like Rico with the winking, it’s either with women or his partner. Say no more. 😉He told Maggie he doesn’t get off on it (his shady business). "Be nice if one part of my life was real." Uh, Rico. What you have with Rico is real. You are yourself with Rico. Dummy.
Rico asked when he would meet Margaret. Is he trying to juggle Val and Sonny at the same time?! You're good, Rico, but Sonny alone is a tall order! There's something so poignant here when Sonny is looking at Rico in the car, and we know he's been wondering if Rico is staying, since he asks him a few minutes later.
Wait a minute -- back that up. Rico knows about Margaret, so he knows he's the one who’s being left alone while Sonny has a 'friend'. If I were a slash fan, I might wonder if that's why Rico is acting so extreme with Val... That's called Displacement: Redirecting an emotional reaction from the rightful recipient to another person altogether.
And just for fun, it appears that, going by the article in Psychology Today, Sonny has eight of the top ten Defense Mechanisms. Go Sonny! I'm guessing probably seven for Rico, who is slightly more well-adjusted. Slightly.
So here we are, Sonny, confronting Rico about thinking of staying in New York.
Rico answers that he's thinking about 'a lot of things.' I wonder what else he's thinking about??
That’s an unexpected treat. Rico is in bed, with Sonny standing next to the bed on the phone. That could be some fanfic fodder. 😉
I like the mirror shots.
Poor Gillette gets killed, and Rico and Sonny barely make it out themselves.
Val finally tells Rico about Margaret after he shoots the bad guy when she pulls a gun on him. Healthy relationship these two have! Anyway, she could have led with that. And how does she even know Margaret is Sonny’s friend? And he sleeps with her after, too. Is this a cop show or a soap opera?
Mopey baby again, with you belong to the city playing again.
Sonny, feeling down, calls Rico from the pay phone. He looks so sad here! Poor drowned baby duck. And like he’s trying to decide whether to call Rico or not. 😭
It also reminds me of the phone call to Caroline in the pilot. Cell phones are gonna be amazing for these two. They can talk to each other wherever and whenever they want…
Rico tells him the bad news and goes with him to confront Margaret. She gets the Rico Glare Of Death tm. It’s the special look reserved for Sonny's women. Rico, I love you, but you're spreading yourself thin here! 😉
Rico just keeps giving her the Rico Death Glare. And another great reflection shot of Sonny.
Rico has 347.62 in the bank and some stocks. Sonny has 600 in checking, 5500 in savings. That tracks. I can see Rico putting any extra into stocks, with Sonny just going with a savings account.
When did that photo get smashed? Did Val do it? I didn't notice whether it got destroyed in the shootout or not. If she did it, nice touch. If not, it's a sign from the universe!
And guess what? One last part coming shortly, because I refuse to skimp on these fabulous screencaps!
Yeah, Valerie looks so happy to see Rico. As always. 🤣Val, babe, you need to be more direct, this guy can't read subtle. Or even obvious. Hell, him and his partner are in love with each other and he can't even figure that out for years.
Valerie's body language is so telling. I think someone needs to write a fic about her having been a victim of abuse in her past. I'm not sure how else to read her body language and face telegraphing that she doesn't want to be with him, but not being forceful about saying no. I mean, even when they're in bed, she doesn't look into it. It's an interesting acting/directing choice.
Sonny watching Rico dance with Val. They are playing "Tell It Like It Is," which was also on DJ's 2nd album. Yeah, that one speaks volumes.
I noticed that Rico winked at Val. Okay, so he winks at women… and Sonny. Got it. 😉
Val thanks Sonny for 'being in her corner.' His response: I just did what I thought was right. Interesting.
So Sonny leaves to let them be alone and proceeds to walk the streets moping. Sonny is the one who offered, but Rico was kind of a dick for letting him go off on his own.
You Belong To The City. Sonny walks the city feeling alone, while (he thinks) Rico is having fun with Val. In reality, Rico is the one who will be sleeping alone most nights.
This whole segment is so great -- and so obvious. It's amazing that it goes over so many people's heads. The second shot below is so perfect at evoking a feeling of lonliness, with Sonny walking in the middle of all that empty space. PMG is a fantastic director.
Can I just say... WOW!! This is the first of three fades in this episode that are all very suggestive of subtext. Rico dancing with Val fades into lonely Sonny.
Margaret says Sonny is hopelessly conventional. Yeah, I think he is too, underneath the facade. Not saying he doesn't have any kinky streaks in him anywhere... 😉
I think it’s funny that Sonny got laid before Rico did and he's the one who spent a lonely night alone. He does deserve it, ngl. I wonder if Sonny told Rico that Margaret took his gun?
Aaaand, here's our stalker. Rico, man, you gotta tone it down. This is not cool! He deserved that slap. So... One gets his gun stolen by a stranger he slept with, the other is stalking his ex. This is Miami’s best?? 😂🤣
Tell me Rico isn't letting Sonny drive in NYC?! All I got to say is he really trusts his partner’s driving! (I drove in NYC a lot)
Baby Ducks! One of my favorite scenes, that inspired a whole fic series (that I haven't forgotten about and am working on). Where basically, Sonny and Rico are working as PI's in San Francisco and a new client of theirs says they look like fish out of water. Sonny, trying to show off (?!) just a bit, proudly tells her a drag queen in NY once called them baby ducks -- and henceforth they now have the nickname Baby Ducks from the entirety of Castro Street. 😁😂🤣
Rico gets feisty in the cop’s face. And all New York on the cop who frisked him, too.
One of fandom's favorite scenes.
And that's our limit. Already. Stay tuned for post #3.
Note: slashy shipping, not your cup of T, scroll on by.
You know this one is going to have a ton of screencaps so it's going to be a multi-parter (especially with Paul Micheal Glaser directing it). You also may know, @mitochondriaandbunnies has some absolutely amazing analysis of the show, including this ep and you should not miss it! I reblogged a couple of those posts earlier today. I'm not going to be adding too much commentary here, since it's been said better than I ever could.
Also: Tumblr AI seems to be on a labeling kick again, so I’m going to preempt them and mark this mature. I honestly have no idea what it didn't like about my previous post on Lombard, which was totally G as far as I can see. This episode is a bit different later on, though.
They are both affected by the brutality of the scene, but especially Rico. Rico offers water to the guy and attacks one of his captors when they shock the guy, causing Sonny to jump in, too. Rico yells at the DEA guy to get out of his face.
Looks like Castlilo has a headache. I would too, if I were him.
Waiting in the dark. Again.
Trudy gets some action.
I love the way this shot is framed, it's gorgeous.
Poor Gina got shot. Stan, once again, comforts one of the ladies, as Trudy is worried about her partner who was in surgery. I think there is more to Stan than we get to see in the show, unfortunately.
More shared gazes.
1 . Thought I'd give some attention to someone besides our guys once in a while. 2. More cute looks.
Newton Windsor Blade aka Gene Simmons. Trivia: If you've never seen a bizarre little movie called "Never Too Young To Die," co-starring a young John Stamos, and featuring Gene as an intersex person named Velvet Von Ragnar -- where he sings a song called, "It Takes a Man Like Me to Be a Woman Like Me", well... that's probably for the best. 😉
Foursome with the twins perhaps? Honey.
Love this shot.
And yet another "look." Apparently I aim to catalogue every one of them. 😉
In New York, Rico apparently has to hold onto Sonny so he doesn't lose him (try a leash). 😉
Another example of Rico's little 'tells', as I mentioned in a previous recap. He often wraps his hand around Sonny's arm to hold onto him. Let's face it, he does have a possessive streak, which we can see in his interactions with Val and Sonny.
Rico is trying to get in touch with Val on the phone already, at the precinct. He’s saying she’s expecting him. Either Rico is lying or Val knew he was coming but blew him off. Which would be her MO. Again, don’t know why she just doesn’t say no.
Tough, unique, bad, bold, and sassy. Rico gotta show off his cool here. Like he don’t show off his stuff in Miami. 😉
On the phone again trying to call Val. I guess Sonny probably already has a clue of how this trip is going to go.
Surprise! It's Val with the bad guy.
And that's my image limit, so more in the next post coming later today. It looks like there will be three total.
This is a re-post/archiving of a twitter thread from Oct 16, 2021, edited slightly for clarity.
Know what I haven't done for a while? Waxed philosophical about Miami Vice.
I'm currently stuck in traffic bad enough that people have turned off their cars and are chilling outside, so here goes.
So we have a houseguest who actually ASKED to be subjected to Vice, and Dan immediately suggested we watch Bushido, because let's face it, he's a Castillo Guy, and the "Vice Squad's Lieutenant is a Weird Weeb" episodes are some of his favorites.
I expressed some hesitation— Bushido is an episode that is very slowly paced (purposefully) and works best when you know the characters and know what the stakes are. We watched it anyway, and it didn't really land the way it should've (although the guest appreciated the Battlestar Galactica connections).
(Traffic cleared. In line for donuts now.) I tried to explain the fact that while Vice is technically an episodic show, it's a precursor to arc based shows in the ways it handles all the characters and their *emotional* arcs— case in point, in Bushido Sonny and Rico both seem *happy.* Castillo earnestly smiles for the first time in the show, and we learn the depths to which duty and honor matter to him (and yet, how much actual RULES really do not— his own code of honor supersedes the law even if he finds ways to pay lip service to it.)
This got me thinking about how Season Two of Miami Vice telegraphs an enormous amount about the characters' eventual arcs and the decisions they'll make throughout the series; practically half of S2 is episodes about Sonny Parallels crashing and burning and how that predicts his own eventual crash. Of course, those are the OBVIOUS things the show tells us about its cast. The thing I find fascinating about S2 is that a LOT of information is broadcast through music and images rather than the script, and Vice expects you to be smart enough to pick up on this and how it will come to fruition later in the series. So much of who Sonny and Rico are isn't spoken, and a lot of the things they say and do later in the series make a lot more sense if you pay attention to music and visual cues early on.
(Gonna drive again, will finish this thought in a bit…)
This, on top of a friend on the Vice Discord asking for a listing of all the music in Vice got me thinking (aloud) about the music in S1&2, and Dan mentioned there were 14 licensed songs in Prodigal Son alone. That reminded me that a few weeks back I'd had a revelation: I had realized something about You Belong to the City, a song specifically written specifically for Vice (I.E., it's a significant piece of music thematically and lyrically), and which plays in Prodigal Son over a sequence of Sonny being distraught in NYC at night.
I wrote about Prodigal Son last year (2020) and didn't mention that sequence at all except to talk about the weird aggressive roller skater who chases Sonny on a darkened road. At the time, I frankly thought it was a song that was chosen for its sound more than its lyrics, because the lyrics don't really fit with what we're seeing on screen.
The song starts playing about halfway through the first Prodigal Son episode, right after Tubbs reunites with Valerie and leaves Sonny alone in a city he doesn't know and doesn't have any connection to. I've mentioned before that I think, as the opener for S2, Prodigal Son is very much about home and belonging. And the thing is: Sonny doesn't belong in New York. The end of the episode confirms that, at least at that point in the series, it isn't really home for Tubbs either.
Sonny's a Southern Boy, most at home on a boat. You could argue there's some kind of ominous irony in the first 1/2 of the chorus:
Cause you belong to the city
You belong to the night
Living in a river of darkness
Beneath the neon light
But it's not objectively TRUE.
When you start picking apart the rest of the lyrics:
You can feel it
Starting all over again
The moon comes up
And the music calls
You're getting tired of
Staring at the same four walls
It really starts to fall apart. Sonny isn't *tired* of anything, he didn't choose to go out wandering or to be in the city at all, Tubbs just left him alone to be with his ex-girlfriend. This isn't wanderlust, like the song implies, it's aimlessness. The second half of the chorus and the second verse make it clear that this isn't an accident.
You were born in the city
Concrete under your feet
It's in your moves
It's in your blood
You're a man of the street
This... isn't a song about Sonny Crockett.
You Belong to the City *is about Rico.*
The second verse says:
When you said goodbye
You were on the run
Trying to get away
From the things you've done
Now you're back again
And you're feeling strange
So much has happened
But nothing has changed
These are exactly the circumstances Rico is in in this episode—he's the titular Prodigal Son, returned home after a long time to discover things are in some ways exactly as they were, and yet he doesn't fit anymore. It doesn't describe Sonny— Sonny isn't "back," he didn't leave NY "on the run." Rico did!
So, why, then, is a song about Rico playing when Sonny is wandering the city alone?
Because the idea that Rico *belongs here in NYC* is Sonny's driving fear at this point in the episode. From his perspective, he's been abandoned. He's unmoored. (And I think this is what leaves his guard so far down with Maggie. He is painfully lonely at the best of times throughout the series; alone in NY he's bereft. First port in a storm and all that.) That the episode ends with Take Me Home is a repudiation of that fear—especially considering the more-or-less-overt flirting that occurs when they meet again.
Why is any of this important? Because Vice is a series that often takes Show Don't Tell as far as you can go without becoming French New Wave: Now on TV! I argued last year that Prodigal Son intended for a savvy audience to read Sonny as bisexual; the seemingly incongruous lyrical use of You Belong to the City both confirms that and adds the extra wrinkle that *Tubbs needs to be considered in that equation.*
Which is to say: the first episode of Season Two decides to make a statement about where the season is going, and that statement is that *the relationship between Sonny and Rico is import\ant and vital and that they both have a concept of home that involves each other.* Considering where the rest of the series goes, that makes the eventual unraveling of their relationship as Sonny falls apart just about the closest thing the series has to a full overarching plot.
THEIR PARTNERSHIP IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING, FOLKS
The DEA asks Sonny and Rico to track down a family of Colombian drug dealers, leading them New York City. (This is a long one-- be warned.)
I have officially made it to Season 2! Much like with Evan, I got a little stuck on this one because I feel like I've already said a lot about it (and giffed a lot of it.)
The episode opens in Bogota (doubled for by, I believe, a state park in New York), which I forget every time I watch it. It's an episode very grounded in New York City, so the Bogota part feels like a surprise every time.
Fucking love the panflute music, though. Damn Jan, damn.
The DEA agent who orchestrates the whole thing is played by Bill Smitrovich, who uh. Was also Crockett's ex-partner Scottie Wheeler in the pilot. Vice likes to repeat actors, but this one feels especially "wait we 100% know that guy." (He is also Danny Krycheck in Crime Story, so Mann and/or Bonnie Timmermann must just really like the guy.)
While I don't recommend actually putting your entire cast in a swamp at night, the scene where they bust Revilla looks so damn good, so I guess I won't argue with results.
There's a series of comments and conversations starting with the swamp bust-- Sonny says the entire thing reminds him of Vietnam-- another agent calls the whole thing a mess and says there are no wins-- Sonny calls drug busting a "cold war" and Rico points out the he has the "Vice Cop Blues;" given that ultimately, the theme of this two-parter is "the system is corrupt and no matter how much you push back you'll always be fucked in the face of money and power," no one here is really wrong. Rico's implication that ultimately, it's just a job, will have later echoes as well-- while Rico starts to consider his options outside of Vice in later seasons, Sonny remains focused on his idea of justice and spirals out of control and into depression.
The scene before Gina gets shot is incredibly unsettling and very proto-Twin-Peaks. Later, when Sonny sees she's been shot, he delicately touches her shoulder like she's a porcelain doll-- very much in opposition to the way, a few episodes later, he will throw himself over Rico when he's been poisoned. There's a sense of caution between Sonny and Gina-- it's like, given their history, he's afraid even under these circumstances to be too hands on, lest it be taken the wrong way or hurt her emotionally on top of her physical pain.
No one on Gene Simmons' Sex Boat knows how to dance
In NYC, Rico refers to his city as "the core of civilization" and Sonny says it's just "gridlock-- as much fun as watching paint dry." They then walk around grinning like children and gently touching one another, set to music. I hate them
When Rico tries to pull the "I used to be an NYC cop" card the sergeant they speak to says that "rape season is in full swing," which goes unremarked upon but has to be one of the most jarring things I've ever heard on television. There is... a season? For sexual assault?? What the everloving fuck?
Rico calls Val while the sergeant complains about not wanting to babysit him and Sonny; I wonder if the fact that both Rico and Val have their badges still is supposed to be commentary (cops love a bad egg and both of them did crime in the service of "justice") or just bad writing (what are they going to do, not bring Pam Grier back when they have the opportunity?)
Rico spells Tubbs by saying he is "Tough, Unique, Bad, Bold, and Sassy." Rico baby are you secretly a drag queen
Quoth Sonny Crockett, coolest man in the world, "Bolivian nasal dust." THAT'S NOT EVEN A EUPHEMISM
So much second hand embarrassment at Rico and Val meeting at Club Delirious. Val just looks SO disappointed and inconvenienced by his presence, and he gives her the WORST stink-eye and whines about her not returning his calls. They are so bad for each other. The most toxic on-and-off-again-cowboy-cop-exes ever.
The drug buyer is ridiculously racist; he clearly only wants to talk to Sonny, calls Tubbs and Val "nice bookends," and orders them to go dance together. This leads to a deeply insincere exchanging of "I missed yous" on the dance floor, and Val vaguely referencing that "Sonny helped her after what happened down in Miami." Why does Sonny have the power to convince the NYPD to magically erase murder
Rico, eternal suggester of threesomes, suggests to Sonny that the three of them "party together," and Sonny is like "weird, bye"
The music choices in Prodigal Son are so fucking good. The lyric "do you believe in love" plays during Sonny and Maggie's meet-cute scene, and abruptly cuts off before the word love and the visual cut to naked morning-after meat-platter Sonny being heckled by a bunch of gay photographers
Then, we cut immediately from Sonny muttering to himself that he doesn't even know Maggie's name to Tubbs creepily stalking Val and watching her kiss the drug dealer man. I wonder if maybe Paul Michael Glaser had something to say about the bad relationship choices Sonny and Rico were making in NY or something
Sonny's little smile at Rico in the mirror over the cigarette machine followed by the intensity of him yelling TUBBS (breaking cover) will never not kill me
I am so serious about Rico and Val being the absolute worst for each other. Tubbs asks Val if she "forgot how to use the phone" and then says "at least your sister was upfront about turning tricks" to her. Like. BROSKI. What. The fuck. Is wrong with you. You just called your ex-girlfriend AND HER DEAD LITTLE SISTER a whore?? And that's, what, your plan for getting her to get back together with you??? Like, Tubbs is not always nice-- I've said before I think he has to work at being a good person, and his calm, affable demeanor is often a put-on. But this goes beyond bitchy into downright cruel, something he really only ever does in Val's company. Rightly, she slaps him.
I've written at length about the Sonny/Maggie business, but jesus he is dumb about her. They've known each other for what, two days? And he's like "if only I could tell you the truth about myself..."
Sonny.
You've known loaves of bread longer than Maggie.
It's fine, just let it be a fling, baby. Not everyone is a future wife, even if you ARE mostly doing this because you're upset that you think your partner is back with his ex
After a silent (except for an obvious single overdubbed line that definitely wasn't in the original script), mooning car ride, Sonny asks Rico if he's "been thinking about staying in New York after we're done here, haven't you?" He is pained here; even if you don't interpret it with a romantic undertone, it's clear that he is not prepared to lose another partner. Rico's response, vague, is simply "I've been thinking about a lot of things."
Rico kills a man in Val's house and Val pulls a gun on him. Were they like this before Rafael died and Tubbs moved???
When confronted, Maggie cries and says she didn't expect to fall in love with Sonny. I do not for one second believe her; she is absolutely doing the "burst into tears in the principal's office" thing because she got caught and it's scary now.
When she says she's in Public Relations Sonny says "is that me? Like a public park? A public toilet?" Honey bunches you need so much therapy. You have the self-esteem of a moldy welcome mat.
Johnston, the evil old man who runs America, a) appears to actually be dead, and b) says Rico has $600 to his name. WHAT ARE YOU BUYING WITH YOUR SALARY, RICARDO. Because it's certainly not a house, given that you don't have one.
Rico responds to Johnston's threats with, frankly, impotent joking. He gets what's happening here-- says to the man that he knows he can just make "some call to an ivy league friend, and two Dade County cops become tin ducks." Sonny, on the other hand, responds as if he and Johnston are remotely in the same league of power-- threatens him, states that he's "patient" and will eventually figure out how to take him down. It's difficult for one man to be "patient" enough to dismantle capitalism, the drug trade, and the entire justice system; Sonny's insistence that with enough elbow grease he can is part of why he burns out so badly.
Sonny and Rico sit in silence in their hotel room after the meeting with Johnston and implication they are going to be murdered; in contrast to the finale, where they try (and mostly fail) to talk to each other about the danger and what this all means, here they simply cannot summon the words.
They are saved in the final shootout by Val coming in guns blazing, which raises a number of fascinating questions like "how did she know about this meeting"
Rico watches Sonny run after the helicopter and does not look at or make eye contact with Val as he somewhat emptily consoles her
Sonny shoots down a helicopter. It appears to be full of paper. I don't know.
OH the weird feet-rubbing shots in the final Rico and Val sex scene. I would argue that it's actually a fairly well-done and genuinely sexy scene up until that point, and then it's just like. Are you a pair of crickets? And then we get a shot of Val's like, dead-eyed stare into the distance as Rico is kissing her, and any remaining eroticism is drowned out back in a bucket of dingy water.
The Sonny/Rico Airport Meet Up is still literally the most romantic ending to anything ever, to the point that I'm always like "wait, there's another minute left in the episode?"
The last minute is in fact dedicated to reminding us that no one has brought up poor Gina since she was shot. She is in a sling and has an awkward exchange with Sonny in which she lends him a pencil and he picks up the phone and ignores her while Rico puts his hand around her like "oh baby don't go chasing the white boy again"
I am so sorry, Gina
Rico is right and you deserve someone who will not ignore you for a work phone call after not seeing you since you were SHOT
There's something to be said for the thematic resonance of ending on "Sonny casually dismisses his friends because he only cares about the job" but like. Maybe we could've just stopped at the airport
Note: Tumblr has decided this post needs a content warning. However, there is nothing in this post that is the least bit adult or sensitive or whatever. Annoying, but nothing can be done about it. Is it because there are some dark night shots? Because they are smelling flowers? A shot of women with guns? Who knows. It's ridiculous. 🙄
Not a huge shippy ep, but there were some fun things.
Here are both of them stopping to smell the flowers. Rico took the red carnation with him, I believe. Is he going to give it to Sonny?? 😉
Per a Google search: red carnations hold a timeless and universal symbolism tied to love and affection. The rich, red hue of these blooms has long been an emblem of deep emotional connections and love.
The mug is back yet again, and Sonny plays with his helicopter. Cute.
Just a funny face that made me chuckle.
Because even when he's driving, Sonny can't resist taking his eyes off the road to look at Rico.
Lombard doesn't care for the accommodations at the motel. Sonny suggests maybe he'd prefer the YMCA. Of course he does.
We get to see how Tubbs eats spaghetti (he cuts it up). Also, it does look like there are meatballs on his plate. I don't think he ate them, but I'm not sure how he avoided the meat in the sauce (could have been none, but it looks like they was). Unless he isn't against eating meat when he feels he can't avoid it. Rico also said he doesn't gamble, although we've seen him do it. I guess it's different when it's case-related.
Aww, Larry was sleeping, poor tired thing.
Next morning, Rico is exercising, Sonny (pretending?) to read a magazine. Rico, on the other hand, has no issue openly watching his partner stretch when they are outside. 😉 Just kidding. He's standing guard (but I bet he's sneaking peeks...).
Love bad ass Trudy and Gina.
Did they just straight up read each other’s minds here?! Sonny: Where the hell could he be? Rico gets a speculative look on his face like he has an idea, and then Sonny looks at Rico.
This wasn’t even a silent convo, since they weren't looking at each other yet; this was straight-up mind-reading.
Our boys get to spend a lot of time together in this ep. First, overnight at the hotel, now overnight on the boat. I love how comfortable they are with each other.
Because, you know, Marty manages to keep some space between him and Rico on the bench. The other two? Pressed together as usual. I mean, what am I supposed to think? My usual excuse is that they need to both fit in the frame, but uh, clearly that’s not the issue here.
Okay, so Rico sat first, leaving very little space for Sonny to squeeze himself into. Maybe he underestimated how much room his partner needed?? 😉 Sneaky!
Pretty lukewarm episode to end the season on. But then, there is every reason to believe Evan was meant to be the season finale (before the network or someone got cold feet). Can you imagine if it was Evan, and then Prodigal Son?! What a two-punch! Would have been so much more emotionally impactful.
Still slash shipping, if that's not your thing, you won't be interested.
I've said it before, but I love how quickly they usually resolve their fights. This fight was a biggie, to the point that they agreed to stop being friends and be partners only on the job. Rico immediately goes to drown himself in booze and a woman.
I do have to note that Rico winked at someone who wasn't Sonny here (Michelle). And he was speaking French. You know how I feel about him doing other languages... 😍
Sonny says his head's been spinning around in about a thousand different directions, and calls his partner Rico. Why, oh why does it sound so intimate when he says the name, Rico?! He calls him that almost exclusively in later seasons, and it always sounds like that. Is it just me?
These two. They can’t take fighting with each other.
Damn, Sonny knows the exact spot it happened, even after all this time. "Were you two guys tight?" Rico asks. That was an expression used often in the 1980s, meaning close. Also, FYI, it's AAVE.
Just have to take a moment to say PMT is by far a better actor than a lot of people give him credit for. If you watch his facial expressions during this scene, you can see the character of Tubba listening, thinking, pondering what he should say. He blew this scene away.
PMT's hands and how he uses them also add so much to this scene.
Rico does not have a happy face as Sonny is telling him about the situation with having to bust drugs in the gay bars, and it coming to light that Mike was gay. Rico knows where this is headed by that point. Sorry, Evan sounds like an ahole even back then, and I question Sonny (and Mike) for even being friends with him.
Waiting for the reaction from Rico to the revelation? Rico's first words are, "How did you handle it?"
They shoved a desk at Mike, and started looking for ways to dump him. This convo could have a lot more meaning than the surface suggests. Could Rico also be realizing what they have to lose themselves? If you subscribe to the possibility that one or both of them already know their feelings for each other go beyond friendship.
This scene is so tense/intense, you could cut it with a knife.
Look at the pain on Rico's face. He swallows. This is when Sonny tells him they gave Mike a desk job and were looking to get rid of him, and that he didn't stick up for his friend.
Then, when Rico sits down next to Sonny, he's literally sliding his hand down the pole for support.
Okay, now that I’m on my 2nd rewatch, I am ready to admit that there is definitely something going on with Sonny more than his guilt over not doing anything to support his friend.
Then we get this lovely scene. It's just too good to describe. Words are failing me. You have to go watch it.
Here's the mug appearance when Evan comes in drunk to cry all over Sonny. It’s his emotional support mug. 😉Oh, and he has a baseball award on his desk. I doubt it’s from NY. Did they have a dept. softball game or something?
Evan tells Rico to give them a moment. Sonny says stick around, but Rico makes an excuse and leaves. They go into the meeting room where Evan cries and goes on about how he's a Real Man. Whatever. Sorry, still not impressed.
So nice of Rico to knock. I cannot comment about this shot. I don’t know what to say. What would we do without Rico? It just wouldn’t be the same show we love.
They go to the meet, mentioning it smells like industry and stagnant water. Rico says it reminds him of home. Yeah, not a good reminder. And I got news for you -- you are home. By this man's side. They are standing there, Rico talking about Sonny laying it to rest, and Sonny answering, they're late. I hate waiting. Two conversations at once.
"You have the courage to do this job every day. Have the courage to tell Evan what it is you have to say." Interpret that as you will.
I think Gina was really enjoying patting down Sonny and Rico for weapons. I know I would. 😉 Rico jumped. Yeah, she got him good. LOL. But, as we know, Rico does not like being frisked/patted down. I wonder if there's a story to explore there...
And that, too, is the kind of continuity PMT put into playing Rico. It's just a little thing. You need to be watching closely, his face and/or body language to spot it most of the time.
Well, Evan went out ‘like a man.’ Good for him, I guess. He did the right thing, of course. It's just too bad he couldn't have turned his life around before it came to this.
Rico definitely bi and falling for his partner? Sonny closeted? I'm not sure. I honestly don't even have any hard headcanons about these two. I can see (and write) them in different ways, depending on the story. All I know is the subtext in this show is crazy, and there's definitely something going on beneath the surface.
All in all, though, this was an amazing episode for 1985. You younger people have no idea.
Note: well, I'm finally returning to work the end of the week, so the recaps won't be so frequent. You can all get a break! 😉 I'll still be doing them, just not as often.
Note: This post deals with slashy shipping, don't like keep scrolling.
Two hard-hitting episodes in a row, here. This one is probably going to be split into two posts, as well, due to the amount of screencaps I have. In addition, an amazing analysis of this ep has been done before, by @mitochondriaandbunnies, and it's a must-read and, as usual, so much more in-depth than my little slashy ramblings. You shouldn't miss it.
A deep dive on Evan, the first season of Miami Vice’s penultimate episode, and what it might say about Sonny Crockett as a closeted bisexual
This episode is not available on any streaming platform. It's not even available to buy digitally. It's only on the discs. Supposedly because of the music rights to Bilko, but I'm not entirely sure I believe that's the only reason. This episode should not be missed. I highly recommend you buy the physical media.
Trigger warning if you're going to watch the episode for the 1st time: the *f* slur is used. That being said, the "gay" episode of Miami Vice portrays the topic in a way that's so much more progressive and sympathetic than anything else you'd get from 1980s television, that it's startling to those of us who remember what 80s TV was like.
Evan is toxic masculinity in all its glory, and I admit, I do not like him. He is supposedly wanting to be forgiven? Yet he has not changed. Sacrificing himself to save Sonny does not excuse his behavior. He shoots up female mannequins, so we can deduce that his treatment of women isn't any better than his feelings on the subject of gayness. So what were those mannequins made of, titanium? Otherwise, I’m not impressed with the gun's stopping power. Of course, they were clearly just for effect.
I got a bit distracted by the two cops in the background of the scene who almost got killed when Evan smashed into their car, and it exploded. One of them clearly was slightly injured, and his partner was very concerned. They were in the background doing their whole little drama, and I couldn't take my eyes off them.
I caught a glimpse of the Black dude back at that station, too. I'm really invested in these two now. LOL. I’ll have to give them names… ooh, I know, I’ll name them after the OC partners I created a long time ago for my S&H stories. Lundy and Hastings. Yeah, they moved to Miami from Bay City.
I did have to laugh a bit at the scene of Sonny pretending to be one of those survivalist/white supremacist guys. They always look so lame on this show, so weak they gotta hide behind the big guns and pick on vulnerable people to make themselves feel like "real" men.
Sonny set up an intro with the supplier, and then him and Rico went to a meeting where they encountered Evan.
Sonny’s worst nightmare just walked back into his life.
Rico immediately knows something is going on with his partner and Evan, of course. He does a lot of watching Sonny in that scene (the whole ep too, naturally).
"Which one of you is Freed's old playmate?" Is an interesting choice of words. Turns out the ATF wants Freed and Guzman left alone, but agrees to letting Vice confiscate the arms to keep them off the street.
Sonny asks to talk to Castillo alone, and Rico is not happy about it. He wants off the case, but won't say why. Sonny thinks he’s entitled to a little slack without going through confessional. Castillo does not agree.
Sonny then leaves. The mug is also on Rico's desk here, but it's turned around so you can't see the writing. That's okay, it will be back later.
Rico, of course, then immediately goes about learning everything he can get his hands on about Freed, asking Gina for help. She asks what's up, and he says he doesn't know yet. I think I was more focused on Sonny last time I watched. It's fascinating to watch this episode from Rico's perspective.
This scene makes me wonder about continuity, because it implies that Evan was very familiar with the boat and Elvis knew him well, however, Sonny's speech at the gas station make it sound like they were rookies together and hadn't been cops long when they were sent to bust the drugs at the gay bars... so it seems odd to me that Sonny would have already had the boat and Elvis because he wasn't shot-shot Burnett then, right? Unless Sonny remained friends with Evan until he left Vice, even after Mike's death.
I loved Sonny’s reaction when Evan said introduce me to your partner, I’ll work with him. That would be hell no! And this is yet another person pulling the perfect (golden boy) stuff on Sonny. He asks, "how’s it feel to be perfect?" It's an interesting subtextual theme running through the show.
Rico gets the lowdown from Gina, which isn't much, but gets him the name, Mike Orgel.
Rico asking who Mike Orgel is gets a dramatic reaction. Did you pull Freed’s jacket? I wouldn’t have had to if you’d been straight with me. Er, poor choice of words there, Rico. LOL.
"It's none of your business." Ouch. "Excuse the hell out of me!"
That was one of their bigger fights. It lasted, oh, what, a few hours? Afteward, they had a quick meeting with Guzman, and then Rico went clubbing.
And more on the next post, as I'm at the image limit.
Yeah, this episode hits different now, after watching the rest of the series and having analyzed their relationship over the five years. That's why a second rewatch is required.
