Question: In The Goonies, what was the name of the restaurant that the Fratellis used as a hideout?
A. Shack by the Sea
B. Lighthouse Lounge
C. Summer Restaurant
D. Captain Plank’s Seafood
Last Question: Which band had it’s music featured in the very first Miami Vice episode?
A. Devo
B. The Rolling Stones
C. The Go-Go’s
D. Journey
Answer: B. The Rolling Stones (with “Miss You”)
So far, 2017 has started off much better than 2016. For me, the year began with a tweet from Lou Gramm, former lead singer of Foreigner. Therefore, we could not resist cover one of the best rock bands of the ’70s and ’80s.
In addition, our ’80s crossover event – ’80s Innovations – is discussed. We also have a new Play This, Not That, Remember That Song, and ’80s Trivia.
Now, let’s take a look back at Lou Gramm and Foreigner.
– Return to the ’80s gets Tweeted at by Lou Gramm
– New One Day At a Time show on Netflix, based on the original series
– Instead of this:
Harden Your Heart
– Play This:
Find Another Fool
Paul
Robert
– Listener email – James requests that we discuss Miami Vice innovations
Also check out the following sites/podcasts participating:
80s Reboot Overdrive (Podcast and Blog)
Name the artist and song:
You play tricks on my mind, you’re everywhere, but you’re so hard to find
You’re not warm, you’re sentimental
You’re so extreme, you can be so temperamental
If you know the answer, please email us at Returnto80s@gmail.com
Last Question: What colors were on the original Rubik’s cube?
Answer: Red,white, blue, green,orange, yellow
Winner: Scott Compton
New Question [From Totally 80s Trivial Pursuit]: What screen siren appeared in Stripes, Blade Runner, No Way Out and Wall Street?
Once again, if you know the answer, please email us at Returnto80s@gmail.com
– Woman in Black (Robert)
– In Pieces (Paul)
– Tooth and Nail (Robert)
– Jukebox Hero (Paul)
– Cold as Ice (Robert)
– Heart Turns to Stone (Paul)
– Say You Will (Robert)
– With Heaven On Our Side (Paul)
– Blue Morning Blue Day (Robert)
– Long Long Way From Home (Paul)
Honorable mention – I Want to Know What Love is
We hope you enjoyed this episode. Please email us at returnto80s@gmail.com if you want to discuss Foreigner or anything ’80s.
Come find us at:
https://returntothe80s.wordpress.com/
Find Return to the ’80s on Facebook
Twitter – @returntothe80s
And also check us out on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher, or anywhere else you get your podcasts from.
Follow @returntothe80s
We are back with a new episode of the Return to the ’80s podcast!!
In this episode, Robert and Paul welcome guest host Jim Vilk (@JimVilk). Do you get frustrated when you are listening to a radio station that plays ’80s music, and they always play the same song over and over for a particular artist, when you know they have other great music? Well, Return to the ’80s has a brand new segment called ‘Listen to This, Not That.’ First up…Rick Springfield.
Also, 2016 continues to wreak havoc on us, as we have 3 deaths to talk about this week.
There is a brand new Remember That Song, as well as ’80s Trivia. Then we talk about the awesome, upcoming ’80s Crossover event. This month, several ’80s blogs and podcasts will be discussing our favorite ’80s Christmas presents. Jim, Robert, and Paul talk about our favorite presents that we either received, gave, or wanted but never got.
Finally, we get into our main topic – ’80s Action/Adventure Television Theme Songs.
Return to the ’80s is now on iTunes, Stitcher, and anywhere else you can download podcasts. So please subscribe and leave us a rating and review. You can email us at returnto80s@gmail.com.
– Introducing guest Jim Vilk (@JimVilk)
– Return to the ’80s is now on iTunes, Stitcher, and anywhere else you get your podcasts from.
Listen to This
Not That
Margaret Whitton (November 30, 1949 – December 4, 2016)
John Glenn (July 18,1921 – December 8, 2016)
Joseph Mascolo aka. Stefano DiMera (March 13, 1929 – December 8, 2016)
Last song
Here we stand / Worlds apart, hearts broken in two / Sleepless nights / Losing ground, I’m reaching for you
“Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) by Journey
Winner: Kurt Torster
New Song
Neon lights, a Nobel Prize / When a mirror speaks, the reflection lies / You don’t have to follow me / Only you can set me free
If you know the answer, email us at returnto80s@gmail.com, and enter Remember That Song in the subject line.
Last Question
What color did the ghosts have to be for Pac Man to eat them?
Answer: Blue
Winner: Kurt Torster
New Question: What colors were on the original Rubik’s cube?
If you know the answer, email us at returnto80s@gmail.com, and enter Trivia in the subject line.
80’s Reboot Overdrive is hosting another ’80s Crossover Event. This time, we are talking about our favorite Christmas gifts. It can be a gift that was given, received, or most wanted and not received. Participants include the following:
80s Reboot Overdrive (@80sReboot)
Rediscover the 80s (@RD80s)
Realweegiemidget (@realweegiemidge)
Killer Kitsch (@killer_kitsch)
The Fall Guy (Jim)
The Dukes of Hazzard (Robert)
Hardcastle and McCormick (Paul)
Seasons 1 and 3 (“Drive”)
Season 2 (“Back to Back”)
Magnum P.I. (All)
Alternate theme
Main theme
Simon & Simon (Jim)
Alternate opening
CHiPs (Robert)
Voyagers! (Paul)
The A-Team (All)
Matt Houston (Jim)
Call to Glory (Robert)
The Greatest American Hero (Paul)
Miami Vice (All)
Next Episode: Year in Review/Top 10 Songs of 1980
Come find us at:
https://returntothe80s.wordpress.com/
Find Return to the ’80s on Facebook
Twitter – @returntothe80s
Email: returnto80s@gmail.com
Hi Everybody! Paul here. Today is our big ’80s extravaganza! Several ’80s bloggers and podcasters got together, and decided on a common topic that we will share. We are promoting each others work, and introducing you to some ’80s blogs that you may not have know were out there. The topic in this inaugural crossover will be on our favorite cars that were famous in the ’80s. Here is the list of blogs taking part are:
80’s Reboot Overdrive (Blog)
80’s Reboot Overdrive (Podcast)
Killer Kitsch
RealWeegieMidget
I will kick things off, and Robert has an article himself immediately following this one. So, let’s get on the road, and get this underway.
Miami Vice was a perfect fit in the ’80s. It was the age of excess – bright colors, big personalities, money flying hand-over-fist, great music, lots of cocaine, and of course, fast cars. And one of the most iconic cars was Sonny Crockett’s black 1972 Ferrari Daytona Spyder 365 GTS/4. It was awesome seeing it flying down the streets of Miami. But, in perhaps one of the most iconic scenes in ’80s television was Crockett and Tubbs cruising in the Spyder, with Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” playing. What?!? A popular song on network TV?! NBC had a hit on its hands from that point forward. Unfortunately, the car only lasted 2 seasons. This Spyder was a modified version of the Ferrari. The suits at the Ferrari company were not happy with this, and sued for trademark infringement and trademark dilution. So, the Spyder was destroyed by a bazooka in the first episode of season 3. You can keep your Walking Dead. The death of the Spyder was far more horrifying than any death in The Walking Dead.
Awesome cars weren’t just seen in movies and television shows. The golden age of MTV had it’s fair share of great cars. Not the least of which was the Eliminator, which was prominently featured in a trio of ZZ Top songs – “Gimme All Your Lovin’“, “Sharp Dressed Man“, and “Legs“. The Eliminator was really a customized 1930s Ford coupe. Unlike other Ford cars in the ’80s, this car seemed to run pretty fine to me. I don’t believe I ever saw it broken down on the side of the road, leaking oil, with smoke coming out from under the hood. That would have been a letdown. Instead, this was one of the coolest cars around. The drivers weren’t too shabby either, right fellas? Not to mention. the car came with the best keychain ever!
For my final car, I am going outside the box, and heading to the arcade! Pole Position was a unique game in those early ’80s arcade days. Most games, you just stood at, and moved a joystick or roller ball around. In Pole Position, you became part of the game. Instead of standing at the machine, you would sit in a booth, and drive your own Formula One race car around the track, using a steering wheel and gas pedal. This was easier said than done for some of us. It could be tough navigating turns at a high speed, while avoiding other cars at the same time. One misstep, and your car would go up in a ball of flames, with your tires bouncing away on the course.
I’m not into video games anymore. But if I somehow found myself in an old school arcade, you would have a difficult time tearing me away from this game!
What were some of your favorite cars seen in the ’80s? I hope you enjoyed this series. Please let us know what you think, and if you would like to see more of these crossover events. Again, please check out the following blogs. Every one is on Twitter as well, so please give all these hard-working bloggers a follow:
80’s Reboot Overdrive (Blog)
80’s Reboot Overdrive (Podcast)
Twitter: @80sReboot
Killer Kitsch
Twitter: @killer_kitsch
RealWeegieMidget
Twitter: @realweegiemidge
It’s Friday! So, you know what that means. Time for some Miami Vice! This week’s episode features a guest star, who everybody knows – Bruce Willis! It looks like this is the first time we had seen Bruce Willis in anything. He had some uncredited parts in a few movies. But, I believe this was his first speaking role. It was a year before Moonlighting came on the air. Let’s get into the episode.
This episode was directed by David Soul. Paul Michael Glaser had directed part 2 of Calderone’s Return”. Now, both members of Starsky and Hutch have directed a Miami Vice episode This episode was written by Charles R. Leinenweber and Maurice Hurley. This originally aired on November 9, 1984.
I’m getting used to this now. The episode begins with a stakeout. This time, the whole gang is there. Crockett, Tubbs, Switek, Zito, Gina, and Castillo. Well, it’s more of an operation than a stakeout. Crockett is in his car, pretending to be buying grenades from a couple of bad guys. He opens a briefcase, and when they let their guard down, Crockett grabs one of the guys by the arm and speeds off, while the other cops arrive and go after the other guy. That guy has a machine gun, and shoots his way out, narrowly missing Tubbs (who saved a woman from being shot as well). Machine gun guy got away, but they have the guy that Crockett grabbed. Tubbs is not too happy about being shot at by a machine gun. He is beyond angry, and grabs Crockett’s guy in a headlock. He looked and sounded just like an angry Richard Pryor. It made me laugh. Opening theme!
During the interrogation, the guy says that machine gun guy works for somebody called Tony Amato. So, they bug Amato’s house, and do some surveillance from Crockett’s boat. Then they get company in the form of the FBI. One of the agents starts snooping around the boat. Crockett says, “I wouldn’t do that.” The agent didn’t care, until he came across my buddy Elvis. I love how Tubbs cracks up laughing whenever somebody runs into Elvis. The FBI is also after Amato. Apparently, Amato just stole surface-to-air missles, and plans to sell them. So Crockett and Tubbs work with the FBI.
That night, they are keeping an eye on Almato’s house. We see Tony Almato (young Bruce Willis) verbally abusing his wife, then pushed her in a pool.
Tony leaves for a meeting, and while he’s out, his wife, Rita (Katherine Borowitz) makes a call to make a hit on Tony.
The FBI finds out that Tony has a meeting planned with a buyer. Coincidentally, the buyer looks a lot like Tubbs. So, Zito and Switek grab the buyer at the airport, and Tubbs replaces him.
In the meantime, Crockett hears Rita schedule a meeting with a hitman. So, he goes to where the meeting is to take place. He sees the hitman, and tells him to ‘beat it’, before Rita can see him. Then Crockett pretends to be the hitman for a little bit. Rita is second guessing herself, and Crockett tells her that he’s a cop, and they need her help to put Tony away.
Tubbs meets with Tony and a couple of his men, to get a demonstration of the missiles, then negotiate a price. Next, Crockett is watching the house again, where Tony smacked the shit out of Rita. He would have never done that to Maddie! This was all being done to the tune of “Stay With Me” by Teddy Pendergrass. The smooth, romantic sounds seemed kind of out of place in this scene.
Time for the final shootout! Tubbs meets Tony and his men to make the transaction. Meanwhile, Crockett was sneaking around getting into position, when the FBI arrives and goes on the loudspeaker telling the gang to surrender. That initiated the shootout. Tubbs was inside with Tony and one thug. He knocked the thug out and told Tony to freeze, while holding two guns to him. The shootout was pretty quick, but good. Then Crockett called Rita to say that they got Tony. She asked if he was dead. He wasn’t. But, while they were bringing him into the station, they were stopped by the FBI and 
some mysterious guy. They said that Tony wasn’t going to be charged, and to release him. As they were uncuffing him, Rita arrived, and saw that they were letting him go. Then we have a Law & Order style ending. You know how it goes. The bad guy gets off on a technicality, then is shot outside by a person they victimized. Well, Miami Vice did it first here. We don’t actually see it 
though. Crockett sees Rita pull out a gun, then screams “No!”, and starts to jump in her direction. But we get a freeze-frame of Crockett screaming, and we hear the gunshot go off. The End.
There were only two featured songs in this episode. But, man were they good ones!
This was a pretty fun episode. There wasn’t as much action as I would have liked. But, Bruce Willis was awesome. I could see how this would launch his career. The episode went by pretty fast. The action was good at the beginning and at the end, and there were a few very humorous parts. This was another great episode.
Once again, I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode, or on Miami Vice in general.
Follow @returntothe80s It’s Friday! So, you know what that means. Time for some Miami Vice! I’ve been looking forward to this all week! This is really making me feel like I am Returning to the ’80s. I am really trying to avoid the current trend of binge-watching. It is actually really fun just taking my time and soaking it all in. Now, let’s get to the conclusion of “Calderone’s Return”
This episode was directed by Paul Michael Glaser. You know him as Starsky from the ’70s television show, Starsky and Hutch. He also directed the movie that prompted me to begin this series – Band of the Hand. This episode was written by Alfonse Ruggiero, Jr. and Joel Surnow. The original air date for this episode was October 26, 1984.
When last we left, Crockett and Tubbs were ready to go to the Bahamas to get Calderone. One small problem. There are many islands in the Bahamas, so they need to find out exactly which island. So we open with Tubbs and Crockett interrogating Mendez (who they caught last episode). They finally find out from Mendez, that the hit man, from the last episode, still had the other half of his pay coming to him. He was supposed to have a meetup on St. Andrews Island. So, away we go. We see Crockett and Tubbs on a speedboat en route to 
the Bahamas. There is basically a music video, set to “Voices” by Russ Ballard. In this video, we see all the events that led to this moment. Normally, these days, before an episode, somebody says “Previously on xxx”, and we see the important stuff. I love the Miami Vice approach, in this episode, so much better.
Upon their arrival, Crockett and Tubbs meet Jimbo at a tiki bar at the place they are staying at. Jimbo is played by this week’s biggest name guest star, Sam McMurray. You may not recognize the name, but you have seen him before. He looks a lot like Jason Segal in this episode. But, I was going crazy trying to remember where I had seen him before. He has guest starred on many, many shows, including Hill Street Blues, Moonlighting, 21 Jump Street, Head of the Class, and Empty Nest. Then I finally 
realized who he was. He played Doug’s (Kevin James) boss, O’Boyle. Crockett shows him a picture of a woman that has been seen with Calderone, and asks who she is. Jimbo recognizes her. Her name is Angelina,and he says that she’s a nice person. It’s a small island, so they should be able to find her.
Crockett meets with the local police chief. He says that Calderone isn’t on his island. Ya, I believe him! Meanwhile, Tubbs finds Angelina (Phanie Napoli). She’s on a beach painting. You can see the sparks begin to fly. She leaves to go on a yacht. Crockett catches up with Tubbs, and they see through binoculars, that Calderone is on the yacht.
Crockett, pretending he is the hit man, meets up with one of Calderone’s men. Crockett demands more money and that Calderone meet him face-to-face.
And we have our obligatory car chase. And it was a good one! Instead of Crockett and Tubbs doing the chasing, they were the chasees.
After they manage to get away, the police chief sees Crockett and Tubbs, and apologizes. He said that Calderone’s boat was refueling at the island, and he left and could be anywhere. Crockett knows that something’s not right, since Calderone obviously knows who they are, and the only other person on the island, who knew who they were, was the police chief.
Last episode, Crockett hooked up with his (soon to be ex?) wife. This episode, Tubbs gets himself some nookie with Angelina. During their pillow talk, Tubbs sees a picture of Angelina with Calderone. He says “Isn’t he too old for you”. But, it turns out that Calderone is her father. Duh-duh-duh. There’s going to be a masquerade party tonight, so maybe she can introduce Tubbs to him there.
Both Tubbs and Crockett go to the the masquerade beach party. They see Angelina, so Tubbs goes to her and they dance. Then Tubbs goes to get them drinks and is confronted by a thug. Tubbs takes care of business with a beer bottle. Then he sees Crockett being led away on a boat by gunpoint.
The next time we know Tubbs is in a screaming match with Angelina as he tells her all about her father. She didn’t believe him, until he tells her that her father killed his brother.
Crockett is at Calderone’s hideout, with Calderone and some of his men. Oh, and whaddya know!?! The police chief was there too puffing away on a cigarette (or more likely, ganja). One of Calderone’s thugs comes in and says that Tubbs got away. Again, this guy gets clocked with a beer bottle. Calderone orders to have this guy killed, and Angelina walks in. She said that somebody’s been telling her things about him. He asks who. Then 
Tubbs makes his appearance with a gun, and says “me”. I smell a Miami Vice shootout! And they don’t disappoint! I thought for sure that Angelina was going to get caught in the crossfire, but she didn’t. But she freaks out as Crockett guns down her father.
As we close out, Angelina leaves Tubbs. Then we get a closing video to the sound of Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do with It”, and we get a montage of events from this episode blended in with Crockett and Tubbs back in the speedboat, heading back home. This song was still pretty new at the time that this episode originally aired.
There were only two songs featured in this episode. One was towards the beginning of the episode, and the other closed out the show.
I hate to sound like a broken record, but this episode was great too. There didn’t seem to be as much action as in other episodes. But, there was plenty of action anyway. And this episode went by really fast. I was missing all the side characters from the vice squad this week. And I got teased because Edward James Olmos’ name was in the opening credits. But, he was not on this episode. Maybe next one? Ah, something to look forward to!
Once again, I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode, or on Miami Vice in general.
Follow @returntothe80s It’s Friday! You know what that means! Miami Vice day! I’ve loved every episode so far, and today is no different. Each episode is like a really good movie. Let’s get into this, and see what’s up with Calderone, who was the bad guy in the premiere episode, and this hit list.
This episode was directed by Richard Colla, and written by Joel Surnow. Surnow also directed the last episode, “Cool Runnin'”. If his name sounds familiar, it’s because he co-created the hit shows, La Femme Nikita and 24. The original air date for this episode was October 19, 1984.
The episode begins with Tubbs doing surveillance from a hotel room. While he’s doing that, Crockett is in the room getting dressed and ready to meet with his wife, Caroline, and her lawyer about their upcoming divorce. Switek and Zito come in to relieve Crockett and Tubbs, and Switek says, “What’s new today with America’s favorite couple.” I thought that was hilarious. At the time this aired, everyone must have been talking about this awesome new show, and Crockett and Tubbs were probably getting to be household names already.
Next, Sonny and Caroline are meeting outside the courthouse with their lawyers. Caroline wanted to move to Atlanta, and take their son with her. So, both of their lawyers were playing hardball with each other, and Caroline’s lawyer was a real jerk. Sonny and Caroline go off to the side while the lawyers are arguing. Caroline changed her mind about moving. So, they fired both of their lawyers on the spot.
Back to Switek’s and Zito’s surveillance. We see some creepy dude getting into a limo to drive and pick somebody up. We know he is creepy, because there is some creepy music playing. It is almost Michael Myers Halloween music. He goes to pick up a couple of guys who Vice has been watching. They get in the limo. Then the “driver” gets a crazy shotgun, and kills both
men. A cop on the ground was there instantly (since they had been watching those guys), and Creepy eventually shoots him as well. He gets in another car with another creepy dude and takes off just as Switek and Zito get down there. 
Switek calls it in, and says where the car is headed. Somebody gives chase, but the bad guys got away.
However, the car is seen parked at another building. Tubbs arrives with a couple of other cops. He tells them to wait for backup. Then another police car arrives with sirens blaring. So much for waiting for backup! Tubbs grabs a shotgun and heads in. The main creepy guy takes off on foot, and Tubbs gives chase, but loses him.
All the cops are searching the building for any kind of evidence. The bad guys left behind a briefcase with weapons and a little black book. Somebody gives the commander, Lou, the book. Lou shows Tubbs the book. He looks upset. Then Lou says, “Where is he?” – He being Sonny. Sonny is in bed with Caroline. He was right – their divorce was as much a failure as their marriage was.
Tubbs and Lou catch up with Sonny at Caroline’s house, and fill him in on what happened. And that black book? It’s a hit list, and Sonny’s on it – #8…and the first 6 have already been killed. Cue creepy Halloween music.
They discover that the first six were drug dealers. Somebody is out to eliminate competition. Lou wants Sonny to go into protective custody, but of course Sonny is being stubborn about it. They have no idea who the killer is. They only have one set of fingerprints, and they don’t know whose they are. They belong to somebody on Interpol’s list, but there is no name. [He was the one that was driving the car that Creepy got away in. There is a picture though. Tubbs looks at the picture, and sees that he is with Calderone.
Lou and Sonny are at Sonny’s boat to pick up some things before he goes into protective custody. But, Creepy is staking them out. Lou catches a glimpse when the guy was going to shoot Crockett. So, he went and knocked Crockett out of the way, and got hit himself.
In the hospital, Tubbs fills Crockett in that it is Calderone behind all of this. Since, Lou’s life is on the line because of a bullet meant for Crockett, Crockett cannot just stand by. So, he and Tubbs try to figure out how to get Calderone.
They find out that Linus Oliver, who is #7 on the hit list, has a drug deal in the works. Crockett and Tubbs figure that Calderone is behind it. So, they grab Linus, and have him set up a meeting for that night with Mendez – the name of the guy he was supposed to meet.
They meet at a night club. This means we get music! “Let’s Get Excited” by The Pointer Sisters is playing while they are waiting for Mendez to arrive. Since this is the ’80s, and we are in a club with alcohol, we get a big bar fight (with ZZ Top’s “Tush” playing). Linus manages to point out Mendez, and they get him.
While they are questioning Mendez, they find out that Linus was killed. So, Mendez was not the hit man. And there is one person left on the hit list. Tubbs races to get to Crockett before the hit man does. An awesome song, I had never heard before, is playing during this sequence – “In the Night” by Russ Ballard.
Sonny, Caroline, and their son Billy get home, and the hitman is waiting for them. Now we get our obligatory shootout. Tubbs arrives, and the 
shootout gets even better. The hitman jumps out a window to get outside, only to find himself surrounded by the rest of the police. He goes out in a blaze of glory.
If there was hope for Sonny and Caroline to stay together, it is now dashed. Oh, and we find out that Lou died. Man, this is ending on a bummer. Then Crockett and Tubbs find out that Mendez finally broke, and said that Calderone is in the Bahamas. Crockett says that it’s only 60 miles away. He asks Tubbs when he can be ready. Tubbs replies, “I am always ready.” Holy crap! That was so awesome!
Oh man! Freeze-frame. To Be Continued…
There were only three songs on today’s episode. But, man they were good ones!
This show has me hooked! These episodes just keep getting better and better. There were a lot of funny parts, and there was some intensity. And of course, there were some great action sequences. There were no big name guest stars in this episode. Maybe the biggest guest star (pardon the pun) was Ron Taylor, who played Linus. The best known movie he was in was Trading Places. I kid you not, imdb credits him as “Big Black Guy” in that movie. We mainly get to see the vice squad. I am warming up to Switek. He is pretty funny. He and Zito have had great chemistry with Crockett and Tubbs right from the beginning of the series.
I kind of feel bad for Lou. But not too bad, because I know who is coming to replace him. Lou was serviceable as captain, but there was nothing about him that really stood out. He wasn’t the tough, grizzled type of captain, and he was not a flabbergasted, whiny one neither. So, he wasn’t bad. But he wasn’t great. I’m really looking forward too see the arrival of Edward James Olmos (and not just because he was the first celebrity to follow me on Twitter).
Now I can’t wait to see the next episode! I am going to try to have some self-discipline though, and hold off watching it until next week.
Once again, I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode, or on Miami Vice in general.
Follow @returntothe80s It’s Friday, so you know what that means. It’s Miami Vice Day! First off though, I do have to say that I’m quite aggravated with Netflix. Miami Vice is no longer available! My month long free trial is still going on, so I’m rethinking things with them. Luckily, I also have Amazon Prime, and I had already bought this episode on there, so we’re good to go.
This episode, “Heart of Darkness”, was directed by John Llewellyn Moxey, and written by A.J. Edison. It aired on September 28, 1984.
From what I understand, not only is Miami Vice known for the great music, but it also has had some awesome actors making guest appearances. In the first episode, we saw a before-he-was-famous Jimmy Smits. This episode features a pre-Al Bundy – Ed O’Neill.
Crockett and Tubbs are infiltrating a porno ring, concerned that minors are being involved. There is a bust at the beginning of the episode. The possible underage girl is let free. She is then murdered. So Crockett and Tubbs really need to turn up the investigation.
One of the people high up in the organization, Artie (Ed O’Neill), may have been involved in the murder. Crockett and Tubbs learn that Artie is actually an undercover FBI agent. The witness Artie going nuts on an investor that was late on a payment. After almost beating the guy to death, Crockett and Tubbs are wondering if Artie has gone rogue and is now a bad guy. He hasn’t checked in with his unit or his wife in weeks.
We also had a fun Elvis scene. You know how your dog gets pissed off when you leave it alone at home for a bit, and it chews up the floor or leaves a big dump somewhere in the house for you? Well, apparently if you leave your pet alligator alone, and he breaks loose, he tears up the dock, swims a couple of slips over, and leaves a big ole dump on the harbor master’s boat.
Artie finds out that Crockett and Tubbs are cops and is angry that they may end up messing up his investigation of the crime boss, Sam Kovics (Paul Hecht). He has had more than enough to bust Kovics for a while. He has evidence of drugs, extortion, embezzlement, hiring under-age girls, and murder. Crockett gets the feeling that Artie is getting a little too comfortable with the rich lifestyle of a criminal. So, Crockett and Tubbs convince Artie to team up and bust this guy once and for all.
Crockett and Tubbs are still on edge with not knowing which side Artie is on.to make matters worse, it looks like Artie took off when they were supposed to meet. But, Artie calls them, and the bust is on. Of course, things don’t exactly go smoothly, and we our climactic shootout. I’m also discovering that most of the cops are totally inept, and cause a lot of problems for Crockett and Tubbs. Last episode, they came in too early to make a bust. This time, somebody screws up with Tubbs’ wire, which gives them away, leading to the shootout.
The Miami Vice pilot was awesome, as we got to meet the characters, and they got to meet each other. Now, in this episode, the Crockett and Tubbs team is established, and it is great! The chemistry between the characters is awesome. You would never know that this was only the second episode of the series. The action was great, as there was a car chase and a shootout. There were very funny parts as well. Ed O’Neill was a great guest star. He may look and sound like a young Al Bundy, but man, was he intense in this. And you really never knew for sure what side he was on. Overall, this was a great episode, and I highly recommend it.
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It’s time for Return to the ’80s to turn some focus on the small screen now. We cover plenty of music, and have recently gotten into reviewing some movies. Now it’s time to watch some ’80s TV. And what better show to kick this off than the ultimate ’80s TV show – Miami Vice.
Miami Vice ran on NBC from 1984 to 1989. It is widely known that the head of NBC, Brandon Tartikoff, wrote a brainstorming memo that simply read “MTV cops”. Miami Vice was born. What a concept! Everything from the ’80s is well represented here – bright colors, fashion, awesome cars, tons of action, and great music.
I do not remember watching this too often during it’s original run. It aired on Friday nights, so I must have always been out when it was on. I do remember watching the show occasionally, but I don’t remember any exact details. So, I will be pretty much watching this show for the first time.
I was very interested in watching this show while watching and reviewing the Michael Mann produced film Band of the Hand, for the Forgotten Filmcast episode on which I appeared. The show is on Amazon Prime, but not for free. So, I bought the first couple of episodes. I just recently signed up with Netflix, and discovered that the entire Miami Vice series is free on Netflix! I was planning on buying all of the episodes, but now I’m all set. Anyway, let’s get on with the show.
Where else to start than the beginning. Brother’s Keeper was the pilot. The original air date was September 16, 1984. It was a two hour premiere.
I was surprised that the first scene ever of Miami Vice takes place in New York. Tubbs was staking out a drug dealer named Calderone, who had killed a cop. The show started off with music and action right away. Tubbs gave chase, but Calderone got away.
Then we meet Sonny Crockett and his partner Eddie Rivera (played by Jimmy Smits). We don’t see Jimmy Smits for very long though as he is killed by a car bomb.
I never knew Crockett had a son. Sonny goes to his son’s birthday party, where we also meet his ex-wife, Caroline.
Tubbs is now in Miami, hunting down Calderone. He goes undercover (unknown to the Miami police) to try to get him, and pretends to be a drug dealer. The cops try to bust the deal, but Tubbs got away, and stole Crockett’s speed boat. While Tubbs was speeding away in the water, Crockett hopped in a car, and gave chase along the river. The awesome chase ended with Crockett catching Tubbs, and each finding out the other was a cop. They end up finding out that they are both after the same drug dealer.
Man, Crockett and Tubbs really did not get along! The next morning, Tubbs found Crockett on Sonny’s houseboat. They trade one punch each. Now that they got that out of their system, Tubbs asked if there was ice on board. Sonny told him it was down below. As soon as Tubbs got down the stairs, he came right back out screaming as we are introduced to Crockett’s pet alligator, Elvis.
Crockett and Tubbs made a pretty good team. But, they always seemed a step or two behind Calderone. It turns out there is a leak “the size of the East River” in the department. So, the duo are hunting down the dangerous drug dealer and trying to find the leak. Crockett also finds out who Tubbs really is. He had been posing as his brother Raphael. Raphael was the cop that Calderone killed. Our Tubbs is Ricardo Tubbs, a street cop. Crockett didn’t like how Tubbs was out for vengenace, but they kept on the case anyway.
The leak is found. And on the way to the final showdown, we hear Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” as Crockett and Tubbs are driving. Classic!
The shootout was pretty cool, and the showdown between Tubbs and Calderone was intense. At the end of the episode, Crockett asked Tubbs if he was going back to New York. Tubbs
One of the key elements of this show is the music. I don’t know if all the episodes are like this, but there were not 1 or 2 songs, but there were several. Here are the songs that were featured in this episode:
I thought this was a great introduction to the show. We got to meet several key characters. Edward James Olmos was not in this episode. There was a different captain in this one. There was a great combination of action, drama, and humor in this episode. And as we just saw, there was some top rate music as well. I am really looking forward to watching this entire series.
Are there any Miami Vice fans out here? Feel free to leave your thoughts and memories, about the show, here. And I would love it if any hardcore fans have any fun facts or trivia you would like to share.
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