Calderone's Return Part One (Season One)
"I'm always ready."
Aired 10/19/84
Only 4 episodes into Vice's first season and already they are wrapping up story arcs that could've easily lasted the entire season. The villain who kick-started the series returns with a bang (as if you couldn't tell from the title), even though he's not even seen in this episode, only his hired goons are. An assassin, sent by Calderone, begins picking off people in Miami and it even ties into Crockett's marital problems. I can't really say if this episode is "better" than the Pilot but it is certainly much more personal.
In the previous episodes Tubbs doesn't get much in the way of one-liners but I actually like a scene where he chases after a suspect who's hiding in a building. Tubbs tells an officer to "forget that cowboy stuff" and wait for back-up, yet when the back-up arrives with sirens blaring, he actually does the "cowboy stuff" and races off with a shotgun. Crockett also wants to do his own "cowboy stuff", but his boss wants to personally make sure he goes to a safe house to avoid the assassin. That costs their Lieutenant his life and the episode kicks into high gear from there.
In addition to the intense storyline, there is the typical humor mixed in. When the Vice squad tries to protect another name on the assassin's hit list, they get caught in the middle of a brawl at a dance club. I really dislike Peoria's dance clubs but I can dig an 80's dance club that plays the Pointer Sisters, though I'd be best to avoid a woman that can throw a punch like the one in this episode. I also got a good laugh out of Switek as a bartender and Zito as a waiter. A few unintentional laughs came from Philip Michael Thomas' over-acting in a couple of key scenes but that's just part of Miami Vice's charm. Tubbs always has unique intensity.
The highlight of the episode is near the end, when the squad thinks they've apprehended their assassin. As Crockett heads home with his family, Tubbs realizes their mistake and puts the pedal to the metal to beat them to their house. Crockett picks up on something out of place in their house, though only a keen-eyed viewer would really know what it meant, and a shoot-out between the good guys and the assassin is on. I think its a stand-out moment in the series that I would put up there with the "In the Air Tonight" driving scene from the Pilot; which is what Vice perfected- mixing music with drama.
"Calderone's Return" is only the first half of this story but it continues to lay a great foundation for the series. Another notable part of this episode is the introduction of Crockett's theme, which plays as he has a final moment on the beach with his wife and son. I haven't seen Michael Mann's Manhunter in years but it reminds me a lot of that movie.
Aired 10/19/84
In the previous episodes Tubbs doesn't get much in the way of one-liners but I actually like a scene where he chases after a suspect who's hiding in a building. Tubbs tells an officer to "forget that cowboy stuff" and wait for back-up, yet when the back-up arrives with sirens blaring, he actually does the "cowboy stuff" and races off with a shotgun. Crockett also wants to do his own "cowboy stuff", but his boss wants to personally make sure he goes to a safe house to avoid the assassin. That costs their Lieutenant his life and the episode kicks into high gear from there.
In addition to the intense storyline, there is the typical humor mixed in. When the Vice squad tries to protect another name on the assassin's hit list, they get caught in the middle of a brawl at a dance club. I really dislike Peoria's dance clubs but I can dig an 80's dance club that plays the Pointer Sisters, though I'd be best to avoid a woman that can throw a punch like the one in this episode. I also got a good laugh out of Switek as a bartender and Zito as a waiter. A few unintentional laughs came from Philip Michael Thomas' over-acting in a couple of key scenes but that's just part of Miami Vice's charm. Tubbs always has unique intensity.
The highlight of the episode is near the end, when the squad thinks they've apprehended their assassin. As Crockett heads home with his family, Tubbs realizes their mistake and puts the pedal to the metal to beat them to their house. Crockett picks up on something out of place in their house, though only a keen-eyed viewer would really know what it meant, and a shoot-out between the good guys and the assassin is on. I think its a stand-out moment in the series that I would put up there with the "In the Air Tonight" driving scene from the Pilot; which is what Vice perfected- mixing music with drama.
"Calderone's Return" is only the first half of this story but it continues to lay a great foundation for the series. Another notable part of this episode is the introduction of Crockett's theme, which plays as he has a final moment on the beach with his wife and son. I haven't seen Michael Mann's Manhunter in years but it reminds me a lot of that movie.
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