Brother's Keeper (Season One)
Aired 9/16/84
I really enjoy how this Pilot episode jumps right into its story with someone on a stake-out (who would turn out to be Tubbs played by Philip Michael Thomas), while our other character (Crockett, played by Don Johnson) loses his partner due to a car-bombing. Its much in the vein of how later shows (like The X-Files) would show us the characters' traits rather than just telling us who they are. Its kind of convenient that Crockett lost his partner just as Tubbs arrives in town and now they reluctantly team up to catch the same drug lord, but that's the magic of television, and it does create fun banter between them. That's what I look for most in a television show more than anything else, the witty back-and-forth between the leads. Miami Vice might be looked back at fondly (or jokingly) for its music and wardrobe but I think that's only part of the show's charm. You're overlooking how this show seamlessly blended a gritty, undercover police drama with a heart and humor.
Johnson's Crockett is an "every man" character and it's almost as if he's plucked out of a Western movie and dropped into the South Beach of the 1980's. He lives a lonely life on his houseboat full of Waylon Jennings cassettes and an alligator named Elvis. Tubbs' reactions to Elvis never fail to crack me up. As for our other hero, Tubbs, I actually like his style over Crockett's white pants and pastels. Maybe I just like his selection of ties.
Vice was also blessed with a great selection of guest stars, either actors who were famous at the time or were on the verge of breaking out as stars. In this episode is Jimmy Smits, as Crockett's ill-fated partner, who would be a bigger face in the genre of cop dramas as a lead on NYPD Blue. Martin Ferrero is recognizable to me as the "blood-sucking lawyer" from Jurassic Park, but his character in Vice is more like a goofy, low-rent Tony Montana. He actually returns playing a similar character who works for the other side (and isn't a cross-dresser.) I really like the support cast too, especially Switek and Zito, though their roles aren't really stated here though they do establish them as the bumbling, anti-Crockett and Tubbs.
I think this was a really fun pilot that set Vice off on the right path. The show is essentially the same as this every week, so you can't go wrong with that formula. Some episodes just had more or less heart, humor, cars, boats, and music. Speaking of the music, the Miami Vice Theme is my favorite tv show theme ever. This pilot also featured a famous piece of music by Phil Collins, set to Crockett and Tubbs driving to their "final" confrontation with the episode's villain.
Johnson's Crockett is an "every man" character and it's almost as if he's plucked out of a Western movie and dropped into the South Beach of the 1980's. He lives a lonely life on his houseboat full of Waylon Jennings cassettes and an alligator named Elvis. Tubbs' reactions to Elvis never fail to crack me up. As for our other hero, Tubbs, I actually like his style over Crockett's white pants and pastels. Maybe I just like his selection of ties.
Vice was also blessed with a great selection of guest stars, either actors who were famous at the time or were on the verge of breaking out as stars. In this episode is Jimmy Smits, as Crockett's ill-fated partner, who would be a bigger face in the genre of cop dramas as a lead on NYPD Blue. Martin Ferrero is recognizable to me as the "blood-sucking lawyer" from Jurassic Park, but his character in Vice is more like a goofy, low-rent Tony Montana. He actually returns playing a similar character who works for the other side (and isn't a cross-dresser.) I really like the support cast too, especially Switek and Zito, though their roles aren't really stated here though they do establish them as the bumbling, anti-Crockett and Tubbs.
I think this was a really fun pilot that set Vice off on the right path. The show is essentially the same as this every week, so you can't go wrong with that formula. Some episodes just had more or less heart, humor, cars, boats, and music. Speaking of the music, the Miami Vice Theme is my favorite tv show theme ever. This pilot also featured a famous piece of music by Phil Collins, set to Crockett and Tubbs driving to their "final" confrontation with the episode's villain.
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