Episode #15 "Smuggler’s Blues"

[jpaul1]

Nelson Oramas (bomb squad officer) was a real cop IRL. he also co-wrote Mirror image

[RedDragon86]

12 minutes ago, jpaul1 said:

Nelson Oramas (bomb squad officer) was a real cop IRL. he also co-wrote Mirror image

Great info.

[Matt5]

On 9/16/2020 at 9:50 PM, RedDragon86 said:

Great info.

And I’m sure he co wrote or guest starred in another episode.

[Tom]

vor 6 Minuten schrieb Matt5:

And I’m sure he co wrote or guest starred in another episode.

Yep he was in Over the line and Sons and lovers as well. 

[Robbie C.]

He co-wrote the story but isn't credited with the teleplay, at least on Mirror Image.

[Matt5]

12 hours ago, Robbie C. said:

He co-wrote the story but isn't credited with the teleplay, at least on Mirror Image.

Interesting - thankyou 

[Adrian321]

This is in my top 10 list of MV episodes. 10th place to be more exact.

A lot of action, "vice" all over the place, our main characters travell somewhere outside Miami, we even got Glen Frey, and that music, while not perfect, fits the whole episode pretty well. If I was to show a random episode of MV to a person which wants to see what the series is like, I think I'd choose this one, or Deffinitely Miami. Such a memorable episode. Even the Miami vice film is highly inspired by this episode. 

For me, this is the 2nd best S1 episode, behind "Brother's keeper".

[GoombayPunch]

Definitely a classic. Great locations, nice action down in Puerto Rico (standing in for Colombia) and excellent supporting characters, including one of my favorites, Richard Edson. Glenn Frey is also surprisingly good in his role. As Adrian321 mentioned, this is a quintessential Miami Vice episode for someone that has (surprisingly) not seen it yet. Great tension at the end as well with Sonny and the bomb diffuser rescuing Trudy. All around a top episode.

[wolfie1996]

On 5/4/2017 at 12:10 AM, Remington said:

You can sum up Smugglers Blues with one word:iconic. Everything about it.

The setting and music are both superb.

It basically has the same plot as the MV film, only its done right here.

The finale with the bomb is intense.

Glenn Frey was my favorite Eagle. RIP. Don Henley was cool tool.

10/10

Well said! I love this episode. Saw The Eagles live in 2019 before all this covid shit ruined everything! They were fantastic even now. You're right, a definite  10.

[jpaul1]

yeah definitely a good episode. one of the very rare where you feel Crockett & Tubbs in real danger. and this adds a realism stamp onto the series. and puts it on another level

[ViceFanMan]

On 5/14/2010 at 1:26 AM, ViceFanMan said:

I love this episode, and it's one of not only my first season favorites but is one of my all-time favorites of the series too! I think "Smuggler's Blues" is one of those episodes (and there were more than one) that just sort of defined Miami Vice and what it was all about! I thought Sonny's wardrobe was pretty cool, Glenn Frey's performance and subsequent song of the same episode title were superb, Oliva Brown's performance in the abandoned trailer/bomb scene was also superb and gave her a change to expand on her acting talents, the plot was awesome, and I also like the beginning meeting scene at the abandoned Floridian Hotel! Strange, I know but I love photographing and exploring abandoned places and this is one I wish I could have explored before it got torn down. The only part I can hardly stand to watch is when Tubbs is mad at the bad guy in his car and he starts shooting into his own Caddy! I love cars, especially classic ones from the 50's-60's and I always yell: "Just don't shoot the Caddy!"...but Tubbs always does anyway. 

Ahh...the iconic, classic, ever-famous “Smuggler’s Blues”! How I love this episode!! 

Above is my original review, and nothing has really changed. This embraced & portrayed what MV was truly about, and this is one I never get tired of watching. The plot & integration of Glenn Frey’s song were absolutely superb...as was Frey’s performance as Jimmy. I’ve seen a 1985 interview with him, and he said he’d never really had that much acting experience...but Michael Mann knew exactly what he wanted and how he wanted the episode to go. I think Frey did an amazing job & it’s a true shame they never got around to having him return in other episodes!

The fashion & colors in this one are awesome & I still want some of Crockett’s shirts & blazers nowadays (as is the case in many episodes)!!  Olivia Brown “shone” in this one, too...and she looks so realistically terrified in the abandoned trailer, hooked up to a bomb!  The action, the “sizzle” & “feel”, mid-episode Cartagena scenes, and the beginning meeting scene in the old abandoned Floridian Hotel (think it was eventually called something else before it closed down in the early 70s I think) all help make this episode one of the best! 

 As I said in my original review above, I love exploring and photographing old abandoned places. Although, I rarely have time for it anymore sadly. But, I would’ve loved to have explored that old hotel before it got torn down in 1987. (Side-note: The old Blue Waters Hotel was demolished the same year.)

Tubbs shooting into his Caddy still greatly bothers me, LOL!  As I said before, I love classic cars and I am always “freaking” out when he shoots into his Cadillac, although I’ve seen it multiple times. But, it’s all good as the very next scene has him driving it with a suddenly “magically” fixed back windshield too, LOL!  

But...this was definitely one of the best and most iconic episodes...always a 10!!    

 

Edited April 1, 2021 by ViceFanMan

[wolfie1996]

On 3/23/2013 at 8:39 AM, Guest MetroVice said:

Makes me sad just thinking about it, and I hated the ending of Freefall where C&T simply parted ways by reaching over the Ferarri to simply shake hands, then Tubbs is taken to the airport where he apparently goes back to NY. I just wish things would have ended a little better than that, but it is what it is.Miami Vice forever . . .

Couldn't agree more with the above sentiment and in fact with the contention that had some things been different (such as DJ's determination to leave) it  could have continued for another couple of seasons. I'm sure it was only him  who wanted to finish- most of the others were never in anything half as good again. And actually he wasn't either though he didn't realise that's what would happen.

[wolfie1996]

On 4/1/2021 at 5:28 AM, ViceFanMan said:

Ahh...the iconic, classic, ever-famous “Smuggler’s Blues”! How I love this episode!! 

Above is my original review, and nothing has really changed. This embraced & portrayed what MV was truly about, and this is one I never get tired of watching. The plot & integration of Glenn Frey’s song were absolutely superb...as was Frey’s performance as Jimmy. I’ve seen a 1985 interview with him, and he said he’d never really had that much acting experience...but Michael Mann knew exactly what he wanted and how he wanted the episode to go. I think Frey did an amazing job & it’s a true shame they never got around to having him return in other episodes!

The fashion & colors in this one are awesome & I still want some of Crockett’s shirts & blazers nowadays (as is the case in many episodes)!!  Olivia Brown “shone” in this one, too...and she looks so realistically terrified in the abandoned trailer, hooked up to a bomb!  The action, the “sizzle” & “feel”, mid-episode Cartagena scenes, and the beginning meeting scene in the old abandoned Floridian Hotel (think it was eventually called something else before it closed down in the early 70s I think) all help make this episode one of the best! 

 As I said in my original review above, I love exploring and photographing old abandoned places. Although, I rarely have time for it anymore sadly. But, I would’ve loved to have explored that old hotel before it got torn down in 1987. (Side-note: The old Blue Waters Hotel was demolished the same year.)

Tubbs shooting into his Caddy still greatly bothers me, LOL!  As I said before, I love classic cars and I am always “freaking” out when he shoots into his Cadillac, although I’ve seen it multiple times. But, it’s all good as the very next scene has him driving it with a suddenly “magically” fixed back windshield too, LOL!  

But...this was definitely one of the best and most iconic episodes...always a 10!!    

 

You said it all, VFM! 10 out of 10 from me too

[jpaul1]

On 4/1/2021 at 6:28 AM, ViceFanMan said:

 I love exploring and photographing old abandoned places..

do you have an album somewhere, or something?

[ViceFanMan]

36 minutes ago, jpaul1 said:

do you have an album somewhere, or something?

I have a lot of pictures...but they’re boxed up somewhere in my storeroom. They’re actual film...what I call “real” pictures.  I haven’t been exploring in many years...so not a lot on my cellphone. One of these days I need to search through my stuff and find them.

However, I do have a few pictures that I found not too long ago & took pics of those on my phone. I don’t want to get too far-a-field from the topic of this thread...but, going along with the abandoned hotels MV sometimes filmed in or around that I really wish I could have explored & photographed before they were torn down...these are of an abandoned school I took in 1999. School was built in 1912 & closed in the early 60s. Sadly, about 6 years ago it burned down. But, by then the bell tower part of the roof had already caved in. 

[jpaul1]

if you love these i highly recommend Prypiat. solo east travel organizes great trips there. the abandonned Duga radar is impressive. as much as the rest. the abandonned school is pretty impressive too. been to Volterra asylum also in Tuscany. which is the town of light main protagonist. IMO the best video game ever made. even if not really a video game, but more an interactive story. Volterra asylum interiors are illegal though. i did it only once in my life because my love for the game, but you'd better not get caught by the cops. i'm not an outlaw at all in my everyday behavior, but it's really an incredible game

[Jack Gretsky]

MV's "Mr. Versatility" - Miguel Pinero, who was so iconic as Calderone - returns as scripter this time, using his prize-winning playwright skills (and his real-life experience from when he was on the bad side of the law) to fashion one of the most memorable episodes ever.  A definite highlight of Season 1.

And lots of first-rate character actors here - Richard Jenkins, Richard Edson, Coati Mundi, and rocker Glenn Frey, who not only wrote the title song, but makes Jimmy a scruffy classic. Offbeat line readings.  It's regrettable that Frey didn't return for "Trust Fund Pirates."

Grocero is a creepy villain.  Maybe that dancing little boy in his entourage is meant to be his son, but the atmosphere gives off an unpleasant pedo vibe.  It's touching though how Crockett and Tubbs have become such firm partners; witness Sonny's frustration and anger after Rico is arrested and Jimmy shoos him out of the scene. In fact, caring for one's team members is noted throughout including the final freeze-frame of Sonny and Rico consoling a shaken Trudy. 

It was also nice to see one of the "background" Miami officers get a spotlight: Nelson Oramas (a former police officer himself) as the bomb dismantler. 

Edited August 28, 2021 by Jack Gretsky

[Dadrian]

This fantastic new video by @OCBman definitely belongs in this thread. I highly recommend you all check it out! 
 

 

[fakespyder]

He had some interesting views. While I had issues with one or two of his points, it was very insightful. He broke down the framing of certain shots to a degree I seldom hear.

I can't believe I never noticed the woman who bothers Tubbs after their drug meet was the same woman in the seedy nightclub.

[Dadrian]

27 minutes ago, fakespyder said:

I can't believe I never noticed the woman who bothers Tubbs after their drug meet was the same woman in the seedy nightclub

I don’t remember noticing it the first time I watched, but somewhere between the first and 500th viewing, I noticed.  

One thing I’ve learned from this forum: there is little (to none) common knowledge in MV facts/trivia—the most obvious things to you are the most obscure to another.
 

Maybe that’s how things are in life in general!  
 

One thing is for sure: I’m very grateful to have you all show me how smart/dumb I am for the past 20+ years! 

[ViceFanMan]

1 hour ago, Dadrian said:

One thing I’ve learned from this forum: there is little (to none) common knowledge in MV facts/trivia—the most obvious things to you are the most obscure to another.
 

Maybe that’s how things are in life in general!  
 

One thing is for sure: I’m very grateful to have you all show me how smart/dumb I am for the past 20+ years! 

Actually I think there’s a huge, vast plethora of trivia, facts, and info for this show, characters, filming locations, etc...on this site!! It’s literally the best, most in-depth, and most informative fansite of any TV show I’ve ever seen or been part of! 

The interesting thing is...there’s SO MUCH! Over the years, tons of amazing info has been added in multiple, multiple threads...so, it’s actually hard to get through or know it all. But, that’s what’s so awesome about this site...I feel I’m continually learning something new, or something I’d not noticed or heard before. And, there’s new threads & info continually being added! 

I’m a die-hard fan, and feel I know a lot...but I know I don’t know every little thing there is/was with the show...I don’t believe anyone does!  That’s the beautiful part...we’re all, as one giant extended MV family so-to-speak, continuing to learn or notice new things—even if we’ve watched the show tons of times over. It’s amazing!! 

 

Edited February 2, 2022 by ViceFanMan

[Dadrian]

3 minutes ago, ViceFanMan said:

Actually I think there’s a huge, vast plethora of trivia, facts, and info for this show, characters, filming locations, etc...on this site!!

I totally agree!

My statement was about “common” knowledge among fans. It’s more uncommon than you think sometimes.  

[ViceFanMan]

2 minutes ago, Dadrian said:

I totally agree!

My statement was about “common” knowledge among fans. It’s more uncommon than you think sometimes.  

True...some things are commonly known among some fans, while not others. Sometimes I assume most fans know something...and find out later, not necessarily.  Newer fans of the show, I would tend to think don’t know as much backstory or trivia as maybe ones who have watched the show since it was originally on. But, I would also think die-hard fans would look into & research more info about it. But, maybe not, lol??  

[ViceFanMan]

11 hours ago, Dadrian said:

My statement was about “common” knowledge among fans. It’s more uncommon than you think sometimes.  

So, for my own curiosity...what’s considered “common” knowledge concerning MV? Just wondering what some might “assume” is commonly known info, while perhaps not everyone knows it....  

[Dadrian]

2 hours ago, ViceFanMan said:

So, for my own curiosity...what’s considered “common” knowledge concerning MV? Just wondering what some might “assume” is commonly known info, while perhaps not everyone knows it....  

Its hard to say, but I frequently second guess myself when I make references here. 
 

Examples may be:

- how many fans categorize info in their minds by episode title?

- how many fans know/care that the Daytona was not a real Ferrari?

- how many fans know/care the exterior/interior shots of OCB were not one and the same building/location?

Over the years here, I’ve seen many posts that are “common knowledge” to me, but then the replies to said posts prove me very wrong—and then again, sometimes I’m one of the people in the “thanks, I somehow never knew this” replies.  
 

One of the most recent examples of this for me was recently in the fashion forum, a member with very few posts here posted a photo of himself wearing a Versace jacket made in 1984 that was worn by Crockett in 1986 (season 3). So the items picked up from the most cutting-edge fashion designers weren’t always “brand new”. Maybe common knowledge to the fashion buffs, but news to me. 

This is the reason I frequent the forum every day: there’s always a chance at something new (for anybody).