This Week In Miami Vice History

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November 4th - November 10th:

 

"No Exit", the 7th episode of the 1st season, premiered on NBC on Friday, November 9th, 1984 at 10 PM EST. Some notes on this episode (from Miami Vice Wiki):

* This episode was called "Three Eyed Turtle" when it originally aired, but the name was changed to "No Exit" when it went into syndication. This second title is now its official one and has been used on the show's VHS and DVD releases and online, although some DVD sets mention the original title as an alternate name for the episode. It is possible the name was changed due to "three-eyed turtle" being slang for a position during sexual intercourse.

* The episode was repeated on three other occasions during Miami Vice's run, the most of any episode.

* This is the first episode for which Michael Mann would be the only Executive Producer (listed at the end of the episode). Series creator Anthony Yerkovich was listed as a co-Executive Producer on the first six episodes.

* When Crockett, Tubbs and Lester go to bug Amato's house, Lester says they have 30 seconds between the time he interrupts the burglar alarm circuit, until the alarm goes off. In real time, it takes Lester 55 seconds to shut off the alarm.

 

"Junk Love", the 6th episode of the 2nd season, premiered on NBC on Friday, November 8th, 1985 at 10 PM EST. Some notes on this episode (from Miami Vice Wiki):

* During this week in 1985, the Miami Vice Theme would hit the #1 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. No TV instrumental theme has done so since.

* Radio Marti, (whose transmissions interfered with Switek's monitoring of Tubbs' wire when meeting with Ivory Jones), began transmitting on May 20, 1985 and still exists today (a TV version began in 1990).

 

"El Viejo", the 7th episode of the 3rd season, premiered on NBC on Friday, November 7th, 1986 at 9 PM EST. Some notes on this episode (from Miami Vice Wiki):

* This episode was originally set to be the season opener, but was held back as it was felt having the Ferrari Daytona blown up in "When Irish Eyes Are Crying" would make a better start to the third season. Don Johnson also held out for more money at the start of Season 3, delaying filming to a point where other commitments for guest star Willie Nelson meant the episode could not be finished in time for the premiere slot.

* Instead of smoking, Switek likes to chew Red Man tobacco (and in "Back in the World" Switek was rubbing snuff/Skoal, or as he called it the "working man's caviar"). Smoking among the main characters (especially Crockett) was phased out during this season.

* El Viejo means "The Old Man" in Spanish; Mendez calls Willie Nelson's character El Viejo several times during the episode.

* Because of the delays in completing the episode, Crockett's Daytona makes a return after its destruction, causing a major continuity error.

* When Crockett and Tubbs are driving on the freeway, a shot through the windshield shows both of them wearing sunglasses. In a subsequent shot of them just before the van hitmen start shooting, Tubbs' sunglasses have disappeared.

* When Pierson forces the van and its shooters off the road with Tubb's Coupe de Ville, the "Cowboy Cadillac" license plate is missing in one shot, then back in another.

* When Crockett and Tubbs are talking as they walk out of the Royal Hotel after searching Pierson's room, Crockett can be seen talking in response to Tubbs' insistence that Pierson is no longer a Ranger as they step through the doorway, but his reply is not heard until the camera cuts to the outside.

* As Jake walks toward the meet in the cemetery, in a wide shot high above the cemetery, a fog machine can be seen releasing fog on the right side of the screen.

* In the end credits, under the second screen of "With" supporting actors, Anwar Zayden is listed as "BOLIVAN", instead of the correct spelling "BOLIVIAN", an editing and typographical error.

 

"God's Work", the 6th episode of the 4th season, premiered on NBC on Friday, November 6th, 1987 at 9 PM EST. Some notes on this episode (from Miami Vice Wiki):

* According to an interview with director Jan Eliasberg, the original story was to be about the Catholic Church refusing aid for gay AIDS patients, but after a meeting between the Church and NBC, the story was altered to its broadcast form.

* It was never stated that Louie was dying of AIDS, but the story and circumstances of Louie and Felipe's relationship (and the fact that Louie was visiting Ernesto's AIDS hospice) implied this was the case.

* In the scene with Castillo and Ernesto at the coffee shop, Castillo laughs and holds an extended conversation in Spanish. It is extremely unusual to see Castillo talk as much as he does in this scene (this being the only time in the entire series he laughs), in stark contrast to his normally gruff, emotionless character.

* Despite Season 4's often criticized over-emphasis of Crockett, he actually appears in less than half of this episode and plays little part in the investigation (with the exception of the boat chase).

* During the scene where Tubbs is attacked by the man driving the forklift in the warehouse, Philip Michael Thomas has clearly been replaced with a stunt man, most obviously when he jumps from the pallets onto the forklift's roll cage.

 

"Redemption In Blood", the 2nd episode of the 5th season, premiered on NBC on Friday, November 11th, 1988 at 10PM EST. Some notes on this episode (from Miami Vice Wiki):

* Steven Tyler made his acting debut as Reeves in this episode.

* The idea of Burnett giving a pet panther to his lover is probably inspired by the 1983 movie Scarface, in which Al Pacino's drug lord buys his wife a Bengal tiger.

* El Gato is wearing a necklace made from the hood ornament of a Mercury (shown by the cougar symbol).

* Tim Truman's song "Everything Inside of Me" featured Truman himself on vocals and was used at the last minute in place of a John Mellencamp song that producers could not get clearance for.

* El Gato's fate at the hands of a predatory jungle cat is foreshadowed by the zebra-designed coat he is wearing in the final scene.

* The sound produced by Burnett's pistol when he shoots at Tubbs at the start of the episode is different to the sound it made when we first saw these events in the previous episode.

* When King is telling Celeste the story about Sandy the cow, he says, "He produced more milk than all of the rest of them cows put together." Only female cattle produce milk. Technically, there is no such thing as a male cow. Male cattle are bulls and females are cows.

* The helicopter that the police use in their assault on the waterworks where the shipment is being unloaded is obviously not a police helicopter, but an air rescue vehicle (this can even be seen written on the underside of the fuselage). In fact, it looks like the exact same helicopter that flew Crockett to hospital when he was shot in "A Bullet For Crockett."

* When Crockett shoots King, the frame is flipped and he shoots left handed.