Episode #2 "Heart of Darkness"


Ferrariman

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  • 6 months later...

Heart of DarknessI give " Heart of Darkness " a 7. Only because there are more exciting episodes. I did like the chase onto the drawbridge and the setting up shop by Switek & Zito. I couldn't hear Zito's line to the guy selling the wigs as someone else mentioned. Liked "This Masquerade" at end. This review from .org is very short. I'll watch it again & add more later on!

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i thought ed o'neill was great in this ep. although sparse, the jan hammer score is good on this one, too. great opening credits with "i ain't missing you" and great final scene with "this masquerade", indeed, tony d. good location on artie's apartment.the scene with tubbs going to bat for crockett with lt. rodriguez was a nice job on PMT's part, was well.

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One of the best from season 1. From this we get a first taster of undercover stress. Without this we'd have no Burnett trilogy or "Streetwise". Great music too from the opening "She's a Beauty" from "The Tubes" - I'd give it a 9

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Heart of Darkness is a great episode. An early classic. This was only the second episode but it's amazing how confident and assured everything was. A sign of a truly great series. They knew they were onto a winner. When The Simpsons started it took them an entire season to get it right. And the presence of the Dragnet-like cops seemed to symbolise the old generation of cop shows meets the new. When I first saw this ep the opening reminded me so much of Vice City, with the porno shoot and John Waite's 'Missing You'. I love the intro. One of my favourites of the series. The opening workout is hot and The Tubes' 'She's A Beauty' is an ideal choice for it. The whole sequence behind the scenes at a porno movie was great. Although shouldn't the porn flick Zito mentions be called Around The World In 80 Lays rather than 80 Days? Shows how tame network TV could be back then. Then I loved the shots of Miami with 'Missing You' on the soundtrack. It's just beautiful. I love 'Missing You'. It's one of my favourite songs. I think that was the moment when I fell in love with Vice. This is really a top notch Vice ep. Everything that's great about the show is here; story, music, scenery, action, acting. The whole OCB crew had good exposure in this ep, especially Switek and Zito. I really liked the scene where Tubbs gives Zito advice on how best to work as an undercover fence. It's great seeing Zito on the show. He was so missed in seasons 4 and 5. They should've brought him back to life a la Dallas. John Diehl really seemed to be enjoying himself in the first season of Vice. Of course he later grew disenchanted with the show. Another thing, that Lester character appeared regularly in the first season but then vanished from the show. As did Elvis of course. The music is great in this ep. As mentioned, 'Missing You' and 'She's A Beauty' are fantastic. And the Devo song 'Going Under' is excellent too. I really liked the montage it accompanied. Some nice Jan Hammer music too. I loved the use of his tune 'Rain' while Artie was talking at the end. Ed O'Neill was a great guest star. He was excellent as Artie Rollins. He was really conflicted. This episode was a precusor to Donnie Brasco in how it explored how an undercover cop can be seduced by the allure of the criminal life they have to infiltrate. Being a rich gangster is obviously a lot more fun than being a working stiff cop. One thing though, if I was Crockett I'd be PO'd that Artie lived in a luxury high rise apartment and I Iived in a small sailing boat. This episode is so good it has very little flaws. The most obvious one is the lack of Castillo. It's weird watching the early episodes and not seeing Castillo. Lou Rodriguez was alright but not a very memorable character. Gregory Sierra did a very good job playing him but he was a conventional lieutenant. EJO is a great actor and he made a great contribution to the show as Castillo. If Castillo was in this episode I think I'd give it a 10. I don't think he was needed in Brother's Keeper and certainly not in Calderone's Return, but I would loved to have seen him here. The climax is excellent. Very tense sequence where Crockett and Tubbs' covers get blown. Artie is forced to decide who's side he's on. A great shootout ensues. I really liked the ending where Sonny and Rico talk to Artie. It's sad how his undercover life has made his normal life seem so insignificant and he can't go on living. Great episode. One of the best of the first season. Too bad Castillo isn't in it, then it would be a perfect episode of Vice. 9.5/10

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This one gets an 8 from me.Great look into the future of Sonny getting in too deep as mentioned above.Great job from Ed O'Neil.

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Guest neworder

The first time i reviewed this ep on .org i gave it 6/10, only 7 months ago...strange lol!I still stand by the fact that there is a lack of Jan Hammer music, meaning that there isn't much atmosphere. Also, there is a little two much elvis, the first bit is fine where he's wrecked the pier but the 2nd bit on the boat isnt needed. Also i didnt like the music track used at the end of this episode.HOWEVER, i did sincerely enjoy this episode today. The whole 'under too deep you dont know which way is up' thing needed to be addressed this early of course. Its a good story, with some good music including Missing You by John Waite. I also enjoyed the song going with the scene where crockett and tubbs get ready to go to the meal ... forgotten that this scene was in this episode, always thought it was later on in season 1. Also C&T sporting some very smooth threads in this episode.Overall im going to give this 8/10 as my final mark, because it is a good episode with some very good scenes. The show hasn't fully developed just yet, but its getting there, a little too much comedy and lack of hammer music in this one for me, but still good ep!

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"Too bad Castillo isn't in it, then it would be a perfect episode of Vice. 9.5/10" - Quote,Tommy VercettiTommy, the only reason you miss Castillo in this episode is because you are looking at it from the future! When the episode was first aired, Castillo wasn't created as yet. You have to view it as if the only Lieutenant is Rodriquez.

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This is one of my all-time faves and I never get tired of watching it OR talking about it. Ed O'Neill deserved an Emmy for his performance (he wasn't even nominated, was he?). In fact, one of the things this ep always makes me think is what a different career he might have had if Al Bundy never entered his life. He may have really gone places as a serious dramatic actor. Great story, great little moments -- the FBI agent ("Tell Switek we're even now."), Artie kicking the hell out of the guy and the look in his eye when Sonny stops him, the quiet defeat of Artie's wife.And that ending, that devastating ending. I've never heard "This Masquerade" the same way since. My only quiblle -- the malfunctioning transmitter seems like a silly plot device to put C&T in jep and test Artie's loyalties -- wasn't there a better way? But there's know way I'm docking points for it.As Lar has pointed out, it's remarkable a new series came up with such a brilliant, complete ep right out of the gate.10.

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here's a little sidenote for fans of this ep that like the jan hammer music. when C&T race to artie's apartment and he's split, they play a great little jan hammer tune in that scene. if you like that one, check out "buddies" when C&T go to dorothy's apartment (and "WWIII" starts). same tune, but longer and more good stuff on the buddies scene. you may have already noticed this. i'd love to cover this one, but i don't have some of the sounds.

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the JH song in that second link reappears in the opening credits of "a bullet crockett". it sounds great on there, too. great song. i'd love to cover this one. nice post evan!

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Jan

the JH song in that second link reappears in the opening credits of "a bullet crockett". it sounds great on there' date=' too. great song. i'd love to cover this one. nice post evan![/quote']Youre welcome. Slow theme is my favorite, probably because its unreleased
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It was a good episode but like TonyD I think it could have needed a little more action. Ed O'Neill was right on the money playing Rollins still I can't watch O'Neill without thinking about Al Bundy, couple of nice J.Hammer tunes and the "dress up" scene before the meeting with Kovics again screamed MV for me so 8/10.

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  • 4 weeks later...

We had a multi-page thread on this episode when there was barely anybody around here. So no question - a Great Episode. 10/10.I mean the other episodes in Season 1 are excellent. My favorite would probably be Calderon's Return - Hit List. But few are as good or better than Heart of Darkness, and this was the second episode! How many shows do you know got it right off the bat on their second episode?And besides giving the Burnett Trilogy its background, it more importantly cemented the partnership between Crockett and Tubbs. When Lou questioned Crockett on trusting Artie, Tubbs stuck by Crockett 100% - he may or may not have trusted Artie, but he sure as hell trusted his partner enough because of Crockett's sincerity.

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I give this ep an 8. It was moderately enjoyable, but of course the show was just starting to find its way. Ed O'neill Did a good job playing an FBI agent who was giving mixed signals as to his prfoessional stablility and loyalty. Although he made the right choice in the end helping Sonny and Rico, he chose to end it all for himself.

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  • 1 month later...

A fantastic follow up to the pilot. Sometimes series will have a rather weak second episode after a strong pilot but here things jump right into action. Ed O'Neill is a diamond as Artie Rollins giving it some of his best and most manic. The use of music here is of course great (particularly John Waite's "Missing You" and Devo's "Going Under"). It's not perfect or quite as pinnacle as the preceding episode but still something great and well-written. 9/10. 

Edited by agent 47
New review due to Blu-ray viewing.
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  • 2 months later...

Shill and I have discussed this episode before and he makes a very good point that this episode and "Streetwise" are kind of ghostly predictions of Crockett's breakdown and destruction of his personality and his descension into his alter ego, Burnett. Here we see at a very early stage, Crockett confronting his shadow....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_(psychology)There's a couple of scenes that reinforce this idea. Firstly where Tubbs says to Crockett "The problem is you don't see Artie you see yourself". Before Crockett has chance to respond, Rodriguez butts in. You never get to find out what Crockett's response would have been to that direct accusation. That in my opinion was no accident. The viewer is left thinking "Wow, is that really what Crockett thinks? That he could end up going over the line? Guess I'm not gonna find out yet". Thus creating an ambiguous issue for the viewer to get hooked into. This reminded me of the ambiguous scene in "Mirror Image" where Hackman says to Crockett "You can't shoot an unarmed man", and Crockett replies "wrong", before shooting him. Then as the camera pans out, we see that Hackman did in fact have a gun.The second scene is right at the end, where Crockett talks about his experiences of Artie as being like looking at himself in one of those mirrors that warps your image. I thought DJ's acting was good during this scene because not only does the look on his face demonstrate shock at hearing the news that Artie killed himself, but you can also tell that he's thinking "Wow that could have been me".It doesn't get anymore cheesily 80's than the initial scene. A textbook 80's tune "She's a lady" playing to a girl in 80's gear. But then again the scene was meant to be cheesy because it was showing ham acting in a cheap porno."Missing You" is a great song. When this first came out when I was about 11, I thought this was just another boring ballad and never paid any mind to it. It was only until a few years back that I went through an experience that made the words to that song very meaningful and poignant. I wish they'd developed the tune further in the episode (or at least some Vice episode if not this one). It seemed a crime to cut a song like that so short!).I thought the dialogue "Wow, we got a tail or somethin".. "No Duncan I thought this side of the road was more scenic" was funny.In the conversation between Tubbs and Rodriguez about Tubbs' living conditions, the idea of Tubbs having only got the job in Vice through the skin of his teeth is made explicit. This is probably the first and last time Tubbs' living arrangements are ever discussed!I thought it was funny how Lester is telling Zito and Tubbs how other surviellance operatives often do sloppy work and make potentially dangerous mistakes, and then the other surveillance guy they end up using does exactly that! Although I can't believe that Tubbs didn't get made for a cop sooner with that Sony Walkman strapped to his chest!I also thought the line in the final scene to Zito was funny "That's great Larry, so err... which one of you two guys can write?".I thought this was a very interesting storyline to an interesting episode. Not one of my favourites, but like I say, I personally feel that Vice took a few episodes before it really warmed up.7 out of 10.

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  • 2 weeks later...

This episode is alright, but it is certainly not one of my favorites. There are a lot of other episodes in the first sesaon that are just better. As far as the song that is played during the last scene it just seems so out of place. I give this episode a 6.

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I gave it a 7 because I think it´s a good ep with a exciting start for the new partners Crockett and Tubbs. Rico showed his loyality to Sonny without knowing whether he was right or wrong when he defended Artie. I like that ep, though there´s not so much action in it.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 5 months later...

There couldn´t be a more exciting and brilliant epsiode at the beginning of hot cop show !!!:happy::clap::clap:Everything is well thought out: the dark and depressing story, the strong charakters, the cool music and style.The Audience think they watch a normal, experienced police-day in Miami - not the start of a TV series.:thumbsup:Furthermore, the protagonists are more described and show parts of their everyday life (like the Elvis-scenes :D:D) - genial.The Devo scene should also be mentioned - cult. During these scenes, audience know that this show would be something special ...10 of 10 points

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