Episode #64 "By Hooker By Crook"


Ferrariman

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  • 1 year later...
Episode 64: By Hooker By CrookCrockett is one of the coolest characters in television history, isn't he? One thing I've noticed though as we go along in this series is his poor taste in women, has this guy ever fallen for a woman who wasn't invovled in a crime besides his ex-wife Caroline, future wife Sheena Easton and that one that compromised his job a bit in Nobody Lives Forever? Here Crockett is dating Melanie Griffith (who I believe Don Johnson's real wife and the daughter of Tippi Hedren) and then as it usually turns out she was the manager of a call girl service ... working for George "Sulu" Takei no less! A good episode that exposes the poor taste of the Vice detectives criminally linked dates, also features Lou Albano with weird looking things in his beard!A 7.
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I almost feel sorry for this episode because in many ways it’s better than Theresa but because both episodes have the same basic storyline, I can’t really give it any higher than Theresa. This is a pretty good episode. Yet again we see Crockett falling in love, this time though she's not a junky she's a hooker, of sorts. This episode betters Theresa in that it’s got fantastic scenery, better music and no Helen Bonham Carter. However there is less action. The best part of this episode though is the end with Simply Red, Holding back the years playing in the background. A very good ending. However when grading this episode, one must consider that this episode comes too soon after Theresa. If this episode came before Theresa I’d give it a 7 because it is a better episode and I prefer watching it. However, the story is too similar and the gap between the two episodes is too small. Therefore it will get the same as Theresa; 6/10

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I like this episode. It gets off to a good start with an entertaining intro. Good song and a nice party atmosphere on the yacht (although the shadow of the camera crew was visible at one point). Then I liked the condo where the man makes the drop.Very good guest appearance by Don’s then wife Melanie Griffith. She and Don really worked well together. The plot of this ep, Crockett falling for a woman who turns out to be the Heidi Fleiss of Miami, might seem redundant so soon after Theresa but the episode is so good that it doesn’t hamper my enjoyment of it. There’s lovely South Florida atmos in this ep; the gorgeous sea views from the window’s in the society lady’s yacht, the beautiful clear blue skies, the Coconut Grove apartment building used for the establishing shot and the stunning view from the balcony of Christine’s apartment. Beautiful stuff.Izzy‘s appearance is like all his appearances, stupid and a waste of time. I wish he could get eaten by a T-Rex.Another thing about this ep, Barbara Carrow was reincarnated as a lady working in an escort agency. DJ did a good directorial job and I can only love the generous helpings of Crockett’s Theme throughout the ep.Good climatic shootout and a wonderful closing scene. Miami looks breathtakingly gorgeous and the Simply Red song is utilized well. A very nice way to end the ep. An enjoyable ep. The last really good episode of S3. 9/10

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The opening of Hooker by Crook was pretty cool with casino games, tuxedos & party atmosphere. Sonny looked good with his longer season 3 haircut. Izzy was not as hilarious as usual but had some funny & imaginative word Izzyisms. Now I know where Ell.a got her signature line : " a little of this, a little of that!" Some creative back & forth photography between Crockett's lovemaking & Ali's murder. Poor Sonny, I felt bad when he said "First a drug addict & then a hooker," as he learned of Christine's occupation! I didn't realize that was Melanie Griffith, who played the part. She was very pretty. I was waiting for that shootout at the end to see the fish tanks get blasted all over the room! Cool. I liked this episode but I can go a long time without seeing it, which I cannot do with my favorites. I rate it 6.

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I Like this episode and doubted between a 7 or 8. After thinking about again and again I gave a 7.I Liked how Melenie and Don played the love story but I have some difficulty with the fact that it is so soon after Theresa.I also like the shooting scene with the fishtank!For Sonny falling in love with women who have the "wrong" job. When you work almost 24/24 you do not meet other people than undercover.I believe that Sonny was always on the edge between his real life and his undercover persona, ( as he mentions on occasions) he kind of lost his good judgement on women?

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Sonny looked good with his longer season 3 haircut.
Do you really think so? I thought his hair looked pretty ****e towards the end of Season 3
Now I know where Ell.a got her signature line : " a little of this' date=' a little of that!" [/quote']Ell.A hasn't posted on this review yet, have you copied & pasted your old review lol? I sometimes do this as well but I go through my reviews to check for inconsistencies and change bits around!
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My original review 08 August 2007 at 9:56pmThis is one of my all time favorites from Season 3 and the whole show. I rate it a 10. This one has everything from wonderful music, great Miami Scenery. Crockett still looking for love and failing and Izzy is priceless in this one. I also love the scenes on the boat both at the beginning of the episode and when Crockett and Tubbs are questioning the rich women who threw the party and of course the ending scene on the St. Vitus Dance. Music:"30,000 feet" was a perfect song for the teaser. From the way it began with the roulette wheel spinning to Simonton being thrown off the building. As he was going down so was the music on the word doowwwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnnn. I also love Sonny's reply to Rico's question it's not the bluebird of happiness. We get a break and the theme by Jan, and then during beginning episode credits we see Ali rummaging quickly through her things in her condo and getting out of there. The music used is perfect I'm not sure if it's Jan's or something called "Raffles in Rio" but quick repeating of the notes add to the depiction of Ali's desperation and fear. We get bits of Return of Crockett theme all through this episode even a few phrases of it as he's punching up Christine's unlisted phone number on the computer. The typical 80's elevator music was perfect for the society princess as Crockett and Tubbs questioned her I question the usage of the beginning of 'Return of Crockett's theme when Ali returns back to her apartment a little but the beginning notes which normally lead into 'Return of Crockett's theme are tension builders so I guess it worked. "Split Decision" was a great song with great rhythm to use during Sonny's and Christine's love making / Ali's murder by the two wrestler types. Here I had to cheat and watch the original episode from NBC so I could get the original scene the way it was supposed to be. In some of the love making it parallels the murder. For instance it shows Christine grabbing the sheets and scrunching them , At the murder Ali is grabbing the sheets on her bed and trying to grab hold and is scrunching them trying to get away. Sonny is holding Christine against him pulling her back to him at the murder Ali is being grabbed and being pulled against the killers. Sonny is running his hands around Christine's neck and squeezing lightly. Ali is being strangled by the killer's hands around her neck. Ali finally collapses with her head falling on the table. Christine collapses when finally done w/ her head on Sonny's chest. This was beautifully directed and I'm disappointed that Universal didn't give it to us complete on the DVD! Poor Sonny for being a brilliant Vice Cop and so experienced in Undercover, he never sees trouble coming. It was interesting that Tubbs pointed out that Sonny didn't know what Christine did or what she was going to do when she found out that Sonny was a cop. You could tell it bothered Crockett but he just didn't want to deal with it. Here would have been a perfect spot for Tubbs to do checking of his own like he did in Season 2. The rest of the OCB gang kind of played supporting roles in this but at least they were there. This episode also has Sonny's line of 'I'm going to clear my desk of all my other cases' one of my favorite lines of his. Again we see that he's not suspecting Christine of CVM enterprises even though the offices are next to Caprice Escort Service, and in fact Sonny thinks that a man runs Caprice is clear by the use of his and him references in his speech. When the masquerade does end abruptly Sonny automatically draws back trying to distance himself. We get a look of sympathy from Trudy and Gina although Gina seems reluctant to leave and do her job and pick up Christine and here we finally get a reference to Theresa ("First a Junkie Now a Hooker...") and how he regards that relationship which almost ended in marriage to her. The talk between Detective Crockett and Madame Suspect is quite a contrast from the love making and teasing that was going on between Burnett and Christine, although they both get personal questions out of the way: "Setup?" "I never had a clue?." The camera work and the physical distancing of the two characters from opposite sides of the room were also very symbolic of how the relationship was now. At the end Christine and Sonny do allude to what went on between them when Christine asks to come aboard the St. Vitus, and Sonny gives his permission and she begins telling him her clients were bastards since they were hypocritically hounding her now that she was exposed. She also tells Sonny that he may be the biggest one of all, but it' clear that she'll remember him when she kisses him on the cheek and says goodbye. It's also clear that it's going to take a little time to get over what might have been. "Holding back the years" is a perfect song for the ending here as Sonny does Sanity maintenance (fishing) once again.1/15/2010 - I saw this episode again over the Holidays. I still like it as much as I always have. I'm still dismayed that the DVD which is nice and clear doesn't have the entire "Split Decision" Murder/ Love making sequence that the NBC blurry version does. Izzy sometimes gets on my nerves, but I really liked his scenes in this one. I liked his scene with Sonny and Rico, especially Sonny threatening him again. I also liked the scene with the Wrestlers since they were really going to hurt him. It's a nice comparison between physical hurt and possible hurt by making him do jail time. I liked George Tkai in this. He made a nice evil intelligent villian. As a Treker, It reminded me of his evil Zulu from the Mirror universe execpt no beard thank goodness. Sometimes I cringe when they show Sonny really in love (not lwp) because he gets so stupid and naive, but at the same time it's endearing and cute. It was also interesting to see the real chemistry Melanie and Don had with each other as their characters Christine and Burnett. I still love this episode and still give it a 10.:thumbsup::)

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It was also interesting to see the real chemistry Melanie and Don had with each other as their characters Christine and Burnett. .:thumbsup::)

Absolutely, they were much much much better acting together than for example HBC and Johnson in Theresa.
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I give this story a solid 7. It had shown how getting so deeply involved with someone while maintaining a over could turn so much for the worse. And that Sonny and Christine had actually ended up fooling each other. Somewhat ironic that we would find Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith working together on TV after having been married some time ago. And subsequently they were married again shortly after MV concluded and then went their separate ways once more, lol.

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I loved it when Tubbs in the intro asked Sonny if it was Simington and Sonny's reply was "Well, it ain't the blubird of happiness"...Made me laugh, everytime. I've watched this episode more that any other. Prolly my favorite. The way Sonny and Christine meet and date. Sonny's jacket he has on during their dinner date and where he walks her to her door. Vanity, so striking in so many ways other than acting. The Mercedes 10000 AMG white stretch limo, The pretty blonde Izzy was photo-ing-Hey, was it me or did she look like a Very young Kim Basinger?...Dunno, yet wow. OK. The "society dame" as she's called, the lady who threw the party Rico and Sonny question. What, mid fourties, slender and those electric blue eyes. Absolutely jumped off the screen. And her demeanor, Wow, talk about a lady with alot of shopping days left(well, at the time). Vanities apartment and Christine's for that matter... Talk about a breathtaking view! The interogation room where Sonny is leaning up against the wall questioning Christine...Wicked cool-just the look he has just standing there and the way they both fooled each other. Yep, business is business. I didn't much care for Capt. Lou, no matter what. One thing I did notice during or at the end of the shoot-out in the office with the fish tanks shattering and all...When Christine shoots to save Sonny, she's holding an automatic and when you see her next, she's setting down a revolver....First a junkie, then a hooker...Well, Christine was more Sonny's style, not the 13 year old playing a doctor that I didn't care for much and we knew more about the little romance in this episode than the previous one. Ten, all the way and my first one at that!:thumbsup::clap:...Mike

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I gice this one 8/10... I just love the scene in the beginning were the guy is thrown out and crockett answers tubbs question with "it aint the blue bird of happiness"....great end scene on the boat too..

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  • 1 month later...

I don't know what version you guys have on your dvd's, but the sex/death scene on my dvd was cut down. It lasted 1m11s on my dvd. However, I noticed this uncut version on YouTube lasts 1m57s..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EpLHBM0lqcI've said it before, and as DJ directed this episode, I'll say it again. I'm very impressed with DJ's directing ability. He is a surprisingly creative and original director. Compare the similarities as well between this and one of the other episodes he directed, "Hostile Takeover". Both episodes begin with a party scene which is filmed with an ariel camera which starts off from a focal point, pans out, sweeps across the room, and homes in again on another focal point in another part of the party. Both party scenes are also accompanied by a great song. Notice as well the camera angle of some of the shots during the scene where Castillo questions Switek about how he let Ali Ferrand and her killers slip through the net. Some shots were filmed straight downwards from a great height.I'm also interested to know how they filmed the scene where Simington falls from the balcony, and then his body is subsequently inspected by Crockett and Tubbs. This appeared to be done all in one take. Clearly, initially the "body" is a dummy, but then afterwards is clearly the actor himself. I'm guessing that the dummy had a cord attached to it, and when it fell to the ground it was dragged away. Meanwhile the actor was laid there all the time. Like a magic act, the camera angle showing the Caddy taking up the foreground was used to cover up the illusion. Once the dummy had gone, the camera was safe to pan out.I find this to be one of the funniest Vice episodes ever, in a very dry kind of way. One of my all time favourite Vice quotes is from this episode...Switek: "He had an MBA from Harvard"Crockett: "Would have done him more good if he'd used it as a parachute!"The episode contained what I thought was the funniest Izzy scene of the lot, where they visit him at his "Boudoir photography" business. The "stuck door" scene was funny, followed up by some amusing mispronounciations "you are defecating the first amendment", and "when I am immoralising women....".I also had to laugh at Switek's book "50 tricks with a thumb tip". Like that's going to be a best seller!It's amusing how by 1987, Vice still occasionally falls into those old school sexist pitfalls. I'm thinking of the scene where Crockett asks the Barbara Carrow reincarnation "what about your Boss, maybe he could help us?", despite the fact that fall all he knows, the boss is a woman.Again, I have an unanswered question about this episode. How did Tegaro find out that Christine had double crossed him?In summary I think that DJ would have had a lot more success at being a director than a singer, and considering his directing talents, it's always a path i'm wondering why he never went down. I'll give this episode 8.5 out of 10.

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  • 1 year later...
  • 1 month later...

AH! Finally a good looking and good acting woman for Sonny! Unfortunately that didnt make it end any better... Melanie and Sonny looked really really good together, such a relief after that stupid Theresa. Couldnt enjoy the love scene though because I had to watch Ali getting killed at the same time :-( But that kiss after their first date was beautiful :happy:I liked Izzy, liked the music, the ending was sad but good especially with Simply Red playing, I just really enjoyed this one, 8 from me!

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  • 2 years later...

I love this episode...a very "deep" but tragic one for Crockett! The plot, acting, colors, fashion, action, etc...were awesome, and very well done! :thumbsup:I especially love special guest-star Melanie Griffith...who at the time was Don Johnson's real-life wife! :happy: They actually were married and divorced twice, and have a daughter together. They actually first met when she was just 14, and he was 22. He was starring in one of Melanie's mother's films (Tippi Hedren) called "The Harrad Experiment", and was introduced to Melanie during that time. Tippi Hedren is probably best known for the Alfred Hitchcock film she starred in--"The Birds".Another tie-in with this "MV" episode and "The Birds" is that guest-star Veronica Cartwright also played the little girl in "The Birds"...with Melanie's mother Tippi. So, they probably all knew each other. The guest-cast in this episode was very eclectic, but fascinating! You have Vanity, Veronica Cartwright, and professional wrestler Capt. Lou Albano made the perfect psycho hit-man--while original "Star Trek's" George Takei was an interesting but deadly crime boss. He loved his fish...and his sushi! :pI just really enjoyed Don and Melanie together and they seemed to have natural chemistry...it showed! It's too bad they couldn't make it work...but Hollywood is Hollywood. ;) They later starred together in the 1991 film "Paradise"...also starring a very young Elijah Wood!I loved Melanie's silver dress at the beginning...very 80's and she was beautiful! :happy: I also love some of the action--and the scene with Crockett and Tubbs sitting in Tubbs' Caddy talking, then suddenly this screaming guy falls right beside them from like 5 stories up is wild! Love Crockett's facial expression when that happens. :eek: I also love the gun fight at the end, with Christine (Griffith) getting to shoot Togaru. :thumbsup:Izzy was goofy and bizarre as usual...but I loved the pink and teal color scheme in his sex photography studio. Very "MV". ;) Crockett's line, calling him "Hispanic Hugh Hefner" was hilarious! :) Loved how Izz pronounced the word "hooker"...elongating out the short o's, making it sound like "hooooker". :pI also loved the music in this :radio: ...with the continual Crockett's Theme in multiple scenes along with the other Jan Hammer tunes, Split Decision by Steve Winwood was superb during Sonny and Christine's love scene while poor Ali Ferrand is getting murdered by 'ol Capt. Lou--his eyes bulging out in sick pleasure :sick:, and the song Holding Back the Years by Simply Red was the perfect song for the sad ending where Crockett and Christine know they have to part ways for good. :cry:But, this is one more episode that showcases what horrible luck with girlfriends Crockett has! :rolleyes: I found it interesting that he refers back to his former girlfriend Dr. Theresa Lyons in this, with the line: "First a junkie (which was Theresa) now a hooker (Christine). I've been in the business too long...I'm starting to fall for the players."Overall this one is one of my favorites with season 3 and I gave it a 9! :D

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  • 4 years later...

The last great S3 episode.

This along with Lend Me An Ear remind me of the earlier seasons.

I like Melanie Griffith and I love Vanity. Damn that ass.

Love the locations.

I think this is the second time there's been a murder during a sex scene. The first was rites of passage.

Love the Izzy scene. Especially the whip.

Gets a little too melodramatic at the end.

Cool climax with the fish tanks exploding.

The final scene with Simply Red playing is perfect.

9/10

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1 hour ago, Remington said:

The last great S3 episode.

This along with Lend Me An Ear remind me of the earlier seasons.

I like Melanie Griffith and I love Vanity. Damn that ass.

Love the locations.

I think this is the second time there's been a murder during a sex scene. The first was rites of passage.

Love the Izzy scene. Especially the whip.

Gets a little too melodramatic at the end.

Cool climax with the fish tanks exploding.

The final scene with Simply Red playing is perfect.

9/10

Yeah, this one's awesome! Plus Don Johnson & Melanie Griffith were married in real life at the time. :thumbsup: 

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^ I think they started to date again not long after this episode right?  Their actual marriage date was June 26, 1989. Wasn't she still married to someone named Steve?  Can't remember exactly but anyway..... They always seemed so right for each other so it was sad when they split up yet again.   

I liked this episode very much too!  The scene where she gets called out during the tv interview was classic.  Poor Sonny...LOL!  

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5 hours ago, Susanna Girl said:

^ I think they started to date again not long after this episode right?  Their actual marriage date was June 26, 1989. Wasn't she still married to someone named Steve?  Can't remember exactly but anyway..... They always seemed so right for each other so it was sad when they split up yet again.   

I liked this episode very much too!  The scene where she gets called out during the tv interview was classic.  Poor Sonny...LOL!  

I know they were married or together years before, when she was really young...then they divorced. Then they got back together and married again at some point. I thought they were technically married when this episode was filmed, but you might be right. They may still have been apart, but got back together after this episode. I know they've been married and divorced twice. Whatever the case, you can see and tell the chemistry between them--in the episode and in reality. =) Sad they couldn't make it work...but that's Hollywood.

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