Episode #53 "Baby Blues"


Ferrariman

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  • 1 year later...
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Not one of my favorites. It had a sad ending with the mother leaving her son behind to the adopted family. I gave it a 7.

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Certainly an original storyline for Miami Vice. When I first heard of Baby Blues I thought; I bet that's an awful episode ... however, it isn't. It's a compelling story, well told, with good acting all round except for perhaps a few hick ups from Gina. Crockett & Tubbs look smooth with their clothes in this one. Jan Hammer's music is brilliant, aswell as the artists music, certainly very good in the music department and there's enough action to keep it going along. Also some lovely shots down by Ocean Drive. I rated this a 7 on .org stating that it was just a standard episode, and indeed it is but it doesn't do anything wrong really and there are some memorable scenes and the hammer music is unique as it's not used in any other episode, therefore it now gets 8/10 from me!

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I didn't remember much of "Baby Blues" except, Stanley Tucci as an adoptive father who changed his mind about testifying after intimidation. Later on, Tucci really excells as Frank Mosca, a crimeboss who seduces Gina. I laughed out loud when the nun told Switek, "this is the unwed mother's class, the eating disorder class is down the hall." The mother did a very sad but heroic thing by giving up her little boy, when she saw the child had no recognition of her any longer. We adopted our daughter, (legally, through Catholic Charities) & I could identify with the emotions in this episode. I rate it 7.

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pros: good music, decent story, unforgettable endingcons: fire escape was unbelievable (it was obvious the man was hospitalized right after that scene, then we see tubbs in castillo's office in the next scene), too sad (the whole ep is just depressing), famiglia is not a good villain imo.all in all: 5/10

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My original review 25 May 2007 at 7:27pmThis is one of my favorite episodes in Season 3 and I can sit down and watch it anytime. The music is good, the whole OCB gang is involved, and the story holds my interest. I’d rate this episode a 9 I love Jan Hammer’s music score in this episode. It’s used like the pop songs themselves to bring the emotion and the situation out. It’s also very noticeable when there’s no music background. The two songs not Jan’s were used very effectively in the scenes. Hanging by a Thread was a good song to show when The guys were trying to get the people out of the way (Was Sonny speaking a little Spanish again?) Rico was warning them in Spanish and Sonny mostly in English. They get into the place and they see that it’s wired. The OCB gang was hanging onto the case by a thread. The music (Love by you?) used in the last scene where The biological mother wins the right to take Jose Daniel (Alex) back to Colombia with her evokes heartrending emotions to go along with that scene. She’s faced with the fact that she may be causing her child harm because he’s crying and obviously very distressed to be leaving the only family he’s known, also she has come to realize that the Foster parents are a loving family and love Alex as much as she does, and now that he’s been with them so long knows her biological child better than she does, as is shown when the Foster Mother is trying to explain how Jose Daniel (Alex) likes things The kid looks horrified that he has to go with this strange woman. It also looks obvious from The OCB gang’s reaction that they are satisfied that they’ve carried out their duty to enforce the removal, but they are just as relieved to let Alex stay with his Foster parents. It’s not a happy ending, but it is a realistic ending. I like the various scenes used this episode. From the ‘Columbia’ background scenes where the baby kidnapping is occurring all to Jan Hammer’s Columbia theme, to the crowded Beach Walk scene by Lumas Park & Ocean Drive. It’s nice to see the Atlantis building being used for something besides the opening montage. I also like the hospital scene although Zito and Trudy don’t get much action except on lookout. Sweitek has the job of following Familglia but then has to stay outside of the door when the Unwed Mothers’ seminar is going on. Sonny, Rico, and Gina end up with the action in that part. The difference between the two social workers was interesting. Was it coincidence that the ‘good’ social worker Susan had light hair and was helpful while the ‘bad’ social worker Angela had dark hair and involved? It was interesting to see Stanley Tucci (Mosca) in an earlier role where he was mostly a good guy. This was the 1980’s, but I either want to laugh or cry when the guys hand off the babies to Gina and Trudy, and what was with the skirts the ladies were wearing while they were waiting for the plane to arrive out in the middle of nowhere. True, Sonny and Rico were still dressed in their normal undercover clothes (for third season) but at least they were wearing slacks. Those skirts the women wore looked like it would be hard to move in! I also like the way Sonny backed up Gina when Castillo said there wasn’t proof to tie Famiglia to the Baby kidnapping, Sonny jumps down from where he was lounging near the book case and points out that $50,000 per kid was a pretty good motive. I love the way Sonny and Rico intimidated Angela & Famiglia and how emotional Sonny got with the Columbia Ambassador. I also liked the way Sonny got his Lieutenant’s backing when he felt that the suicide at the Waldorf Towers was a setup and was able to reward his instinct with a print to Famiglia’s driver. I also like very much that the whole OCB gang wanted this guy after Famiglia had gotten rid of all the links to him and had tried to get rid of the police investigating him. I always think of this episode as the Grandfather to Wolf’s Law & Order SVU because I can think of at least two SVU episodes which took several elements from this story, probably another reason I like this episode so much. 10/28/2009 - I still love this episode, and still think it has a lot in common with some Law & Order SVU episodes. I also noticed this time around that Dick Wolfe wrote this episode with somebody else. I like the scenes at the different houses. I also think the reaction of the adoptive parents are very realistic when their children are threatened or they are threaten with the removal of them. While the ending is sad, I still think it's realistic, along with the government's reaction to Maria's illegal immigration status. I really appreciate seeing Zito haveing something to do in his last episode before Down for the Count. I also still laugh at guys letting the gals (Trudy) investigate the baby cargo and finding the DOAs. Comon guys this was 1986 not 1966!

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A nice, solid episode - really, it was a wonderful surprise. Coming off of the absolutley atrocious Better Living Through Chemistry, this episode made all the right moves in spite of its subject matter. I mean, Baby Blues could have very well been one of those "a very special" episodes that created to teach the viewer a lesson and to engender sympathy for the subject matter at hand. The writers could have easily made the Vice squad act out of character simply to hammer that lesson into their viewers. But they didn't. I expected a cringe-worthy "a very special"-type of episode; instead, I received a tight storyline which treated its subject (baby smuggling) only as another investigation, like the usual drug dealers and kilos of coke. Did treating the subject in that matter rather, erm, inhumane and lacking in empathic. To a degree, definitely. But I think overall, the writers and producers struck the right balance between creating a solid and compelling storyline with the need to show the subject matter in a sympathetic light.Basically, the babies are being smuggled for one reason only - money. Lot's of money. But unlike coke, cigarettes, or other illegal contraband, these are live humans who are being snatched mercilessly from their helpless mothers. It's up to the Vice squad to put a stop to this inhumane smuggling operation.On one side, you have the smuggler. He's simply a greedy monster who cares only for the money. Sure, he puts up the act of a benevolent middle-man who's supposedly only helping the poor mothers who can't afford to keep their infants, and the adoptive parents who cannot conceive a child. He even goes through the act calming down the children as he rips them from their mother's hands, choosing the best ones as if he were at a buffet line. But actions speak louder than words and outer appearances, and Stanley Tucci's character sees right through the smuggler's facade. He sees the smuggler as a creep who horrifyingly guarantees that their $50,000 payment had a lifetime warranty, as if he were selling TV sets or cars instead of brokering an adoption of a child. On the other side, you have the Vice squad. They have sympathy for the exhausted and dehydrated babies, the babies who arrived DOA, as well as the mother who stowed onto the aircraft in a desperate attempt to find her child several years after he was snatched from her hands. But they also realize that as professionals, they need to look at this case no different than a drug-smuggling operation. And they're right to a large degree: they are, after all, tracking down a smuggler with virtually no human empathy, and whose only interested in making as much money as possible. The climax of the story was solid, but totally predictable. Let's see: we keep seeing shots of Sonny sitting in a dark room somewhere around the hospital. Gee...I really wonder where he could be? And what's that? There's a long-haired person under the covers in the hospital room that the mother's staying at? That's definitely the mother right? OMG - she going to get killed!! Do something Switek!! The point here being that you could have seen how that was going to end from 100 miles away. The conclusion of the episode was rather predictable as well. But it also happened to be one of the most heartbreaking and saddest moments I've ever seen on Miami Vice. And chalk that up to solid acting and solid writing. As the adoptive mother brings out her son's favorite items to give to the birth mother, who has gained legal custody of the child, we see the boy in his Sunday suit, bawling his eyes out because he's about to be taken away from the only parents and household he really knew. It's truly heartwrenching to see him wipe away his tears. And it's equally heartwrenching to see his birth mother losing her composure, tearing up as she listens to the adoptive mother describe her son's favorite toys and stuffed animals, as she sees her son being, once again, forcefully taken away from his mother. In the end, the birth mother can no longer make a levelheaded rational decision anymore, as she cries out that the adoptive parents can keep the son, saying one last goodbye to her son by his adopted name of "Alex", and running back to the van in total emotional agony. However, at the same time, it was the only decision that could have worked out - the emotional decision was the exact same as the rational decision. Both mothers truly understood the strong emotional ties between the mother and the son, but only one had to make that most difficult choice.8.5/10

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A reasonably good episode but by no means exceptional. A good story executed pretty well. Good to see the whole OCB crew featured prominently.The villain was suitably slimey. The scene in the house wired with the bomb was good. Nice closing scene.This episode doesn't really do anything wrong but it's not particularly memorable. It's not a very thrilling episode.By far my favourite part of the ep are the gorgeous shots of Ocean Drive. Makes me wish I was there.Overall quite a good episode but nothing spectacular. 7/10

Edited by Tommy Vercetti
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As I don't like branding an episode of Vice with such a poor grade, I feel I have no choice in this case, lol. I can only give this ep a 4. It simply didn't capture my fancy in any shape or form.

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Disturbing I found this one and yes, it grew on me. The storyline was unique, yet not to be expected in Vice. Mann does such a great job 'outside the country' or at least the feeling of...Hard to tell, yet anyway like others have said, in this episode the gang's all here. Switek is so sly with the receptionist, Susan Fisk-wasn't she in 'Home Invaders' in the jewelry store at the counter? Anyway...Angela Mitchell...OMG!! Yep, good episode and nice choice..I feel she played her part well and being somewhat a partner in crime, well, she did well and dressed, uh, very nice:clap:...When she and Howard are walking on the beach and Larry and Swi with the 'spy gear, 007 style' was funny yet the scenery was spectacular!! Frisbee anyone?:dance2:..The car Howard drove seened to be the same one Rico got busted with in 'Walk Alone' and since I'm on cars...Gott love Hector's Plum Crazy 70 'Cuda...Whew, Mann knows how to pick 'em... The story seemed to flow, good humor in this one..."Hey kids, it's MR Muscle-head" and yes, the eating dis-order comment made me laugh out loud, too...Great scenes, Martin's silence says sooo much and just a good, not excellent, just good episode compared to some of the previous ones-in my eyes. The stand out in this one....Trudy. She did a great job and is really coming to light in season three. She looks DYNOMITE and her wardrobe or 'costume' is extrodinary, I think her acting really came to life and she's being highlighted more this season. Gave it a 9...My 2¢...Mike

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  • 2 months later...

Although not one of my favourites, I thought that this was a good episode. At the risk of sounding pedantic again, there were quite a few "reality goofs" in this episode that required the viewer to suspend their belief a bit more than usual. And i'll get these criticisms out of the way before moving onto the good points.For example, how stupid was the guy with the automatic weapon standing next to the plane to open fire on the cops hiding in the bushes, when presumably the cops are so inconspicuous that he can't see them? They've got him in their cross hairs, he's firing randomly at nothing, and therefore being killed was the inevitable outcome.Secondly, that bomb that Crockett and Tubbs triggered when they entered Hector Borges' apartment would have gone off immediately, and not have given them several seconds in order to escape. This isn't just an event limited to this episode of Vice though. Most film and tv does this. There's always a delay with any bomb that ensures the good guys manage to get out in time, in the same way that James Bond films always show the bad guy kidnapping James Bond, then spending a large amount of time explaining to him how they managed to catch him and how they intend to kill him, which just manages to leave him enough time to think up, and execute an escape plan. Thirdly, Crockett and Tubbs not only narrowly missed getting blown up, but jumped out of a window through glass, whilst covered in flames, yet immediately afterwards they are in Castillo's office without a scratch on them.Fourthly, Switek would have aroused Farmiglia's suspicions by that "oh sorry i've got the wrong floor" stunt, but then he followed Farmiglia into the Seminar room, showing his face at the door. If Farmiglia had have turned round, he would have made Switek for a cop for sure by that point.Finally, how quickly did Laura Caplan manage to get through to Howard Farmiglia's secretary on the phone? No sooner had she dialled the number, she was saying "Howard Farmiglia please".The good points to this episode: My favourite scene was the "Hanging by a thread" scene. A great song accompanying some great action. I thought Angela Mitchell was quite hot (I'm a blonde so I have a thing for Brunettes), the Jan Hammer Bongo Music was good during the finale scene in the hospital. I thought Switek's face in the lift was funny, as was the "eating disorder" comment that the Nun made to Switek. I also always find the final scene very emotional. It's the closest I've ever come to crying at a scene in Miami Vice. That sad Joan Armatrading song is one thing, but when the kid starts crying that starts choking me up I don't mind admitting. My definition of good film and television is anything has the power to make you think or feel.There were quite a few recycled actors in this one, Stanley Tucci (Blood and Roses, Contempt of court), Alfredo Ãlvarez Calderón (Freefall, Asian Cut, Deliver us from evil), and the guy who played the Doctor who was in the episode at the beginning who's been in numerous other episodes.I also thought that this episode was very distinctive in it's colour. Season 3 focused on Earth tones rather than pastel pinks, cyans, and whites as with Seasons 1 and 2. However I don't think it was any coincidence that "Baby Blues" contained more of the colour Blue than any other episode. Almost everyone wore blue in the episode, with maybe a few earth greens thrown in for good measure.I'll give this one 8 out of 10.

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Best line,"Would you like me to ask them to speak up?"Check out the credits, I think the little boy was actually Jane Brucker's, and yes she was hot!:o

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Check out the credits' date=' I think the little boy was actually Jane Brucker's[/quote']Have you been reading the IMDB entry for this episode, Maynard? I was looking at this earlier today and it doesn't make any sense...http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0647036/fullcredits#castIt says that Brian Brucker O'Connor played Alex Kaplan / Jose Escobar (i.e the boy), yet if you look at the profile for Brian Brucker O'Connor, it says that he was born in 1953 (which would make him 33 when this episode was filmed). It also says that he was married (and has since divorced) Jane Brucker. I think IMDB got it's wires crossed!
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In our country, when the BBC first aired the season, this was the Season opener. The Season opener was always reviewed in the papers. An unfortunate episode to begin with as I remember one reviewer saying exactly the same things. I still have the review in a scrapbook, and will scan it sometime. He basically poured scorn over the whole episode. However the fact that he thought that Trudy and Gina had only appeared for the first time in Miami Vice in this episode, and they were new characters, showed just how much his opinion could be valued.
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Hmmm...sounds familiar does't it, wonder if it was Famiglia?Man Found Shot to Death in Trunk of Car, Police SaySunday, January 03, 2010ATLANTA — Atlanta police are investigating the killing of a man found shot to death inside the trunk of a car.Police identified the man killed Saturday night in southwest Atlanta as 30-year-old D'anta Williams of Morrow. Police say he had been tied up and was shot at least five times inside the red Chrysler.Residents called police after hearing gunshots about 10:30 p.m. The car was found at Perkerson Park.Police don't have a motive or suspects.

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  • 10 months later...

Solid episode for Season 3. I know some people rate this season as better than 2, but I don't see it that way. This would be a low episode for Season 2 in my opinion, but it rates as a middle of the road episode for season 3 in my opinion. The ending was mixed as the Hospital scene's climax wasn't all that climatic for me. I knew Gina (or maybe Trudy) was in the bed. The fact that Tubbs and Crockett were both in the room and got off killshots just didn't do it for me. I did like the "twist" at the end as I truly believed the kid was crying b/c he knew his life was gonna suck going back with his real mom. To see her give up her kid after such a long struggle, though a twist, was somewhat forced especially given the fact that she risked so much to relocate her kid. Then Vice just gave the adoptive mom a pat on the back and let the kid go back was contrived in my opinion. Also, Marty seemed to just give in to Trudy and even though it was completely out of Vice's jurisdiction, he committed resources to the deal. I guess they could have pursued the case based on "rico" statutes they never really covered that angle. I do like Jan's efforts as his score in Season 3 remained solid pretty much all the way through.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 year later...
Secondly' date=' that bomb that Crockett and Tubbs triggered when they entered Hector Borges' apartment would have gone off immediately, and not have given them several seconds in order to escape. Fourthly, Switek would have aroused Farmiglia's suspicions by that "oh sorry i've got the wrong floor" stunt, but then he followed Farmiglia into the Seminar room, showing his face at the door. If Farmiglia had have turned round, he would have made Switek for a cop for sure by that point.I'll give this one 8 out of 10.[/quote']I love this episode for the light sunny feel of season 2 :) But you're right some things could have been ironed out lolYep -Bombs dont usually wait for you till you see them and then they usually dont give you time to escape and then explode themselves ;)Switek did not excersise too much caution following the guy behind -2 options either gay or a cop....And also what I noticed when Farmiglia crawls thru the "vent" -uhmm -I have never seen that size of a vent in my life, in most industrial buildings you see them up there by the celling or by the floor but they are usually not wider than 1.5 foot -vents taking half of the wall are little unrealistic :(:)
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  • 1 month later...
Baby Blues is as excellent as the first Season 3 - episodes!:clap::clap::happy::happy:It shows a deeply political and sociocritical plot, features awesome music (Hanging By A Thread by Mike + The Mechanics is a phenomenal music-choice for these scenes and so hellacious that I'm getting goosebumps!!!), the whole OCB works on this case (including Zito!) and fashion and design surpasses itself!!!:glossy:The teaser already shocks! Armed men assault a bus and kidnap babys. :oSuch realistic scenes are still (!) rare on TV, or rather I don't know similar extreme scenes in another show or film. Insofar I admire VICE for its uniqueness again and again!After the teaser a really really marvelous Jan Hammer-tune attracks attention which is used during the whole episode. Unfortunately it's unreleased (and not covered).:radio:Then the next shock follows: VICE finds a plane full of kidnapped babies. The OCB team is stunned.At the least now, it's clear that Baby Blues is a political and therefore superb episode...The descreption of the situation at the adoption agency is very realistic, I think. Many of these agencies place with "illegal" babies, only to make a profit.On the other side, there are the people who strongly want a baby. They aren't vicious and love their child. This problem is taken up by this episode. Although VICE finds Maria's child, she doesn't want it back because it's loved by its adoptive parents.These scenes are so emotional, especially due to Joan Armatrading's Love By You.:happy::radio:I really really enjoy that all VICE members appear in Baby Blues. This rounds out the story, for example the scene where Larry and Stan observe Famiglia on the beach together with Angela.It's plain humorous when Larry and Stan fiddle around with the directional microphone.:DOr it's emotional when Gina and Trudy try to convince DeMarco that he has to testify againt Famiglia - very strong scenes!All in all this episode becomes 10 points because a perfect music-choice, a strong plot, good action and a overwhelming style and design!!!:clap::clap:
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  • 2 months later...

Good Episode IMO. Sad and compelling story. I believe this was becoming a an issue here in Miami because I can remember news reports talking about "smuggling babies" back then. Stanley Tucci seems like a waste character in this episode and frankly thought his acting was bad. Glad he makes up for it in future episodes as Borrasca. The ending was sad but believable. Gave it a 7/10.

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