Episode #49 "The Good Collar"


Ferrariman

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I didn't particularly care for this one. A lot of it was probably realistic...but maybe a little too realistic for me and "MV". It was somewhat predictable...and you knew that the kid was probably gonna die. But I hate sad, depressing things. :cry: Real life is too much like that...if I wanted total real-life, I'd watch the news. :pThe guest-stars were pretty interesting. Terry Kinney has played a "turd" in several things I've seen him in. A year or so after this "MV" episode he played the murdering pastor Thom Byrd in the TV movie "Murder Ordained"...based on the real-life Emporia, Kansas case of a pastor murdering his wife so he could be with his secretary...who he was having an affair with at the time. I was born and live in Kansas...and it happened in the early 80's, so that case was VERY high-profile at the time! Back then, stuff like that just hardly ever happend in Kansas. Now... :eek: That TV Movie had some pretty decent stars too...such as Jo Beth Williams, Keith Carradine, and Kathy Bates. They filmed a lot of it in Emporia too...including at the actual bridge out in the middle of nowhere, where he killed his wife.Anyway, I remember John Spenser from "L.A. Law" and Nick Corri from the original "Nightmare on Elm Street". :) I also did not know that Charles S. Dutton was a convicted criminal before...that does add some realism.But, overall this one is depressing to me, and not really very much "fun" to watch. I work with troubled kids and I see several of them going this route. :cry: I gave it a 5.

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  • 11 months later...
  • 1 year later...
 

(snipped) I love the set up, the excitement, and the way Tubbs and Crockett rib each other:"Well I should be finished with the sports' section by the time you get him cuffed..." *continues avidly reading*and then..."I should have him cuffed by the time you catch them..."I also love this:"Er? Ricardo?! You got a minute?"Crockett and Tubbs at their best!!  (snipped)

Yes, this was a very funny scene and perfect Crockett-Tubbs humor!

 

This episode was (for me) tightly written and acted; it portrayed so very well the reason kids in some environments are so tempted to get into the drug life.  When Count Walker talks about the neighborhood as a garden filled with tender young plants, and the children are shown playing in the park, swinging, and yes... watching this very successful young man being drivine around in his limo, we can definitely see why kids would get involved in that.

 

(snipped) With Archie, as soon as Archie started talking about the football shoes, Crockett's combination of his sixth sense that Archie was essentially good and his immediate connection with Archie as a young football star who reminded him of himself at that age made Crockett sympathetic towards him. This time, although it was not made explicit I felt that Tubbs assumed that Crockett was acting good cop, and then immediately tried to play along by acting bad cop.There was another reason I believe why Crockett identified with Archie so much. The clue is when he goes to visit Archie at his Grandmother's home. Crockett gives Archie his football. This isn't just a gift, it's also symbolic. Crockett himself was a Football Prodigy who could have had a promising career ahead of him. However it appears that he gave this up due to a combination of his knee injury and the advent of the Vietnam War in which he participated. Crockett is projecting his own frustrated ambition into Archie in the same way that parents sometimes do with their kids. 

This is an interesting comment.  I see where you're coming from, Papa Legba, and you could be right.  However, I didn't take it that way.  For me, the triumph of Crockett's feat at the Gator Bowl was something he recalled as a high point in his sports career, but I didn't get that he was projecting his unfulfilled promise onto Archie,  I just felt like he wanted to pass that important memento on to a young person who was also working his way out of poverty through football and would be motivated to achieve by the ball's history.  I have always taken it that Crockett made his 95-yard run during his senior year (maybe hurt his knee after the season) and graduated, but then was immediately drafted into the service.  But this was ever really made clear in the series, so there's room for other interpretations :)  I thought Crockett put football behind him when he entered the police academy--he was still interested, he enjoyed watching games, but he didn't wish he'd gone out for the pros (IMO).  I was a bit surprised he didn't seem to have considered giving the ball to his own son, but maybe that might have felt like too much projection!

 

As pointed out by others, Pepin was ambitious and had already been frustrated more than once in his attempts to stop Count Walker and the other youthful gang members.  He and the drug squad lieutenant didn't look at Archie as a human being but as a means to an end--catching the top dogs.  Crockett could see that they weren't really concerned about Archie himself, nor did they think that it was important for Crockett to keep his word to the teen who saved his and Rico's lives.  That was why he fought so hard for Archie not to agree to wear the wire and participate in the "sting" operation.  When things went bad, as Crockett had anticipated, he took the blame on himself because he hadn't been able to keep the promise Pepin made to him that Archie was off the hook.  A good kid who had too much integrity to allow a cop to lie for him was dead, and nothing he could do could change that.  When he lost it in the car, it was about that helpless frustration and self-blame, as well as true grief and anger over Archie's death.

 

I liked that when Castillo spoke with Pepin about the deal with Archie, he refused to shake his hand.  He even said, "No handshakes, I want it in writing." and looked at Pepin like he was dirt.

 

When Crockett threw the football away, it was because the hope and promise it represented had been destroyed--it had lost its good meaning for him.  The only thing that was left was the wasted death of Archie.  

 

It was understandable that McCain and Archie's grandmother were bitter and blamed Crockett, but it felt so unfair when (we the viewers knew) Sonny had done everything in his power to prevent what happened. 

 

(snipped) This episode, like many others in Season 3 demonstrates the fact that despite Leutenant Atkins positive words to Crockett at the end of the episode "You should be proud. It was a good Collar, Crockett", there are in fact no winners in these storylines, only those who lose and those who break even. It's events like this that lead Crockett two episodes later to say to Tubbs "we never get even do we?". This is where the rot sets in for Crockett, as this is what gradually begins his downward spiral into going off the rails in "Deliver us from evil".8.5 out of 10.

A sad and nihilistic ending for sure, one that presaged the ever-increasing bleakness Crockett would find in his life as a vice cop.  With Atkins' comment, he also saw that other people looked at the Overtown kids as having lives less valuable than others.

 

(snipped) One thing was a bit unrealistic to me, and that was the fact that Crockett accepted Archie at the end to get the confession out of the count. I would have expected him to fight more for Archie's freedom, he knew there was a huge risk involved after the first shoot-out already. All in all, I give this episode a 9 also. Great music, great SoBE and overtown scenery, great acting.  (snipped)

Menno, I can't agree with your first sentence:  Crockett didn't want Archie to wear the wire to get the confession.  He even offered to change his testimony although he would have gotten in trouble for doing that.  He did his best to dissuade Archie from wearing the wire and participating in the attempted sting.  Crockett only agreed to Archie wearing the wire because Archie insisted on it.  Archie had integrity and wasn't willing to hide behind a cop's lie.  I'm not sure what more he could have done.

 

Great episode, I give it a 9.

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  • 2 weeks later...

 

...A sad and nihilistic ending for sure, one that presaged the ever-increasing bleakness Crockett would find in his life as a vice cop...

 

What a powerful episode! Well said, and this is yet another one where I think the viewer can anticipate the morose conclusion long before the credits roll. The scenery here is quite impressive, especially striking early on when Archie, under Sonny and Rico's supervision, attempts to return the package. The staggering drunk beside Trudy and Gina's car added a nice touch of both realism and humor.

I thought the acting was solid for the most part here. I was especially impressed with Nick Corri's portrayal of Ramirez, bright eyed, full of enthusiasm. Although his on screen time was limited, he left an impression and his untimely demise was moving, a good cop full of ambition gone far too soon.

The pace of the episode is close to perfect. I struggled just a bit with the age of "the Count", 15 seemed young to have already established a little empire. While I understand the under age motif was key to the plot, presenting him at 17 and nearing the legal classification of an adult would have added another dimension of desperation or urgency, yet this is purely my own opinionated ramble.

Last night I took a picture screenshot of the spectacular flaming food truck driver and sent it to a couple of friends. The response was "wow! That's Miami Vice!!??". An amazing unexpected shocking scene.  I did notice however, in his initial fiery run, he has no headgear, but when Sonny tackles him, a white baseball cap suddenly appears, oops!

The music is good, perhaps could have been slightly better, but overall this episode is a very successful one in every aspect, right down to the final freeze frame when Sonny opens the car door.  8/10

Edited by DeepCover333
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  • 5 months later...

A great episode! One of the greatest in the entire run !!

It was a great to watch right from the start, the " Well, I should be finished with the sports section by the time you get him cuffed. " and " I should have him cuffed by the time you catch them" -banter was splendid!. And when Crockett was alone and the other gang showed up, Tubbs being still in the Testarossa reading a paper and Sonny going "Uh, Ricardo, you got a minute?"..... Episode's comic relief right there....  Then it gets grittier....

The DA going back on his word was a big annoyance - can they even do that? I guess since it wasn't in writing. Ramirez was a good character. So great when  he showed the badge after being tackled by Tubbsand going "Metro gangs" and Tubbs, looking sweaty from the run - "You gotta be kidding me".

Count Walker was okay. Him being 15 wasn't that strange, being underage being the real motif of this ep but still, would've been better if the Count had been an adult crimeboss running underage kids IMO. But hell, being that young having that much (money, power) reminds me of punks like Justin Bieber (hope nobody's a fan), who get so much so young they tend to go nuts, not being able to handle it.

Simply Red's "Picture Book" playing over the ending was a big emotional blast, and the acting apart from Crockett's fit in the limo reminiscent of a child's tantrum (really, he should've just cursed and punched the seat or something).

I give this episode a clean 10 !!

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  • 1 year later...

Not one of my favorites. I gotta agree with ViceFanMan on this one. If I wanna watch depressing shit, I'll watch the news.

The pros include the humorous opening, the drunk next to Gina and Trudy, the trucker on fire scene, and the ending is predictable but heavy.

I don't like the actors who played Archie, Count Walker, and Luther. Honestly, it's just not very enjoyable. It's not bad but it lacks the fun I expect from MV.

5/10

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1 hour ago, Remington said:

Not one of my favorites. I gotta agree with ViceFanMan on this one. If I wanna watch depressing shit, I'll watch the news.  (snipped) 5/10

I can understand why a person would not want to watch an ep with such a depressing ending.  I avoid TV shows, books, and movies in which an important character has a terminal illness.  Like ViceFanMan said, some things cut too close, and I watch TV for escape from the depressing realities of life sometimes. 

For all that, this ep was powerful for me and although perhaps "enjoyed" isn't the right word for my reaction to it, I did think it was successful as a story and as another step in the disillusionment of Crockett that ultimately led to his downward spiral, as Papa Legba said. 

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  • 10 months later...

If Archie had lived and made it to the NFL maybe he would've ended up taking a knee like the NFL commies today.

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This is episode has one of my favorite Jan Hammer scores. I hope I get around to covering those cues one day. :fireworks:

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9 hours ago, Tommy Vercetti said:

If Archie had lived and made it to the NFL maybe he would've ended up taking a knee like the NFL commies today.

Now that's funny! :clap:

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  • 5 months later...

I see Crockett's meltdown as not just a reaction to the current situation but also to all situations like this one so far.  I fully expected him to go after the DA physically (who's casually smoking a cigarette) but Sonny already got most of it out of his system plus he realized it wouldn't do any good.

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  • 3 weeks later...

A solid episode, it did put me in a somber mood both times I watched it. I certainly understand some fans not enjoying it, it must hit home or just remind them of how rough life can be..."Why are you asking me about Luther so much? You're making me nervous!"

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  • 2 weeks later...

Through all this I also like the moment, when car exploses and Crockett sees Rico has his eye injured by the window glass, Sonny firstly asks if he ok, and only then rushes to help the people.

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  • 10 months later...

Solid episode. Depresses me everytime at the end. Archie was a good kid. I recognise that most of the quotes from this episode are on the Ben Liebrand remix of Crockett's Theme. 

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On 9/14/2018 at 4:04 PM, Bren10 said:

I see Crockett's meltdown as not just a reaction to the current situation but also to all situations like this one so far.  I fully expected him to go after the DA physically (who's casually smoking a cigarette) but Sonny already got most of it out of his system plus he realized it wouldn't do any good.

Or he remembered times he'd done essentially the same thing to make a case. Sonny was rough on CIs. I think this was also another of those episodes (like Child's Play) pointing out how the gangs were recruiting young and younger people to do their dirty work to avoid jail time. This was still new and shocking at the time, at least for TV audiences.

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  • 4 months later...

I almost end up crying.. it reminded me of "Milk Run" @season 1

Great episode, maybe a little over exaggerated (like the gangster kid with a limo, throwing the football in the trashcan..)

But it was a well-told story.

DJ acting at its best.

8,5/10

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  • 7 months later...

Definitely an episode that still gets to me. I really liked the character of Archie: scared (when busted with the black tar heroin), brave (preventing Crockett from getting shot), enthusiastic (he seemed like an upbeat, well-intended person, just a kid to root for), intelligent (I think the look in his eyes made it seem to me that he very aware of the world around him), and I agree with what Dadrian said about him being honorable (refusing to have Crockett call his bust a bad search and subsequently wearing a wire on his meet with Count Walker; also brave & mature in both spots as well). I guess that's what makes the climax & ending powerful for me. Wow, I'm getting emotional just thinking about it...yeah, I would've flipped out in the limo like Crockett did (have acted like that in the past, but for other things:-), and I would've taken the football and not gone home with it, good collar or not (but that was the point of the episode: in the books, it looks good, but in the heart, there's an injustice).

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  • 4 months later...
vor einer Stunde schrieb RedDragon86:

One of the best episodes, a pure vice ep.

Don steals the show of course but Charles S. Dutton wasn't far behind, he was brilliant.

I agree. I posted a pic from the set in the BTS thread.

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  • 1 month later...

This was a good episode. A strong 9/10. I enjoyed it very much.

The 15 year old punk was a very needed comic relief in this season: "I'm not a moneyman, I am a ladies man"

The music was very good and fit the whole mood very well,especially near the end.

Good acting level of the guest stars

We get a Testarossa chase scene (not popular scene tho)

A good intro that isn't totally predictable

We get a classic S3 ending, HOWEVER, this time, like Killshot and Stone's war; this one was fresh and very entertaining

We get the classic MV elements (Busts, chases, good music)

If all Season 3 was atleast like this, I think it'd rival the first one, to be honest..........

 

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Always nice to hear fresh cues from Jan too.

A good episode and one which paints the greys of Police work really well.

Heartbreaking though as a promising kid, who admittedly did the wrong thing, tries to redeem himself (well, is kinda force too).

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1 hour ago, fakespyder said:

Always nice to hear fresh cues from Jan too

You may know, but the opening cue is a rework of one from his “Secret Admirer” score. 

But yeah—all nice and new for Miami Vice. :thumbsup:

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No I didn't realise that @Dadrian. Do you mean the track "Finale" from Secret admirer that Jan released? I'll have to check it out again.

I know he's reused or taken inspiration from his tracks/cues in other albums. For instance the beginning of "Windows" from "Beyond the Minds Eye" is a slowed down version of the cue Jan used in Glades when the Old man pulls up in his truck. Well, very similar in any case...

Also in Cocaine Cowboys the track "Criminal Files" is basically a direct copy from his Dark Angel/I come in Peace score. One of my favourite Jan tracks too. (has vice written all over it)

Edited by fakespyder
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