I thought of a wild theory about the Burnett trilogy today

[BunMVO]

This whole theory might sound kind of ridiculous, but hear me out.

I was thinking today about the Burnett trilogy, which is my favorite part of the later seasons. Some of us here don't like it, but I do. Anyway, I was thinking, what is Burnett was the true Sonny all along?

In kind of a reverse way, maybe his time as a cop, Crockett, was a result of the same circumstances that made him into Burnett. Maybe he was originally a mid-level cartel drug dealer kind of guy and he got into an accident, like an explosion, that made him lose his memory while he was a mole for the drug cartel who worked his way into the police department as an informant. Perhaps he was giving information to the druglords from the police department and when he got into an explosion, he forgot all about that. Then, when he got into the same kind of accident, he became his true self again and took back his place as a drug dealer.

He exhibited some of the characteristics before the accident even, such as an extensive knowledge of how to operate as a drug dealer, his ability to be a coldblooded killer (Hackett), and perhaps his crazy double life was what caused a rift between himself and Caroline. She said that he was a player, the opposite side of the same coin, but which side was she really referring to?

Also, maybe his disgust with dirty cops reminded him of his past and that fueled his extreme anger and disdain for them. And when he went back to being Burnett, he soon realized that he was doing the wrong thing as his memories flooded back to him and he went back to being a cop. He ultimately quit because he could not take the guilt of being a hypocrite for being a dirty cop in the past.

Don't get offended now, I don't think this is true at all and I think he was as good a cop as they come. However, it was a fascinating thought to entertain even though it is crazy. It's just that as we know, Miami Vice didn't delve deep into lore and leaves lots of stuff open to interpretation and is about being in the moment, so very little is known about the pasts of the characters. What do you guys think? Is it possible or just malarkey?

[Bren10]

I think it was possible for him to have been Burnett if his life had taken a different turn or if he'd made a different choice. Such as when Stone showed him the dead bodies used as mules in Nam, what if Sonny saw opportunity there instead of disgust?

[mjcmmv]

Love hearing a different point of view! Although I don't think he was a criminal to begin with, I do think it was possible he had become one and may have stayed that way if the second explosion didn't happen. What if he had stayed that way and then we see OCB hunting him down for more episodes. That would have been rough!

[vicegirl85]

7 hours ago, pmconroy said:

(snipped)

In kind of a reverse way, maybe his time as a cop, Crockett, was a result of the same circumstances that made him into Burnett. Maybe he was originally a mid-level cartel drug dealer kind of guy and he got into an accident, like an explosion, that made him lose his memory while he was a mole for the drug cartel who worked his way into the police department as an informant. Perhaps he was giving information to the druglords from the police department and when he got into an explosion, he forgot all about that. Then, when he got into the same kind of accident, he became his true self again and took back his place as a drug dealer.

Interesting theory!  I don't believe that (in the little we do know about his life outside of work), there was the available time to become a good enough football player as a high school student to win a football scholarship, play at a major college,  AND make the connections to the drug world that would have been needed to get a foothold in the drug trafficking world.  If he was active enough in the drug-dealing sector to make those connections, he would have been outed during college or his time in military service.  This would have made it hard to get into the police academy as a mole for the cartel(s).  We know he was in Vietnam in 1975, and while MV time can be elastic, I think it's accepted that the timeline for MV started in 1984 when it premiered on TV.  So 9-10 years.  And remember according to the show (although unreliable/contradictory as Robbie C pointed out) Crockett also spent several years in Robbery before coming to the Vice squad.

But, as Bren 10 said above, if he saw opportunity instead of tragedy in the use of soldiers' bodies as transport vehicles for heroin... I suppose it could have happened.  Also, he evidently had a meteoric rise as Burnett after the boat explosion, so maybe???

[BunMVO]

1 hour ago, vicegirl85 said:

Interesting theory!  I don't believe that (in the little we do know about his life outside of work), there was the available time to become a good enough football player as a high school student to win a football scholarship, play at a major college,  AND make the connections to the drug world that would have been needed to get a foothold in the drug trafficking world.  If he was active enough in the drug-dealing sector to make those connections, he would have been outed during college or his time in military service.  This would have made it hard to get into the police academy as a mole for the cartel(s).  We know he was in Vietnam in 1975, and while MV time can be elastic, I think it's accepted that the timeline for MV started in 1984 when it premiered on TV.  So 9-10 years.  And remember according to the show (although unreliable/contradictory as Robbie C pointed out) Crockett also spent several years in Robbery before coming to the Vice squad.

But, as Bren 10 said above, if he saw opportunity instead of tragedy in the use of soldiers' bodies as transport vehicles for heroin... I suppose it could have happened.  Also, he evidently had a meteoric rise as Burnett after the boat explosion, so maybe???

Exactly, and while I don't think that this theory is true or that the creators of the show ever had any intention of implying some sort of backstory like this, it's an interesting thought experiment.

 

5 hours ago, Bren10 said:

I think it was possible for him to have been Burnett if his life had taken a different turn or if he'd made a different choice. Such as when Stone showed him the dead bodies used as mules in Nam, what if Sonny saw opportunity there instead of disgust?

That's what I'm saying. It's just Sonny was so effective and coldblooded as a drug dealer...

[Robbie C.]

It is an interesting theory to be sure, but it doesn't account for one thing: Castillo. I think he would have sniffed out a mole very quickly. His covert experience made him very good at looking inside people and what made them tick. That said, do I think Sonny was squeaky clean before he went to Nam? Doubtful. We really know nothing about his early life. They pop a cousin in very late in the show's run, and he's questionable at best. Maybe Sonny ran some weed in his early days or, given his origins, bootleg booze. That would explain why he always positioned himself as the transportation. It might also explain his driving skills (both car and boat).

As for his ruthlessness, I'd point interested folks to the show Justified, where the main bad guy (Boyd Crowder, brilliantly played by Walton Goggins) was a vet. He also has a henchman for most of Season Two who was (interestingly) a former MP. Colt (the MP) has a heroin habit, but in many ways is as ruthless as Burnett. There's also a main lawman character (Tim) who was a Ranger sniper in Afghanistan and he's a cold-blooded sonofabitch (Tim later kills Colt). Sonny's jump to Burnett could have easily been fueled by what he saw and did in Vietnam. He would have learned how to throw that switch, and when he went Burnett it stayed thrown. Maybe he dabbled in some smuggling or other activities there... Corruption in the rear was a big deal, especially after 1968, and there's reasonable evidence to suggest that more than a few fraggings were motivated by drug deals.

Don't get me wrong. I don't dismiss the theory. Just pointing out some other ways he could have come by the skills that made him so effective as Burnett.

[BunMVO]

20 minutes ago, Robbie C. said:

It is an interesting theory to be sure, but it doesn't account for one thing: Castillo. I think he would have sniffed out a mole very quickly. His covert experience made him very good at looking inside people and what made them tick. That said, do I think Sonny was squeaky clean before he went to Nam? Doubtful. We really know nothing about his early life. They pop a cousin in very late in the show's run, and he's questionable at best. Maybe Sonny ran some weed in his early days or, given his origins, bootleg booze. That would explain why he always positioned himself as the transportation. It might also explain his driving skills (both car and boat).

As for his ruthlessness, I'd point interested folks to the show Justified, where the main bad guy (Boyd Crowder, brilliantly played by Walton Goggins) was a vet. He also has a henchman for most of Season Two who was (interestingly) a former MP. Colt (the MP) has a heroin habit, but in many ways is as ruthless as Burnett. There's also a main lawman character (Tim) who was a Ranger sniper in Afghanistan and he's a cold-blooded sonofabitch (Tim later kills Colt). Sonny's jump to Burnett could have easily been fueled by what he saw and did in Vietnam. He would have learned how to throw that switch, and when he went Burnett it stayed thrown. Maybe he dabbled in some smuggling or other activities there... Corruption in the rear was a big deal, especially after 1968, and there's reasonable evidence to suggest that more than a few fraggings were motivated by drug deals.

Don't get me wrong. I don't dismiss the theory. Just pointing out some other ways he could have come by the skills that made him so effective as Burnett.

Good points. The Castillo point is very true except for one thing: by the time Castillo took over, Crockett had become a real cop and was no longer a mole. Perhaps this could also explain his suspicion of Lou being paid off as he knew what to look for. 

I've always thought that a prequel that shows the characters before they joined the Vice team would be awesome. Crockett's experiences in Vietnam and Castillo in Asia with the DEA. It would be really cool I think without being insulting to the original series.

[Robbie C.]

44 minutes ago, pmconroy said:

Good points. The Castillo point is very true except for one thing: by the time Castillo took over, Crockett had become a real cop and was no longer a mole. Perhaps this could also explain his suspicion of Lou being paid off as he knew what to look for. 

I've always thought that a prequel that shows the characters before they joined the Vice team would be awesome. Crockett's experiences in Vietnam and Castillo in Asia with the DEA. It would be really cool I think without being insulting to the original series.

I still think Castillo would have sensed it in his background. Just based on how they showed him, Castillo was always thinking...always ahead of things like that.

And, yeah...a prequel would be great. You could do one on Castillo alone, honestly. And there's also Tubbs with his NYC time.

And to turn your idea sideways...maybe Larry or Stan were moles. They'd make better infiltrators, honestly. Involved in everything, but just far enough down the scale to escape notice. They flirted with this a bit when they introduced Stan's gambling problem. And maybe Larry was actually whacked because he wanted out? The whole boxing thing could have been set up to lure him out where he could be silenced. Good moles are usually the "little people:" clerks, technicians, janitors even. Or even Trudy. We know precious little about her.