Prodigal Son and the (in this moment) Zietgeist of S2.

[Marco Falcone]

So…

The weather is warming up in my particular location on the West Coast.  (Of America not Florida.  Although I spent considerable time on the West Coast of Florida, where my first in-laws still live, along with a permanent piece of my heart…)

Tonight I watched S2 E1 “Prodigal Son parts 1 &2 on DVD.

Tubbs is so cool in this one.   

When the DEA is first floating the idea of C & T heading north to NYC, Tubbs is first to give the “cool with me partner” look.

1.  Great shoot outs.  (At Jimmy Borges/Penn Jillettes’s place is one of the best of the entire series.) 
2.  GLENN FREY!  
3.  Shoulder pads.  
4.  YELLOW CADILLAC CONVERTIBLE.  (I had a yellow ‘69 DeVille convertible as my daily driver/commuter at my first cop job for a couple of years back in the early 90’s.)  
5.  PAUL CALDERON.   3 episodes of Vice as 3 different bad guys.  ALSO in Bosch as LAPD Det. Santiago “Jimmy” Robertson.  (So Paul Calderon is, as far as I know, the only actor to be in the 2 GREATEST COP SHOWS EVER.)
6.  Paul Calderon.   Sorry.  I’m also a big Bosch fan and the fact that he was in BOTH is just almost too epic.
7.  Gina makes it!   It was only ep 1 of S2.  We really didn’t;t know of she would or wouldn’t.


Anyway, for all the “Bad Biz” with Valerie, Tubbs does what he needs to do to create conclusion and let her go.  

And he makes it clear he would kick the sh!t out of the local precinct cops.

AND he smokes 2 of the hit men from Jimmy Borge’s at the same time while Sonny is still running for his life.

I love Crockett, but he and Margaret was a bit of a stretch.  He’s DEEP undercover, way out of jurisdiction, and the local constabulary has written him off.  

And still gets involved with her?   After she takes his primary?  (Nice to see the Detonics again, though.)

Stretchy.   (But then again he also has a serious emotional commitment with Dr. Teresa Lyons and the stewardess from “Yankee Dollar.”  Strays and lost causes.)

And Gina making again.   

Oh.  And a very important #8.  Tubbs at the airport at the end.   Establishing that going forward, first and foremost, they are PARTNERS.


Now the Zeitgeist part…

At this point, after the Summer of 1985, the show had proven itself an Uber-mega-hit.

One of the biggest influencers of popular culture ever up to that point.  

The show itself.  And the music.  And the fashion.  

The kind of MEGA-HIT where LEGIT single players in September of 1985 would have phoned their best friend/wingman on a Friday evening to lay out the weekend’s “Bolivian Nasal Dust” infused plans and their friend would make excuses so he could STAY HOME on a FRIDAY NIGHT, at least until 10:00pm, so he could watch Miami Vice.

And the LEGIT player would totally understand.    

And end up over at his best-friend/wingman’s waterfront condo to watch that Friday’s episode before they went our carousing.  (Dressed like C & T no doubt.)


That is the kind of show that Miami Vice was.

And still is.


 

Edited April 7, 2022 by Marco Falcone
New sh!t came to light.