Episode #2 "Heart of Darkness"

[Robbie C.]

3 hours ago, vicegirl85 said:

I definitely noticed this in regard to Caroline and Billy's appearances, but until you raised this issue, I never thought of Crockett in the same way you're describing.  Your comment about Artie Rollins, and Sonny losing himself in his undercover persona to the point that the cover takes over hit home.  I am wondering how much of that was intentional for the writers/Michael Mann, etc., and how much is only detectable in hindsight.  Based on some past comments about Mann's other work, it seems likely that some of it was purposeful.

I think it was purposeful simply because you see more and more of it as the series goes on. Yerkovich was still involved in the first season, so you would still see "Hill Street Blues" moments popping up from time to time, but as Mann took more control I think Crockett's background was intentionally pushed away.

Crockett is, as Glades mentions, a real character, but only in the moment we see him. No other major character loses their background like Crockett does, but the show remains intensely focused on his current moment, and maybe five minutes ahead of that moment. If he wasn't that real we wouldn't be able to empathize with the cost of working undercover, but there is a price paid for that over time. I think that's why, for me at least, the Caitlin and Burnett arcs are so powerful. We see Sonny having a chance at real life, and when it's ripped away we get to see what's behind the undercover mask.

[Bren10]

I think the fundamental difference with Sonny and Artie though is that Artie is actually in danger of turning to the other side and becoming a criminal. I never got that impression with Sonny at all. Sonny gets off on the action and living on the edge, but it's from the right side of the fence, so to speak. For instance we see him turn down doing drugs while partying. For him, even in crazy circumstances, there is a line somewhere he won't cross. I think he empathizes deeply with Artie (and Vic Romano, who doesn't get mentioned nearly as much) but Sonny is not Artie or in danger of becoming him. And before everybody points to the Burnett arc, I would remind you that it took something as extreme as an explosion and amnesia to make Sonny cross the line. In essence, he had to become almost a whole different person to become a criminal. To me, pre and post Burnett, Sonny has been exposed to temptation often enough that he's immune to it. In fact it's even blase´ to him. I think that's how he's able to have the perspective on people like Artie that he does. If you notice he's more or less the only one who really does. Not Lou and not Tubbs as much, even though at least one of them has been undercover before too.

I also feel that having Artie hang himself (and offscreen, no less) at the end was tacked on and somewhat gratuitous just for the sake of being "dark" and to let the audience know there won't always be happy endings, which I think we already knew with Calderone having gotten away and Wheeler being dirty. It cheapens Artie's heroism in helping C&T in the firefight imo. It would be more disturbing, to me at least, for Artie to live with what he has seen and done, deal with the consequences and try to piece a life back together.

Edited May 26, 2019 by Bren10

[Robbie C.]

I would also point out that we never see Burnett going quite as deep undercover as Artie was required to, and they were working different 'businesses'. At least in the early days, Burnett was a transportation guy. He dabbled occasionally in other stuff, but the big buyer was almost always Tubbs. I don't think Sonny was ever tempted to the degree Artie was...at least until the Burnett arc kicks off. I would also contend that if you accept Crockett's role as avatar into the undercover life it's essential that he remain more or less small time so he can offer a window into the life without getting too deep into it. And in that role has has to defend Artie's actions, both so the viewer can have some sympathy for him and to paint the FBI as the real bad guys in the piece.

At this point, too, Tubbs really hadn't done undercover work that much (unless you count posing as his own dead brother). He worked Armed Robbery in New York, meaning he might have done some plainclothes work but not necessarily undercover. I think he'd defer to Crockett because he realized that, like Raphael, Crockett had more experience in the field with UC work.

Artie hanging himself in the end might be cheap, but it's also one way of conveying that once you get that far off the rails there's no going back (in any sense). While some kind of Artie redemption arc might have been interesting, it wasn't likely for any number of reasons (not the least of which would be the FBI's need to bury any evidence of their wrongdoing in the case). Which brings up the great conspiracy "what if" that we might have seen in a later season...maybe Artie had 'help' in the bathroom.

[zachbmarsh]

A really tightly focused step up from "Brother's Keeper", honestly. Ed O'Neill is incredible in this. I think in a show with different real estate it could've made sense to make Artie live with his actions, but on 80s television you never could've circled back and found some kind of resolution for that story down the line, and it would've been really unsatisfying. His suicide at the end just kinda makes sense for me. I also love how they managed to establish almost everything about the "feel" of the show - the way the cuts to commercial are edited, the episode structure, the downer ending, the freeze frame, Switek and Zito's setup - right with episode 2. A lot of TV, especially around this time, struggled with following up the pilot. Look at TNG. I mean, not that "Encounter at Farpoint" is some kind of masterwork, but "The Naked Now" is an embarassment and completely unbecoming of that show. Granted, I know networks tended to shuffle the order they ran episodes, so this might not have literally been episode 2 (although some of the dialogue, particularly regarding Tubbs' adjustment to Miami, strongly implies this IS the second episode), but nonetheless, it's impressive.

Only real complaints for me are the random tech guy screwing up the radio but never having it explained properly how the mistake even happened, and Tubbs' freakout on him as if the guy did it on purpose. And the way Artie blows away the bad guy suddenly is a little bit cheesy too, like he suddenly riddles the car and that's it.

Still, the way this puts a mirror in Crockett's face and says "go too far, and this guy is you", has always been really compelling for me. 8.5/10.

[Eillio Martin Imbasciati]

5 minutes ago, zachbmarsh said:

A really tightly focused step up from "Brother's Keeper", honestly. Ed O'Neill is incredible in this. I think in a show with different real estate it could've made sense to make Artie live with his actions, but on 80s television you never could've circled back and found some kind of resolution for that story down the line, and it would've been really unsatisfying. His suicide at the end just kinda makes sense for me. I also love how they managed to establish almost everything about the "feel" of the show - the way the cuts to commercial are edited, the episode structure, the downer ending, the freeze frame, Switek and Zito's setup - right with episode 2. A lot of TV, especially around this time, struggled with following up the pilot. Look at TNG. I mean, not that "Encounter at Farpoint" is some kind of masterwork, but "The Naked Now" is an embarassment and completely unbecoming of that show. Granted, I know networks tended to shuffle the order they ran episodes, so this might not have literally been episode 2 (although some of the dialogue, particularly regarding Tubbs' adjustment to Miami, strongly implies this IS the second episode), but nonetheless, it's impressive.

Only real complaints for me are the random tech guy screwing up the radio but never having it explained properly how the mistake even happened, and Tubbs' freakout on him as if the guy did it on purpose. And the way Artie blows away the bad guy suddenly is a little bit cheesy too, like he suddenly riddles the car and that's it.

Still, the way this puts a mirror in Crockett's face and says "go too far, and this guy is you", has always been really compelling for me. 8.5/10.

"Don't you EVER interfere with me again!": Artie Rollins is truly a character who got a taste of the dark art in life and began to enjoy it (he'd be lousy at his job if he didn't get into his cover, so that really works for me). Strong initial episode, I think, led by Artie.

Yeah, I admit that Artie filled the limo with holes was very 1980s action movie of him, but he was sort of living that fantasy I guess (he kind of lost it there, he had an angry and distant look).

[zachbmarsh]

2 minutes ago, Eillio Martin Imbasciati said:

"Don't you EVER interfere with me again!": Artie Rollins is truly a character who got a taste of the dark art in life and began to enjoy it (he'd be lousy at his job if he didn't get into his cover, so that really works for me). Strong initial episode, I think, led by Artie.

Yeah, I admit that Artie filled the limo with holes was very 1980s action movie of him, but he was sort of living that fantasy I guess (he kind of lost it there, he had an angry and distant look).

Oh I get WHY Artie killed the guy, I just think the way it was executed filmmaking-wise is a bit corny. The special effects work and whatnot. As a character moment for Artie, him killing this guy who he felt he lost his humanity chasing was perfect. I just would've rather had Artie shooting him as he surrendered rather than "hey here's a bunch of rapid shots of Ed O'Neill shooting into an empty limo, but that guy's dead, we swear it!"

[Eillio Martin Imbasciati]

14 minutes ago, zachbmarsh said:

Oh I get WHY Artie killed the guy, I just think the way it was executed filmmaking-wise is a bit corny. The special effects work and whatnot. As a character moment for Artie, him killing this guy who he felt he lost his humanity chasing was perfect. I just would've rather had Artie shooting him as he surrendered rather than "hey here's a bunch of rapid shots of Ed O'Neill shooting into an empty limo, but that guy's dead, we swear it!"

Oh no, I agree with you, it was a little "off" action-wise, it's just I've seen that kind of stunt produced in so many 1980s action films that I remember how commonplace it was back then.

No doubt, Vice had a lot of actor/actresses act with their facial expressions, and Artie was definitely somewhere else in that moment.

[Matt5]

2 hours ago, Eillio Martin Imbasciati said:

Oh no, I agree with you, it was a little "off" action-wise, it's just I've seen that kind of stunt produced in so many 1980s action films that I remember how commonplace it was back then.

No doubt, Vice had a lot of actor/actresses act with their facial expressions, and Artie was definitely somewhere else in that moment.

Very well acted and no real suprise the character lost it in that moment it was slow burning along (his temperament) in that episode.

[Eillio Martin Imbasciati]

1 minute ago, Matt5 said:

Very well acted and no real suprise the character lost it in that moment it was slow burning along (his temperament) in that episode.

For sure, Artie had no interest in going back to his life beforehand, yet was disgusted by Sam Kovics, so pulling the trigger on him was probably something that crossed his mind more than once (even if he was sucked into the trappings of his undercover lifestyle). A cautionary tale, which I think is cool for a show about being undercover that their first episode after the pilot is one that deals with the psychological toll such an assignment can bring.

[Matt5]

7 minutes ago, Eillio Martin Imbasciati said:

For sure, Artie had no interest in going back to his life beforehand, yet was disgusted by Sam Kovics, so pulling the trigger on him was probably something that crossed his mind more than once (even if he was sucked into the trappings of his undercover lifestyle). A cautionary tale, which I think is cool for a show about being undercover that their first episode after the pilot is one that deals with the psychological toll such an assignment can bring.

Yes it showed that well how he didn’t know how he could come back- he certainly shot that limo up and couldn’t stop himself even if he wanted too.

[ViceFanMan]

On 5/17/2010 at 12:50 AM, ViceFanMan said:

This episode was pretty good, I gave it a 7. Ed O'Neill was awesome and is a very good actor! I like seeing him in more serious or dramatic roles besides his crude, goof-ball trademark role of 'Al Bundy' from Married With Children. He was on an episode of Hunter, too, that had him as a psycho cop that was out of control. I also remember him on a new updated but short-lived version of Dragnet--2001?? I wish that show had lasted, as I thought it was pretty good. Anyway, "Heart of Darkness" was good, but not necessarily superb or majorly captivating. Acting was good, but you can sometimes tell the show was still getting started at this point. But, there's some good action and again the acting is pretty good on O'Neill's part.

This was my original review. This was also one of the few episodes where Kansas is mentioned (Salina in this one). Don has some Kansas ties, growing up in Wichita. I also still wish the new Dragnet, with Ed O’Neill, had lasted. I thought the few episodes that aired were pretty good! 

[RedDragon86]

I think Michael Mann brought the title to the table "Heart of Darkness" and general idea, seeing as "Apocalypse Now" is his favorite film. The story "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad's novel inspired the film, a twisted tale about a young man on a mission to bring down or kill a rogue and along the way loses his mind, similar to Artie Rollins.

[wolfie1996]

1 hour ago, RedDragon86 said:

I think Michael Mann brought the title to the table "Heart of Darkness" and general idea, seeing as "Apocalypse Now" is his favorite film. The story "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad's novel inspired the film, a twisted tale about a young man on a mission to bring down or kill a rogue and along the way loses his mind, similar to Artie Rollins.

It's a long time since I was obliged to read Heart of Darkness, RedDragon but I  don't remember our hero losing his mind while  trying to  bring in Kurtz  In fact as I remember, didn't his fiancée or mother or something say at the end "What were  his final words ?" or something  and our hero (can't remember his name after all this time)  said "he spoke your name"  when in fact what Kurtz DID say was "The horror! The horror!" if I remember rightly.

[RedDragon86]

1 hour ago, wolfie1996 said:

It's a long time since I was obliged to read Heart of Darkness, RedDragon but I  don't remember our hero losing his mind while  trying to  bring in Kurtz  In fact as I remember, didn't his fiancée or mother or something say at the end "What were  his final words ?" or something  and our hero (can't remember his name after all this time)  said "he spoke your name"  when in fact what Kurtz DID say was "The horror! The horror!" if I remember rightly.

Oh so the character/hero in the book is different to the one in the film because Captain Benjamin L. Willard/Sheen is totally out where the buses down run in Vietnam 

[wolfie1996]

Just now, RedDragon86 said:

Oh so the character/hero in the book is different to the one in the film because Captain Benjamin L. Willard/Sheen is totally out where the buses down run in Vietnam 

I think he must be, RedDragon but I have to admit I haven't seen Apocalypse Now   Probably the only person  who hasn't in the UK! Shall take your word re Captain Benjamin ! The main thing I remember about the book apart from what  I said, was the African climate , so hot and humid and how the natives seemed sickly and lethargic. As I say though, many years since I read that novel (or novella maybe, it was a short book I'm sure!) I promise to see the film as soon as it's on!

[RedDragon86]

6 hours ago, wolfie1996 said:

I think he must be, RedDragon but I have to admit I haven't seen Apocalypse Now   Probably the only person  who hasn't in the UK! Shall take your word re Captain Benjamin ! The main thing I remember about the book apart from what  I said, was the African climate , so hot and humid and how the natives seemed sickly and lethargic. As I say though, many years since I read that novel (or novella maybe, it was a short book I'm sure!) I promise to see the film as soon as it's on!

Please get round to it! it's a must see film

There is a few Vice co stars in this as well

Edited May 14, 2021 by RedDragon86

[wolfie1996]

7 hours ago, RedDragon86 said:

Please get round to it! it's a must see film

There is a few Vice co stars in this as well

Are there??!!  Then I definitely will  Hey what happened to my prize for guessing the episode? (Don't tell me it wasn't the one you meant............)

[RedDragon86]

6 hours ago, wolfie1996 said:

Are there??!!  Then I definitely will  Hey what happened to my prize for guessing the episode? (Don't tell me it wasn't the one you meant............)

That's a nice hint 

[wolfie1996]

1 hour ago, RedDragon86 said:

That's a nice hint 

Definitely Miami? Oh but it was also said in Evan  So I claim two prizes if  so  

  

[wolfie1996]

2 hours ago, wolfie1996 said:

Definitely Miami? Oh but it was also said in Evan  So I claim two prizes if  so  

  

RedDragon, I will be forced to the extreme action of ill-wishing Liverpool at this  rate  Don't make me do that.....it's knife-edge time !!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jack Gretsky]

A fake-out first scene.  We see a badly-acted "Logjammin'"-type scenerio play out, and then realize it's a movie being filmed. I'm not sure what's going to happen later in that scene - the guy fixes the air conditioner?   Sonny and Rico are there undercover; but I worry about Zito's comprehensive knowledge of dirty movies.  

Quick: What was the other new fall 1984 TV show to utilize "Missing You"?  You are correct: Paper Dolls, which featured singer John Waite himself in one episode. 

This is the first appearance of always-welcome Julio Oscar Mechoso's Lester - here he gives his approval to Tubbs' suggested improvements for Switeck and Zito's sting surveillance set-up. 

It's fascinating when Sonny says to Lou about Artie, "I know what it's like to go in deep!" Oh, Sonny, just wait until later seasons... Ed O'Neill is splendid as the in-deep Fed and, although this is still a relatively early role for him, he had also played a cop four years earlier in Cruising.  As the Miami Vice Wiki points out, O'Neill's Artie is like Conrad's (and Coppola's!) Kurtz - getting embedded in the enemy's world too far.

Does anyone else think the music that plays over Tubbs' wire in the limo sounds like Pat Benatar's "Heartbreaker"?  The agony!  And, oh yeah, also the fact that Tubbs and Crockett have been made...

A tense "will Artie shoot our guys or not?" climactic scene.  George Benson's "This Masquerade" is an unusual use of light jazz for this series.  And the first of MV's shock endings just when we assume things are going to work out OK.  Happily, there is humor in this episode as well, especially when Sonny threatens to drop Elvis' favorite blankie into the water.  Another winning episode. 

 

Edited September 3, 2021 by Jack Gretsky

[Sebax]

Guys! I need your help. What's the name of the song at 3:40?

Thanks!

[Dadrian]

1 hour ago, Sebax said:

Guys! I need your help. What's the name of the song at 3:40?

Thanks!

It’s an unreleased Jan Hammer song. It was reused in season two’s Buddies.

 

[Tom]

vor 4 Stunden schrieb Dadrian:

It’s an unreleased Jan Hammer song. 

And I always thought „song“ is derived from „singing“.  

But anyway thanks for clarifying, as I could not find any song at 3:40 after reading the original request.
 

[Sebax]

9 hours ago, Dadrian said:

It’s an unreleased Jan Hammer song. It was reused in season two’s Buddies.

 

Thanks, I found it under the name "Trap" by Jan Hammer