Episode #38 "Florence Italy"

[Sebax]

I didn't understand who or why sent the toy car to Danny

Edited October 3, 2019 by Sebax

[Dadrian]

36 minutes ago, Sebax said:

I didn't understand who or why sent the toy car to Danny

I always thought it was Frank warning Danny not to talk. 

[Assasinge]

I'm a big car nerd, guy whatever you want to call it but this episode and Little Miss Dangerous are 2 of my absolute favorites from Season 2 honestly. I love the plot twist that it's the dad who killed the Florence and just the opening shot of nighttime Miami with Naughty Naughty playing is suuuuuuper sick! Man it's too iconic, the white Porsche and Crockett's Ferrari gleaming in the night is just absolutely stellar. I wish we had more of this stuff later on down the road...

[RedDragon86]

10 minutes ago, Assasinge said:

I'm a big car nerd, guy whatever you want to call it but this episode and Little Miss Dangerous are 2 of my absolute favorites from Season 2 honestly. I love the plot twist that it's the dad who killed the Florence and just the opening shot of nighttime Miami with Naughty Naughty playing is suuuuuuper sick! Man it's too iconic, the white Porsche and Crockett's Ferrari gleaming in the night is just absolutely stellar. I wish we had more of this stuff later on down the road...

I really like this one also. The racing stuff was fun to watch, especially the bike race and it was nice to see Tommy again. Some might think the story is weak but I think it has quite a sinister feel to it. 

The father, Frank Tepper was one creepy guy.

[TylerDurden389]

Just rewatched this one last night. Great opening montage with John Parr at the pipes. A hilarious moment when Crockett messes with Tubbs (before screeching to a halt at the red light. "Sometimes you're no fun at all"). Then another funny scene with The Fat Boys. Followed by a kickass chase sequence with Miami Tower heavily used for aesthetics. Hilarious jokes with Tommy the auto repair lady (a shame her character never really caught on. Her presence might've helped with some of the more serious portions of the show's run). Another great race sequence with the motorcycles in the parking lot. Trudy looking hotter than ever (always loved when she wore that 'glam rock" wig). And of course more racing at the end. I could go on but you get the idea. Another 10/10 episode from me.

 

[RedDragon86]

6 hours ago, TylerDurden389 said:

Just rewatched this one last night. Great opening montage with John Parr at the pipes. A hilarious moment when Crockett messes with Tubbs (before screeching to a halt at the red light. "Sometimes you're no fun at all"). Then another funny scene with The Fat Boys. Followed by a kickass chase sequence with Miami Tower heavily used for aesthetics. Hilarious jokes with Tommy the auto repair lady (a shame her character never really caught on. Her presence might've helped with some of the more serious portions of the show's run). Another great race sequence with the motorcycles in the parking lot. Trudy looking hotter than ever (always loved when she wore that 'glam rock" wig). And of course more racing at the end. I could go on but you get the idea. Another 10/10 episode from me.

 

I couldn't agree more, massively underrated episode.

[305Vice]

On ‎6‎/‎5‎/‎2015 at 1:31 PM, Detective_Crockett said:

Not too bad an episode, the ending of the episode really stays with you..

 

I was pleasently surprised to see a Mc Donalds in this episode, that was an awesome sight. xD

That's the location Sonny and Billy ate at and Billy left his Happy Meal toy the  red helicopter in the Ferrari! Sonny found it and put on his OCB desk, to remember his son.

[Eillio Martin Imbasciati]

I guess this episode isn't a favorite among fans, but I liked it fine. It starts off kind of funny, with The Fat Boys, Florence Italy saying she perfected sex (I respect a person with a strong work ethic and belief in themselves), and Crockett getting all excited about the Grand Prix, then things got pretty dark. Yeah, Danny Sullivan had some pretty stilted moments, although I thought he was alright during the scenes in the club leading up to the motorcycle race with Frank.

Now Frank Tepper, there's a fella: I mean, he tells his son that he might not be his father since Danny's mother slept around, then decided, aw heck, I'm probably your father. Wow...his Father's Day privileges are revoked, which means he won't be getting a "I Went to Florence Italy, and All I Got Was a Bloodstain on My T-shirt" t-shirt from Danny.

Overall, I think there's some solid stuff and some uneven stuff, but the early humor (I can't forget Florence Italy's pal:-), the crime, and the killer are enough for me to enjoy the episode.

[Eillio Martin Imbasciati]

On 9/16/2020 at 12:40 PM, Eillio Martin Imbasciati said:

I guess this episode isn't a favorite among fans, but I liked it fine. It starts off kind of funny, with The Fat Boys, Florence Italy saying she perfected sex (I respect a person with a strong work ethic and belief in themselves), and Crockett getting all excited about the Grand Prix, then things got pretty dark. Yeah, Danny Sullivan had some pretty stilted moments, although I thought he was alright during the scenes in the club leading up to the motorcycle race with Frank.

Now Frank Tepper, there's a fella: I mean, he tells his son that he might not be his father since Danny's mother slept around, then decided, aw heck, I'm probably your father. Wow...his Father's Day privileges are revoked, which means he won't be getting a "I Went to Florence Italy, and All I Got Was a Bloodstain on My T-shirt" t-shirt from Danny.

Overall, I think there's some solid stuff and some uneven stuff, but the early humor (I can't forget Florence Italy's pal:-), the crime, and the killer are enough for me to enjoy the episode.

I thought about something with Frank Tepper: I don't know too much about Grand Prix vehicles, but they only have a frequency radio, right, not a one in which the driver can listen to music? I just picture Frank Tepper about to crash while listening to Robert Tepper's "No Easy Way Out", which would be a fitting end for his character. Something else: Stephen Joyce would be my choice if Bob Hoskins wasn't available for "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?": it really hit me when the surveillance feed of Tepper was uncovered that I could like Joyce in that spot.

[ViceFanMan]

This is another 2nd season episode I really enjoy watching! It's an interesting one to me because of how it starts off so humorous and “light”...then instantly turns "dark" and tragic!

First you have the two hookers, Florence and the transvesdite Lewis, mouthing off to the chubby coffee shop lady Beatrice (after she'd first mouthed off to them)--telling her she'll be arrested for criminal fatness. Then Lewis talks in his deep man-voice after ‘chubby’ pushes him...telling her: "Push me again, and I'm makin' you bacon!"  Then you have Crockett and Tubbs making the pot smoking rapper literally eat his pot!   After that Lewis makes fun of Trudy's shoes...making her and Gina look down like, "What's wrong with my shoes?"

Suddenly...Florence is savagely murdered and dumped on the street like garbage, from one of the Grand Prix race cars...come to find out she was only 17! From that point on, it gets serious real quick and laugh-time's over.  I liked the Miami Grand Prix being the back-drop to this one, and something "fresh" or different that they hadn't done before. The drama between Danny and Frank Tepper, the father and son drivers, was played out superbly and I thought both did awesome acting jobs!

Two things I did find somewhat goofy were towards the beginning when Crockett says “Someone’s in a big hurry” & Tubbs says “ Let’s check it out”...very corny.  Also later the racer-chaser Becky says she was beaten up & in the hospital for...9 months??  9 weeks maybe...but 9 months? That seemed a little over-the-top and ridiculous. 

But, overall an awesome and enjoyable Vice episode! The end is another famous Michael Mann trademark "abrupt" ending. I just like this one and the acting jobs all-around--the action, the finale lot, the ‘tone’ from funny to serious...it's something kind of different. I gave it an 8!

Edited May 2, 2021 by ViceFanMan

[pahonu]

On 3/5/2021 at 11:00 AM, Eillio Martin Imbasciati said:

I thought about something with Frank Tepper: I don't know too much about Grand Prix vehicles, but they only have a frequency radio, right, not a one in which the driver can listen to music? I just picture Frank Tepper about to crash while listening to Robert Tepper's "No Easy Way Out", which would be a fitting end for his character. Something else: Stephen Joyce would be my choice if Bob Hoskins wasn't available for "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?": it really hit me when the surveillance feed of Tepper was uncovered that I could like Joyce in that spot.

Correct, the prototype sports cars like he was racing don’t have a receiver for listening to music.  That’s a unique thought though.  The term Grand Prix car usually refers to Formula 1 open wheel cars.  These were all sports cars in the episode, part of the IMSA series at the time.  Here in the US the term Grand Prix is often attached to many types of road racing.  My city has held the Long Beach Grand Prix since the 70’s.  While it did have F1 racing in the early years, it hasn’t hosted the series since the early 80’s, but the name remains.  

[RedDragon86]

On 5/2/2021 at 4:32 AM, ViceFanMan said:

This is another 2nd season episode I really enjoy watching! It's an interesting one to me because of how it starts off so humorous and “light”...then instantly turns "dark" and tragic!

First you have the two hookers, Florence and the transvesdite Lewis, mouthing off to the chubby coffee shop lady Beatrice (after she'd first mouthed off to them)--telling her she'll be arrested for criminal fatness. Then Lewis talks in his deep man-voice after ‘chubby’ pushes him...telling her: "Push me again, and I'm makin' you bacon!"  Then you have Crockett and Tubbs making the pot smoking rapper literally eat his pot!   After that Lewis makes fun of Trudy's shoes...making her and Gina look down like, "What's wrong with my shoes?"

Suddenly...Florence is savagely murdered and dumped on the street like garbage, from one of the Grand Prix race cars...come to find out she was only 17! From that point on, it gets serious real quick and laugh-time's over.  I liked the Miami Grand Prix being the back-drop to this one, and something "fresh" or different that they hadn't done before. The drama between Danny and Frank Tepper, the father and son drivers, was played out superbly and I thought both did awesome acting jobs!

Two things I did find somewhat goofy were towards the beginning when Crockett says “Someone’s in a big hurry” & Tubbs says “ Let’s check it out”...very corny.  Also later the racer-chaser Becky says she was beaten up & in the hospital for...9 months??  9 weeks maybe...but 9 months? That seemed a little over-the-top and ridiculous. 

But, overall an awesome and enjoyable Vice episode! The end is another famous Michael Mann trademark "abrupt" ending. I just like this one and the acting jobs all-around--the action, the finale lot, the ‘tone’ from funny to serious...it's something kind of different. I gave it an 8!

This is exactly how I feel about the episode 

The thing with Becky being in hospital for 9 months, it does seem like a long time but she must have been close to death and in a coma for the first few months and didn't she say she had wire in her face and was sipping through a straw?. I think what happened to her is Danny's psycho dad must her beat her so bad intending to kill her but got interrupted during the brutal attack and fled.

 

Edited May 3, 2021 by RedDragon86

[ViceFanMan]

55 minutes ago, RedDragon86 said:

This is exactly how I feel about the episode 

The thing with Becky being in hospital for 9 months, it does seem like a long time but she must have been close to death and in a coma for the first few months and didn't she say she had wire in her face and was sipping through a straw?. I think what happened to her is Danny's psycho dad must her beat her so bad intending to kill her but got interrupted during the brutal attack and fled.

 

I agree, Danny’s dad was psycho and got-off beating & killing hookers and/or racer-chasers...and yes, Becky did say she had wire in her face & had to sip through a straw, but nothing about a coma. She could have been close to death at the time of her beating, and I could see a couple months in the hospital maybe...but 9 months seemed a very long time! If Danny’s dad was the one who did it & he was still in the racing circuit that Becky “chased”, so obviously he would be present most of the time...why did she continue to go to the races & parties?? I’d think she stay well away from him and that particular racing circuit...knowing he’d be there. 

[RedDragon86]

9 hours ago, ViceFanMan said:

I agree, Danny’s dad was psycho and got-off beating & killing hookers and/or racer-chasers...and yes, Becky did say she had wire in her face & had to sip through a straw, but nothing about a coma. She could have been close to death at the time of her beating, and I could see a couple months in the hospital maybe...but 9 months seemed a very long time! If Danny’s dad was the one who did it & he was still in the racing circuit that Becky “chased”, so obviously he would be present most of the time...why did she continue to go to the races & parties?? I’d think she stay well away from him and that particular racing circuit...knowing he’d be there. 

Sometimes the writers leave the viewer with things too vague. They don't tell us the real picture.

Becky got hurt really bad imo. 

[ViceFanMan]

1 minute ago, RedDragon86 said:

Sometimes the writers leave the viewer with things too vague. They don't tell us the real picture.

Becky got hurt really bad imo. 

She definitely was beaten probably close to death...I just thought it strange she’d sill show up to racing events where she knew Danny’s dad would be as well, especially when she reacted so “dramatically” when talking with Crockett & Tubbs about her ordeal. 

But, by all means MV writers were not always consistent nor realistic...so I’m sure I’m putting way more thought into these aspects of this episode than I’m supposed to. It just seemed strange to me. 

[RedDragon86]

1 minute ago, ViceFanMan said:

She definitely was beaten probably close to death...I just thought it strange she’d sill show up to racing events where she knew Danny’s dad would be as well, especially when she reacted so “dramatically” when talking with Crockett & Tubbs about her ordeal. 

But, by all means MV writers were not always consistent nor realistic...so I’m sure I’m putting way more thought into these aspects of this episode than I’m supposed to. It just seemed strange to me. 

She was dumb though 

[ViceFanMan]

Just now, RedDragon86 said:

She was dumb though 

Lol...this is true!! 

[RedDragon86]

11 minutes ago, ViceFanMan said:

Lol...this is true!! 

I don't mean to prolong this but I really do think her physical damage time frame makes sense. From a personal experience one of my pal got beat up pretty bad, head trauma the lot and he was in hospital from 7 months.

Edited May 4, 2021 by RedDragon86

[ViceFanMan]

2 minutes ago, RedDragon86 said:

I don't mean to prolong this but I

But you...?

[RedDragon86]

12 hours ago, ViceFanMan said:

But you...?

Sorry I was stuck in edit  From personal experience my friend on a night got into a fight and he ended up him being in hospital for 7 months, maybe she suffered head trauma like he did.

He was OK.

Edited May 4, 2021 by RedDragon86

[ViceFanMan]

2 minutes ago, RedDragon86 said:

Sorry I was stuck in edit  From personal experience my friend on a night out my mate got into a fight and he ended up him getting in a coma for 7 mths, maybe she suffered head trauma?

This is true...maybe there was a lot of head trauma (as her jaws were obviously broken...hence them being wired shut & having to sip through a straw). She could have been in a coma for a few months. 

[RedDragon86]

Poor Becky didn't have much luck in "The Sopranos" as well

 

[ViceFanMan]

6 minutes ago, RedDragon86 said:

Poor Becky didn't have much luck in "The Sopranos" as well

 

Geesh!! 

[sdiegolo78]

First of all, this episode has a great intro, one of the best in the whole series! If not of the history of television. What makes it great are the Miami downtown shots, John Parr song and the car chase with the Daytona. Enjoyed the fat boys cameo too. The guy eating the pot cigarette is hilarious (can't believe he was so dumb to actually eat it ).

The story-plot itself was pretty straightforward as this specific show was one of those focused more on style over substance from second season. Loved the actual grand Prix racing sequences, including the preparation. If you are observant enough (or a police related trivia freak like me ) you'll notice a bunch of Miami PD cops (navy blue uniform) walking around and guarding the event.

The final car chase was awesome too. I liked the drive scene leading to this.That's when you see C&T going to get the killer escorted by the metro dade patrol Plymouth Gran Furies and motorcycles blasting sirens. Danny's dad obviously didn't want to get arrested for the shame and he'd have rather died crashing into a wall at 200 Mph.

By the way, at first i didn't get the toy car sent to Danny at the hospital. It makes sense to think it was from Frank as a warning to Danny not to talk (as mentioned by Dadrian). You can tell by the way he tosses it around in anger.

This is a good 7.5/10.

 

Edited May 17, 2021 by sdiegolo78

[Eillio Martin Imbasciati]

On 5/3/2021 at 8:01 PM, RedDragon86 said:

Sometimes the writers leave the viewer with things too vague. They don't tell us the real picture.

Becky got hurt really bad imo. 

I agree, in this instance I think what happened with Becky Sklar was too vague. I'm surprised she continued hanging around the racing world if her beating was that severe, or after anything like that happened to her at all.