Miami Vice (Series, The) (DVD)

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The first season highlights include the original pilot and its sequel, the two-part, "Calderone´s Return" with the main characters going after the drug lord that got away and Tubbs inadvertantly falling in love with the man´s daughter. Other great episodes were "Heart of Darkness" with the future Al Bundy, Ed O´Neill, as a federal agent lost in his undercover identity, and "Made for Each Other", an amusing installment focusing on Switek & Zito. There was also the two part "Golden Triangle" which revealed more of Castillo´s past as a DEA agent stationed in Southeast Asia.


The second season began with another two-parter, "The Prodigal Son", in which our heroes head off to Tubbs´ old stomping grounds, New York City, as they tackle Columbian drug dealers and corruption that runs straight to Wall Street. The second season also saw, in my opinion, its best episode with "Out Where the Buses Don´t Run." Character actor Bruce McGill plays Hank Weldon, a former Vice cop recently released from an insane asylum. Weldon may be nuts, but he makes more headway in a matter of days than the entire department in taking down a powerful drug operation. Weldon leads Crockett & Tubbs on a hunt for the kingpin that eluded arrest. The end sees the trio discover the man was sealed behind a wall and left to die years ago by Weldon himself. Other good episodes were "Bushido", another Castillo-centric episode (which is always a good thing), and the season finale, "Sons and Lovers" which saw Calderone´s son out for revenge.


By the third season, Michael Mann left to start up "Crime Story" and briefly handed the executive producer reins over to Dick Wolf, creator of "Law & Order." The series took a darker approach and phased out the brighter pastel colors. The season began with "When Irish Eyes Are Crying" with Gina falling for a former IRA terrorist (played by Liam Neeson) who claims to be a man of peace. The Vice Department would also take a heavy hit in "Down for the Count" when Zito was killed while investigating a corrupt boxing operation. Fans clamored for a return to the previous tone and colors which they got in season four. They also got the introduction of pop singer Sheena Easton as Caitlin Davies who would go on to become Crockett´s second wife who would be killed by an old enemy (who Crockett actually saved from death row) before the season ended.

The fourth season also saw some of the series´ weakest episodes such as "Missing Hours", where Trudy is abducted by a UFO and James Brown guest-starred as an alien, and "Honor Among Thieves" which ripped off Fritz Lang´s "M" with drug dealers putting one of their own on trial when he´s discovered to be a serial killer of teenaged girls. For the most part, the steam was running out by the show´s fifth and final season. Johnson was ready to make the transition to the big screen and took a diminished role on "Vice", but not before kicking season five off with the Burnett Trilogy. After suffering a blow to the head, Crockett gains amnesia and believes he is really his undercover identity of drug runner Sonny Burnett. Another fifth season episode, "Too Much, Too Late" was never aired until after the show was cancelled due to its frank and disturbing portrayal of child abuse.

VIDEO:
The video is presented in full-screen. The transfer quality is really disappointing. It´s certainly above broadcast quality, but no addition restoration was done at all. There´s a lot of grain, dirt, and scratches throughout.

AUDIO:
The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. The sound is definitely a step up compared to the subpar picture. Dialogue comes in crystal clear. The music is really the highlight as the soundtrack sounds sweet.

EXTRAS:
All the extras are housed on the first disc of season one.

The Vibe of Vice (5:12) is a brief EPK-style overview of the show´s look. There are short comments from crew members. No appearances from the big guns, except in archival footage.

Building the Perfect Vice (7:51) features words from series creator Anthony Yerkovich and the focus is on the show´s creation, inspiration, along with the building of the cast. Also discussed is the show´s rocky start as test audiences reacted negatively and ratings were low, but they stuck to their guns and the show skyrocketed to the top.

The Style of Vice (5:59) is about the fashion of the show and features interviews with Jody Tillen, the first season costume designer. She talked about the wardrobe choices for each of the characters.

The Music of Vice (6:46) discusses the sound of the show with new and old interviews with Jan Hammer. He discusses scoring each episode and how none of his themes were ever repeated, requiring him to come up with new material almost every week. They also briefly discuss how record labels rushed to get their artists´ songs on "Vice."

Miami After Vice (2:22) is basically a montage of clips from the show, shots of Miami, and quick snippets of Miami citizens discussing their town.

The bonus material is rather slim. Especially disappointing is the fact that guys like Mann, Surnow, Johnson, and Thomas are not to be found. No new interviews or commentaries. I understand the studio probably shelled out quite the pretty penny to get the clearances for all the original music. I guess more substantial extras just weren´t in the budget.

FILM VALUE:
"Miami Vice" took unknowns Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas and turned them into household names. While they´re star power may have faded, they were kings among men in the 80´s. They were smart enough not to pull a David Caruso, but did make ill-fated attempts as recording artists. "Vice" was an important part of my childhood even if my bed time and parents prevented me from catching every episode. Mann's big-screen remake may have failed to meet expectations (which I also reviewed), the original series still stands the test of time. I´m glad the miracle of DVD has brought "Vice" back to my TV set, even if the video quality and extras aren´t up to snuff. If you don't have the previously released season sets, the complete boxset is the way to go just for the handsome case.

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