One Way Ticket

This episode isn't terrible, but it's not one of the better ones either. John Heard is always good as a punchable sleazebag. Crockett is pretty over the top angry at him sort of out of nowhere. There's a very phallic montage where a plane flies around for a long time, intercut with loving shots of Crockett's gun while he's at a firing range. Strangely, this came out a few months before Top Gun and not the other way around. Mainly, I'm a little obsessed with Zito's hair. This episode was obviously filmed before the previous one where Zito was clean shaven and seems to have very short hair under the hat he keeps on throughout. Here his hair is back in a ponytail and his beard is long again. It makes it more noticeable how Lothaire B's hair is shorter during the boat chase, then it's longer when the boat stops. They even have him point out he's going to get a haircut between scenes. Makes me think there may have been reshoots? I wish the DVD's had commentary for stuff like this.

Another week, another Crockett episode (I kid . . . but not really; it's just the way things were, you go with what works). Anyhoo, this time he butts heads with a dirty lawyer (John Heard) who's protecting an assassin. The bad guys in this episode are pretty lame (French, maybe that has something to do with it) but Heard lends his character some sympathy. Just enough to make you want for the guy to escape the mobster he's working for.

Between Don Johnson and Heard, there's plenty of brooding here; one takes frustrations out at the shooting range, the other takes to the clouds in his private plane (with some pretty aerial photography), as well as action (two shootouts and a boat chase).

All in all it ain't bad.

7/10

This is an entertaining tale, with Crockett and Tubbs on the trail of a deadly assassin who causes mayhem at the wedding of an old friend, a popular deputy DA.

John Heard is first-rate as the lawyer, Laurence Thurmond, who finds himself in a difficult situation. Lothaire Bluteau is also superb as the slippery assassin.

Annie Golden, who made a fleeting appearance in "Prodigal Son" as a prostitute, plays Tommy for the first time in this episode. Tommy is Crockett's no-nonsense mechanic.

"Miami Vice" fans will notice there's a blink-and-you'll-miss-him appearance by composer Jan Hammer in the opening wedding scene of "One Way Ticket". This marks the first appearance of Hammer in the series.

This episode contains tracks from Wilson Pickett, Pete Townshend and Mr. Mister.

9 out of 10. Despite a grim opening, this "Vice" episode actually finishes on something of a light note, a rarity for this series.