Retro Television Review: Miami Vice 4.19 “Blood & Roses”

Posted on September 8, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Mondays, I will be reviewing Miami Vice, which ran on NBC from 1984 to 1989. The entire show can be purchased on Prime!

This week, Gina’s in trouble again!

Episode 4.19 “Blood & Roses”

(Dir by George Mendeluk, originally aired on April 1st, 1988)

Frank Mosca (Stanley Tucci) is back!

In case you’ve forgotten, Mosca was the villain from the fourth season premiere, Contempt of Court. That episode ended with Mosca getting away with everything. This episode finds him killing a rival drug lord (Michael Wincott) and trying to kill Crockett. Because Mosca knows who Crockett and Tubbs are, it falls on Gina to go undercover. This becomes yet another episode where Gina starts to fall for the bad guy and ends up having sex with the target of a Vice investigation. As often happens with these type of episodes, Gina ends up shooting Mosca to keep him from shooting Sonny. Mosca’s body plummets down an air shaft and it’s hard not to notice that Stanley Tucci has suddenly become a mannequin with painted hair.

Stanley Tucci gave a magnetic performance as the charismatic but evil Frank Mosca. Watching Tucci, it’s easy to see why the show brought him but Mosca was such a memorable character that it’s shame that he was given a standard Miami Vice death scene. Mosca deserved to go out with a bit more style. Saundra Santiago gave a good performance as Gina but it’s hard not to notice that every time she’s at the center of an episode, it’s pretty much the same basic plot. As a character, Gina deserved better than to constantly be used as a sex toy by every bad guy she went undercover to investigate.

Watching this episode, I found myself wondering if the show’s writers remembered that Crockett was supposed to be married. Between his jealousy over Gina getting close to Mosco and a scene where he and Gina shared a brief but intense kiss, it was hard not to notice that Crockett didn’t seem to be thinking about his wife. Perhaps this episode was originally meant to air earlier in the season, before Crockett’s somewhat improbable wedding. Who knows? It’s been a while since anyone asked Crockett about Caitlin. Maybe they got a quickie divorce offscreen.

This episode was typical of season 4. It was well-made but everything just felt a bit too familiar. to be effective.

Retro Television Review: Miami Vice 3.13 “Down For The Count: Part Two”

Posted on January 13, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week is all about justice for Zito!

Episode 3.13 “Down For The Count: Part Two”

(Dir by Richard Compton, originally aired on January 16th, 1987)

Picking up where last week’s episode ended, Down For The Count: Part Two finds almost the entire Vice Squad mourning the death of Larry Zito. I say “almost” because, as usual, Castillo refuses to show any emotion or even look anyone in the eye. When he first appeared, Castillo’s stoicism made him an interesting character but I have to admit that I’m starting to get a bored with the character and his refusal to speak in anything more than terse growls. ZITO’S DEAD! WAKE UP, CASTILLO!

Switek, needless to say, is heart-broken. Trudy tells Gina that she had a totally meaningless one night stand with some guy she met at a club because she was depressed. (“Did it make you feel better?” Gina asks. “No!” Trudy wails.) Crockett is determined to take down crooked boxing promoter Oswaldo Guzman (Pepe Serna) and prove that Zito was not a junkie but that he was instead murdered by Guzman’s goons. As for Tubbs, he makes a few jokes. WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU, TUBBS!? ZITO’S DEAD!

Crockett and Tubbs go undercover as Burnett and Cooper and, once again, I find myself wondering how they can keep successfully doing that when their cover has gotten blown over a dozen times over the course of the series. Do criminals in Miami not talk to each other? This time, Crockett pretends to be involved with a cable sports network that wants to make a deal to air the fights that Guzman sponsors. When a Las Vegas gangster named Guilinni (former Warhol superstar Joe Dallesandro) shows up looking to kill Guzman, Crockett and Tubbs effortlessly manipulate both sides. It turns out that criminals aren’t that smart.

Meanwhile, Trudy and Gina meet one of Crockett’s associates from the Vietnam War. His name is Danny Allred (Chris Elliott) and he’s a former CIA agent who now lives in an abandoned airplane. Danny is a codebreaker and he helps them to figure out the code that Guzman was using to keep track of all of his crooked fights. Danny is a fun character and I hope he shows up in more episodes. He added some moments of levity to what was otherwise a pretty grim episode.

This episode had plenty of good moments. The scene where Crockett and Tubbs visited Zito’s apartment was both poignant and nicely-acted by both Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas. The final shoot-out was violent even by the standards of Miami Vice. That said, I’m a bit surprised that the episode didn’t revolve around Switek. Switek gets to express his anger and argue with Internal Affairs at the start of the episode and gets to repeatedly shoot Guzman at the end of the episode but he’s largely absent for the middle part of the story. As Switek was both Zito’s partner and his best friend, it really does seem like he should have been at the center of the entire episode.

Still, I was glad that Zito’s name was cleared and that Guzman ended up getting shot multiple times until he fell out a window. The show’s final credits featured still shots of John Diehl as Zito. I’m going to miss Larry.

Retro Television Review: Miami Vice 3.12 “Down For The Count: Part One”

Posted on January 6, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Miami Vice says goodbye to a friend.

Episode 3.12 “Down For The Count: Part One”

(Dir by Richard Compton, originally aired on January 9th, 1987)

Larry Zito finally gets his own episode!

Played by John Diehl, Larry Zito was a part of the show from the very beginning. Occasionally, it’s easy to forget that Diehl was a part of the ensemble because his character was rarely given anything to do and we rarely learned that much about Zito. He was Switek’s partner and he seemed to have a quirky sense of humor. Occasionally, he had long hair and a beard and he seemed to enjoy wearing elaborate disguises while working undercover. That said, Zito was always a bit of an enigma. Even the rare episodes that centered on the Switek/Zito partnership seemed to feature Zito mostly in the background.

In this episode, though, we finally learn a bit about Zito. We learn that he has a background as a boxer and he’s good at training other fighters. We learn that he takes it seriously whenever he hears about a crooked promoter manipulating a boxer. We learn that Zito is a recovering alcoholic. In this episode, we learn that Zito is more than just goofy comic relief. He’s got a heart as gold. When the Vice Squad investigates a crooked promoter named Guzman (Pepe Serna), Zito takes it upon himself to train an up-and-coming boxer named Bobby Sykes (Mark Breland). Bobby’s previous trainer (played by Randall “Tex” Cobb) was a friend of Zito’s and was murdered by Guzman. For Zito, this case is personal. He even helps Bobby win a championship. Yay, Zito! That’s not bad for a supporting character!

Unfortunately, this also leads to Zito dying. After the fight, Zito is confronted by Guzman and his men. Switek later finds Zito’s body in the gym with a hypodermic needle sticking out of his arm. Guzman gave Zito a fatal overdose of heroin.

This really depressed me! I mean, Zito finally gets a chance to handle a serious case and, even more importantly, John Diehl finally gets a chance to show off the fact that he’s a very good actor and then, at the end of the episode, Zito’s dead! Poor Zito!

(From what I’ve read, John Diehl wanted off the show because he felt his role was underwritten and he also preferred doing theater to weekly television. That’s understandable. At least he got one turn in the spotlight before he was written off the show.)

Needless to say, this episode is dominated by the death of Zito. The scene with a tearful Switek cradling Zito’s dead body makes such an impression that it’s easy to forget that this episode also featured the odd spectacle of Don King playing Mr. Cash, an ex-con turned honest fight promoter who disapproves of Guzman’s tactics. Somehow, Don King being the voice of integrity makes sense in the topsy-turvy world of Miami Vice. King says that Guzman is in Miami because it’s a brand new territory and a place where anyone can make it rich. That’s been one of the recurring themes of this show since it began. Anything can happen in Miami. Including Larry Zito dying….

Give me a moment to wipe away the tears. Seriously, the end of this episode really depressed me!

Next week, Switek is out for revenge. I hope he gets it!

February Positivity: Loving the Bad Man (dir by Peter Engert)

Posted on February 3, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

A thoroughly misguided film, 2010’s Loving the Bad Man tells the story of Julie Thompson (Cree Kelly) and Mike Connor (Arturo Rossi).

Julie is a young woman who is so religious that she wears a Jesus Saves button to work and she agrees to let a young shoplifter off the hook on the condition that he go to church with her. One night, Julie gets a flat tire while driving home. Looking for help, she stumbles into a sleazy bar. Mike Connor is a young mechanic from a broken home who just happens to be having a beer that night. He offers to help Julie out.

Mike fixes Julie’s car but, the entire time that he’s working on it, he’s having flashbacks to an earlier physical confrontation that he had with his boss at the local garage. Mike has issues with people looking down on him and when Julie attempts to thank Mike for his work by giving him a tip, Mike snaps. Screaming that he’s not poor, he grabs Julie and, off-screen, he rapes her.

Mike goes to prison. Julie gets pregnant but, despite the efforts of her family to convince her otherwise, Julie refuses to have an abortion. While Mike is being targeted by the head of the Aryan brotherhood, Julie is giving birth. While Mike is being tutored by the wise elder prisoner, Julie is raising her son. After reading in the Bible that one must be willing to forgive all who have sinned against them, Julie decides that she has to forgive the bad man.

Now, there’s a lot about the first part of the film that doesn’t work. Playing an upbeat Christian pop song over a rape kit montage is not a decision I would have made. The fact that Julie never appears to actually be traumatized by her rape is another big problem. The only time Julie gets angry is when her parents suggest that she not keep a child fathered by the man who raped her. (At this point, I should perhaps note that, when it comes to abortion, I’ve never felt comfortable with the extremes of either side of the issue. As far as this film goes, I could respect Julie’s parents’ point while also respecting Julie’s decision to keep the baby. That was entirely due to my own personal feelings as opposed to any type of nuance on the part of the film.) Finally, the authenticity of the film’s prison scenes are not helped by the decision to cast Stephen Baldwin (complete with obviously fake tattoos) as the head of the Aryan Brotherhood.

That said, I am a believer in forgiveness. Many crime victims have spoken and written about the importance of being able to forgive the people who victimized them, often describing it as the first step in moving on with their lives. However, forgiveness does not mean forgetting about what someone did or becoming that person’s best friend. Ideally, it means letting go of the hate that was holding you back. By forgiving those who have hurt you, you’re basically refusing to allow them to control your lives.

So, I don’t have a problem with Julie forgiving Mike. I do have a problem with Julie continually showing up at the prison with a big smile on her face and introducing Mike to his son. I have a problem with her baking cookies for him. I especially have a problem with Julie eventually declaring that she’s fallen in love with Mike and telling him that meeting him was the best thing that ever happened to her because it led to the birth of her son. I don’t care how much of a Christian she is or how into forgiveness she is, no woman is going to react like that when seeing the man who raped her. Nor should any woman be expected to react like that, regardless of how guilty Mike feels or how many times Mike declares that he loves Julie as well. That doesn’t mean that Julie can’t forgive the bad man. Nor does it mean that Mike can’t try to change his life while he’s in prison. But the actions of the characters in this film make no sense.

Worst of all, the film builds up to a climax in which it appears Mike might have to sacrifice himself to protect Julie. It is true that Jesus forgave the incarcerated. But it’s also true that Absalom threw a feast specifically so he could have his half-brother killed after the latter raped their sister.

Forgiveness is a good message but this film’s execution is offensive. Perhaps the only highlight is Stephen Baldwin acting like a tough guy and looking like he’s fighting the urge to laugh every time he opens his mouth.

What Lisa Watched Last Night #133: Patient Killer (dir by Casper Van Dien)

Posted on August 3, 2015 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Last night, I watched another Lifetime premiere, Patient Killer!

Why Was I Watching It?

Well, the obvious answer is because it was on Lifetime and, like all good people, I’m kind of obsessed with the movies that they show on Lifetime. However, I also watched it because it was directed by Casper Van Dien (who has already appeared in two of my favorite films of the year — Avengers Grimm and Sharktopus vs. Whalewolf) and it apparently featured Patrick Muldoon playing a stalker. Patrick Muldoon is always a lot of fun whenever he’s bad.

(Derek Morris, my collaborator over at Primetime Preppie, has never quite forgiven Patrick for breaking up Kelly and Zack on Saved By The Bell.)

What Was It About?

Four years ago, therapist Victoria Wrightmar (Victoria Pratt) got too close to one of her patients and, as a result, Dylan McNalt (David Chokachi) committed suicide. Despite the fact that Victoria has found success as a hypnotherapist, dream interpreter, and author, she is still haunted by Dylan’s death.

One day, a new patient enters her office. Blaire Bennett (Barbie Castro) has been having nightmares and, when it turns out that she’s been suppressing memories that are similar to those that afflicted Dylan, Victoria once again starts to get too close to another patient.

However, it’s not just Blaire that Victoria has to deal with. Her boyfriend, Jason (Casper Van Dien), has anger issues. Another one of her patients, Derek (Patrick Muldoon), has become dangerously obsessed with her. Both her mentor (Richard Burgi) and her administrative assistant (Stacey Dash) might have secrets of their own. And, as strange things start to happen and those around her are threatened, a menacing police detective (Antoni Corone) enters her life as well.

Is Victoria being stalked or is she going crazy herself? And is this movie called Patient Killer because the killer is a patient or because the killer likes to take his time? To find out, you’ll have to watch the movie!

What Worked?

On twitter, Patrick Muldoon speculated that he would never get another date after people saw his performance as unstable Derek. Personally, I think Muldoon was too hard on himself. He did a really good job, finding the perfect balance between being threatening and being pathetic. As a result, his character was both scary and sympathetic. It looked like he had a lot of fun playing Derek and he was a lot of fun to watch.

And really, the same thing can be said about Patient Killer as a film. It was an entertaining and enjoyably over-the-top thriller.

I loved both Victoria’s office and Blaire’s house. Both locations were wonderfully decorated and a real delight to look at. I’ve always said that one of the best thing about Lifetime films is getting to see where everyone works and lives and that was definitely the case with Patient Killer.

Actually, the entire film was a delight to look at. Bernard Salzmann’s cinematography filled the frame with a combination of vibrant colors and menacing shadows. This movie featured one of the best sunsets ever to appear on the Lifetime network.

While the film’s deliberate pace may not have been for everyone, I actually rather liked it and I felt it occasionally gave the film a surreal, almost dream-like feel. In the end, Patient Killer felt like the Lifetime version of a classic David Lynch film noir. (The score even sounded similar to Angelo Badalamenti’s classic Mulholland Drive score.)

What Did Not Work?

As far as I’m concerned, it all worked!

“Oh my God! Just like me!” Moments

As someone has plenty of experience in the administrative assistance field, I totally related to the character played by Stacey Dash.

Lessons Learned

Never go to the office without a taser. (Watch the movie and it’ll make sense.)