#gina calabrese

[doesnotloveyou]

Miami Vice ~ S1E09 "The Great McCarthy"

[mitochondriaandbunnies]

Miami Vice S1E19: The Home Invaders

Vice helps Sonny's mentor investigate a rash of violent robberies.

A heavy, methodical, paranoid episode* with a surprisingly non-devastating ending and a lot of Castillo doing very serious detective work-- The Home Invaders is another Vice classic, and also a great Crockett & Castillo episode

The Squad is roped into a robbery case in the middle of the night (Gina seems bright-eyed and bushy-tailed-- the rest of them are in various states of decay); a series of homes have been broken into and their residents not only robbed but violently assaulted

There's no Tubbs in this episode, which is explained by an offhand comment from Trudy-- he's in New York "sipping champagne with Valerie," which bothers the hell out of me, because last time we saw her she was going to jail for murder. Next time we see her we learn Sonny pulled some strings to get her exonerated (which... okay. Fine. I don't actually buy it, for a number of reasons, but I do understand why you'd want to get Pam Grier back), but at this point it just seems like a major oversight, like they forgot how the last Val episode ended

When the squad is pulled in to help, we learn that Sonny's old mentor is leading the investigation. Sonny is thrilled to see him and clearly still is harboring a bit of hero worship. Martin is significantly less impressed, looking through the files from the robbery department and asking, essentially: okay, but do you actually have any... clues? This becomes a running theme, and Sonny has to navigate a My Parents Are Divorced situation because of it-- his mentor doesn't actually seem to be doing a very good job with the investigation, but Castillo-- who is incapable of tact on this topic-- is his current boss, and someone he has developed a lot of loyalty to.

Trans Flag Sonny

The episode involves scenes where the robbers are doing the robbery (with faces hidden, violent and unknowable and terrifying), which are really well done and raise the tension and stakes to genuinely uncomfortable levels. However, there are also scenes where they show the robbers plotting, and to be honest I think the episode would've been better without those. This episode is by no means a treatise on the nature of criminality, so by turning them from almost a force of nature into "a couple of chuckling guys talking about money," it just makes them... less scary? (And I think there's a sense early on that Sonny's mentor might be corrupt-- once we meet the titular home invaders, it becomes fairly clear that he's not involved in the crime, he's just phoning it in. I think that extra bit of tension could've been really good!)

This is such a good Castillo episode, partially because it really establishes the dichotomy of how good he is at his job vs. how weird he is and how iffy his social skills are. Castillo will solve the case! But he will absolutely not make eye contact with anyone as he does so. The moment where he and Sonny sit in the car and Castillo just... literally does not move for about a minute is fantastic, and there's another scene that's all cuts between Sonny out pounding the pavement and Castillo... reading. Reading every file ever. Endlessly reading files forever. That is just so emblematic of their two characters. I swear at one point he drinks a random drink he finds on the bar-- he is odd! Insanely competent, but odd.

Sonny realizes Castillo is right, but he does not want to be his babysitter-- he spends a lot of this episode sighing and furrowing his brow and trying to apologize to Malone (his mentor) even though he is actually suspicious of his ability to run this case-- Sonny is very charming, but he actually does not have the emotional wherewithal or bandwidth to play go-between for those two. (There is a scene where Sonny and Marty both ask Malone a bunch of initially gentle and then increasingly dire questions and Malone just..... stops making eye contact, too.)

Gina is sent to the hairdressers to investigate a possible link between victims, and has a really well-done sequence where she is carefully watching everyone in the salon (to the tune of Sheila E.'s The Glamorous Life-- which I always think is a Vanity song, and then I always think about the fact that Prince wanted to name Vanity "Vagina"). It's not only a well-shot and choreographed sequence, but also one where Gina mirrors both Sonny and Castillo-- it's an episode with a lot of watching and looking, and the three of them all get a really lovely opportunity to show off their actual detective skills. Sonny watches the streets and looks for clues there, Castillo watches the actions of the robbery division and looks for clues in files, and Gina watches people, looking for behavioral hints that could help them get to the heart of the case.

Trudy is not given much to do in this one, which is a bummer, because she is also super-extra hot this week. Otherwise it's also a really good "the whole team working together" episode, too.

I do like this episode but there's a bit of mean-spiritedness towards both the sex workers that help them narrow down their suspects and the older woman who is a potential victim-- it's all a little too victim-blamey and ha-ha-women-are-frivolous for my tastes.

So, Sonny has a number of "person I have hero worship feelings about" episodes, and every other one ends with that person being swallowed up by the job and either dying or letting the system turn them bad. Malone, on the other hand, makes amends with Castillo, realizes and admits he's been phoning it in, decides to retire because of that, tells Sonny what he's doing and why, and then goes and eats lunch with Vice Squad. He's the only person in the whole series who shows Sonny that sometimes you need to say goodbye, and gives him an example of what it looks like when you do it on your own terms. Given the ending of the series, Malone may in fact be the true hero of Miami Vice-- he literally says to Sonny "let me show you when it's time for you to put your gun on the shelf," and when the time comes, Sonny also manages to walk away.

Also Castillo/Malone remarriage for the sake of their son arc?

*Re: the home invasion plot and sense of paranoia-- there's a bunch of S3 episodes that basically are just Dick Wolf saying "hey, what if we redo the plot of a S1 episode but worse and with more police brutality," but there's another paranoid home invasion episode in S3 (Shadow in the Dark) that is so good it almost makes The Home Invaders seem a little tame by comparison. It's probably the only "plot retread" episode I actually like just a smidge better than the "original." Nonetheless, this is still a great episode.

[miami-vices]

Olivia Brown and Saundra Santiago as Trudy Joplin and Gina Calbrese (Miami Vice, S1E11: Give a Little, Take a Little, 1984)

[msvito]

Miami Vice (1985)

[inthewindtunnel]

Gina Calabrese

The Afternoon Plane

First Blood

Gina Calabrese

-album-

[haveyoulistenedtothisalbum-poll]

Tracklist:

Nobody Lives Forever • The Afternoon Plane • When Irish Eyes Are Crying • Back In The World • Blood And Roses • Tale Of The Goat • Missing Hours • First Blood

Spotify ♪ Bandcamp ♪ YouTube

[iloveitxwhenaplanxcomestogether]

What does Gina think of Hannibal??

"What do I think of this Colonel Smith?" Gina carefully parrots the inquiry posed to her. The Vice Cop's eagle eyes linger upon his file unamusedly.

"A fugitive-- is-- a fugitive." There's no waxing the moon poetical commentary that she can afford to give on his behalf. "What?" She cants her head to the side briefly. "Am I supposed to be impressed, just cause he has some flare for the dramatics?" She returns, handing the other their manila folder back. "Sure, the guy's orchestrated a few miraculous escapes," Gina reasons, "I'll give him that much but, he'd better not come to Miami. He might just find himself in a spot he can't get out of--" Though it would be quite interesting to see who would get best in a battle between John Hannibal Smith and Lt. Martin Castillo.

[solo6677]

Heartbreaker. From lawyer to biker.

In the cold, unforgiving world of criminal justice, where the line between right and wrong is often blurred, there stands a beacon of hope and justice. Elizabeth Hart, a young and ambitious Assistant District Attorney, has built a reputation as a formidable force against crime. With her sharp intellect, unyielding determination, and unwavering moral compass, she has put away countless criminals, earning herself the nickname Heartbreaker for her ability to shatter the hopes of those who dare to cross her path.

But who is Elizabeth Hart, really? Beneath her stern exterior and no-nonsense attitude lies a complex and multifaceted woman. She is a daughter, a sister, and a friend, but above all, she is a warrior for justice. Driven by a deep-seated need to make the world a better place, Elizabeth has dedicated her life to the pursuit of justice, often at great personal cost.

As Elizabeth prepares to take on her next case, she can't help but wonder if she's truly making a difference. With each victory, she sees new crimes committed, new criminals emerging, and new victims suffering. The weight of her responsibilities bears down on her, and she can't help but feel that she's fighting a losing battle.

But Elizabeth Hart is not one to back down from a challenge. She is determined to continue her fight for justice, no matter the cost. And so, she asks herself, What more can I do to protect the innocent and bring the guilty to justice? The answer will lead her down a dangerous path, where she will face her greatest challenge yet and discover that the line between right and wrong is not always as clear as it seems.

She was very instrumental in helping put away some of the biggest mobsters in town, even becoming known as Heartbreaker, just because she would break the hearts of her enemies by putting them away.

Of course, none of this sat well with Gina Calabrese, who had been hearing about her for years now. She knew Elizabeth had put her father away, and that made her want to seek revenge.

When she learned Elizabeth was coming to her territory to prosecute another case, she decided to try and get rid of her once and for all. She gathered her best henchmen and told them what to do. The “Heartbreaker” was going to see life in a different way.

Elizabeth Hart walked out of the courthouse after a long day of work, she never suspected that her life was about to take a dramatic and dangerous turn. She was ambushed by members of the notorious mob, who had been watching her every move. They overpowered her, drugged her, and took her to a seedy biker bar on the outskirts of town.

When Elizabeth woke up, she found herself in a world that was completely foreign to her. She was surrounded by biker women, who exuded an aura of danger and lawlessness. They made her a drink, which they forced down her throat and before she knew it, she was feeling the effects of the drugs that had been slipped into her drink.

Over the next few days, Elizabeth was subjected to a series of hypnosis sessions and given a special concoction that slowly began to change her from the good-hearted Assistant District Attorney to a seductive, law-breaking biker. They gave her a new name, Lizzy, and taught her how to ride a motorcycle, how to fight, and how to use her sexuality as a weapon.

As the transformation took hold, Lizzy became a different person. She was no longer the straight-laced, no-nonsense prosecutor; she was now a sexy, rebellious biker who wanted nothing more than to break the law and live life on the edge. She had sex with any woman biker and she drank and partied like there was no tomorrow.

Lizzy got tattoos, piercings, and even changed her hair and clothing style to fit her new identity. She was unrecognizable to those who knew her before, and she reveled in her newfound freedom and power.

But as she lost herself in her new lifestyle, she also gained something she never expected: love. Her mentor, Scarlet, introduced her to the pleasures of lesbian sex, and the two of them became inseparable.

One day, Lizzy stumbled upon a file that contained all of the details of her transformation. She read through it in shock and horror, realizing that she had been drugged, hypnotized, and brainwashed into becoming someone else. She was not a biker by choice; she had been turned into one against her will.

But by then, it was too late. Lizzy was a biker through and through, and she could not imagine going back to the life she had before. She left her past behind and embraced her new identity with open arms.

After a few heists, Lizzy and Scarlett were ready to start their lives together as the leaders of a new biker gang. Lizzy even went back and made sure she got the same concoction that turned her into a biker bitch and brought some of her old friends from the law enforcement into it.

From that moment on, she was a true daughter of the road, living each day as if it was her last. For the first time, she felt truly alive, and she wouldn't have it any other way. She refused to let anybody get in her way, and her and her biker group, known as the Heartbreakers, would cause terror in the town for years to come.

[modern-old-sport]

rough draft ramblings

a snippet of something i'm working on, an analysis of Miami Vice as noir storytelling. this is the absolute roughest of rough drafts so it makes absolutely NO SENSE but i had to get something out.

THE DEEP SADNESS OF MIAMI VICE

Palm trees, all-night parties, fast cars and fast women. To think of just cars and clothes is selling this show short. Hidden beneath visuals ripped from the glossy pages of Vogue, lies the profound sadness at the heart of Miami Vice. 

We’ll begin with Sonny Crockett. Cool, suave Sonny. You mean the divorced dad who lives on a boat? The one who drives a Daytona/Testarossa that belongs to the department? The one who doesn’t get to see his son very often? The Sonny with a long string of relationships, none of which end very well. Especially not his marriage to Caitlin…  

Right from the first episode we get a peek into the turbulent emotions concealed underneath that crisp white blazer. “Caroline, it was real, wasn’t it?” Crockett is searching for something to ground himself with, after learning that his former partner has been giving up information to the drug dealer they are chasing, and another partner killed in a meet gone wrong.

Ricardo Tubbs arrives in Miami looking for his brother’s murderer. Already not off to a hot start. In his search for revenge, Rico meets Calderone’s daughter Angelina. When she appears next, almost a full season later, it's revealed that the two of them have a son. Both Angelina and Rico Jr. are killed by Angelina’s brother at the end of the episode, in an attempt to get revenge. 

Sonny, as Burnett, attempts to kill his partner. Even though his attempts are not successful, it’s hard to imagine their relationship returning to normal after that. Hard to go back to working with a guy on the street and have eachothers backs when you think your partner experienced a mental break and turned to the other side. 

No one is exempt from the sorrow. The best example in my opinion is found in Lieutenant Martin Castillo. Every episode that centers his story seems to have someone that he is close to dying or leaving. To find out that the wife you thought had been killed is not only alive, but in your city, then to visit her and realize that she’s married to someone else and has a son with that husband? (The women of Vice are frequently used as plot points in someone else’s story rather than being their own full characters, but we’ll save that for later.) Add to that having to kill your longtime best friend? I would like to think he has a therapist and that they are paid well, because that’s a lot of pain.  

Zito’s tragic death, Stan’s gambling addiction, the list seems never-ending. Even Gina and Trudy, who are too often relegated to the sidelines or the background, take their turn. Gina Calabrese has been sexually assaulted TWICE while undercover. Trudy Joplin and her experiences in the episode “Hell Hath No Fury”, or during her first officer-involved shooting.

All this and more contribute to the overall noir aspect of Vice. Noir films feature themes of crime, corruption, greed, and guilt, to name a few.  

[detectiverickitubbs]

Zito is in complete and utter disbelief that someone had the nerve to accuse Sonny of being crooked. He can’t even with the DRAMA. This is the face of a friend bracing for IMPACT. 

Gina’s just plain irritated. 

[doesnotloveyou]

the scene where gina's date cancels so she charmingly asks sonny if he wants to come over for dinner and he's like *shrug* "sure" and continues to chaw on a cold candy bar, and gina's like "better than nothing."

is he? is he, gina?

[mitochondriaandbunnies]

Haven't drawn the Good Girls recently and needed to rectify that

[mountain-of-madness]

Miami Vice cast + if they would fuck their clone

I will accept criticism

[msvito]

Miami Vice (1985)

[lastactiionhero]

[blackmiamivice]

Season 3, Episode 13: Down for the Count (Part 2)

Black 🌴 Tropical 🌴 Retro