[ad_1]
For starters, “Rites of Passage” is an absolutely pitch-perfect “Miami Vice” episode. It opens with Diane (Tery Ferman) being approached by some dude on Miami Beach, who introduces her to David Traynor (Turturro), who, in turn, claims to run a high-profile modeling agency. The two hit it off at a party, where David seems sweet and genuine, offering her an opportunity to earn a hefty salary if she chooses to sign with his agency. Of course, nothing is as it seems: Just as we watch this encounter unfold, a dead body washes up on Miami Beach. It’s revealed to be a girl we previously saw at David’s party, who used to be one of his top-performing models. As it turns out, the modeling agency is just a ruse, as David essentially hoodwinks and coerces upcoming models into sex work. These bleak events immediately set the tone of the episode, making us aware of David’s duplicity from the get-go.
Advertisement
Just when we expect detectives Crockett (Don Johnson) and Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas) to lead the investigation, NYPD homicide cop Valerie Gordon (blaxploitation legend Pam Grier) shows up for a surprising reason. Valerie’s sister, Diane, has been missing for six months, and Valerie (who also happens to be Tubbs’ ex-girlfriend!) has traced her last whereabouts to Miami. The rest of the episode keeps up this thrilling pace, where Valerie and co. succeed in extracting Diane from David’s dangerous clutches, and the sisters end up reconnecting on a deeper level. However, tragedy strikes soon after when David sends someone to kill Diane, granting Valerie more than enough reasons to take matters into her own hands and discard her usual by-the-book approach to crime.
Advertisement
Turturro is memorable as the conniving David, who constantly oscillates between faux gentleness and a disturbing brand of possessiveness. After all, David views the girls he manipulates as objects, whom he readily discards once they prove to be a threat to his dastardly schemes. This calculated apathy clashes with Valerie’s righteous fury, which Grier fleshes out in the most intense, heartbreaking ways. Although Tubbs and Crockett take on a more secondary role in this episode, this switch-up is a welcome one, as we have two (three, if we count Ferman) electric performances that drive a heavy, bitter episode to its depressing finish.
For once, we have a “Miami Vice” episode that underlines the limitations of the central detectives, as their helpless failure to protect Diane fuels and feeds into Valerie’s gut-wrenching arc as a grieving sister and law-abiding cop. Moreover, the fact that the episode ends with a Turturro-Grier character confrontation is reason alone for “Rites of Passage” to be required viewing for “Miami Vice” enthusiasts. Solana Token Creator
[ad_2]
