047. Out Where The Buses Don't Run (Miami Vice)

"If you don't beat it pal, you might get to Heaven right now"

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 18th October 1985
EPISODE NUMBER: Season 2, Episode 3
WRITTEN BY: Joel Surnow & Douglas Lloyd McIntosh

This is the first entry from the 1980s on my list and it could hardly be more representative of the era. The opening features a rollerskater, set to a song by The Who. He then gets busted by cool guys in suits with very fashionable haircuts. Miami Vice is unapologetically full of excess, and is great fun because of it.

When former cop Hank Weldon turns up out of the blue to give information on a case, Crockett and Tubbs rightly begin to suspect his motives. Crockett's sixth sense shows why he makes such a great cop. So the pair set out to do what they do best - dig up clues. The erratic Weldon, played by Bruce McGill, is a great guest star and welcome addition to the cast.

But in between all the detecting, there's still time to watch stuff get blown up - this is a cop show, after all. There are plenty of great action scenes this episode, and that's what keeps it interesting. One great set piece takes place out on the water and involves speedboats.

The mystery of Hank's past is finally uncovered in a dark and creepy scene in a warehouse, which does well to highlight not just the corruption on view but the cop's increasingly deteriorating mental state. Out Where The Buses Don't Run manages to deliver on action, intrigue and strong character work.