Somewhat surprising for a newly-launched TV drama, this first "regular" episode is one of the best in the entire first season. You could easily call this one a Neo-Noir classic which above all shows Michael Mann's abounding talent in creating a certain look, touch and feel in his works.
This episode is a very, very dark story about an undercover cop (Arthur Larsen, played by none other than Ed O'Neill) who is so far under he doesn't know which way is up, let alone see the fine line between good and bad. He enjoys a high-rolling, fast-lane, glitzy lifestyle up there with all the fat cats of organized crime. It all begins to fall apart when Crockett and Tubbs break the news to him that his closest "business associates" are responsible for the killing of a barely legal aspiring porn starlet. Our two favorite 80s TV cops try to set his head straight and pull him out of this predicament. In the end, the bad guys are booked and Arthur is free to go; however, his guilty conscience gets the better of him and becomes a tremendous burden. Ultimately, he quits the force and hangs himself.
Like I said, it's Neo-Noir at its finest, and in being that, not only a great start for this seminal 80s TV drama, but also a reverent homage to the classic Film Noir era.
This episode is a very, very dark story about an undercover cop (Arthur Larsen, played by none other than Ed O'Neill) who is so far under he doesn't know which way is up, let alone see the fine line between good and bad. He enjoys a high-rolling, fast-lane, glitzy lifestyle up there with all the fat cats of organized crime. It all begins to fall apart when Crockett and Tubbs break the news to him that his closest "business associates" are responsible for the killing of a barely legal aspiring porn starlet. Our two favorite 80s TV cops try to set his head straight and pull him out of this predicament. In the end, the bad guys are booked and Arthur is free to go; however, his guilty conscience gets the better of him and becomes a tremendous burden. Ultimately, he quits the force and hangs himself.
Like I said, it's Neo-Noir at its finest, and in being that, not only a great start for this seminal 80s TV drama, but also a reverent homage to the classic Film Noir era.