Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs and James "Sonny" Crockett are both on the trail of a mysterious drug supplier named "The Columbian." Both of them are out to avenge dead police as the Columbian killed both two New York policemen as well as Crockett's partner, Eddie Rivera. The two reluctantly agree to work together in order to bring down the drug lord, developing a fast friendship along the way.
It was originally shot as a Pilot Movie but was split into two parts in syndication.
This episode contains the following tropes:
- Animal Companion: Crockett has a pet crocodile named Elvis.
- Assassin Outclassin': Tubbs takes down the cross-dressing hitman with Crockett providing a distraction.
- The Bad Guy Wins: Calderone gets away the end, no worse for wear.
- Bash Brothers: Crockett and Tubbs gradually evolve into this over the course of the episode.
- Batman Gambit: Crockett has the judge say that Leon the Drug Dealer cooperated with the police in hopes of getting him to actually do. Sadly, this gets Leon killed.
- Berserk Button: Bringing up the death of Eddie Rivera.
- Big Bad: The Columbian AKA Calderone.
- The Cartel: The Columbian is a member of one of these if the name wasn't clue enough.
- Cop Killer: The Columbian doesn't hesitate to kill cops.
- Creepy Crossdresser: The cross-dressing hitman who kills Leon.
- Dead Partner: Both Crockett and Tubbs have one of these, killed by the Columbian AKA Calderone. Tubbs actually lost his brother.
- Dead Person Impersonation: Tubbs impersonates his brother, killed by Calderone.
- Developing Doomed Characters: Eddie Rivera has a pregnant wife that he is presently fighting with over money.
- Dirty Cop: Scott Wheeler is The Mole for Calderone. Which means Calderone knows Tubbs was a cop.
- Downer Ending: Calderone escapes at the end, showing Miami Vice would have a very different view of law enforcement than typical cop shows.
- Establishing Character Moment:
- Tubbs intimidates a group of punks and silently stalks a dealer before getting into a shootout where he is utterly lethal.
- Crockett has a chatty amiable attitude that allows him to ingratiate himself with a local drug dealer as well as reassure his partner in equal measure.
- Flock of Wolves: Crockett complains that a big drug bust went belly up because three of the four individuals involved were cops.
- His Name Is...: Leon the Drug Dealer is killed before he can give up any information.
- If You Kill Him, You Will Be Just Like Him!: Tubbs almost guns down Calderone for killing his brother but pulls back at the last second.
- Karma Houdini: Calderone gets away scott free at the end due to paying two million dollars in bail then skipping town.
- Male Gaze: Leon spends an extended time looking at a Bikini Bar dancer as does the camera.
- My Fist Forgives You: Tubbs punches out Crockett for punching him first (he'd made a crack about his dead partner).
- Professional Killer: The cross-dressing hitman is one of these for The Cartel.
- Politically Incorrect Hero: Crockett asks if Tubbs is down in Miami to work on his tan.
