The glamourous,decadent,stylish,dangerous world of the Miami of the mid to late 1980s that Sonny Crockett inhabits is a lot like Gotham from the Batman comics and films. On the surface things look respectable, people seem who they claim to be dig a little deeper and nothing is what it seems. Nobody seem to be who others think they are they are leading double lives. Such was the case in this excellent episode of Miami VIce from the late 1980s.
Ali Ferrand was a high class prostitute working for the Caprice Escort Service serving financially upmarket clients in Miami. She accidentally witnesses a hit organised by a Miami underworld figure, Kenneth Toagaru on a fellow money launderer. Christine Van Marburg the highly successful Madam of Caprice Escort Services and other business ventures in Miami offers comfort and protection to Ali. However an intense romance with Sonny puts Ali's safety in serious jeopardy. Christine probably was going to reveal all to Sonny and for the Miami Police Dept to offer protection to Ali. Ali Ferrand becomes an innocent victim of underworld machinations. Which deeply upsets Sonny who vows to bring Togaru to justice and makes a deal with Christine van Marburg. During this time Sonny is stunned to learn that the woman he is passionately in love with and wanted a long term relationship with and possibly later marry is in fact a Madam of an escort service. Christine in turn is surprised that Sonny is a cop and his hypocritical sense of morality. When she tells him that both of them are just two sides of the same coin. That it is a shame that Sonny cannot see through his own moral hypocrisy as a cop to continue the relationship with Christine Van Marburg. A lost opportunity for both to find happiness in the future as the turn of events mean the relationship cannot continue as before at least as far as Sonny was concerned.
The sadness for both Sonny and Christine at the end of the episode that they couldn't work things out from the turn of events as they were clearly meant for each other and a good match for each other. Had they married the marriage would have lasted, as Sonny was trying to fix his personal life. Which is appropriate at the end of the episode Simply Red song "Holding Back the Years" is played in the background. The lyrics of the song is there to signify the real tragedy in this episode is that events in the episode prevent two passionate people meant for each other from living happily ever after. Sonny alludes to it and Christine too.
This was a sad and moving ending in a overall tragic story of the episode.Also I had to spare a thought for Vanity's character Ali Ferrand which was another tragedy. As innocent women like her, who are probably bright enough to pursue another safer better career than the one they chose, probably for the same reasons Christine Van Marburg did, ends up taking the more dangerous path in life with tragic consequences. The Simply Red song was alluding to her life too as well as to Sonny's and Christines.and the wrong choices in lifeand Ali Ferrand made.
Indeed the central theme of the episode is alluding to the fact about the wrong choices people make which makes them end up taking the path they take in life. Yes they might achieve some success, but at what price? That is what Sonny was saying when he says I think I have been a cop for too long I seem to have relationships with the wrong people. Or Christine Van Marburg regretting becoming a madam even if the money was good. Or Ali Ferrand witnessing underworld criminality at close quarters due to the nature of her work as a lady of the night. I think that is what the song by Simply Red - Holding Back the Years, was stating for the three main characters for Sonny, Christine and Ali all three had made the wrong choices in life as the lyrics from the song stated because in these characters lives, the love that should have been between Sonny and Christine and another life Ali greatly shortened "nothing had the chance to be good because nothing ever could", when Sonny and Christine and Ali are in essence good people who deserved better in life than the cards they were dealt with which made them make the choices they made that ensured their tragic fates. To me this was one of the most thought provoking episodes in the entire series. I would have given it 10 stars but for the sad ending. I don't like sad endings. I wanted Sonny and Melanie Griffith Character to have a few seasons long relationship. But that would not be consistent for such dark tv series like Miami Vice. In my opinion one of the best tv shows ever made.
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