"Give a Little, Take a Little"

Give a Little, Take a Little
Season	1
Episode	10 (10th overall)
Airdate	December 7, 1984
Repeat Airdate	May 31, 1985
TV Rating	TV-14 D
Writer(s)	Chuck Adamson
Director	Bobby Roth
Guest Stars	Burt Young Lenny Von Dohlen Tony Plana Jacqueline Brookes Annie O'Neill Michael Madsen Terry O'Quinn Charlie Barnett
Previous Episode	"Glades"
Next Episode	"Little Prince"

"Give a Little, Take a Little" is the tenth episode of Miami Vice's first season. It premiered on December 7, 1984, and was rerun on May 31, 1985.

Summary

When Crockett spends more time in jail than the crime lord he's trying to bust, Gina finds herself in a tough spot when trying to take him down.

Plot

Crockett and Tubbs go to see Noogie about any action on the street, and he gives them a line on an amphetamine stash in a warehouse. At OCB, the two Vice cops bring Castillo up to speed. The Lieutenant also deals with Gina and Trudy's investigation into a major pimp named Lupo Ramirez, owner of a high-dollar call-girl service. He warns them not to risk getting compromised -- two former Ramirez girls turned up dead in the river, carved up, when they struck out on their own. He assigns Switek and Zito to back them up.

At the warehouse, Crockett and Tubbs run into Bob Rickert, who reluctantly lets them in when they pressure him. The Vice cops find the stash of drugs and arrest Rickert; Crockett, playing bad cop, takes him outside and bullies him into naming the pick-up guy, threatening him with the grim realities of jail if he doesn't confess. Rickert eventually names Sally Alvarado, along with the time of the pickup and his address. Abandoning the tough guy routine, Crockett turns Rickert loose and tells him to let Alvarado make the pickup as usual. Meanwhile, Gina and Trudy go to work at Ramirez' club, Club Ocho, where they report to the club's manager, Cinco. Gina presses Cinco about meeting with Ramirez, but he points out that she's still small time and not worthy of his boss' personal attention. Following up on the Rickert lead, Crockett and Tubbs drive to the address he provided. Gunfire erupts before a souped up Ford Bronco busts through the garage door and flees the scene; Crockett and Tubbs give chase in Tubbs' Coupe de Ville, the pursuit ending when the Bronco crashes into a hotdog stand on the beachfront. Alvarado steps out and is arrested.

Gina (as Paula) finally meets with Ramirez, offering to work directly for him if he takes her off the street and puts her on more lucrative call-out contracts, serving politicians, high-rollers from the Caribbean, conventioneers and the like. She pledges to make him a healthy profit in exchange for his protection. Ramirez makes personal advances, but Gina insists their arrangement remain businesslike. Later that day, Crockett and Tubbs are called to lawyer Richard Cain's office. Cain, an old adversary of Crockett's, tells them that he represents Alvarado, and that "people of means" got the dealer out on bail. He states his intention to challenge the warrant by forcing Crockett to reveal his confidential informant. A disgusted Crockett refuses to give up his source, and he and Tubbs walk out. Meanwhile, at his home, Rickert comes clean with his wife about his involvement with drugs and his arrest, telling her that the cop who busted him let him off in exchange for information, but that the people he informed on are dangerous. At OCB, Castillo warns Crockett that he will face contempt of court charges -- and jail time -- if he doesn't name his informant; in court, Judge Cohen ultimately gives him a thirty day sentence. As Crockett stews in a cell, Rickert receives a phone call telling him the Vice cop went to jail rather than give him up.

Gina meets with Ramirez at his mansion, and he commends her for the money she has been bringing in since he moved her up the chain. He tells her that he intends to expose her to an "elite clientele", and he invites her to a party that evening with several of his associates. After Gina leaves, Ramirez receives a visit from Cinco, who tells him he has discovered evidence of electronic surveillance and that there may be an informant inside their organization. They immediately suspect Gina, and Ramirez orders Cinco to get rid of her -- after the party that night. Gina tells Trudy about her progress in the case over lunch; Trudy is concerned for her safety and asks that she bring her along as backup, but Gina insists she go alone to protect her cover. Meanwhile, Crockett is sprung from jail. He assumes that Castillo got him out, but the Lieutenant tells him that Rickert went to see Cain, identified himself as the informant, and agreed not to testify, allowing Alvarado to walk. An irate Crockett complains that he did more jail time than his suspect. That night, Gina goes to Ramirez' place, only to find there is no party and that she is alone with the pimp. He propositions her, and Gina is forced to sleep with him to prevent her cover from being blown.

Determined to break the Alvarado case, Crockett and Tubbs go to see Noogie again, who has newfound respect for Crockett after he did time to protect an informant. He introduces the Vice cops to a man named Trick Baby, who tells them that Alvarado is an enforcer for the man who runs most of the action in South Miami; when Crockett and Tubbs pressure him for the crime lord's identity, Trick Baby names Ramirez. He goes on to tell them that Ramirez has ordered a hit on a girl named "Paula", whom he has fingered for a snitch. Crockett and Tubbs recognize Paula as Gina's cover and race over to her apartment to save her. Trudy stops by Gina's place ahead of them to find her Vice partner distraught following her ordeal with Ramirez. She comforts her, unaware that Cinco is sneaking into the building downstairs. Crockett and Tubbs arrive just in time to chase him off, and Trudy shoots him in the back as he flees. Badly wounded, Cinco confirms that Alvarado and Ramirez are working together, and that Alvarado is out to kill Rickert. In return for medical assistance, he promises to testify against Alvarado, and tells Crockett and Tubbs that they can find him at Club Ocho. The Vice cops head over there and arrest him as Switek performs a comedian act onstage -- although the only person in the audience who is laughing is Zito. Later, Gina and Trudy go to bust Ramirez at his home, but when he pulls a knife Gina is forced to shoot him dead. Outside, Crockett consoles an emotional Gina as Ramirez' body is taken away.

Cast

• Don Johnson as Metro-Dade Detective James "Sonny" Crockett
• Philip Michael Thomas as Metro-Dade Detective Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs
• Saundra Santiago as Metro-Dade Detective Gina Calabrese
• Michael Talbott as Metro-Dade Detective Stan Switek
• John Diehl as Metro-Dade Detective Larry Zito
• Olivia Brown as Metro-Dade Detective Trudy Joplin
• Edward James Olmos as Metro-Dade Lieutenant Martin "Marty" Castillo

Guest Stars

• Burt Young as Lupo Ramirez
• Lenny Von Dohlen as Bob Rickert
• Tony Plana as Cinco
• Jacqueline Brookes as Judge Cohen
• Annie O'Neill as Mrs. Rickert
• Michael Madsen as Sally Alvarado
• Terry O'Quinn as Richard Cain

Special Guest Star

• Charlie Barnett as Nugart "Noogie" Lamont

Co-Starring

• Garcelle Beauvais as Waitress
• Pat Julian as Assistant D.A.
• Ben Rivera as Ramirez' Bodyguard
• Donna Rosea as Cain's Secretary
• Henry G. Sanders as Trick Baby

Notes

• This is the second of three consecutive episodes (along with "Glades" before it and "Little Prince" after it) that open with establishing shots of the seedy areas of Miami, many of which are located in the South Beach area before the revitalization that took place there during and after Miami Vice was on the air.

Tubbs' Coupe de Ville makes its entrance.

• The episode marks the debut of Tubbs' Coupe de Ville on the show, first seen when he and Crockett drive to Alvarado's house to question him, and in the subsequent car chase. The car would remain Tubbs' personal mode of transport for the rest of the show's run.
• Gina would find herself in a similar situation in the season 4 episode "Blood & Roses"; that time the man she is forced to sleep with is mobster Frank Mosca.
• Similarly, this would not be the last time Crockett finds himself in jail on contempt charges for refusing to name an informant -- the same happens in the season 4 opener "Contempt of Court", which coincidentally also involves Frank Mosca.
• In a touch of continuity, the Assistant District Attorney prosecuting the Alvarado case (played by Pat Julian) is the same District Attorney who worked the Ruiz case with Crockett and Tubbs in the previous episode, "Glades".
• The footage of Crockett's Daytona speeding through the night, with the car skipping off of the camber of the Miami streets, is recycled from "Cool Runnin'", and was also used in "Calderone's Return (Part I)".
• Garcelle Beauvais (whose scene was actually cut from the episode) would later play Gabriella in "The Maze". She is also one of several Miami Vice guest stars to appear in Michael Mann's 1986 film Manhunter, alongside Bill Cwikowski (from "No Exit"), Chris Elliott (from "Down for the Count (Part II)"), Dennis Farina (from "One Eyed Jack", "Lombard" and "World of Trouble"), Kim Griest (from "Nobody Lives Forever"), Michele Shay (from "Theresa" and "Badge of Dishonor"), Bill Smitrovich (from "Brother's Keeper" and "The Prodigal Son") and Jim Zubiena (from "Calderone's Return (Part I)"). Miami Vice regular Michael Talbott also had a small role in the film, although his single scene was deleted from the theatrical cut of the movie.
• This is one of several episodes that does not end on a freeze frame. However, the technique, one of the show's trademarks, is readily apparent elsewhere in the episode, with several other freeze frames at dramatic points.

Goofs

• When Noogie is first seen singing, the movement of his lips does not match the lyrics he is singing. The same thing happens a little later when he gets back in his chair and starts singing again, before Crockett interrupts him.
• Noogie gets back into his chair with the guitar held across his lap in the regular playing position (albeit left-handed), but when the camera cuts, it is suddenly upright, resting between his legs and pointed at the ceiling. When the camera cuts again, it is once against across his lap.
• When Alvarado opens fire on Crockett and Tubbs on his doorstep, Crockett says, "This guy's serious," yet his lips do not move until a few seconds later.
• The passenger side mirror on Alvarado's Ford Bronco changes angle during the car chase without ever being touched.
• There is an obvious jump cut during the scene where Bob Rickert confesses his crimes to his wife.
• When Noogie is introducing Trick Baby to Crockett and Tubbs, he grabs Trick Baby by the shirt and breaks the chain around his neck. In the next shot the chain has disappeared.
• When the Daytona is speeding to Gina's place, the left tail light turns on and off from shot to shot.
• The position of Gina's hands on her revolver constantly changes as the camera switches angle while she is confronting Ramirez at the end of the episode, most obviously regarding the position of her thumb, which alternates between being on the gun's hammer and off it.

Deleted Scenes

• An extra scene of Crockett and Tubbs meeting with Noogie at the beach and (unsuccessfully) trying to get information on Sally Alvarado was shot but ultimately cut from the episode.
• Also cut was Garcelle Beauvais' single scene as a waitress at Club Ocho. Photographs from her scene appeared in magazines at the time, but it was ultimately removed from the broadcast episode. Despite its deletion, Beauvais is still listed in the episode's credits.

Production Notes

• Filmed: October 15, 1984 - October 26, 1984
• Production Number: 59505
• Production Order: 10

Filming Locations

• Bars 20th St./Collins Ave, Miami Beach (Gina/Trudy walking down street)
• Biscayne Boulevard / NE 35th Terrace, Miami (Scene of prostitute)
• SW North River Drive / West Flagler Street, Miami (Storage location where Bob Rickert is found)
• N.View Drive/Lake Ave, Sunset Island, Miami Beach - Sunset Drive/Sunset Harbor Drive, Miami Beach -Watson Island/Mac Arthur Causeway - Ocean Drive/9th Street (Car chase with Alvarado)
• Club Ache 3600 SW 8th St. Miami (Club where Gina, Trudy, Cinco, and Switek work)
• Clay Hotel, Espanola Way & Washington Ave, Miami Beach (Gina/Trudy in cafe)
• 1215 Meridian Avenue, Miami Beach (Gina's Apartment)
• South Hibiscus Drive near East 4th Court (Ramirez' house interior, terrace scenes)
• 10337 E. Broadview Drive (Ramirez' exterior)

Music

• "Better Be Good to Me" by Tina Turner (opening sequence with Gina and Trudy shopping for clothes)
• "You Want More" by Etta James (Gina at Ramirez' house)
• "Today's a Beginning (Instrumental Version)" by Brian Ray (Trudy consoles Gina)
• "Today's a Beginning" by Brian Ray (end sequence where Gina is consoled by Crockett)

Jan Hammer Music

• "Crockett's Return" (Crockett speaks to Rickert about jail, Ricekrt talks with his wife)

Quotes

• "You're so high you need clearance to land!" -- Crockett to Noogie
• "They haven't invented a tricky situation we can't handle!". -- Gina after Castillo assigns them to the Ramirez case
• "Look down there (in the river), that's jail, and it's got guys up there that are gonna love you!" -- Crockett to Rickett
• "We've got a pusher, a suspected mob hitman, and God knows what else, and he does less time in this case than I did!" -- Crockett after learning Alvarado got out of jail
• "You can come along nice like, or you don't have to come along at all." -- Crockett to Alvarado at Club Ocho