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in: Season 5 episodes, Episodes with absent cast members

"Jack of All Trades"

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Jack of All Trades

Jackofalltradestitle

Season
Episode
12 (102nd Overall)
Airdate
March 3, 1989
Repeat Airdate
July 5, 1989
TV Rating
TV-14 L-V
Writer(s)
Director
Guest Stars
Previous Episode
Next Episode

"Jack of All Trades" is the twelfth episode of Miami Vice's fifth season. It premiered on March 3, 1989, and was rerun on July 5, 1989, as the winner of a viewer call-in poll held by NBC.

Summary

Crockett's black-sheep cousin, Jack, finds himself on the wrong side of a $50,000 debt and drags his police cousin into the scheme.

Plot

Several men are chasing after another man through an upscale shopping mall when the chased man runs into a clothing store to try on some new threads, then gives the clerk a bad credit card and ducks out the exit. Waiting for him at the elevator is mall security, who takes him in right past the men that were chasing him. Metro has him in custody and the runner says he was working undercover and that Crockett was his contact. Crockett and Tubbs arrive at Metro and discover, to their surprise, the arrested man is Crockett's cousin, Jack (David Andrews).

The store owner, Eddie Abbott, demands that they prosecute Jack, but Crockett reviews his file of numerous aliases and offenses, including a search warrant because of his recent stolen property offenses, and Eddie quickly leaves. Crockett talks about Jack being the same as dandruff, a family embarrassment, and he has a long list of scams, but Jack tells his cousin he's through with scams and he has a "real" job working as a pool salesman. Crocket visits Jack at the pool supply store where he is working and watches him working a client named Miguel. Jack makes a house call to look into a complaint and learns that Miguel is the son of Ray Soliz (Robert Miranda) who insists that Jack refund the money, and threatens bodily harm if he doesn't do so. Jack climbs over the fence to Soliz' backyard because he noticed some men stop in, and he witnesses the arrival of drugs. Back at the pool supply store, the men that were chasing Jack through the mall, including Harry Grubbs (John Santucci) find him and demand the $50,000 he owes Harry from a bad restaurant deal in 24 hours...or else. Jack (in a rat disguise) goes back to the Soliz house and robs the dealer of cash.

Jack returns to his house and finds his cousin waiting for him with a six pack. Jack, holding the stolen money tries to get Crocket to leave but Jack's story about his "date" is so outrageous Crockett follows him into his house. Most of the furniture is covered and while Crocket looks around Jack is faking a phone conversation while trying to hide the money he stole.  Crockett gets a call about the $50,000 stolen from Soliz and has to leave, much to Jack's relief. Jack takes the stolen money to Grubbs, who is very happy Jack paid him back. When Jack gets back to his place, two musclemen stuff him into a Mercedes trunk and take him to Soliz' place. Soliz says he knows that Jack stole the money because he is wearing the same pink shoes. Soliz explains that the money he stole belongs to another dealer named Octavio Escandero (Jesse Borrego), who wants his money in 24 hours...or else. Jack goes back to see Grubbs to arrange another scam, when he doesn't go for it, he then begs Grubbs for the money to prevent him being killed. Grubbs takes pity on Jack and agrees to get him the money.

Crockett is waiting for Jack downtown, but Jack is being roughed up by Soliz and Escandero's muscle, because the money he paid back was counterfeit (money Escandero printed a few weeks ago), and Escandero gives Jack one hour to get his money, provided he takes his two musclemen with him. Jack directs them to where Crockett is waiting and he sees what's going on and distracts the musclemen with a dropped beer can, gets Jack out of trouble, then threatens to beat the crap out of him if he isn't square with his cousin. Jack tells him he borrowed some money but wouldn't tell who, then softens his cousin up by telling him he is a screw up and how Crockett's the golden boy (war hero, football player, cop) and Jack is nothing. Crockett admits he always looked up to Jack when then were younger. Jack then tells a stunned Crokett he owes the money to Escandero. Crockett (as Burnett) takes Jack to see Escandero (and tells him to play it straight or he will shoot Jack himself) and tells the dealer Jack is an embarrassment to his family, and promises to make it right. Escandero approves of Crockett's integrity, and they set up a drug deal.

Crockett and Jack share a drink while Jack celebrates the help Crocket gave him. Jack goes to see Grubbs about the counterfeit money Grubbs gave him for his payoff and roughs him up. He tells him he's going to turn him into the cops, and his cousin is one of the best. Grubbs and Escandero are working a deal together and Grubbs gives him $200,000 in counterfeit money. They chat about business and Escandero mentions getting his own counterfeit money back and Grubbs blows Crockett's cover. Crockett and Jack are taken at gunpoint to Escandero's place, who informs Crockett he knows he is a cop. He locks them up in a storage room together, and Jack admits he was the one that blew Crockett's cover to Grubbs. Knowing they are going to be killed, they fight in the room as a ruse to lure one of Escandero's men in and they both punch the muscle out and Crockett shoots his way out. Crockett shoots Soliz and Escandero just as Stan arrives looking for Jack. But Jack took the counterfeit money and escaped by boat. Stan informs Crockett that the money is department issue and they should chase him. Crockett disagrees, since he knows the money is counterfeit and his cousin, who is unaware of that, can't get far.

Cast

Guest Stars

Co-Starring

Uncredited

Notes

  • Saundra Santiago (Gina), Olivia Brown (Trudy) and Edward James Olmos (Castillo) do not appear at all in this episode. Although never explicitly stated, it is possible Castillo's absence is due to his ongoing recovery from the gunshot wound he received in the previous episode, "Miami Squeeze".
  • This episode won a phone-in poll, held during the airing of the "lost" episode "Leap of Faith", that allowed viewers to determine which Vice episode would be repeated on July 5, 1989 (replacing the NBC-rejected "Too Much, Too Late"). The other episodes included in the poll were "Bad Timing" and "The Lost Madonna".
  • This is arguably the only season 5 episode that has a light-hearted tone, in extreme contrast to the next episode "The Cell Within". The only other episode made for season 5 that compares is the "lost" episode "Miracle Man".
  • This episode and the one that follows it, "The Cell Within", were filmed simultaneously due to the shortened shooting schedule allocated to season 5, a result of a writer's strike. The process worked because Crockett is the central character in this episode, featuring in most of the scenes, while Tubbs is the focus in the next.
  • Sonny mentions to Jack that he looked up to him as a child, as he had a motorcycle, and Sonny compared him to "Brando in The Wild One".
  • Escandero attributes the expression, "Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive," to "the immortal bard" (William Shakespeare). However, the line is actually from the poem "Marmion" by Sir Walter Scott. Villains in both this episode and "The Cell Within" cite Shakespeare. In the latter episode, Jake Manning explains to Tubbs that he read Shakespeare and other authors while in prison.
  • The open-top Mercedes 500 SEC used by Soliz's men to kidnap Jack is a rare aftermarket conversion. Mercedes-Benz themselves never offered the W126 S-class coupe as a convertible.

Goofs

  • When Ray Soliz stuffs the cash into the duffle bag for Jack and throws it on the floor, the bag is open (unzipped); in the shot of the bag on the floor immediately following this, it is suddenly zipped shut.
  • It is strongly implied Jack is staying in a vacant house that he has broken into -- it therefore makes no sense that the police would know to call there to get a hold of Crockett.
  • When Jack elbows the goon next to him in the back of the Mercedes, he clearly totally misses the man's face.
  • During the shootout at Escandero's place a bullet hits a column near Crockett, but no shot is heard.

Production Notes

  • Filmed: January 16, 1989 - January 24, 1989
  • Production Code: 63911
  • Production Order: 102

Filming Locations

  • El Jardin House, 3747 Main Highway/Coconut Grove (Escondero's house)
  • Fairmont Gardens, 1000 Collins Ave, Miami Beach (Soliz' house)
  • Essex House Hotel, 1001 Collins Ave, Miami Beach (Crockett waits for Jack)
  • Villa Ipa, 3715 Main Highway, Coconut Grove (Jack's house)
  • The Mayfair, Coconut Grove (has since been extensively remodeled)
  • Pool Customer's House, 6070 SW 128th St, Miami

Music

Quotes

  • "Call Dan Quayle, he'll vouch for me." -- Jack under interrogation
  • "If I were you, I'd go easy on the outrage Mr. Eddie Abbott, alias Eddie Gomez, alias Eddie Gilbert, alias Gilbert Tobias, who is it this week, Eddie Rabbitt?" -- Crockett to "Eddie"
  • "Either you got lost on your way to EPCOT, or you're very stupid." -- Soliz to "masked intruder" Jack
  • "Dare to dream, that's my motto." -- "Stiff me and die, that's mine!" -- Exchange between Jack and Grubbs
Season 5 Episodes:

"Hostile Takeover" • "Redemption in Blood" • "Heart of Night" • "Bad Timing" • "Borrasca" • "Line of Fire" • "Asian Cut" • "Hard Knocks" • "Fruit of the Poison Tree" • "To Have and to Hold" • "Miami Squeeze" • "Jack of All Trades" • "The Cell Within" • "The Lost Madonna" • "Over the Line" • "Victims of Circumstance" • "Freefall" (Series Finale)

The "Lost" Episodes:
"World of Trouble" • "Miracle Man" • "Leap of Faith" • "Too Much, Too Late"

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