Miami Vice (TV Series) Junk Love (1985) User Reviews

A gritty, hard edged tale

[DVD_Connoisseur · 8/10 · 28 June 2007]

This is one of the darker "Miami Vice" episodes featuring prostitution, drug abuse and murder. An ageing drug dealer's seedy passion for a beautiful young woman gives Crockett and Tubbs the opportunity to bust the bad guys.

As the credits were coming up on the screen, I found myself wondering just how many times the final screen shot shows just a close-up of Sonny Crockett. There's no doubt that Philip Michael Thomas' Tubbs is overshadowed by his partner in the majority of the stories. In this episode, Tubbs is actually a less sympathetic character than Crockett, showing little sympathy for the plight of the young addict who is helping the two detectives.

Bryan Ferry's "Slave To Love" is the strongest track from this episode.

8 out of 10 - this one leaves a sour taste in the viewer's mouth but it's quality drama.

Gritty "Vice" with a dark twist

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 13 November 2009]

Series two of "Miami Vice" continues with another good and fairly gritty episode featuring prostitution, drugs and murder. The story opened with Tubbs going into a brothel where he helps one of the girls, Rosella, who was roughed up by a customer. She says she is trying to get off drugs and away from the man in her life, Juan Carlos Silva, a local drug importer.

While in hospital she is contacted by one of Silva's underlings who takes her back to him; Silva rewards him by blowing him up. In exchange for his freedom brothel owner Ivory Jones introduces Crockett and Tubbs to Silva at a boat auction then they must trust Rosella not to blow their cover.

The episode has some good action and a real sense of danger as Silva is clearly a warped individual in more ways than one.

Miami Vice--Junk Love

[Scarecrow-88 · 7/10 · 26 April 2013]

This episode of Miami Vice, "Junk Love", concerns a maladjusted heroine junkie, Rosella (Ely Pouget), having fled the coup from her "man", Juan Carlos Silva (José Pérez), to a high-class brothel operated by a former associate of Silva's, Ivory Jones (Miles Davis, looking a bit weary, spent, tired…). Crockett and Tubbs hope to use Rosella's hatred for Silva to get close to her "sugar daddy". Silva is into transporting his drugs by boats, into fish, to the shore, having been successful because his methods change frequently. Crockett believes Rosella went back to Silva, and remains with him, for a reason besides the money, house, yacht, and drugs (she seems to hate this life Silva has produced with his drugs), while Tubbs thinks she's just a spoiled brat who is still with him because of all the amenities that come with trafficking and selling dope. The twist regarding Silva and Rosella's relationship explains a great deal of the repulsion, agony, and burden that Rosella carries for him. It leaves a bad taste. That said, the whole sequence at the end when it seems Silva has the upper hand, with his giant cruise liner, men and their machine guns, Rosella in tow, as Crockett and Tubbs is at their mercy in just a speedboat (Castillo and his Vice Squad were misdirected by Silva in a clever ruse); it all plays out a bit oddly and unpredictably. To prove his love for Rosella, Silva promises not to kill Crockett (she become close with Crockett because he offered sympathy and kindness towards her), and even hands her a gun to shoot him if she doesn't love him! He felt she truly loved him despite her claims she didn't. Well, the ending leaves it up for the debate, but it does appear she will prove she "doesn't" love him. Silva proves to be a truly repellent cretin and Rosella damaged goods.

A harder-edged tale with a great cameo

[Willie-The-Wino · 10/10 · 22 June 2015]

This is one of my favourite episodes of Vice. It's also the only one I've had to watch twice to get the full picture-- this isn't actually a bad thing, as I'm the kind of viewer who likes a little depth in these pieces. I like TV to go a little further.

There's a deeper, more intricate plot here involving drug barons vying for supremacy, all wrapped around one unfortunate girl with a junk habit, hence the episode title. The plot is seedy, gritty and nihilistic, and just what the season needed.

Just when it doesn't get any better, Miles Davis appears in one of his few acting roles. Miles' voice alone is 110% perfect for Miami Vice, and he is excellently cast as the seedy ex-smuggler-turned-pimp Ivory Jones.

Everyone here has matured-- there's no more awkward jokes between Crockett and Tubbs, and even characters like the now-bearded Zito and Switek are slightly sobered, although not without occasional hints of comic relief. The episode turns up a couple of twists that show one of MV's strengths: it always had surprises up its sleeve. A dark, almost bleak episode, but definitely one watching.

I liked this episode!

[almotenjr · 22 October 2011]

Some of the reviews of this episode are way too critical! It was definitely a dark episode where Ely Pouget played an addicted to heroin and who is a troubled young lady. The end was very shocking with the discover of Silva's relationship Rosella. Silva is a sleaze ball but his character basically steals the entire episode.Silva is a real life person who is evil and sadistic in many ways. Tubbs playing the doubting Thomas in the episode brought a lot of tense to some scenes. There was definitely serious issues of sexual trauma that was dealt and bought to the forefront in this episode!This particular episode has an element of mystery that has a shocking ending that caught me totally off guard. I recommend everyone to view it for themselves and make your own conclusions.

This Episode Explores the Deepest Depths of Mans Depravity

[doogleaelf · 10/10 · 11 February 2019]

You cannot help but feel there is something very strange in the relationship between the ruthless drug dealer and the young woman he sports as his eye candy. In this episode the drug dealer is immediately exposed for his ruthlessness, even going to the extreme of disposing of what would appear to be his heir apparent. The young woman, initially revealed when the cops discover her in a brothel, is obviously disturbed in addition to fighting drug addiction.

The story line is not really about Crockett and Tubbs and the usual drug dealing but about the relationship between the Drug kingpin and the young woman. I will not reveal the conclusion, but the title of this review gives you a clue.

Tough To Get Involved With Some Of These Drug Stories

[ccthemovieman-1 · 5/10 · 18 August 2007]

Some of these drug-related stories were a little confusing in spots. Here we have two villains but they almost competitors. One is grooming the other to take over but the young one acts like he's going to do whatever he wants. Then we have a former girl of the boss, who is now a hooker but then gets transported back to the boss, thanks to the young guy. It does get confusing. Even more when Crockett thinks the girl could help break the case but Tubbs has zero confidence in here.

We also have some guy named Ivory, played by trumpet great Miles Davis. What's his connection? Once again, I wasn't exactly sure. I do know Davis is a lot better musician than actor. The program did this periodically: invited some singer or musician on the those as a guest actor. Most times they couldn't act.

Thankfully, "Silva" made things a lot easier for me halfway through the show when he eliminated the competition and then Crocket went into his "Sonny Burnett" imitation.

Overall, this wasn't that good episode for the above reasons, and one other big one: nobody to get involved with. The only possible "decent" person was Silva's girlfriend but she was unlikable too, and weird-looking, hard-looking woman. At least I heard one of my favorite songs of the '80s: "Slave To Love" by Bryan Ferry.

Slow and boring

[xbatgirl-30029 · 2/10 · 2 June 2021]

Very little seems to happen in this episode and it's deadly slow. The writers seemed to put all their faith in setting up the "twist", which was easy to see coming from the start since the Rosella says she grew up in the drug dealer's house. Once again the show is hamstrung by hiring a model who absolutely cannot act. At one point it's really obvious her lines even had to be dubbed back in for some reason. Maybe the story could have worked with someone else in the role and all the scenes sped up to half their length. And maybe she took some acting lessons (and voice lessons) and got better with experience, because I see she went on to do a lot more. If so, good for her. It's not her fault she was so miscast.

The episode is all bad writing though and bad continuity- the character's face is cut in the opening scene, bloody and bandaged in the hospital, then the next scene she is good as new. I guess if you hire someone for their face, they have to look good. There's really very little else to make up the plot. Even the costumes in this episode are ugly and cheap looking. No reason to ever rewatch. Just some good music from Robert Plant and Bryan Ferry.

Not as good when watching a second time around!

[mm-39 · 5/10 · 25 October 2023]

Junk Love was not as good watching the second time around! Just like watching a comic sketch a second time and knowing the punch lines! First time around there is a Vice raid of a bothel, which involves a drug addict prostitute and her lover drug dealer. First time around one wonders about the tormenting's of the addictive woman. A slow burn mystery story! A deal was set up with Vice to arrest the dealer with the torment woman's help and the dealings of the tormented woman and drug dealer tormentor builds as the trap was set. A slow burn story with a shocker of an ending. Great viewing experience because of the set up. A unbelievable cop story which possibly happened with all the scum Vice sees. Second time around Junk love was slow and dragging because the viewer knows the ending. 5 out of 10 starts. 3 if you know the ending an 8 if you see the plot twist shocker for the first time.