"Payback" is one of "Miami Vice"'s finest episodes. From its stylised, big-screen visuals in the opening sequence to the thrilling ending, I simply love every second of this tale. In the '80s when a few friends were suggesting that the series had "jumped the shark" by the second season, I'd play them this tale to show how the quality of the show continued to be jaw-droppingly good.
This is a dedicated Crockett episode - Sonny finds himself suspected of stealing $3 million from an ex-employee of Mario Fuente (the late, great Frank Zappa). Under pressure from his own people and Fuente, Crockett is in a difficult place.
Zappa rarely appeared on television in an acting role and his performance in "Payback" is genuinely memorable. His character has a quirky, eccentric charm and he is totally believable in the part.
It's a great shame that the plot threads from this episode were not tied up at a later date. It would have been fantastic to see another performance from Zappa and to see how the story panned out.
All in all, an unreserved 10 out of 10 for "Payback". Beautiful visuals, an intriguing plot and first class performances from all concerned make this unmissable television. Don Johnson is on top-form as a more anxious-than-normal Crockett.
INXS, Chris Isaak, X and Sly & Robbie accompany Jan Hammer's marvellous music on the soundtrack to this episode.
