TEASER - 136: Miami Vice: Castillo (with Sarah Kurchak)

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Our Miami Vice series continues with Sarah Kurchak, a Toronto-based writer whose work has appeared in Time and Hazlitt, to discuss one of the greatest tv characters of all time, the commander of the Metro-Dade Organized Crime Bureau, Vice Division, Lt. Martin “Marty” Castillo.

Edward James Olmos, who won the Best Supporting Actor Emmy for his work in season one, had a unique agreement with executive producer Michael Mann to play the part, including a non-exclusive contract and full creative control of his character, and over the course of the five episodes featured on this show we discover increasingly incredible facts about Castillo’s life history and skill sets that climax midway through season two in a mind-blowing episode Olmos also directed, Bushido.

We discuss Olmos’ fascinating process to build and expand upon his character, the only episode of the show Mann ever wrote, and Sarah’s regard for Castillo in her autistic headcanon.

Miami Vice is currently available to watch for free on Tubi.

Episodes discussed on this show:

One-Eyed Jack - Season 1, Ep 6

Golden Triangle Parts 1 & 2 - Season 1, Ep 13 & 14

Whatever Works - Season 2, Ep 2

Bushido - Season 2, Ep 8

Follow Sarah Kurchak on Twitter.

Sarah has two books!

I Overcame My Autism and All I Got Was This Lousy Anxiety Disorder: A Memoir

Work It Out: A Mood-Boosting Exercise Guide for People Who Just Want to Lie Down

“Imagining A Fuller Spectrum of Autism on TV”, by Sarah Kurchak, for Pacific Standard, Feb 22, 2018