IVIV: chapter seven—Miami Vice

[Robin Landseadel]

"Inherent Vice" naturally contain many echos of "Miami Vice":

	In keeping with the show's namesake, most episodes focus on
	 combating drug trafficking and prostitution. Episodes more
	often than not end in a large gun battle, claiming the lives of
	several criminals before they can be apprehended. An
	undercurrent of cynicism and futility underlies the entire series;
	 the detectives repeatedly reference the "whack-a-mole" nature
	of drug interdiction, with its parade of drug cartels to replace
	those that are brought to justice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami_Vice

"The Golden Fang" turns out to be the kind of boat expressly designed  
for a guest shot on "Miami Vice:

	Doc regarded the elegantly swept yet somehow-what would
	you call it, inhuman lines of the Golden Fang, everything about
	her gleaming a little too purposefully, more antennas and
	radomes than any boat could possibly use, not a flag of national
	origin in sight, weather decks of teak or maybe mahogany, not
	likely intended for relaxing out on with no fishing line or can of
	beer.

radome:

	A radome (the word is a contraction of radar and dome) is a
	structural, weatherproof enclosure that protects a microwave or
	radar antenna. The radome is constructed of material that
	minimally attenuates the electromagnetic signal transmitted or
	received by the antenna. In other words, the radome is
	transparent to radar or radio waves. Radomes protect the
	antenna surfaces from the environment (e.g., wind, rain, ice,
	sand, ultraviolet rays, etc.) and/or conceal antenna electronic
	equipment from public view. They also protect nearby
	personnel from being accidentally struck by quickly-rotating
	antennas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radome

It's made as clear as a sunrise on two tabs of windowpane that "The  
Golden Fang"  is the ideal drug-running boat, at least in 1970. Later,  
this sort of boat—updated to 80's styles and SOTA technical  
possibilities—is featured on "Miami Vice":

	Throughout the entire series, Sonny Crockett lived on an
	Endeavour 42 sailboat named the St. Vitus' Dance, which in
	1986 cost $120,000. . .

	. . . .As a result of the attention the Scarab 38 KV garnered on
	Miami Vice, Wellcraft received "an onslaught of orders",
	increasing sales by 21% in one year alone. In appreciation,
	Wellcraft gave Don Johnson an exact duplicate of the boat as a
	gift. Afterward, Johnson was frequently seen arriving to work in
	it. Altogether, one hundred copies of the boat (dubbed the
	"Scarab 38KV Miami Vice Edition") were built by Wellcraft. The
	Miami Vice graphics and color scheme, which included
	turquoise, aqua, and orchid, could have been ordered on any
	other Scarab from 20-38 feet. . .

	. . .In total, six real-life Scarab 38KV TV-boats were built,
	including the one given to Don Johnson.[citation needed] The
	latter boat has been confiscated twice by the IRS in Finland and
	was restored by a new owner. Three others are located in New
	Jersey, (2nd season boat) "the Camera boat" in Norway, and
	the last one, which can only be seen for one still clip during the
	5th season, is currently in Germany . . .

Saw about an hour's worth of  "Apocalypse Now Redux" last week, found  
the early scene where Willard is being given his orders relevant to  
this passage. It's in that atmosphere of "intimidation" spoken of here:

	"She has a tendency to show up unannounced in the middle of
	the night," Sauncho said, "no running lights, no radio traffic."
	Local sophisticates, assuming her visits to be drug-related,
	might lurk hopefully for a day or two but would soon drift away,
	muttering about "intimidation." By whom was never quite made
	clear. The harbormaster went around in a state of nerves, as if
	coerced into waiving all the fees applying to transients, and
	every time the office radio kicked in, he was seen to jump
	violently.



	"So who's the mob kingpin that owns this?" Doc saw no harm in
	asking.

One of those smack you beside the head obvious questions with an  
obvious response we find scattered throughout Inherent Vice. We get  
the answer almost immediately, although it's veiled in yet another  
case of "plausible deniability."