Lair of the Lurker

I do appreciate Sonny in his skimpy little black number.

The team is amused that Sonny's car was taken away. Sonny is not.

The bad guys open fire, and they end up in a tangle of limbs. Because, of course, they do. 😉 Look at where Rico's hand is in the second shot below.

Another interesting shot...

I couldn't not post this amazing photo of the incomparable Eartha Kitt.

Rico tosses the keys of his Caddy to Sonny without hesitation. He really trusts that man.

Kittens! I continue to contend that Sonny is a cat-person.

Always love those car-night driving shots. Iconic.

JT is entirely too friendly with Sonny. But on the other hand, Rico's also looking pretty friendly with Michael Des Barres. At a cop bar no less. I don't know what to say about these two.

Another classic fan favorite when Laura says she's lucky to get Sonny and Rico at the same bar, and asks if they got married since she last saw them. Jury's still out as to whether she meant to women or each other. 😉 Rico is not happy that Sonny volunteered him to dance with her. Of course, he knows Sonny is trying to get rid of him because he's about to do something he shouldn't.

Shaking my head. Again. Sonny, Sonny, Sonny. Body language, baby.

Of course, Rico was keeping an eagle eye on his partners while dancing, and jumped into the fray as soon as the fighting broke out. My man took down 3 or 4 of them at the same time! Then the bouncer got both Sonny and Rico in one grip. LOL. Rico had a beef with him. As we know, only certain people get to put hands on Rico.

I love the Dark Nights scene so much. I took a million screenshots of gorgeous. I've talked about this scene in other posts.

You’re out of your jurisdiction, you're out of your league, and you don’t live in the neighborhood, so keep it moving! Chump!

Then we get a scene with Marty, all in white, in a staring match with one of the Santería guys. Next scene, he’s dressed in his suit again, having pleased the gods, I guess. Either that or even the Gods are afraid of Castillo. 😉

In the truck, Sonny was talking about the sun, great people to work with, as he gestured to Rico. Aww! Rico calls him on his Ferrari Jones.

"All right, I’ll admit it, I’ve been a tad distracted. Not to mention, bitter caustic and angry.  But who’d want to work with a partner who wasn’t a little bit sentimental? I mean, if they called you back to NY, I’d feel exactly the same way about you."

Djfafjkdlajfkslfjla;jfl;j!

It really feels like an important conversation that's pretending to be casual and jokey.

It also needs to be noted that after their trip to NY, when Rico returned with him, Sonny started calling him Rico more often instead of Tubbs all the time. As if he's feeling more secure in their relationship now.

Look at the way he's looking at Rico.

Sonny gets his car back in that famous scene we all love. Look up 'mirroring and attraction.' I have. (Hint: these two do it a lot.)

Val saved the day.

And here's the second fade out. All of them are Rico/Val fading into Sonny angst. What a coincidence... 😏

Isn't it funny how they put this whole scene on TV in the 1980s, but in 2026 it's too risque for the internet? 1986 we were worried about the Moral Majority and the PMRC. 2026 we have to use words like 'unalived' because of censorship.

Here's the third fade out. Sonny, leaving the hotel alone, and Rico/Val. They did it not once, not twice, but three times. Do we need to be hit over the head with a 2x4? Nope, but it's sure nice.

If only Rico could see Valerie's face. Too bad we didn't get to see what their goodbye scene was like. Did she give him the boot? Did he speak first, saying he's going back to Miami? Inquiring minds really want to know.

☹😢😭

Sunglasses indoors, huh? (even in the hotel room). Does he need to hide his eyes?

Is this the best ending of any ep in MV or what?! Sonny, thinking his partner isn't coming back, Rico tearing through the airport to make the plane.

Rico made his choice, and he chose Sonny.

Look at the guy behind the counter. He thinks they’re hot… but obviously only have eyes for each other. 😉

Yeah, he then looks down like, I’ll give them a moment.

Then he’s grinning at Sonny’s lame pick-up line. 😁

Best ending EVER. Deep sigh.

They are happy to be home, but no one is welcoming them back.

It's business as usual.

Except for Gina, who welcomes them home, looking beautiful. Everyone should look so great out of the hospital after getting shot!

All is well in Sonny's world. Gina is okay, and Rico is where he belongs. 🧡💕🧡

He blew Rico's cover when he screamed Tubbs when the shooting started. Whoops.

So, he finally goes to ask for his gun back, after the scene in the club with the shooting -- all he had was his backup in the ankle holster. I bet that freaked him out.

And it’s stalker Rico again. I can’t believe he brought up her dead sister. He deserved that slap. Oh well, at least he’s honest, I guess. He says he can’t promise to understand.

Okay, I finally caught Sonny doing the tongue thing with someone else. So, just like Rico with the winking, it’s either with women or his partner. Say no more. 😉He told Maggie he doesn’t get off on it (his shady business). "Be nice if one part of my life was real." Uh, Rico. What you have with Rico is real. You are yourself with Rico. Dummy.

Rico asked when he would meet Margaret. Is he trying to juggle Val and Sonny at the same time?! You're good, Rico, but Sonny alone is a tall order! There's something so poignant here when Sonny is looking at Rico in the car, and we know he's been wondering if Rico is staying, since he asks him a few minutes later.

Wait a minute -- back that up. Rico knows about Margaret, so he knows he's the one who’s being left alone while Sonny has a 'friend'. If I were a slash fan, I might wonder if that's why Rico is acting so extreme with Val... That's called Displacement: Redirecting an emotional reaction from the rightful recipient to another person altogether.

And just for fun, it appears that, going by the article in Psychology Today, Sonny has eight of the top ten Defense Mechanisms. Go Sonny! I'm guessing probably seven for Rico, who is slightly more well-adjusted. Slightly.

So here we are, Sonny, confronting Rico about thinking of staying in New York.

Rico answers that he's thinking about 'a lot of things.' I wonder what else he's thinking about??

That’s an unexpected treat. Rico is in bed, with Sonny standing next to the bed on the phone. That could be some fanfic fodder. 😉

I like the mirror shots.

Poor Gillette gets killed, and Rico and Sonny barely make it out themselves.

Val finally tells Rico about Margaret after he shoots the bad guy when she pulls a gun on him. Healthy relationship these two have! Anyway, she could have led with that. And how does she even know Margaret is Sonny’s friend? And he sleeps with her after, too. Is this a cop show or a soap opera?

Mopey baby again, with you belong to the city playing again.

Sonny, feeling down, calls Rico from the pay phone. He looks so sad here! Poor drowned baby duck. And like he’s trying to decide whether to call Rico or not. 😭

It also reminds me of the phone call to Caroline in the pilot. Cell phones are gonna be amazing for these two. They can talk to each other wherever and whenever they want…

Rico tells him the bad news and goes with him to confront Margaret. She gets the Rico Glare Of Death tm. It’s the special look reserved for Sonny's women. Rico, I love you, but you're spreading yourself thin here! 😉

Rico just keeps giving her the Rico Death Glare. And another great reflection shot of Sonny.

Rico has 347.62 in the bank and some stocks. Sonny has 600 in checking, 5500 in savings. That tracks. I can see Rico putting any extra into stocks, with Sonny just going with a savings account.

When did that photo get smashed? Did Val do it? I didn't notice whether it got destroyed in the shootout or not. If she did it, nice touch. If not, it's a sign from the universe!

Valerie's body language is so telling. I think someone needs to write a fic about her having been a victim of abuse in her past. I'm not sure how else to read her body language and face telegraphing that she doesn't want to be with him, but not being forceful about saying no. I mean, even when they're in bed, she doesn't look into it. It's an interesting acting/directing choice.

Sonny watching Rico dance with Val. They are playing "Tell It Like It Is," which was also on DJ's 2nd album. Yeah, that one speaks volumes.

I noticed that Rico winked at Val. Okay, so he winks at women… and Sonny. Got it. 😉

Val thanks Sonny for 'being in her corner.' His response: I just did what I thought was right. Interesting.

So Sonny leaves to let them be alone and proceeds to walk the streets moping. Sonny is the one who offered, but Rico was kind of a dick for letting him go off on his own.

You Belong To The City. Sonny walks the city feeling alone, while (he thinks) Rico is having fun with Val. In reality, Rico is the one who will be sleeping alone most nights.

This whole segment is so great -- and so obvious. It's amazing that it goes over so many people's heads. The second shot below is so perfect at evoking a feeling of lonliness, with Sonny walking in the middle of all that empty space. PMG is a fantastic director.

Can I just say... WOW!! This is the first of three fades in this episode that are all very suggestive of subtext. Rico dancing with Val fades into lonely Sonny.

Margaret says Sonny is hopelessly conventional. Yeah, I think he is too, underneath the facade. Not saying he doesn't have any kinky streaks in him anywhere... 😉

I think it’s funny that Sonny got laid before Rico did and he's the one who spent a lonely night alone. He does deserve it, ngl. I wonder if Sonny told Rico that Margaret took his gun?

Aaaand, here's our stalker. Rico, man, you gotta tone it down. This is not cool! He deserved that slap. So... One gets his gun stolen by a stranger he slept with, the other is stalking his ex. This is Miami’s best?? 😂🤣

Tell me Rico isn't letting Sonny drive in NYC?! All I got to say is he really trusts his partner’s driving! (I drove in NYC a lot)

Baby Ducks! One of my favorite scenes, that inspired a whole fic series (that I haven't forgotten about and am working on). Where basically, Sonny and Rico are working as PI's in San Francisco and a new client of theirs says they look like fish out of water. Sonny, trying to show off (?!) just a bit, proudly tells her a drag queen in NY once called them baby ducks -- and henceforth they now have the nickname Baby Ducks from the entirety of Castro Street. 😁😂🤣

Rico gets feisty in the cop’s face. And all New York on the cop who frisked him, too.

One of fandom's favorite scenes.

They are both affected by the brutality of the scene, but especially Rico. Rico offers water to the guy and attacks one of his captors when they shock the guy, causing Sonny to jump in, too. Rico yells at the DEA guy to get out of his face.

Looks like Castlilo has a headache. I would too, if I were him.

Waiting in the dark. Again.

Trudy gets some action.

I love the way this shot is framed, it's gorgeous.

Poor Gina got shot. Stan, once again, comforts one of the ladies, as Trudy is worried about her partner who was in surgery. I think there is more to Stan than we get to see in the show, unfortunately.

More shared gazes.

1 . Thought I'd give some attention to someone besides our guys once in a while. 2. More cute looks.

Newton Windsor Blade aka Gene Simmons. Trivia: If you've never seen a bizarre little movie called "Never Too Young To Die," co-starring a young John Stamos, and featuring Gene as an intersex person named Velvet Von Ragnar -- where he sings a song called, "It Takes a Man Like Me to Be a Woman Like Me", well... that's probably for the best. 😉

Foursome with the twins perhaps? Honey.

Love this shot.

And yet another "look." Apparently I aim to catalogue every one of them. 😉

In New York, Rico apparently has to hold onto Sonny so he doesn't lose him (try a leash). 😉

Another example of Rico's little 'tells', as I mentioned in a previous recap. He often wraps his hand around Sonny's arm to hold onto him. Let's face it, he does have a possessive streak, which we can see in his interactions with Val and Sonny.

Rico is trying to get in touch with Val on the phone already, at the precinct. He’s saying she’s expecting him. Either Rico is lying or Val knew he was coming but blew him off. Which would be her MO. Again, don’t know why she just doesn’t say no.

Tough, unique, bad, bold, and sassy. Rico gotta show off his cool here. Like he don’t show off his stuff in Miami. 😉

On the phone again trying to call Val. I guess Sonny probably already has a clue of how this trip is going to go.

Surprise! It's Val with the bad guy.