"Only the toes knows.Only the toes knows." - Kevin Spacey as Mel Profitt
Wiseguy Season One Part Two: Mel Profitt/Drug Ring DVD Review
By Jonathan Boudreaux
The 1987-1990 CBS series Wiseguy, created by prolific producer Stephen J. Cannell, follows Organized Crime Bureau undercover agent Vinnie Terranova (Ken Wahl) as he infiltrates crime rings with the help of his boss Frank McPike (Jonathan Banks) and his "Lifeguard" (Jim Byrnes), a go-between who uses computers to find the information Terranova needs to get his job done. The series' unique innovation was that rather than introducing a new villain every week, the show was conceived to unfold in multi-episode "arcs," in which Terranova would focus on one individual or organization. In the fall of 1987, Terranova faced mob boss Sonny Steelgrave (played by the highly charismatic Ray Sharkey). When the critically acclaimed Steelgrave arc came to an end after nine episodes, Cannell set about trying to top himself. He came up with one of the most perverse crime duos TV had ever seen - Mel and Susan Profitt (Kevin Spacey and Joan Severance).
When the arc begins, Vinnie is still on the leave of absence he took after the Steelgrave case caused him to question the OCB's methods. McPike convinces him to go after Roger LoCocco (William Russ), a suspected gun for hire. Vinnie soon learns that LoCocco is no mere contract killer - he is the head of security for a crime ring operated by siblings Mel and Susan Profitt. Drugs, weapons, military equipment - you name it, they sell it, and they don't care to whom. The siblings had been found abandoned in a Shreveport dumpster as babies. They were adopted by a loving family, but killed their stepbrother when he discovered them kissing and threatened to tell. After serving time in a youth detention facility, the two were released and started their various criminal enterprises. Both are borderline geniuses, but Mel is also a paranoid manic depressive.
As Mel Profitt, baby faced Spacey gives a wonderfully unhinged performance. He is steely and solid one moment, then crying like a raging child the next. In her very first acting role, Severance serves as a terrific contrast, remaining simultaneously cool, calculating, and slightly vacant.
This arc is most successful in its unusual details and weird character quirks. LoCocco, for example, inexplicably likes to call everyone "Buckwheat," is a sculptor in his spare time, and is a master at killing people with ball bearings. His Vietnamese housekeeper brings warm towels to all guests when they enter his loft, and she is mysteriously missing her tongue. Mel is prone to wearing "Born to Boogie" T-shirts while having his sister shoot him up with pain medication between his toes. Both Mel and Susan like to expound on the economic and population theories of Malthus, a bust whom they treat with great reverence.
Wiseguy's biggest flaw, however, is that its title character is also its least interesting. This was less noticeable in the Steelgrave arc because of the intense relationship between Steelgrave and Vinnie. Here, he is more aloof from the Profitts and LoCocco. Sure, he is attracted to Susan and even beds her, but she only has eyes for her brother. The show lags whenever the focus is on Vinnie, making us long for more weirdness from the Profitts or LoCocco. It should be noted that this does not seem to be the fault of Ken Wahl. He is actually an appealing actor who seems saddled with a one-note role.
The arc plays out over eleven episodes, but the Profitts are actually gone by the ninth. Unfortunately, the storyline involving these two strong characters seems to peter out as the focus shifts to LoCocco and his true identity in the arc's anticlimactic Oliver North-esque denouement.
Also included in this set is an episode from the series' second season, "Aria for Don Auippo." This standalone episode was not tied in to any arc. In it, Vinnie's mother, Carlotta (Elsa Raven), falls in love with retired Mafia Don Rudy Auippo (George O. Petrie), who also figures in to one of the Profitt arc episodes. This episode is compelling mostly because it coasts on the charms of Raven and Petrie. Again, it seems a tad odd that the person at the center of the series should be overshadowed by his MOTHER.
Guest stars of note include former porn star Traci Lords as (surprise!) a hooker and What's Happening!!'s Mabel King as a voodoo medium.
The twelve episodes included in this set are divided onto four discs. This time around, chapter stops are included. There is also a play all feature.
