Make it 5 for 5 so far in season 4. No other season up until 4 has strung together 5 solid episodes in a row, so i'm inclined to believe season 4 is going to take the crown as best MV season (unless 5 blows me away).
The writing in this episode is top notch, worlds apart from the formulaic crap that pervaded most of season's 2 and 3. I'm not sure what happened to improve the quality of the writing so much, but the producers should be credited with going out and finding the talent to seriously legitimize MV.
Don Johnson gets tossed a thick chunk of meat to sink his teeth into with this episode and he proves that he has the chops to chow down. Crockett pops a little kid in the opening sequence and until the complexities of the plot are peeled back one layer at a time, he spends most of this episode dealing with the guilt associated with the accidental shooting and also of his own parenting issues.
EJO also gets to dish out a great monologue in a moment between his character (Lt. Castillo) and Crockett. Not only is the writing crisp and real, it probes the depths of Castillo's stone faced personality, revealing a compassionate man beneath the ultra stoic veneer.
This episode is a treat, not only because of the depth to the characters are written, but also because of a truly intelligent and unpredictable plot. Bravo.