I have a soft spot for this episode as, back in the eighties, I seemed to watch it countless times. Back then, the BBC showed the episodes in the wrong order and with various trims for "excessive" violence. Season 2 began in the UK with this episode, presumably because the appearance of Phil Collins would attract new fans. Also, it's an accessible episode for casual viewers - there's a lot going on, there's a mixture of humour, action and drama, and the budget's through the ceiling.
Phil Collins' character, Phil Mayhew, is a deliberately annoying con artist who takes on who than he can handle when he tries to muscle in on the activities of a drugs dealer, played by Michael Margotta. Kyra Sedgwick plays the kooky "girlfriend", Sarah MacPhail and Emo Philips plays the contestant of "Rat Race" who makes Switek's life a misery for a while.
There's a curious blend of violence and comedy in this episode but the overall result is, in my opinion, a memorable tale.
The soundtrack to "Phil the Shill" contains Phil Collins' recorded-for-the-episode "Life Is A Rat Race", Eric Clapton's "Knock On Wood" and Stan Ridgway's "Pick It Up (And Put It In Your Pocket)".
From a trivia point of view, Crockett refers to his Ferrari's paint-job as "Tuxedo Black" in the opening sequence, a reference to the Chevrolet colour. This is a deliberate mistake - Paul Diamond who penned this tale was mildly outraged that the Daytona was a Chevy powered replica rather than the real deal! 9 out of 10.