Episode #111 "Freefall"


Ferrariman

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When season 5 started, it was most likely that it would be the last season. Cast, crew and audience knew that. But final decision was made after Lost Madonna. End of the 80s it was unusual to film a series finale. Most series just had a final season episode and never came back after summer. That they made a final episode for VICE was a tribute for the show as it was so popular. But compared to today's series, they did not really had a strong series story arc planning that systematicall paved the way to the end. Otherwise they would have included a team farewell in the finale as described above. But at least they closed the story lines on Valerie, Lombard and May Ying.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I have to agree with ViceFanMan and TylerDurden. Freefall is an extremely disappointing send off. It basically recycles elements of Smuggler's Blues (a great classic) in a story that feels empty. But what do I know? I say the best stories of season 5 are Victims of Circumstance, Line of Fire, and The Cell Within. I'm in good company with Line of Fire, but most people aren't fond of the other two.

 

I remember when I saw Freefall back in the '80s and wishing either Crockett or Tubbs had died, like Zito did in Down for the Count. That would have made a strong and emotional exit point for the series.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I have to agree with ViceFanMan and TylerDurden. Freefall is an extremely disappointing send off. It basically recycles elements of Smuggler's Blues (a great classic) in a story that feels empty. But what do I know? I say the best stories of season 5 are Victims of Circumstance, Line of Fire, and The Cell Within. I'm in good company with Line of Fire, but most people aren't fond of the other two.

 

I remember when I saw Freefall back in the '80s and wishing either Crockett or Tubbs had died, like Zito did in Down for the Count. That would have made a strong and emotional exit point for the series.

 

Although it was the series finale, I think that would've been far too depressing for the audience to witness after being so attached to both Crockett and Tubbs, when they had already experienced so much personal pain.  It would have been "the final straw that breaks the camel's back", where it would challenge the tastes of some viewers if they wanted to rewatch the series again, knowing how dismally depressing it would lead to.  At least with the final scene, the viewer gets the impression that there's a small glimmer of optimism for the peace they are looking for, after they close the door completely on their careers in law enforcement.

Edited by Vice Immersion
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While I surely agree the plot is not exceptional in itself and the main actors, Don especially, are not at their best, I would give this ep a 10 out of 10. That's just my personal view and doesn't aim to be a critical, objective evaluation of the episode.

As I wrote already, Freefall not only represents the end of the show. It does mark the end of the 80s. And you can feel that since the beginning of the episode.

As the story progresses, you realize that the line between the good and the bad is lost and - in a world ruled by the agencies, national business interests, money and power - there's no longer a place for these two cops, once the incarnation of contemporary times, now looking like old-fashioned cowboys.

Their way to be cop is outdated, surpassed, that's what they are told (and I read between the lines: this way to envision a cop show is now outdated). But that's the only way they know and so they act, not knowing who they're actually fighting. You clearly feel it: this one's not gonna be one of the many stories you already seen. You feel somehow it's not going to work. They are challenging a way-bigger-than-them system, in a fight they can only lose. When they realize that, their only choice is to quit.

I found this feeling of unavoidability perfectly built, and I remember very well what I thought when the episode aired first. I thought the same thing I thought when I saw the pilot, five years before: "it looks like these guys are reading my mind". The pilot brought me all the things I already loved, and Freefall told me what I already realized: the 80s are over.

I read many objections to the way the farewell between C & T has been conceived, some wanted Izzy or the other guys and girls to have a part in that, but I think it went the way it had to. Just a quick look to the St. Vitus, a deep look in each other eyes and a handshake. And a genial final tribute to the pilot's end: the circle is closed.

Call me cynical, but I couldn't guess a better ending.

Watching Crockett looking back to his boat I really saw the mirror image of myself looking back to that fabulous time of my life. That's it, folks.

Edited by Jerry Beck
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Perfect Jerry !!!  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:

 

I am not made to write such kind of reviews...
My knowledge with English language does not go deep enough to express correctly what I feel while watching.
Reviews are no fun oder joke.
Reviews have to be content- and meaningful.

I just found such a good review with Jerry's response.

Yes, it was like looking back to the own era. 
What wonderful explanation with this scene, Jerry.
I did not get that thought before.

How good to get only the intense view back to St. Vitus and a swallowing Sonny Crockett making an end with a lifetime very quietly.

TG, they have not shown short cuts with happened scenes like they have done in one of the most bad episodes A Bullet For Crockett.

 

We just made at DJ website an MV tournament.
In game have been ALL MV episodes.

Freefall got the silver medal in this.
It only got outstripped with Mirror Image.

So for one time more the proof to the viewers Freefall was on top with all episodes 

 

 

One thing more.
To me .... 

what happens then to our beloved cops in the 80s was like a vision by the future.
The future we have now, 30 years later.

This future - our present- in which cops are not respected anymore, even have to take care about each little sh*** what could hurt the soul

with a gangster because only the law declares if that guy is guilty or not.
Even if the cops have seen he made a felony, they have to be always 'nice' and polite.

Young guys with 15/16 in my country are showing cops the outstretched middle finger with hand, kind and voice.
Each respect is lost.
The cops are powerless... against....

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I haven't watched this episode since the day it aired.  I remember feeling sadness that the show was coming to an end, but I also remember being somewhat relieved.   I know that might sound a little nuts, but I wasn't a big fan of season 5 and I sometimes felt ambivalent towards some of the episodes.  I know I've mentioned this before, but to me it seemed like Don had sort of checked out.  Or maybe that was all in my imagination but the show just didn't seem to have "it" anymore. Don't get me wrong, I truly loved Vice.....I wish it could have gone on in it's glory for another few years.  It's not like I couldn't stand the thought of looking at DJ anymore, that's for sure!   :)  But I just wanted it to be better....  

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(snipped) I remember feeling sadness that the show was coming to an end, but I also remember being somewhat relieved.   I know that might sound a little nuts, but I wasn't a big fan of season 5 and I sometimes felt ambivalent towards some of the episodes.  I know I've mentioned this before, but to me it seemed like Don had sort of checked out. (snipped)  

 

I also felt like a lot of the S5 episodes weren't up to the previous standard the first time around.  Since I've been re-watching the series recently I've seen the Burnett episodes (thought those were really good, equal to previous top eps), Bad Timing (liked it better this time around), and To Have and To Hold (liked it then and I still do like Crockett's part, although it has its faults; Tubbs' part is meh).  But then decided to go through the whole series in order, so will withhold a verdict on the rest :)  Others have said they felt DJ had checked out, but even though I hated the shaggy, long hair, messy look and burned-out attitude, I never felt he had checked out from his character.  In the episodes I've already re-watched, I'm now seeing the things I disliked in the original run as manifestations of Sonny Crockett(the character)'s burned out state of mind.  From that vantage point I am liking it better.  And I chalk up some of the weak episodes to poor writing, which existed throughout the show's run intermittently.  S5 just seemed to get a little more of it (for me).

 

Freefall was an ep I didn't really like but it's not bad and was a suitable ending in some ways.

 

I could be mistaken about DJ but it makes me happier to think he was just furthering his character's downward spiral than to think he was just marking time until he was free of the show.

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You make some good points vicegirl85.  I think it's probably a good idea to watch season 5 over with new eyes and an open mind.  Perhaps I'll see things differently and I would welcome that I think.  Good idea!    :cool:

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  • 6 months later...
On 09.03.2011 at 7:14 AM, alleycat said:

I would say a nine.I do like it when Sonny finds out that Tubbs had been taken and goes and sees highsmith and says if he doesn't tell him where his partner is hes going to turn that pretty wall into a expressionist painting.Then the other one towards the end to borbon when he threatens to kill Crockett and Tubbs and Crockett says Do it,if you've got the stones.

When Sonny said to Baker "Do it if you've got the stones" Sonny meant "Do it if you've got the testicles", right ?

Freefall.jpg

Edited by Knight&Crockett
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2 hours ago, Knight&Crockett said:

When Sonny said to Baker "Do it if you've got the stones" Sonny meant "Do it if you've got the testicles", right ?

Yes, that's correct.

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3 hours ago, Knight&Crockett said:

When Sonny said to Baker "Do it if you've got the stones" Sonny meant "Do it if you've got the testicles", right ?

As I suggested some time ago, try using www.urbandictionary.com  for off-color slang.

You are correct but the term has a deeper meaning: "refers to the degree to which someone will stand up for them self or what one is responsible for, or, the degree to which one will go to get the job done."

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  • 3 months later...

 

Interesting way to end the series, while not a perfect episode by any mile it was still fun. 

 

For the first time since season 2, Tubbs is wearing his gold necklace with the pendant. That was a big thumbs up for me! :done: Tubbs wardrobe in season 5 is so terrible but in the end, they managed to get it right with that one little piece. 

 

I want to bring up something I have not seen commented here, and that is the shots with the Testarossa. In season 1 and 2, we got plenty of wonderful, glorious shots of the Daytona and many, many memorable scenes of seeing that bad boy action. The Testarossa is a very sexy car, but for some reason we didn't get much show off of it in seasons 3, 4, and 5. This episode however in the first 10 minutes gives us a great chase that shows it off, and in the end scene, we get to see the pedal smashed to the floor and the gears changed. I absolutely adore the Testarossa, and those were the kind of scenes I wished and hoped for in season 4. In the end, they finally realized they needed to show that bad boy off like they did the Daytona. 

 

Another thing this episode does good is give us more of Switek's downward spiral. This is something I wanted in season 4. With Zito's death, I was hoping and praying that they would fix the problem of poor character development and do something to drive Switek. Season 4 should've had at least one episode focused on Switek and the beginning of the gambling problems. This would have made Hard Knocks a much more appealing episode with some backing story to it. 

 

Castillo was barely in this episode at all and for it being the final episode of the show, I think this is a great injustice. While Crockett and Tubbs were the colorful souls of the show, Castillo was the dark beating heart that held everything together. The first few episodes of the show going back to the beginning felt like they were missing something until Castillo shows up. I think he deserved a better take than this. 

The story arc of Sonny going "burnt out" and becoming a washed up cop is one of the better things about season 5. However here, it's like it was all rushed together. It would have been better if we had at least one more episode before this finale, that got more into the burnt out phase of Sonny and how he was losing it. In this episode, it seems dodging bullets so much, both Crockett and Tubbs both get burned out. 

 

The plot to this story is a bit difficult to follow. It's one of those "ripped from the headlines" type stories and the whole deal with Bordon seeing as a mirror of what was going on with Manuel Noriega at the time in the real world, while they mirror a lot of iconic scenery from the end of the pilot episode 'Brother's Keeper' and most of the framework to this episode is lifted right out of 'Prodigal Son'. I'll give them props for using the Medellin Cartel here, since around 1989 they were falling apart and soon the world would be shocked with the death of Pablo Escobar. 

 

I think this episode heavily borrows from the season 2 premier 'Prodigal Son'. You have the whole the intro taking place in a Latin country, and Crockett and Tubbs having a big epic shoot out in the end with downing a helicopter, only here it's a plane. 

 

What really makes this episode is knowing that it's the finale, and while the storyline had it's issues; the chemistry between Crockett and Tubbs really showed up here and were the threads holding it together. You knew this was the last time you were going to see them together and you wanted to enjoy it, and by god did these two men deliver with wonderful performances. 

 

Final rambling, I'm glad they ended this show before the 90's. I cannot imagine Miami Vice in the 90's. This show greatly defined so much of the 1980's through everything. Season 5, they used early 1990's fashion. And let's face it; the 90's sucked. The 80's died so fast and from 1990 to about 1996 there is literally nothing interesting really. The 90's didn't get interesting until the final years with the internet. Last thing I would have ever wanted to see is them trade out the Ferrari for some piece of junk 90's car, and to lose all the big hair for the 'grunge' look and for our heroes to start dressing like they just rolled out of bed. They made the right choice ending this show before the year 1990.

 

This episode gets an 8 out of 10 for me. 

 

 

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On 3/22/2016 at 2:32 PM, Knight&Crockett said:

When Sonny said to Baker "Do it if you've got the stones" Sonny meant "Do it if you've got the testicles", right ?

Freefall.jpg

Great scene and episode !!:D:D

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  • 10 months later...

For obvious reasons I'm gonna try to do a more in depth review. Also, I'm not sure if this is true but I've heard that the original villain was going to be G. Gordon Liddy's character. That would've been awesome.

The opening is pretty solid. Decent car chase and song.

I like the scene in the abandoned theater.

The scene in the bar was decent until the over laughing.

Love the song No Way Out.

The rest of the scenes in Costa Morada aren't anything special. Honestly it's pretty hokey when focusing on the woman contact and boring on other parts.

The episode picks up when we get back to Miami. Led Zeppelin is awesome so it's good to hear Robert Plant.

Nice callback to The Prodigal Son when the safe house is attacked.

Damn the daughter was hot.

Having a Genesis song was brilliant. Reminded me of S1.

Really like the scene of Switek blowing away the goons.

Nice to see Izzy one last time.

I really like the Highsmith confrontation scene and shootout at the trailer. Great music.

The gunshot that "kills" Borbon was pretty comical.

The last 15 mins of this episode rock. The getting ready montage, the drive, and the shootout are badass.

My favorite scene is the showdown with Baker. Good dialogue and Tim Truman leaves his mark.

The final scene is great. Gonna miss these guys.

The episode has a mediocre first half and doesn't make good use of the OCB gang. However, it picks up and lets the show go out with a bang.

8/10

Cheers.

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2 hours ago, Remington said:

For obvious reasons I'm gonna try to do a more in depth review. Also, I'm not sure if this is true but I've heard that the original villain was going to be G. Gordon Liddy's character. That would've been awesome.

The opening is pretty solid. Decent car chase and song.

I like the scene in the abandoned theater.

The scene in the bar was decent until the over laughing.

Love the song No Way Out.

The rest of the scenes in Costa Morada aren't anything special. Honestly it's pretty hokey when focusing on the woman contact and boring on other parts.

The episode picks up when we get back to Miami. Led Zeppelin is awesome so it's good to hear Robert Plant.

Nice callback to The Prodigal Son when the safe house is attacked.

Damn the daughter was hot.

Having a Genesis song was brilliant. Reminded me of S1.

Really like the scene of Switek blowing away the goons.

Nice to see Izzy one last time.

I really like the Highsmith confrontation scene and shootout at the trailer. Great music.

The gunshot that "kills" Borbon was pretty comical.

The last 15 mins of this episode rock. The getting ready montage, the drive, and the shootout are badass.

My favorite scene is the showdown with Baker. Good dialogue and Tim Truman leaves his mark.

The final scene is great. Gonna miss these guys.

The episode has a mediocre first half and doesn't make good use of the OCB gang. However, it picks up and lets the show go out with a bang.

8/10

Cheers.

I'll be honest and say I don't particularly care for Freefall as the series finale...it needed to be "better" somehow. It was also depressing and left us hanging...did Crockett and Tubbs really leave or not? One thing I did like was the last scene with Don wearing a KU shirt. He has ties to Kansas (even if he no longer acknowledges them) and attended KU back in the day. Other references such as Salina and Wichita were also mentioned during the show. I live in Kansas so this is cool to me. :thumbsup:

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  • 6 months later...

I like that Tubbs doesn't wear any of those disgusting suits in this. One of the producers must have told PMT him to knock it off wearing that stuff:thumbsup:

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3 hours ago, APalFromHawaii said:

First of all. Imagine if MV aired for 2 more seasons with 'meh' and flat out terrible episodes, and then suddenly an ending where they get promoted, crockett visits billy, everyone is happy, the end! That wouldn't be nice... at all!:thumbsdown:

I prefer this ending.

The ep is about Crockett and Tubbs mainly, the whole crew appears on the screen too, which is extremely unique for season 5.

So...  the story. It doesn't take place in Miami, some people may think that the sudden 'we're leaving our jobs, bye bye' is out of nowhere too (like some people thought of Switek's gambling addition). I can't say much about it, but for me it is totally fine. It would be nicer to see more Miami, ofc, but this episode is about a different place..

It is indeed an extremely touching episode for me, it is so sad to see disgusted Tubbs and Sonny, tired, but still brave. My favorite moment in that scene is when the guy claims that he can kill them right now, his workers load their guns and Crockett and Tubbs simply ignore and go to their car.

For me, it is a solid, good ending. Touching, Amazing... :(

Could've been better, could've been worse, but that's what we've got. I like it. 

Farewell, Amen and Goodbye, Miami Vice. This is the second time i finish watching this show, and i gotta say, It's a MASTERPIECE!;(

 

I agree with a lot of this. The I Can Shoot You Right Now scene is one of my faves as well.

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17 hours ago, Vincent Hanna said:

I like that Tubbs doesn't wear any of those disgusting suits in this. One of the producers must have told PMT him to knock it off wearing that stuff:thumbsup:

His clothing did become more extrovert in Season 5 :hippie:

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15 hours ago, Remington said:

I agree with a lot of this. The I Can Shoot You Right Now scene is one of my faves as well.

One of the best Miami Vice episodes 

You really feel how burnt out , exhausted Crockett and Tubbs are in this one :hippie:

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11 minutes ago, Sea-light said:

Yes:) I like his clothes and image in seasons 5 and 3 best of all

Tubbs’s ?

Tubbs was sure slicker in Season 5:hippie:

Edited by Matt5
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7 minutes ago, Matt5 said:

Tubbs’s ?

Tubbs was sure slicker in Season 5:hippie:

Yes, Tubbs`s. I don`t like him in season 4-it was terrible for me. In season 3 he is.. touching or smth like this. And in season 5 his image is cool:) Dark smart suits and beard (kill me, but I hate it:)  from saeson 4 went out and we see real Rico again! :)

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21 minutes ago, Sea-light said:

Yes, Tubbs`s. I don`t like him in season 4-it was terrible for me. In season 3 he is.. touching or smth like this. And in season 5 his image is cool:) Dark smart suits and beard (kill me, but I hate it:)  from saeson 4 went out and we see real Rico again! :)

In Season 5 he wore some more slightly odd outfits like the knee high leather boots in “To Have and to Hold” etc but he still had such style I agree .

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58 minutes ago, Matt5 said:

In Season 5 he wore some more slightly odd outfits like the knee high leather boots in “To Have and to Hold” etc but he still had such style I agree .

Yeah, and a strange  jacket :) 

tohave16.jpg

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