Episode #107 "World Of Trouble"


Ferrariman

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  • 2 years later...
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Should have been named "World of Silly" in my opinion.The whole gun thing was too hookie for me.It was good to see Lombard one last time. For that I'll give it a 5.

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I brand this story with a generous 5. I just dound it didn't do Al Lombard's last appearance very much justice. And the stungun epic was just not compatible at all.

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  • 3 weeks later...

9 - Very GoodThought it was a great episode, and a great sendoff for Lombard. Enjoyed it almost-totally. I couldn't give it a 10, because I just couldn't get over that Michael DeLorenzo didn't reprise his son.The episode hit every point I needed it to, and I loved that final scene at the end where Lombard dies with Sonny kneeling over him.:clap:

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  • 2 months later...
I gave this episode and 8/10. Though the Havoc weapon looked like something built by a five year old, I think that the story centered on Lombard was excellent. It was a fitting tribute to his character. True to form from previous episodes, his character maintains a strong sense of honor, truth, and family in spite of being a criminal. Undoubtedly as a result, he has gained the respect of both C & T. Though his past is tortured with criminal activity and regret, Lombard maintains a sense of dignity and resignation for who he is and what he has done. His regret and his motivation lie in ensuring that his son and grandson find a better path than he did. Seeking vengeance against Librizzi for his son’s death, his honor holds him to his promise to Crockett not to kill him. I have seen this episode several times, but tonight I was drawn to Lombard clinging to Crockett’s jeans after he had died. Crockett had to pry him off. There is strong symbolism there. My interpretation: Lombard is reaching out for redemption from a criminal past. Crockett is doing his best to separate himself from the criminal underworld that has become part of him. Once again, the line between cop and criminal and the principles that each depend on are blurred.
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  • 9 months later...
  • 1 year later...
Just watched this one again last night...it felt sadly ironic as recently Dennis Farina (Al Lombard) passed away in real life. :cry:The beginning was pretty silly and over-the-top. :rolleyes: The whole Havoc ray-gun thing was cheesy and way too sci-fi for "MV"! I laughed my butt off when the cop car was fried with the ray-gun--you could tell the camera was sped up as the cop's hands were going up and down on the steering wheel in an impossible million miles an hour to try and get the car to work. :) I think even "Knight Rider" would have found this scene too ridiculous. :pHowever, other than the beginning I found this episode interesting and heart-felt. This one's sort of a love-hate thing with me. I loved Lombard showing back up and trying to make things right with his family...but I hated it that he had to die at the end. :evil: I hate sad or depressing things and I wish they'd of had him escape again and leave his character once again open-ended. That way there would have always been the chance he would show back up once more...of course not now with Farina's death. :(I loved the plot, acting, action, colors, fashion, cars, etc...! The scenes with Lombard and his son were in-depth and heart-felt...and I loved the scenes between Sonny and Al. They always had sort of a respect for each other--as both always stayed true to their word. Al wanting to have a relationship with his grandson and daughter-in-law was also touching.Ned Eisenberg was interesting as Frederico Librizzi (he also played Librizzi in First Season's Lombard), and I loved how Lombard engineered things to where he'd be taken out by Sonny or Rico at the end of this episode. But, despite his several guest appearances on "MV"...Eisenberg will always be Charlie Glide to me. :) He played Charlie Glide in Season 2's Yankee Dollar. I believe that Ned Eisenberg also guest-starred on an episode of Dennis Farina's (Lombard) show (also created by Michael Mann) Crime Story.The colors and fashion were once again superb! :glossy: Everyone complains about Season 5 not having anymore pastels...and I'm not sure why? Other than the first couple/three episodes, most of the season had even better pastels and original "MV" colors than Season 4! The end was very in-depth and tragic...awesome acting, but still sad. :evil: Again I really wished Lombard could have lived. But, I guess they wanted to finally tie-up the loose ends with his character too...as they had ended the Calderone saga a season or so back and the show was supposedly winding down by this point (although I still say they could have gone on for another season or two if NBC had allowed it and DJ & EJO had been willing).Overall I really like this episode and we get to see Lombard again. I'd give this one an 8 or 9...but because of the sad end for Lombard, and the goofy beginning with the 70's style special effects, I give this one a 7! :thumbsup:
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Yeah, HAVOC pretty much sunk this episode. What's amazing is that the performance by Farina actually makes it still watchable. But along with HAVOC, I also will never forgive the writers for suddenly making Lombard's son (who just 4 years earlier wanted nothing to do with his dad's criminal life) a big mobster. With some tweaks, this could've been a perfect coda to the Lombard story arc. As it stands, it's just a sort of alternate reality missed opportunity.

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Good points Viceman Cometh - Lombard's son was also a very poor actor - it would have been better played if Lombard's son was not a mobster . Great scenes though with Dennis Farina - as well as his scenes with Don Johnson .:thumbsup::cool::D

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Yeah' date=' HAVOC pretty much sunk this episode. What's amazing is that the performance by Farina actually makes it still watchable. But along with HAVOC, I also will never forgive the writers for suddenly making Lombard's son (who just 4 years earlier wanted nothing to do with his dad's criminal life) a big mobster. With some tweaks, this could've been a perfect coda to the Lombard story arc. As it stands, it's just a sort of alternate reality missed opportunity.[/quote']Very good points, Viceman Cometh, and I agree! Not only did Lombard's son suddenly wanting to be a big-time mobster like his father, when four years earlier he'd wanted nothing to do with that life, not set well with me...is it not a different actor playing the part of the son?Yeah, HAVOC was ridiculous and made this one a little too goofy...but Farina did redeem this episode quite a bit. He was awesome...until the end when he was killed. :cry: But, it's still pretty cool with the Lombard saga and the action. :cool:
Just watched this one again last night...it felt sadly ironic as recently Dennis Farina (Al Lombard) passed away in real life. :cry:The beginning was pretty silly and over-the-top. :rolleyes: The whole Havoc ray-gun thing was cheesy and way too sci-fi for "MV"! I laughed my butt off when the cop car was fried with the ray-gun--you could tell the camera was sped up as the cop's hands were going up and down on the steering wheel in an impossible million miles an hour to try and get the car to work. :) I think even "Knight Rider" would have found this scene too ridiculous. :pHowever' date=' other than the beginning I found this episode interesting and heart-felt. This one's sort of a love-hate thing with me. I loved Lombard showing back up and trying to make things right with his family...but I hated it that he had to die at the end. :evil: I hate sad or depressing things and I wish they'd of had him escape again and leave his character once again open-ended. That way there would have always been the chance he would show back up once more...of course not now with Farina's death. :(I loved the plot, acting, action, colors, fashion, cars, etc...! The scenes with Lombard and his son were in-depth and heart-felt...and I loved the scenes between Sonny and Al. They always had sort of a respect for each other--as both always stayed true to their word. Al wanting to have a relationship with his grandson and daughter-in-law was also touching.Ned Eisenberg was interesting as Frederico Librizzi (he also played Librizzi in First Season's [i']Lombard), and I loved how Lombard engineered things to where he'd be taken out by Sonny or Rico at the end of this episode. But, despite his several guest appearances on "MV"...Eisenberg will always be Charlie Glide to me. :) He played Charlie Glide in Season 2's Yankee Dollar. I believe that Ned Eisenberg also guest-starred on an episode of Dennis Farina's (Lombard) show (also created by Michael Mann) Crime Story.The colors and fashion were once again superb! :glossy: Everyone complains about Season 5 not having anymore pastels...and I'm not sure why? Other than the first couple/three episodes, most of the season had even better pastels and original "MV" colors than Season 4! The end was very in-depth and tragic...awesome acting, but still sad. :evil: Again I really wished Lombard could have lived. But, I guess they wanted to finally tie-up the loose ends with his character too...as they had ended the Calderone saga a season or so back and the show was supposedly winding down by this point (although I still say they could have gone on for another season or two if NBC had allowed it and DJ & EJO had been willing).Overall I really like this episode and we get to see Lombard again. I'd give this one an 8 or 9...but because of the sad end for Lombard, and the goofy beginning with the 70's style special effects, I give this one a 7! :thumbsup:
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  • 1 year later...

Although it was great to see Dennis Farina, and his acting was good, the plot had some weaknesses though.

 

The HAVOC weapon was a bit too sci-fi, but it was tolerable.  Sal's character evolution was poor.  For a character who detested his father's criminal activity so much, it seems to conflict too much that he would now be involved with criminal activity himself, especially after having a son himself.  Plus having Al Lombard being willing to have himself killed, just so he could have Librizzi killed was a bit too out of character.  I would have wanted Al to be a little more crafty, and anonymously alert Librizzi's other enemies to Librizzi's location to have him killed (possibly through a sniper) while still being able to keep his word to Crockett.  I don't know, having to have Al Lombard die seemed to pander to the too familiar tragic ending of the show when, in my opinion, Lombard was a lot smarter than that, and could have easily got revenge on Librizzi while still being able to remain alive with his new identity.

 

I loved the interaction between Johnson and Farina, they had great chemistry that reflected how both characters teased, and subtly respected each other despite being on different sides of the law.

 

I gave this episode and 8/10. Though the Havoc weapon looked like something built by a five year old, I think that the story centered on Lombard was excellent. It was a fitting tribute to his character. True to form from previous episodes, his character maintains a strong sense of honor, truth, and family in spite of being a criminal. Undoubtedly as a result, he has gained the respect of both C & T. Though his past is tortured with criminal activity and regret, Lombard maintains a sense of dignity and resignation for who he is and what he has done. His regret and his motivation lie in ensuring that his son and grandson find a better path than he did. Seeking vengeance against Librizzi for his son’s death, his honor holds him to his promise to Crockett not to kill him. I have seen this episode several times, but tonight I was drawn to Lombard clinging to Crockett’s jeans after he had died. Crockett had to pry him off. There is strong symbolism there. My interpretation: Lombard is reaching out for redemption from a criminal past. Crockett is doing his best to separate himself from the criminal underworld that has become part of him. Once again, the line between cop and criminal and the principles that each depend on are blurred.

 

It was great symbolism there too, but instead of redemption, I thought it was more of a reminder of how Lombard "held" onto his word (despite subtly manipulating the circumstances), and expected Crockett to do the same in protecting his grandson and telling Rita about everything.

Edited by Vice Immersion
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  • 1 year later...

Question about the final scene from this episode:

After Crockett closes Lombard's eyes after he dies, Crockett stops and ponders his death for a moment, then stands up. When he stands, Lombard is grasping onto Crockett's pant leg (blue jeans - ugh). Is there any significance as to why he was holding onto Sonny as he died?

Any insights or thoughts would be appreciated.

 

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19 minutes ago, OCBman said:

Question about the final scene from this episode:

After Crockett closes Lombard's eyes after he dies, Crockett stops and ponders his death for a moment, then stands up. When he stands, Lombard is grasping onto Crockett's pant leg (blue jeans - ugh). Is there any significance as to why he was holding onto Sonny as he died?

Any insights or thoughts would be appreciated.

 

I haven't watched this episode in many years. Maybe they showed Crockett closing his eyes and Lombard grasping his pant leg as a sign of mutual respect?

Welcome to the site, btw!

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  • 2 months later...

This episode is half good half bad.

The bad is the HAVOC plot. It's too ridiculous. Have Sal be caught up in mob killings or something.

However, Dennis Farina makes every scene he's in great. I love the scene of his questioning at OCB.

Really like the music and scenery. Especially during the scene where they're watching Sal's building.

Ned Eisenberg was good as Libritzi.

The ending was pretty damn sad. Farina dying recently just makes it worse.

6/10

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  • 2 months later...

Just watched "World of Trouble" last night for the first time ever (unbelievable but true).

As season 5 episodes go, this really isn't bad. They were capable of much worse both in season 5 and season 4.

The  episode felt "taut" and well strung together in places, but then again other things were just so silly, as some have remarked before me in this thread, that it felt like lost opportunities.Why go to the length of creating some sort unbelievable of sci fi weapon to be stolen. IF we accept for argument's sake for a moment that Sal, despite all his idealism and disdain for his dad's life of crime five years earlier, went over to the dark side, why introduce such a dime-a-dozen 80s TV show plot device as the theft of some secret miracle weapon?? Knight Rider and the A-Team were a much better place for this, back in the day.

Why not just have Sal steal a shipment of drugs from the police impound, and instead of some stereotypical mad professor just have a dirty cop on the inside who gets his cut on the deal? Much more believable, and in keeping with Miami Vice's best traditions of drug trafficking storylines. Librizzi then gets in hot water because with Sal dead, nobody knows where Sal stashed the drugs, and let the story take its course from there.

Don Johnson and Dennis Farina definitely appear to have had some chemistry in that episode, and that's actually fun to watch; on the other hand, you don't really buy the fact that Crockett suddenly becomes all chummy with the guy who just five years ago had his high school sweetheart killed, and offers Lombard favors in bringing down Librizzi if Lombard promises to stay on the straight and narrow.

I also didn't buy the "suicide-by-Librizzi" ending. A guy like Lombard wouldn't just throw his own life away over the death of his own son, no matter how much he loved him; he probably just would have put a hit on Librizzi and made doubly sure nothing would point to him.

 

All in all, an alright episode; but if any episode was ever sorely missing the magic touch of Michael Mann and the people who made seasons one and two great, this is it.

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  • 1 year later...
  • 3 months later...

My bigger problem with this ep is the apparent complete 180 Sal Lombard has taken, Michael Corleone style.  When I first saw this ep back in the day, I thought it was a different son Lombard had.  In retrospect I think that would have been a better idea.

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2 hours ago, Robbie C. said:

Not one of the stronger episodes in my book. 

You're right.  The sad thing is it could have been had they only focused on Lombard's story.  This feels like two scripts slapped together for some reason.  But it does have Hamburger Hill alumnus Tim Quill RIP, who I didn't know passed away recently.  He was also in some Army instructional films that I saw.

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Sometimes I think Vice's writers collectively lost their way on episodes, and this is one of them. Lombard wasn't a compelling character in and of himself, but Farina gave him a life and depth that transcended sometimes poor writing. And he and Johnson clearly had chemistry. Focusing on the two of them and building a story like that would have made the episode much stronger in my view. Crockett always seemed strongest when he wanted revenge, and if there was someone he might have wanted to square things with (aside from Hackman) it would have been Lombard.

The point about Lombard having Crockett's former flame killed is a good one, but that ties back to one of my theories about Crockett's character. His background is always far more fluid than any other character's. Compared to Castillo or Tubbs (or even Gina) we don't really know that much about him, and what we know seems to shift from time to time (sometimes slightly, sometimes greatly). They dance around the idea a bit in episodes like Definitely Miami, and it always fascinated me that Crockett's only real flashbacks come when he 'becomes' Sonny Burnett.

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Maybe there simply isn't that much to know.  Maybe it's the job and the lifestyle that gives Sonny any depth and not much else.  Or by extension he is a "Son" (hence "Sonny") of Miami itself and it is Miami that gives him a life (this, by the way, is why I argue that he is the true main character of the show-I thought that used to be obvious but people seem to want to argue the point in recent years). We are talking about a man who essentially owns nothing in life after all.  Without the department or law enforcement he would basically be nobody. I don't mean that negatively, only that his identity as a person would be very muted, unlike the rest of the cast actually.

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You could in theory make the same argument for Tubbs, who is not only out of his environment but has less that Crockett in many ways. I don't disagree that Sonny's supposed to be the main character, but I'm starting to think he's intended more as an extended metaphor about the cost of working undercover. His reality is always about ten minutes on either side of where he is now, which would explain why the Burnett episodes (and I include Definitely Miami in this grouping) seem more deep and real for him than many others. Nods toward his background are really just that, which explains why his shifts so frequently when compared to other characters. That Crockett can be both the main character and sort of an avatar for Miami doesn't seem to be a contradiction to me, and might reflect Michael Mann's imprint on the show. I think the original intent was to make Crockett more grounded, but that shifted very quickly to something else.

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