Episode #12 "Milk Run"


Ferrariman

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Cory Barker of the website This Was Television reviews "Milk Run":


 


Although the realities of television production are regularly hectic, confusing, and disorganized, it does seem that shows often attempt to come back after the holiday break with an episode that really embodies the kinds of things they do best.


 


I never thought about that, but in this context it makes sense that Milk Run was one of the most powerful S1 eps.


 


Read the full review:


 


http://thiswastv.com/2012/10/08/review-miami-vice-milk-run/


Edited by airtommy
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  • 2 weeks later...

This represented the right balance between the Crockett & Tubbs characters. Both have plenty of moments & it was nice to see Tubbs go after Moyà alone. Didn't see that enough throughout the series.

This was one of the episodes I didn't see until the USA Network reruns in 1989. I missed it first run. Great episode! While the show was wrapping up season 5, it was a treat to watch episodes like this! 9/10

Edited by Noggie
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  • 2 weeks later...

One thing I've always liked about Vice is that the plots were based on reality not the imagination of some Hollywood screen writer. The drug lab explosion in Milk Run is a perfect example.  See this https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=46&v=4uYyQPaddDc

 

This "cocaine castle" bust happened after Milk Run was filmed but there were earlier busts of large quantities of ether and explosions. Watching Vice is like revisiting 80s Miami.

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  • 1 year later...

Ok now we're back on track.

Milk Run is one of the best of the first season. Pretty much everything about it is solid. While I wouldn't personally wear it, I dig crocketts wardrobe in this one. The music is great. It also includes some pretty tense scenes. Am I alone in thinking that Eddie looks like Ray Liotta?

The only flaw is when the kid screams eddie in slow motion. That was unintentionally hilarious.

9.5/10

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  • 1 year later...
On 1/13/2009 at 8:54 PM, mjcmmv said:

Milk RunBy far, one of my fav raves, to quote someone close to my heart. I've already mentioned the Jan Hammer "Rain" scene with Rico and Sonny looking out at the Miami street while it pours outside. And the airport scene with Sonny in tears on the floor is a MV defining moment. But Rico's reaction to that tragedy speaks volumes for me. He sees Sonny struggling and he sits next to his friend, his partner, trying to find the words to comfort him. He fails and decides he'll just "be there". The music builds, and the camera pulls back as we take in the tragedy of it all. Sonny had criticized the lawyer for lying to Eddie. He promises Eddie that if he cooperated, he would be taken care of. The kid belived him and he is blown away. The helplessness Crockett feels as he sits on the floor, is palpable. I almost wanted to cry with him. What a powerful TV moment that scene was!! 10 out of 10 for me!MJ

Oh, man. I just found this review I posted back in 2009. Still feel the same way about this episode. I also found this review of Milk Run that pretty much sums up my feelings about it! https://thiswastv.com/2012/10/08/review-miami-vice-milk-run/ 

 

Edited by mjcmmv
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On 5/2/2017 at 12:44 AM, Remington said:

Ok now we're back on track.

Milk Run is one of the best of the first season. Pretty much everything about it is solid. While I wouldn't personally wear it, I dig crocketts wardrobe in this one. The music is great. It also includes some pretty tense scenes. Am I alone in thinking that Eddie looks like Ray Liotta?

The only flaw is when the kid screams eddie in slow motion. That was unintentionally hilarious.

9.5/10

I thought the same, especially towards they end of GoodFellas.

Image result for goodfellas endingSee the source image

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45 minutes ago, RedDragon86 said:

I thought the same, especially towards they end of GoodFellas.

Image result for goodfellas endingSee the source image

I never noticed that! Thanks!

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Killer episode - I initially didn't remember anything about it because my first viewing was basically background noise as I worked on a project. I feel the slow-mo at the end went on for too long but at least it was done right...I'm looking at you, Cool Runnin'...

Great wardrobe for Don Johnson, I rock the pink linen pants every now and then.

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^The white jacket, black t shirt and Pink pants is my favourite Crockett look in the show. :cool: so cool.

Does anyone know how they film those slo mo shots at the end? do they film it at a higher fps than play it back normally? i love that "smooth" slow mo look better than when they film it at 24fps and slow it down. It looks janky as af like in cool runnin'

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  • 1 year later...

This is one of the best of the MV 'message' episodes, right up there with God's Work (although I still put God's Work above it). There was a lot of unexplored potential with this episode in terms of character development in subsequent episodes, so it also marks a bit of a missed opportunity.

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  • 5 months later...

Lots of great comments up above on this episode (Crockett throwing the hot dog in Sloan's corvette, the balance of distribution between Crockett & Tubbs, Crockett keeping his word, etc.). What this episode also gave me was a phrase to use in everyday life when traveling or doing several pursuits at once: "Well, this wasn't exactly a milk run" (I know, opposite of intended meaning:-). I recently had a milk run in which I went for actual milk, but spilled most of the gallon. At least I didn't cry!

Also, love the casting here: Evan Handler (long before his turns in "Sex and the City" & "Californication"), Al Shannon (I also remember him from a bit part in the 1987 film "No Man's Land", and I think he bears a striking resemblance to the lead singer of the 1980's band Big County), John Kapelos (such a jerk here, but plays a cool janitor in "The Breakfast Club"), and Eric Bogosian before his turn in 1988's "Talk Radio" (love that film). 

I really think this particular episode is seamless, jumping from one tone to another (chasing, key dialogue, traveling to a foreign country, stakeout, rip-offs, and the climax) without missing a beat; I think it's TV film noir at its finest. The ending is a tough one, with Crockett feeling emotional pain & a sense of loss (again). On a brighter note, who's up for some Atari 2600 (sanity maintenance in this case; Crockett will reliably supply the fishing)?

Edited by Eillio Martin Imbasciati
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  • 1 month later...

Back on track after a couple of weaker (relatively) episodes. As Eillio states, it's like a whos who of actors who become much more established down the line, from Evan Handler (I didn't recognize him with hair at first), Eric Bogosian and John Kapelos. Also, another Jesus Bolano sighting, this time as Diego Moya. I enjoyed all the subplots and the innocent characters that got embroiled in these smuggling schemes and ended up taking the hit more than others. Al Shannon (Eddie Rivers) did a really good job of portraying someone that realizes too late that their plan is much more dangerous than he originally realized. Slight gripe with the stunt double they used for when Eddie gets shot, as there was almost no resemblance, but a great ending with Sonny looking completely defeated and Tubbs realizing that he should just let him be for the moment.

The episode also made me wonder about how many times this actually happened, kids from up north coming down to "make one big score" and head back home with a pile of cash. How many ended up dead, how many stayed in Miami and how many made it home unscathed.

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2 hours ago, GoombayPunch said:

Back on track after a couple of weaker (relatively) episodes. As Eillio states, it's like a whos who of actors who become much more established down the line, from Evan Handler (I didn't recognize him with hair at first), Eric Bogosian and John Kapelos. Also, another Jesus Bolano sighting, this time as Diego Moya. I enjoyed all the subplots and the innocent characters that got embroiled in these smuggling schemes and ended up taking the hit more than others. Al Shannon (Eddie Rivers) did a really good job of portraying someone that realizes too late that their plan is much more dangerous than he originally realized. Slight gripe with the stunt double they used for when Eddie gets shot, as there was almost no resemblance, but a great ending with Sonny looking completely defeated and Tubbs realizing that he should just let him be for the moment.

The episode also made me wonder about how many times this actually happened, kids from up north coming down to "make one big score" and head back home with a pile of cash. How many ended up dead, how many stayed in Miami and how many made it home unscathed.

I think that's an excellent question about how many times kids from up north go south (in more ways than one) for one big score and think they'll be all set (that plot, although pretty simple, I feel gives this episode a lot of momentum). Wow, I think it's happened a lot, and I'm betting quite a few ended up dead, some survived and ended up sticking around (like the Jimbo Walters character who went to St. Andrew's Island for spring break and ended up staying in the 'Calderone's Demise' episode), while some probably made it back home relatively intact. 

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13 hours ago, Eillio Martin Imbasciati said:

I think that's an excellent question about how many times kids from up north go south (in more ways than one) for one big score and think they'll be all set (that plot, although pretty simple, I feel gives this episode a lot of momentum). Wow, I think it's happened a lot, and I'm betting quite a few ended up dead, some survived and ended up sticking around (like the Jimbo Walters character who went to St. Andrew's Island for spring break and ended up staying in the 'Calderone's Demise' episode), while some probably made it back home relatively intact. 

Yes that’s real life and can happen , great post.

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Milk run was a remarkable episode for the early part of the series.

It contains all elements of a classic Vice ep  very early on (good story with drama - film noir, locations, good quotes, interesting characters, action and a good portion of main character development).

This was the second time after "Give a little, ...." where Crockett went tough on a naive boy in the beginning (Bob Rickert was the other), then realize that this is no hard boiled criminal and there are others who need to get bullied (in this case the sleazy lawyer) instead, so he changed his attitude quickly from being mean to being compassionate and supporting. DJ did a good acting job at the end with his face expression that was exactly the right mix of anger and disgust over the death over the naive boy (while the other mouthy friend who started and pushed it all got away unharmed....)....

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7 hours ago, Tom said:

Milk run was a remarkable episode for the early part of the series.

It contains all elements of a classic Vice ep  very early on (good story with drama - film noir, locations, good quotes, interesting characters, action and a good portion of main character development).

This was the second time after "Give a little, ...." where Crockett went tough on a naive boy in the beginning (Bob Rickert was the other), then realize that this is no hard boiled criminal and there are others who need to get bullied (in this case the sleazy lawyer) instead, so he changed his attitude quickly from being mean to being compassionate and supporting. DJ did a good acting job at the end with his face expression that was exactly the right mix of anger and disgust over the death over the naive boy (while the other mouthy friend who started and pushed it all got away unharmed....)....

I really like your point about Louis & Eddie: Louis was the cocksure one, while Eddie was a lot more leery about the whole thing (Eddie also took more risks, like going to frakin' Bogata:-). Sometimes it's the less guilty people who pay full price, as is the case in 'Milk Run'.

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14 minutes ago, Eillio Martin Imbasciati said:

I really like your point about Louis & Eddie: Louis was the cocksure one, while Eddie was a lot more leery about the whole thing (Eddie also took more risks, like going to frakin' Bogata:-). Sometimes it's the less guilty people who pay full price, as is the case in 'Milk Run'.

Indeed often the case in life - this was executed well in “Milk Run” and other Vice episodes.

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9 minutes ago, Matt5 said:

Indeed often the case in life - this was executed well in “Milk Run” and other Vice episodes.

I agree, more of that Vice TV Noir existential nihilism, an early lesson of it in the show's run.

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Just now, Eillio Martin Imbasciati said:

I agree, more of that Vice TV Noir existential nihilism, an early lesson of it in the show's run.

Yes indeed Eillio - Vice did it well too.

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Good episode. Deffinitely memorable with a good mood and new plot (AS most s1). I give it a 8.5/10

The beggining indicates it is going to be a very light-hearted episode, maybe even funny one....... but nah....... the writers thought of something else for us. As the episode progresses we can see that this shit turns out to be bad. We got the "VICE" element pretty high up this episode, and we even got the impression that the episode ends once the "punks" finnish the bust, but no........ AND, we got an emotional ending. 

The only thing that it makes me not give this a 9 or 10 is that this seemed a bit too silly. We didn't got a fully serious episode, neither a fully light hearted one, we got a hybrid. Not a bad thing, but neither a good one. This is my opinion only.

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