Episode #12 "Milk Run"

[zachbmarsh]

Wow. What can I even say? I've always been really fond of "Milk Run", but this time through I cannot deny that this is easily the best episode so far. This might be my favourite cold open so far, that shot of Crockett's POV of the girl as Tubbs steps in front, the pan up to Tubbs' face, is perfect. The relationship between Louis and Eddie is really well-developed, as are their motivations for doing the deal. Crockett trying to help Eddie is really sincere, and that ending is tragic, but wholly earned and pays off incredibly. The way Eddie initally survives the shot but goes limp in Crockett's arms as he sends for an ambulance is haunting. I think my favourite moment is Crockett, in shock, sitting there at the end, and Tubbs, not knowing what to say, just sits with his partner instead. It was the right call to smash to black before rolling up the credits, which is the norm today but was pretty revolutionary in 1984. I have zero criticisms. My first 10/10 of the series.

On 4/26/2019 at 5:53 AM, Vincent Hanna said:

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'

That's exactly what they do. That technique is known as "overcranking", where the footage is shot at a higher framerate and then played back at the normal framerate. That creates a "smooth" looking slo-mo. The opposite technique is "undercranking", which is where you shoot it normally and then slow the footage down after. It creates a jumpier, more stop-motion kind of slo-mo, and can be effective in some situations when executed well, but laughably bad in others (that final shootout in "Cool Runnin'" should be taught in filmmaking schools as a textbook example of BADLY done undercranking).

[pahonu]

1 hour ago, zachbmarsh said:

Wow. What can I even say? I've always been really fond of "Milk Run", but this time through I cannot deny that this is easily the best episode so far. This might be my favourite cold open so far, that shot of Crockett's POV of the girl as Tubbs steps in front, the pan up to Tubbs' face, is perfect. The relationship between Louis and Eddie is really well-developed, as are their motivations for doing the deal. Crockett trying to help Eddie is really sincere, and that ending is tragic, but wholly earned and pays off incredibly. The way Eddie initally survives the shot but goes limp in Crockett's arms as he sends for an ambulance is haunting. I think my favourite moment is Crockett, in shock, sitting there at the end, and Tubbs, not knowing what to say, just sits with his partner instead. It was the right call to smash to black before rolling up the credits, which is the norm today but was pretty revolutionary in 1984. I have zero criticisms. My first 10/10 of the series.

That's exactly what they do. That technique is known as "overcranking", where the footage is shot at a higher framerate and then played back at the normal framerate. That creates a "smooth" looking slo-mo. The opposite technique is "undercranking", which is where you shoot it normally and then slow the footage down after. It creates a jumpier, more stop-motion kind of slo-mo, and can be effective in some situations when executed well, but laughably bad in others (that final shootout in "Cool Runnin'" should be taught in filmmaking schools as a textbook example of BADLY done undercranking).

All correct, but I would add that when overcranking, the camera is very loud as the shutter opens and closes and it is basically impossible to have any sound recording.  Undercranking does allow for a soundtrack, such as a slowed gunshot sound or some other “artsy” effect that might be wanted, though the visual is typically compromised.

[Vincent Hanna]

On 3/13/2021 at 5:11 PM, zachbmarsh said:

That's exactly what they do. That technique is known as "overcranking", where the footage is shot at a higher framerate and then played back at the normal framerate. That creates a "smooth" looking slo-mo. The opposite technique is "undercranking", which is where you shoot it normally and then slow the footage down after. It creates a jumpier, more stop-motion kind of slo-mo, and can be effective in some situations when executed well, but laughably bad in others (that final shootout in "Cool Runnin'" should be taught in filmmaking schools as a textbook example of BADLY done undercranking).

Ah thank you.

I'm not too crazy about the slo-mo in the title credits of Reservoir Dogs either. 

[wolfie1996]

On 1/14/2009 at 1:54 AM, 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

I agree. It ended in a far more serious and unexpected way than it had begun. I imagine nearly everybody thought , like Crockett and Tubbs, that they're both go home sadder and wiser so it was a big shock when one was killed. The reaction of both Crockett and Tubbs is one of the most moving scenes in the whole of MV. One of my favourites too , so I'll also give it a 10.

[wolfie1996]

On 10/13/2010 at 6:14 PM, Spyder said:

Another one of my favorite eppys from the 1st season.Great opening scene at the airport' date=' can't go wrong with some ZZ Top.Went a bit "ABC Afterschool Special" at times, but i liked how Sonny fought to get these kids a break.Also has one of the saddest endings of a MV episode.Finally "Rain" is another one of my favorite scores by Jan Hammer.[/quote'] Yep, x100 on all points! Sometimes I wonder if Sonny always tried to stand up for kids he came across to make up for the lack of a relationship he had with his own son. The Good Collar is another example of one where someone Sonny tried his best to protect dies in the end.We hardly ever see Sonny get choked up like he did at the end of this episode.

Agree with most of what you said but I think Sonny's quite an emotional man and doesn't mind showing it. It's one of the things I like  about him.

[Eillio Martin Imbasciati]

1 hour ago, wolfie1996 said:

Agree with most of what you said but I think Sonny's quite an emotional man and doesn't mind showing it. It's one of the things I like  about him.

Yeah, Crockett wears his emotions on his sleeve. He explained his personality a bit to Joey Hardin in 'Line of Fire' (not such a hard case after all, a little scared, wanted things to turn out well, became a cop to make the world safe for children) and Felicia from 'Freefall' said something to the effect that it isn't that Crockett doesn't feel things at all, but feels things too much (I can relate; sometimes I'm paralyzed by emotion).

[wolfie1996]

28 minutes ago, Eillio Martin Imbasciati said:

Yeah, Crockett wears his emotions on his sleeve. He explained his personality a bit to Joey Hardin in 'Line of Fire' (not such a hard case after all, a little scared, wanted things to turn out well, became a cop to make the world safe for children) and Felicia from 'Freefall' said something to the effect that it isn't that Crockett doesn't feel things at all, but feels things too much (I can relate; sometimes I'm paralyzed by emotion).

I agree. DJ said in an interview about MV that one reason it was so popular was that people  felt they had an affinity with  Crockett and his "emotional bankruptcy". And how he was  trying to achieve (or obtain) something that stayed beyond his reach, however hard he tried. I can relate to that, too. I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling that I've "lived with" this person for  five years. No wonder we feel an affinity.

[Eillio Martin Imbasciati]

4 minutes ago, wolfie1996 said:

I agree. DJ said in an interview about MV that one reason it was so popular was that people  felt they had an affinity with  Crockett and his "emotional bankruptcy". And how he was  trying to achieve (or obtain) something that stayed beyond his reach, however hard he tried. I can relate to that, too. I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling that I've "lived with" this person for  five years. No wonder we feel an affinity.

Yeah, Johnson said in a 2014 interview when answering the question on how much Sonny Crockett was Don Johnson and how much Don Johnson was Sonny Crockett that the line was pretty blurred there.

[wolfie1996]

2 minutes ago, Eillio Martin Imbasciati said:

Yeah, Johnson said in a 2014 interview when answering the question on how much Sonny Crockett was Don Johnson and how much Don Johnson was Sonny Crockett that the line was pretty blurred there.

I can believe that to a great extent  except that Sonny is more of an idealised version of DJ. Sonny is an honourable man with principles it upsets him if he fails to live up to, and a strong sense of duty and loyalty. They never show him cheating on any of his partners either, most of  whom he seems genuinely in love with................take notes, Don!

[AndrewRemington]

I don't think I've brought this up before, but the actress who played Angela was Rainbow Harvest. She was born in 1966, definitely from the hippy generation!  Nowadays, it seems everyone is naming their kids very unique names again. Not necessarily "hippie" names, though. I did meet someone named Rayne-Drop.

My parents grew up in the 60s-70s, but had pretty common names, and they named me a pretty common name.  I'm happy I got Andrew, though!

Edited April 11, 2021 by AndrewRemington

[RedDragon86]

32 minutes ago, AndrewRemington said:

I don't think I've brought this up before, but the actress who played Angela was Rainbow Harvest. She was born in 1966, definitely from the hippy generation!  Nowadays, it seems everyone is naming their kids very unique names again. Not necessarily "hippie" names, though. I did meet someone named Rayne-Drop.

My parents grew up in the 60s-70s, but had pretty common names, and they named me a pretty common name.  I'm happy I got Andrew, though!

She looks a lot like Winona Ryder. 

[AndrewRemington]

3 minutes ago, RedDragon86 said:

She looks a lot like Winona Ryder. 

Definitely! I didn't think of that until you said it! Haha, and I know Winona Ryder was named after the city she was born in, or close to (depending on the source). Winona, Minnesota is very close to me.

Edited April 11, 2021 by AndrewRemington

[pahonu]

2 hours ago, AndrewRemington said:

I don't think I've brought this up before, but the actress who played Angela was Rainbow Harvest. She was born in 1966, definitely from the hippy generation!  Nowadays, it seems everyone is naming their kids very unique names again. Not necessarily "hippie" names, though. I did meet someone named Rayne-Drop.

My parents grew up in the 60s-70s, but had pretty common names, and they named me a pretty common name.  I'm happy I got Andrew, though!

The hippie generation was born in the years after WWII actually.  They were late teens and young adults in the late 60’s, but they might have given their children such names.  This story has nothing to do with hippies, but my wife, who is a high school teacher like myself, had a female student in her class many years ago named Avonlady.  Everyone called her Avon.  My wife had her again as a senior and discovered her mother had named her that because that was the first job her mom got after immigrating to the US from Cambodia.  She sold Avon products to the Cambodian community here.  Long Beach, where we live and my wife teaches, has the largest Cambodian population in the world outside of Cambodia.  They arrived in the late 70’s fleeing the communist Khmer Rouge regime.  I  always thought it was rather sweet that her mom chose that name, though I have no connection to Avon products.  It was perhaps her first positive connection to the US, I think.

[AndrewRemington]

3 hours ago, pahonu said:

The hippie generation was born in the years after WWII actually.  They were late teens and young adults in the late 60’s, but they might have given their children such names.  This story has nothing to do with hippies, but my wife, who is a high school teacher like myself, had a female student in her class many years ago named Avonlady.  Everyone called her Avon.  My wife had her again as a senior and discovered her mother had named her that because that was the first job her mom got after immigrating to the US from Cambodia.  She sold Avon products to the Cambodian community here.  Long Beach, where we live and my wife teaches, has the largest Cambodian population in the world outside of Cambodia.  They arrived in the late 70’s fleeing the communist Khmer Rouge regime.  I  always thought it was rather sweet that her mom chose that name, though I have no connection to Avon products.  It was perhaps her first positive connection to the US, I think.

Ah yes, that is what I meant, but didn’t type it right. I meant her parents must have been hippies to name her Rainbow in 1966 (but could be wrong, too.)

That is a very interesting story about Avonlady... and a very unique name! I learned a lot about the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime in a college class about genocide. That was not an easy class due to the subject matter, but it’s definitely important that these atrocities and the victims are not forgotten.

Edited April 12, 2021 by AndrewRemington

[pahonu]

2 hours ago, AndrewRemington said:

Ah yes, that is what I meant, but didn’t type it right. I meant her parents must have been hippies to name her Rainbow in 1966 (but could be wrong, too.)

That is a very interesting story about Avonlady... and a very unique name! I learned a lot about the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime in a college class about genocide. That was not an easy class due to the subject matter, but it’s definitely important that these atrocities and the victims are not forgotten.

I think you’re probably right about giving her the name Rainbow.

The killing fields of the Khmer Rouge were horrifically brutal.  It’s a genocidal event that should never be forgotten as you state, but sadly is already fading from memory.  Incredibly, I just read a story in today’s LA Times about a local Cambodian woman who became a doctor after surviving the killing fields, only to succumb to covid.  That’s also the name of an incredibly powerful film as well, The Killing Fields, with Academy Award winner Haing Ngor.  I highly recommend it.

[ViceFanMan]

On 5/29/2010 at 9:48 PM, ViceFanMan said:

I know several really like this episode...but to be honest this one doesn't really "do" much for me. I did like the scenes where Sonny sticks up for the kids and smears the crooked lawyer. But, other than that the rest to me was kind of sad, depressing, and even boring. I gave it a 5.

This was my original review...I still pretty much stick by it. Not really a memorable or that good of an episode (my opinion)...Season 1 “filler”. Still give it a 5. 

[Christine]

What struck me about many episodes is the fact that there is not always - rather rarely - a happy ending. Milk Run also ends tragically, although, as has already been said here, it was not expected. The only point that caught my attention was that the one Moja - brother was sitting in the car with an angry face, watching the two boys leave the hotel with Switek and Zito. That made me suspect that something else might be going on. But when they reached the airport together, the thought was far away again.
To me, the two boys came across as believable. They wanted to make the big money in a hurry to be able to fulfill their dream. But neither of them thought about how dangerous it is to get involved with dealers. 
This came across well in the scene where the handover was to take place. There was a signal they were supposed to give as soon as Eddy got the figure out of the fridge, but they forgot because they were so scared.
Maybe Milk Run is not the most exciting story, but again one with a tragic ending. That, too, is what makes Vice for me. In most other series, good always wins in the end. Not so in Vice. That makes the series somehow realistic.

[ViceFanMan]

1 hour ago, Christine said:

What struck me about many episodes is the fact that there is not always - rather rarely - a happy ending. Milk Run also ends tragically, although, as has already been said here, it was not expected. The only point that caught my attention was that the one Moja - brother was sitting in the car with an angry face, watching the two boys leave the hotel with Switek and Zito. That made me suspect that something else might be going on. But when they reached the airport together, the thought was far away again.
To me, the two boys came across as believable. They wanted to make the big money in a hurry to be able to fulfill their dream. But neither of them thought about how dangerous it is to get involved with dealers. 
This came across well in the scene where the handover was to take place. There was a signal they were supposed to give as soon as Eddy got the figure out of the fridge, but they forgot because they were so scared.
Maybe Milk Run is not the most exciting story, but again one with a tragic ending. That, too, is what makes Vice for me. In most other series, good always wins in the end. Not so in Vice. That makes the series somehow realistic.

I understand sometimes a tragedy or a good dramatic storyline (Magnum, p.i. was one of the first shows that didn’t always have a happy ending...although a lot did, there were a few that were more serious or “dark”—referring to the original & in my opinion ‘real’ “Magnum” with Tom Selleck. Not the ridiculous new knock-off version ).

However, shows can also become too caught up in trying to be as dark & depressing as they can...and that too can eventually become “old”. I agree, the two boys in this MV episode were somewhat believable, and the ending is definitely very sad & depressing...but I don’t know, it’s just not really a memorable or that captivating of an episode to me. It still feels like a filler. But, to each his or her own! 

[RedDragon86]

Wonderful episode! just great TV. (10/10)

This episode got the series back on great form after it sort of lost it way with "The Glades" "Give A Little, Take a Little" and "Little Prince"

Then the epic Golden Triangle episodes next.

Edited May 15, 2021 by RedDragon86

[wolfie1996]

56 minutes ago, RedDragon86 said:

Wonderful episode! just great TV. (10/10)

This episode got the series back on great form after it sort of lost it way with "The Glades" "Give A Little, Take a Little" and "Little Prince"

Then the epic Golden Triangle episodes next.

One of my favourites too, RedDragon! 10 out of 10 from me as well. I's say it's in my top 5 episodes.

[Jack Gretsky]

A good one.  I like Al Shannon as Eddie Rivers who knows he's in way over his head.  As a Lost fanatic, I know Evan Handler from the "Dave" episode.  Shawn Elliott has a good scene as the chuckling smuggler - you can tell he knows Eddie is an out-of-his-depths chump.  Eric Bogosian's role is smaller than I expected; of course this was relatively early in his career.  And no one can play smarmy jerks better than John Kapelos.  

This isn't a good episode for songs though.  I was about to say ZZ Top's "Legs" is so overused in movies and TV shows, but then I realized that track was new in 1984.  It was also used in a St. Elsewhere episode around this time too - in a bizarre music video fantasy scene.  "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" is definitely an unoriginal selection for the scene in the boxing gym.  I ain't a Benatar fan to begin with anyway.  

I don't know about Eddie and Louis, but I think it would be a hoot to hang out with Zito and Switek in a run-down hotel playing Monopoly and eating cold pizza! 

Edited August 26, 2021 by Jack Gretsky

[Eillio Martin Imbasciati]

5 minutes ago, Jack Gretsky said:

A good one.  I like Al Shannon as Eddie Rivers who knows he's in way over his head.  As a Lost fanatic, I know Evan Handler from the "Dave" episode.  Shawn Elliott has a good scene as the chuckling smuggler - you can tell he knows Eddie is an out-of-his-depths chump.  Eric Bogosian's role is smaller than I expected; of course this was relatively early in his career.  And no one can play smarmy jerks better than John Kapelos.  

This isn't a good episode for songs though.  I was about to say ZZ Top's "Legs" is so overused in movies and TV shows, but then I realized that track was new in 1984.  It was also used in a St. Elsewhere episode around this time too - in a bizarre music video fantasy scene.  "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" is definitely an unoriginal selection for the scene in the boxing gym.  I ain't a Benatar fan to begin with anyway.  

I don't know about Eddie and Louis, but I think it would be a hoot to hang out with Zito and Switek in a run-down hotel playing Monopoly and eating cold pizza! 

I know Evan Handler was on "Sex and the City" (I've watched an odd episode in the past, mostly with female company, I swear), but I truly know him best as Charlie Runkle on "Californication" ("RUNKLE!").

[RedDragon86]

A truly great episode.

This is the episode that connects Sonny to Archie in season 3.

 

 

Edited February 26, 2022 by RedDragon86

[Dadrian]

50 minutes ago, RedDragon86 said:

This is the episode that connects Sonny to Archie. 

Can’t believe I never thought of this. 

[AndrewRemington]

1 hour ago, RedDragon86 said:

A truly great episode.

This is the episode that connects Sonny to Archie. 

 

 

I don't get it. I never read Archie, but I know Archie Bunker from "All in the Family." "Stifle yourself, meathead!"