This Week In Miami Vice History

[mvnyc]

November 18th - 24th:

 

**There was no Season 1 premiere episode this week**.

 

"Bushido", the 8th episode of the 2nd season, premiered on NBC on Friday, November 22nd, 1985 at 10PM EST. Some notes about this episode (from Miami Vice Wiki):

* This episode was directed by Edward James Olmos, also his directorial debut. Although Olmos never directed another episode of Miami Vice, he would later direct several episodes of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series, in which he also starred.

* This episode both provides an insight into Castillo's background (we find out he is skilled with a Katana) and expands slightly upon his typically taciturn character (he goes so far as to crack a smile when meeting with Jack Gretsky). Such insights were rare and occurred infrequently throughout the series.

* This story references the then-ongoing Cold War between the former Soviet Union and the United States.

* The portion of "Hello Earth" played is the Russian choral portion, adding a feeling of being in Russia during the scenes with Laura, Marty, Castillo, Surf, and the KGB operatives.

* This is the first of two times Castillo is stabbed in the line of duty during the series. He is later stabbed again in "Duty And Honor."

* "Bushido" refers to the code of honor of the samurai warrior class in Japan. As Castillo mentions in the episode, literally translated, it means "the way of the warrior."

* The fact Gretsky was working with Castillo in Southeast Asia makes very little sense.  Castillo's team was destroyed when CIA agent Dale Mention tipped off Lao Li and it is implied that he did this on the order of his superiors, as the CIA were, in fact, relying on Li's opium trade to fund their Vietnam War efforts. Given that Gretsky was also a CIA agent, it makes little sense for him to be working with the DEA trying to destroy the drug trade, as this would be counter to the Agency's interests.

* When Laura falls and drops Castillo's gun in the cellar, it is obviously within her reach and visible within the shaft of light coming into the cellar. In a subsequent cut, the gun has disappeared. When Surf arrives later, it is back in the light and plainly visible again.

 

"Baby Blues", the 9th episode of the 3rd season, premiered on NBC on Friday, November 21st, 1986 at 9PM EST. Some notes about this episode (from Miami Vice Wiki):

* Philip Michael Thomas' stunt double (Ernest Robinson) was hospitalized after he burned his legs performing the stunt where Tubbs jumps out of Hector's exploding apartment. The footage was left in the episode (if you watch closely, you can see 'Tubbs' catch fire as he exits the bottom right of the screen after crashing through the window). This ended Robinson's stunt career.

* The hotel where Angela Mitchell and Eduardo Vasquez were found dead still exists today, though the name has been changed from "The Waldorf Towers" to "The Room Mate Towers."

*Instead of their usual Bug van, Switek and Zito use a pink and blue Boyertown Merchandiser van for their surveillance in this episode. It's never explained why they have switched to a different vehicle in this episode.

* The ventilation duct Famiglia crawls through in the hospital is grossly oversized.  In reality, air vents are very small conduits, no building would have ventilation shafts so large, as it would mean making the walls unbelievably thick to accommodate them.

 

"Like A Hurricane", the 8th episode of the 4th season, premiered on NBC on Friday, November 20th, 1987 at 9PM EST. Some notes about this episode (from Miami Vice Wiki):

* Jan Hammer makes a cameo appearance in this episode, playing at Crockett's wedding, the second (and final) time he appears in-person on the show.

* This episode was rushed through post-production (only 15 days between the end of filming and airing) to avoid leaks of the episode's content.

* The part of Caitlin was originally to be played by Lorraine Bracco (later to be married to Edward James Olmos), but she was forced to withdraw due to an illness. Easton was cast as a replacement.

* During Crockett's sendoff at OCB, a boom microphone is visible at the top of the viewing screen.

* When Caitlin asks Crockett if he will be following her in an unmarked car when she goes out, Crockett's pistol goes from being totally stripped (so that he can clean it) with the constituent parts lying on the table in front of him, to fully assembled in far less time that he could possibly put the gun back together. He also (somehow) manages to put the gun back together completely silently.

* When Crockett shoots the first gunman outside the restaurant, items on the table in front of him keep smashing, even after Crockett has stopped firing.

* Crockett's Scarab is tied to the dock when he and Caitlin jump into it as they flee the hit at the restaurant, but it is untied and speeding away moments later without anyone ever going near the mooring ropes.

* When Tubbs is questioning Crockett about his relationship with Caitlin after catching them kissing at the safehouse, he goes from facing off to the side with his hands on his lap to suddenly facing Crockett and leaning on the wall behind him when the camera cuts.

* The hard raised engine covers on the Scarab have been replaced with a padded cover for this episode.

 

**There was no Season 5 premiere episode this week**.

Edited November 18, 2016 by mvnyc

[Daytona74]

Am 18.11.2016 um 22:17 schrieb mvnyc:

* This episode both provides an insight into Castillo's background (we find out he is skilled with a Katana) and expands slightly upon his typically taciturn character (he goes so far as to crack a smile when meeting with Jack Gretsky).

 

It think Castillo smiles more often in later season four and five episodes. It kind of seemed like it to me anyway when I did my own private "summer rerun" this summer where I watched almost every episode of seasons 1-5. There's a scene at a coffee bar in Little Havana in one episode where he almost manages outright laughter.

[Matt5]

On 11/18/2016 at 9:17 PM, mvnyc said:

November 18th - 24th:

 

**There was no Season 1 premiere episode this week**.

 

"Bushido", the 8th episode of the 2nd season, premiered on NBC on Friday, November 22nd, 1985 at 10PM EST. Some notes about this episode (from Miami Vice Wiki):

* This episode was directed by Edward James Olmos, also his directorial debut. Although Olmos never directed another episode of Miami Vice, he would later direct several episodes of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series, in which he also starred.

* This episode both provides an insight into Castillo's background (we find out he is skilled with a Katana) and expands slightly upon his typically taciturn character (he goes so far as to crack a smile when meeting with Jack Gretsky). Such insights were rare and occurred infrequently throughout the series.

* This story references the then-ongoing Cold War between the former Soviet Union and the United States.

* The portion of "Hello Earth" played is the Russian choral portion, adding a feeling of being in Russia during the scenes with Laura, Marty, Castillo, Surf, and the KGB operatives.

* This is the first of two times Castillo is stabbed in the line of duty during the series. He is later stabbed again in "Duty And Honor."

* "Bushido" refers to the code of honor of the samurai warrior class in Japan. As Castillo mentions in the episode, literally translated, it means "the way of the warrior."

* The fact Gretsky was working with Castillo in Southeast Asia makes very little sense.  Castillo's team was destroyed when CIA agent Dale Mention tipped off Lao Li and it is implied that he did this on the order of his superiors, as the CIA were, in fact, relying on Li's opium trade to fund their Vietnam War efforts. Given that Gretsky was also a CIA agent, it makes little sense for him to be working with the DEA trying to destroy the drug trade, as this would be counter to the Agency's interests.

* When Laura falls and drops Castillo's gun in the cellar, it is obviously within her reach and visible within the shaft of light coming into the cellar. In a subsequent cut, the gun has disappeared. When Surf arrives later, it is back in the light and plainly visible again.

 

"Baby Blues", the 9th episode of the 3rd season, premiered on NBC on Friday, November 21st, 1986 at 9PM EST. Some notes about this episode (from Miami Vice Wiki):

* Philip Michael Thomas' stunt double (Ernest Robinson) was hospitalized after he burned his legs performing the stunt where Tubbs jumps out of Hector's exploding apartment. The footage was left in the episode (if you watch closely, you can see 'Tubbs' catch fire as he exits the bottom right of the screen after crashing through the window). This ended Robinson's stunt career.

* The hotel where Angela Mitchell and Eduardo Vasquez were found dead still exists today, though the name has been changed from "The Waldorf Towers" to "The Room Mate Towers."

*Instead of their usual Bug van, Switek and Zito use a pink and blue Boyertown Merchandiser van for their surveillance in this episode. It's never explained why they have switched to a different vehicle in this episode.

* The ventilation duct Famiglia crawls through in the hospital is grossly oversized.  In reality, air vents are very small conduits, no building would have ventilation shafts so large, as it would mean making the walls unbelievably thick to accommodate them.

 

"Like A Hurricane", the 8th episode of the 4th season, premiered on NBC on Friday, November 20th, 1987 at 9PM EST. Some notes about this episode (from Miami Vice Wiki):

* Jan Hammer makes a cameo appearance in this episode, playing at Crockett's wedding, the second (and final) time he appears in-person on the show.

* This episode was rushed through post-production (only 15 days between the end of filming and airing) to avoid leaks of the episode's content.

* The part of Caitlin was originally to be played by Lorraine Bracco (later to be married to Edward James Olmos), but she was forced to withdraw due to an illness. Easton was cast as a replacement.

* During Crockett's sendoff at OCB, a boom microphone is visible at the top of the viewing screen.

* When Caitlin asks Crockett if he will be following her in an unmarked car when she goes out, Crockett's pistol goes from being totally stripped (so that he can clean it) with the constituent parts lying on the table in front of him, to fully assembled in far less time that he could possibly put the gun back together. He also (somehow) manages to put the gun back together completely silently.

* When Crockett shoots the first gunman outside the restaurant, items on the table in front of him keep smashing, even after Crockett has stopped firing.

* Crockett's Scarab is tied to the dock when he and Caitlin jump into it as they flee the hit at the restaurant, but it is untied and speeding away moments later without anyone ever going near the mooring ropes.

* When Tubbs is questioning Crockett about his relationship with Caitlin after catching them kissing at the safehouse, he goes from facing off to the side with his hands on his lap to suddenly facing Crockett and leaning on the wall behind him when the camera cuts.

* The hard raised engine covers on the Scarab have been replaced with a padded cover for this episode.

 

**There was no Season 5 premiere episode this week**.

Great post thankyou !