Episode #32 "Back In The World"

[MVF]

I'm a fan of The Doors' music but I must admit that there might be too much of it in this episode. Don't get me wrong though, because these song suit this episode but this isn't The Doors promo video if you know what I mean.Even though this episode don't have much Vice feeling in it, I still like it a lot. I'm not a fan of Stone character either, but somehow I enjoy this more than most of you. William Maynard is one the most memorable bad guys in the whole series and it's great that he isn't captured in the same episode as he's introduced. "In most parts of the world, pain is a second language, people understand it better than words because you can get right to the point. But in this country we don't really have very much pain. So the second language is money. Naturally you expect to receive money for what you know instead of pain. How ironic." All in all there so much to enjoy in this episode (Leather Switek and the intro are so funny) and it's nice to see an episode which is directed by Don Johnson.9/10

[Brother in Arms]

for me a good story, music is okay i give 8 points

[Matt5]

Great directorial debut from Don - although he co - directed many many episodes uncredited

[Tommy Vercetti]

Interesting how G. Gordon Liddy guest starred on Vice then John Diehl went on to play him in the movie Nixon.

[kentpaul]

back in the worldprobably my favorite episode 10/10 for me. there was lots of action and i liked the plot. another thing i really liked was all of the tunes were by the doors. also the acting was good and it had a good vice feel. my full top 10 list is here. 10. Over The Line 9. Cuba Libre 8. The Home Invaders 7. Mirror Image 6. Bushido 5. The Lost Madonna 4. Stone's War 3. Red Tape 2. Fruit Of The Poison Tree 1. Back In The World

[Matt5]

Great episode lovely feel to it

[Victor]

I give it 6/10 really not bad but could be better

[cageyJG]

The Dire Straits song "Brothers in Arms" should've been used in this episode because of the Vietnam theme, but it was used in the episode Back in the World and fit the mood at the time. I was sent a forward from a friend about Medal of Honor recipient Roy P. Benavidez that had the music overlaid. You can find it on YouTube, look up "Tango Mike Mike".

[ViceFanMan]

This episode doesn't really "do" it for me. I think it's a good delve into a little bit of Crockett's Vietnam past...but for some reason I just don't care for it. It's not a horrible episode, and I watch it when going through the DVD sets...but it's one I can have playing while I'm doing something else. ;)Stone irritated the heck out of me, and so did the illustrious "Capt. Real Estate"! I think the biggest issue I have is that they never did end up catching Real Estate...even when these characters returned in 3rd season's "Stone's War"...he still got away and Crockett and Tubbs never got him! Loved 'ol "Pointy-Teeth" though! He looked like Jaws' (from the James Bond 007 movies with Roger Moore) Asian cousin. :)However, I'd forgetten until watching this again the other night, that Iman guest-starred in this first--before "Love at First Sight"...which is one of my favorite episodes! But, I don't know...this is just a so-so episode for me. I gave it a 6.

[Guest MetroVice]

Menacing Maynard

Here is something I" data-date=" click ---> [url=http://www.miami-vice.ws/showthread.php?t=611&highlight=maynard%27s+crimes">

hereBack in the World. Maynard's Crimes. I for one liked G. Gordon Liddy’s character of Maynard, but hated that whinny little s**t Stone.I thought that after “Back in the World” ep, it was a little silly to see his character return in “Stone’s War” because he would have had so many warrants out for his arrest, he would have been scooped up and thrown in prison for life or death by every state and federal agency known to man.Why didn’t Crockett arrest him on the spot in “Stone’s War” when he kidnapped Stone and had him in the parking garage in exchange for the tape. He had Maynard and Stone both in one place and there would have been a boat load of warrants out for his arrest. Not to mention Sonny would have had to have had a SWAT team covering the garage. But that is another story and not included in his charges below.

I have also always wondered why Crockett didn't just take Maynard down when he went to deliver the tape in the parking garage. Crockett knew Stone had been kidnapped by Maynard and both would likely be present at the meet location. In the real world Crockett would have had a team there to take Maynard down and anyone with him, but I guess that's where Hollywood takes over and we just have to let the BS drama play itself out instead of reality.For me this episode was just so-so. I liked Liddy's performance very much but overall the episode was just okay for me.

[Matt5]

I have also always wondered why Crockett didn't just take Maynard down when he went to deliver the tape in the parking garage. Crockett knew Stone had been kidnapped by Maynard and both would likely be present at the meet location. In the real world Crockett would have had a team there to take Maynard down and anyone with him' date=' but I guess that's where Hollywood takes over and we just have to let the BS drama play itself out instead of reality.For me this episode was just so-so. I liked Liddy's performance very much but overall the episode was just okay for me.[/quote']Good point - great episode

[ViceFanMan]

I have also always wondered why Crockett didn't just take Maynard down when he went to deliver the tape in the parking garage. Crockett knew Stone had been kidnapped by Maynard and both would likely be present at the meet location. In the real world Crockett would have had a team there to take Maynard down and anyone with him' date=' but I guess that's where Hollywood takes over and we just have to let the BS drama play itself out instead of reality.For me this episode was just so-so. I liked Liddy's performance very much but overall the episode was just okay for me.[/quote']Yeah, Maynard was a pretty good "bad guy". But, I agree it was ridiculous that Crockett didn't just take Capt. Real Estate down! I don't always have to have everything realistic or literally like it would be in reality. So, the whole no-swat thing is okay...I can deal with that. I just think that Crockett and Tubbs should have taken Maynard down--either killed him or caught him and sent him to prison for life. :evil:But, Yeah, Stone was irritating. He was a junkie and just plain crazy!

[Vincent Hanna]

I have a new found respect for this episode. It's probably one of the best in the whole series and I give it a 10/10, the whole thing screams "This is expensive" and it probably was to make. The story about a Sergeant smuggling drugs in body bags from Vietnam to the US is unusually dark for season 2. I love how "The Doors" music is used throughout to give it that Apocalypse Now feel, The everglades are reminiscent of the deltas in Vietnam and G Gordon Liddy is a notable bad guy on and off screen xD. Crockett and Ira Stone are even ambushed in a mortar attack which is appropriate to the story and it's a pretty awesome action scene.

 

It also has one of my favourite laugh out loud moments where Crockett literally boots a guy off his chair and then he has a little chat with Iman, who looks gorgeous in her 1st of two appearances on Vice. DJ's girlfriend at the time Patti D'arbanville was really good too even though her character was a little annoying. >.<

 

Major props to Don Johnson's directing skills, he did a fantastic job considering it was his first time.  But then again "By Hooker By Crook" is one of the best of S3, well actually all his episodes are some of the best of their respective seasons so I guess he's just a natural.    

Edited March 21, 2015 by thedeparted94

[Matt5]

This is an amazing episode and great work by Don Johnson

[Spyder]

I always liked anything with Ira Stone in it. He's like a friend and a foe or Crockett's rolled into one -- and a good way to look at a Vietnam veteran who isn't a Rambo hero-type. I was sad when he died in Season 3.

[DeepCover333]

Watched this one again last night. Great episode in my opinion. Stone, Maynard, interesting characters. Casting G. Gordon Liddy was a magnificent choice, given his real life military service and criminal past. Certainly there are potential plot issues as everyone has mentioned, but I admire the choice to go all in with The Doors soundtrack and the plot topic, also the awareness for war veterans. Wasn't this around six months after the second Rambo film? From "Missing in Action" to "Uncommon Valor", the Vietnam war was front and center back then in certain media.

 

I'll just throw in a couple of quick observations: 

 

1) Stone is shot, twice I believe, and yet Sonny quickly expresses that he will be ok. I noticed a couple posts here that questioned how Sonny could perceive this.... Is it possible that the thick manuscript book that he was clutching actually caught and slowed down the bullets, preventing complete lethal entry and resulting in only broken skin/flesh surface wounds? I've never paused the DVD, and I could be completely wrong but almost think I saw a couple of holes in the book. (I've some practical knowledge when it comes to firearms, rounds and body armor, so I'm giving the writers a bit of freedom here) Forgive me if this was previously addressed and I missed it.

 

2) Did anyone else catch the tennis ball serving machine that was firing balls to Maynard's wife? Looked as a magnificent cinematic parallel to the mortar fire seen earlier when Sonny and Ira are attacked on the boat. A nice analogy there. Then, his wife is hit with one of the balls in a split second before the scene change, a brief unexpected spot of surprise humor .

 

Again, I agree with many of the observations above: The street clothing worn in forest situations, the safety being "clicked" off seemingly very late, etc., but overall I really, really like this episode.  8/10

 

-And speaking of Iman, how incredibly cool it would have been if David Bowie had been in an episode of Miami Vice!

[vicegirl85]

I'm trying to watch the episodes in order and just about to finish up S1, so you are a little ahead of me here, Deep Cover 333.  But I do recall this ep fairly well and am anxious to get to it as I recall it being one of my favorites

 

Just a quick comment on Sonny's telling Stone he'll be OK:  This did happen several times during the show's run (for Sonny to reassure someone they'll be OK after being shot).  My take was really that he was just trying to reassure the person and keep them from panicking or giving up hope, not that he was really capable of making the judgment of whether the wound was fatal or not.  The idea of a thick manuscript being able to slow the path of the bullet has merit to me (as a nurse, not a firearms expert, LOL).  In other words I felt it was possible so I accepted it. 

Edited August 26, 2015 by vicegirl85

[DeepCover333]

I'm trying to watch the episodes in order and just about to finish up S1, so you are a little ahead of me here, Deep Cover 333.  But I do recall this ep fairly well and am anxious to get to it as I recall it being one of my favorites

 

Just a quick comment on Sonny's telling Stone he'll be OK:  This did happen several times during the show's run (for Sonny to reassure someone they'll be OK after being shot).  My take was really that he was just trying to reassure the person and keep them from panicking or giving up hope, not that he was really capable of making the judgment of whether the wound was fatal or not.  The idea of a tick manuscript being able to slow the path of the bullet has merit to me (as a nurse, not a firearms expert, LOL).  In other words I felt it was possible so I accepted it. 

 

Great point, Vicegirl85. I agree, Sonny does indeed display some good reassurance skills throughout the series. 

 

(sidenote: I am "a little ahead" of you on this run, but I've got head back over to season one for the next couple nights, haha. I've had issues with some of the double-sided discs in my favorite Blu Ray player, but recently discovered they play great on my laptop. So I'll be back to catch disc two, side B episodes I skipped this time around, "Little Prince", "Milk Run" and Golden Triangle 1-2 perhaps before continuing on with season 2.

[Viceguy]

I really like the episode - it's one of my all time favorites. However, last time I rewatched it I got this strange feeling that DJ (who also directed the episode) was a little bit bored while making this episode. It just seems to me that the way he delivered his lines was a little flat and emotionless compared to the usual.  That is really suprising, considering that DJ is a wonderful actor who is capable of portraying virtually any emotion just right. Does anybody else notice that ? His voice sounds somewhat tired in a couple of scenes, while usually he is very energetic and animated.

 

But the episode is still great. I really like the scene with "My Eyes have Seen You" - what a brilliant montage!

Edited August 27, 2015 by Viceguy

[vicegirl85]

I watched this one last night and plan to watch it again tomorrow since it's a favorite!  Maybe I'll have a few more comments then

 

I really like the episode - it's one of my all time favorites. However, last time I rewatched it I got this strange feeling that DJ (who also directed the episode) was a little bit bored while making this episode. It just seems to me that the way he delivered his lines was a little flat and emotionless compared to the usual.  That is really suprising, considering that DJ is a wonderful actor who is capable of portraying virtually any emotion just right. Does anybody else notice that ? His voice sounds somewhat tired in a couple of scenes, while usually he is very energetic and animated.

 

But the episode is still great. I really like the scene with "My Eyes have Seen You" - what a brilliant montage!

 

I didn't think DJ acted bored or flat during this episode.  What I did think was that Crockett was trying to repress his emotional involvement in order to see the situation clearly.  He was well-aware that if Ira was telling the truth, they were dealing with a very dangerous opponent.  He also couldn't be sure Stone wasn't trying to use him (Crockett) to get his story.  Therefore, he had to keep from "showing his cards" and try to draw Stone out.  He couldn't afford to reveal all of his true feelings.  Also, his eyes were opened about Maynard and he experienced disillusion about someone he'd admired during his time "in-country".  Anyway, that's my opinion.

 

Agree about the scene with "My Eyes Have Seen You"--brilliant.

[vicegirl85]

OK, now for some final comments...

 

There could hardly be a better backstory episode for Crockett's history.  From the very first episode we have heard that Sonny put in some time in the "Southeast Asian Conference" aka Vietnam, and for most guys his age in 1985, the war would have been the watershed event of their lives.  Vietnam and its fallout changed American culture, it changed the military, it changed Southeast Asia, it changed rehabilitative medicine and college campuses.  It brought down a president (Lyndon Johnson decided not to seek reelection in 1968 because of the divisive effects of the war and protests against it).     

 

Golden Triangle, Smuggler's Blues, Buddies, and Bushido continued to touch on this theme in various ways and it will flow through Stone's War, Duty and Honor/The Savage, and Heart of Night.  5 of these eps were really about Castillo, but we get a sense that the experiences shared by Crockett and Castillo in Southeast Asia are the link that forges their friendship.  How many other episodic TV shows in the 80s (or at any other time) gave this much attention to the most divisive conflict in the United States since the Civil War?  I think Magnum was supposed to have served in Vietnam also but the war and its repercussions did not seem to play the role it did in Miami Vice.  The war may or may not have changed Crockett's basic nature, but from various comments in different episodes, his service in Vietnam honed his sense of right and wrong.  His experiences in combat and in dealing with both his own men and the Vietnamese people sharpened his ethical code.  His military experience probably led him toward police work after he arrived "back in the world."  

 

Sadly, Ira Stone did not come through the war with such a strong sense of right and wrong.  He's perfectly willing for junkies to die of the tainted heroin as long as he can receive recognition for cracking the story; later he is willing to suppress its publication if he can get Maynard to pay him off.  He's been drifting for 10 years, unable to move past his obsession with the heroin stashed in the body bags.  Unlike Crockett, he doesn't seem to have moved on and made a life for himself.  It does make you wonder how he snagged such a gorgeous wife!  Although she basically tells Crockett and Tubbs he worked on her sympathies... Patti d'Arbanville is beautiful in this episode!  And although it's shallow of me to say it, the fact that she is shorter than DJ made them a more attractive couple (in RL) than most of the women who played Crockett's love interests on MV.

 

G. Gordon Liddy was brilliant in his role.  It was easy to see how he brought the young Sonny Crockett into his orbit and why Sonny admired him.  He's very confident and decisive,has a lot of leadership ability.  Too bad that he's also sure that whatever he wants to do is OK, and his sense of objective right and wrong seems to be completely lacking.

 

Mr. Hmung (I'm just guessing on the spelling!) doesn't speak but he's excellent at portraying basically a hired assassin--very menacing with his sharp, silver-capped teeth and scarred face!  During the late 70s-early 80s, a constant trickle of refugees from Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos arrived in the US, sponsored by churches in many cases, but also presumably by ex-military like Maynard who had worked with them and maintained connections.  Vietnamese who worked with the US advisors had a hard time getting jobs when the war ended and the Communist government took over.  So this part felt realistic to me.  Presumably Mr. Hmung assisted Maynard in his illicit activities in Vietnam and that was why Maynard brought him to Miami.  

 

I thought the all-Doors music was a perfect background to this Vietnam-themed episode.  For me, that music is iconic of the era.  Also I liked it when Crockett was going through his military mementos, letters, pictures, etc. and it showed his medals and ribbons.  

 

Returning to a previous question about Stone's bullet wound(s).  Wow, that was some short-range shooting!  Not sure that manuscript would have protected him at that distance.  The manuscript looks like it's only about an inch thick, although the front and back covers are made of a thicker paper/cardboard.  Initially I thought I could see blood in Stone's mouth when Crockett first speaks to him afterward (a sure sign of impending fatal gunshot wound on TV).  And the location of the gunshot in his left chest...one would think he is a goner for sure.  I agree, the cover of the manuscript had holes in it.  Later, when Crockett and Tubbs return, I didn't see the blood in Stone's mouth and it looks like he hasn't bled too much more.  The manuscript might have slowed the bullet and protected his chest but with the short range (and what I thought was a fairly large handgun) it's less believable.  But since I know next to nothing about guns, ammo, and body armor I can still accept it. 

 

A last comment on Crockett and his military service:  Some online "biographies" of Crockett indicate he was about 18 when he was drafted (I think the MV Wikia might have said that).  I don't think the show ever specified how old Sonny was when he went to Vietnam, but we know he was a star wide receiver in college, and my impression was that he went to college on a football scholarship.  So he probably would have had no trouble getting a student deferment and most likely even graduated.  If so, as a college grad he would probably have been eligible for a high enlisted rank or Officer Candidate School.  He has leadership ability and I wish a little more of that history had ever been shown in the show.

 

This was a great ep and I only wish it would have given us more of Crockett's backstory.

Edited September 11, 2015 by vicegirl85

[Remington]

Another great episode. I'm a huge fan of the Doors. Check out the song Orange County Suite. It isn't very well known. Its so beautiful.

Anyway DJ does a good job directing. Liddy is good in both his appearances.

Bob Balaban is kinda cringeworthy in the more dramatic scenes. I MADE IT ALL UP!

I have a lot of respect for the military so I don't like the way they were treated either.

The scene with Switek in leather was funny. Also love it when Maynards wife gets hit by the ball.

Damn Mr. Mongs teeth were gnarly.

8/10

[Vincent Hanna]

On 3/21/2015 at 2:13 AM, Vincent Hanna said:

I have a new found respect for this episode. It's probably one of the best in the whole series and I give it a 10/10

Whoa seems like I really enjoyed this 3 years ago. Slightly less enthusiastic this time around but still thought it was pretty good. We criticise S2 sometimes for having wafer thin stories but this one is an oddity in how it bombards you with plot and exposition throughout. It reminded me of Chinatown or something where plot details are constantly thrown at you and challenges you to keep up.

You gotta give this one an A for effort. Sometimes on shows it feels like there are moments of going through the motions but Back in the World feels like everyone is on top of their game. The production values and story execution are evident that the people who made this were innovating and not merely filling airtime. 

..and Still amazed that they got Liddy to be the bad guy ingenious casting.

[Robbie C.]

On 9/10/2015 at 6:59 PM, vicegirl85 said:

OK, now for some final comments...

 

A last comment on Crockett and his military service:  Some online "biographies" of Crockett indicate he was about 18 when he was drafted (I think the MV Wikia might have said that).  I don't think the show ever specified how old Sonny was when he went to Vietnam, but we know he was a star wide receiver in college, and my impression was that he went to college on a football scholarship.  So he probably would have had no trouble getting a student deferment and most likely even graduated.  If so, as a college grad he would probably have been eligible for a high enlisted rank or Officer Candidate School.  He has leadership ability and I wish a little more of that history had ever been shown in the show.

 

This was a great ep and I only wish it would have given us more of Crockett's backstory.

Do we even know if Crockett graduated? He does say in the pilot that his college time ended because of an injury. If the injury was that bad, he would have been able to get a draft deferment easily. What I tend to think based on Sonny's personality is he started feeling guilty about hiding behind the deferment, had some sort of minor injury he played up, and then left college and enlisted with Robbie ("Buddies") in 1969. He'd have to go in 1969 to be in some of the places mentioned in the series, especially to get the ribbons we see in this episode.

 

As you say, though, I wish they would have fleshed his background out better. Only Gina has LESS background in terms of consistency in my opinion.

[vicegirl85]

Right, the series never defined Crockett's college graduation status (or how bad his injury was, or how he got it--one of the MV novels by Stephen Grave had a passage that said he was injured during a fall while trying to climb into an upper-story window of a sorority house...), nor did it really say what kind of rank he held during his military service.  Also there are many members here who are more knowledgeable about the military than I am, and I believe many people think he was a Marine.  I always just *assumed* he was in the Army.  My dad was a career Army officer who did a tour in Vietnam in 1965-66 and I'm sure I extrapolated from his Army service to believe Sonny was in the Army, too.