Episode #62 "Lend Me An Ear"


Ferrariman

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Ha' date=' I never bothered to compare the two characters, but you're right. The show was beginning to repeat and recycle itself at this point.[/quote']Sad part is, John Glover is equally as great a character actor as Bruce McGill was in Out Where the Buses Don't Run. The latter was blessed with a better writen episode.
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  • 5 months later...

I love this episode! The action was superb with the wild boat chase scene at the beginning--love the song, the 80's TV idea of speeding the camera up to make it seem like something was going faster than it was :) , the boat shooting out onto the highway--yeah, baby! :D I also love the gun battle at the end with Dykstra and his goons trying to take Duddy down. Duddy was hilarious and a "killer" with that shotgun! :eek:Duddy was a very interesting and complicated but witty character...you never quite knew what he was thinking, would say, or would do. The technology for the time was also very intriguing to me in this one...very "I Spy"/James Bond type gadgets. :cool: I liked watching the cat-n-mouse game he played between the Vice squad and Dykstra...although it was also stupid and wrong. ;) I've seen John Glover in tons of stuff over the years...but this has to be one of his best and most enjoyable roles. His dancing to Respect Yourself while "sweeping" Dykstra's house was hilarious! :)I also liked the fashion with Crockett and Tubbs in this, and even some of Duddy's wild shirts. :p The filming locations were pretty cool too. But, one of my favorite aspects to this episode was the colors used! :thumbsup: The wild colors and lighting of Dykstra's house and boat dock were superb! The neon greens and pinks were captivating and mesmerizing! :glossy:The music was good too, love the Peter Himmerlman song, Climb, playing when Crockett, Tubbs, and Switek first bug Dykstra's house! Jan Hammer's tunes were, as always, awesome! :radio:This one was just kind of wild, intense, colorful, and fun! I gave it an 8. :thumbsup:

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  • 2 years later...

It is the favorite episode of mine for numerious reasons. I think it can be safely said that this episode is one of the most original MV episodes. I really like that it was focused on the details of surverlance - unusual yet relevent topic.As far as the style goes everything about this ep is simly superb! Especially the lightning used during some scenes. and the music is simply breathtaking . For me, the scene where the Vice squard plants bugs in the Dykstra's house (underscored by Peter Himmelman's Climb) is simply mesmerising. I can't describe exactly what it is that makes that scene so special, but the music combined with what's happening on the screen just takes me to another reality, it's really interesting - I guess that is just the power of ART )

 

I can watch this ep as often as once a month and it feels fresh every time.

 

Best episode (followed by Back in the World)

 

10+/10

Edited by Viceguy
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  • 1 month later...

one of my favorite's of season 3. again fits in well with  the first two seasons. the style and the music are there with a pretty good story.

Edited by AzVice
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  • 10 months later...

This one has been one of those episodes that is not so action-filled but still offers an interesting take on home surveillance and in some scenes reminded me a lot of the crime-thriller F/X: Murder by Illusions (1986), specially the end scene, which sadly also takes away some of it's quality. The main villain comes off as a very brutal but controlling type, yet he and his goons have no problem bursting their heads right into the lions mouth in the end, as they should have known that since this was Duddy's playground, he would have the advantage. Instead they looked like silly amateurs and it did not fit well. Anwyay the music and night scenes, Crockett, Tubbs and Switek's little break in and entering, was very well done. I thought Duddy was a good character, a bit out there at times but not so much that it became irritating.

I give this episode a: 6,5/10 

Edited by ArtieRollins
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  • 9 months later...

For me this is the most fun episode of S3. Thats a good thing especially since S3 gets pretty damn gloomy soon.

The opening boat chase is great apart from the sped up footage.

I love the colors and cinematography. The neon green night scenes are cool as hell.

Duddy was hilarious. Especially his dancing.

My favorite scene is where Crockett, Tubbs, and Switek bug the house.

Dykstra was a good villain. Love his gfriend too.

I can watch this one all the time and never tire of it.

9/10

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1 hour ago, Remington said:

The opening boat chase is great apart from the sped up footage.

The sped-up photography is distracting, isn't it?  Another prime example is from the end of "Nobody Lives Forever" where (supposedly) Tubbs is being chased on the beach by the car.  I'm fairly certain the reason they did this was so it would be harder to tell that it was stunt doubles participating, and not the actual actors, in these "dangerous" scenes.  If you look carefully it's obvious though that this wasn't PMT running from the car and I'd wager it wasn't DJ and PMT in this boat scene, either.   

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  • 2 years later...
On 5/18/2017 at 7:06 PM, Remington said:

For me this is the most fun episode of S3. Thats a good thing especially since S3 gets pretty damn gloomy soon.

The opening boat chase is great apart from the sped up footage.

I love the colors and cinematography. The neon green night scenes are cool as hell.

Duddy was hilarious. Especially his dancing.

My favorite scene is where Crockett, Tubbs, and Switek bug the house.

Dykstra was a good villain. Love his gfriend too.

I can watch this one all the time and never tire of it.

9/10

The sped up footage in 3 didn't look right.

4 times I think in total- Car Chase in DFTCp2 - Speed Boat Chase - Lend Me An Ear - Shootouts at the end of Stones War and Killshot. 

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  • 5 months later...

Such a great episode.  Just watched again today, and it's one of my favorites from Season 3.  It's almost like the film crew thought, "We're over midway thru the season,..we gotta fit some more color into the show!", and they threw it all into this episode.  Not a bad thing at all, but a welcome return.  This episode and "Theresa" had such a good look!  I now know how I should decorate my house.

One funny note,..while watching I kept picturing Dykstra as Eugene Levy, with big framed glasses. 

 

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On 1/8/2020 at 10:24 PM, Mr. Vigilante said:

Such a great episode.  Just watched again today, and it's one of my favorites from Season 3.  It's almost like the film crew thought, "We're over midway thru the season,..we gotta fit some more color into the show!", and they threw it all into this episode.  Not a bad thing at all, but a welcome return.  This episode and "Theresa" had such a good look!  I now know how I should decorate my house.

One funny note,..while watching I kept picturing Dykstra as Eugene Levy, with big framed glasses. 

 

I watched this one a night or two ago and really enjoyed it. Great color I agree and lots of darker neon rich greens all the way through this one.9.5/10

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  • 5 months later...

Just rewatched this. Even better than I remember it from the first viewing. John Glover is great in this. Reminds me a bit of Bruce McGill/Hank Weldon in "Out Where the buses don't run", though not as manic (or crazy). Izzy is finally funny again too. I know there are those that probably don't like the latter half of season 3 for a myriad of reasons, but so far I've enjoyed pretty much every episode after Diehl's departure (sad as it was).  Like some of the previous episodes of S3, I'm really starting to feel like I'm watching classic Vice again thanks to the tone of the show, the cinematography, lighting, Don's hair getting longer and the white jackets coming back, and ESPECIALLY the music. I love the music in this episode (and the previous ones like "Duty and Honor") when Jan has written new pieces for the show. Granted, I hate that a lot of cues from previous episodes from the earlier seasons get re0used a lot as well. Hearing either Crockett's or Castillo's theme almost whenever doesn't really incite much if there' little to no context to go with it. A shame that for whatever reason, Jan couldn't expand more. I really like the darker direction the music has gone with the low-bass synths and the electric guitars.

We get a great boat chase here as well, though some shots are obviously sped up, lol. Definitely some noticeable hard cuts and certain shots that are so short it can make your head spin. Like a previous episode (I've already forgotten which), there's an reverse shot where an actor reacts, cutaway, then back to their previous reaction, but played backwards. It's at the end when Glover walks into frame from the left (blue lighting), he looks around a bit. After a few other shots, we see the same shot, with him backing out of frame. Chalk that one up for the bloopers list. I think there was a hard cut in the music during the boat chase too.

I'd say my only nitpick is that they should've given Sweitek more time to grieve the loss of his partner/best friend. It's almost like Zito was never even there. The guy is just as funny/sarcastic as always. And it was only about 4 episodes ago.

Overall series-wise, I honestly gotta give this episode 8/10, but for season 3 in particular, it's a perfect 10. If I had to rank the season 3 episodes so far (I've got about 6 to go), this might make my top 5.

Edited by TylerDurden389
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  • 2 months later...

I agree with TylerDurden389 that Lend Me an Ear feels like classic Season 1 and/or 2 Vice. (Except, alas, for the absence of Diehl's Zito.)  John Glover is a live wire as he often is in movies like 52 Pick-Up and The Chocolate War. (I crack up at the near-surreal shot of Duddy side by side with his own TV image, both faces laughing hysterically.)  It's funny that a Bruce Willis track is used here - just two seasons earlier he was an up and comer in "No Exit." By 1987 he was a TV star, recording star, and just embarking on his career as a movie star. (I think Blind Date was his first starring film role?)

I quite like the climactic battle - all of those colors!  Talk about neon noir!  And Trace, Dykstra's ill-fated trophy gf, is another candidate for sexiest woman ever in Vice. 

Edited by Jack Gretsky
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  • 4 months later...

I wasn't expecting a good episode because of the previous two..

But this was f'n amazing!!! The electronic devices with that 80's style, the lights, the boats, everything. The scene where they are eating next to the water, the guns.. One of my top episodes

10/10

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Apart from the fact that the trailer posted above is top notch (very professional with insert edits and music cross-fade overs included), this episode a great examples of style PLUS substance.

They clearly wanted to highlight the electronics topic (was very advanced for this first 1987 episode, but looks quite old fashioned of course 30 years later) but had a good human drama portion and a strong character in it with Duddy.

Of course, the whole episode hinges on John Glover´s performance that is much more important than the villain here and is diverting from Yorgo Voyagis´ so-so performance - he is not bad but not remarkable either. Imagine that someone else whould have played Duddy´s part?!

I think the reason why many fans hold this episode for a season1/2 type of episode is that it actually IS very similar to Out where the buses don´t run and Evan, two other shows with a strong ex-cop character. And, by the way, it was just a coincidence that Bruce McGill played Hank Weldon, as Dennis Hopper who OWTBDR was written for declined the role for the pay. Imagine what OWTBDR would have looked like with Dennis Hopper as Hank Weldon? 

Edited by Tom
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15 hours ago, Dadrian said:

Great stuff, @OCBman:thumbsup:

Thanks so much, @Dadrian!

Quick note: One of the first trailers I attempted was "Bushido" and because I love Peter Himmelman's song, "Climb" so much, I put it in that trailer. YouTube eventually blocked that video because of other music, but I remember being so afraid this video would get blocked also, I was trying to find another piece of music to fit just in case. Thankfully, it worked out.

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vor 3 Minuten schrieb OCBman:

Thanks so much, @Dadrian!

Quick note: One of the first trailers I attempted was "Bushido" and because I love Peter Himmelman's song, "Climb" so much, I put it in that trailer. YouTube eventually blocked that video because of other music, but I remember being so afraid this video would get blocked also, I was trying to find another piece of music to fit just in case. Thankfully, it worked out.

Just also wanted to say how good that trailer is. I am into video making and editing myself and I especially like the "story" of this edit and the music insert edits and the nice cross fade within two parts of "Climb" at the end. Well done!

 

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  • 4 months later...

What was the reason Crockett was driving a different boat in the beginning chase?  Was it because the Scarab was too big for some of the waterways?

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1 hour ago, Mr. Vigilante said:

What was the reason Crockett was driving a different boat in the beginning chase?  Was it because the Scarab was too big for some of the waterways?

Yes. 

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  • 1 month later...

It may not be a “famous” one...but, I love this episode! The action was superb with the wild boat chase scene at the beginning--love the song, the 80's TV idea of speeding the camera up to make it seem like something was going faster than it was :D, the boat shooting out onto the highway, etc...!  

I also love the gun battle at the end with Dykstra and his goons trying to take Duddy down. Duddy was hilarious and a "killer" with that shotgun! :eek: Duddy was a very interesting and complicated but witty character...you never quite knew what he was thinking, would say, or would do. The technology for the time was also very intriguing to me in this one...very "I Spy"/James Bond type gadgets. :cool:

I liked watching the cat-n-mouse game he played between the Vice squad and Dykstra...although it was also stupid and wrong. ;) I've seen John Glover in tons of stuff over the years...but this has to be one of his best and most enjoyable roles. His dancing to Respect Yourself while "sweeping" Dykstra's house was hilarious! :) 

I also liked the fashion with Crockett and Tubbs in this, and even some of Duddy's wild shirts. The filming locations were pretty cool too. But, one of my favorite aspects to this episode were the colors used! :thumbsup: The wild colors and lighting of Dykstra's house and boat dock were superb! The sizzling greens and hot pinks were captivating and mesmerizing! :glossy:

The music was good too, love the Peter Himmerlman song, Climb, playing when Crockett, Tubbs, and Switek first bug Dykstra's house! Jan Hammer's tunes were, as always, awesome! :radio: This one was just kind of wild, intense, colorful, and fun! I originally gave it an 8...still do. :thumbsup:

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