Episode #46 "Stone's War"


Ferrariman

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hallo friends, my absolut favorit epispde, i find all in the episode good, from music inchoate ,as far as in the minutest details .i give 10 points.

:thumbsup::clap::cool::radio::D
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  • 4 months later...

Good episode, again with a strong political message, which unfortunately is still relevant today. It is a shame that sometimes people redicule Vice as a no substance TV series that define the 80's as a shallow decade, if you have episodes like these, that took enormous risks by bringing a message across.I am not a big fan of Ira Stone as a character, I find him a bit of a weazel and I cant imagine a cool cat like Crockett hanging out with him. However, I think Captain Real estate is a great character and might I say, a bit underused here. The music was, like in most of season 3, among the best of the whole series. Mercy is a fantastic song, I especially like the drum in this song. It has a very strong beat. red rain is in my opinion the best song of Peter Gabriel used in Vice, and yes I know he had other great songs, but this is my favourite.The introduction of the Testarossa of course was epic, with Crocketts theme, Crockett starting the car, roaring the engine and yelling: yeahhhh!!! I also liked how Castillo let Crockett ramble on how much he needed a car and than simply said: it is in the back. However, I find the introductional car chase underused and badly filmed. They could have done a lot better with that. Music choice was okay, but it could have been done a lot better. and they could have come up with a more realistic chase car.All in all, I give this episode an 8.

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  • 6 months later...
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' date=' 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"! :rolleyes: 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! :evil: Loved 'ol "Pointy-Teeth" though! :p 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.[/quote']This was what I had to say about 2nd season's "Back in the World"--of which this episode is sort of a sequel to. I don't really have anything different to say about "Stone's War" either...not my favorite episode and I really don't care for it that much. Again, Stone irritated the heck out of me...as did our little evil troll "Capt. Real Estate". :rolleyes: However, I didn't like it that Stone dies in this one, his true story never is released, and like I stated before...Real Estate gets away and is never caught! :evil: Talk about a poo-poo undies ending! :thumbsdown:However, some of the action and music were pretty good. I also thought some of the violence and aftermath scenes with the bloody children at the beginning were pretty realistic for the time...and I'm a little surprised that was allowed back then. Love the 50's truck Crockett has to drive when he picks up Stone at the airport. Like he yells at Castillo later...I look like Little Abner when I show up! :)Tieing in with that...The truly only superb aspect to this episode is Crockett acquires his white '86 Ferrari Testarossa, with Crockett's Theme playing in the background! Yeah, baby!! :thumbsup: The Testarossa was my favorite of Sonny's two Ferraris. :glossy:But, overall I don't really care for this one...like its predecessor before, I threw this one a 6.
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  • 2 years later...

Thanks to everyone who has already commented!  I can't seem to discuss an ep without responding to some of your thoughts.

 

(snipped) Some great moments like Sonny getting his new car (Great to hear 'Crockett's Theme' in that scene. A very nice intro to the Testarossa) and the opening sequence made even more powerful by ex-Sex Pistol Steve Jones' 'Mercy'. The song compemented the opening very well. Another great song in 'Lives In The Balance' by Jackson Browne. The lyrics are so resonant. (snipped). Peter Gabriel's 'Red Rain' was good too but I thought 'When The Rain Comes Down' was not a good choice. It was too pop and upbeat for such a serious, politically charged episode. The car chase it accompanied was a good sequence though.(snipped)  Elvis' final appearance was here too. Sonny no doubt got rid of him since he was such a useless watch gator. I really enjoyed the scenery in this episode. The St. Vitus is now moored at Watson Island which offers a great view of the downtown skyline. (snipped)  I also really liked the last scene of Crockett fishing on the St. Vitus at dusk.I have the same problem with Stone's War as I do with Back In The World and it's that I don't like either Ira Stone or Maynard. Stone is an annoying whiney little git. Why did Crockett want him back anyway (And why didn't Crockett give Maynard the original tape and keep the copy). G. Gordon Liddy is a crap actor, and he's a common burglar too. (snipped)

 

This is another ep that is a great favorite of mine, mainly because it was so extremely topical.  The covert sale of weapons by the US to the Nicaraguan Contras came to light (in the mainstream press) just a month after Stone's War aired the first time, although it had been going on secretly for some time.  I thought the writers did an amazing job of working true events into the fictional world of Vice, and I enjoyed seeing the "whiney little git again" ;), just because I thought he was a great character (although annoying!!!).  I don't think Crockett wanted him back--he tried to shoo him off when he arrived in Miami, but Crockett is nothing if not loyal--even if his loyalty isn't deserved sometimes.  Besides, he didn't think Stone deserved to die for telling the truth "freedom of speech and all that hoo-ha". Liddy may be a crap actor but I think he was fabulous as Captain Real Estate--sleazy like the real businessmen who fund wars so their profits won't suffer.  And I don't think Crockett realized the tape he took Maynard was a copy.  He asked Alicia for the original; she wanted to keep it herself and I think she felt it wouldn't make any difference.

 

Loved the music athough maybe Tommy is right about When the Rain Comes Down.  I still like it but unsure it fits as well as the rest of the songs.  The scene where Castillo tells Crockett his car is out back was funny.  I never liked the white Testarossa as much as the Daytona, but it really is a beautiful car!  Loved Crockett's Theme playing during that scene :) Wonder what Sonny thought when the car was shot at on one of his first times to drive it?!?  The chase when the Testarossa went under the semi trailer but it took the roof off the fake Feds' car was super! 

 

What can I say about "Stone's War" except that for me it's a depressing episode. The poverty of Nicaragua, the killing of the people & the priest, the waste of Stone's cameraman, killing of the news reporter in Miami & finally Stone's torture & death. (snipped) P.S. - There were a few laughs, like when Stone asks Crockett, "Where's the Ferrari?" & he says " beggars can't be choosey." Also when Crockett tells Castillo he can't be dealing with drug lords looking like "lil Abner"

 

Yes, there was quite a bit of sadness in this ep.  It was a reflection of reality though, and things like that are still happening, sometimes under the auspices of government, but concealed as something else.  The Lil Abner line was funny :)

 

(snipped)  There was an important ambiguity though in this episode. Was Maynard a renegade who put together his own mini army to conduct an off the books purging of a foreign country for financial gain? or was he in fact employed by the CIA (or other political figures) to carry out this operation, and was merely carrying out their orders. Surely though if he was arranging his own group, he would be careful not to make them look so obviously like American troops, which would lead me to believe that this was part of a wider operation. (snipped)

 

You know, I always thought Maynard was a renegade, but what an intriguing idea that he could have been acting as an agent of the CIA.  We know the CIA covertly propped up regimes in other countries in the past, so why not?  I agree also that it would have been a great idea to bring him back in Freefall.

 

(snipped) we see Stone hightail it out of there deaf to the pleas of his cameraman. To be fair to Stone, there wasn’t really anything Stone could have done for Art at this point, so I guess he made the right decision to leave.  (snipped)  Stone’s actions are questionable, we know that he definitely wants to get the story out there, but is it because he is morally offended at the idea of a secret American troops fighting in Central America, or is it because he sees it as his big chance for a Peabody. He mentions it’s his ticket to a Peabody, but yet he seems just as concerned that Americans were fighting secretly in Central America and it was going to become another Vietnam. 

 

Stone took the practical way out when he left his cameraman--but it wasn't something Crockett would have done, especially when the guy is saying, Help me, Stoney!  That's what makes Stone a weasel.  I think he was somewhat morally offended but he was more interested in winning the Peabody and resurrecting his career and reputation.  Remember in Back in the World he was ready to bury the story of the heroin in the body bags for the right amount of money!  

 

(snipped)  However, I didn't like it that Stone dies in this one, his true story never is released, and like I stated before...Real Estate gets away and is never caught!  :evil: Talk about a poo-poo undies ending! :thumbsdown:However, some of the action and music were pretty good. I also thought some of the violence and aftermath scenes with the bloody children at the beginning were pretty realistic for the time...and I'm a little surprised that was allowed back then. (snipped)

 

In retrospect, it's almost perfect symmetry that Stone dies (and his tape was erased) so that his story didn't break... because it all did come to light just a month later in RL.  And I'm sure some of the major players have never served a minute of time.  On a very tangential personal note, the priest who was shot in the intro scene has a name that is super-common in my town.  I found that interesting!

 

I would have to rate this at least a 9.  A bit more of a role for the supporting cast would have been good--but on the other hand it's a very tight ep as it is.

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 I watched this one once again last night, and as much as I enjoy the Ira Stone/Maynard plot saga, it really fell a bit flat with me this time around. I'm not sure how to describe my take on it. It contains most of the necessary classic Vice elements, but feels pieced together, as the sum of parts does not equal something greater. While I think the acting was good, the song choices feel somewhat forced again, and diminish the power of certain sequences. I would like to have heard some darker musical tones in some of the scenes here. I do really like the subject matter, very much a hot issue for the time and as others have mentioned, there is much great notions to ponder here (Maynard perhaps actually working for the government?, etc.). The Sonny style was great, the scenery included some incredible shots. 

I was really disappointed in O'Hara's demise, simply shot and rolling around on the floor. After his horrid activities, cracking Sonny in the head, brutally murdering Alicia, and firing .22 rounds into helpless Ira, I forever believe he deserved a more vengeance laded violent send off. I wish Sonny would have beaten him up a bit, haha.

All around, I will say this is a good episode, marred by the short time length and a couple sub par music moments. Rest in Peace, Ira. 7/10

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This episode features the return of Ira Stone, an investigative journalist specialized in military operations and cover-ups, as well as a long-time acquaintance of Sonny Crockett from his days in Vietnam. The story has a darker tone, bringing into the light a conspiracy in which American paramilitary groups take part. It is an emotional episode featuring themes as diverse as guilt, friendship, loyalty and freedom, in its broader sense. Another highlight is the music, since this episode features a moving and very appropriate soundtrack. The downside to Stone's War is that it tries to tell a story that is way too long and complex for a single episode. Most scenes seem rushed and I didn't feel that the themes were explored thoroughly. Due to these weaknesses, I rate the episode 7/10.

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(snipped) I was really disappointed in O'Hara's demise, simply shot and rolling around on the floor. After his horrid activities, cracking Sonny in the head, brutally murdering Alicia, and firing .22 rounds into helpless Ira, I forever believe he deserved a more vengeance laded violent send off. I wish Sonny would have beaten him up a bit, haha.

All around, I will say this is a good episode, marred by the short time length and a couple sub par music moments. Rest in Peace, Ira. 7/10

 

I hear you, pal!  Although I still liked it a lot this time around, you make some strong points.  O'Hara deserved to suffer more.  

 

Although some here dislike the characters of Ira and Maynard, I think this could have been a solid 2-hour season opener.  

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  • 1 year later...

One of my favorites. If i had my wish, Real Estate would've returned one last time in S4 and get killed by Crockett. Maybe set it in South America.

Again, a different kind of plot. No drugs here. The opening is actually pretty heavy.

Great music and cinematography. Love the locations in this episode. Dig Crocketts look too.

Stone is annoying but I can't help but kinda like him. However, Balabans delivery of THIS IS HISTORY is dreadful.

I think this is the last time we see Elvis.

Damn near perfect in my book.

9/10

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One of my favorites as well!

Loved that they closed the circle with Stone; he was a link with Sonny's past and a great example of Sonny's trait of loyalty to old friends, however imperfect they turned  out to be.

For those who weren't born when this ep aired, I have always felt it was just a bit eerie that it aired only a few weeks before the whole Iran-Contra scandal broke in the press (although apparently there were a few members of Congress investigating the relationships between the US government and the Nicaraguan contras for months before that).  That episode was for me a prime example of topical news and world events providing the basis for an hour of dramatic storytelling.   

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yeah it was kind of weird. of course they nailed it again in Freefall with a Noriega like dictator more than half a year before that happened.

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  • 11 months later...

Watched this one again this morning. Possibly my favorite of the season.

I just realized that it's been officially one year since I joined here. I want to say that I've loved it and hope to be on here for some time.

As you were. 

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30 minutes ago, Remington said:

Watched this one again this morning. Possibly my favorite of the season.

I just realized that it's been officially one year since I joined here. I want to say that I've loved it and hope to be on here for some time.

As you were. 

Good comments about a fine episode Remington. Congrats on your one year anniversary :hippie:

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  • 5 months later...

One of my top favorites of this season along with The Good Collar. I was happy to see a continuation of Back in the World, this is certainly a dark one. I haven't been able to look at the duo the same way after reading up on G. Gordon Liddy...yikes! Great music..."oh, I left my credit card at home :rolleyes:"

Edited by Rattlehead
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Liddy is immensely proud of his time on Vice.  He used Jan hammer's theme to open his own radio show.  I must say it amazes me how we reward criminality with celebrity and acting roles in this country.

Edited by Bren10
Word replacement
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  • 1 month later...

Meanwhile I made it to the first Testarossa episode and apparently the last one of Elvis. Pretty sad, but I guess the story writers figured such comic element doesn't suit the new, dark Sonny anymore.

 

Along with that, the more serious interpretation of MV in S03 is not bad, and it certainly demanded a change to progress the show. Still, a lot of what MV (I'd just call it a bright pastel and neon atmosphere) made so special, disappeared with this change. It probably started to be "just" a decent TV series with cops, but the standalone factor left. 

Beside that I really liked the plot, the acting, and the action sequences. Also the music was a good choice. 

 

For me after watching it for the first time a solid 8/10 and definitely worth a rerun one day. 

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  • 8 months later...
  • 1 month later...

I always enjoy this episode very much and there was so much going on I always thought it could have been done like a Season premiere (like “Prodigal Son”) because they put a lot in a 45 minute episode. The cinematography, clothes, guest stars , music and locations are top notch here. 10/10

On a side note Crockett was very antagonistic and dismissive of Stone which he wasn’t in “Back in the World” where this episode continues from. It wasn’t until the last third of the episode he realised Stone’s tape and story was actually quite true, however I thought his behaviour towards Stone early on when he saw him again was nothing like how it was in “Back in the World”.

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  • 2 months later...
On 9/6/2019 at 12:53 PM, Matt5 said:

I always enjoy this episode very much and there was so much going on I always thought it could have been done like a Season premiere (like “Prodigal Son”) because they put a lot in a 45 minute episode. The cinematography, clothes, guest stars , music and locations are top notch here. 10/10

On a side note Crockett was very antagonistic and dismissive of Stone which he wasn’t in “Back in the World” where this episode continues from. It wasn’t until the last third of the episode he realised Stone’s tape and story was actually quite true, however I thought his behaviour towards Stone early on when he saw him again was nothing like how it was in “Back in the World”.

Sonny's attitude towards Stone early on made no sense. It was like here comes my little conspiracy friend again trying to convince me that something is wrong in the political system. I always think that didn't he remember what happened in "Back In The World?" or "The Prodigal Son" or even in "No Exit"

I like this episode a lot but Sonny's attitude, suddenly believing in his country and democracy after everything he has been through made 0 sense. Surely he would become sceptical after his experiences. 

"This is America. You know, the First Amendment, freedom of speech, all that doodah? Nobody's gonna shoot at you here"

Really Sonny?

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3 hours ago, RedDragon86 said:

Sonny's attitude towards Stone early on made no sense. It was like here comes my little conspiracy friend again trying to convince me that something is wrong in the political system. I always think that didn't he remember what happened in "Back In The World?" or "The Prodigal Son" or even in "No Exit"

I like this episode a lot but Sonny's attitude, suddenly believing in his country and democracy after everything he has been through made 0 sense. Surely he would become sceptical after his experiences. 

"This is America. You know, the First Amendment, freedom of speech, all that doodah? Nobody's gonna shoot at you here"

Really Sonny?

It just goes back to the continuity issues they always had with Crockett. No more, no less.

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  • 1 month later...

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