Episode #45 "When Irish Eyes Are Crying"


Ferrariman

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  • 3 months later...
  • 2 months later...

OK, this is probably my very favorite episode of Miami Vice!  I love the colors and the music, the Irish terrorist plot was topical and hasn't been done to death, and of course at the end I had my hopes raised that Crockett and Gina would get back together.  Sadly that didn't happen and I can appreciate the reasons why some here feel that it was a weak episode--but I still love it!

 

(snipped) Jeff Fahey was a great guest star though. The epiosde really picked up when he came into it. The Daytona's last stand is a classic Vice scene and paved the way for a new kickass car in the next episode. They shouldn't have used the black Testarossa in this ep though. (snipped)

Fahey was a great guest star!  Loved it when Crockett asked him about the girl with the sticky fingers and Eddie K said "She's working her way through school."  I'm probably stating the obvious but the girl working her way through college by doing exotic dancing has truth to it as well as being a popular trope--but it's not something that would often be mentioned on a broadcast network series.  The Daytona's last stand is classic for sure!  Was Crockett's white Testarossa supposed to have been Berrigan's after being repainted white?  Can't recall if that was spelled out later.

 

(snipped)  It’s one of my favorite season 3 episodes. We’ve got everything in it. we got Sonny and Rico undercover buying military weapons, we have a sleazy guy selling them, We have a no-nonsense seller selling them, and not afraid to make a better deal. It’s all about the profit. We have the Irish Terrorist and the opposite point of view brought out by Sonny’s comment about the Irish have rights and they might have a different point of view. It seemed to be a contemporary concern at the time.  (snipped) We saw beautiful scenery of Miami. The scene where Sean and Gina talk, The walk in Biscayne Park, The exteriors of Sean’s hotel or wherever he was staying. Classic Sonny and Rico getting info from Izzy. We also saw Sonny do a wonderful bit of deduction putting the facts together, the stingers, the interest in the Concord, the walk in Biscayne Park, and the timing of the Stingers delivery and the time of the flight of Atlantic International which happens to be the Concord. 

Even with the emotion and doomed romance of Gina and Carroon, we again see the contrast between the desperate patriotism/nationalism of the IRA who see themselves (or at least paint themselves) as freedom fighters and the cynical, commercial side of terrorism and weapons-dealing; as well as an agent of the law trying to shape events to gain the ends he wants, no matter that other people may be endangered.  This is all wrapped up in an entertaining and well-paced story, beautifully filmed with the dark and bright colors: black, navy, charcoal, royal blue, lime-green, intense yellow and white.  When the OCB team meets with Richard Cross, note the color coordination of all of them!    

 

nmathews, on 02 Sept 2009 - 1:35 PM, said:

(snipped)   Some have commented that Crockett and Tubbs were relegated to the background. I disagree. They were very much a part of this episode especially the glimpse of Sonny’s and Gina’s relationship. (snipped) Again we see a little of the special relationship Sonny and Gina have with each other. Her comment to Rico when Rico tries to update her on what OCB has learned about Sean illustrates this. He says she’s way out there and Sonny thinks so too. And Gina comes back with that’s great Sonny would be real objective. Again Sonny doesn’t like it when Gina gets involved romantically with someone else, but at the same time is the first one to her defense. Trudy comments that Gina is really walking on clouds about Sean, and The British Counter terrorist guy tells OCB don’t tell her anything! Sonny quickly gets in his face verbally by saying. Hey we take care of our own people or something like that. He then goes on to defend and take Gina’s side because Gina isn’t there to speak for herself. (snipped) Later when Sonny does have proof that Sean is up to non peaceful things since Kleiser finally gave up who was taking delivery on the Stingers Sonny and Rico were supposed to get, he’s not gloating. He talks to Gina quietly with Rico by his side, and tries to break it to her as gently but as firmly as possible. Later after the OCB briefing when Castillo tells Gina to keep the date with Sean so everything looks normal, Sonny goes to her holds her and asks if she’ll be able to maintain, and then gently kisses her on the forehead, still obviously worried about her. (Nice touch with Jan’s Gina music) At the end when Gina tries to talk Sean out of it, She tries to shoot him, it looks like Sean is going for his weapon. What was he going to do shoot Gina? Sonny gets there and yells freeze just before Gina shoots Sean . Then after Sean goes over the side and they all rush to look over the Parking garage roof. Gina immediately turns and grabs Sonny and cries. As he tries to comfort her, and Rico tries to comfort both of them.

I agree that Sonny and Gina maintained a special relationship and it was on display here.  When Tubbs tells Gina that Sonny thinks she is in too deep with Carroon (to be objective is the way I took it) and she snaps back "That's just great!  Because Sonny would be real objective."  I always wonder if she means Sonny would not be objective because he is a bit of a dog in the manger about Gina (I don't really think she meant this!) or because he has a tendency to get too deep himself.  Sonny was very caring as he defended her to Cross, and later, when he breaks the news about Carroon's weapons deal.

 

Re: the final scene on the parking garage roof:  Gina tried to get Carroon to put away his weapon and forego his planned attack on the Concorde. She still cares for him and knows he can avoid consequences since he hasn't "done anything yet."  Carroon turned his back on her and is reaching for his gun as Sonny shouts "Freeze!"  From my POV, Carroon was going to shoot Sonny (first, at least), and Gina could see this.  She fired first and then Sonny fired; both shots struck Carroon with enough force that he went over the wall.  Just as in Blood and Roses, Gina killed the bad guy who was in a position to kill Sonny.

 

Does it seem that all of the guys Gina gets involved with, she shoots?....Sonny seems to be the exception....Hmmm.....

To be fair to Gina, the horrible Ramirez pressured Gina to sleep with him against her will.  She didn't do it willingly but had allowed herself to be in a spot where she was alone with him, with no backup.  Even if someone doesn't want to call it a rape (which I believe it was), it wasn't something she willingly consented to and if she had revealed herself as a police officer the case would have been blown.  Frank Mosca similarly had her in a vulnerable position (yes, due to her own error in judgment).  In her zeal to get him to reveal his "business secrets" she allowed him to ply her with alcohol and then found herself in a position where she couldn't extricate herself without compromising her cover.  Sonny never forced himself on her or tried to prove he could have her whenever he wanted her.  She was shown to let her passion for justice cause her to jump into situations without thinking them through, but it's not fair to call her a praying mantis (IMO)!    

 

(snipped)The story about IRA terrorist Sean Caroon who disguises himself as peace activist is excellent.:glossy:This is a prelude to lots of episodes in Season 3 which have a political background (snipped) They took up the world affairs and create an individual story about it - that's TV at its best! :happy: This serious story is a coupled with a personal love affair of Gina which makes the whole thing still more delicately. She won’t believe her friends and that’s a mistake because later it’s all the more harder for her. :cry: I admire the abundance of great guest stars in When Irish Eyes Are Crying.  Liam Neeson, Paul Gleason, Jeff Fahey and especially Walter Gotell are awesome actors.  :thumbsup:Gotell is world-famous for his characterization of General Gogol in the James Bond-series. He perfectly represents gun freak Max Klizer and fits into VICE. I also like the hardened character of Jeff Fahey who blows up Sonny’s Daytona! (snipped)  Probably there could be more music; I don’t like Imagine because it’s so often played (although it fits to the scene!), but The Last Unbroken Heart is very gorgeous. Jan Hammer presents us a track which is also played in Florence Italy â€“ I love this score! :radio::radio: In my opinion When Irish Eyes Are Crying is a brilliant start of Season 3! 10 of 10points!

 

I know a lot here didn't care for this episode as the season opener...but I disagree. I really like this episode, and it's one of my favorites of 3rd season!The guest-star power in this was fantastic...with Liam Neeson (a clip from this episode was shown on Jay Leno with him not too long ago--talking about his start in acting), Walter Gotell as Max Klizer (more famously known as General Gogal in several of Roger Moore's 007 James Bond movies in the 70's and early 80's), Paul Gleason, Jeff Fahey, etc...! :clap:I also love the action and storyline...this one focusing more on Gina, which is rare. Usually the more personal plots always revolved around Crockett and Tubbs. Not to mention that Gina was freakin' hot throughout!!  :happy:  ;) The gunplay with Castillo, as well as Gina with Caroon (Neeson) at the end was awesome too! I also liked the music in this one, as well.(snipped)  The end of the Daytona was sad :cry: but was shocking the first time you saw it  :eek: , and Crockett's expression was somewhat understandable but humorous  :p , while Tubbs keeps "it" together and just smiles while saying..."Sold!" 

Sometimes I think I like this episode because it has a lot of emotion/romance as opposed to more car/gun/boat action, and it's good to see that some men (I think!) feel the same way I do about it.  Imagine fits perfectly in the intro scene, and The Last Unbroken Heart is perfect for Gina.  Sean was someone she thought was the real deal, so it hurt worse--probably even worse than when she broke it off with Sonny (because of Brenda).  Sonny hurt her, but he didn't break her heart--she knew he wasn't ready for a commitment, and they were able to stay friends.  Sean had indicated she had a future with him, and she allowed herself to believe it.

 

I agree with those who said this could have been fleshed out as a 2-hour episode; both the Gina-Sean storyline and the Carroon-arms deal-Cross interference sides could have been developed further.  She was as quick to jump into bed with Sean as Crockett or Tubbs were with various female guests throughout the series and I still find this a bit rushed.  Still, I give Irish Eyes a 10 of 10.

Edited by vicegirl85
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i like the episode. Still felt close to the first two seasons. You can see they were feeling their success in their budget, even Izzy is decked out in cool clothes. 

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Solid episode, this official start to season three. Again, I have really enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts, opinions and insights. I thought Neeson guest starring did a spectacular job in this one and the story-line was intriguing. It has been mentioned before, but I must also express that Tubb's confident proclamation of "Sold!" just after the Daytona is reduced to a fireball is one of my favorite Vice moments. Not so much from the potential humorous aspect, but the fact he held his cover so well. In the scheme of things, playing his character as the arms buyer, he really wouldn't care if Sonny's ride was destroyed and instead be impressed at the quality of the stinger. I give accolades to the writers on this, and PMT for pulling off that one word moment in magnificence. Another childhood memory,after this one first aired, running into a good friend in school that Monday morning. "Sold!" the first words we said to each other. (If you read my review of Tale of the Goat, we both did a similar thing. My friend actually went on to become a police criminal investigator, but I digress).

 

What could have made this episode better, in my opinion? A two hour time frame. The story could have deeply benefited from more detailed plot development.The sky is the limit for what they could have included here to make this one excitedly simmer up to the conclusion. I also think slightly better music choices, as always Jan's score was impeccable and I wouldn't change any of it, but I felt the outside tracks from other artists felt a little forced. But perhaps I'm just being picky on that. An amazing classic episode all around! 9/10

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(snipped) It has been mentioned before, but I must also express that Tubb's confident proclamation of "Sold!" just after the Daytona is reduced to a fireball is one of my favorite Vice moments. Not so much from the potential humorous aspect, but the fact he held his cover so well. In the scheme of things, playing his character as the arms buyer, he really wouldn't care if Sonny's ride was destroyed and instead be impressed at the quality of the stinger. I give accolades to the writers on this, and PMT for pulling off that one word moment in magnificence. (snipped)

 

I definitely meant to mention Tubbs' fantastic save of the situation and the great job PMT did in pulling off the proclamation!  Kudos to the writer(s) and to PMT (as well as DJ in his shocked reaction). That moment was perfection, and it was a perfect example of partnership in C&T's undercover roles.  It took the focus off of Crockett's shock at the destruction of his car, and I'm afraid if Tubbs hadn't made that quick save, he (Crockett) might have lost his cover coolness in a hazardous moment.

Edited by vicegirl85
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I definitely meant to mention Tubbs' fantastic save of the situation and the great job PMT did in pulling off the proclamation!  Kudos to the writer(s) and to PMT (as well as DJ in his shocked reaction). That moment was perfection, and it was a perfect example of partnership in C&T's undercover roles.  It took the focus off of Crockett's shock at the destruction of his car, and I'm afraid if Tubbs hadn't made that quick save, he (Crockett) might have lost his cover coolness in a hazardous moment.

yes vicegirl85!  And of course there is the brief shot of the bearded guy holding a rifle laughing, which is hilarious. Great episode. I'm hoping to move further into my season 3 rewind more this week. Cheers

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  • 1 year later...

My two favorite things about S3 are the amazing guest stars and new look. This episode is no exception.

I don't really care for the opening or some of the romance between Gina and Carroon. Other than that this is another good one.

Great guest stars including Jeff Fahey, Walter Gotell(Bond forever), and Paul Gleason.

The plot is different from what we've seen. Great scenery.

I really like the music that plays during the climax. I dont think its been released.

I love the scene with Izzy as well as the scene where Crockett meets Eddie at the bar.

Extra point for the destruction of the Daytona scene.

9/10

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  • 2 years later...

Its a good episode, would have been great if it was done a bit differently. So much better if they didn't add the love interest, what I don't understand is why was Gina present at a political Northern Ireland meeting in the first place? seemed forced so they could form a relationship and the stereotypical Englishman from MI5 was awful. Sean's death was so cheesy at they end.

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2 hours ago, RedDragon86 said:

Its a good episode, would have been great if it was done a bit differently. So much better if they didn't add the love interest, what I don't understand is why was Gina present at a political Northern Ireland meeting in the first place? seemed forced so they could form a relationship and the stereotypical Englishman from MI5 was awful. Sean's death was so cheesy at they end.

They were doing a cover detail for a person of interest. Not unlike Free Verse. 

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On 11/22/2010 at 11:45 AM, MrsEvanFreed said:

Aside from Jeff Fahey, this episode was one big bucket of FAIL.Santiago and Liam Neeson's scenes were like watching paint dry on continual loop. I'm a huge Patti Labelle fan, but "The Last Unbroken Heart" is one of the absolute worst songs I've heard on a MV episode.

 

 

 

 

 

:sick::sick: :sick:

Love this review, MrsEvanFreed!!! Tough to top it!

I love Saundra, but not in this episode. 4/10 for me. 

Edited by mjcmmv
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This ep is one of my all-time favorites!  I didn't really like Gina with Liam Neeson, but she is very passionate and idealistic, and she was responding to the persona Sean Carroon was putting on as a former revolutionary turned peacemaker.

I enjoyed the colors, the scene with Jeff Fahey blowing up the Daytona, Crockett's support of Gina's right to make her own decisions, the way he wasn't afraid to break all land speed records to get to Carroon before he could blow up the Concorde, and the embrace between Sonny and Gina at the end.  And for me, The Last Unbroken Heart was a perfect choice.  Gina thought she was really special to Carroon and she had taken the guard off her heart.  His betrayal was more painful than the breakup with Sonny because she had invested more of herself emotionally in Sean.  Yes, it was another rushed relationship and she turned out to have been gullible.  But I don't think she would ever give her heart fully to anyone after this.

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I always felt like this was two episodes sort of glued together and they didn't fit well at all. I've always really liked Jeff Fahey, and wish he would have gotten a better episode to showcase in.

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10 minutes ago, vicegirl85 said:

This ep is one of my all-time favorites!  I didn't really like Gina with Liam Neeson, but she is very passionate and idealistic, and she was responding to the persona Sean Carroon was putting on as a former revolutionary turned peacemaker.

I enjoyed the colors, the scene with Jeff Fahey blowing up the Daytona, Crockett's support of Gina's right to make her own decisions, the way he wasn't afraid to break all land speed records to get to Carroon before he could blow up the Concorde, and the embrace between Sonny and Gina at the end.  And for me, The Last Unbroken Heart was a perfect choice.  Gina thought she was really special to Carroon and she had taken the guard off her heart.  His betrayal was more painful than the breakup with Sonny because she had invested more of herself emotionally in Sean.  Yes, it was another rushed relationship and she turned out to have been gullible.  But I don't think she would ever give her heart fully to anyone after this.

Nice review, Vicegirl85!

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8 minutes ago, Robbie C. said:

I always felt like this was two episodes sort of glued together and they didn't fit well at all. I've always really liked Jeff Fahey, and wish he would have gotten a better episode to showcase in.

Agreed. He was one of the 'bright lights' in this episode. 

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11 minutes ago, Robbie C. said:

I always felt like this was two episodes sort of glued together and they didn't fit well at all. I've always really liked Jeff Fahey, and wish he would have gotten a better episode to showcase in.

Yes, I'd have loved to see him in a bigger part.

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4 minutes ago, mjcmmv said:

Nice review, Vicegirl85!

LOL, my original review is much longer but I didn't want to just copy and paste it :).  All of you who don't like Irish Eyes may be right but I'll still love it :)

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1 minute ago, vicegirl85 said:

LOL, my original review is much longer but I didn't want to just copy and paste it :).  All of you who don't like Irish Eyes may be right but I'll still love it :)

I always keep an open mind. It's been awhile since I've seen it, and I've avoided it when I re-watch the season. It's time I gave it another try! 

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I'd be curious to know if the original concept was something other than IRA and that was thrown in based on available guest stars or something. THAT was the part that felt forced and sort of cobbled together to me. Or if they toned it down from what it was originally supposed to be. The IRA was still a fairly big deal at this time, and could be vicious as all get out, but they also had some pretty serious backers in the entertainment world (The Irish Rovers for those with longer memories, and U2 for those who don't) and political/lobbying power in this country as well. Maybe they wanted to be edgier and the network told them to tone it down. Like I said, either way it feels like someone tried to force two different episodes together, and it just didn't work.

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Some here have said that originally there was a plan to film it as a 2-hour episode in Ireland, which was nixed for budget reasons (maybe related to DJ's salary strike?).  I don't remember seeing any press about that at the time (although I'm not in the entertainment world so it could have been in Variety, etc. and I would never have known).

The IRA was very active at the time and wealthy Irish-Americans were among the biggest financial backers.  Miami doesn't seem like it would have been a hotbed of Irish terror support, but the Bunny Berrigan character had RL counterparts.  And since there was all kinds of other activity that either skated on the edge of the law or actually broke the law in the "modern Casablanca" as I think Yerkovich called it, I didn't have any trouble buying the concept.

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16 minutes ago, Robbie C. said:

I'd be curious to know if the original concept was something other than IRA and that was thrown in based on available guest stars or something. THAT was the part that felt forced and sort of cobbled together to me. Or if they toned it down from what it was originally supposed to be. The IRA was still a fairly big deal at this time, and could be vicious as all get out, but they also had some pretty serious backers in the entertainment world (The Irish Rovers for those with longer memories, and U2 for those who don't) and political/lobbying power in this country as well. Maybe they wanted to be edgier and the network told them to tone it down. Like I said, either way it feels like someone tried to force two different episodes together, and it just didn't work.

It's always interesting when you realize what might have motivated the writers at the time. If you lived through the '80's, it all makes sense. I imagine it's tough for the younger fans to relate. 

As someone already mentioned, the first two seasons of MV had strong two-hour opening episodes, and this episode leaves Season 3 with  a weak, disjointed launch.

I agree, the writers should have followed the same formula and made a two- parter. The story could have been smoother and the characters more developed.

 

Edited by mjcmmv
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8 minutes ago, vicegirl85 said:

Some here have said that originally there was a plan to film it as a 2-hour episode in Ireland, which was nixed for budget reasons (maybe related to DJ's salary strike?).  I don't remember seeing any press about that at the time (although I'm not in the entertainment world so it could have been in Variety, etc. and I would never have known).

The IRA was very active at the time and wealthy Irish-Americans were among the biggest financial backers.  Miami doesn't seem like it would have been a hotbed of Irish terror support, but the Bunny Berrigan character had RL counterparts.  And since there was all kinds of other activity that either skated on the edge of the law or actually broke the law in the "modern Casablanca" as I think Yerkovich called it, I didn't have any trouble buying the concept.

Good background and history, here! I love to know the thinking behind the decisions. Thanks for the input! 

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U2 never supported the IRA, Robbie. In fact, they caught a lot of serious heat for not doing so and criticizing their methods. A lot of that idea is misplaced assumption and misinterpretations of songs like Sunday Bloody Sunday.

 

 

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