Episode #90 "Mirror Image"


Ferrariman

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On 8/9/2010 at 11:48 AM, Tommy Vercetti said:

The first time they got surrealism right on the show. It was unlike anything we'd seen on MV previously. It was more like something from an avant garde New Wave movie

That dream sequence was an homage to Fellini

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On 11/18/2012 at 6:25 PM, MrsEvanFreed said:

Definitley one of the best endings to an episode in the series.Part of wonders how fans would've taken it, had this actually been the series finale?If MV wasn't renewed for a 5th and final season.Any thoughts?9/10

Well i think legions of fans would have protested so that NBC would pick up the show again for a new season at some point. Glad they didn't decide to cancel the show until spring '89.

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  • 5 months later...

This is one of those rare times when I have changed how I feel or view an episode. I originally rated this a 9...but that was WAY too high! :eek: I think I initially was awestruck by Julia Roberts & her guest appearance. :happy: But, in many viewings over the years & really focusing on what this episode entails, and being a little more mature ;), I realize why this (and its 2 other co-parts) were more detrimental to the series, and sadly helped further the bad ratings & eventual demise of the show.

It had an awesome intro with Crockett still trying to deal with Caitlin's death, and then the boat explosion...hence the beginning of Crockett's twisted decent into amnesia, deception, murder, chaos, etc... It was tragic, shocking, but captivating as well...at first. But, it didn’t take long to delve into the "dark" and bizarre. 

Crockett supposedly loses his memory, and suddenly becomes Burnett...this “calm” psychopath, who now seems to like violence and destroying others. He maybe approaches situations or people more calmly, or even intelligently, than some of the other drug dealers...but he’s no different.

He pretends to care or want to help whatever drug “organization” he’s currently with. But, he’s just manipulating everyone into what ‘Burnett’ wants...to eventually kill them and take over. He’s no different than Manolo, El Gato, or any of the other gun-wielding drug-thugs. The whole premise was ridiculous...however, what made it over-the-top ridiculous was stretching the Burnett-saga out to 3 parts! :o

Trying to kill Tubbs was also going too far...there is no way that Tubbs (or the OCB) would ever trust Crockett again, regardless if supposedly Sonny’s memory came back. Everything was just destructive to the character of Crockett, and it only got worse in the other 2 parts. 

However, the guest star power in this was pretty cool...with Julia Roberts as Polly Wheeler, Chris Cooper as Yagovitch, and Antonio Fargas as Alejandro Gutierrez! Tony Azito as Manolo was awesome too. Camille Sands as Doris Gumble cracked me up...but not sure what the heck the point of she/he was? :p

The plot of all these mob/gangsters/ drug dealers caught up in trying to take each other over was kind of cool, as I like gangster/mob things. But, having Crockett/Burnett doing a lot of the killing was disturbing. 

The fashion and colors, mainly with Crockett's suits, were superb with the pastels and again reminiscent of the first couple seasons! The lighting in several scenes was really bizarre and awesome too! :glossy:The filming locations, mansions, pools used were breathtaking, and again the famous Pink House was showcased...this time as Polly's gallery, and it's always bizarre but captivating! Love it! :clap: 

The music is wonderful as we really get to enjoy Jan Hammer's superb themes again, sadly though I think for the last time. ;( Other cool songs included were Money God by Big Pig, Alpha Centauri by Tangerine Dream, and Bed Bugs & Ballyhoo by Echo and the Bunnymen. :radio: 

But, I also had some issues with Tubbs’ reaction when they thought Sonny was dead...he just sort of read the lines and either had hardly any emotion at all, or went a little overboard with "faky" emotion. Not sure what was up with that, but it didn't seem realistic or heartfelt to me. The scenes with him and his Ft. Lauderdale cop friend also seemed "forced" and not very convincing.

I did, however, enjoy the one scene between Rico and Castillo...where they both finally agree that Tubbs needs to go and find out what really happened to Sonny. :thumbsup: But, the scene where Sonny just "blows" Rico away was very disturbing. However,  I love Crockett's/Burnett's demented, bizarre dream on the beach right after that...the lighting and fashion used were awesome and helped make it seriously creepy! :thumbsup:

The ending was really a shocker and leaves you completely hanging...and a definite indication that there would be a 5th season. However, the 5th would be the final one. ;( Overall, I just don’t care for the destruction of Crockett, and the ridiculous plot. If I could re-rate this one I’d give it a 6 (maybe pushing it to a 6.5-7 with the Pink House & Julia). 

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When it comes to Manolo, I liked how he was: unlike his much too flashy and visible (at least for me) brother El Gato (cool name though, and I liked Jon Polito as an actor), he was subdued yet formidable, which I thought made him an especially dangerous villain (like how he had Gutierrez waxed; fella never saw it coming until it was too late). He had his empire, retired fighting cocks, and Pretty Woman Polly Wheeler (Polly wants a Hood! I like Hoods too, but only the ones that are set up above restaurant equipment): he was all set (well, until he was killed off-screen; tough summer of 1988 for Manolo and his crapola).

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  • 2 months later...
On 9/8/2020 at 8:54 PM, Jack Gretsky said:

I'm in agreement with the consensus here: One of the, if not the, best of Season 4 - with plenty of that ol' Vice magic.  Shocking how suddenly Evil Sonny shoots Tubbs; I knew it was coming but I was expecting a drawn-out showdown.  

The dream sequence is great with the cinematic influences of Fellini, Hitchcock and Ken Russell.

Also one of the best guest casts of the season: Chris Cooper looking cool in his shades, a welcome return of Vice "recurrer" Brent Jennings, weird, unsettling Tony Azito, Antonio Fargas! (His shades were awesome), and, oh yeah, an early role for Julia (ugh) Roberts. (I've never been a fan of hers.)

The trope of an intense, burnt-out person turning bad thanks to amnesia is corny, but it's pulled off with style here.  Now onto Season 5 and more of Evil Sonny!

This was my take last year.  I can't think of anything else to add.  Entertaining episode that never drags.

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  • 1 month later...

Love this episode. The plot worked for me but I suppose I was still at an age where the whole memory loss thing didn't feel so soap opera-esque.

Burnett is cold and efficient. I remember wondering how he could ever come back from the actions he partakes in. That kill shot on the downed bad guy during the drug deal was shocking. Jan's Airport swap cue works so well in this scene you'd think it was written specifically for it.

But then, when he shoots Tubbs I was floored. It was a superbly shot scene. Dark, foggy and thunderstorm cracking. Over the top, but I loved it. Great song selection too.

Little did I know this was Jan's last hurrah.

S4 was a wild ride but the good episodes were freakin' great:p

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On 2/1/2020 at 4:53 PM, Dadrian said:

I can't believe I missed this when it was posted!! What a classic! Thank you so much, Dadrian! 

 

Edited by mjcmmv
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15 minutes ago, fakespyder said:

Love this episode. The plot worked for me but I suppose I was still at an age where the whole memory loss thing didn't feel so soap opera-esque.

Burnett is cold and efficient. I remember wondering how he could ever come back from the actions he partakes in. That kill shot on the downed bad guy during the drug deal was shocking. Jan's Airport swap cue works so well in this scene you'd think it was written specifically for it.

But then, when he shoots Tubbs I was floored. It was a superbly shot scene. Dark, foggy and thunderstorm cracking. Over the top, but I loved it. Great song selection too.

Little did I know this was Jan's last hurrah.

S4 was a wild ride but the good episodes were freakin' great:p

Well put, fakespyder! I couldn't agree more! 

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On 8/9/2021 at 11:58 PM, ViceFanMan said:

This is one of those rare times when I have changed how I feel or view an episode. I originally rated this a 9...but that was WAY too high! :eek: I think I initially was awestruck by Julia Roberts & her guest appearance. :happy: But, in many viewings over the years & really focusing on what this episode entails, and being a little more mature ;), I realize why this (and its 2 other co-parts) were more detrimental to the series, and sadly helped further the bad ratings & eventual demise of the show.

It had an awesome intro with Crockett still trying to deal with Caitlin's death, and then the boat explosion...hence the beginning of Crockett's twisted decent into amnesia, deception, murder, chaos, etc... It was tragic, shocking, but captivating as well...at first. But, it didn’t take long to delve into the "dark" and bizarre. 

Crockett supposedly loses his memory, and suddenly becomes Burnett...this “calm” psychopath, who now seems to like violence and destroying others. He maybe approaches situations or people more calmly, or even intelligently, than some of the other drug dealers...but he’s no different.

He pretends to care or want to help whatever drug “organization” he’s currently with. But, he’s just manipulating everyone into what ‘Burnett’ wants...to eventually kill them and take over. He’s no different than Manolo, El Gato, or any of the other gun-wielding drug-thugs. The whole premise was ridiculous...however, what made it over-the-top ridiculous was stretching the Burnett-saga out to 3 parts! :o

Trying to kill Tubbs was also going too far...there is no way that Tubbs (or the OCB) would ever trust Crockett again, regardless if supposedly Sonny’s memory came back. Everything was just destructive to the character of Crockett, and it only got worse in the other 2 parts. 

However, the guest star power in this was pretty cool...with Julia Roberts as Polly Wheeler, Chris Cooper as Yagovitch, and Antonio Fargas as Alejandro Gutierrez! Tony Azito as Manolo was awesome too. Camille Sands as Doris Gumble cracked me up...but not sure what the heck the point of she/he was? :p

The plot of all these mob/gangsters/ drug dealers caught up in trying to take each other over was kind of cool, as I like gangster/mob things. But, having Crockett/Burnett doing a lot of the killing was disturbing. 

The fashion and colors, mainly with Crockett's suits, were superb with the pastels and again reminiscent of the first couple seasons! The lighting in several scenes was really bizarre and awesome too! :glossy:The filming locations, mansions, pools used were breathtaking, and again the famous Pink House was showcased...this time as Polly's gallery, and it's always bizarre but captivating! Love it! :clap: 

The music is wonderful as we really get to enjoy Jan Hammer's superb themes again, sadly though I think for the last time. ;( Other cool songs included were Money God by Big Pig, Alpha Centauri by Tangerine Dream, and Bed Bugs & Ballyhoo by Echo and the Bunnymen. :radio: 

But, I also had some issues with Tubbs’ reaction when they thought Sonny was dead...he just sort of read the lines and either had hardly any emotion at all, or went a little overboard with "faky" emotion. Not sure what was up with that, but it didn't seem realistic or heartfelt to me. The scenes with him and his Ft. Lauderdale cop friend also seemed "forced" and not very convincing.

I did, however, enjoy the one scene between Rico and Castillo...where they both finally agree that Tubbs needs to go and find out what really happened to Sonny. :thumbsup: But, the scene where Sonny just "blows" Rico away was very disturbing. However,  I love Crockett's/Burnett's demented, bizarre dream on the beach right after that...the lighting and fashion used were awesome and helped make it seriously creepy! :thumbsup:

The ending was really a shocker and leaves you completely hanging...and a definite indication that there would be a 5th season. However, the 5th would be the final one. ;( Overall, I just don’t care for the destruction of Crockett, and the ridiculous plot. If I could re-rate this one I’d give it a 6 (maybe pushing it to a 6.5-7 with the Pink House & Julia). 

Wow! Great review! I keep reading it over and over and each time, I find more things to make me question my first impressions. You've given me a lot to think about. Thanks ViceFanMan!

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41 minutes ago, mjcmmv said:

Wow! Great review! I keep reading it over and over and each time, I find more things to make me question my first impressions. You've given me a lot to think about. Thanks ViceFanMan!

You’re welcome! :thumbsup: I felt this was a much more honest and true review, than perhaps what I’d said in the past and/or what I was trying to make it be. :funky: 

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  • 1 month later...

Another S4 masterpiece. For one, the style is impeccable with the pastel, the pink house, the dream sequence..I too found Tubbs shooting disturbing, as well as what became of Sonny. And Rico knew it was Sonny. The latter not knowing about the former's amnesia....
It would be a 10 for me but that lowers the score to 8.5.

S4 started with the unity of duo outside the courthouse facing Mosca (as per my profile picture). And it ended like this:

ezgif-3-3926773faa.png.4a87e857256f98a5dc5d71f6544e3f2e.png

 

Edited by sdiegolo78
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The first (true) story in this video bears a striking resemblance to the beginning of the Burnett arc. I wonder if the writer was inspired by it: 

Warning: the following two stories are very dark—viewer discretion advised. :hot:

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  • 1 year later...
10 hours ago, Robbie C. said:

Yep. Got that one. Oddly enough, the one that doesn't seem to be available is Hostile Takeover (the middle of the Burnett trilogy). Of course, Forgive us our Debts isn't out there, either. Funny how some of them are and some aren't.

 Forgive Us Our Debts is now available on scriptcity. I just ordered a copy; will post it on the episode thread as soon as it arrives.

No luck with Hostile Takeover though.

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4 hours ago, johnnyfarragut said:

 Forgive Us Our Debts is now available on scriptcity. I just ordered a copy; will post it on the episode thread as soon as it arrives.

No luck with Hostile Takeover though.

Great episode to have.

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10 hours ago, johnnyfarragut said:

 Forgive Us Our Debts is now available on scriptcity. I just ordered a copy; will post it on the episode thread as soon as it arrives.

No luck with Hostile Takeover though.

Yeah...I have some of the ones from ScriptCity. And I misspoke (or mistyped)...it's Deliver us from Evil that isn't there. FUOD is there, along with an earlier version titled The Gang's All Here.

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On 4/15/2023 at 10:19 PM, Robbie C. said:

Yep. Got that one. Oddly enough, the one that doesn't seem to be available is Hostile Takeover (the middle of the Burnett trilogy). Of course, Forgive us our Debts isn't out there, either. Funny how some of them are and some aren't.

I emailed these guys: https://www.wgfoundation.org/blog/dont-distribute-scripts-online

They have the scripts available to read in their library in LA, but you can't make copies to read at home.

So I emailed some of the screenwriters regarding their scripts I'd like to have a copy.

So far, no reply. 

 

Edited by johnnyfarragut
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