Episode #111 "Freefall"

[Eillio Martin Imbasciati]

2 minutes ago, ViceFanMan said:

Cool & Interesting ideas! I’ll be honest and say I never would have thought of Darlanne Fluegel as a cast choice...I think of her from the final season of the cop drama Hunter, where she was one of two females to partner with Fred Dryer, after Stepfanie Kramer left the show. She was first in that last season, but didn’t last. But, maybe she’d of been great for your proposed finale! 

Myself personally, I still wish they’d of maybe done something with Lombard...maybe having his old action (drug smuggling, deals, hits on competition, etc...) suddenly start up again & everybody thinks it’s him taking his business back over...but it’s not him. It’s someone framing him & making it look like Lombard. Come to find out it’s his son, trying to sneak into the business, but still has resentment towards his dad for betraying him earlier in the show. So he uses his father’s old mob business against him in a way, as a form of revenge. Sort of a re-working of “World of Trouble”, and it could still end with a big, shocking, dramatic shooting/death of Al, or his son...sort of like “No Exit”. I don’t necessarily have to have C&T just quit and walk off. But, that’s just me. 

I like the proposed Lombard storyline, especially the frame job. It sounds good, although I enjoyed 'World of Trouble' a lot though!

I'd prefer to have Crockett & Tubbs still quit the force, there was just too much burnout there (especially in the case of Crockett). A lot of events and conversations led to that moment, so I was happy to see the payoff; it was a reasonable conclusion for me.

I feel that Darlanne Fluegel got hung out to dry there in "Hunter"; I think she was a good choice, but there likely wasn't anyone who could've ably replace Stepfanie Kramer in that spot.

[Mr. Vigilante]

If the Calderone saga had not ended so pathetically in "The Afternoon Plane", I would've gladly welcomed a finale with Orlando Calderone.  Oh yeah, and Tubbs actually finding his son. 

[Robbie C.]

14 minutes ago, Mr. Vigilante said:

If the Calderone saga had not ended so pathetically in "The Afternoon Plane", I would've gladly welcomed a finale with Orlando Calderone.  Oh yeah, and Tubbs actually finding his son. 

Something along these lines would have been much better than a Lombard take, IMO. Vice was about the Peruvian marching dust, not old Mafia guys and their schemes. I would have liked to see Maynard appear one last time, too (as he did in one of my novels).

[Eillio Martin Imbasciati]

25 minutes ago, Mr. Vigilante said:

If the Calderone saga had not ended so pathetically in "The Afternoon Plane", I would've gladly welcomed a finale with Orlando Calderone.  Oh yeah, and Tubbs actually finding his son. 

Yeah, something more on the son of Tubbs for sure!

[ViceFanMan]

1 hour ago, Eillio Martin Imbasciati said:

I like the proposed Lombard storyline, especially the frame job. It sounds good, although I enjoyed 'World of Trouble' a lot though!

I'd prefer to have Crockett & Tubbs still quit the force, there was just too much burnout there (especially in the case of Crockett). A lot of events and conversations led to that moment, so I was happy to see the payoff; it was a reasonable conclusion for me.

I feel that Darlanne Fluegel got hung out to dry there in "Hunter"; I think she was a good choice, but there likely wasn't anyone who could've ably replace Stepfanie Kramer in that spot.

 

24 minutes ago, Mr. Vigilante said:

If the Calderone saga had not ended so pathetically in "The Afternoon Plane", I would've gladly welcomed a finale with Orlando Calderone.  Oh yeah, and Tubbs actually finding his son. 

Yeah, I  don’t think anyone could’ve replaced Stepfanie Kramer in Hunter, and had it go over as well. The whole Hunter and McCall “chemistry” is what made that show work. 

Yeah, “World of Trouble” was superb (ignoring HAVOC)...I definitely think one final Lombard plot (as he was one of the original drug dealer/gangsters OCB dealt with) would’ve been amazing as the finale!

But, I agree that a Calderone one would’ve also been superb if that whole saga hadn’t pretty much been killed off...literally.  Tubbs finally finding his baby son would have been a nice touch.

[vicegirl85]

Lombard was a great character and since he was one of the rare recurring guest stars, it would have been nice to see him again.  However, like Robbie C said, MV was about the drug trade in Miami, and for the '80s, I am not sure that the Mafia connection carried the weight for a finale.

I also would have liked to see Maynard again; his shadowy involvement in the drug trafficking trade over a major portion of Crockett's lifetime would have given that story a fitting gravitas, IMO.

Agree with those who wanted a resolution of the storyline with Tubbs' baby--although I have no idea how he would have coped with a child.  Also would have liked to have at least some kind of closure/ good-bye scene for Trudy and Gina.

I've said before that Freefall was disappointing for me as 1) an episode and 2) as a series finale, and that hasn't changed. 

However, by that time it felt as if MV was running on fumes anyway.  We were lucky to get a 2-hour series finale, and I feel today (not at the time, LOL) that it brought the story of our characters to an appropriate and even an almost inevitable ending.   

 

[ViceFanMan]

2 hours ago, vicegirl85 said:

Lombard was a great character and since he was one of the rare recurring guest stars, it would have been nice to see him again.  However, like Robbie C said, MV was about the drug trade in Miami, and for the '80s, I am not sure that the Mafia connection carried the weight for a finale.

I also would have liked to see Maynard again; his shadowy involvement in the drug trafficking trade over a major portion of Crockett's lifetime would have given that story a fitting gravitas, IMO.

Agree with those who wanted a resolution of the storyline with Tubbs' baby--although I have no idea how he would have coped with a child.  Also would have liked to have at least some kind of closure/ good-bye scene for Trudy and Gina.

I've said before that Freefall was disappointing for me as 1) an episode and 2) as a series finale, and that hasn't changed. 

However, by that time it felt as if MV was running on fumes anyway.  We were lucky to get a 2-hour series finale, and I feel today (not at the time, LOL) that it brought the story of our characters to an appropriate and even an almost inevitable ending.   

 

Maynard would have been an interesting choice for a finale bad-guy...finally take him down, as we never got closure with him either. 

As for Lombard...yes, he was mob, but part of his business was drugs. But, also illegal gambling, prostitution, loan-sharking, etc... All of these are things that would involve Vice, not just the cocaine and/or drugs. Since he was still a ‘famous’ villain from the beginning & he was still alive , I think a finale with him would have been awesome. 

A 2hr finale was really awesome...but, I just wish they’d of done much better with it since it was planned. But, it is what it is. 

Edited September 14, 2021 by ViceFanMan

[Eillio Martin Imbasciati]

2 hours ago, ViceFanMan said:

Maynard would have been an interesting choice for a finale bad-guy...finally take him down, as we never got closure with him either. 

As for Lombard...yes, he was mob, but part of his business was drugs. But, also illegal gambling, prostitution, loan-sharking, etc... All of these are things that would involve Vice, not just the cocaine and/or drugs. Since he was still a ‘famous’ villain from the beginning & he was still alive , I think a finale with him would have been awesome. 

A 2hr finale was really awesome...but, I just wish they’d of done much better with it since it was planned. But, it is what it is. 

I agree, Lombard had his hands in every racket; the show mostly focused on his bookmaking (such a novelist is Lombard), but we know he had to be "running a string of girls" (a statement our fateful Szarbo once said), providing "protection", and selling dope.

Maynard, yeah, I guess he was meant to never get caught; just too slippery for any law enforcement agency. He's another guy in where it ended how it began; him as a shadowy figure (a true "Spook").

[ViceFanMan]

4 minutes ago, Eillio Martin Imbasciati said:

I agree, Lombard had his hands in every racket; the show mostly focused on his bookmaking (such a novelist is Lombard), but we know he had to be "running a string of girls" (a statement our fateful Szarbo once said), providing "protection", and selling dope.

Maynard, yeah, I guess he was meant to never get caught; just too slippery for any law enforcement agency. He's another guy in where it ended how it began; him as a shadowy figure (a true "Spook").

Perfectly stated! Yeah, Maynard was actually in a whole different realm than just Miami, Florida and Vice. He was a definite “spook” and involved in international affairs & crimes. The only way to probably take him down would be an assassin of some kind. 

[Eillio Martin Imbasciati]

4 hours ago, vicegirl85 said:

Lombard was a great character and since he was one of the rare recurring guest stars, it would have been nice to see him again.  However, like Robbie C said, MV was about the drug trade in Miami, and for the '80s, I am not sure that the Mafia connection carried the weight for a finale.

I also would have liked to see Maynard again; his shadowy involvement in the drug trafficking trade over a major portion of Crockett's lifetime would have given that story a fitting gravitas, IMO.

Agree with those who wanted a resolution of the storyline with Tubbs' baby--although I have no idea how he would have coped with a child.  Also would have liked to have at least some kind of closure/ good-bye scene for Trudy and Gina.

I've said before that Freefall was disappointing for me as 1) an episode and 2) as a series finale, and that hasn't changed. 

However, by that time it felt as if MV was running on fumes anyway.  We were lucky to get a 2-hour series finale, and I feel today (not at the time, LOL) that it brought the story of our characters to an appropriate and even an almost inevitable ending.   

 

I agree with you that Vice had their bags all packed and their cars running in the parking lot for all of Season 5 (that's why I think they said, "The heck with it" when it came to censorship; they just did whatever they felt like doing), but I still really like the effort put in in terms of plots (things didn't seem "mailed in" to me). I also agree that, done today, Vice's season finale would be punched up (I still like it better than I did the "Dexter" series finale; I think Dexter should've been given the Maynard send-off and gotten away, and Debra was my favorite character on that show).

I did like 'Freefall' as a standalone episode, more than I liked 'The Prodigal Son' actually, which has always felt a little too overstuffed for my liking (but I still enjoy that two-parter, just not my total fav).

[Eillio Martin Imbasciati]

Just now, ViceFanMan said:

Perfectly stated! Yeah, Maynard was actually in a whole different realm than just Miami, Florida and Vice. He was a definite “spook” and involved in international affairs & crimes. The only way to probably take him down would be an assassin of some kind. 

I agree, like a 'Borrasca'-type of deal, that would be the way to ice Maynard. Otherwise, the man was just too insulated.

[ViceFanMan]

1 minute ago, Eillio Martin Imbasciati said:

I agree, like a 'Borrasca'-type of deal, that would be the way to ice Maynard. Otherwise, the man was just too insulated.

Exactly. That’s why I wish they’d of done a finale a little ‘closer to home’, so-to-speak. Something with Lombard, or even figure out a way to do one final ‘Calderone’ plot—including Tubbs learning his son was still alive. 

[Eillio Martin Imbasciati]

Just now, ViceFanMan said:

Exactly. That’s why I wish they’d of done a finale a little ‘closer to home’, so-to-speak. Something with Lombard, or even figure out a way to do one final ‘Calderone’ plot—including Tubbs learning his son was still alive. 

I can totally understand your passion on the Vice finale, but I do think the show painted themselves in a corner with the Calderone thing (maybe he was offed to early? but then, that leads to the removal of Rodriguez, Caroline, and billy, and I think that worked out...but sometimes I feel differently about it).

I'm fine with how the Lombard thread went (I see the HAVOK deal as something of a MacGuffin, though I felt it was a cool tool), but if there was a way for his character to be the finale, I would've liked that as well. In the end, I dig that Lombard wasn't on the side of the law or the mob, but he was on his own side (not in a selfish way, but it an honorable way).

[king77]

There isn’t enough time to close all the holes. I tossed around the idea back in the day about how to end it. Tubbs son, if they wanted to address it, they could have done it earlier in the run with Tubbs finding out his son is alive and left it with Tubbs hiring a nanny. Look at Magnum, P.I., oh your daughters alive and that’s it.

Maynard, Lombard, May Ying coming back to Castillo, Switek, Gina and or Trudy finding love, or the killing off of Castillo which was discussed, Switek, Gina or Trudy to me in the end it really didn’t matter.

Finales, of the ones I have seen all only a few stand out to me. Some are easy like M.A.S.H. with the war ending and everybody saying goodbye and going home, playing a joke like Newhart as it’s all a dream, sitting at a diner like the Soprano’s then wondering if they were killed or did life just go on or re-upping in the Navy like Magnum, P.I. But all those endings, at least to me never really hit the essence of the show, and some couldn’t as too much had changed from inception.

But for whatever reason I liked Freefall the best, maybe it’s grown on me over time or how it reminds me of an old friend. But in the end the show was about Crockett and Tubbs partnering up. And regardless of other storylines that may or may not needed closure, it needed to feature them and end with them going their separate ways, regardless of the case or what sidelight needed to be addressed. The final scene to me summed it all up, reluctant partners in the beginning and now friends for life saying goodbye, with one last ride in my stolen car of course.

 

 

 

[Eillio Martin Imbasciati]

8 minutes ago, king77 said:

There isn’t enough time to close all the holes. I tossed around the idea back in the day about how to end it. Tubbs son, if they wanted to address it, they could have done it earlier in the run with Tubbs finding out his son is alive and left it with Tubbs hiring a nanny. Look at Magnum, P.I., oh your daughters alive and that’s it.

Maynard, Lombard, May Ying coming back to Castillo, Switek, Gina and or Trudy finding love, or the killing off of Castillo which was discussed, Switek, Gina or Trudy to me in the end it really didn’t matter.

Finales, of the ones I have seen all only a few stand out to me. Some are easy like M.A.S.H. with the war ending and everybody saying goodbye and going home, playing a joke like Newhart as it’s all a dream, sitting at a diner like the Soprano’s then wondering if they were killed or did life just go on or re-upping in the Navy like Magnum, P.I. But all those endings, at least to me never really hit the essence of the show, and some couldn’t as too much had changed from inception.

But for whatever reason I liked Freefall the best, maybe it’s grown on me over time or how it reminds me of an old friend. But in the end the show was about Crockett and Tubbs partnering up. And regardless of other storylines that may or may not needed closure, it needed to feature them and end with them going their separate ways, regardless of the case or what sidelight needed to be addressed. The final scene to me summed it all up, reluctant partners in the beginning and now friends for life saying goodbye, with one last ride in my stolen car of course.

 

 

 

Yeah, I love the "stolen car" bit, and the final scene in general.

I agree with you though, there just wasn't enough time to tie up the loose ends, but in the end I still think Vice did alright.

[Kladdagh]

Freefall is a "nice ending" episode. I particulary like the final scene ... I didn't expected some twists about the series finale but the goodbye between Crockett and Tubbs was very "emotional". That was my 0.2cts 

Edited September 15, 2021 by Kladdagh

[Augusta]

I say Miami Vice did NOT NEED to end, and would never have needed a finale if it were not for Hollywood people doing what we know Hollywood people always seem to do:  put their abilities, talents, and technical skills aside, and let their personal ambitions, over-opinions of themselves as "artists", and yen for "even more money to buy even more cars than I have now" spoil a great collaboration on some of the finest movies and tv shows in history.  There was plenty of room (acting-wise, story-writing wise, and production-wise) to pilot Vice halfway through the '90s at least, and that would have been five more seasons before age finally  forces a change in all of us.

 

But I put that aside, now that I've stated it. 

IF there must be a finale episode, a double-episode is appropriate, and I'm glad they did that.  But it was criminal to transport them out of the city of Miami to do it----especially to do a WHOLE story outside Miami.  Miami is the personality that gave Vice its energy and life, and it seemed as if the producers were just spitting on the city to do a finale story that's all about the Feds and someone else's country! 

Vice's whole reason for existing starts the moment something enters OUR borders (coke, illegal sex servants, arms, kingpins, interpol fugitives).  Whenever we had an episode where our cops went to another city or country, it was always with the buzz that "Jeez, Rico this sure ain't happy Miami--we need to get the hell outta here soon".  What that buzz is saying is 'Miami Vice stepping out of Miami is AGAINST NATURAL ORDER, and we must return at best possible speed to restore nirvana.  (the NY visit and the killing of Calderone on his home turf were exceptions because there was a powerful personal need in there.) 

 

The finale episodes should have been about Miami, about dressing old wounds maybe (so yes, Lombard or some past villain definitely fits as a candidate), or re-establishing the bonds between the OCB cops (something that I think was taken for granted by the producers by the back half of Season 3, and was lost).... but something that lets Miami splash all over the camera, like it used to in the first Seasons.

Would it really have hurt anyone to film the another boat race in the background of one of those scenes where Tubbs is talking to Sonny about "the missing colonel"? 

Is something wrong with catching Gina giving a lift to Trudy in her convertible car after leaving Sonny working late in the office,...and hearing the sporty engine rev up and curl away under the palm trees and street lights? 

Come on, it's the LAST episodes of Miami Vice, and you dare to completely ignore Miami in the scenery?

 

I have some easy-whip storyline ideas!  Maybe we start by Switek visiting Zito's grave in memory of a fallen cop buddy (Tubbs and Sonny can join him in surprise--they chat, and something completely unrelated happens in the cemetery)--and perhaps that sparks a completely unforeseeable chain of events that roll through two episodes, with the episode plopping the task into each of the cops' laps in turn, having to deal with it like a game of hot-potato).  Gives us a chance to see EACH entity doing their jobs beautifully---Trudy and Gina have to work on the investigation for a while and we stick with the girls exclusively, then it's suddenly stuck in lonesome Switek's hands, then Castillo, and Sonny and Rico.  So for two back-to-back episodes, every fan in the audience gets a 20 minute overdose of whoever was their favorite in the show--every move, every facial shot, all THEM talking ALL the script.    

 

OR, staying on Switek, maybe we get to see just how badly Switek's gambling compulsion really is--all the places he frequents, who caused it, who's getting hurt, and whether it truly ends in losing Switek from the OCB.

 

OR, maybe OCB is being replaced by a new crime department, based in a new building, and don't want any of the old personnel---they are all being disbanded and reassigned.  Trudy and Gina get promotions, one to head her own department in street crimes, the other to be Castillo's assistant in a Federal-to-Interpol department (cuz Castillo's loaded with international skills, baby!).

Switek, Sonny and Rico get slapped with street-cop level reassignment, and feeling insulted, have to decide if they want to take that slap in the face, or resign.  Do you really want to keep doing this all your life?

 

OR, Noogie gets killed in a really bizarre multiple victim murder (kind of a nod to the actor who played Noogie and actually did lose his life)----and it's starting to look like Noogie was the murder-er who somehow got killed in his own attempt to kill the other victims.  The more they investigate (cuz in vice, your respect for your informants is very high, and you need to vindicate what happens to your snitches, and somehow make it right), the more they begin to learn Noogie's background, his relatives,... how deep the life of a hustler and snitch really is, and it becomes a reflection of the world of undercover police...no corny flashbacks on past episodes with Noogie---that gets lame too easily--just a final tribute to what our favorite cops did and were part of for five seasons, by seeing them DO IT like masters of the city. 

 

Or, hell, do an episode that has ALL these stories packed together!  You have a double-episode, so you have the room to do it, and do it wild.  Just so long as by the end of the finale, the audience has had a full helping of everything we honored about Castillo, everything we respected about Gina and Trudy (Trooodeee!), what quirked us about Switek, all of Tubbs' slick dress code (dang, I still want the name of his neckties and shirts)...

 

... and somewhere in the episode, Crockett nearly getting run over by a girl in a BLACK glossy sports car with slight honey-tinted wax coat.  That would be the finest salute to Michael Mann, to intentionally spotlight ONE black or sexy earthtone car surrounded by the pastels that he knew needed to be in the camera frame all the time.

 

Any of these is how you say goodbye to the show when you have to say goodbye. 

And if Hollywood cared enough, they wouldn't have had to say goodbye

Edited September 16, 2021 by Augusta

[ViceFanMan]

2 minutes ago, Augusta said:

I say Miami Vice did NOT NEED to end, and would never have needed a finale if it were not for Hollywood people doing what we know Hollywood people always seem to do:  put their abilities, talents, and technical skills aside, and let their personal ambitions, over-opinions of themselves as "artists", and yen for "even more money to buy even more cars than I have now" spoil a great collaboration on some of the finest movies and tv shows in history.  There was plenty of room (acting-wise, story-writing wise, and production-wise) to pilot Vice halfway through the '90s at least, and that would have been five more seasons before age forces change in all of us.

 

But I put that aside, now that I've stated it. 

IF there must be a finale episode, a double-episode is appropriate, and I'm glad they did that.  But it was criminal to transport them out of the city of Miami to do it----especially to do a WHOLE story outside Miami.  Miami is the personality that gave Vice its energy and life, and it seemed as if the producers were just spitting on the city to do a finale story that's all about the Feds and someone else's country! 

Vice starts the moment something enters OUR borders (coke, illegal slaves, arms, kingpins, interpol fugitives).  Whenever we had an episode where our cops went to another city or country, it was always with the buzz that "Jeez, Rico this sure ain't happy Miami--we need to get the hell outta here soon".  NY and Calderone's home were exceptions because there was a person need in there. 

 

The finale episodes should have been about Miami, about dressing old wounds maybe (so yes, Lombard or some past villian definitely fits as a candidate), or re-establishing the bonds between the OCB cops (something that I think was taken for granted by the producers by the back half of Season 3, and was lost).... but something that lets Miami splash all over the camera, like it used to in the first Seasons.

Would it really have hurt anyone to film the another boat race in the background of one of those scenes where Tubbs is talking to Sonny about "the missing colonel"? 

Is something wrong with catching Gina giving a lift to Trudy in her convertible car after leaving Sonny working late in the office,...and hearing the sporty engine rev up and curl away under the palm trees and street lights? 

Come on, it's the LAST episodes of Miami Vice, and you dare to completely ignore Miami in the scenery?

 

I have some good storyline ideas!  Maybe we start by Switek visiting Zito's grave in memory of a fallen cop buddy (Tubbs and Sonny can join him in surprise--they chat, and something completely unrelated happens in the cemetary--and perhaps that sparks a chain of events that roll through two episodes, with each of the cops having to deal with it in their lap like a game of hot-potato).  Gives us a chance to see EACH entity doing their jobs beautifully---Trudy and Gina, lonesome Switek, Castillo, and Sonny and Rico.

 

OR, staying on Switek, maybe we get to see just how badly Switek's gambling compulsion really is--what caused it, who's getting hurt, and whether it truly results in losing Switek from the OCB.

 

OR, maybe OCB is being replaced by a new department, in a new building, but without the old personnel---they are all being disbanded and reassigned.  Trudy and Gina get promotion, one to head her own department for street crimes, the other to be Castillo's assistant in a Federal-run department (cuz Castillo's skills are international, baby!).

Switek, Sonny and Rico get slapped with street-cop level reassignment, and have to decide if they want to take that slap in the face, or quit.  Do you really want to keep doing this all your life?

 

OR, Noogie gets killed in a really bizarre multiple victim murder (kind of a nod to the actor who played Noogie and actually did lose his life)----and it's starting to look like Noogie was the murder-er who somehow got killed in his own attempt to kill the other victims.  The more they investigate (cuz in vice, your respect for your informants is very high, and you need to vindicate what happens to your snitches, and somehow make it right), the more they begin to learn Noogie's background, his relatives,... how deep the life of a hustler and snitch really is, and it becomes a reflection of the world of undercover police... a final tribute to what our favorite cops did and were part of for five seasons.

 

Or, hell, do an episode that has ALL these stories packed together!  You have a double-episode, so you have the room to do it, and do it wild.  Just so long as by the end of the finale, the audience has had a full helping of everything we honored about Castillo, everything we respected about Gina and Trudy (Trooodeee!), what quirked us about Switek, all of Tubbs' slick dress code (dang, I still want the name of his neckties and shirts)...

 

... and somewhere in the episode, Crockett nearly getting run over by a girl in a BLACK glossy sports car with slight honey-tinted wax coat.  That would be the finest salute to Michael Mann, to intentionally spotlight ONE black or sexy earthtone car surrounded by the pastels that he knew needed to be in the camera frame all the time.

 

Any of these is how you say goodbye to the show when you have to say goodbye. 

And if Hollywood cared enough, they wouldn't have had to say goodbye

Awesome!! 

[Adrian321]

I recently rewatched the finale, and I keep  my original opinion. 

It is awsome and a 10/10; and in my top 5 episode list.

Its plot invloves drugs (something which was lacking in the last 2 seasons); and this is very important.

One of the rare ocassions when about half the action happens outside Miami (and this in my opinion is not that good of a reason to attack this episode, since we have 50%+ in Miami (the air  views of Miami and the car chase in the beggining and the whole second part; and Smuggler's blues, which is also an awsome episode happens half outside Miami; and The Prodigal son..... another good one, happens I think almost 100% out of Miami).

Plenty of Testarossa action (the begging car chase and "Bad attitude" scene); a rare thing in S5's environment.

Action all around (all the way from the begging, with getting Bourbon out through the episode with the rescue-Tubbs mission and then the Bad Attitude scene; and others).

Seven songs used in the episode (which is WAY more than S5 average and even more than S2 average). And they are pretty decent; not to mention Tim's "Freefall" piece which fits perfectly.

Not only the main character's burnout, but Stan's too (and the way they filmed his last shootout with his eyes in the dark is also awsome).

Some boat time; which was also lacking in S5.

Decent villains  (not on the level of Calderone or Hackman, but better than El Gato and that's for sure).

We have all the characters (not together; but atleast they appear in the episode).

Both DJ and PMT did an awsome job portraying their burnout as well as EJM (with his staredown) along with MT's anger.

The end scene is PERFECTLY filmed; and the music is amazing. Gets all the nostalgia and emotion of watching the whole series beforehand in you....... and the first time watching that scene was so chilling and good.....

And; finally there is the credit montage, not that...... important, as the rest of the episode, but is a nice ending; and the "Tell me" transforms it into something worth to spend a few minutes watching.

 

I know many people disagree with me; and I could understand some points, but even considering those; we can atleast appreciate the content that we DO HAVE; considering, as Robbie C I belive, said that many shows during that time did not even have an ending.

And considering how many good aspects it packs compared to most other S5 episodes, it is a nice ending.

 

Edited November 21, 2021 by Adrian321
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[Jack Gretsky]

The end of the line.  (I watched the "lost episodes" and then finished with this one.)  

I found this to be the least interesting of the Central American adventures.  Things improve once we get back to Miami.  

For Seinfeld fans: Who else wonders if Agent Baker paints triangles when he's at home? 

I sure hope Stan can lick his gambling addiction - and I can dream about a spin-off: Tubbs & Crockett: Private Eyes!

So ends my series of comments on every episode of Miami Vice.  I started a few months ago, and after a few interruptions (computer problems), I was able to complete this project.  Hoorah, lol.  Now I just need to update my Season 5 evaluation and I'm done.  See you next spring as I start the cycle once again. 

[ViceFanMan]

9 hours ago, Jack Gretsky said:

The end of the line.  (I watched the "lost episodes" and then finished with this one.)  

I found this to be the least interesting of the Central American adventures.  Things improve once we get back to Miami.  

For Seinfeld fans: Who else wonders if Agent Baker paints triangles when he's at home? 

I sure hope Stan can lick his gambling addiction - and I can dream about a spin-off: Tubbs & Crockett: Private Eyes!

So ends my series of comments on every episode of Miami Vice.  I started a few months ago, and after a few interruptions (computer problems), I was able to complete this project.  Hoorah, lol.  Now I just need to update my Season 5 evaluation and I'm done.  See you next spring as I start the cycle once again. 

There’s actually only one ‘lost’ episode (“Too Much Too Late”), but I actually like to purposely end with “World of Trouble” (I pretend C&T decided to come back & stay after Freefart...I mean “Freefall” ). To me it should have been revamped & used as the 2hr finale instead!  

[sdiegolo78]

On 5/16/2019 at 3:19 AM, Robbie C. said:

Perhaps, but I think you're missing the point of what they thought the finale was by this point. It had more to do with contemporary foreign policy commentary and showing the futility of the war on drugs than it did a series ending

Interesting take. That was probably the point the writers wanted to make with the finale. After all MV has always been critical of the establishment and policies from the beginning.

[sdiegolo78]

Had they kept Hackman we probably wouldn't have the set up for the Burnett saga. His demise was instrumental for what was to come. For the finale I would have brought in some other character like Captain Real Estate, as mastermind of Colonel Baker and General Borbon.

Edited March 30, 2022 by sdiegolo78

[AndrewRemington]

I just noticed a goof at the end when Castillo pulls up after C&T toss their badges on the ground. Castillo pulls up in his Plymouth Gran Fury but the car changes. It’s the same model and color, but the license plate changes and the metal emblems disappear. Maybe this happens more often, but just noticed it watching a clip of the final scene on YouTube. 

[RedDragon86]

Paul Michael Glaser should have directed the finale because on the show he was capable of doing things on a big scale.

I never like this story, at this point I was so burnt out with the amount of Latin generals.