feeling a little down about S3 right now

[Guest myonlyvice]

In my opinion season 2 gets the most credit because that's when Vice hit it's high point. I think Vice really caught on during Summer reruns of season 1 because between the end of season 1 and the beginning of season 2 Vice was everywhere! Magazine covers' date=' entertainment shows, you name it, and when DJ & PMT appeared in New York while filming "The Prodigal Son" there were so many screaming fans you'd swear The Beatles were back in town! By season 2 the popularity was so high that everyone wanted to be a guest star. Mostly rockers. Hell just look at the list of guest stars. Ted Nugent, Phil Collins, The Power Station, Frank Zappa. It was the hot show and everyone wanted to be a part of it! Now taking all of this into consideration I can see why many would say "style over substance" Good or bad, Vice turned into the guest star of the week and at times it seemed like they were trying to outdo themselves week after week. In that respect, yes, style took over.[/quote'] There were high profile guest stars/guest appearances (or at least individuals who would become high profile later in their career) throughout the entire series. Season two is far from having a monopoly on this phenomenon. The fact that a lot of them were rock stars in season two is inconsequential. Heck, most of those rock stars were better actors (=substance) than many of the other guest stars on the show who were dedicated actors. Liam Neeson (sp?), for example, was not nearly the actor he is now talent-wise when he appeared in "Irish Eyes". The only S2 episode that sticks out in my mind right now with a particularly weak, high profile, guest actor was "The Fix". That guy, Bill Russell I think, the famous basketball player, was not good in his role. He just couldn't deliver a line to save his life. But season two was not the only season to have a guest actor of questionable acting prowess, at least at the point in their career when they appeared on Vice. All five seasons occasionally suffered from this. Because of this, I'm still not at all sold on this idea that style/substance were out of whack (only) in S2. If they ever were out of whack, and I don't think they ever were, but IF they were, it was for the whole darn series, because there's no appreciable difference in this from season one to season five.

[Ferrariman]

I'm still not at all sold on this idea that style/substance were out of whack (only) in S2

I agree with you. Season 2 is not the only season to suffer from this but it's definitely the most memorable. All you need to do is compare the list of big name guest stars in seasons 1 & 2. Quick! name 5 big guest stars from season 1! See what I mean? Yes there were big stars but they weren't big at the time. Many season 1 guest stars went on to become big stars but many season 2 guest stars were already household names.Season 2 wasn't the only season, it was simply the beginning of an ongoing trend.

[Guest myonlyvice]

I agree with you. Season 2 is not the only season to suffer from this but it's definitely the most memorable. All you need to do is compare the list of big name guest stars in seasons 1 & 2. Quick! name 5 big guest stars from season 1! See what I mean? Yes there were big stars but they weren't big at the time. Many season 1 guest stars went on to become big stars but many season 2 guest stars were already household names.Season 2 wasn't the only season' date=' it was simply the beginning of an ongoing trend.[/quote']As I'm not trying to start a big thing here, I'll just add this, and I truly appreciate your and everyone else's participation in the discussion. The guest actors who appeared in season two, many of whom also happened to be rock stars, for the most part did a decent job in front of the camera. They were not just "empty suits", so to speak. There are some, like Bill Russell, who did not look or sound so good. But these, I would argue, were the exception. Now obviously this is totally subjective and some fans may not think that other high profile (rocker) guests of S2 like Phil Collins, Gene Simmons, and Ted Nugent did a good job. I think they did do a DECENT job, perhaps not worthy of an Emmy, but still not such that it would distract you from the story. Either way this is simply a difference of opinion and is ultimately irresolvable. But to dismiss their contribution as all style and no substance simply because they are rockers makes no sense. I don't think you did this, though. You probably think their acting was substandard and the show simply exploited their popularity, which is your view and is absolutely fine. However, if someone believes that most of the S2 guests did a fine job in front of the camera then there is no basis for saying S2 favored style over substance, at least as far as the acting. I happen to think most S2 guest actors did a good job and certainly no worse as a whole than the guest actors from the other four seasons.

[Ferrariman]

Yeah they did very good in my eyes. The 2 exceptions being Bill Russell and Danny Sullivan.