This Week In Miami Vice History...

[mvnyc]

May 6th - May 12th: "Lombard", the 22nd episode of the 1st season, premiered on NBC on Friday, May 10th, 1985 at 10PM EDT. Some notes on this episode (from Miami Vice Wiki):* This would be Dennis Farina's only appearance as Al Lombard until Season 5's "World Of Trouble", in which Ned Eisenberg would also reprise his role as Librizzi. In the interim, Farina would be cast by Michael Mann in his new series "Crime Story", which ran from 1986-88. * When Crockett and Tubbs go to the track to find Lombard talking with his son, Tubbs' position on the fence changes between shots. * Though this episode was the first season finale, it was not the final first season episode repeated; that honor would go to "Evan." "Sons And Lovers", the 22nd episode of the 2nd season, premiered on NBC on Friday, May 9th, 1985 at 10PM EDT. Some notes on this episode (from Miami Vice Wiki):* Many of the "classic" Miami Vice elements that popularized the show would disappear after this episode, including Crockett's Bren Ten handgun, his tortoise shell Ray-Ban Wayfarers (replaced by Persol frames), the classic pastel look (replaced by darker and neon colors), Tubbs' long hair (which remained short for the rest of the series) and Crockett's short in the front, long in the back hair (replaced by a short spikey cut). However, some of these features would return later; Crockett would switch back to black Wayfarers in Season 4, pastels reappeared periodically in Seasons 4 and 5 and Crockett's hair also went back to its longer style for the last two seasons (in Season 5 it grew out to its longest length). * Lee Iacocca took time off from his job as Chairman of Chrysler Corporation to film a brief cameo in this episode; his character takes his real first name, Lido. Izzy Moreno would frequently quote Iacocca throughout the series. * This episode marks the TV debut of John Leguizamo. He would return as Orlando Calderone in the third season episode "The Afternoon Plane."* The name "Orlando" was originally the first name of Calderone, Sr. in the episode "Brother's Keeper", before it was changed to "Esteban" in "Calderone's Return (Part II)". "Esteban" is now considered the character's correct name. * Angelina and Tubbs' love child is not seen or even mentioned again in the series. Tubbs is shown to believe his son is dead in "The Afternoon Plane" and never made aware of his survival. Presumably this is a result of the show's producers not wanting to burden Tubbs with a child, for fear of limiting his input in storylines. * The gold dolphin ring, worn by Calderone's children, would reappear in the episode "Borrasca."* At the end of the episode, we see Crockett wearing a tie, one of the few times he does so in the series. "Heroes Of The Revolution", the 24th episode of the 3rd season, premiered on NBC on Friday, May 8th, 1987 at 9PM EDT. Some notes on this episode (from Miami Vice Wiki):* Saundra Santiago played Gina's mother, "Elena" in the opening sequence, as well as her normal role of Gina the rest of the episode. * The identity of Gina's father is never explained, therefore it is unknown whether it is Herzog or Pedrosa that is meant to be her true father, or if her biological father was killed in the Revolution, which is a very likely scenario. * This is the only episode where all of the non-Jan Hammer music is sung live. * This episode, the season finale, bookends the third season with Gina episodes (the season premiere, "When Irish Eyes Are Crying" also had Gina as the focus of the main storyline). * The information revealed in this episode makes Gina 27 years old at the time of the episode."Mirror Image", the 22nd episode of the 4th season, premiered on NBC on Friday, May 6th, 1988 at 10PM EDT. Some notes on this episode (from Miami Vice Wiki):* This is Jan Hammer's final musical appearance on "Miami Vice." Tim Truman took over in the fifth season, but Hammer's theme would remain. * Manolo's gallery looks like the house used by Tony Amato in Season 1's "No Exit."* Tony Azito makes Manolo different than the average drug boss by moving in rapid, jerky rushes, then standing completely still, cocking his head at odd angles, paralleling his body language to that of the fighting cocks with which he identifies. * Don Johnson shows such a total change in personality when he portrays Burnett that even his walk is different, it is more constrained and intent and less rhythmic than Crockett's easy stride.* Burnett's noticeable restlessness (being unwilling to sit or rest for any period of time), reflects his lack of peace with himself and perhaps his sense that he actually belongs somewhere else. * The dream sequence on the beach seems to be a salute to the surrealistic filmmaker Federico Fellini: Tubb's body in the glass coffin calling out to Crockett seems to be his conscience guilting him for shooting Tubbs, while Crockett seeing himself in a coffin suggests that his unconscious is trying to tell him that his current actions are killing his true self. * The explosion of the boat hosting the meeting between the rival organizations has very obviously been created using a rather crude model. * The visual style of this episode is more formal and mannered than recent season 4 episodes, recalling the deco landscapes, buildings and careful and closed compositions particularly of Season 1.

[miamijimf]

Interesting stuff. Thanks again.

[Matt5]

Lombard"" data-date=" the 22nd episode of the 1st season, premiered on NBC on Friday, May 10th, 1985 at 10PM EDT. Some notes on this episode (from Miami Vice Wiki):* This would be Dennis Farina">

Sons And Lovers", the 22nd episode of the 2nd season, premiered on NBC on Friday, May 9th, 1985 at 10PM EDT. Some notes on this episode (from Miami Vice Wiki):* Many of the "classic" Miami Vice elements that popularized the show would disappear after this episode, including Crockett's Bren Ten handgun, his tortoise shell Ray-Ban Wayfarers (replaced by Persol frames), the classic pastel look (replaced by darker and neon colors), Tubbs' long hair (which remained short for the rest of the series) and Crockett's short in the front, long in the back hair (replaced by a short spikey cut). However, some of these features would return later; Crockett would switch back to black Wayfarers in Season 4, pastels reappeared periodically in Seasons 4 and 5 and Crockett's hair also went back to its longer style for the last two seasons (in Season 5 it grew out to its longest length). * Lee Iacocca took time off from his job as Chairman of Chrysler Corporation to film a brief cameo in this episode; his character takes his real first name, Lido. Izzy Moreno would frequently quote Iacocca throughout the series. * This episode marks the TV debut of John Leguizamo. He would return as Orlando Calderone in the third season episode "The Afternoon Plane."* The name "Orlando" was originally the first name of Calderone, Sr. in the episode "Brother's Keeper", before it was changed to "Esteban" in "Calderone's Return (Part II)". "Esteban" is now considered the character's correct name. * Angelina and Tubbs' love child is not seen or even mentioned again in the series. Tubbs is shown to believe his son is dead in "The Afternoon Plane" and never made aware of his survival. Presumably this is a result of the show's producers not wanting to burden Tubbs with a child, for fear of limiting his input in storylines. * The gold dolphin ring, worn by Calderone's children, would reappear in the episode "Borrasca."* At the end of the episode, we see Crockett wearing a tie, one of the few times he does so in the series. "Heroes Of The Revolution", the 24th episode of the 3rd season, premiered on NBC on Friday, May 8th, 1987 at 9PM EDT. Some notes on this episode (from Miami Vice Wiki):* Saundra Santiago played Gina's mother, "Elena" in the opening sequence, as well as her normal role of Gina the rest of the episode. * The identity of Gina's father is never explained, therefore it is unknown whether it is Herzog or Pedrosa that is meant to be her true father, or if her biological father was killed in the Revolution, which is a very likely scenario. * This is the only episode where all of the non-Jan Hammer music is sung live. * This episode, the season finale, bookends the third season with Gina episodes (the season premiere, "When Irish Eyes Are Crying" also had Gina as the focus of the main storyline). * The information revealed in this episode makes Gina 27 years old at the time of the episode."Mirror Image", the 22nd episode of the 4th season, premiered on NBC on Friday, May 6th, 1988 at 10PM EDT. Some notes on this episode (from Miami Vice Wiki):* This is Jan Hammer's final musical appearance on "Miami Vice." Tim Truman took over in the fifth season, but Hammer's theme would remain. * Manolo's gallery looks like the house used by Tony Amato in Season 1's "No Exit."* Tony Azito makes Manolo different than the average drug boss by moving in rapid, jerky rushes, then standing completely still, cocking his head at odd angles, paralleling his body language to that of the fighting cocks with which he identifies. * Don Johnson shows such a total change in personality when he portrays Burnett that even his walk is different, it is more constrained and intent and less rhythmic than Crockett's easy stride.* Burnett's noticeable restlessness (being unwilling to sit or rest for any period of time), reflects his lack of peace with himself and perhaps his sense that he actually belongs somewhere else. * The dream sequence on the beach seems to be a salute to the surrealistic filmmaker Federico Fellini: Tubb's body in the glass coffin calling out to Crockett seems to be his conscience guilting him for shooting Tubbs, while Crockett seeing himself in a coffin suggests that his unconscious is trying to tell him that his current actions are killing his true self. * The explosion of the boat hosting the meeting between the rival organizations has very obviously been created using a rather crude model. * The visual style of this episode is more formal and mannered than recent season 4 episodes, recalling the deco landscapes, buildings and careful and closed compositions particularly of Season 1."Freefall", the 17th episode of the 5th season, premiered on NBC on Sunday, May 21st, 1989 at 9PM EDT. Some notes on this episode (from Miami Vice Wiki):* The series finale, like the pilot, aired on a Sunday night. * When aired in syndication, "Freefall" is aired as two parts instead of a single two-hour episode.* The story for the episode is loosely based on the goings-on of Manuel Noriega, the military leader of Panama, who was ousted by the US military amidst charges of drug dealing and corruption. * Three versions of the final confrontation between Baker and Crockett & Tubbs were filmed: the broadcast version, where both of them quit the force, one where both Crockett & Tubbs are killed and one where only Tubbs was killed. The decision to have both characters survive was allegedly made in anticipation of the spinoff about the Young Criminals Unit (from "Leap Of Faith"), which Crockett and/or Tubbs would have made occasional appearances in, had it been picked up. * Baker's ultimate threat to Crockett & Tubbs following the final shootout ("I'm gonna have your badges for this...!") seems perhaps a little restrained, as the two police officers had just gunned down several government agents. This is a crime that, regardless of the corrupt nature of the case, would have undoubtedly resulted in both men going to jail, if not worse. * Some of the riot scenes from Costa Morada look like they came from stock news footage of similar events in Central America.* Crockett tries the coin toss on Tubbs, but Tubbs catches the coin and decides what to do himself (but still ends up "losing" as he is captured by Montoya). * We see the sign outside the doors of OCB and what it says: Organized Crime Bureau, Strategic Intelligence, Tactical Intelligence, Vice/Narcotics. * Don Johnson is wearing a University of Kansas shirt under his sportcoat in the final scene of this episode. Johnson attended the school in his younger days. * Castillo gives his final "staredown" to Crockett & Tubbs for quitting the force. * We see Crockett use a shotgun (the Armsel Striker he carries in the final firefight), for the first time. We also see him use a conventional rifle (a Remington 700), when rescuing Tubbs from Montoya. And we also see that Crockett loads his Smith & Wesson Model 4506 with FEDERAL 230 grain Jacketed Hollow Points. * It is interesting to note that none of the photos in Crockett's locker are of Caitlin; all of them are of Caroline and Billy.* It is also interesting to note that, considering this is the final episode of the series, Gina and Trudy have only a couple of scenes each and do nothing of any real importance. Castillo fares little better with just two scenes (including the climactic standoff with Baker), while even Switek, who gets a good portion of screen time and has an active role in the plot, is left hanging at the end of the pisode. His ultimate fate (after being indefinitely suspended and subsequently killing Montoya's men), is never revealed. * The scene involving Switek placing a bet from a payphone was not originally part of this episode; it was to be included in the episode "Too Much, Too Late." However, as NBC never broadcast that episode due to its controversial content, the scene was moved to the series finale to help explain why Montoya is able to exert influence over Switek. Consequently, the scene is used in both episodes, creating something of a continuity error.* Tubbs is shown loading up his Ithaca Stakeout and his Smith & Wesson Model 38 prior to the final confrontation with Borbon, but uses neither one in the subsequent shootout, opting instead for two SIG Sauer P226's he brings back from Costa Morada. * While shooting at Borbon's plane, Tubbs' gun locks empty, but in the next shot he is firing again without having reloaded. * In the final drive in the Testarossa to the confrontation with Baker, Crockett's shoes are different than the ones he was shown wearing moments earlier while arming himself in the OCB locker room. * The closing credits are in an orange font instead of the usual white, are much longer, playing the Terry Kath song "Tell Me" instead of the "Miami Vice Theme" and show clips of the past five years of Miami Vice instead of the usual Miami stock landmark footage. * Tubbs has the last line in both the first and the last episode of "Miami Vice." * In June, 1989, NBC moved the series to Wednesdays at 10:00pm to air three "lost" episodes and reruns of the series, with the last NBC broadcast of a "Miami Vice" episode airing on July 26, 1989. The fourth "lost" episode, "Too Much, Too Late", would not be aired until January of 1990 on USA Network, on a Thursday night.

Great info - and "Freefall" and "Mirror Image " were standout episodes.

[omaha]

Nice! My compliments!

[mvnyc]

Thanks everyone...lots of info here. Next week, to wrap this up, I'll post the "lost" episodes info, etc.

[Matt5]

Thanks everyone...lots of info here. Next week' date=' to wrap this up, I'll post the "lost" episodes info, etc.[/quote']Look forward to it

[aussiefan]

Excellent post:thumbsup: Very informativeCan't wait for next weeks one:clap:

[mvnyc]

Excellent post:thumbsup: Very informativeCan't wait for next weeks one:clap:

Thanks...Next week we'll wrap this up...

[Kavinsky]

With the freefall end firefight scene there didnt he say kill them and then they opened up on them, so even if they were agents (I thought they hired thugs) wouldnt they have had probably cause to defend themselves atleast in that regard?plus wasnt there something about them hitting the safe house and abducting him from there custody?

[Lar]

"Lombard" is a bonafide classic. Dennis Farina really took the character from "just another bad guy" to someone we actually cared about, even though we know he's done some bad things. Even C&T seem to kinda like him, or at least have some respect for him."Sons And Lovers" is the end of the classic era of MV. There were, I think, plenty of good eps following it, but the days of MV as a true national penomenon ended when S2 did. Of course, it's legendary status was already long-sealed, but the change in style, involvement of Dick Wolf and timeslot opposite Dallas for S3 really hurt the series in a way it never quite recovered from (ratings-wise, I mean)."Freefall", I think is one of the great series finales, even though it's rarely mentioned as such. I really, really love it, and for the most part it's a satisfactory conslusion. My only complaints are the lack of screentime to the rest of the Vice crew. A few final goodbyes before C&T drive off for the last time would have been nice.