Philips Arena

Miami Vice - Season Four
$59.98

By the time the fourth season of MV appeared in the Fall of 1987, the show had peaked ratings-wise (second season) and creativity-wise (arguably the previous season). The writers were new, and it shows. Our favorite stylish cops are put in some new and strange situations. This is a pretty mixed bag compared with previous seasons.

There are a number of noticeably weaker episodes this time around. Some seem half-finished, never taking advantage of a good idea. Examples include Rising Sun of Death, dealing with the Yakuza in Miami. The plot is completely confusing, and by the climactic swordfight(!) and hari-kiri, I didn't much care anymore. There's also a requisite flashback episode when Sonny gets gunned down and the cast wait in the hospital while reminiscing on past seasons. There's the cryogenically frozen reggae singer whose body the Vice squad winds up trying to safeguard from scheming factions. Then there's the whole Crockett marriage to Sheena Easton, who plays a version of herself. This unlikely romance sets in motion the season-ending cliffhanger (first time on the show) which takes things down a dark path.

And perhaps the most reviled episode, often voted worst ever, is Missing Hours. This is a sci-fi episode of sorts where the partners investigate strange reports of alien abduction involving...Trudy and James Brown! Or is there a quite logical but non-public explanation? I actually thought it was kind of fun to watch the cast in a non-standard situation, having fun with the conventions. It's definitely strange, it ends strangely, but as for 'worst episode of any show ever'...I would not be so harsh. When you crank out 100 episodes of any drama, expect a clunker or two.

The season begins strongly, with the return of Stanley Tucci as Gotti-esque gangster Frank Mosca. Pity they don't keep him around, though, and the violent ending comes with no coda at all, which was becoming a regularity on the show. Then Brian Dennehy makes a tremendous guest appearance in a 'ripped from the headlines' episode as he plays a televangelist who may or may not be shady. Another popular theme (to this day) appears in Death And The Lady, about a popular artists whose foray into 'erotic performance art' may or may not contain murderous elements.

More so than previous seasons, the endings in Season Four are cynically twisted or nihilistic, with no afterthought to the deception or violence. One gets the sense that the show's characters (and writers) were feeling the wear and tear of the Miami underworld (and of coming up with plots for 20+ episodes). In true late-80s fashion, things get grittier and grittier amidst the neon and soft focus. This perhaps echoes the sentiments around the 'War on Drugs' and the increasing frustration with fighting an inexhaustible supply of dealers and product.

The show was never about police procedure, which explains the consistent holes and flaws that presumably exist to keep certain 'elements' of style and posing in place for the weekly viewer. For instance, though Crockett and Tubbs are undercover...they consistently show up at crime scenes AS cops, but in their undercover outfits and cars, in front of crowds of onlookers and even the media. And they're always hanging out at the police station, which is supposed to be discreet...but nobody notices the white Ferrari that appears there every day? They do overt cop work while in their undercover clothes and cars...I don't get it. Way too many people learn that they're cops for the facade to survive for this long...not ONE criminal has leaked their personas to the underworld? They don't change their appearance or names? Again, too much thought for what was supposed to originally be 'MTV cops'.

The box set is bare bones, with zero extras. (The only MV set with extras was actually Season One). Part of the delay in release was the clearance of song rights for the many tracks used in the many episodes. Also, in contrast to Seasons One and Two, these episodes do not even have mini-menus with a synopsis of the episode (when you click the episode you want to watch, it goes straight into the prologue/intro). Which is all fine, I guess. The show looks good, though with a bit of grain, particularly when stock footage is used. Thankfully, there are sub-titles for deciphering names and various lines that are muttered. Given the wide availability of the set at decent prices, the box is still a good value.

Highly recommended for the MV fanatic, more casual fans should check out the previous seasons (just start with the original). While the show is cemented in the collective conscious as being an exercise in style (most associated with the clothes), it was a lot better than folks think, and has proven very influential to this day.

Quo Vadis
$2.99
This movie is still a classic and does not get old at all.
Peter Ustinov deserved his oscar

Meyerbeer - L'Africaine / Arena, Domingo, Verrett, San Francisco Opera [VHS]
$29.95
The singing of all the principals is excellent, especially Verrett, Domingo and Swenson. The production of this complex, multi-scene work is fine, the conducting a little leaden. But all in all, it is surely the best available recording (3 other live performances on CD) of an archetypal mid-19th century cultural experience (with all it non-politically correct moments). Wonderful, if very carefully constructed melodic lines--this is where Verdi's great Don Carlos comes from. An essential operatic DVD.

Stiff Upper Lip Live
$24.98
AC/DC can still deliver the good any day of the week and twice on sunday. Amazing live show filmed just like you were there watching it from your TV.