Miami Vice (TV Series) A Bullet for Crockett (1988) User Reviews

Good memories

[cory5521 · 6/10 · 25 July 2012]

I know this show was all flashbacks and clips, but it was most of the best, with a really good beginning.

I'm a sucker for the sentimental and this episode was chalk full of it. Also, when I rated this, I had to consider what it would have been like to see it as a Miami Vice episode for that week. Some of the scenes in this episode had not been seen for several years at the time which would have had a much cooler affect than if you were to buy the whole MV box set and hammer (no pun intended) through every season in a month.

One major gripe I do have is that I expected it to be flashbacks from Crockett's point of view, as in life flashing before your eyes. Instead it was a conglomerate of the past with everyone from Vice chipping in a memory.

As "filler" episodes go, they could have done much worse but also much better.

A guilty pleasure

[Spazimoto · 6/10 · 4 April 2013]

I agree that this is a "clips show", but it really does give you a sense on how great the show was. It also makes you sad watching clips of when the show was at it's zenith (long since passed during season 4).

I also didn't care for Sonny being 100% by the next episode. I would imagine that being shot in the chest, almost risking paralysis would have you out or on light duty for a while.

If they would've used the premise of Sonny being on leave, they could've done some Tubbs or other character episodes.

Is it a wasted episode? Yes. Is it fun to look back? Yes.

A great opening... then a clip show

[Tweekums · 4/10 · 19 July 2012]

This episode gets off to a good start as Crockett and Tubbs taking part in an undercover drugs buy that turns into a fire fight. Rique, the dealer escapes with his girl friend Angel. Crockett and Tubbs give chase and finally catch up with them at a railway station; here there is another shoot out and Crockett kills Rique then makes the mistake of turning his back on Angel; a mistake he almost pays for with his life as she shoots him in the chest as he turns round. He is taken to hospital to be operated on then as the rest of the team get there we are 'treated' to various memories of him... this of course means only one thing: we are in for a clip show. For the rest of the episode we see a variety of clips from previous episodes intertwined with a few scenes where they discuss where Angel might have escaped to.

After a start that promised to be classic Miami Vice; two shootouts separated by a car chase and a Phil Collins song; it is a shame that this episode turned into a clip show; it would have been so much better if it had just concentrated on the search for Angel with periodic updates about Crockett's condition. The clips contained quite a few good action moments but taken out of context they weren't as exciting as when they were originally shown.

Can this even be considered an actual episode?

[frankenbenz · 5/10 · 17 August 2007]

In the opening scene Crockett gets shot in the chest. The rest of the episode cuts between his stay in the hospital and flashbacks from previous episodes. To make sure they've got enough filler, every MV regular gets marched into Crockett's hospital room to have his or her own little flashback. All in all, you only get about half of an actual episode, the other half comprised of filler you've seen before. I really hate it when TV shows pull off one of these sorry excuses for getting something on air vs. taking a vacation.

Today, the suspense is muted by us knowing he'll survive since there's yet another season to follow. Maybe back in 1988 people were a little more concerned, especially due to sagging ratings. As it is, I rate this episode a 5 because the tank is half full in more ways than one.

More of a best of show!

[mm-39 · 5/10 · 1 March 2017]

Watchable, but more of a best of show! Crockett gets shot and goes through surgery! The cast goes threw memories of Crockett! More of a best of show with clips from previous episode with Crockett and Miami Vice's other characters. Memorable to watch, but not a new episode. Izzy is a surprise visitor at the hospital, and becomes a linch pin for the story. Izzy's information pushes for the conclusion. A good ending which is climatic. Season four is hard on the Crockett character. 5 out of 10. I hate best of episodes.

Nothing but a clip show. bleh

[a_spiff · 1/10 · 27 May 2008]

Clip shows will never gain favor from me. This is even worse because a potentially interesting and suspenseful story is cut with clips. Something like this should have gotten its own complete story.

This episode might have been suspenseful during the original run. At that time people might not have known whether the series would be returning in the fall. Now though, it's just annoying having this kind of event occur within a clip show.

But regardless, this could have been a really serious story and plot spanning multiple episodes. And if during its original run with only a couple episodes remaining you give the audience this tragic event and fill it up with clips from previous episodes I would be really annoyed if I had been a fan. Given the ease with which this episode was resolved, this was a complete waste. Season 4 all around was pretty bad.

Clip shows are just nonsense.

You do not need to watch this one. Clip Show!

[brdavid-429-96270 · 1/10 · 20 May 2022]

A clip show happens when the studio runs out of money. What happens for a season is the studio gives a series a lump sum of money to make their season of episodes. They budget per episode. Some episodes are more expensive thus they can take away money from future episodes. It is possible that too much money has been used but they still have a quota to make, 22 episodes. So the production team opts for a cheap alternative called a clip show.

Clip shows are cheap because more than half the episode is taken from previous shoots. Most of the episode is shot in a single location. It keeps the expenses down.

The problem is that clip shows are very much a worthless episode. They may be good for someone who started Miami Vice with Season 4, or if you are nostalgic. I have never seen a clip show worth much of anything.

If you want to know the story here it goes.

SPOILERS!!!

Crockett and Tubbs are about to make a deal, it goes bad. Crockett and Tubbs chase down two suspects, guns one down but forgets about the girlfriend who shoots Sonny point blank.

The doctors can't seem to remove the bullet which is inching closer to his spine. They can't find the girl who shot Sonny.

The end has Tubbs arrest the girl at the airport, and the Doctors save Sonny.

There! I saved you from having to watch it. I didn't skip anything. I included everything. In other words, there is nothing here. Clip Show. Have your remote handy for fast forward. I watched this episode in 20 minutes.

Clip show with lots of hair

[kevinmgould · 2/10 · 23 April 2024]

This episode is really a review for the audience of Crockett's various hairdos over the years. OFFENSIVE CONTENT WARNING: Unfortunately, his season 3 hair does make a brief appearance.

Also, Tubbs has a flashback which for some reason has no Crockett in it at all, which is pretty egotistical of Tubbs if you think about it. Your (life) partner is dying, man!

If I had made this episode, it would've had a lot more clips of Crockett just intensely looking at people and saying absolutely nothing. Also, more shots of Castillo in a speedo probably would have helped bump this up to 3 out of 10 stars. Goodbye.