Out Where the Buses Don't Run

It's hard to remember a lot of the Miami Vice episodes, all of which I've seen at least twice, but "Out Where the Buses Don't Run" -- a phrase that Crockett uses to describe Hank Weldon's mental acuity -- is an episode I have never forgotten. The moody noirish quality of this script and its cinematography is beyond effective, it is downright exceptional. As is the guest performance by Bruce McGill (who many people will remember as D-Day from Animal House, though he has distinguished himself with dozens of great character roles over the years). Without getting into the area of spoilers, McGill's performance covers the entire gamut of crazy up through crazy like a fox. And, as other reviewers have mentioned, the episode's denouement is as powerful as any in television history. Whenever I hear Mark Knopfler's pensive guitar solo from "Brothers in Arms," I can't help but picture that rain-swept conclusion to "Out Where the Buses Don't Run" with its wild reveal.

'Out Where the Buses Don't Run' deserves every bit of its esteem. Simply put, it's "Miami Vice" at its best, packing all of the show's genre signatures (action, mood, shootouts) and also showing the perils of the job and what these cops are up against. It's off-kilter from the very beginning and it builds to an ending that I can only describe as a foregone conclusion . . . but still a major rug-pull.

But it wouldn't have nearly the impact it does without the right casting choice for the unbalanced ex-cop at the center of all of this. That end, Bruce McGill is what makes this episode. He's charismatic, unnerving and memorable in every respect. The guest stars in this entry are all high-caliber but McGill stands as one of the show's very best.

Outstanding.

10/10

"Out Where the Buses Don't Run" is an episode that I must have seen half a dozen times since its original broadcast. As a result, the impact of this tale may have been diminished through repeat viewing but it remains a strong episode nonetheless.

Opening with The Who's "Baba O'Riley" and an appearance by Little Richard as a preacher, the episode hits the ground running and doesn't pause for breath. There are many memorable scenes and the incredibly atmospheric sequence with Sonny's Ferrari roaring through the night streets of Miami accompanied by Dire Straits' "Brothers In Arms" will have hairs standing on end.

Repeat viewings have made me question some plot elements but it remains a solid episode with Bruce McGill delivering a stand-out performance as retired Vice cop Hank Weldon.

8 out of 10. Haunting.

There are many 9/10 Miami Vice episodes but this is the classic, Michael Mann masterpiece. The plot / story is so very well done and acting by Bruce McGill is perfect. Add to this the soundtrack and you have the best of the best. 10/10. Cheers.

Bruce McGill's outstanding performance makes this episode one of Miami Vice's best. In contrast to another reviewer's posting that this episode "hits the ground running and doesn't pause for breath," what makes this one so special is the pacing--the long sequences of atmospheric INaction and slow movements, coupled with a rich score and and the usual memorable photography that skates you by the bright bikini banquet on the beach, and moves, later on, to a long night drive with the camera (and you) following the dark convertible from above, past the street lights and blinking traffic signals of Miami. With all the characters in the various scenes (the station, a restaurant, the boat house on the water), McGill shines as the ex-Miami Vice crack detective whose comic impersonations (Groucho Marks, Peter Lorre, Boris Karlofff, among others) are in stark contrast to his infrequent rage and his hints of madness.