Miami Twice

Very different episode to the rest, but I love it, it's amazing !!!

Really shows off David Jason's wide range of acting skills, playing the part of a Donochetti the head of mafia family....... and pulls it off with humour.

Part 2 of Miami Twice really sucks. This time they are actually in Miami for the entire episode and while the story is ludicrous and jumps the shark on more than one occasion, and its cheap and tacky jokes make it feel more like early 80s than early 90s, I did find myself wanting to stick it out to the very end.

Not sure I ever will again though. Skip this one.

Miami Twice is a strong episode if you are lucky enough to see the original edit without the laughter track and music changes. For me the recut spoils it, particularly the laughter as it drowns out certain dialogue and ruins some of the comic timing.

It is very entertaining to see David Jason playing two parts. He is clearly having a ball as the Marlon Brando inspired character Don Ochetti. The Mafia premise is funny to me and a nice break from the usual family driven storylines and shenanigans of east end market trading.

I think the dialogue is solid, although not as consistently strong as peak OFAH. Though there are some great one-liners that standout, such as Raquel's response to the news story on TV at the Nag's Head, and most of Del and Rodney's banter with each other, and Boycie. The sight gags are very strong, with concepts like Del's driving, the various assassination attempts, the getaway, and Everglades scenes all very memorable.

As ever Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst lead it fantastically well. The location shots in Miami set the scene well and the US cast members contribute nicely, especially Antoni Corone and Tom Kouchalakos.

My rating of 8/10 is for the original cut (minus laughter track), whereas the changed version for me loses a point for unnecessary tinkering.

It has to be said that there are many episodes of 'Only Fools and Horses' that are excellent. But sadly, this isn't one of them. I now find it hard to decide whether it is this, or the episode 'A Royal Flush' which deserve the accolade as the worst of the entire series. By this time in the early 90s, John Sullivan was only turning out new stories once every Christmas. Watching this, I came to the conclusion that he had long lost interest in the life of the Trotters, and was only turning these out due to the popularity of the earlier TV series. Having said that, he would revive the series for season 8, which should have been the fitting end to the saga. But no!

Great acting from both David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst. One of the best episodes of Only Fools and Horses