Magnum Mania!

Fragments

Episode ID: 90
Episode Number: 5.6
Air Date: 11/1/1984
Writers: Nick Thiel, Donald P. Bellisario
Story: Nick Thiel, David Chomsky
Director: David Hemmings
Producer: Reuben Leder
Exec Producer: Donald P. Bellisario

Recurring Characters

Gillian Dobb (Agatha Chumley), Esmond Chung (Sgt. Kenny Chung)

Guest Stars

Samantha Eggar (Laura Bennett), Kenneth Mars (Archie), Vic Leon (Eddie), Karen Keawehawaii (Singer), Brian Clark (Soldier Buying Car), Sami Page (Soldier's Wife - uncredited), Jillie Mack (Tap Dancer - uncredited)

Plot Outline

Fate deals Magnum a tricky hand when he's asked to protect a psychic from the murder she's seen in her visions.

Rating

8.5 (14 votes) MM Episode Forum Thread & Poll

Notes

1 This is the second episode to feature elements which could be considered horror in nature, although only at the end - The spooky, dark graveyard setting, the dead guy in the coffin, the propped up body, the stalking villian. Season Two's "The Woman on the Beach" (2.3) featured some horror elements as well - a ghost theme, a graveyard, an abandoned greenhouse, a stalking killer.

2 Tom Selleck's wife of 20+ years, Jillie Mack, makes an uncredited appearance (during the "telethon tryouts" scene) as a tap dancer [pic]*. She doesn't have any lines. Jillie previously had a small role in "Rembrandt's Girl" (4.14) as a British New Wav'er and will later have a guest starring role in "Professor Jonathan Higgins" (5.13) as a British Punk Rocker! (* Noted by sophia)

3 We finally get a closeup shot of Magnum's MIA bracelet. It says "Kenneth Lancaster", date missing "1-3-68", rank "SGT". The scene where you can see the bracelet is just after Magnum leaves Archie's car lot and is being followed by Eddie and Archie's ex-wife. As Magnum is driving he looks into his side view mirror and sees Eddie's Cadillac get right on his rear bumper. Right after that shot, the camera cuts in on Magnum shifting and you can see the bracelet info. (Noted by IslandHopper)

4 Episode director David Hemmings will go on to guest star in "Compulsion" (5.14) and "Out of Sync" (7.19). He will also direct two more episodes.

5 Karen Kaleolani Keawehawaii (the self-proclaimed "The First Lady of Hawaiian Music") has a small role as a singer in the telethon tryouts. She is seen "singing" the "Star-Spangled Banner".

6 Five-0 is mentioned for the fourth time - When T.C. lands his chopper at the abandoned sugar mill/restaruant, he says that he will contact Five-O. (Noted by IslandHopper)

7 This episode features a really good car chase through parts of Honolulu and along the Ala Wai Canal.

8 When T.C. radios-in to 5-0, he refers to his chopper as "9-5-Alpha".

9 Kenneth Mars (Archie) appeared with Tom Selleck in the 1977, made-for-tv, movie Bunco, which also starred Robert Urich.

10 Magnum is shot twice in the chest at the end. Thankfully, he was wearing a bullet proof vest, something he rarely wears!

11 In 1976, Higgins and Robin Masters were in a Hawaiian yacht race together. They lost their Jib two days out and Robin broke his arm when a whale rammed the boat. They finished in 8th place.

12 At the end of the episode, during the telethon, Agatha is seen reading several lines from Percy Shelley's Ozymandias.

Quotes

1
Magnum: Higgins, we are talking about saving my life.
Higgins: What is that, compared to saving an entire species?
Magnum: Of worms?!
Higgins: I rest my case.

2
Magnum: I've always loved John O'Hara's story of the servant who saw death coming towards him in a Baghdad marketplace*. So he fled to Samarra only to learn that it was there that death had an appointment with him. Laura felt I had an appointment in Samarra. I had to find out if she was right. (Narration)

* Appointment in Samarra (1934)

Flubs

1 When Magnum finishes his discussion with Laura about taking her case and he asks "am I going to take your case?" the camera cuts to Magnum driving the Ferrari downtown. However, the initial shot is not Magnum driving the Ferrari. The guy driving looks like he has a navy or black golf shirt and Magnum has a light colored button down shirt with a white collar. The next shot is a close-up of Magnum driving with the light colored-white collared shirt. (Noted by IslandHopper)

2 As TC and Rick arrive at the beach to assist in the rescue of the drowning boy, the camera shows TC run to Laura who is at the water's edge. Before TC runs into the water to help Magnum you can see that his pants (warm-up pants) are already wet, however, he just got out of the van. The pants are obviously wet from the previous takes. (Noted by IslandHopper)

3 After Magnum and Laura talk with Higgins about the rare bottle of wine they leave the main house and the next scene cuts to a head-on view of Magnum driving the Ferrari, in which you can see condos on his left and no buildings whatsoever on his right. In addition, in this head-on view, Magnum is not wearing a hat or sunglasses either. This head-on view of the Ferrari lasts about 5 seconds (as Magnum narrates) and then cuts to a close-up of Magnum driving from Magnum's left side, looking out the right side of the car. Now, Magnum is suddenly wearing his Detroit Tigers cap and sunglasses and on the right side of the street there are buildings that weren't there 5 seconds earlier. (Noted by IslandHopper)

4 Recycled extras are used again. An Asian woman and a man with fishing poles are almost run over by the Ferrari in two separate scenes. (Noted by IslandHopper)

5 The skids (the part of the helicopter that supports it when it lands) on T.C.'s chopper change several times (thick skids, then regular skids) during the same chopper sequence due to the use of recycled aerial shots. (Noted by IslandHopper)

6 In the scene in the cemetery, when Magnum leaps towards Laura, Archie shoots at Magnum, however, Magnum's back is toward Archie. Magnum then falls face first, gets to his knees and turns around to shoot at Archie and you see Archie fire one shot at Magnum, hitting Magnum in the chest. Archie then approaches Magnum and Laura while Magnum is on the ground, and before Archie can fire another shot at Magnum, Magnum shoots at Archie, saying "it's over Archie." Magnum reaveals his bullet-proof vest and it shows that two bullets hit the vest, however, it appeared that Archie fired only one shot at Magnum when Magnum was facing him. The extra bullet couldn't have hit Magnum when he leapt towards Laura because his back was toward Archie. (Noted by IslandHopper)

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