Deja Vu (1)

Episode Number: 107
Season Number: 6.1
Air Date: 9/26/1985
Writer: Chris Abbott
Story: Donald P. Bellisario, Chris Abbott
Director: Russ Mayberry
Producer: Reuben Leder
Exec Producer: Donald P. Bellisario

Guest Stars

Francesca Annis (Penelope St. Clair), Peter Davison (Ian Mackerras), Julian Glover (Duncan Scott), Pamela Salem (Alyce), Paddy Navin (Millicent Mumford), Grace Kennedy (Sade), Margaret Lacey (Mrs. Ridley), Geoffrey Beevers (Mortuary Attendant)

Episode Brief

While Magnum and Higgins are in London setting up Robin Masters' new estate, Robin's Keep, Magnum looks into a war buddy's death, and Higgins wonders if he should visit his father.

Rating

8.2

(40 votes)

Rate Episode

Notes

¹ This entire two-hour episode was shot on location in England, mostly in the Westminster borough of London. Hyde Park, Marylebone Station, Covent Garden Market, Covent Garden Plaza, Bedford Square, the London Guards Hotel, the Commodore Hotel, and the Columbia Hotel are all used as filming locations. Several famous British landmarks are briefly featured as well, including Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, Royal Albert Hall, and Parliament Square (with the Sir Winston Churchill statue). Robin Masters English residence, Robin's Keep, was filmed at the historic Leeds Castle in Kent. Higgins' boyhood home was filmed at the historic Hall Barn estate in Beaconsfield.

² Part 1 and 2 originally aired as a feature-length, two-hour movie on the same night. For syndication, the episode is broken up into two parts. The episode title appears center-screen, instead of the usual bottom-left.

³ This episode was filmed in the spring, several months before the usual start of season filming.

⁴ Well-known British actor Peter Davison (Ian Mackerras) famously played the Fifth Doctor (1981-1984) on the classic British sci-fi TV show Doctor Who.

⁵ More evidence of Magnum's subtle psychic abilities. He's apparently somewhat telepathic. The power of dreams are again an important theme - Magnum dreamed Geoffrey's death at the same time it was happening!

⁶ There are several brief flashbacks to Jonathan's childhood. We see Higgins at age 6, 13, and 18.

⁷ The setting for the fictional "Carlsboro Hotel" was filmed at three different hotels - the London Guards Hotel, the Commodore Hotel and the Columbia Hotel. (Noted by rubber chicken)

⁸ The vintage car that Magnum drives is a 1937 Bentley 4¼ Litre. This exact car was used in the 1983 James Bond movie Never Say Never Again. The odd looking, three-wheeled car that Higgins drives is a Reliant Rialto. (Bentley ID'd by rubber chicken)

⁹ Geoffrey St. Clair, Penelope's recently deceased husband, served with Magnum in 'Nam, as did a guy named "Eddie". Based on dated pictures seen in a photo album, this occured in '72 and '73, and was a different unit than the "VMO-2 Da Nang" team of T.C., Rick, etc.. In a brief flashback, Magnum and Geoffrey are seen with sniper rifles taking out a North Vietnamese officer. It's implied that Geoffrey was responsible for the assassination of Egyptian president Anwar Sadat. This is inconsistent with Season Three's "Did You See the Sunrise?" (3.1) where it is stated that Magnum's nemesis Col. Ivan was behind the assassination plot.

¹⁰ The flashback to Vietnam scene uses recycled footage from the 1968 John Wayne tour-de-force The Green Berets, the only major Hollywood film made about the Vietnam war during the war itself, and one of the few to ever have full military support. (Noted by RamblerReb)

¹¹ A rare bit of product placement. When Magnum and Higgins are on the plane, a fellow passenger prominently displays a TWA carry on bag. (Noted by Tim)

¹² British actress Pamela Salem (Alyce) played Miss Moneypenny in the "unofficial" 1983 James Bond film Never Say Never Again.

Quotes

¹
Magnum: Higgins, you know that dream I was telling you about, the one on the plane. There was this car, it was coming straight at me. I don't know, but it seems from what I can find out that I was dreaming about Geoffrey's accident at the same time it was happening.
(Short while later)
Geoff had this feeling that he could send me signals just by concentrating.

²
(To Ian Mackerras)
Higgins: You said "old car". You didn't say "classic". Magnum, on second thought...
Magnum: Higgins, don't even say it. I'm a grown man. I've driven everything from bicycles to tanks, and I'm perfectly capable of driving this car in to London, in this car.
(Magnum opens the door on the wrong side, the passenger side)

³
Rick: What a doorbell! Reminds me of one of those old English movies.

⁴
Magnum: To believe that whatever was in Geoff's mind at the time of his death somehow ended up in mine... that would be crazy. But what reasonable explanation could there be for the feeling I'd had ever since I'd came to London? That somehow... I'd been here before.

Flubs

¹ In the scene where Magnum arrives to see Geoffrey (only for Penelope to tell him that Geoffrey has been killed) several shots of him are evidently reversed back-to-front. If you look carefully, the button-holes on his jacket have jumped sides. Presumably, these shots were filmed with Penelope standing on the other side to him, but when they were edited together with other shots it was noticed that her positioning wasn't consistent, so the shots were flipped.

Shoot me an email if you'd like to have something added or corrected

---

---