Infinity and Jelly Doughnuts

Episode Number: 150
Season Number: 8.1
Air Date: 10/7/1987
Writer: Chris Abbott
Director: John C. Flinn III
Producer: Tom Selleck
Exec Producer: Donald P. Bellisario

Recurring Characters

Gwen Verdon (Katherine Peterson), Jean Bruce Scott (Lt. Cmdr. Maggie Poole), Kathleen Lloyd (Carol Baldwin), Jeff MacKay (Jim "Mac" Bonnick), Glenn Cannon (Doc Ibold), Kwan Hi Lim (Lt. Tanaka)

Guest Stars

John D'Aquino (Nick Patrelli), Richard Narita (Quang Ki), Barry Sattels (Ron Templeton)

Episode Brief

Magnum lies hospitalized in a coma, caught between life and death, after being shot. As his friends and family attempt to pull him out of the "limbo" in which he is trapped, Thomas has an out-of-body experience in which he sees himself in heaven, guided by Mac. Thomas recovers physically from the gunshot wound in time, but finds it hard to face life again; although three of the criminals who almost killed him are already dead, one is still free.

Rating

9.0

(43 votes)

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Notes

¹ After the producers made what they assumed would be the series finale in "Limbo" (with Magnum seemingly dying and going to heaven) the series was unexpectedly renewed for one more season. In a shortened season due to scheduling conflicts and a writers strike, the Magnum P.I. crew goes on to make 12 final episodes for the eighth and final season. Without the voluminous public outcry, and the spirited support of Tom Selleck, Season Eight probably would never have been made!

² This is the third episode to be produced by Tom Selleck, following "Death and Taxes" (7.6) and "Limbo" (7.22). Tom's mother and father, Martha and Robert Selleck, and his son Kevin Selleck make brief appearances in this episode in a baseball flashback sequence.

³ Much of this episode was filmed on location at the Veterans Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific in Honolulu.

⁴ Gwen Verdon was nominated for a 1988 Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series for her performance as Katherine Peterson in this episode.

⁵ This episode features only one brief scene at Robin's Nest, in Higgins' study.

⁶ Magnum's "time of death" is recorded as 11:05AM. He then immediately wakes up and asks for a "pint of stout", echoing Higgins' story heard earlier. After his "awakening", Magnum goes two weeks without speaking. During his rehab, he finally speaks and says, "time has little to do with infinity and jelly doughnuts".

⁷ Rick gives Magnum an Al Kaline rookie baseball card (1954). The card is briefly seen and appears to be a real Al Kaline rookie card. Kaline is one of Magnum's favorite baseball players.

⁸ I think it's pretty clear that both Rick and Carol say "Bonnick" (not "Bonig"). And Carol refers to the old "Mac" as "MacReynolds", further evidence that his name is not "Mac Reynolds".

⁹ T.C. has modernized his chopper charter business a bit by procuring a personal computer for his office.

¹⁰ The classic movies Stalag 17 (1953) and The Magnificent Seven (1960) are mentioned again. Stalag 17 was earlier referenced in Season Three's "Did You See the Sunrise?" (3.1 & 3.2).

¹¹ Rick has an Uncle Rudy "who works in the Merchant Marine".

¹² The song played at the end of this episode is Joe Cocker's "I'm So Glad I'm Standing Here Today", written by Joe Sample (of The Crusaders) and Will Jennings.

Quotes

¹
Higgins: After five days, the medical unit had given up hope and a runner was sent for Father Kirkpatrick. The runner had only been gone a scant ten minutes when the most miraculous event occurred. Private Channing, whom everyone had given up for dead, opened his eyes, looked around, and asked for a pint of stout.

²
Magnum: Mac?!
Rick: No, Jim Bonnick. He just looks like Mac.
Carol: This is Jim Bonnick? The guy that Thomas thinks looks like MacReynolds?
Rick: Yeah. You see, you must have had feelings with Mac, I mean Jim. And when you went in the coma...
Carol: I don't think he looks like Mac.
Rick: What are you talking about? He looks exactly like Mac except for the mustache.

³
(Magnum is about to kill Quang Ki with a 2x4)
(T.C. enters warehouse doorway)
T.C.: Thomas!! ... There's another way, man.

Flubs

¹ During the scene in the gym, when Magnum and Rick break away from Fr. Timothy and Nick, there is two lines of dialog where the post-production audio does not match up with what is seen on screen.

² When T.C. hangs up the phone in his office after saying goodnight, by the time you hear the sound of the phone being hung up he is already picking up his papers to file. (Noted by Mark Seaman)

³ In T.C.'s office, after the intruder snuck out with the photo and T.C. gets on the phone with his family back in LA, T.C.'s t-shirt changed colors. He walks in wearing a white Island Hoppers shirt, then there is a cut to a different camera angle and now he is wearing a light blue shirt! (Noted by Frodoleader)

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