Limbo (7.22)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the seventh season

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How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
45
41%
9.5 (One of the Best)
39
35%
9.0 (Excellent)
13
12%
8.5 (Very Good)
8
7%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
0
No votes
7.5 (Decent)
1
1%
7.0 (Average at Best)
1
1%
6.5 (Not So Good)
2
2%
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
1
1%
5.0 (Just Awful)
1
1%
 
Total votes: 111

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ConchRepublican
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Re: Re:

#71 Post by ConchRepublican »

Doc Fred wrote:
MaximRecoil wrote:This was a very memorable episode for me as a kid; I watched it the night it originally aired. I seem to remember knowing at the time that it wasn't the end of the series though; knowing that there was going to be an 8th season, and wondering how they were going to bring him back from the dead. Knowing that sort of lessens the impact of this episode.
I could certainly be wrong after all these years, but I'm thinking we didn't know there'd be an 8th season until well after "Limbo" was aired. Somehow, I recall Tom Selleck agreeing to an 8th season due to the demand of the public, and CBS taking good care of him.... again, that could be just an old guy saying things that didn't happen...

I agree. I could be wrong, I was paying less attention and had other distractions at that time, but I don't remember knowing at that time the show would be back.
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Re: Re:

#72 Post by Seaver41 »

ConchRepublican wrote:
Doc Fred wrote:
MaximRecoil wrote:This was a very memorable episode for me as a kid; I watched it the night it originally aired. I seem to remember knowing at the time that it wasn't the end of the series though; knowing that there was going to be an 8th season, and wondering how they were going to bring him back from the dead. Knowing that sort of lessens the impact of this episode.
I could certainly be wrong after all these years, but I'm thinking we didn't know there'd be an 8th season until well after "Limbo" was aired. Somehow, I recall Tom Selleck agreeing to an 8th season due to the demand of the public, and CBS taking good care of him.... again, that could be just an old guy saying things that didn't happen...

I agree. I could be wrong, I was paying less attention and had other distractions at that time, but I don't remember knowing at that time the show would be back.


Word leaked of Magnum's impending demise before the episode was even fully in the can. If you watch closely, you can see how he is treated as being dead until Michelle shows up at the hospital. All scenes prior to that had no one talking about him in the present, only the past and no one was visiting him at the hospital. They left themselves a 'back door' by editing/adding some scenes. Also, I distinctly remember already knowing Magnum was coming back before Limbo aired.

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Re: Limbo (7.22)

#73 Post by Seaver41 »

just watched this one last night again..........it had been a long time. This was mostly a tremendous concept for the intended finale........with only one exception......one that was too big to overcome (killing Magnum).

Here the writers were caught between worlds, the fictional world of the show and our real world that loves those fictional characters. They nailed it with Magnum being able to say goodbye for our benefit to his friends........but they couldn't hear it.....so that drove us crazy. They wanted the best of both ideas where Magnum has a definitive end and viewers are eased into it seeing a 'ghost Magnum' happily moving on. The flaw in that is that viewers do not like to see their heroes die and they really came up with a cheesy demise. A couple of middle aged henchmen of the week were going to take down Magnum? Like that? Cmon. Can you imagine the outrage if that was it? People were mad enough just knowing he was being killed off, never mind the circumstances like that.

Maybe a better ending might have been to 'kinda kill' Magnum. Obviously in Limbo, Michelle is in danger and Magnum is a beacon when she comes around. Staging Magnum's death and sending him off with Michelle and Lily to live a life together in anonymity might've been the biggest payoff if they ended it after 7 seasons. Have the gang participate in the greatest caper. The viewer/writer payoff is the characters still have to say a final goodbye.....but everyone gets what they want...

Damn.........I'm kinda pissed now they never thought of that..........lol

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Re: Limbo (7.22)

#74 Post by marlboro »

I thought the shootout at the beginning was very well done. Very intense. I didn't care for the episode though and I'm very glad that this wasn't the end to the series.

Things that popped into my head while watching this episode:

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Alexis! No - not again!

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Image

Image


I just didn't like this episode at all. Rick's jail storyline ended as abruptly as it began. There was far too little of Higgins. Magnum being revealed to be in the hospital very late in the episode seemed like a cheap way of leaving themselves an out; I don't buy that all of his friends weren't constantly at his bedside. There is still almost zero chemistry between Magnum and Michele. I don't buy that Michele would bring Lily back to America either. And they had to reuse the funniest (to me) flub from the entire run of the show - the exploding car from Paradise Blues!

To me what makes this show great is the interaction between the four main characters. This episode, by design, makes that impossible. Bring on season 8.

p.s. Anybody care for a Napoleon?

Image

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Re: Limbo (7.22)

#75 Post by J.J. Walters »

LOL! :lol:
marlboro wrote:Bring on season 8.
But what about "Straight and Narrow" and "Novel Connection" and "Little Girl Who" and "Autumn Warrior" and "Laura" and...?
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

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Re: Limbo (7.22)

#76 Post by SignGuyHPW »

Outstanding episode. It was extremely intense and didn't offer much of the classic Magnum humor, but it worked well for what was going to be the series finale.

The main thing I didn't understand was why there was a shootout in the first place. They didn't really explain how/why he entered the warehouse when those guys were following him. If he knew they were following him then why did he go into the building knowing he was outnumbered? I also thought that the way they got Rick out of prison was really, really, really weak. How would the prosecutor, a judge, and Carol all miss something so very basic? They couldn't prosecute him again due to double jeopardy so screwing up on such a routine thing as getting the name on the warrant right is a pretty big stretch. It kind of bothered me a little bit that in previous episodes if a main character was injured the others were right there with them, but in this one with Magnum in a coma they were going about routine things (I know it was re-worked later which explains it).

I think the shoot out was one of the best shoot outs they ever had. Magnum's expressions when he realised he didn't have much ammo and was pretty far from an exit was great. Just when it looked like he'd get away like usual he was hit twice. Mac having to convince Magnum that he was dead was a great scene. Mac knowing things he shouldn't and Magnum's realisation that he didn't remember leaving the warehouse were pretty big. Magnum trying to make peace with Buck for the sake of Michelle was also a pretty touching scene. The last images of Magnum walking away content with Higgins demanding that he return was a perfect ending had it ended the series. The only thing I'd have like to have had with it was Magnum giving us one last "sorry Higgins" as he kept going.

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Re: Limbo (7.22)

#77 Post by artie »

In this episode the Audi has a manual transmission when Michelle is driving it but in a previous episode (7.4) Magnum drove it specifically because it is an automatic.

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Re: Limbo (7.22)

#78 Post by rasgards »

Does anyone else have a hard time watching this episode and not choking up? I lose it when he says "I love you Michelle, more than anyone I've ever know...and I'm letting you go." Then the music starts and lose it. Maybe it's not good to be so attached to a show. LOL
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Re: Limbo (7.22)

#79 Post by Steve »

rasgards wrote:Does anyone else have a hard time watching this episode and not choking up? I lose it when he says "I love you Michelle, more than anyone I've ever know...and I'm letting you go." Then the music starts and lose it. Maybe it's not good to be so attached to a show. LOL

Yep, that and Kevin Costner asking his father if he wants to have a catch at the end of Field of Dreams gets me every time...(don't tell my wife)

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Re: Limbo (7.22)

#80 Post by Stelth »

Why was T.C. wearing a beret in the first scene he's in? It's where everyone is in Higgins' office. It seems so random.



Was it Thomas' beret and he was wearing it to "feel closer to him"?

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Re: Limbo (7.22)

#81 Post by J. Rickley Schneider »

This would've been a strong episode on which to end the series. And it was directed by Perry White, editor of the Daily Planet.

Was Edward Durant supposed to be a Frenchman or just an American guy living in France?

I'm depressed because there are only 12 more episodes to watch.

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Re: Limbo (7.22)

#82 Post by Milton Collins »

As I stated in my post for Infinity and Jelly Donuts, this episode is darn hard to watch. Magnum apparently dies and it also signifies that we're near the end of the show, totally makes it hard for me to watch! Nevertheless, this two parter is very very good and extremely well done. Some highlights:

- The opening scene starting with an action packed yet unexplained shootout still surprises me each time I watch this one. You get the feeling that Magnum is in deep trouble in this 3 on one gunfight. Love when he blows the frizzy haired sheep headed dude away! I share the same opinion with some others though that why wouldn't he have gone over and grabbed the dropped shotgun rather than making a run for it? Oh well, it had to happen to make the show work.

- It's a humbling thing to watch the Magnum "ghost" walking around seeing friends and family react to his death. I realize it's a TV show but it always makes me think about my own mortality. Again, the show does such a good job of making things seem realistic that it puts you in a certain mindset where it almost feels real.

- I have a really hard time seeing Michelle with Durant. First off, he seemed like a schmuck to me. Also it has bugged me since "Memories are Forever" in season 2 that they can't be together. I know that then the show wouldn't have been the same but my heart always went out to TM over Michelle because you knew he loved her so much. It's so hard in "Little Girl Who" to see her walk away and then he has to let her go again in this one. Between her and Diane DuPree (maybe he dodged a bullet there though lol) and a few others, can't this guy just catch a break with the ladies?

- It looks like the posts here are saying that we didn't know Magnum was going to come back for an 8th season when this aired? I'm so glad they did, I don't think killing him off would have been a good way to end the show.

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Re: Limbo (7.22)

#83 Post by SignGuyHPW »

Milton Collins wrote: - It looks like the posts here are saying that we didn't know Magnum was going to come back for an 8th season when this aired? I'm so glad they did, I don't think killing him off would have been a good way to end the show.
This is correct. Originally, the people involved with the show (Tom Selleck included) decided that it was a good time to end the series. Selleck wanted to be free to take whatever movie offers he liked rather than work those around his TV schedule. Limbo was filmed with the idea that it be the series finale. Killing off Magnum was a controversial idea, but Selleck was on board with it. Between the time they filmed and the time it aired there was a change of heart on the subject. It was decided that they would do one last season so that the people whom worked on the show (mostly the supporting occassional characters and production people) could be better prepared. This way they had an exact date of when their job would end so they could plan around it. Selleck agreed to it with the contention that they have fewer episodes in the last season which was shortened again by a writer's strike. CBS aired ads where Higgins, TC, and Rick held a seaonce during the summer to let people know the show was coming back and dealing with the death of Magnum.

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Re: Limbo (7.22)

#84 Post by Milton Collins »

SignGuyHPW wrote:
Milton Collins wrote: - It looks like the posts here are saying that we didn't know Magnum was going to come back for an 8th season when this aired? I'm so glad they did, I don't think killing him off would have been a good way to end the show.
This is correct. Originally, the people involved with the show (Tom Selleck included) decided that it was a good time to end the series. Selleck wanted to be free to take whatever movie offers he liked rather than work those around his TV schedule. Limbo was filmed with the idea that it be the series finale. Killing off Magnum was a controversial idea, but Selleck was on board with it. Between the time they filmed and the time it aired there was a change of heart on the subject. It was decided that they would do one last season so that the people whom worked on the show (mostly the supporting occassional characters and production people) could be better prepared. This way they had an exact date of when their job would end so they could plan around it. Selleck agreed to it with the contention that they have fewer episodes in the last season which was shortened again by a writer's strike. CBS aired ads where Higgins, TC, and Rick held a seaonce during the summer to let people know the show was coming back and dealing with the death of Magnum.

Wow that's interesting! Thank you so much for the post, I love learning this kindve stuff. I was always under the impression that it was Selleck that wanted out so he could do movies and figured that everyone else probably wanted to keep it going as they wern't on the star level of Selleck. Not sure on that one but I received "Aloha Magnum" Larry Manetti's book in the mail yesterday and have just cracked it so I'm sure I'll be able to find out a lot more detailed information in there. Thanks SignGuyHPW!

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Re: Limbo (7.22)

#85 Post by Orrymain »

I just watched this one again and I still love it. I do think it's a bit of a shame that they had a season 8. This ending was so wonderful. Even when it first aired, I thought it was just about perfect. Everything with Lily, Thomas saying out loud she was his daughter, and the bit with Higgens. Higgens bringing up the Robin Master thing always stood out to me and, of course, the big walk off with Magnum so in character as he refused to do what Higgens wanted. Just awesome, complete with the John Denver music.

In my mind, it really beats out the ultimate series finale. That ep had its moments, particularly with Magnum ending up with Lily, but I felt all the bits with the rest of the guys was not up to par and parts of it even disappointing. I definitely respect Tom Selleck's reasons for opting to do one more year, but part of me wishes he hadn't. Limbo was pretty much the ultimate ending.

Just my two cents.

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