Kapu (7.10)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the seventh season

Moderator: Styles Bitchley

How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
1
1%
9.5 (One of the Best)
6
8%
9.0 (Excellent)
13
16%
8.5 (Very Good)
18
23%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
21
27%
7.5 (Decent)
10
13%
7.0 (Average at Best)
5
6%
6.5 (Not So Good)
5
6%
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
0
No votes
5.0 (Just Awful)
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 79

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rubber chicken
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#51 Post by rubber chicken »

On this week's PBS show History Detectives, a segment of the show was about engine parts that may or may not have come from the Japanese plane that crash landed on Niihau. The Niihau Incident was mentioned on the first page of this Kapu thread.

I was happy to find that History Detectives episodes are available online. Here's the link if you'd like to watch. It's the first segment and is a bit less than 20 minutes long.

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Carol the Dabbler
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#52 Post by Carol the Dabbler »

rubber chicken wrote:... a segment of the show was about engine parts that may or may not have come from the Japanese plane that crash landed on Niihau. The Niihau Incident was mentioned on the first page of this Kapu thread.
Thanks for that link RC. When we finally get a high-speed internet hook-up, I'll be very interested to watch that segment.

The Wikipedia account includes this detail:
"... the pilot [Nishikaichi] ... then shot [Ben] Kanahele [a native Hawaiian] three times: in the groin, stomach, and upper leg. Ben Kanahele then picked Nishikaichi up ..., hurling Nishikaichi into a stone wall."

I once read about this in a book, which concluded with the local version of the moral of the story:
"Never shoot a Hawaiian more than twice -- it makes him very angry."
Carol

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Waterbug Blue
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#53 Post by Waterbug Blue »

The first time Magnum wakes up and gets treated ... look at the wall/roof construction, where the two pin above the window ... doesn't it REALLY look like a set? The first time that I've noticed that...

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#54 Post by Waterbug Blue »

Stranger still... the question of how high the window is . . . or how small Alealea... jet atch her appearing outside the window, gracefully sitting down on it to climb in onto some handy landing ... one might think all of this is level, noting strange ... but why on earth does she then DISAPPEAR the way she does on the way out??? she must have decided to just as gracefully lie flat on the ground once she got out...

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#55 Post by Braddah Kimo »

"Hawaii back then! Three hotels on Waikiki....the Royal Hawaiian, the Ala Moana and the Surfrider." Not so. The Ala Moana hotel is next to Waikiki in the ala moana area, next to the shopping center. (surprise) It was opened in the year of 1970. The first two major hotels in Waikiki were the Royal Hawaiian and the Moana Hotel.
Last edited by Braddah Kimo on Thu May 31, 2012 11:02 am, edited 1 time in total.

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#56 Post by Braddah Kimo »

Kapu. One of my favorite eps. ( I won't rate or judge an ep. on any scale, I personally cannot get behind that concept...)
Dick Jensen, a beloved figure here in Hawaii, was known as Hawai'i's Tom Jones to many. His brother, Rocky Ka'iouliokahihikolo'ehu Jensen, is seen in one shot in the b.g., casting a net into the waters... He is Hawai'i's topmost carver. I studied under him and he is a great friend I am honored to know and he is a well respected cultural practitioner.
"....which I think is the primary influence of this episode"
No. The influence if this ep is the age old scenario. A fish out of water. (The general storyline, the plot format exemplified in this ep necessarily should be done by anyone doing a series IN Hawai'i; a haole dealing with a quite foreign Hawaii, even though HE is the foreigner. ). It is rife with possibilities of conflict. drama, hurt and healing. lessons learned. Awakening and insights. It is a necessary tale to be told in so many various forms; Coarse modern man find himself in an "ancient land" learns the ways to a degree of these 'gentle, primal nature people' populating this strange culture he has never seen before, which is wholly foreign to him, BUT! is the heart of the host culture that he happens to be a guest in, even in his home he eventually returns to. It's from time immemorial. Not some harrison ford flick, fer gawds sakes. (As an aside, Magnum appears as a good example of the stereotypical ubiquitous Ugly American encountered around the world in other countries, as he exhibits anger, frustration, disrespect, ignorance, ingratitude, a disproportionate impatience to get outta Dodge, a basic loud pushy bumbling presence, etc., among a people and a setting that at the least he should be treading lightly with and with SOME degree of interest, respectfulness and appreciation for, and maybe a modicum of familiarity with, as it is the kuleana, the duty... of anyone who calls themselves a resident of Hawai'i, to learn of Hawai'i's past, culture, ways, etc.. Instead, he seems like some New yawk or Californica tourist who just fell FOB.)

I don't see the ep as being based on a version of Ni'ihau. It is basically Tom through a time machine. Ni'ihau is privately owned by one concern. haole at that. Kapu is not owned by some big brother presence. Not owned at all. It is as it was.
"I'm astounded that someone owns the island" Well, america thinks it owns Hawai'i and its islands. Moku o Loʻe, a.k.a. coconut island in Kaneohe bay has had a few private owners thru the decades past... Before missionary arrival and the influx of foreigners, Hawaiians had NO concept of land ownership. They knew they were stewards of the 'aina which was an aspect of akua, the Gods, and all aspects of it were revered, sacred, respected, taken care of... Old time kama'aina are very saddened to see the land being wantonly destroyed as it is, and acceleratingly so.

This is one reason it is a fave of mine; it makes one think. It can be the subject of much discussion and debate...
Last edited by Braddah Kimo on Fri Jun 01, 2012 8:27 am, edited 1 time in total.

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#57 Post by J.J. Walters »

Braddah Kimo wrote:(As an aside, Magnum appears as a good example of the stereotypical ubiquitous Ugly American encountered around the world in other countries, as he exhibits anger, frustration, disrespect, ignorance, ingratitude, a disproportionate impatience to get outta Dodge, a basic loud pushy bumbling presence, etc., among a people and a setting that at the least he should be treading lightly with and with SOME degree of interest, respectfulness and appreciation for, and maybe a modicum of familiarity with, as it is the kuleana, the duty... of anyone who calls themselves a resident of Hawai'i, to learn of Hawai'i's past, culture, ways, etc.. Instead, he seems like some New yawk or Californica tourist who just fell FOB.)
Well, he was drugged and held against his will. He tried to talk to the Chief and got pretty much nothing but silence. He tried to leave peacefully and they tracked him down and dragged him back to the island. I'd be a little angry and frustrated if that happened to me, especially after I'd saved the life of one of their own. But it all worked out in the end, didn't it? They respected him and he respected them. The Chief even gave him a ride home in his own canoe. ;)
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

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#58 Post by Braddah Kimo »

'he was drugged and held against his will'
One's will is subjugated when in another land. especially if there may be a threat to the social calm and equanimity or order. If the ali'i consider it best to try heal him and hold him until he is whole, so be it. You don't push and expect things to work as they did in your own society. You are subject to the parameters of the laws of the land you are in.
But it has been a long time... gotta watch it again!

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#59 Post by Croix de Lorraine »

eeyore wrote:I watched Kapu from my DVD collection, quite a few scenes deleted on the Sleuth version aired last week. I found it odd that there was a scene where Rick brought the Ferrari back to the estate and turned it over to HIggins. Later when he took his cousin to the museum where Higgins was conducting a tour, Rick made a big deal of talking about how he had taken the Ferrari, like HIggins didn't know anything about it. But of course he DID!
Yet he didn't. When Rick drives the car to the estate he tells Higgins that Magnum is working on a case and told him to return it. It's not until later, when they talk in the museum, that he tells Higgins it was just payback for not turning up for dinner.

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#60 Post by Croix de Lorraine »

Braddah Kimo wrote:If the ali'i consider it best to try heal him and hold him until he is whole, so be it.
He wasn't actually being held until he was whole. If you review the episode you'll see the motives were quite different.

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#61 Post by Croix de Lorraine »

It's quite obvious that Rick and Ice Pick operate on a "I scratch your back and you scratch mine" basis. Given that Ice Pick is giving Rick scoops in every single episode, I wonder what can a club manager like Rick do to pay back so many favors to one of the most powerful gangstes in the islands. Maybe the jobs he does for him are too shady to be known by the viewer?

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#62 Post by Sisophous »

Something about this story does not add up. A mob hitman carries out a contract killing and is witnessed by Magnum and an island girl. I get that. Then he traces the girl via her unusual necklace beads to a remote island where there are no lines of communication, no phones and yet goes there to kill the girl??? He is more likely to be identified by numerous people on the island in his effort to kill the girl and Magnum unless his intention is to kill everyone on the island.

Then, the girl mysteriously happens to leave the village at just the moment the hitman arrives on the island and Magnum is conveniently lurking in the bush.

Too far fetched a plot and does not make sense. I think most hitmen would have left Oahu or wherever they committed the crime, but then there would be no story to tell.

And as other members point out, Magnum must have been doing some incredible navigating in the waters when he took a canoe out on his own. If he doesn't have any idea where he is as he mentions, how can he know where he is heading in the open sea with no land in sight? He could be heading in the wrong direction.

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Re: Kapu (7.10)

#63 Post by Doc Fred »

I loved this episode, and gave it a 10.

If it was possible, I'd love to live in a place like Kapu, away from modern society and back to nature. As Mano said, no drugs, no crime, no tv, no electricity... etc. Now, I know that most modern folks will disagree with me, but I truly believe I was born in the wrong century. Actually, I almost came to live this kind of life... back in the 60's my best friend and I were ready to homestead in Alaska with plots that were being given away. We planned to live off the land, build a cabin and clear the land as required by the government. Family problems, and then him getting drafted made it impossible. So, when I saw this episode of "Kapu", it brought my mind back to the 60's and my late friend. Yes, yes, yes, Kapu would have been perfect for me.

As for the story, I enjoyed the plot, enjoyed Magnum's predicament, and enjoyed the dear and innocent young lady....

To me, this was perfect.
Woof, woof... thirty years uglier!... woof, woof...

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Re: Kapu (7.10)

#64 Post by marlboro »

I thought this episode was really dull. As has already been pointed out, this episode is pretty much a copy of "Witness" but somehow these islanders managed to be less exciting than the Amish. From the interminable montage, to the "paddling into the ocean without supplies" scene this episode just felt extremely padded out.

Was Magnum actually injured at all? I saw blood in the water when the assassin shot at them, but I never saw an actual wound.

How does Magnum know that "they" will come to the island after the girl? Only one killer was ever shown.


And that killer really had a knack for being in the right place at the right time. At the top of the stairs waiting for his target like he knew Magnum was about to chase him in that direction, showing up in a boat at the exact moment Magnum would follow the girl into the woods. He must have a "little voice" too.

And what was the killer's plan at the end? Show up on an island full of people in the middle of the day, find the girl, blast her with an UZI and then slip away unnoticed?

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#65 Post by marlboro »

Doc Ibold wrote:Everybody poops, Agatha

:lol:

Not me - I'm a Republican.

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