Paper War (7.8)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the seventh season

Moderator: Styles Bitchley

Post Reply

How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
25
21%
9.5 (One of the Best)
47
40%
9.0 (Excellent)
20
17%
8.5 (Very Good)
10
9%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
7
6%
7.5 (Decent)
1
1%
7.0 (Average at Best)
2
2%
6.5 (Not So Good)
3
3%
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
0
No votes
5.0 (Just Awful)
2
2%
 
Total votes: 117

Message
Author
Bes
Commander
Posts: 42
Joined: Fri Jan 08, 2010 8:26 pm
Location: United Kingdom
Contact:

#61 Post by Bes »

This episode is definately a masterpiece; just as good on repeat viewing. :D 10/10.

Croix de Lorraine
Admiral
Posts: 195
Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2011 6:49 pm

#62 Post by Croix de Lorraine »

CVA-19 wrote:I recall part of the reasoning that TM uses to prove Higgins is Robin Masters was that Higgins never belly laughs ... well, China Doll was on locally last week and Higgins was laughing that same belly laugh at the thought of Magnum as Mai Ling's "protector."
He does mention that but it's nothing to do with the Robin Masters argument. Magnum is accusing Higgins of being a joyless, repressed man.

Croix de Lorraine
Admiral
Posts: 195
Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2011 6:49 pm

#63 Post by Croix de Lorraine »

VM02 wrote: For instance, if he really is the pen behind Robin, who the series portrays as a cross between Capote/Hemmingway and Tom Clancy, why did he have so much trouble penning his memoirs?
To be precise, Glen Larson based the Robin Masters character on Harold Robbins.

Croix de Lorraine
Admiral
Posts: 195
Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2011 6:49 pm

#64 Post by Croix de Lorraine »

Styles Bitchley wrote: Also, at one point in his voice over, Selleck refers to Higgins' memoirs as "memwoas" (as though with a British accent). I suppose this could be an attempt at mockery, but it seems more like mis-speak.
I doubt Tom Selleck suddenly forgot how to speak English with his native accent. He was obviously making fun of Higgins.

Croix de Lorraine
Admiral
Posts: 195
Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2011 6:49 pm

#65 Post by Croix de Lorraine »

The good thing about this episode is that Magnum and Higigns get to tell each other the things we actually think about them. Let's face it: Higgins can be a pompous fantasist and Magnum can be so irritatingly immature some times you feel like punching him. Things are close to get too nasty, but just them you see they still care for each other.

As for the Higgins/Masters debate, I don't subscribe to the "whatever you want to believe" approach some people here adopt. There is conclusive proof that Masters is really Masters. To add to what has already been mentioned, in previous episodes we see Robin Masters travelling through Europe in a Rolls Royce with chauffeur and fly on his private jet complete with private security. Not only that but he is dictating a new novel on his dictaphone, so that proves he really is a writer. The most plausible reality is that Higgins, besides taking care of his business, does a fair share of ghost writing for him on the side, but he is not Robin Masters.

No need to know!
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 232
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2010 6:47 am

#66 Post by No need to know! »

Croix de Lorraine wrote:The good thing about this episode is that Magnum and Higigns get to tell each other the things we actually think about them. Let's face it: Higgins can be a pompous fantasist and Magnum can be so irritatingly immature some times you feel like punching him. Things are close to get too nasty, but just them you see they still care for each other.

As for the Higgins/Masters debate, I don't subscribe to the "whatever you want to believe" approach some people here adopt. There is conclusive proof that Masters is really Masters. To add to what has already been mentioned, in previous episodes we see Robin Masters travelling through Europe in a Rolls Royce with chauffeur and fly on his private jet complete with private security. Not only that but he is dictating a new novel on his dictaphone, so that proves he really is a writer. The most plausible reality is that Higgins, besides taking care of his business, does a fair share of ghost writing for him on the side, but he is not Robin Masters.
Yeah that!
Doesn´t make any sence to me after watching the series so many times that Higgins would be Robin. There are just too many things up against it, and it´s just fabricated much later on in the series. It´s annoying :evil: It is much more fun and interesting in those episodes when Magnum suspects Higgins for being Elmo and Paddy. This episode is one of the best ones though.
Onion´s extra?

User avatar
InfinityandJellyDoughnuts
Lieutenant Junior Grade
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2012 12:08 am
Location: New Orleans
Contact:

#67 Post by InfinityandJellyDoughnuts »

[quote="J.J. Walters"]Ah, but what if Robin is real, but he didn't write the novels? What if Higgins wrote the novels, but he didn't want to be associated with it publicly for fear that it might sully his family's name? Higgins is a ghostwriter. Robin gets all of the credit, half of the profits, and occasionally has to make "appearances" to perpetrate the ruse. It all fits nicely. ;)

Nice theory! I've never thought of that! :wink:
Magnum: I laid awake all night for weeks, on guard against my own fear, until my Dad told me to call the monsters out, and see if they came. They never did. Unfortunately, my Dad never had a solution for the real monsters, the ones that reach out and grab you in broad daylight, and neither did I.

Kevster
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 232
Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2012 4:34 pm
Location: United States

#68 Post by Kevster »

InfinityandJellyDoughnuts wrote:
J.J. Walters wrote:Ah, but what if Robin is real, but he didn't write the novels? What if Higgins wrote the novels, but he didn't want to be associated with it publicly for fear that it might sully his family's name? Higgins is a ghostwriter. Robin gets all of the credit, half of the profits, and occasionally has to make "appearances" to perpetrate the ruse. It all fits nicely. ;)

Nice theory! I've never thought of that! :wink:
That is similar to what I'd thought of...

What if an Army buddy of JQH had done something that put Higgins "in debt" to him, and they concocted a scheme to pursue their dreams. They both wanted to write, but Higgins did most of the heavy lifting in that department. Maybe a tie in with a woman JQH was sweet on, and he wrote to release that inner turmoil.

Maybe, Lady Wilkerson? S4 E6...

Maybe the buddy actually saved LW, and JQH felt honor bound in some way?

Fits the character...
Trust Me!!!

User avatar
J.J. Walters
Founding Father
Posts: 4196
Joined: Tue Jan 02, 2007 10:54 pm
Location: Suburbia, USA
Contact:

#69 Post by J.J. Walters »

Exactly! Like B. Traven, only Higgins style! :)
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

kennethd
Ensign
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2012 5:27 am

#70 Post by kennethd »

J.J. Walters wrote: I happened to notice something interesting about the "Siege of the Seventh Galaxy" game cover that is shown briefly in the episode. The cover artwork looked vaguely familiar to me. As I pondered it, the game Starflight (1986) popped into my head. And sure enough, it's the same exact artwork, but with the title changed! I used to play this game on my old IBM PS/2 computer. It was one of the first PC computer games I had, actually. Wild.
Wow, thanks for that! I just downloaded the game @ http://www.myabandonware.com/game/starflight-94 & am running it via a DOS emulator, the manual is available @ http://www.starflt.com... it's not looking like I will be getting a lot of work done over the next few days :D

Oh, and the episode is definitely one of my favorites, I love the feuding scenes with Higgins, though I'm definitely in the camp that prefers to keep Higgins & Masters separate

MaximRecoil
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 303
Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2008 1:10 pm
Location: Maine, USA

#71 Post by MaximRecoil »

IslandHopper wrote: There are some notable flubs in this episode.

1. When Higgins takes Magnum's .45 and attempts to pry the elevator doors open with the barrel of the gun, you can see the hammer is back as if ready to fire. For someone with Higgins' military background and experience with weapons I found this to be more than a little careless.
That's because Magnum carries his pistol in "condition one", AKA: "cocked and locked" (chamber loaded, hammer cocked, thumb safety on), which has been the de facto standard method of carrying a 1911 for decades (though the U.S. Military used "condition three" [loaded magazine, empty chamber, hammer down]).

There is no good method of decocking a 1911 on a loaded chamber; lowering it with your thumb always runs the risk of an accidental discharge if your thumb slips. However, Higgins should have cleared the pistol before attempting to use it as a prying tool (finger off the trigger, drop the magazine, disengage the safety, rack the slide, visually inspect the chamber).

This episode marks another appearance of the infamous Star Model B standing in for the Colt Government Model (the only other appearance I know of was in "China Doll"). When they show the closeup of Higgins grabbing the pistol from Magnum's waistband, it is a Star Model B (you can tell from its external extractor, integrated mainspring housing, and various other details). These closeup "insert" shots are often filmed at a different time than the main scene, and often with random people standing in for the actual actors. It is during these "insert" shots that you are most likely to see prop switcheroos too.

This is my all-time favorite episode, and the most memorable one from my childhood. I was absolutely fascinated with the idea of Higgins being Robin Masters. I watched it with my older brother and father on the original Thursday night that it aired in 1986, and on Friday nights we normally went to Bangor, which was about a 45-minute drive. So on that next night, my brother and I discussed the "Higgins is Robin Masters" theory all the way to Bangor, and all the way back.

User avatar
J.J. Walters
Founding Father
Posts: 4196
Joined: Tue Jan 02, 2007 10:54 pm
Location: Suburbia, USA
Contact:

#72 Post by J.J. Walters »

It really is a great episode. A classic!
MaximRecoil wrote:I watched it with my older brother and father on the original Thursday night that it aired in 1986, and on Friday nights we normally went to Bangor, which was about a 45-minute drive. So on that next night, my brother and I discussed the "Higgins is Robin Masters" theory all the way to Bangor, and all the way back.
Bangor. That's Stephen King territory. My favorite author by a landslide. My passion for Stephen King runs even hotter than Magnum P.I.. :shock:
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

MaximRecoil
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 303
Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2008 1:10 pm
Location: Maine, USA

#73 Post by MaximRecoil »

J.J. Walters wrote: Bangor. That's Stephen King territory. My favorite author by a landslide. My passion for Stephen King runs even hotter than Magnum P.I.. :shock:
I had a friend that lived in Bangor for a while, and he used to see King in the book store in the Airport Mall quite often, usually by his own books. My friend used to ask him if there was anything worth reading on that shelf, and he'd just laugh.

He used to be very accessible; it was common to see him in and around Bangor at the public library, grocery store, mall, movie theater, etc. I saw him once, with his wife Tabitha, in line just behind me at the Bangor movie theater to watch Misery (1990). He also always allowed trick-or-treaters at his house on Halloween. I don't know if he's still as accessible as he once was, since he was hit by a car some years ago.

He filmed the prologue to Creepshow 2 (1987) in downtown Dexter, which is my hometown - link to video. I remember seeing the film crew and equipment set up on Zions Hill, but I didn't know Tom Savini was there (he plays "The Creep" in that scene), or I would have tried to meet him.

User avatar
J.J. Walters
Founding Father
Posts: 4196
Joined: Tue Jan 02, 2007 10:54 pm
Location: Suburbia, USA
Contact:

#74 Post by J.J. Walters »

Wow, that would be a moment I'd never forget. I don't live anywhere near Maine, so the chances of me running in him are pretty slim. I do know that he drives between is homes in Maine and his winter house on a key near Sarasota, FL. Maybe I'll run into him at a rest stop on 95 some time. ;)

He's recovered remarkably well from being plowed into by a pickup truck while walking down the road (while reading a book). At one point after the accident he contemplated quitting writing because it was too painful to sit for extended periods of time. Well, that didn't last because his output is still prodigious (and high quality). The man lives and breathes to write! Can't wait for Joyland and Doctor Sleep this year! :)
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

User avatar
Doc Fred
Admiral
Posts: 164
Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2011 12:00 am
Location: Pinehurst, NC

Re: Paper War (7.8)

#75 Post by Doc Fred »

Well, y'all seem to have a better feeling about this episode than I do, but I still like it quite a bit... I gave it 8.5

It was nicely placed in sequence after the Lily episode, which was sooooooo serious and emotional.... they did well to lighten up for this show.
Woof, woof... thirty years uglier!... woof, woof...

Post Reply