L.A. (1) (7.1)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the seventh season

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How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
4
5%
9.5 (One of the Best)
10
12%
9.0 (Excellent)
8
10%
8.5 (Very Good)
17
21%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
15
18%
7.5 (Decent)
10
12%
7.0 (Average at Best)
8
10%
6.5 (Not So Good)
7
9%
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
2
2%
5.0 (Just Awful)
1
1%
 
Total votes: 82

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J.J. Walters
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L.A. (1) (7.1)

#1 Post by J.J. Walters »

This is the official MM thread for L.A. (1) (7.1). All discussions and reviews for this episode should go here. If you wish to rate the episode, please do so with the poll. The avg. score will be the official 'community rating', which will be used on the episode page (updated monthly).

This thread is also linked in the episode page of the Episode Guide.


Original Air Date: 10/1/1986
Magnum sees the not-so-glamourous side of Hollywood when he looks into the death of a young comedienne with the help of an attractive entertainment lawyer.
Last edited by J.J. Walters on Fri Dec 28, 2007 3:15 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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J.J. Walters
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#2 Post by J.J. Walters »

Wow, the famous "Dana Delany Episode". I remember now why I had such a huge crush on her as a teenager! She's a stunningly beautiful woman. 8)

Even with Dana Delany all over this "two-hour" episode, it's still just so-so for me. Good in some parts, dreadful in others.

This episode seemed to have an unusually high amount of automatic weapons being sprayed around. It seemed like every other scene someone was letting loose with an Uzi, in the street! And I'm not sure what to think of that scene with the street kids getting mowed down by the henchmen with machine guns, while Marti Jensen's strange comedy/opera routine plays in the background. Just plain bizarre! :shock:

And Magnum finally utters "Work the locks, don't look at the dogs" again! It's about time. ;)
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Shermy
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#3 Post by Shermy »

James J. Walters wrote:And Magnum finally utters "Work the locks, don't look at the dogs" again! It's about time.
You kind've get the feeling that the writer rewatched the pilot episode in preparation for this one. In addition to that scene, there's a moment where Cynthia paraphrases Magnum from Don't Eat The Snow: "I was 28 and realized I'd never been 18." It's clever writing like this that keeps the episode from being completely average for me. Magnum's infiltration of Marti's apartment- and initial judgement of her similar lifestyle- is also inspired. Gotta love that rubber chicken discovery!

Otherwise, something about the episode just falls flat. It plods along and Magnum's surprise proposal really appears out of the blue. They did a nice job of setting it up (Magnum pushing 40; Cynthia's similar outlook), but too much of the episode is wasted on a routine plot. It may have actually packed a bigger punch as a one hour episode. Magnum has done some fast bonding before under duress (ie. Texas Lightning; Rembrandt's Girl), and the script had the built-in advantage of Magnum already feeling a need to be more spontaneous.

I didn't really care for the Hawaii subplot. I realize they needed a way to keep the gang in the episode, but it just served to keep the LA portion off balance. It's also yet another generic storyline where TC must go after a kid and/or drugs. It would've been more interesting to have the gang factor into Magnum's isolation- as they would later in Solo Flight.

Random Thoughts:

If I'm not mistaken, Ocean Front Walk is shown quite a few times. This is the site where Michael Douglas and Robert Duvall finally meet at the end of Falling Down.

The opera/gunfight sequence is indeed bizarre. It might even qualify as one of those "only on Magnum P.I." moments! (See also: Birdman of Budapest)

When Magnum and Cynthia are on their nighttime stakeout, the small white car across the street appears very similar to the rental Magnum lost. I just thought it was an odd (distracting) choice, since the rental car had played such a memorable role earlier in the episode.

Okay, so we see his star on the Walk of Fame and his trailer. Magnum also (kind've) impersonates him. I wonder how many viewers originally expected Burt Reynolds to cameo before it was all over?

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#4 Post by J.J. Walters »

Spot on review Shermy. And I agree, this would have made for a great one-hour episode.
Shermy wrote:Okay, so we see his star on the Walk of Fame and his trailer. Magnum also (kind've) impersonates him. I wonder how many viewers originally expected Burt Reynolds to cameo before it was all over?
Me! I still can't believe they didn't (or couldn't) get 'ol Burt for a cameo here. It would have been perfect! This was a real low point in his career, too. Seems like it would have been a good move for him. ;)
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#5 Post by stever »

One thing that struck me in this episode seeing it again for the first time in years was how young acting or immature the Dana character was. The giggle, the school girl look at Magnum in her eyes. She seemed like she was trying to come off as very young to me. It was definitely something I do not remember from when it first aired. I don't know maybe I'm being too critical or seeing something I want to see. What do you guys think?
SR

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#6 Post by IslandHopper »

I agree Stever. The boy-meets-girl looks by both Cynthia and Magnum are very awkward and almost painful to watch. Another part of the episode I found difficult to watch was the comedian's performance at the comedy club. I didn't think she was funny at all.
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#7 Post by grapeshot »

The real problem here is that there is absolutely NO CHEMISTRY between Magnum and Cynthia. I'm not saying anything against the actress Dana Delany, and both actors do a fine job in their roles, but the reason everything is flat is that there's not a spark of chemistry between them. I don't know what possessed the producers when they cast Ms. Delaney, but just about every other guest actress on the show had more chemistry with Selleck than this woman does. (Including even the older ones, Gillian Dobbs - Agatha, Mildred Natwick, Angela Lansbury, Marcia Wallace and Carol Burnett!) Heh. Maybe the producers assumed that it was not possible to find an actress that wouldn't have chemistry with Mr. Selleck. Well, if so, they were wrong.

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#8 Post by J.J. Walters »

grapeshot wrote:Maybe the producers assumed that it was not possible to find an actress that wouldn't have chemistry with Mr. Selleck. Well, if so, they were wrong.
Further evidence can be found later in the season in "On the Fly". Magnum and Maria?! Why!? Huh?? :?
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#9 Post by Frodoleader »

[quote="grapeshot"]The real problem here is that there is absolutely NO CHEMISTRY between Magnum and Cynthia.

You know, I gotta go out on a limb with this one and disagree with you. I just watched this episode again and was reminded why I became a Dana Delany fan. I have followed her career since "LA", till now (except for Desperate Housewives). I kept thinking while watching this, were the producers considering another McMillan & Wife-type of show? Did they actually think they could add Cynthia Farrell to the cast of MPI? After a bit of thought I concluded - No Way. The cast was set, the chemistry was there, no need to change things. But for me, I enjoyed seeing TM annd Cynthia work together.
My two cents.

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#10 Post by Danno »

I thought this episode wasn't so bad, once it got going- though the first half seemed a little slow. I still felt something for Magnum in the end... do they still do convenience calls like that in airports?!

Burt Reynold's trailer seemed a little random though, without actually having him in the show...
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#11 Post by AJL »

IslandHopper wrote:Another part of the episode I found difficult to watch was the comedian's performance at the comedy club. I didn't think she was funny at all.
So True! :lol:
But apart from that, I actually found this one very good, despite the throwaway meanwhile-in-Hawaii storyline and the sometimes weird pacing.
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And shot across the lake
Singing all the way...
Oh I say mama
Living Ain't a luxury
Oh I say mama
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#12 Post by Doc Ibold »

IslandHopper wrote:I agree Stever. The boy-meets-girl looks by both Cynthia and Magnum are very awkward and almost painful to watch. Another part of the episode I found difficult to watch was the comedian's performance at the comedy club. I didn't think she was funny at all.
I agree. She was terrible.

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#13 Post by Steve »

I have to agree with the observation that there was just no chemistry between Dana Delaney and Tom Selleck. This was a "decent at best" episode for me...........

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#14 Post by Artie Canoe »

Did anyone else see the connection between the car pulling away after killing Marti and Det. McKee's car on the news are the same one? I'm guessing it's obvious and I should have realized it but it just helped me put the story together a little better. :oops:

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#15 Post by Mark in Michigan »

Steve wrote:I have to agree with the observation that there was just no chemistry between Dana Delaney and Tom Selleck. This was a "decent at best" episode for me...........
Geez, I guess I'm the odd man out. I found Dana absolutely adorable and well suited for Magnum. She is a stunning, and refreshing, all natural beauty, quite unlike anything fabricated in Hollywood or by Dupont. Some mentioned she was girlish, i.e. acting too young for her age. Magnum, despite being a hulking man occasionally acts immature and even 'giggles'. (his awkward, hard to describe laugh and love for rubber chickens)

They're both accomplished professionals, but still childlike, and there's something lacking in their lives. The physical attraction was definitely there, and I especially enjoyed the 'argument' after he served her, the coffee making scene, and of course the proposal and her acceptance towards the end. Is this Shakespearean theater? No, and of course it's schmaltzy, but I guess that appeals to the romantic in me. L.A. and subsequently Out of Synch count as some of my favorite Magnum episodes. :D

(and watching Higgins sell hot dogs and red hots was priceless in my book...) :wink:

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