Resolutions (1) (8.12)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the eighth season

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How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
10
13%
9.5 (One of the Best)
7
9%
9.0 (Excellent)
25
32%
8.5 (Very Good)
16
21%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
9
12%
7.5 (Decent)
6
8%
7.0 (Average at Best)
1
1%
6.5 (Not So Good)
2
3%
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
0
No votes
5.0 (Just Awful)
1
1%
 
Total votes: 77

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marlboro
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Re: Resolutions (1) (8.12)

#51 Post by marlboro »

Maybe this has already been mentioned, but was there something red on the dogs neck at the end of part one? He is injured/killed offscreen a few seconds later. I'm wondering if there was an earlier shot that wasn't used where the dog was shown to be injured and they didn't get all of the "blood" off of him before shooting the scene we actually saw. Or maybe I'm just seeing things.

SignGuyHPW
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Re: Resolutions (1) (8.12)

#52 Post by SignGuyHPW »

I thought part 1 was a mixed bag. You could tell that Magnum's main point of being in Virginia was to listen to the pitch to get him to re-enlist and have him consider it. The family scenes seemed natural as they'd be under the impression he was there to visit with them exclusively, but it seemed a little out of place.

What I disliked most about this part was that they made Magnum out to be a really heavy drinker. His own mother was questioning him about it. He was just downing beer (and scotch) like it was water during the whole episode. The part with the grandfather I disliked because it painted the grandfather in such a bad light. The whole run of the series gave the impression that Magnum was close to all of his family. Then the paternal grandfather Magnum, supposedly, never met shows up and doesn't seem to want anything to do with him. It struck me as pretty odd. I also disliked how little he seemed to care about Rick's wedding. If he was presuming he was best man then why would he put off the imprtant details until some undetermined time with the wedding nearly there? I also thought it was a little funny that Higgins had to remind Magnum whom he had dated, but I chalked it up to Higgins being Higgins.

I actually liked the Linda Lee storyline. Magnum coming back to make sure she was alright and help her was typical for him. The brief rekindling and Magnum realising he had too much going on to really be in a relationship was sort of a sign that he'd grown from previous seasons. In years past he'd not have ended the relationship while still running off to do other things. I also liked how it was a sudden realisation to him about the door opening. They didn't show him being obsessed with the tape leading up to this, but it's not hard to imagine him sitting in the guest house for weeks on end watching it relentlessly. I thought it was kind of clever that his mother just presumes he's getting married when he talk to her on the phone due to the engagement of Magnum's cousin and his vaugeness of the subject.

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EZiller
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Re: Resolutions (1) (8.12)

#53 Post by EZiller »

8.5 and that's being generous.

They really stretched the limits of believability with the Lilly surviving the car bombing storyline. On the tape the car door opens a split second before the explosion, even if she was out of the vehicle she would have been horribly burned and had chunks of metal that would have been shrapnel in her body. I do like the notion that his daughter is alive but I think there could have been a more plausible way of doing it.

Like many of the others, I wasn’t too crazy about TM going back home. Although I think it wasn’t so much to see his family [indeed, TM shows up 5 hours late for his birthday party] but for him to return to the Naval Academy, visit the Capitol and set the stage for TM to decide at age 41 to he still needs to serve his country.

I also didn’t see the point of bringing in a new character, his paternal grandfather played by Howard Duff. As mentioned, he was way too young to be believable as a grandfather to a 41 yr old. Although totally consistent with Hollywood aging. Parents and grandparents of middle aged adults always seem to be on the extreme edge of believable youthfulness.

No problem with bringing back Linda Lee. Her and TM did have good mojo. But why couldn’t TM just tell her about his daughter, rather than hint around about another girl and he needs time away to think, etc??? And the stalker bit…a silly plotline. More thoughts about it in Pt 2 comments.

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Re: Resolutions (1) (8.12)

#54 Post by Luther's nephew Dobie »

Wow this is another terrific thread. I especially enjoy when you guys catch mistakes or in jokes. I feel like a dilettante in comparison.
I may being going out on a limb but I would like to address the question of who Robin Masters really is in light of Higgins "confession" in Resolutions.
A lot of the series back story and earlier episodes don't work if Higgins is Robin Masters. I would like to see what you guys think of the following which might explain a lot and is not precluded by any story line that I recall.
What if Higgins is actually the author of the Robin Masters novels but he is not Robin, rather he is Robin's GHOST WRITER employed by a rich layabout (in the form of Orson Welles).
I think that makes a lot of sense, so that Higgins is telling the truth both when he tells Thomas he
is Robin and then retracts it. Higgins being the author Robin Masters but not the man himself also might explain why at times Higgins seems so angry at his employer, one who takes credit for Higgins work as a writer while not appreciating Higgins stewardship of Robins Nest, even letting a low life like Dick Shawns Hugh Heffner character come in and take the joint over.
Maybe one of you guys have already put this theory out there but if not what do you think?


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Last edited by Luther's nephew Dobie on Mon May 04, 2020 1:21 am, edited 1 time in total.

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EZiller
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Re: Resolutions (1) (8.12)

#55 Post by EZiller »

Luther's nephew Dobie wrote:Wow this is another terrific thread. I especially enjoy when you guys catch mistakes or in jokes. I feel like a dilettante in comparison.
I may being going out on a limb but I would like to address the question of who Robin Masters really is in light of Higgins "confession" in Resolutions.
A lot of the series back story and earlier episodes don't work if Higgins is Robin Masters. I would like to see what you guys think of the following which might explain a lot and is not precluded by any story line that I recall.
What if Higgins is actually the author of the Robin Masters novels but he is not Robin, rather he is Robin's GHOST WRITER employed by a rich layabout (in the form of Orson Welles).
I think that makes a lot of sense, so that Higgins is telling the truth both when he tells Thomas he
is Robin and then retracts it. Higgins being the author Robin Masters but not the man himself also might explain why at times Higgins seems so angry at his employer, one who takes credit for Higgins work as a writer while not appreciating Higgins stewardship of Robins Nest, even letting a low life like Dick Shawns Hugh Heffner character come in and take the joint over.
Maybe one of you guys have already put this theory out there but if not what do you think?
Mike from Jersey


"That's Dobie with a B, not P"...Dwayne Hickman



Mike-Ditto on the theory of Higgins being Robin's ghostwriter. If you go the Magnum PI talk forum, go to the thread: Is Jonathan Higgins Robin Masters? Quite a few interesting theories by MPI fans on the subject.

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Re: Resolutions (1) (8.12)

#56 Post by StaveIsle »

I have been enjoying watching Magnum PI again on DirecTV on demand. I had not really seen any of these shows since I saw them live back in the 80's. It's been a wonderful stroll down memory lane.

This episode is hard to judge on its own as it leads to the conclusion. It does seem almost like they picked a whole bunch of people to be in the show to say 'farewell'. The inclusion of his daughter was important, I thought, and a definite plus...a move that added magnitude to what was going on.

I did think the choice of Linda over Cynthia was a bit peculiar. I will say I thought the scene where Magnum lets down her hair was touching, but couldn't help but think he was seeing Michelle's hair instead of Linda's. I thought Linda resembled Michelle more and there was more appeal for that reason.

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Re: Resolutions (1) (8.12)

#57 Post by No need to know! »

Is it really Lilly running on the beach? Must be another actress?
Onion´s extra?

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Re: Resolutions (1) (8.12)

#58 Post by bob221b1 »

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone can recall a scene between Magnum and Howard Duff''s character (I believe)..

I think Magnum or TSM II say:

'When you are doing something, give it your all, and when it's time to leave, do it with class/style"

Perhaps it was Duff's "Thomas Sullivan Magnum II"?

I'm really trying to get that exact quote and to whom it is attributed. I believe it was in a bar where TSM II is talking about leaving service, and Magnum is listening.. this may have made him decide to 'reup'. I THINK it is from the first half of 'Resolutions'

Thank you to anyone who can help!

~Bob
San Diego, CA

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Re: Resolutions (1) (8.12)

#59 Post by Rembrandt's Girl »

Hi Bob,

I was unable to find that quote for you, however I've got the 2008 dvd and I understand that there is a scene from Resolutions 1 where TM attends an Annapolis Reunion at a bar which was cut from the 2008 dvd so maybe it was said in that scene? Mabybe someone else has a non-2008 dvd? Sorry I couldn't help!

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Re: Resolutions (1) (8.12)

#60 Post by brianw »

I am glad that Lily was alive, but not wild about the entire finale. I don't know, it just seemed rushed and forced. But its MPI and they had a great run.

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Re: Resolutions (1) (8.12)

#61 Post by MaximRecoil »

Luther's nephew Dobie wrote: What if Higgins is actually the author of the Robin Masters novels but he is not Robin, rather he is Robin's GHOST WRITER employed by a rich layabout (in the form of Orson Welles).
Higgins is specifically called Robin's "ghost writer" in one of the episodes after Paper War, but I can't remember which one. It does clarify, or indicate an evolution of, Magnum's "Higgins is Robin Masters" theory, but it seems the "Higgins can't possibly be Robin Masters" crowd missed it.

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Re: Resolutions (1) (8.12)

#62 Post by K Hale »

MaximRecoil wrote:
Luther's nephew Dobie wrote: What if Higgins is actually the author of the Robin Masters novels but he is not Robin, rather he is Robin's GHOST WRITER employed by a rich layabout (in the form of Orson Welles).
Higgins is specifically called Robin's "ghost writer" in one of the episodes after Paper War, but I can't remember which one. It does clarify, or indicate an evolution of, Magnum's "Higgins is Robin Masters" theory, but it seems the "Higgins can't possibly be Robin Masters" crowd missed it.
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Re: Resolutions (1) (8.12)

#63 Post by SeamanWolfe »

Answering a question from 2018 (a few posts back). The quote about taking care of small details was not a conversation between Magnum and his grand father in the finale. It is a conversation referenced in voice over during transitions the penultimate episode. Oddly also with his grandfather (I guess maternal).

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Re:

#64 Post by Blackmamba »

Danno wrote: Tue Apr 23, 2013 1:03 pm Gah!

It's edited poorly, the pace is uneven, the narrative wanders and plods along. What IS this episode about?! :evil: There's no focus on anything.

Like Linda Lee Ellison, this episode makes me want to run out into the rain crying too.
I feel your pain! I think the whole Linda Lee character could have been excluded. There was an attempt to bring in a love interest just to have one and at this point, it would have shown how much TM had grown to not have a woman in the mix. He had coffee with Linda, didn’t actually date her (a kiss doesn’t count,) and they parted with him kind of disgusted with her.
The whole purpose of going home was to explore going back to the navy and that could have been written in along with his visit with his grandfather. TM didn’t need a pretext to go back to Hawaii. Rick’s wedding was looming and that was reason enough. I would have liked to see more time spent with the “gang,” instead of a contrived investigation and romance.

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Re: Resolutions (1) (8.12)

#65 Post by Aloha Friday »

Just watched this one again today...I usually avoid it since it is the end. It's not the best episode but not the worst either. A couple things that stuck out for me...I can see him flying from Honolulu to D.C. and hanging out in DC and a visit to Annapolis while he's there, but Tidewater is a 4-5 hour drive on a good day from Annapolis...I guess that could explain why he didn't show up at his mom's house until 1130. Tidewater is the region Southeast Virginia that encompasses Virginia Beach. VA Beach is home to Oceana Naval Air Station where the Air Wing resides. TSMIII would have been stationed at Oceana, not Norfolk. The carriers are at Norfolk, but the jets are at Oceana. Tidewater is common name around here...Tidewater Drive, Tidewater Community College, etc. There is a Tidewater Academy, but no Tidewater High School...though there might have been in the early 1960s. Anyway, my point is TM goes from DC to Annapolis then Tidewater, then the next day goes back to DC with his buddy ( the Murphy Brown guy) and back again to Tidewater. That is a lot of driving back and forth. Not impossible, but not a short hop up the interstate. The other thing that makes my head hurt is the Sullivan name. I thought I had it figured out, but the scene where TM is at Annapolis watching the drills from the stadium seats, he is sitting in a seat dedicated to his dad and it says LCDR Thomas Sullivan Magnum III and the date he was KIA. I know there are intermarriages that happen, but his mom's family is Sullivan...maybe that is how his mom and dad met. "Hey Catherine, your last name is my middle name...how about that, you wanna go out sometime?" True, the writers probably never imagined a bunch of people would be stressed over this flub 35 years later.
So the other question, why Linda Lee Ellison instead of Cynthia? Cynthia would make more sense, but my guess is Dana Delany was probably unavailable since China Beach had just started in 1988. Another good show...her and Marg Helgenberger!
Aloha Friday
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