Infinity and Jelly Doughnuts (8.1)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the eighth season

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How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
11
12%
9.5 (One of the Best)
29
31%
9.0 (Excellent)
25
27%
8.5 (Very Good)
14
15%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
8
9%
7.5 (Decent)
2
2%
7.0 (Average at Best)
2
2%
6.5 (Not So Good)
1
1%
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
0
No votes
5.0 (Just Awful)
2
2%
 
Total votes: 94

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Carol the Dabbler
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#41 Post by Carol the Dabbler »

Suzie wrote:... did anyone notice the link between this episode, how Higgins was reading to Magnum about a man in a coma and waking up asking for "pint of stout", and in Jesse Stone Sea Change, Jesse is reading to Luther "Suitcase" Simpson while he is in a coma about a man in Melbourne Australia waking up from a coma and asking for a cappuccino? When Suitcase wakes up, like Magnum asking for a stout, he asks for a cappuccino!
Carol the Dabbler wrote:I wonder ... if maybe the two episodes were written by the same person?
Hmm, nope. Different writers, different directors. Does anyone happen to know whether the cappuccino bit was in the Jesse Stone novel?

I don't offhand see any copyright date for the book, but it apparently came out in 2006, so at least we can say that the novel could not have inspired the "pint of stout" bit in Infinity & Jelly Donuts!
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Suzie
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#42 Post by Suzie »

Hey Carol, TS was the exec producer on this episode as well as Sea Change. :D
Thanks for the official welcome!

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Suzie
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#43 Post by Suzie »

Carol the Dabbler wrote:
Suzie wrote:... did anyone notice the link between this episode, how Higgins was reading to Magnum about a man in a coma and waking up asking for "pint of stout", and in Jesse Stone Sea Change, Jesse is reading to Luther "Suitcase" Simpson while he is in a coma about a man in Melbourne Australia waking up from a coma and asking for a cappuccino? When Suitcase wakes up, like Magnum asking for a stout, he asks for a cappuccino!
Carol the Dabbler wrote:I wonder ... if maybe the two episodes were written by the same person?
Hmm, nope. Different writers, different directors. Does anyone happen to know whether the cappuccino bit was in the Jesse Stone novel?

I don't offhand see any copyright date for the book, but it apparently came out in 2006, so at least we can say that the novel could not have inspired the "pint of stout" bit in Infinity & Jelly Donuts!
It would be interesting to know if it was in the Jesse Stone novel or if it was ad libbed, and maybe a crossover from Infinity & Jelly Donuts.

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Carol the Dabbler
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#44 Post by Carol the Dabbler »

Suzie wrote:... TS was the exec producer on this episode as well as Sea Change....
My understanding is that the Executive Producer of a television series deals mostly with the overall aspects of the show, and generally has very little to do with the details.

However, I would suspect that also being the Executive Producer would give an actor a little extra clout on the set! So if TS wanted to introduce a line of dialog, he could -- which is not to say that he did.
Carol

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JT
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#45 Post by JT »

Just finished watching this episode again. A very good episode. I liked the fact that Carol reads about a woman in Holland who gets out of a coma and claims to be abducted by aliens. Wonder if that’s a true story. Anyway, nice to hear that Holland is mentioned in Magnum.

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#46 Post by mandolabar »

Suzie wrote:Hey There... did anyone notice the link between this episode, how Higgins was reading to Magnum about a man in a coma and waking up asking for "pint of stout", and in Jesse Stone Sea Change, Jesse is reading to Luther "Suitcase" Simpson while he is in a coma about a man in Melbourne Australia waking up from a coma and asking for a cappuccino? When Suitcase wakes up, like Magnum asking for a stout, he asks for a cappuccino!
YES! It was the Jesse Stone movies that led me back to Magnum (hadn't seen since it aired), and that scene tickled something in the back of my mind--and then when I saw this episode, I was all THAT'S IT! I went back through the movies to find the scene--not the same name of the coma-waker, or interval they were out, but that has to be an homage. It's Tom Selleck's style--just look at the mention of Lance White in another 8th season episode, or Legend of the Lost Art. He plays.
"What I would have done, Magnum, is what I did." (Mad Dogs & Englishmen)

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Waterbug Blue
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#47 Post by Waterbug Blue »

...would you believe what I've come across in Germany?
Do they also do Jelly Donuts???

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Croix de Lorraine
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#48 Post by Croix de Lorraine »

Tralfaz wrote:Well his heart stops in between those 2 shots....

T
Are those two seconds enough to make him look like a corpse, though?

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#49 Post by The Birdman »

I just got the DVD and watched this episode today. I got kinda choked up just watching it.

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#50 Post by lanceroten »

Great episode also. The Crusaders/Joe Cocker "I'm so glad i'm standing here today" song, with the flashbacks is just killer. Limbo and Infinity and Jelly Doughnuts are, for this type of series, just about the best you can get. Biased I am, but those are in the top 5 episodes all time for me, out of the many different tv series' i've watched. Iconic 8)

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Re: Infinity and Jelly Doughnuts (8.1)

#51 Post by SignGuyHPW »

Great episode overall. It was well done to bring the show back for an unexpected season. I recall there being commercials hyping the season where Higgins, Rick, and TC were having a seance. It was CBS having fun trying to make people wonder how they'd get out of having killed off Magnum.

The one thing that really bothered me about this was that they never explained Little Saigon. Higgins, Rick, and Magnum's mother went there and were then forgotten apparently. There wasn't any further explanation. I also wonder why Ki just didn't kill Magnum in the hospital when he had the chance. It's like he specifically wanted it to happen in that warehouse for some odd reason.

One of the most emotional scenes of the whole series to me was when Magnum flat lined and Higgins suddenly thought that he was responsible for the death. Couple that with how he bounded to the waiting room with the news that Magnum had come out of the coma only to compose himself and be British about it and you have one of the most classic sequences in the show. I was never, ever a fan of the Higgins is Robin Masters thing so I liked how it was touched upon and dropped. Magnum knowing things that happened when he was "gone" and proving it was pretty funny too. The expressions people gave were great. The fight in the warehouse was really good, but I was forced to keep wondering what happened to the gun. I kept thinking one or the other would pick it up at some point. I also enjoyed how they set up the next episode with the guys not having dealt well with Magnum's near death.

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Re: Infinity and Jelly Doughnuts (8.1)

#52 Post by Fr. Paddy McGuinness »

If you watch all the Jesse Stone movies you'll find a lot of little nods to Magnum P.I. Jesse Stone also wears a Rolex GMT "pepsi" model. It's probably the same watch.
Faith and Begorrah!

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Re: Infinity and Jelly Doughnuts (8.1)

#53 Post by Milton Collins »

I tend to avoid this two parter because it signifies the beginning of the end of the final season and that depresses me. With that being said, Infinity and Jelly Doughnuts is a really solid episode. This is actually a very emotional episode and I find myself getting all upset about Magnum on his deathbead along with all the other characters. Some things that stood out to me:

-The highlight reel of memories as he's walking in the clouds is literally almost tear jerking! I know this is a fictional TV show but as we all love the characters (especially TM) this seriously is a very very emotional scene. His dad, Michelle, all his friends, wow! They really did a fantastic job of making this near death experience a realistic one! I also love Higgins calling him back, kindve cracks me up that Higgy baby still had some control over Magnum when he's halfway in his grave lol!

- Is it just me or is Rick a better friend in this one than TC? I realize that TC is trying to reconnect with family but he just seems disinterested where Rick pretty much rearranged his life to be around Thomas as I would think a genuine really good friend would do. I guess though at the end TC does come through with flying colors by saving TM from murdering Quang Ki. I can't help but think that it might have been better if he had though as it would have avoided the death of Michelle. But Magnum is not a cold blooded murderer so I get it.

- Magnum's wake up is one of the best scenes in the series! "I'd like a pint of stout!" This absolutely kills me as Higgins had just put that in his subconsious with one of his ridiculous stories. I find myself saying this line out loud from time to time and cracking up laughing.

- Higgins reaction to the above mentioned awakening was great. I loved how he wanted to just burst in on the others with the good news but stopped to compose himself. Such classic Higgins behavior. It was great to see the group (with the exception of the dispicable "Father Timothy"!) all cheering in that waiting room thrilled that TM had survived!

- And speaking of good old father Timothy, why use the exact same actor that had just appeared in Season 7's Paper War as Bill Nali, a totally seperate character? Not a big deal but just seemed kind of ridiculous.

- Aboslutely LOVE the Al Kaline card! Being a huge Tigers fan and long time baseball card collector I can tell it was the real thing. Again, Rick was so cool to Thomas in this one, I really liked that as I have always been a huge Rick fan.

Overall, love the fact that they brought TM back. As we all know Limbo was supposed to be the final episode. Even though season 8 was a short one it had some really solid episodes. In my opinion the show was still at an extremely high level and could have gone at least 10 seasons. But somewhat unerstandably Tom Selleck wanted to move on to movies and bigger things. I always have wondered what the others thought about ending the show?

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Re: Infinity and Jelly Doughnuts (8.1)

#54 Post by SignGuyHPW »

Milton Collins wrote:
-- Is it just me or is Rick a better friend in this one than TC? I realize that TC is trying to reconnect with family but he just seems disinterested where Rick pretty much rearranged his life to be around Thomas as I would think a genuine really good friend would do. I guess though at the end TC does come through with flying colors by saving TM from murdering Quang Ki. I can't help but think that it might have been better if he had though as it would have avoided the death of Michelle. But Magnum is not a cold blooded murderer so I get it.
I just got the season 8 DVD set from the library and I rewatched this episode just yesterday. In watching it, I'd have to disagree with you. I don't think that was what they had intended to convey. I think it was more of a situation where they had very different reactions to Magnum's near death. In the waiting room Rick had a breakdown and was convinced Magnum was not going to make it. TC went off to talk to him. Rick stayed closer to Magnum, in my opinion, because he was trying to make up for giving up hope in his survival. He was in some kind of post traumatic stress. TC, on the other hand, was more optimistic on Magnum's chances of survival and so when Magnum did survive he was able to relax more and look at his life with a different perspective. TC saw it as "Magnum almost didn't make it this time and that could happen to anyone. I better build up my buisness and take better care of my family while I have the chance." Rick saw it as "I can't believe I'm getting another chance to be around Magnum so I better make the most of it and help him as much as possible." It wasn't as if TC hadn't checked on Magnum and kept up with his progress. He even figured out where Magnum was going and got there in time to stop him from killing Ki. It was at that point in the continuation of the story through the next episode where TC actually did what Rick was doing and would hover around Magnum.

I think it would help put it into perspective to consider that the three of them were 3 members of a unit that made it out of Viet Nam alive. Other members of that unit were killed which made their bond even more solid because they knew how fortunate they were to have had each other to help the three of them survive the war. When one of them is the victim of an attack by a former Viet Cong so many years after they thought they were safe from that enemy it's bound to cause severe emotional trauma which would manifest itself differently in each individual.

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Re: Infinity and Jelly Doughnuts (8.1)

#55 Post by Milton Collins »

SignGuyHPW wrote:
Milton Collins wrote:
-- Is it just me or is Rick a better friend in this one than TC? I realize that TC is trying to reconnect with family but he just seems disinterested where Rick pretty much rearranged his life to be around Thomas as I would think a genuine really good friend would do. I guess though at the end TC does come through with flying colors by saving TM from murdering Quang Ki. I can't help but think that it might have been better if he had though as it would have avoided the death of Michelle. But Magnum is not a cold blooded murderer so I get it.
I just got the season 8 DVD set from the library and I rewatched this episode just yesterday. In watching it, I'd have to disagree with you. I don't think that was what they had intended to convey. I think it was more of a situation where they had very different reactions to Magnum's near death. In the waiting room Rick had a breakdown and was convinced Magnum was not going to make it. TC went off to talk to him. Rick stayed closer to Magnum, in my opinion, because he was trying to make up for giving up hope in his survival. He was in some kind of post traumatic stress. TC, on the other hand, was more optimistic on Magnum's chances of survival and so when Magnum did survive he was able to relax more and look at his life with a different perspective. TC saw it as "Magnum almost didn't make it this time and that could happen to anyone. I better build up my buisness and take better care of my family while I have the chance." Rick saw it as "I can't believe I'm getting another chance to be around Magnum so I better make the most of it and help him as much as possible." It wasn't as if TC hadn't checked on Magnum and kept up with his progress. He even figured out where Magnum was going and got there in time to stop him from killing Ki. It was at that point in the continuation of the story through the next episode where TC actually did what Rick was doing and would hover around Magnum.

I think it would help put it into perspective to consider that the three of them were 3 members of a unit that made it out of Viet Nam alive. Other members of that unit were killed which made their bond even more solid because they knew how fortunate they were to have had each other to help the three of them survive the war. When one of them is the victim of an attack by a former Viet Cong so many years after they thought they were safe from that enemy it's bound to cause severe emotional trauma which would manifest itself differently in each individual.

Good post and upon thinking more about it I agree with you! Shows how deep the show and the chacracters really are. TC did seem to have a more optimistic view and take some perspective from the situation whereas Rick was hovering around to a ridiculous point, and maybe part of that was guilt as you mentioned. I think it's also important that people grieve/deal with death in different ways. And like you said, TC sure was stuck like glue to Magnum in the episode following this 2 parter "Pleasure Principal" so it's not like he didn't have some of the same concerns as Rick.

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