Murder, She Wrote - Magnum on Ice

Rate, review & discuss the Simon & Simon and Murder, She Wrote crossover episodes

Moderator: Styles Bitchley

How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
1
2%
9.5 (One of the Best)
3
7%
9.0 (Excellent)
3
7%
8.5 (Very Good)
7
16%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
9
20%
7.5 (Decent)
2
5%
7.0 (Average at Best)
4
9%
6.5 (Not So Good)
6
14%
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
4
9%
5.0 (Just Awful)
5
11%
 
Total votes: 44

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Doc Ibold
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#21 Post by Doc Ibold »

lutherhgillis wrote:Not a good episode. Why oh why did MPI take on water by doing this shipwreck? MPI needed no help in the ratings and MSW was alread established. Maybe the writers had a 'how can we piss off the loyal viewers' meeting and decided to crossover with Jessica Fletcher and her band of pre-menstrual-to-post-menapausal posse.

If they were going to cross over, why the heck didn't they do an MPI/Rockford Files movie cross? At least this would have been interesting. Jim could have said upon meeting TM, "Hey, you look familiar to me but I cannot place you." (reference the Lance White character)

Heck, a crossover with KnightRider would have been better than MSW... Maybe Hasslehoff and Selleck could have sung Karaoke in a bar...
Could you imagine a Higgins and KITT exchange? That would be priceless!

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#22 Post by MrMoustache »

ha!

although after watching the tragically short Buck rogers series, I got 4 episodes into Knight Rider and could stomach anymore melodrama. But it rekindled my love affair with MPI though!

I never understood MSW.. an entire series full of agatha christie style parlor murder whodunnits.. it was fun for a while, but it's so one dimensional. Rosemary & Thyme is an excellent substitute. it's an english series available on netflix. it's worth a view as the characters are strong enough to carry the series and there's usually enough touching or interesting moments balance out the "somebody died again" monotony.

I always used to ask my mom too about MSW: why did people keep inviting her to all those parties?

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Jay-Firestorm
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#23 Post by Jay-Firestorm »

I found this hard to sit though. I shouldn’t be such a completist!

[rating=5.5]

Thomas Magnum has been arrested for supposedly killing a hitman in cold blood. Jessica looks into the case and tries to identify who really shot the hitman, and find who the true target is. A confusing and bland conclusion to this crossover story…

-----

I am hardly a fan of ‘Murder, She Wrote’, and sat through this episode after watching the first part, ‘Magnum, p.i.’s ‘Novel Connection’, feeling obliged to watch this conclusion just to be completist! I’m a glutton for punishment.

As I said in my review for ‘Novel Connection’, I find Jessica Fletcher irritating. Also making me dislike the show further is the fact that, here in the UK, my local ITV region ran the episodes over and OVER again when most of the surrounding regions had stuff I love, such as ‘The A-Team’ and ‘Knight Rider’.

Anyway… I found it hard to keep up with all of the twists of this story – although, I confess, maybe I just didn’t really care enough.
In fairness, the mystery element works better than in ‘Novel Connection’, but the whole overall story just comes across as uninteresting, and if they insisted on doing such a crossover, I just can’t help but feel that the whole thing could have been done so much better.

Although not one of my favourites, I supposed MSW can occasionally dish up a reasonable mystery (I seem to recall that a 1992 episode, ‘Murder on Madison Avenue’, featuring John ‘Higgins’ Hillerman as board games manufacturer, wasn’t too bad), but this is hardly an example of both MPI and MSW at their finest hour. They shouldn’t have bothered.
To quote myself on my review for ‘Novel Connection’, “it feels like two different shows awkwardly welded together, and does not work at all”.

-----

Other notes, bloopers and misc.:

* I didn’t care enough to stop much more with this episode! :lol:

Oh, and mrmuscle, how can you not stomach 'Knight Rider' - it's one of my favourites (hey, I have a lot of favourites!!) :lol:
JAY FIRESTORM

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My A-Team site - http://thea-team.org aiming to be the most detailed A-Team site on the Net - if I ever get around to updating it!!

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#24 Post by MACattack »

This was the only Murder She Wrote episode I enjoyed. But as a MPI episode, it's lacking something......
I just don't give a damn!

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#25 Post by MACattack »

very silly episode.
I just don't give a damn!

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Little Garwood
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#26 Post by Little Garwood »

One thing about the music in this episode: the Murder She Wrote composer used a stereotypical Hawaiian slide guitar sound in the "establishing shots", something we never heard in a Magnum episode. It lets the viewer know that it's a Murder She Wrote episode they're watching, and that Selleck and Hillerman are merely "guest stars.

Somehow, I get the feeling that each program's respective audiences were separate entities. I know that "1980s Me" wouldn't be caught dead watching Jessica Fletcher on a weekly basis!

I also would've liked more Thomas in this half of the two-parter and have the two work together, but seeing as Jessica doesn't appear until 25 minutes into the MPI half, I can see why they put Magnum *ahem* on Ice... :oops: :wink:
Last edited by Little Garwood on Tue Apr 08, 2014 7:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Waterbug Blue
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#27 Post by Waterbug Blue »

Well I don't know about old ladies - but in both episodes Landsbury seems more to be ACTING Fletcher, gesturing et al., whereas TS manages to naturally impersonate Magnum ... does that make him the better actor?

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#28 Post by AmandaByNight »

I've been on a crazy Murder, She Wrote obsession lately. I'm on season 7. I passed up this crossover episode because I hardly remember it and I want to watch both episodes together when I have more time to bask! :)

I have a feeling I'm going to love it. Lansbury and Selleck! Should have been a cop buddy action movie! :)

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Waterbug Blue
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#29 Post by Waterbug Blue »

I hope you won't be disappointed ... well there are quite a few good entwining jokes though - watch out for the hunch ;)

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#30 Post by AmandaByNight »

OK, so I just watched Novel Connection and quite enjoyed it. Yes, I know I'm in the minority, but I just adore J.B. Fletcher. Also, it was so cool to see her and Jonathan Hilllerman in those characters together (he also appeared on at least one episode of MSW as a different character). Both are such enjoyable and formidable actors. It was a treat.

I have a question. I watched Novel Connection on Netflix, which has the wrapped up ending to make it a one-off instead of a crossover. Does the DVD have the same ending, or do they have the original? I am wondering because I'd like to see how it's left hanging and because I was going to suggest these episodes on my blog's Must See Streaming TV theme...

Thanks for any help!

Amanda

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J.J. Walters
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#31 Post by J.J. Walters »

AmandaByNight wrote:I have a question. I watched Novel Connection on Netflix, which has the wrapped up ending to make it a one-off instead of a crossover. Does the DVD have the same ending, or do they have the original? I am wondering because I'd like to see how it's left hanging and because I was going to suggest these episodes on my blog's Must See Streaming TV theme...
Thanks for any help!

Amanda

Hi, Amanda.

The Season Seven DVD has the original broadcast version, which features the "cliffhanging" ending.

"I'm gonna say it like a man and make you understand, Amanda..." Sorry, couldn't resist that. I'm a huge Boston fan. :)
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

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#32 Post by AmandaByNight »

J.J. Walters wrote:
AmandaByNight wrote:I have a question. I watched Novel Connection on Netflix, which has the wrapped up ending to make it a one-off instead of a crossover. Does the DVD have the same ending, or do they have the original? I am wondering because I'd like to see how it's left hanging and because I was going to suggest these episodes on my blog's Must See Streaming TV theme...
Thanks for any help!

Amanda

Hi, Amanda.

The Season Seven DVD has the original broadcast version, which features the "cliffhanging" ending.

"I'm gonna say it like a man and make you understand, Amanda..." Sorry, couldn't resist that. I'm a huge Boston fan. :)
lol! I do a podcast and that's the song they play whenever I come on! I love it and Boston too!

And thank you, I have the DVD, so that's a big help!

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#33 Post by MaximRecoil »

This is the best Murder, She Wrote episode ever, for two reasons: it has Magnum and Higgins, and, because it takes place in Hawaii, there are no ridiculous, annoying, fake Maine accents.

Fortunately, Angela Lansbury never did the fake Maine accent, but other actors on the show did; Tom Bosley being the worst offender. I don't know how the accents on the show sounded to other people, but to native Mainers, they sounded blatantly fake. In fact, I've never heard a convincing Maine accent in any movie or TV show. Fortunately, not many movies or TV shows are set in Maine. The ones that come to mind are Murder, She Wrote and various Stephen King movies, all of which feature horribly fake Maine accents. It would be better if the actors just used neutral accents, because plenty of native Mainers have neutral accents, including myself, my older brother, and my younger sister. My father, mother, and my older sister all have prominent Maine accents however. Funny how that works, considering we all lived / grew up together.

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Re: Murder, She Wrote - Magnum on Ice

#34 Post by Little Garwood »

Jessica Fletcher was always so "perfect." Calm, collected, and never ruffled by even the most arrogant of murder suspects. She was so darned nice all the time. I would have loved to see how well ol' Jessica would have held up under the strain of teaming up with Luther H. Gillis! Now there's a crossover adventure that was begging to be told!

Hey, how about a Luther H. Gillis smiley?
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Re: Murder, She Wrote - Magnum on Ice

#35 Post by ConchRepublican »

Little Garwood wrote:Jessica Fletcher was always so "perfect." Calm, collected, and never ruffled by even the most arrogant of murder suspects. She was so darned nice all the time. I would have loved to see how well ol' Jessica would have held up under the strain of teaming up with Luther H. Gillis! Now there's a crossover adventure that was begging to be told!

Hey, how about a Luther H. Gillis smiley?
That would have been great!
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