The Black Orchid (1.16)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the first season

Moderator: Styles Bitchley

How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
2
2%
9.5 (One of the Best)
6
6%
9.0 (Excellent)
14
13%
8.5 (Very Good)
28
27%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
13
13%
7.5 (Decent)
16
15%
7.0 (Average at Best)
8
8%
6.5 (Not So Good)
9
9%
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
4
4%
5.0 (Just Awful)
4
4%
 
Total votes: 104

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Agatha
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#11 Post by Agatha »

NOT one of my favorites! The plot is jsut too contrived. Or at least I hope it's contrived. Maybe I'm just jealous. I like to think that if I had A LOT of money, I'd spend it...and my time...WAY more constructively!

:x
Isn't the ocean beautiful at sunset? So soft....so peaceful...so romantic!

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Jay-Firestorm
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#12 Post by Jay-Firestorm »

My first review of this week; I know some love this episode, but personally I find it just an okay-ish story. Not terrible though.

[TV.com rating=7.5; Silly]

Thomas has been hired by a wealthy woman to act out some of her bored sister’s fantasy games with a 1930s P.I. theme, but the “game” turns nasty when her over-protective husband finds out, and when the woman is poisoned. A so-so episode…

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‘The Black Orchid’… some ‘Magnum’ fans absolutely love this episode, but I have to confess, it’s not one of my outstanding favourites.

The episode marks the first of a number of times where fantasy elements would play a key part in stories. I for one don’t mind that, it’s just that this particular example doesn’t really do much for me. But hey, a story where T.C. and Rick dress up as 1930’s heavies can’t be ALL bad, I suppose.
In some respects, this story could just have easily come from any of the show’s later seasons, where more eccentric and fantasy-based plots were often used.
And Magnum posing as a black and white-era detective foreshadows ‘Murder by Night’ in season seven.

Judith Chapman gives a good performance as the eccentric rich woman wrapped up in her silly “games”, and she is probably the best thing about the episode.

There are signs that more was filmed for this episode than made the final cut. In the opening trailer, Christine offers Magnum $500 dollars as “an attention-getter”, and on the closing credits, with a shot of Christine and Louise in bikinis talking to Higgins at the King Kamehameha Club (of which, by the way, the commonly-used beach bar is used for the first time in this episode). These scenes were presumably dropped for timing reasons.

When I was younger, I had little time for this story; when I saw it again to review, I didn’t mind it so much, and gets a higher score than it would have done from me just a few years ago. I suppose it has its moments, but it’s certainly one of my lesser favourites from the first season.

(As a footnote, a scene from this episode can be seen being shown TV in Donald P. Bellisario’s later hit ‘Quantum Leap’, in the second season episode ‘Another Mother’).

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Other notes, bloopers and misc.:

* Didn’t spot much with this episode; just to say, another case of abridged commercial breaks on the DVD – the second and fourth ad breaks are abridged (I used to think these were the first and third breaks, until I remembered that US broadcasts typically have a break right after the opening credits).
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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lutherhgillis
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#13 Post by lutherhgillis »

Not a great episode but it is amusing. These rich people are seriously demented! Have they ever heard of volunteering to pass some time?

Anyway, there is a flub. When Louise is on the beach and Magnum arrives to tell her to get lost, two masked thugs show up. One of them shoots through the windscreen of the Ferrari. The hole is clearly seen in a closeup. A scuffle ensues and Louise makes a break for the Ferrari. Watch as she gets into the car and begins to drive away. There is no hole in the windscreen. I froze the frames and zoomed to make sure. Cool, eh?

The masked men were real wimps...
Who's Dot Matrix, and what has she got to do with this?

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Higgy_baby
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#14 Post by Higgy_baby »

I have to disagree Luther, but I just watched this and did the frame advance thing (geez I'm getting anal or obsessed or both).

Although some frames have glare, some do show the hole or a cosmetic one in the front passenger side of the windscreen as Louise brings up the car. In the next series of shots from a different angle, you can see a glimpse of the hole just before Magnum jumps in.

Want to split the cost of therapy?

PS. I agree those guys were the biggest wimps. What's the line the guy with the gun uses? 'You're in big trouble Mr. Magnum'?? It sounds like a badly dubbed martial arts film.
Of course this changes nothing between us. I still expect you to respect the rules and regulations pertaining to your stay on the estate. There will be no wild parties, no outragous liberties, no unauthorized overnight guests...

Henry Lewis
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#15 Post by Henry Lewis »

Just returned from Oahu and after visiting some locations, recognized a unreported flub in this episode. Early in the episode Judith arrives at the estate in the Rolls-Royce. While Higgins talks to the driver about the car, Judith and Magnum walk off to talk in private. In the next scene they are on the beach talking. But the beach they are on is the King Kamehameha Club Beach (Wai'alae Beach Park) not the estate.

Sam
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#16 Post by Sam »

Welcome to the forum HL...I too remember that scene and you are correct.It wasn't mentioned in the flub section or the episode guide.Do you have any pics of the locations?

Henry Lewis
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#17 Post by Henry Lewis »

I have some good shots of the estate, tidal pool, and "beach bar" but no way to post them, I'm afraid.

Sam
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#18 Post by Sam »

Ok...The estate pics are what I'm looking for...I recently read that there was renovation at the estate.Did you see that? If you'd like,I can pm my email address to you and you can forward the pics and I'll post them..Otherwise,you can create an account at photobucket and then you can post them.

www.photobucket.com

Sam
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#19 Post by Sam »

I received these photos and note from Henry Lewis..I'll post them in batches of 4.I noticed that the boathouse/guesthouse has had some work done...Namely the windows and the crack has been repaired....Thanks for sharing Henry.

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Last edited by Sam on Tue Sep 15, 2009 3:13 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Sam
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#20 Post by Sam »

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Sam
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#21 Post by Sam »

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Sam
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#22 Post by Sam »

Hi Sam,

I didn't see any renovation work taking place. Looked like there were a few windows boarded-up and blue tarps covering some areas - the kind used to cover storm damage. I did see one person on the property pushing a wheel barrel. Also this funny interaction...

There were two young women (mid-to-late 20's) sitting on the wall by the tidal pool. They had a dog with them. Two other dogs showed up on the other side of the fence on the estate, a lab and a french bulldog. The girls' dog and the dogs on the estate were sniffing each other through the fence. I, of course, said the most logical thing, "Is that zeus and Apollo?" They looked at me kind of funny, obviously not getting my joke, and said "no, that's Jake and Henry." I walked away feeling rather old.

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J.J. Walters
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#23 Post by J.J. Walters »

Hello, Henry Lewis! Welcome!

Awesome pictures! Super high quality! :)
Henry Lewis wrote:There were two young women (mid-to-late 20's) sitting on the wall by the tidal pool. They had a dog with them. Two other dogs showed up on the other side of the fence on the estate, a lab and a french bulldog. The girls' dog and the dogs on the estate were sniffing each other through the fence. I, of course, said the most logical thing, "Is that zeus and Apollo?" They looked at me kind of funny, obviously not getting my joke, and said "no, that's Jake and Henry." I walked away feeling rather old.
LOL! Kids today, they just don't know what they are missing. Just imagine what they would have said if you had asked one of them to do a "snorkel shot" with you in the tidal pool. ;)

BTW, love the user name! Here, you can use this for your avatar...

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Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

Henry Lewis
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#24 Post by Henry Lewis »

James J. Walters wrote:Hello, Henry Lewis! Welcome!

Awesome pictures! Super high quality! :)
Henry Lewis wrote:There were two young women (mid-to-late 20's) sitting on the wall by the tidal pool. They had a dog with them. Two other dogs showed up on the other side of the fence on the estate, a lab and a french bulldog. The girls' dog and the dogs on the estate were sniffing each other through the fence. I, of course, said the most logical thing, "Is that zeus and Apollo?" They looked at me kind of funny, obviously not getting my joke, and said "no, that's Jake and Henry." I walked away feeling rather old.
LOL! Kids today, they just don't know what they are missing. Just imagine what they would have said if you had asked one of them to do a "snorkel shot" with you in the tidal pool. ;)

BTW, love the user name! Here, you can use this for your avatar...

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It crossed my mind to make that request. One of them certainly had the perfect "gear" to pull off the "snorkel shot".

I like your avatar suggestion. Can you come up with the shot of Henry doing hand stand push-ups on the beach?
TM: Hey Henry, how about a little one-on-one?
HL: One-on-one with who?
TM: With me.
HL: Oh come on, you gotta be kidding.

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J.J. Walters
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#25 Post by J.J. Walters »

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Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

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