No Need to Know (1.5)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the first season

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How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
12
9%
9.5 (One of the Best)
26
19%
9.0 (Excellent)
30
22%
8.5 (Very Good)
42
31%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
14
10%
7.5 (Decent)
7
5%
7.0 (Average at Best)
2
1%
6.5 (Not So Good)
0
No votes
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
1
1%
5.0 (Just Awful)
2
1%
 
Total votes: 136

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Turkey
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Re: No Need to Know (1.5)

#76 Post by Turkey »

Rocket wrote:Not really a flub but when Magnum pulls into the driveway at around the 17:20 mark, you can see a large rock in the driveway by the front tire of the Ferrari. I think that is his mark for the Ferrari. Seems too big when compared to other rocks in the drive. I noted another rock in another episode and Magnum stops the Ferrari with the driver side front tire, right next to it as well. May be nothing, but seems like a mark to me.
Cool! I love trying to catch that sort of production aspect. Certainly missed that one :)



Mandy was pretty memorable and so was Higgins' frustration during the cigar/serving scene. And poor TC!
Make it two weeks.

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Re: No Need to Know (1.5)

#77 Post by Frodoleader »

Hi guys, its been a helluva long time since I posted here. I am also a bit ashamed to admit that I have not watched an MPI episode for quite some time. I did not even watch Operation Silent Night last Christmas.
So anyway, I decided to get out my Season 1 DVD and popped in disc one. This episode was the first one so we watched it. I have to be honest, after not watching MPI for so long, I found the writing for this episode to be really bad! Maybe I have spent so much time watching contemporary action/drama TV, that this throwback to the 1980's was a bit of a shock. Or it could be that this being Season 1, the series was still finding it's feet. Just saying.
"You are three months at Dak Wei and still you crack jokes?" - Ivan

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Re: No Need to Know (1.5)

#78 Post by thechickinthemiddle »

Hmm, well drawing from the best of my memory, this was a good episode early in the show's run, with a good twist, natch. As much as I will stand up for Carol Burnett, I get where some of the other posters were coming from in that Magnum's always with stunningly beautiful or "80s permed" women (who aren't always the best actors or who may be incredibly annoying), rather than more down-to-earth "normal" but still beautiful women like Robin Dearden. And Sela Ward :D I can totally see her being a good match for TM in the later seasons :) And secrecy in bureaucracy on the basis of "no need to know" seems to have only gotten worse given how "cops vs. FBI" plots are standard fare nowadays. In some ways I think Magnum was ahead of his time :P

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Re: No Need to Know (1.5)

#79 Post by KingKC »

This one had a lot of characteristics of MPI. International considerations, intrigue, suspense, plot twists, babes, comedy, Higgins vs. Magnum, Magnum borrowing from TC and just a generally good, good show.

KingKC

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#80 Post by Danny Lin »

On the "bag over the wall flub":
IslandHopper wrote:
...

1. When Magnum tosses his blue duffle bag over the wall of the estate, the duffle bag hits the trunk of a palm tree on its way down and drops straight down. However, when Magnum climbs over the wall and drops in on the estate, the duffle bag is laying at the base of the wall, not the palm tree. The palm tree is nowhere in sight. The duffle bag obviously did not land at the base of the wall.

...
Yes! Indeed there is a palm tree in sight on the estate when Magnum jumps over the Wall! You see it at the right end of the screen. In fact the palm tree stands close to the wall. Also when it is shown how the bag flies over the wall the camera is filming at a steep upward angle. It is not shown which way the bag takes until it finally comes to rest on the lawn. A position close to the wall is totally possible. So I don´t see a flub here.
... Then I'm history... Walking history... I'll be just another chapter in one of those dumb books Louise Peardon makes me read: "Prince Danny Lin, assassinated July." ...

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Re:

#81 Post by Danny Lin »

On the landlord flub:
IslandHopper wrote:
...

4. When Magnum is meeting with Agent Hooker and Agent Dobey at the KKC, Magnum tells Hooker that he gets $200 a day. Hooker responds by saying "$200 a day, what are you trying to do, rip off your government?" Magnum replies, "I don't do that, but good will doesn't keep the finance companies and 'landlords' off my back." LANDLORDS? What landlords? Magnum lives on Robin Masters' dime. The two agents should have known this as they checked into Magnum's background before asking him to assist in protecting the Brigadier.

...
That good will doesn´t keep ... the landlord off ones back certainly is just a phrase that one uses in such negotiations. That is like bartering on a flea market and whether or not the negotiating person in fact has to pay a landlord is of no relevance. It wouldn´t either be if the agents in fact knew that Magnum didn´t pay a rent. So this is no flub.
... Then I'm history... Walking history... I'll be just another chapter in one of those dumb books Louise Peardon makes me read: "Prince Danny Lin, assassinated July." ...

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Re:

#82 Post by Danny Lin »

On the "wandering bottle" flub:
IslandHopper wrote:
...

5. While still at the KKC, Agent Hooker agrees to pay Magnum the $200 a day he is requesting. Magnum raises his bottle of beer, says "cheers" and takes a sip, then puts the bottle down on the bar to his right. Agent Hooker says he'll give Magnum a number he can be reached at 24 hours-a-day, and Magnum tells Hooker about the catamaran he saw earlier that day. Magnum's bottle of beer is now suddenly on his left. The agents leave and now the bottle of beer is back on Magnum's right again.

...
Call me pedantic but: In fact the bottle wanders over the bar, but starting from Magnums left towards his right, then back to his left and then back to his right. Since between the sequences in which you can see the bottle there are always several other sequences shown of the persons speaking, there is enough time passing by for Magnum to manoeuvre the bottle. Sipping from it or just "playing" with it. So this shouldn´t be called a flub either. A flub is something that at least is VERY unlikely, almost impossible to happen.
... Then I'm history... Walking history... I'll be just another chapter in one of those dumb books Louise Peardon makes me read: "Prince Danny Lin, assassinated July." ...

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Re:

#83 Post by Danny Lin »

On the Sergeant Major flub:
IslandHopper wrote:
...

8. After the dinner party, Magnum asks Higgins how well he knows the Brigadier. Higgins replies that he served as his Sergeant Major in '51 in Hong Kong. This is 30 years earlier. Certainly the Brigadier wasn't a Brigadier 30 years earlier. More likely a Lieutenant. Typically a Sergeant Major is not under the command of a Lieutenant, although a Lieutenant is an officer and does out rank a Sergeant Major.

...
In the British Armed Forces there are Sergeant Majors even on the company, battery or squadron level, so that is very well possible that Higgins served as the Brigadiers Sergeant Major 30 years earlier. Again: No flub.
... Then I'm history... Walking history... I'll be just another chapter in one of those dumb books Louise Peardon makes me read: "Prince Danny Lin, assassinated July." ...

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Re:

#84 Post by Danny Lin »

On the "shifting sequence" and the "key pad to the alarm" flubs:
IslandHopper wrote:
...

9. When Magnum takes off in the Ferrari to catch Higgins and the Brigadier before the bomb goes off in the Audi, Magnum is wearing a navy blue golf shirt and khaki pants, and is wearing his team ring on his left hand. The camera cuts to a close up of the interior of the Ferrari as Magnum (or his stunt double) shifts. Suddenly, Magnum is wearing blue jeans and the team ring is on his right hand, and the emblem is upside down too. Also, the Ferrari's alarm key pad is no longer in the car. Remember the alarm installed by Higgins in the first episode. While Magnum is trying to catch Higgins, the camera cuts to the interior close up three times.

...
Funny enough I have just shortly posted about that "shifting sequence" and the ring worn upside down in it on the thread about the first and second episodes. I also made a new thread about the team ring worn upside down on the "Magnum P.I. Talk" board since I couldn´t find anything written on this topic when using the search. As I wrote in one of my posts that "shifting scene" indeed seems to have been shot with a stunt double instead of Tom Selleck. Obviously that footage is stock footage which has been used several times. I´m still curious if and how many sequences other than this stock footage will show the team ring be worn upside down.

Just the fact that the key pad to the alarm is no longer in the car can not be considered a flub. Higgins installed it and certainly it can have been removed as well. Only if the alarm would show in further episodes again, which as far as I remember isn´t the case, this could be called a flub.
... Then I'm history... Walking history... I'll be just another chapter in one of those dumb books Louise Peardon makes me read: "Prince Danny Lin, assassinated July." ...

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Re:

#85 Post by Danny Lin »

On Higgins performing a body search on Suzie:
gmt16750 wrote:
...

and Higgins who performed a body search on the hostess :o

...
In fact it (luckily) never was confirmed that Higgins himself performed a body search on Suzie. It can have been done by the Brigadier´s security personnel too. Suzie´s reproachful view at Higgins can have meant that she blames him anyway because he is in charge of the estates security. Unfortunately it is clear that no women are present at the estate who could have performed the search.
Higgins fumbling a woman up and down??!! Unthinkable!!
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Re: another flub

#86 Post by Danny Lin »

On the "count down on the car bomb" flub:
sealion wrote:I like this episode a lot too, but I reckon another "flub" is when they show the car bomb in the audi ticking down , it takes a lot longer than 5 seconds to blow the audi to kingdom come . If you count from the time it shows "5 " on the car bomb , till the time TM reaches it , its more like 20-25 seconds ! :D I guess thats what they mean about "suspended in time" LOL
Interesting enough on my DVD (British version) it never shows 5 seconds on the car bomb. The latest time shown is 15 seconds. It takes then 39 seconds until the bomb explodes. Perhaps they took out the 5 seconds display sequence because it was all too obvious that the time remaining until the explosion was longer than 5 seconds?

To have such an extension of a given time is quite common when different segments of a plot need to be shown of narrative reasons. But in our case the plot runs down linear from starting the countdown to the explosion. On my DVD it takes 5:33 Minutes. I find the accuracy somewhat acceptable. Certainly with a certain effort a greater accuracy would have been possible. But is this really a flub. Do the makers of the show have to expect the audience to feel the difference between 5:00 Minutes and 5:33 Minutes? Do they have to expect the audience to measure the time? I think not. No flub, I say.
... Then I'm history... Walking history... I'll be just another chapter in one of those dumb books Louise Peardon makes me read: "Prince Danny Lin, assassinated July." ...

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Re:

#87 Post by Danny Lin »

On the Audi handbook incredibility:
Croix de Lorraine wrote:How thick is Magnum? He's trying to protect a guess of Robin Master's, he finds a handbook for Robin Master's car in the apartment of the terrorist and he thinks nothing of it? :?
I found that weird too. The Handbook is shown in a close up while Magnum has it in his hands and even looks it through! Certainly it is shown in a close up for the audience to understand that Jerry is up to something more than just to take pictures of the estate and the guests there. So the audience is believed to understand the hint but at the same time the audience shall believe that Magnum doesn´t? - Nope, not really...
... Then I'm history... Walking history... I'll be just another chapter in one of those dumb books Louise Peardon makes me read: "Prince Danny Lin, assassinated July." ...

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Re:

#88 Post by Danny Lin »

On the plot twist at the end:
MaiTaiMan wrote:
...

Again, nice plot twist at the end....even if I did sort of guess it right before it happened. Nicely done and I thought "excellent"! :D
It was really well hidden who was the bad guy in this episode! In fact there was only one hint given as to who could be the hit man before Mandy put the explosives in the tank. It was in the very morning when Mandy was done swimming and left the beach looking back to Magnum with an expression in her face that seemed to indicate that she was regretting something. She was pressing her towel at her body. In the towel something seemed to be hidden. In the following sequence Magnum is shown diving the tidal pool, searching it, and in a voice over he explains that he was surprised to find nothing at all...

This was the best thing about this episode, I think.
... Then I'm history... Walking history... I'll be just another chapter in one of those dumb books Louise Peardon makes me read: "Prince Danny Lin, assassinated July." ...

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Re:

#89 Post by Danny Lin »

On "It´s good for my cold":
Shermy wrote:
...
grapeshot wrote:He finishes his drink, and says something like, Man, that's good for my cold. It's a silly line, and I don't exactly know why he says it
Selleck had a cold during the filming of this episode, and there are several lines where his voice betrays him. This was probably just an ad-lib by Selleck to explain the noticeable change. It wasn't really necessary, but I agree it adds a nice, human touch.
Thomas uses the exact same phrase (It´s good for my cold) in "Jororo Farewell" as an excuse towards Higgins for taking some of Robbin Masters Brandy without asking. Could this be an allusion to a well known sequence in a well known movie or something? I guess in "Casablanca" there´s no one suffering from a cold? :D
... Then I'm history... Walking history... I'll be just another chapter in one of those dumb books Louise Peardon makes me read: "Prince Danny Lin, assassinated July." ...

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Re: No Need to Know (1.5)

#90 Post by Danny Lin »

On the Brigadier General flub:

In the flub section of the episode guide it says:
"Allistair Ffolkes is credited as 'Brigadier General Allistair Ffolkes' and is referred to as 'Brigadier General' several times in the episode. This is a flub. The rank of Brigadier General was abolished in the British Army and Royal Marines in 1922. 'Brigadier' is the correct rank. It's interesting to note that while others refer to him as 'Brigadier General', Allistair Ffolkes calls himself 'Brigadier', as does Magnum."

It should be observed that even today in the British Army the Rank of a Brigadier as in most other armed forces is the rank between a Colonel and a Major General. It is considered a field rank. In other forces this rank matches a Brigadier General which there is considered a generals rank. The NATO-Classification of a Brigadier and a Brigadier General is the same!
Thus it is not a surprise that "Brigadier" and "Brigadier General" often are used synonymously. Even Agent Hooker uses both! In Ricks office he calls the Brigadier a Brigadier General, then seconds later, he calls him a Brigadier.
This is not a flub.
... Then I'm history... Walking history... I'll be just another chapter in one of those dumb books Louise Peardon makes me read: "Prince Danny Lin, assassinated July." ...

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