Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii (1) (1.1)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the first season

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How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
27
18%
9.5 (One of the Best)
40
26%
9.0 (Excellent)
40
26%
8.5 (Very Good)
27
18%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
13
8%
7.5 (Decent)
3
2%
7.0 (Average at Best)
2
1%
6.5 (Not So Good)
0
No votes
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
0
No votes
5.0 (Just Awful)
1
1%
 
Total votes: 153

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plateglass
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Re: Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii (1) (1.1)

#111 Post by plateglass »

Yes, I have. I love looking for the flubs :D that the members point out, and then searching for my own. I love the pause button on the DVR!!
Hi Guy

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Re: Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii (1) (1.1)

#112 Post by rasgards »

I've been re-watching all the episodes starting with the Pilot of course. I think they did a great job with the pilot introducing characters and showcasing the island, tying into Vietnam and the "Team". Classic Magnum themes and narration. One of the things I love about the Magnum character is he kind of a big kid, likes to have fun, is humble, but when need be, he gets down to business and does what needs to be done. This episode does a great job at setting up that dynamic.
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Re: Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii (1) (1.1)

#113 Post by marlboro »

rasgards wrote:I've been re-watching all the episodes starting with the Pilot of course. I think they did a great job with the pilot introducing characters and showcasing the island, tying into Vietnam and the "Team". Classic Magnum themes and narration. One of the things I love about the Magnum character is he kind of a big kid, likes to have fun, is humble, but when need be, he gets down to business and does what needs to be done. This episode does a great job at setting up that dynamic.

Yep. A lot of shows seem to take a long time to find their sea legs (sometimes multiple seasons) but Magnum really hit the ground running.

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Re: Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii (1) (1.1)

#114 Post by ENSHealy »

I wanted to touch on the cocaine in Dan's stomach one more time (it's interesting to note that the first question on this subject was asked almost 11 years ago). It's the one part of the pilot movie that has always stuck in my craw.

Since we're given no direct evidence, we have to assume that the "Hawaiian King Kong" (as Rick later refers to him at the "Snow Palace") and his sidekick force the coke down Dan's throat. But that just seems so unlikely. Is it even possible to force someone to swallow 10 packs of coke against their will? I'm thinking maybe one is possible, tops. At some point, don't you think Dan would have realized what they were up to and would have resisted? At which point, it would have been nigh-on-impossible to "force" him to swallow them. The only thing I can think to resolve this is that they somehow got Dan to voluntarily swallow the packets, with some kind of trick, scheme, promise or blackmail tactic. Then they beat him up to burst the packets.

Although, to add more fuel to the fire of doubt on this whole manner of homicide, it seems unlikely that soft plastic packets of coke would be burst by punches to the gut. Wouldn't the blows would have been diffused by the muscle tissue of the abdomen? I suppose if they were stuffed almost to the bursting point to start with and then the blows to the stomach caused them to be forced against a rib or vertebra, perhaps that might do it? Still, it seems a stretch. We need a medical examiner (one who doesn't moonlight as a John Wayne impersonator) to look into this for us!

There was also some discussion on what the three wars could be in the 30 years before 1980. One theory offered was that Thomas just through out 30 years as his own rough approximation of the length of Cooly's career. However, it was Cooly that introduced the 30 year number, not Thomas, when Cooly said "It took 3 wars and thirty years" to get his scrambled eggs (the braiding on the visor of the hat). Thomas just throws the 30 year figure back at Cooly with his "egg-sucking" jibe. You get the scrambled eggs at Commander, and Cooly's a Captain. So it took him 30 years to get Commander (and the scrambled eggs), then he had to earn Captain, and presumably he's not a newly minted captain. So your looking at a career more than long enough to get him back to WWII.

But as always, I feel like I have to add the disclaimer that none of the above takes any of the shine off a great two hours of television entertainment! It's just a great way to pass the time for Magnum geeks! Because we know we'd never have let those plot loose ends sneak through! If only we'd been on the writing team!
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Re: Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii (1) (1.1)

#115 Post by marlboro »

Fritiz Weaver, the actor who played Cooly, was born in 1926. So he was old enough to have served in WW2.

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Re: Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii (1) (1.1)

#116 Post by ENSHealy »

A few more notes on 1.1 DON’T EAT THE SNOW IN HAWAII:

Hawaiian shirts: 1
Island Hopper shirts: 0
Body Count: 2 Lt Cook, goon driving the Challenger
Magnum gunshot wounds: 1, implied, in Vietnam flashback
Shirtless TM appearances: 1
Little Voice: 0
I know what you’re thinking: 0
When I write HTBAWCPI: 0
Investigator corrections: 1
Higgins musings: 0
4th wall breaks: 1
Negotiations: 1 – territorial prerogatives
Famous guest stars: 0
Potential MM user ids: Sam Jones, Industrial Grommets; Aunt Helen, Columbus, Ohio;
Magnumometer: 8

The voiceover narrations have a different quality in the pilot movie. They have a kind of "echo chamber" sound to them. Almost like they were going for a stereotypical "voice of God" feel to it. Fortunately this goes away for the future episodes.

When Thomas tries the estate's address as the code for Ferrari alarm, he punches in 8563. When he tries Robin Masters personal phone number, he enters 57777.

The hair on both the "shore patrol" goons was way too long for active duty Navy, and the mustache on the "Hawaiian King Kong" was totally not regulation. Lt. Cook should have known something was up just from that!

Flub? Somehow we go from "a dozen packets" of cocaine in Lt. Cook's stomach to "10 ounces" of coke. Both numbers, the dozen packets, and the 10 ounces, are mentioned more than once. So...there must be .8333 ounces of cocaine in each packet? Snow White must run a very precise operation.

When Magnum is at the airport to pick up Alice, the following page can be heard: Nancy Swindell, please report to Baggage Checkpoint A. Nancy Swindell, to Baggage Check A.

Is there any way the Navy would care enough about one Zero found 39 years after Pearl Harbor to send an officer to Tokyo to check the "Imperial war records" over it? What exactly would Lt. Cook have been searching for? There were thousands of Zeros shot down during the war, what possible records could still exist about any particular one? This has always sort of bothered me. Any thoughts?

I can't figure out what the two goons in the Challenger were trying to do after they followed Magnum into the tunnel. From what we can see, they seem to hit the brakes and then squeal the tires as they swerve between lanes. What exactly are they trying to do? Scare him by making a lot of noise in the tunnel? If they are really trying to catch him, they're only bleeding off speed by braking, squealing and swerving.

After the goons start firing at him with the machine gun, we see Thomas downshift in preparation for the sharp turn he's going to make on to Nuuanu Pali Drive. The hand doing the shifting is clearly not Tom Selleck's and the team ring is being worn upside down by whoever the shifting "hand model" is.
Image

As the Challenger makes the same sharp turn, gas can be seen pouring out of it. Did they forget to put the gas cap on last time they filled up?
Image

The scene of the Challenger being blown into the air (with a cable attached to it clearly visible) that is used in the opening title sequence does not actually appear in the chase scene where the Challenger goes off the road and explodes.

When Thomas is preparing the whiskey for Higgins, the camera angle is that of Higgins looking down from the stairs landing. There is no kitchen behind Thomas (stove, small sink, cabinets, counter top) that would appear on that wall in future episodes.
Image

Crucial Conversations:

Magnum: Don't look at the dogs, work the lock. Work the lock. Work the lock. Don't look at the dogs. [Looks at the dogs.] You looked at the dogs!

Magnum: Ski!
Sergeant Polenski: Lieutenant Magnum.
Magnum: It's not lieutenant anymore, Ski.
Sergeant Polenski: You know, I haven't seen you since you beached yourself, what, uh, four, five months ago?
Magnum: More like a year.
Sergeant Polenski: I heard you're playing like a detective.
Magnum: Investigator, Ski. Private investigator. Look. Lieutenant Cook's comin' in from Tokyo on a MACS flight. I gotta pick him up. If I go through Hickam's main gate, I'm gonna be filling out paper till next Sunday.
Sergeant Polenski: No sweat, Lieutenant. This oughta get you just about anywhere on Pearl or Hickam.
Magnum: Thanks, Ski.
Sergeant Polenski: Nice set of wheels you got here. Where'd you steal her?
Magnum: What makes you think she isn't mine?
Sergeant Polenski: [ Laughs ] Ah, No!
Magnum: Geez.

Magnum: Captain Cooly, look, I realize that you never liked Dan or me, but you can't let a petty jealousy interfere--
Captain Cooly: Petty jealousy? Petty? Here. Look. You see this? [gestures to gold braiding on the bill of his Navy officer’s cap] It took me three wars and 30 years to earn this. That's 30 years of sweating, of bleeding, laughing at stupid admirals' jokes, volunteering to serve on the rust buckets of this navy. I figured it'd take the two of you half that to make captain. What are you? Hmm? Are you smarter than me? Are you better sailors? More dedicated officers? No. I'll tell you what you were, mister. You were connected.
Magnum: Captain Cooly--
Captain Cooly: Who got the two of you appointed to Annapolis? Who got your Navy Crosses approved? Who was gonna get you your scrambled eggs in half the time it takes to earn them? I'll tell you who--Admiral Raleigh Cook, that's who. Now not covering up for his son may seem like petty jealousy to you, mister, but to me, it's poetic justice. Now, since you are no longer a part of this man's navy, get your butt off this station. If you ever show it here again, I'm gonna charge you with everything from espionage to indecent exposure. You hear me, mister?
Magnum: Loud and clear. Dan Cook was murdered, and I'm gonna prove it. And when I do, you can kiss those gold stripes you spent 30 years egg-sucking' for good-bye.

Higgins: Since you obviously intend to continue living here on a permanent basis, we should set up our territorial prerogatives.
Magnum: Our what?
Higgins: The main house, stables, tennis courts and grounds will be my territory. You'll have the guesthouse and the car. The tidal pool I think we could consider a D.M.Z.
Magnum: You're serious.
Higgins: Quite.
Magnum: Well, what if I want to use the stables or the tennis courts?
Higgins: I would expect to be informed of such incursions prior to their occurrence. Agreed?
Magnum: [ Sighs ] Why not?
Higgins: Good. I'll have that drink now. Whiskey, if you please. [pause] Don't ruin my whiskey with ice. I'm not a bloody American!
Magnum: Sorry. To territorial prerogatives.
Higgins: First drink's always to the regiment. To the Prince of Wales's own West Yorkshire Regiment.
Magnum: The regiment.
Higgins: The lads and I have guests to look after. [pause] It's a pity you couldn't have been more like your sister.
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Re: Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii (1) (1.1)

#117 Post by ENSHealy »

Updated Magnumometer. Watching 1.2 this morning, I realized Robert Loggia appears in the first half of the pilot, so I added him to Famous Guest Stars. That brings the Magnumometer to 9 for hour 1 of the pilot. If you're wondering what the criteria for "famous" is...it's rather subjective: if they're famous enough that I know who they are without resorting to google or IMDB, then they're "famous."

Hawaiian shirts: 1
Island Hopper shirts
Body Count: 2 Lt Cook, goon driving the Challenger
Magnum gunshot wounds: 1, implied, in Vietnam flashback
Shirtless: 1
Little Voice:
I know what you’re thinking:
When I write HTBAWCPI:
Investigator corrections: 1
Higgins musings:
4th wall breaks: 1
Negotiations: 1 – territorial prerogatives
Famous guest stars: 1 Robert Loggia
Potential MM user ids: Sam Jones, Industrial Grommets; Aunt Helen, Columbus, Ohio;
Magnumometer: 9
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Re: Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii (1) (1.1)

#118 Post by K Hale »

The only thing I have to add is that there really were a number of instances throughout the series where a close-up of someone's hands were clearly not the hands of the actor in question. I don't know why they did this. Most famously, in the elevator scene in "Paper War," and also I noticed recently the part in "Letter to a Duchess" where Higgins puts his note in Vivian's coat pocket. I feel like there are others but can't think of any offhand (haha).
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Re: Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii (1) (1.1)

#119 Post by Mad Kudu Buck »

K Hale wrote:The only thing I have to add is that there really were a number of instances throughout the series where a close-up of someone's hands were clearly not the hands of the actor in question.
This was common procedure in TV shows back then - to save time and so that important main actors don't have to wait around for focus/lighting for a closeup shot that doesn't really require their acting skill.

It always annoyed me though - especially when the closeup showed details that were completely different from what was seen in other shots. You can see hands that obviously don't match doing motions that are very different from how a main actor moves and wearing watches that the actors have never worn.

I've seen many 80's TV episodes where somebody is typing on a computer and they go to closeup and it's a completely different computer model, not even the same colour or keyboard layout! I suppose they thought any computer would do and nobody would notice.

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#120 Post by ENSHealy »

IslandHopper wrote:As you look at the close-up of the "Team Ring" you can tell that the right lower bar is not symmetric with the corresponding bar on the left side. It is not as wide and seems flawed. The flub is that a close-up of the same ring is shown in the ending credits, but the imperfection is now on the left side of the ring, not the right as before. The other thing I noticed about the ring in the ending credits is that the wooden table it is resting on is much darker than the table shown in the guest house for the above described scene.
I think that the difference in the color of the wood is just an issue of lighting and perspective. I don't think it's actually a different table. I've captured 3 pics below: the "falling out of the envelope away from the keys" ring, the close-up shot that follows right after the "falling out" shot during the episode, and the closing credits ring. In the first two pictures, the camera is looking along the grain of the wood in the table, while in the closing credits shot, it is looking a little more across the grain of the wood. I think the difference in the perceived color of the table is due to the camera changing positions and the light striking the wood differently. But I think, from looking at the grain of the wood, that it is the same table in all the shots.

In fact, now that I look again, if you assume that the keys did not move, it appears that the ring has been turned about 90 degrees clockwise between the second shot and the closing credits shot. Instead of looking past the ring along the barrel of the key, we look past the ring and see the flat side of the key.

Image

Image

Image

At this point, I think the pictures of this ring (these rings?) have been examined almost as closely as the photos of the grassy knoll!
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Re: Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii (1) (1.1)

#121 Post by ENSHealy »

It says in the Episode Guide for 1.1 that "The ring is not an official military decoration or emblem, and is not used in any capacity in the U.S. Navy SEALs or U.S. Marine Corp."

I wonder though, if in the "Magnuverse" it is "official", as it is painted on the side of the chopper:

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Re:

#122 Post by ENSHealy »

IslandHopper wrote:
Carol the Dabbler wrote:Minor quibble with the Plot Outline: I believe that Magnum does say he's picking up his buddy at "the airport," but as we see soon after, he's not talking about Honolulu International. He drives through the security gate into either Hickam AFB or the Navy's adjoining facility (which "Ski" refers to as "Pearl"), then takes interior driveways into the other facility. Sorry I'm not certain which way it went -- but in either case, it would be safe to say something along the lines of "he goes to pick up a buddy who's due in on a military flight."
Magnum does indicate that he’s picking up a buddy from a military flight. He says something like he is picking up a buddy coming in on a “MACs” flight. MAC is an acronym for “Military Airlift Command.”
Carol the Dabbler wrote:
Thanks, IH -- I couldn't remember that acronym. I see that James has already changed the Plot Outline -- thanks, James!
When he's "stealing" the Ferrari, he says "I'd invite you girls to breakfast, but I gotta pick up a buddy flying in from Tokyo" so he's vague in that instance on exactly where he's picking him up. He makes the MACS reference ("max" in the subititles) to Ski at the Hickam gate, but later on the phone with the BOQ, before Ensign Healy comes on the line and tells him Dan is dead, he says "You're gonna wish you didn't stand me up at the airport, old buddy." So there is a direct quote from Thomas using the term "airport."
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#123 Post by Sam »

...

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Re:

#124 Post by ENSHealy »

J.J. Walters wrote:Nice work guys! I must say, it's been a very informative discussion. I learned quite a bit.

So then, no flub, but I've added a "Note" for this episode:

The chopper that T.C. flies in the Vietnam War flashback sequences is the OH-58 Kiowa.
In Did You See the Sunrise, we see Buck Greene in the same chopper as TC flew in the pilot flashbacks, followed shortly after by this dialogue:

Nuzo: T.C., did you see that slick?
TC: What slick?
Nuzo: lt came up the valley same time as you.
TC: They do it all the time. Army Cobras crossing Kolekole Pass to Wheeler. Same path the Japanese took in '41 when they bombed Pearl.
Nuzo: But it wasn't no Cobra. lt was a 58.
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Re:

#125 Post by ENSHealy »

J.J. Walters wrote:
Souome1 wrote:James refers to the NIA as the "Naval Intelligence Agency" in the episode notes. I assumed that was correct based on its appearance elsewhere in the series. Are there two different agencies? Thanks.
Hi Souome1, welcome!

It looks like I flubbed this one, another in a long line of flubs for me. It is indeed the "Naval Investigative Agency", not "Naval Intelligence Agency". In "Memories Are Forever", we see the "Naval Intelligence Headquarters". Other times in the show you hear "Naval Intelligence" batted about. All of these appear to have tripped me up. I'll correct it in the episode guide. Thanks.
James, they use Naval Intelligence on the signs in Did You See The Sunrise also:
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