Billy Joe Bob (2.1)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the second season

Moderator: Styles Bitchley

How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
0
No votes
9.5 (One of the Best)
0
No votes
9.0 (Excellent)
11
10%
8.5 (Very Good)
13
12%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
32
30%
7.5 (Decent)
24
23%
7.0 (Average at Best)
14
13%
6.5 (Not So Good)
6
6%
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
4
4%
5.0 (Just Awful)
1
1%
 
Total votes: 105

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N1095A
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#11 Post by N1095A »

I really don't know which was more amusing, Billy Joe trying to talk without the accent or TM trying to talk with it. Either way, great scene in the bar.
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IslandHopper
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#12 Post by IslandHopper »

N1095A wrote:I really don't know which was more amusing, Billy Joe trying to talk without the accent or TM trying to talk with it. Either way, great scene in the bar.
One of the funniest scenes in the episode for me was when Magnum was trying to talk Billy Joe from killing Ito and he tries to convince Billy Joe that his sister was still alive and then frantically says "don't do it Pickles!" (or something like that). Pickles? The nickname Pickles took some of the drama out of that scene...and was funny instead. Even so, I thought it was an excellent episode.
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Jay-Firestorm
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#13 Post by Jay-Firestorm »

Onto the second season, and not one of my favourite episodes.

[TV.com rating=7; Not my favourite storyline]


A hot-headed Texan with a penchant for socking people in the face hires Magnum to find his missing sister, who, unbeknown to him, has got in with the wrong crowd and fallen into prostitution. A mediocre start to the second season…

-----

The second season kicks off with this so-so episode. After leaving the first season on such a high with ‘J. “Digger” Doyle’ and ‘Beauty Knows No Pain’, two of my favourite MPI episodes, things come back down to Earth with a bump here.

The new season brings in a new recording of the theme tune (which would only be used for this season) and an updated mix of shots on the opening credits. I used to like “the old days” when shows would use shots from episodes; nowadays most opening credit sequences are over so quickly.
Anyway, also with the arrival of the second season, the King Kamehameha Club has a new location for external shots. Personally I prefer the one used in the first season. Also, Keoki (Patrick Bishop), a recurring Club worker, makes his first of a number of appearances in this episode.

James Whitmore Jr. (who would go on to play another character in the third season’s excellent opener ‘Did You See The Sunrise’) gives a fair performance as the hot-headed Billy Joe Bob of the title, but the character is also part of the problem with the episode, in that it is near impossible to really warm to him.

T.C., Rick and Higgins get very little to do in this story (Higgins doesn’t even appear until halfway through), and is probably another reason why I’m not overly keen on it.
And I find the plot just rather plain and uninteresting.
The sequence of Magnum and Billy Joe picking up girls to try and get a lead on Billy Joe’s missing sister feels like it should be really funny, but just comes off as so-so. In fact, the whole episode FEELS as if it should be better than it actually is.

Also, when Channel 5 in the U.K. reran the series in 2002-3, this was one of two episodes they skipped (the other being season seven’s ‘Out Of Sync’). I’m not sure if it was due to the bad guys using nunchaku (until very recently, they were banned in the U.K.), or the climatic scene with Billy Joe planning to hang Ito. Either way, I never got to see this episode until the release of the Season Two DVD set.

All-in-all, not one of my favourite episodes. There are worse, but as a season opener, I just find it rather disappointing.

-----

Other notes, bloopers and misc.:

* As mentioned above, this is the only season that will use this particular version of the theme on the opening credits.

* When Billy Joe arrives at the Club, and Rick comes to throw him out after he socked one of the workers, two lines of dialogue are noticeably added in post-production. (Billy Joe: “He got in my way, don't you make the same mistake.” Rick: “Cowpoke, you just pick up your hayseeds and get out of here.”) It is noticeable in that we see shots of T.C. and Magnum instead, and the audio is noticeably done in a studio.

* The Hawaiian Police Sergeant in this episode in some ways feels a bit like a prototype for Lt. Tanaka, introduced later in the season.

* When Billy Joe races off in the Ferrari, the shots of him putting the car in gear are seemingly stock footage used of Magnum (or his double).

* The closing credits of this episode are unusual in that they just feature shots of Billy Joe flying T.C.’s helicopter. Usually, there would be a selection of shots from throughout the story.

* The version of the theme used on the closing credits would only (if I remember) correctly, be used on one more episode, ‘The Sixth Position’ later in the season.

* As mentioned, Channel 5 skipped this episode in 2002. I seemed cursed to not see it, as I had not seen it on ITV regional re-runs either (one time, I was on holiday and the local region had it scheduled, but they changed it for a news programme at the last minute!). I’m not sure if 5 skipped it due to the use of nunchaku, or the hanging. Which ever it was, I’m surprised they didn’t edit around it, leaving a huge hole in the story – they did on other occasions, particularly on their run of ‘Starsky & Hutch’ which followed their run of MPI.
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Jaybird
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#14 Post by Jaybird »

For some reason I thought my second time through this episode would be a 'groaner.' Actually, I liked it very much. Is this the first appearance for James Cameron? And I was not expecting Carol Ann to reappear. So the plot has some twists and turns.

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#15 Post by Coops »

I've been in Texas my entire life. I've been from El Paso to Orange. From the valley to Lubbock. From Big Bend to the Red River. And I've yet to see any part of Texas that looks like the background in the photo of Carol Ann when she was a cheerleader. However, there IS a Shamrock, Texas and it's claim to fame is the U-Drop Inn, as seen in the movie Cars. It's located up in the arid panhandle and in no way could be confused as, oh say, Oahu.
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Coops
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#16 Post by Coops »

" In the police station scene, when it's revealed that Carol Ann Little is alive, Magnum introduces himself as "a friend of Billy Joe's". Carol Ann responds, "Yes, he told me about you". That's not possible. In the first scene at the KKC, it's established that Magnum and Billy Joe do not know each other. Carol Ann could not be referring to Ito either. In the Ito's house/dojo scene when Ito's suited manservant tells Ito Carol Ann's brother has hired a detective, it's established that "not much is known about him [Magnum]". Ito clearly does not know Magnum, and even asks the manservant, "Is he competent?". (Noted by J.G.)"

What if she were meaning "he" as the cop who went to bring her to Magnum? He (the cop) goes to the room she's waiting in and says to her, "We've got Thomas Magnum here, a P.I. He's a friend of your brother, Billie Joe Bob. We need him to stop his investigation so we can put you on the stand against Ito." and he wheels her into the room to meet Magnum. Of course that dialogue between the cop and Carol Ann is just made up by me.
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#17 Post by Coops »

After watching that scene again, after Carol Ann makes that "he told me" remark, Magnum immediately looks back to that cop.
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#18 Post by J.J. Walters »

I do believe you are correct Coops!

Bring me the head of "J.G."! And bring me my head as well for not double-checking this! ;)

I've removed the flub. I love removing flubs that not flubs.
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Coops
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#19 Post by Coops »

Well, it struck me kind of odd about the flub. I'm not 100% sure I'm right but it made sense to me. I find the writing on M.P.I. so strong that sometimes the little details aren't obvious and requires a second look. I did, however, very much enjoy this episode.
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Milo Minderbinder
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#20 Post by Milo Minderbinder »

I also thought the "he" referred to her brother and not the cop when I watched it.

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#21 Post by northshore »

I'm not sure why I found this so funny but Magnum loans Billy Joe Bob his patent Hawaiian shirt when the two of them "switch roles" to find out information on Carol-Ann from the prostitutes at the gentlemen's club. I often thought about getting one of the Magnum Hawaiian shirts but I think I'm more a Billy Joe Bob than a Magnum... so I'm passing on the idea. LOL :roll:

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#22 Post by zebra3 »

I really had to cringe when I saw the bar scene. Billy Joe unable to control himself to an embarrassing degree, and Magnum's terrible accent.

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#23 Post by MaiTaiMan »

Okay...the name of this episode says it all...Billy Joe Bob. :? As I stated in another thread once, I am not a fan of cowboy/western type shows or movies, so this episode is not one I enjoy! The James Whitmore, Jr. character is just too hick/hillbilly for me...it annoyed the heck out of me! :x Magnum and "Cowboy Bob" just don't mix. :roll:

This was also not a very good season premiere, in my opinion! :shock: To me this should have been stuck in the middle somewhere as a "filler", while getting ready for more awesome episodes.

James Whitmore, Jr. also played a dorky, annoying cop during the first couple seasons of another 80's cop-drama called "Hunter"--starring Fred Dryer and Stepfanie Kramer. I loved "Hunter" too, but Whitmore's character irritated me just as much as he did here in "Magnum". However, "Hunter" producers/writers eventually phased him out, and it was the right move! But, Whitmore wanted to do more behind the camera anyway, and ended up directing tons of "Hunter" episodes instead!
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#24 Post by Braddah Kimo »

Locations: Magnum and Billy talk with the prostitutes in a club that was popular in the 80's, a disco known as the Third Floor. It's logo read from down to up, as you saw with the signage hidden by the fern when the two fight the Japanese Pimps. Sam reminds me the Shotgun wielding bartender scene was probably shot at what is now the Aston on Kalakaua in what is now known as a tiki grill and bar. No wait. Tiki's bar and grill. No, that may be Tiki's grill and bar. Ah, it's something like that. Shortly thereafter, Magnum pulls up to the Marriott which is at Kalakakua and Ohua Streets. As the helicopter lands you can catch a glimpse of the aforementioned sacred ancient Hawaiian fish pond enclosure thang...

Additionally, the foley work is way off in two scenes: the two detectives (Borges & Kamekona) following Magnum at the Marriott and the dogs getting fooled by Billy Joe going up the stairs.

Seth Sakai ALLLLways has that forced exaggerated Clinton frown on when he does an underworld role... Once when I was at the Diamond Head Studios to arrange some propmaster work on a show shot here, Seth followed me with his eyes as I passed him. I wanted to say, "eh braddah, YOU somebody, not me!"

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#25 Post by J.J. Walters »

Braddah Kimo wrote:Locations: Magnum and Billy talk with the prostitutes in a club that was popular in the 80's, a disco known as the Third Floor. It's logo read from down to up, as you saw with the signage hidden by the fern when the two fight the Japanese Pimps.
Do you happen to remember where this was located?
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

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