Three Minus Two (2.22)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the second season

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How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
0
No votes
9.5 (One of the Best)
6
6%
9.0 (Excellent)
6
6%
8.5 (Very Good)
21
23%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
30
32%
7.5 (Decent)
10
11%
7.0 (Average at Best)
13
14%
6.5 (Not So Good)
3
3%
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
3
3%
5.0 (Just Awful)
1
1%
 
Total votes: 93

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J.J. Walters
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Three Minus Two (2.22)

#1 Post by J.J. Walters »

This is the official MM thread for Three Minus Two (2.22). All discussions and reviews for this episode should go here. If you wish to rate the episode, please do so with the poll. The avg. score will be the official 'community rating', which will be used on the episode page (updated monthly).

This thread is also linked in the episode page of the Episode Guide.


Original Air Date: 4/1/1982
A beautiful fashion designer asks for Magnum's help when one of her two partners is found murdered and she suspects the third partner of the crime. As Magnum investigates, he learns that there are several possible suspects and that someone may be planning another murder.
Last edited by J.J. Walters on Fri Dec 28, 2007 5:09 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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#2 Post by J.J. Walters »

Magnum infiltrates the fashion industry!? Uh, no. It doesn't work. Despite a good supporting cast of Bond Girl Jill St. John and Beverly Garland, this episode falls way short with a weak script and sorry, predictable ending. The swimsuit models on the runway in the beginning is one of the few highlights. ;)
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

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#3 Post by MagnumPI_Cat »

Unless I am mistaken, I'm pretty sure the Ferrari is orange in a few of the shots! I just thought I would point that out.

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#4 Post by IslandHopper »

MagnumPI_Cat wrote:Unless I am mistaken, I'm pretty sure the Ferrari is orange in a few of the shots! I just thought I would point that out.
It has been a while since I have seen this episode, so I don't recall noticing if the Ferrari was orange. Perhaps it was the way the sun reflected off of the paint? :?

Although I agree with many of James' comments regarding Three Minus Two, I like this episode. I guess it's like some of the other episodes I like, I don't exactly know the reason, but I like it for some reason.

I do concede that this episode was very cheesy in many respects, such as TC's alias of "Mr. Alex," not to mention TC's overacting while posing as Mr. Alex. TC could barely contain himself.

In addition, the car that was blown up was a hulk. After the car was blown up, TC and Magnum snuck into the impound lot to inspect the car, TC said something to the effect "looked like it was a nice car." Yeah, back in 1955. That car was a piece of junk before it was blown up. I understand that this car's sole purpose was to be blown up, but c'mon, at least make a half-hearted attempt to get a decent looking car to blow up.

As TC was reaching underneath the car looking for clues, he found the plastic bag with one of the partner's wallet and watch inside. Why was this taped to the underside of the car? Was this a weak attempt by the killer to try to hide the watch and wallet? I don't remember if this was explained, but I always thought it odd that those items were taped to the bottom of the car. Despite this episode's shortcomings, I still like if for some reason.
The answer is obvious, old man. Logic is irrelevant. It's simply Tropical Madness. (J.Q. Higgins)

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Doc Ibold
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#5 Post by Doc Ibold »

Actually,

Most of the time when TC is acting like someone, he pulls the overacting bit.

For instance when he does the pickled egg gag in "Limited Engagement", and then there was another time he acted like an IRS agent (sometime in season 5/6).

I kind of like it because it IS so over the top!

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#6 Post by IslandHopper »

Doc Ibold wrote:Actually,

Most of the time when TC is acting like someone, he pulls the overacting bit.

For instance when he does the pickled egg gag in "Limited Engagement", and then there was another time he acted like an IRS agent (sometime in season 5/6).

I kind of like it because it IS so over the top!
You're right Doc. I think the episode you are referring to where TC poses as an IRS agent is "Professor Johnathon Higgins" (season 5). TC also does the same thing in Adelaide, when he and Rick dress up in tuxedos and top hats, etc., to attend the First Annual Hawaii Horse Show, at Magnum's invitation, which of course is just a ruse to get them there to pull surveillance.
The answer is obvious, old man. Logic is irrelevant. It's simply Tropical Madness. (J.Q. Higgins)

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#7 Post by golfmobile »

I have some questions about the scenery at the estate shown in this episode. I'm not as expert as most of you here in dissecting everything in all the episodes (which I like, don't get me wrong!), so I'm just learning to look for things.

1. When the cops drive into the estate and Higgins angrily meets them and Jill St. John is on the balcony in her bath towel (or whatever), the gate the cop car drives through seems to be entirely different from the usual one that TM and everyone else drives through all the rest of the time. Is this the real E. Anderson estate gate and the one we are used to seeing a mock-up?

2. When Higgins comes to get Magnum to tell him the cops are there, he finds TM outside on what seems to be a porch (lanai) of the guest house, with lots of furniture and stuff, tile floor, etc. When do we EVER see this again? I've always assumed that the guest house was on a slope of topography, so that the front door was at ground level on that side of the house and you walked down into the guest house because the ground drops down and that's where the house was built. Like a house on a slope that looks like one story from the front but on the back it's two stories because the ground falls away. It doesn't make much sense for a "guest" house to be designed so you have to walk UP a flight of stairs to get to the front door and then walk right back DOWN a flight of stairs to enter the living quarters. If that the case, why not just have the door at ground level? Or is it designed so you have an elevated, covered porch (lanai) for the view? I can buy that, but then wouldn't you just have the door into the house below the second story balcony (lanai). See what I mean?

Now there are a couple of scenes I remember, but I can't remember which episode right now, where at the end Higgins seems to be comforting Magnum or reassuring him about something and the scene appears to be on a lanai like this (hip high concrete walls, substantial furniture, etc). I'd always assumed those were on a porch/balcony/lanai at the main house, not at the guest house. So were they supposed to be on Magnum's lanai at the guest house?

3. Then when Magnum goes rushing to keep JSJ from talking to the police, we find her out on the lawn at a very low wall beyond which is the ocean (tidal pool). I thought the entire estate was fenced in with cyclone fencing. Security and all that. Now this low wall provides no perimeter security (unless the beach beyond it is a LOT lower than it appears and the fence is down below).

I'm just wondering if in the early episodes and seasons, "they" were still picking a location for a scene just because it made a good visual shot and they didn't pay a lot of attention to consistency because they didn't KNOW there would be a need to repeat some location because they didn't know the series would keep getting picked up and renewed, so they just used random locations and when the show kept getting renewed, they then had to determine what was what and then had to be consistent (I know that sentence is terribly run-on and has too many "becauses" and hypotheticals, but I think you know what I'm trying to get at).

See what I mean?

golf
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#8 Post by IslandHopper »

golfmobile wrote: Now there are a couple of scenes I remember, but I can't remember which episode right now, where at the end Higgins seems to be comforting Magnum or reassuring him about something and the scene appears to be on a lanai like this (hip high concrete walls, substantial furniture, etc). I'd always assumed those were on a porch/balcony/lanai at the main house, not at the guest house. So were they supposed to be on Magnum's lanai at the guest house?
Good questions Golf. Unfortunately I do not know the answers to most of them, but I'm sure James or someone else will know. I remember several scenes with "hip high" concrete walls and furniture, but I'm not sure they are the scenes you are referring to. :? The scenes I recall with the hip high wall are at the back of the 'main' house.

In "Double Jeopardy" (season 2) when Magnum first bumps into Olivia Ross, he is leaning against a hip high wall. This is at the back of the estate and there is usually furniture there, although (I think) in this scene there may not have been because I think the extra space was used for the production equipment, i.e., lights, etc.

There is also a scene from "Never Again, Never Again" (season 1), when Higgins is alerted to the presence of the two intruders, and he sneaks out and commando-rolls over the wall, gun in hand, and then crouches stealthily and moves toward the camera. Not to get off topic, but James, this is one of my favorite scenes and the shot of Higgins crouching with the gun facing the camera would make a great "avatar."
The answer is obvious, old man. Logic is irrelevant. It's simply Tropical Madness. (J.Q. Higgins)

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#9 Post by golfmobile »

IH,

YOU don't know??????? I'm shocked, shocked and appalled (just kidding!!!)

Anyway, my main concern was my question #2 where you see Magnum's guest house porch/lanai. Was it ever seen in any other episode? (or is it like the dead brother Joey, of whom we will never speak again -- ditto Magnum's lanai that we will never see again?) In "Three Minus Two," it was DEFINITELY Magnum on a lanai at the guest house, because he dashes in and changes clothes and then comes out to meet with JSJ and the cops.

I'm comforted by the fact that you thought all the "hip high concrete wall" shots were also "main house" scenes. So this may be something to watch for in early episodes and try to get a handle on.

James, we will await your input.

golf
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#10 Post by IslandHopper »

golfmobile wrote:I have some questions about the scenery at the estate shown in this episode. I'm not as expert as most of you here in dissecting everything in all the episodes (which I like, don't get me wrong!), so I'm just learning to look for things.

1. When the cops drive into the estate and Higgins angrily meets them and Jill St. John is on the balcony in her bath towel (or whatever), the gate the cop car drives through seems to be entirely different from the usual one that TM and everyone else drives through all the rest of the time. Is this the real E. Anderson estate gate and the one we are used to seeing a mock-up?

2. When Higgins comes to get Magnum to tell him the cops are there, he finds TM outside on what seems to be a porch (lanai) of the guest house, with lots of furniture and stuff, tile floor, etc. When do we EVER see this again? I've always assumed that the guest house was on a slope of topography, so that the front door was at ground level on that side of the house and you walked down into the guest house because the ground drops down and that's where the house was built. Like a house on a slope that looks like one story from the front but on the back it's two stories because the ground falls away. It doesn't make much sense for a "guest" house to be designed so you have to walk UP a flight of stairs to get to the front door and then walk right back DOWN a flight of stairs to enter the living quarters. If that the case, why not just have the door at ground level? Or is it designed so you have an elevated, covered porch (lanai) for the view? I can buy that, but then wouldn't you just have the door into the house below the second story balcony (lanai). See what I mean?

Now there are a couple of scenes I remember, but I can't remember which episode right now, where at the end Higgins seems to be comforting Magnum or reassuring him about something and the scene appears to be on a lanai like this (hip high concrete walls, substantial furniture, etc). I'd always assumed those were on a porch/balcony/lanai at the main house, not at the guest house. So were they supposed to be on Magnum's lanai at the guest house?

3. Then when Magnum goes rushing to keep JSJ from talking to the police, we find her out on the lawn at a very low wall beyond which is the ocean (tidal pool). I thought the entire estate was fenced in with cyclone fencing. Security and all that. Now this low wall provides no perimeter security (unless the beach beyond it is a LOT lower than it appears and the fence is down below).

I'm just wondering if in the early episodes and seasons, "they" were still picking a location for a scene just because it made a good visual shot and they didn't pay a lot of attention to consistency because they didn't KNOW there would be a need to repeat some location because they didn't know the series would keep getting picked up and renewed, so they just used random locations and when the show kept getting renewed, they then had to determine what was what and then had to be consistent (I know that sentence is terribly run-on and has too many "becauses" and hypotheticals, but I think you know what I'm trying to get at).

See what I mean?

golf
Okay, okay Golf you shamed me into finding some answers for you. Actually, your reply made me laugh. Specifically, your choice of the word "appalled." The only time I usually hear that word is from my wife. Unfortunately, I hear it more than I dare to admit. :wink:

Regarding your first question about the entrance the cops drive through. I don't know if this is part of the Anderson Estate, but I know it has been shown in many episodes. In "Double Jeopardy" (season 2), you see it when Magnum is in the cab returning to the estate and he sees one of the actors on a ladder ready to climb over the estate wall. In "Dead Man's Channel" (season 2), I believe Magnum drives through this entrance when he first meets his client and has the goat in the car (season 2).

Regarding your second question about the lanai of the guest house. This is shown in many episodes, although I can't think of them all right now, but one such episode is "Italian Ice" (season 2). In that episode you see Magnum walking down the stairs and tripping over Katrina at the bottom of the stairs. As far as I know this has always been the set up of the guest house, i.e., walk up the flight of stairs on the the porch/lanai to the front door. Another episode where we see Magnum lounging on the lanai is "The Aarow That Is Not Aimed" (season 3). In that episode, Higgins confronts Magnum on the lanai about a can of dog repellent he found in Magnum's trash, and then blackmails him into helping Tozan. We also see the lanai in "No Need To Know" (season 1) when Magnum is hurrying to get in the door as the lads are in hot pursuit.

Regarding your third question about the low wall behind the tidal pool. This area has also been used several times. You can see Rabbit Island in the background which is also visible when Magnum and others are swimming in the tidal pool. In "Home From The Sea" (season 4), Agatha and Higgins are playing chess and having tea in that area. Agatha is also trying to make a move on Higgins. In that scene, you can see the wall right behind Agatha when the camera does a close-up of her. Rabbit Island is also visible as in "Three Minus Two." Perhaps the most famous use of that particular wall is in "Computer Date" (season 2), where Magnum is sitting on that very same wall drinking a Coops Beer while Higgins is doing sit-ups. That particular shot is often used in the intro to MPI.

I hope that helps Golf. :D
The answer is obvious, old man. Logic is irrelevant. It's simply Tropical Madness. (J.Q. Higgins)

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#11 Post by Sparkle & Fizz »

"Agatha is also trying to make a move on Higgins."

A phrase that can keep you smiling all day long!

:)

Thanks for the chuckle.

Sparkle&Fizz

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#12 Post by golfmobile »

IH,

Thanks! Now I know what to look for! Remember, I'm new at this detail stuff, so I'm always delighted when I notice something new "to me" -- because, pretty soon, I'll be able to quote in their entirety all the episodes of the first three seasons, since the Sleuth Channel is stuck in that groove for now and that's all I get to see!

golf
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#13 Post by J.J. Walters »

The guesthouse layout is quite unorthodox, isn't it? To get inside you have to walk up the outside stairs and enter the porch, or lanai. From there, you enter the building, then walk down the inside stairs! Another reason why Magnum is in such good shape!

The MPI crew was sort of forced into this layout. Remember, the guesthouse in the show is really a boathouse! All of the indoor guesthouse scenes were filmed on a set on a soundstage. Since there is really no pedestrain door on the boathouse (there is a large "boat door" in the front) at ground level, they had to make the inside set with stairs leading back down. Otherwise, it would be even weirder - You go up the outside stairs to the top level, then what? You would never see the "ground level" of the guesthouse. :? I guess they could have made two different indoor sets for the guesthouse, one for the top level and one for the ground level, but then we wouldn't have the ultra cool layout we know and love!

BTW, I liked Three Minus Two much better on the second revisit. Overall, the episode is still below par for me, but man does it have some classic scenes! ;)
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#14 Post by golfmobile »

James,

Thanks for that explanation. I need to go re-read the description of the actual guesthouse. I forgot that was on the site here.

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#15 Post by Carol the Dabbler »

Doc Ibold wrote:Actually, most of the time when TC is acting like someone, he pulls the overacting bit. .... I kind of like it because it IS so over the top!
TC's overacting (when he's pretending to be someone else) actually makes those scenes very believable. I mean, TC's supposed to be a helicopter pilot, not an actor! (And I agree with Doc -- it's kind of endearing.)

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