Try to Remember (2.15)

[ENSHealy]

A great episode! I gave it a 9, and after reading all the comments I'm thinking I should have bumped it up to 9.5 as I am having a hard time thinking what the flaws were. Only a few minor things come to mind:

1. Wendy Gilbert is over the top. She's so egregiously overacted that she might as well be wearing a shirt that says "I killed Joni." The plot twist would have been much bigger had she toned it down a little and been hiding in plain sight, as they say.

2. The car seat plot device. First, Dave doesn't appear to be taller than Magnum. They stand across from each other in a couple scenes and look about the same height. Second, we know that Thomas doesn't have to move the seat forward, he can barely get it back far enough, the car has even been modified just so he can fit in it. Granted, that's IRL and show universe colliding and I suppose it only being season 2 the writers weren't counting on the deep dives all us fanatics enjoy so much. But to me the biggest issue is, how do you get the car off the rack and into the garage driveway without someone driving it there? Did they push it? And, with all that damage, no one test drove it to make sure the "aerodynamics" were back to spec?

At this point, however, I would seem to be quibbling.

Flub: Rick says Dave was convicted of "Security fraud." Pretty sure he meant "Securities fraud." Either that or Dave was a bad alarm installer?

Flub, or just bad set design? Magnum is in the "Intensive Coronary Unit." Ummm, why? He didn't have a heart attack, he was in a car crash. I suppose the double doors could be for both the "Intensive Care Unit" and the "Intensive Coronary Unit."

Car Talk: When Tanaka takes TM to the crime scene, he's driving a Chevy Citation. He must only take the Plymouth out when he's expecting a chase!

When TM returns with the Audi, there are a couple of shots where you can see the courtyard colonnade behind Higgins through the double doors, which wouldn't be there based on internal shots where it would be the hall between the wine cellar doors, the living room with the Gaugin, and Higgin's study.

[Turkey]

Re-watched this earlier and it's probably one I've overlooked as a fav, like I should have put it in my top ten.

Heaps to enjoy whenever I watch it but the introduction of Tanaka is probably one of the best aspects. That and Higgins learning about the wine

[karolis]

Possible Mistake: Hi Guys, watching this episode tonight on Netflix and noticed at 41:03 when Tom pulls away from Rick there is a guy lurking in the bay of the auto shop who looks just like Magnum...is it the his stunt double??? he looks just like TM.

Here's the screenshot, the guy is on the right, in the dark:

In the previous episode "Computer Date", we briefly meet Higgins' old flame Lady Ashley and her "traveling companion" Paolo. Paolo is wearing a gold necklace with a large pendant. Well, in this episode, Higgins now has that exact same necklace, which he uses to hypnotize Magnum!

I though i'll share the screenshots one more time, as those links are dead:

Here's necklace in this episode:



Here's necklace from the previous episode (Computer Date):



At one moment in this episode i thought that Nancy had the same necklace:

Secondly, a mysterious white Ford Torino station wagon seems to be following Magnum around in this episode, with no connection to the plot. It's at the scene of Magnum's car crash. It's at the Crouching Lion Inn. It's at the "Haloka Antiques" shop. And one other place, I believe. Pretty funny.

Ford Torino wagon at the crash scene:



At the Crouching Lion Inn:



At the antiques shop:

2. The car seat plot device. First, Dave doesn't appear to be taller than Magnum. They stand across from each other in a couple scenes and look about the same height. Second, we know that Thomas doesn't have to move the seat forward, he can barely get it back far enough, the car has even been modified just so he can fit in it. Granted, that's IRL and show universe colliding and I suppose it only being season 2 the writers weren't counting on the deep dives all us fanatics enjoy so much.

To me Dave looked a little bit taller:





And his legs seemed a little bit longer, so that's probably why he would adjust the seat.

Flub, or just bad set design? Magnum is in the "Intensive Coronary Unit." Ummm, why? He didn't have a heart attack, he was in a car crash. I suppose the double doors could be for both the "Intensive Care Unit" and the "Intensive Coronary Unit."

First sighting of a rubber chicken:

[karolis]

Here's my Season Two's Top up to this episode:

1. Tropical Madness (loved this one)
2-3. Memories Are Forever (1 & 2)
4. Try to Remember
5. The Woman on the Beach
6. The Jororo Kill
7. Computer Date
8. Dead Man’s Channel
9. Wave Goodbye
10. Ghost Writer
11. The Sixth Position
12. From Moscow to Maui
13. The Taking of Dick McWilliams
14. Billy Joe Bob
15. Mad Buck Gibson

[K Hale]

In the previous episode "Computer Date", we briefly meet Higgins' old flame Lady Ashley and her "traveling companion" Paolo. Paolo is wearing a gold necklace with a large pendant. Well, in this episode, Higgins now has that exact same necklace, which he uses to hypnotize Magnum!

I though i'll share the screenshots one more time, as those links are dead:

Here's necklace in this episode:



Here's necklace from the previous episode (Computer Date):

I think of this every time I watch "Try to Remember." A good story could be written regarding how Higgins came to have that pendant that Paolo was seen wearing.

[K Hale]

2. The car seat plot device. First, Dave doesn't appear to be taller than Magnum. They stand across from each other in a couple scenes and look about the same height. Second, we know that Thomas doesn't have to move the seat forward, he can barely get it back far enough, the car has even been modified just so he can fit in it. Granted, that's IRL and show universe colliding and I suppose it only being season 2 the writers weren't counting on the deep dives all us fanatics enjoy so much.

To me Dave looked a little bit taller:





And his legs seemed a little bit longer, so that's probably why he would adjust the seat.

I suspect they are about the same height. Selleck looks like he has been told to slump a little bit to seem shorter than Dave. I also think this was set up in our minds during the hospital scene when our first sight of Dave comes from Magnum's POV as he sits in a wheelchair, with the camera looking waaaaay up at Dave to emphasize his height.

[Pahonu]

A great episode! I gave it a 9, and after reading all the comments I'm thinking I should have bumped it up to 9.5 as I am having a hard time thinking what the flaws were. Only a few minor things come to mind:

1. Wendy Gilbert is over the top. She's so egregiously overacted that she might as well be wearing a shirt that says "I killed Joni." The plot twist would have been much bigger had she toned it down a little and been hiding in plain sight, as they say.

2. The car seat plot device. First, Dave doesn't appear to be taller than Magnum. They stand across from each other in a couple scenes and look about the same height. Second, we know that Thomas doesn't have to move the seat forward, he can barely get it back far enough, the car has even been modified just so he can fit in it. Granted, that's IRL and show universe colliding and I suppose it only being season 2 the writers weren't counting on the deep dives all us fanatics enjoy so much. But to me the biggest issue is, how do you get the car off the rack and into the garage driveway without someone driving it there? Did they push it? And, with all that damage, no one test drove it to make sure the "aerodynamics" were back to spec?

At this point, however, I would seem to be quibbling.

Flub: Rick says Dave was convicted of "Security fraud." Pretty sure he meant "Securities fraud." Either that or Dave was a bad alarm installer?

Flub, or just bad set design? Magnum is in the "Intensive Coronary Unit." Ummm, why? He didn't have a heart attack, he was in a car crash. I suppose the double doors could be for both the "Intensive Care Unit" and the "Intensive Coronary Unit."

Car Talk: When Tanaka takes TM to the crime scene, he's driving a Chevy Citation. He must only take the Plymouth out when he's expecting a chase!

When TM returns with the Audi, there are a couple of shots where you can see the courtyard colonnade behind Higgins through the double doors, which wouldn't be there based on internal shots where it would be the hall between the wine cellar doors, the living room with the Gaugin, and Higgin's study.

ENSHealy,

I noticed that shot of the colonnade years ago, in late 80's reruns, I think. That's when I knew for certain the interiors of Pahonu were very different than shown on the show. After I saw the house on Hawaii Five-O around the same time, I began making sketches of what I thought the real interior might be like. I remember recognizing the estate while watching Woe to Wo Fat one afternoon, and jamming a VHS tape into the VCR to record it. That episode has more scenes at the estate than any other, I think. All these years later, with DVR's and especially this forum, I can't believe how my model has progressed. I never would have thought it possible then.

Also, thanks for all the episode analysis. I'm enjoying the Magnumometer a lot!

[ENSHealy]

2. The car seat plot device. First, Dave doesn't appear to be taller than Magnum. They stand across from each other in a couple scenes and look about the same height. Second, we know that Thomas doesn't have to move the seat forward, he can barely get it back far enough, the car has even been modified just so he can fit in it. Granted, that's IRL and show universe colliding and I suppose it only being season 2 the writers weren't counting on the deep dives all us fanatics enjoy so much.

To me Dave looked a little bit taller:





And his legs seemed a little bit longer, so that's probably why he would adjust the seat.

I suspect they are about the same height. Selleck looks like he has been told to slump a little bit to seem shorter than Dave. I also think this was set up in our minds during the hospital scene when our first sight of Dave comes from Magnum's POV as he sits in a wheelchair, with the camera looking waaaaay up at Dave to emphasize his height.

TM is definitely slumping in the photo, in the plot at that point he's hobbled by the car accident injuries, and sort of limping around hunched over a bit. He is also leaning on his cane, so I think if he were standing up straight, they'd be pretty much the same height. In my universe, no one is taller than Magnum....

[ENSHealy]

Also, thanks for all the episode analysis. I'm enjoying the Magnumometer a lot!

Thanks! It is so much fun to watch an episode, see what I can catch, and then read through the forum to see what I missed. Your work on the estate will be invaluable when I win the lottery and begin rebuilding Pahonu!! Powerball is up over $300MM this Saturday....

[ENSHealy]

2.15 TRY TO REMEMBER
Hawaiian shirts: 2
Island Hopper shirts:
Magnum Body Count:
Magnum bullet wounds:
Shirtless:
Little Voice:
I know what you’re thinking:
When I write HTBAWCPI: .5 No reference to the book, but TM describes how to lose a tail.
Investigator corrections:
Higgins musings: 1
4th wall breaks: 1
Negotiations:
Famous guest stars:
Higgins Organizations:
Magnumometer: 4.5

The best moment is when Higgins is waiting behind the door for TM to return. The look on his face! It would have been even better, in my mind, if the script hadn't had Thomas calling him out on it. Just let it be a little secret for regular viewers to appreciate.

[K Hale]

The best moment is when Higgins is waiting behind the door for TM to return. The look on his face! It would have been even better, in my mind, if the script hadn't had Thomas calling him out on it. Just let it be a little secret for regular viewers to appreciate.

Magnum wouldn't be Magnum (at least in season 2) if he didn't call attention to it. By season 5, however, everyone has grown up enough that they have stopped pretending they don't care about one another, or that there is something bizarre about it. In "Mac's Back," Magnum simply tells Higgins, "I'm fine, really. And I appreciate your concern." And Higgins just nods, whether he really believes Magnum is fine or not. (Probably not)

[ENSHealy]

Belated posting of the Magnumometer moments for Try to Remember: https://vimeo.com/372202939?autoplay=1

[Pahonu]

2.15 TRY TO REMEMBER
Hawaiian shirts: 2
Island Hopper shirts:
Magnum Body Count:
Magnum bullet wounds:
Shirtless:
Little Voice:
I know what you’re thinking:
When I write HTBAWCPI: .5 No reference to the book, but TM describes how to lose a tail.
Investigator corrections:
Higgins musings: 1
4th wall breaks: 1
Negotiations:
Famous guest stars:
Higgins Organizations:
Magnumometer: 4.5

The best moment is when Higgins is waiting behind the door for TM to return. The look on his face! It would have been even better, in my mind, if the script hadn't had Thomas calling him out on it. Just let it be a little secret for regular viewers to appreciate.

Ensign Healy,

I wanted to thank you for including the above picture of Higgins. You likely had no idea, but you just gave me a view of a part of Pahonu that I'd never seen, or more accurately, noticed. That view into the entryway provided me with some information that I used to make my SketchUp model and floor plans more accurate.

When visitors to Pahonu arrived they would walk from the drive through those double doors, up a few steps and into the patio area with the arched colonnade. Most fans of the show understand this now. What most don't realize is that the entryway also has two smaller doors, one leading to the kitchen complex of rooms on the right and the other a trunk room on the left. Rick Romer confirmed the trunk room location in his blog. A Hawaii Five-O episode showed the door to the kitchen but the location of the trunk room door was unknown. Was it before the steps or after the steps in the entryway? I guessed at the top of the steps based on the level of the windows in the trunk room ell. I was wrong, but now we know, thanks to you. The door, itself, can't be seen in the picture but it is clearly not on the wall near the arched colonnade. It can't be in the middle of the wall where the steps are, so it must be immediately to the left as one walks into the entryway, just like the kitchen door to the right.

That was clever design by the architect. Both of those doors are for servants and would likely go unnoticed as guests arrived through the double doors to the entry. In fact, if the double doors were only opened about 90 degrees rather than flat against the wall, they would obscure the two service doors. The right door to the kitchen complex actually leads first to a service staircase with a dumbwaiter, before going on to the butler's pantry, kitchen, servant's dining room, etc... The service stairs go up to another service room, the sewing room mentioned in RG's newspaper article about Pahonu's construction. It also goes down to the basement, another service area. All the service areas, including the garage, laundry, and tool shed at the end, are on the opposite side of the house from public rooms with their ocean views. Very well designed!

Anyway, thanks again! Sorry that got long!

[Gorilla Mask]

Bonjour tout le monde !

As an an afterthought, i rated this opus as "good", somewhat downrated, still because of plot logic and script linkage concerns (as always, you know me ! ).

You know too that i am quite severe with these aspects.

The good points:

- a very good climax and dramatisation since the prologue, with no music, the direct view of the crashed ferrari, the Hospital, the Vietcong dream...
- a good overall script, featuring, as a basis, what would have been a very good twist about amnesia (or alleged amnesia). The main pitch: the conclusion that there was NO amnesia since there was NO memories to remember) was really...awesome;
- Tanaka appearance and incarnation by Kwan Hi Lim: a character who go off the beaten tracks. Quite refreshing !

The points that could have been improved:

- the script logic: I still have to figure out why the Gilbert's Hired Magnum ? To give the Police a suspect ? Why not. So they planned to shadow Magnum to know where the Sister was down, then they invited him fir dinner, meanwhile, Dave Strangled the poor sister, then they druged the wine (the Chateau Monvoisin, Magnum brought ?), set false clues in the ferrari, dropped the ferrari off the cliff and then ?
- The plan was to kill/ severely injured Magnum in order to prevent him to talk or to disproove the (indirect) clues against him ? but, IMO, there was still no direct linkage between him and the beach bungalow where the corpse was found ?
- The Gilbert's should have anticipated that the hospital or the coroner should have found the drug in Magnum's blood...
- Dave should have foreseen that for the time of the killing (one or two hours before the dinner), Magnum might have had a good alibi (he stole the wine, then came directly to the Gilbert's house; or conducted some more survey on the field...)
- Tanaka suspected (or feigned to do so...) Magnum from the beginning, whereas, Magnum had no reason to kill the poor sister... Besides, Tanaka did not set any inquiry/interrogation of the Gilbert's in spite of their 'bombshell' family history ?
- Rick admitted that the death of the sister won't make any difference regarding the testatment validity... So ?

Lots of, what seemed to me, somewhat sloppy sides of the script. But, as always, it is not an easy task within a 40 minutes format.

Edit: another oddity: TM do not remember to release ANY information to the Gilbert's concerning Joani's residence. moreover, he probaly did not knew that information at the dinner's time (he just had a good track on her). So, we could assume that Dave could not have killed her, unless he already knew where she was down...

[Turkey]

Just re-watched this and it's nice to see it in the Top 40, since it's one of my fav 'lesser' episodes, though that's probably an unfair descriptor.

As many folks have pointed out, some cool first appearances here, especially Tanaka. Loved Higgins gleaning that info re: the wine cellar