The Sixth Position (2.11)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the second season

Moderator: Styles Bitchley

How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
1
1%
9.5 (One of the Best)
3
3%
9.0 (Excellent)
6
6%
8.5 (Very Good)
21
19%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
22
20%
7.5 (Decent)
27
25%
7.0 (Average at Best)
16
15%
6.5 (Not So Good)
7
6%
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
3
3%
5.0 (Just Awful)
2
2%
 
Total votes: 108

Message
Author
User avatar
KingKC
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 571
Joined: Mon Feb 29, 2016 10:16 pm
Location: Third World Country of Arkansas

Re: The Sixth Position (2.11)

#51 Post by KingKC »

I really thought it was a little soon to bring back Andrea Marcovicci as a different character but she performed well. Andrea/Kendall showed just enough attitude to make it realistic. I also thought it was a little soon to have another Russian-centric episode after Moscow to Maui. This obviously played to the stereotypical aspects of Russia with MIGS, Track and Field and Ballet. Somewhat of a recognition of Mikhail Baryshnikov. That said I liked it. TC's love of ballet from a chopper pilot was pretty unusual and slightly overplayed and it was a little dig at TM that some people have some class. A little cynicism from TM about everything being "national security." The cold war was a big topic in the eighties. A show like Magnum had to recognize that as well.

KingKC

jdequeir
Ensign
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Sep 12, 2017 4:20 am

Re:

#52 Post by jdequeir »

Congratulations!
rubber chicken wrote:Found the home of Elaine Selmire. (gm link)

It's in Portlock on Portlock Road, just a short drive north of the house used in Ghost Writer (2.12) & All Roads Lead to Floyd (1.13). And also a short drive south east of Rick's home.

Such a unique house!
Image



EDIT: This house was also used in Torah, Torah, Torah (5.21).

User avatar
K Hale
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 1117
Joined: Thu Feb 01, 2018 6:52 pm

Re:

#53 Post by K Hale »

Bondtoys.de wrote:I quite like the episode.
Watching it again today, I found Higgie's behaviour very strange.
TM kissing Andres and then fights with the russian thugs and shoots the guy.

Higgins - alarmed by Andreas screaming arrives and seems to be very kind to TM.

Next scene TM is at the police station and Higgins starts mocking on him which is kind of strange and very inconsistent.
He was there to bring Magnum home, and he doesn't like Magnum thinking he's gone out of his way to do something nice without expecting anything in return, which he can't ask for because Rick was also there and could have driven Magnum home. With no bargaining power, the only other alternative is to bust on him. Only after Higgins mellows with age over several years does it become acceptable to obviously do something for Magnum just for the sake of doing it... maybe. :wink:
I didn't realize you were so addicted to pool.
It's not pool.
Billiards.
Snooker!
Snucker.
SNOOKER!

User avatar
ENSHealy
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 639
Joined: Tue Mar 20, 2018 10:00 pm
Location: Madison, WI

Re:

#54 Post by ENSHealy »

especially because he never consummates anything with either of those women himself.
I'm not so sure about that...the scene in the driveway just before Kendall drives off in the brown Benz, it has a very "morning after" feel. The kiss Thomas gives her had me wondering if they hadn't spent the night together after the big denouement at the theater.
steveadl wrote:Just watched this one again. Can anyone read Magnum's lips in the final 20 secs - what's he's mouthing? Is it the price of the lens he just replaced needlessly?
He's mouthing "Seventeen hundred dollars"

I find it amusing that I'm responding to questions posed 7 years ago. I wish there was a way to restore all the broken image links in the older posts. I feel like I'm missing a lot.

One last point: what kind of CIA agent leaves an unlocked briefcase sticking out from underneath the bed, with her plane ticket and Langley's phone number in it?
Ensign Healy
Scholar in Residence
The Institute for Advanced Magnum Studies

"I woke up one day at 53 and realized I'd never been 23."

User avatar
karolis
Admiral
Posts: 153
Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2018 11:26 am
Location: Lithuania

Re:

#55 Post by karolis »

J.J. Walters wrote:
maggiepoole wrote:At the beginning of the show, when Magnum comes from the guest house to the main house (before he runs into the ballerinas). He comes down the guest house steps. Anyone notice a flash of some sort? It looks like lightning or a flash bulb. If it was lightning, he comes around the corner and it is sunny with fluffy clouds. Were the scenes shot on a different day or something? Or some sort of strange phenomena.......
Quigley wrote:Maggie - I was watching this yesterday and noticed the same thing! I would not have remembered about it unless I'd read your comment. I thought it may have been a reflection of the sun off something. Weird!

Another interesting thing about this scene is how you see Magnum come down the guest house steps and then in the next scene he comes around the corner of the main house on the ocean side before running into the ballerinas (which of course makes no sense if you know the layout of the estate)!
Weird! :shock: I could be wrong, but I don't think it's a flash. It looks to me like the film itself is damaged...

Image

Image

Although in the second screen cap, it almost looks like there might be a reflection of some sort. Are those human legs on TM's back?

Or maybe it's the long-suspected, secret teleportation device that enables Magnum to quickly get from the guesthouse to areas around the main house, especially when you consider that in a split second after the above shots, we see this (as pointed out by Quigley)...

Image

:)
I just watched this on BluRay - there's no such flash, it most definitely had to do something with the quality of the recording.

Image

User avatar
karolis
Admiral
Posts: 153
Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2018 11:26 am
Location: Lithuania

Re: The Sixth Position (2.11)

#56 Post by karolis »

I actually liked this episode, it's much better 2 previous ones, similar to "From Moscow to Maui". I loved the lost lenses moment, i liked Mac and doughnuts scene, T.C. loving ballet...

Personal Best Season 2 episodes up to this one:

1. Tropical Madness (loved this one)
2-3. Memories Are Forever (1 & 2)
4. The Woman on the Beach
5. Dead Man’s Channel
6. Wave Goodbye
7. The Sixth Position
8. From Moscow to Maui
9. The Taking of Dick McWilliams
10. Billy Joe Bob
11. Mad Buck Gibson
Last edited by karolis on Wed May 16, 2018 10:11 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
J.J. Walters
Founding Father
Posts: 4196
Joined: Tue Jan 02, 2007 10:54 pm
Location: Suburbia, USA
Contact:

Re: Re:

#57 Post by J.J. Walters »

karolis wrote:I just watched this on BluRay - there's no such flash, it most definitely had to do something with the quality of the recording.

Image
Really interesting that the "flash" is not in the BlueRay edition! They cleaned up the print. But now how do they explain him instantaneously going from the guest house to the other side of the estate? :)
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

User avatar
McGarrett
Lieutenant Junior Grade
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2018 4:58 am

Re: The Sixth Position (2.11)

#58 Post by McGarrett »

I enjoyed this episode, the story line was a little weak but a lot of good exterior shots of the estate, and good locations.

Looking back you can see in the 80's there was always a lot of plots in TV and movies involving the Russians.

Where were the "lads" when the thug falls from a tree and the other thug grabs Kendall?
time has little to do with infinity and jelly doughnuts

User avatar
T.Q.
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 1708
Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2018 7:19 pm

Re: The Sixth Position (2.11)

#59 Post by T.Q. »

Missed the Fourth Wall.

Been relying on ENSHealy (to see if there was one I missed) but this episode and next he didn’t post his breakdown.

Thx
Knocking my rubber chicken or my sloppy habits is within the rules, but you're attacking my character. I would like to think you don't mean that.

User avatar
K Hale
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 1117
Joined: Thu Feb 01, 2018 6:52 pm

Re: The Sixth Position (2.11)

#60 Post by K Hale »

McGarrett wrote:I enjoyed this episode, the story line was a little weak but a lot of good exterior shots of the estate, and good locations.

Looking back you can see in the 80's there was always a lot of plots in TV and movies involving the Russians.

Where were the "lads" when the thug falls from a tree and the other thug grabs Kendall?
Well, it’s a very large estate, so they must’ve been on patrol in another part of it.
I didn't realize you were so addicted to pool.
It's not pool.
Billiards.
Snooker!
Snucker.
SNOOKER!

User avatar
ENSHealy
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 639
Joined: Tue Mar 20, 2018 10:00 pm
Location: Madison, WI

Re: The Sixth Position (2.11)

#61 Post by ENSHealy »

2.11 THE SIXTH POSITION
Hawaiian shirts: 1
Island Hopper shirts: 1
Magnum Body Count: 1
Magnum gunshot wounds:
Shirtless:
Little Voice: 1
I know what you’re thinking:
When I write HTBAWCPI:
Investigator corrections:
Higgins musings:
4th wall breaks:
Negotiations:
Famous guest stars:
Magnumometer: 4

Potential magnumania usernames: Miss Selmeyer

First post since June! it was a very busy summer.

There were two scenes that were really close to 4th walls, but in the end I decided they didn't quite make the mark. In the first, he's clearly supposed to be watching Kendall walk away, even though to do so he has to look right into the camera.
Image

In the second one, in Miss Selmeyer's house after he calls Langley, it's very quick and I just feel it's missing the "knowing look" context that usually accompanies a 4th wall break.
Image

But you could very easily give a half point to each and call it 1 4th wall break. I couldn't argue much with that.
Ensign Healy
Scholar in Residence
The Institute for Advanced Magnum Studies

"I woke up one day at 53 and realized I'd never been 23."

User avatar
Gorilla Mask
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 337
Joined: Wed May 20, 2020 11:50 am
Location: Neuvic, Dordogne, France

Re: The Sixth Position (2.11)

#62 Post by Gorilla Mask »

I gave an overall good mark for this opus.

The plot is more intricated than expected at first glance: The CIA want to make the KGB discover by itself a 'phony' information carried by an US agent that finally had a pathetic and fatal accident in Moscow.

Langley knows that if threatened/discovered, this spy is ordered to give this (false or hoaxed) information to the first US citizen he met before dying. And that is the star of Ballet Kendall Chase...

However, i would say that this perticular US agent would not have appreciate to die, or to be in danger of death, because of a false information, so the CIA had certainely not told him the truth...

And then the KGB is tracking the poor prima ballerina to force her to reveal that information which genuineness is proven by the innocence of the poor girl...

Well, at least that is the aim of the CIA...and (for once) US spies ease by all means the misdeed of the soviet agents...

... And then arrived Magnum with his mustache, curly hair, DT cap and (above all) his colt. 45. ACP... :D ... And all these in less than 45 minutes !!

The originality of the episode was to throw Magnum and T.C. in the very closed and elite world of International-class classic dancing (There is no dealer, reaper, murder, blackmailer, kidnapper, and so...)

Just "spy vs spy" tricks.

Not a lot of action in this one, but some quite good playing (Andrea Marcovicci is quite convincing in her very physical role, so do E. Roger Mosley performing a very good Ballet's fan ! ) romance between TM and Kendall Chase (mix of repulse and attirance) go off the beaten tracks.

Well i enjoyed it much more than the first time i watched it, years ago.
"Je sais ce que vous allez me dire, et vous aurez raison..."

User avatar
charybdis1966
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 284
Joined: Thu Feb 04, 2010 11:56 am
Location: Buckinghamshire, England
Contact:

Re:

#63 Post by charybdis1966 »

charybdis1966 wrote: Thu Feb 04, 2010 12:29 pm Hello all, I have a feeling this episode was written after a network exec said “Hey, how about having a story about a ballerina needing a bodyguard?” Then the poor writers were supposed to come up with something in about …….in the UK at the moment.
I’ll comment on one of the majority of the episodes that are good next time.
I’m about to watch this episode again nearly 12 years after my first comment on this forum. I must be a glutton for punishment as it’s clearly one of the worst episodes. Is it so bad it’s good ? I’ll report back later 😬

User avatar
Pahonu
Robin's Nest Expert Extraordinaire
Posts: 2618
Joined: Mon Aug 31, 2009 2:19 am
Location: Long Beach CA

Re: Re:

#64 Post by Pahonu »

charybdis1966 wrote: Sat Jan 08, 2022 11:18 pm
charybdis1966 wrote: Thu Feb 04, 2010 12:29 pm Hello all, I have a feeling this episode was written after a network exec said “Hey, how about having a story about a ballerina needing a bodyguard?” Then the poor writers were supposed to come up with something in about …….in the UK at the moment.
I’ll comment on one of the majority of the episodes that are good next time.
I’m about to watch this episode again nearly 12 years after my first comment on this forum. I must be a glutton for punishment as it’s clearly one of the worst episodes. Is it so bad it’s good ? I’ll report back later 😬
There’s a more recent conversation on the episode starting near the bottom of the page here:

https://magnum-mania.com/Forum/viewtopi ... &start=480

User avatar
charybdis1966
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 284
Joined: Thu Feb 04, 2010 11:56 am
Location: Buckinghamshire, England
Contact:

Re: Re:

#65 Post by charybdis1966 »

There’s a more recent conversation on the episode starting near the bottom of the page here:

https://magnum-mania.com/Forum/viewtopi ... &start=480
[/quote]
Thanks Pahuno, an anniversary watch is a good idea. I wonder if the people on the thread are watching after a 10 year gap in their fix of MPI episodes like I am.
Most there seem to agree it was a season 2 clunker although watching now I’m noticing how good the Higgins scenes are - back on my first watch of MPI I was mainly looking out for the Ferrari and the bikini babes.
Oh, to be young again (sigh).

Post Reply