The Taking of Dick McWilliams (2.10)

[Jay-Firestorm]

Wednesday / Thursday’s review; this one was never one of my favourites, but maybe not terrible either.

[Rating=7.5]

When a wealthy Navy buddy of Magnum’s is kidnapped, his Japanese wife comes to Magnum for help, asking him not to tell her strict father who never approved of the marriage. Not one of my favourites, but not a totally bad episode either…

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This review contains spoilers.

This episode has never exactly been one of my favourites of the series. The story is so-so, and just doesn’t stand out as one of the better of the second season. However, coming to watch it again to review, I have to confess that maybe it wasn’t quite as bad as I remembered it to be.

I have a casual interest in all things Japanese, so that works in the episode’s favour for a start. Irene Yah-Ling Sun is likable as Dick’s innocent wife Mitsu, but John Fujioka comes across as a stereotypical strict Japanese father and is given little to really work with. From the off, I guessed that he would be the true villain of the episode.

The episode has a ‘ying yang’ (!) of good and bad sequences. The flashback to Dick and Mitsu’s wedding night is not needed, and is overlong and awkward, as if it was just thrown in to fill screen time.
On the other hand, the scene with T.C. and Magnum following the kidnapper’s car in the chopper (complete with a car that turns out to belong to McGarrett of Five-0!) is well shot and quite exciting.

Also to note is Rick’s underworld contact of this episode, ‘Shaky’, said to be a Police Sergeant; Rick’s regular underworld contact, Ice Pick, would not be introduced until the next season.

The revelation that Dick faked his own kidnapping to start a new life comes as quite a twist, but is handled badly, and much more could have been made of it.

Overall, I’d say that there is a good story in there somewhere, but on this occasion the episode just seems to be badly executed. It is not my least favourite of the season (that goes to the next episode, ‘The Sixth Position’; and I personally don’t care for season opener ‘Billy Joe Bob’ much either), but ‘The Taking of Dick McWilliams’ is at best a middling episode that just feels like it could have been so much better.

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Other notes, bloopers and misc.:

* A couple of the commercial breaks are abridged on the DVD version, but I lost count of which ones!

* I thought I’d spotted a great flub when T.C.’s sunglasses show the helicopter to be stationary on the ground, but it has already been spotted. Either way, shots of Magnum and T.C. in the helicopter also show the sky to not be moving, where the chopper is on the ground.

* The fight between Nishimoto and Magnum has several clear shots of their stunt doubles.

[J.J. Walters]

I've added the Higgins-Magnum "Rocky Beach" scene to the 'Video' page, and I've added it as a "Classic Scene". I think it's one of the best Higgins-Magnum scenes of the series. It poignantly illustrates the complex but caring father-son relationship that Higgins and Magnum share. The scene is truly a "gem in the rough". You won't find scenes like this in many other shows of the genre, that's for sure.

http://magnum-mania.com/Video/Rocky_Beach_Scene.html

[Higgy_baby]

Yes James, that scene on the beach is outstanding. The way Higgins selflessly implies his advice is very well done.

Flubs:

The usual continuity gaffs. TC's chopper has the black pontoons then it doesn't when TS gets out at the beach house. They are back on when heading back and I think off again when they land back at TC's. Likely a lot of old stock footage intermingled with new shots.

When Rick stakes out the pickup of the Ransom money I heard him radio that Charlie picked up the loot in a Yellow Bronco. The vehicle that races away sure looks like an Orange Willy's to me.

[N1095A]

When TM is on the boat talking to the female captain, Robin's orange and brown GMC Jimmy can be seen parked across the street. And yes, TM drove the Ferrari to the dock.

[IKnowWhatYoureThinking]

Maybe Higgins was tailing Magnum?

[N1095A]

Maybe Higgins was tailing Magnum?

In a "Pickup truck" ?

[MACattack]

This episode had no point to it. It made as much sense as Obama's health care reform!

[Doc Ibold]

This episode had no point to it. It made as much sense as Obama's health care reform!

Really, MAC, you're going there?

[MACattack]

Yeah, I'm still goin there!

[charybdis1966]

When this was shown on DMAX there was a definite cut between Magnum realising that Dick's wife was about to kill herself in the building away from the main house and him comforting her after he stops her doing this.

What happens in between and why was it cut out ?

[zebra3]

Not the worst episode, but not the best. I found it to be rather predictable, but aside from that it was okay. What it wasn't however, was memorable.

[Little Garwood]

I gave this one [8.0] despite knowing everything that was going to happen ahead of time, something I've experienced frequently now that I've had the chance to run through the second season. As soon as I heard it was Moe Keale's voice under the stocking mask after having seen his picture with Dick McWilliams, I figured everything out immediately.

The Dick McWilliams character was severely underdeveloped--and underplayed--he had potential, though there's something about Guy Stockwell's performance I didn't like...don't know why, maybe it was the fact that he was so underwritten.

It's nice to see more Hawaii Five-O alumni here, as well. Irene Yah-Ling Sun looked absolutely gorgeous here. A look at her IMDB profile photo further proves that she's aged gracefully and has retained her beauty; I think I'm in love, guys!

After having watched countless hours of 1960s and '70s detective shows, many of Magnum's plots (and direction, camerwork, etc) during this second season are paper-thin and rather pedestrian by comparison. I don't watch any other 1980s shows, so magnum's my only show in this regard. Thankfully, things would improve, though I'm still getting as kick out of seeing this, a rather "lost" season for me outside of four or five shows. Still, MPI had already found itself by this time, despite Higgins not getting as much screen time as I would have thought.

[MaiTaiMan]

This is probably my least favorite episode of Season Two. Everything seems to be off, none of the pieces seem to fit. That flashback scene with Dick and Mitsu had some truly horrible dialog, almost painful to watch! Even Guy Stockwell and Moe Keale can't save this episode for me.

I do love the McGarrett reference and listening to Rick on the phone with "Shaky", however.

I completely agree with J.J. Walters...this is one of my least favorites, along with "Billy Joe Bob", of season 2. It seemed very "choppy" and sort of just thrown together at the last moment. Bizarre plot and even though I thought the woman who played Mitsu was a good actress, the bad script and dialogue still ruined it.

Guy Stockwell was just this fat, loud-mouthed drunk too...whatever! I can't stand people like that, so his character irritated the crap out of me. He played almost the exact same role a few years later while guest-starring on a "Murder She Wrote" episode. I couldn't stand him in that episode either.

However, I always love the odes and references to "Hawaii Five-0" and McGarrett! Throughout the first 3 seasons, or so, "Magnum" did make occasional references to the old "Five-0" show and the supposed Hawaii state police force. At one point producers of "Magnum" tried to get Jack Lord to make a few guest appearances as McGarrett again...but Lord refused.

[Seaver41]

The 'McGarrett' drop by TC was funny. The episode I found better than Mad Buck that I had just watched the night before so maybe going from no villain/mystery to just that made this episode seem better than it was. It was a rather routine by the numbers cop procedural drama. The episode was saved by the Higgins/Magnum beach scene and seeing TM defeat the 'ninja'. How obvious was it that he would eventually do battle when they introduced the father?

[Bes]

Enjoyable episode, but no classic. The Higgins-Magnum beach scene, TC and Magnum's chopper interplay and Rick's hilarious final punchline all make it worthwhile.