The Arrow That is Not Aimed (3.14)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the third season

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How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
5
5%
9.5 (One of the Best)
13
12%
9.0 (Excellent)
21
20%
8.5 (Very Good)
36
34%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
18
17%
7.5 (Decent)
7
7%
7.0 (Average at Best)
0
No votes
6.5 (Not So Good)
4
4%
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
0
No votes
5.0 (Just Awful)
2
2%
 
Total votes: 106

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Shermy
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#21 Post by Shermy »

Ah yes, the early 80s ninja craze. There was actually a store at my local small that specialized in ninja weaponry and Sho Kosugi posters. There was also a 1980 Chuck Norris film called The Octagon which helped usher the whole fad in. It didn't have the impact of Enter The Ninja, but it got the ball rolling. (Ironically, the plot featured Norris' character being skeptical about the possibility of ninjas existing in the 20th century.)

Anyway, this is one of my favorites from season three. I like the fact that both Magnum and Tozan lead an unorthodox lifestyle while sharing a similar code of honor. Samurai Magnum!

There's also a good balance of comedy throughout. I love Magnum's reaction when Fukuda reveals he previously visited Hawaii during the war...back in 1941. :lol:

rubber chicken wrote:Anyone remember Gymkata? It was the absolute pinnacle of ninjutsu meets gymnastics meets obstacle course films.
I actually saw that on opening weekend. Sadly, I was very excited about going to see it. When the action hero is played by John Boy's brother, you know it's going to be a good one. :lol:

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robspace54
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#22 Post by robspace54 »

I did not remember much of the plot from the original airing in early 1983. But I did recall the discussion in the Ferrari when Tozan tells Magnum that he too is a samurai in his own way, the beautiful scene of the rising sun (did you notice how Rabbit Island looked like Mt. Fuji?), and the demonic wail of Higgins going after Magnum at the end.

The sentiment of the arrow not being aimed was an idea that stuck with me for a number of years. Being an R&D engineer there were many blind allys I went down and the thought of the arrow flying unerringly to it's target was a great vision - especially when one is stumbling over technical problems at work.

Rob
Sometimes I get so lucky, even I don`t believe it.

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firefly
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#23 Post by firefly »

definitely a fun episode overall.

personal favorite bits; higgins with the sword at the end of the episode, magnum laying on the couch telling tozan a little more to the right (or whatever the exact wording was:-)), and best of all the scene with a hungover magnum and higgins using notes to communicate until he can not resist ring the bell.

the scene with magnum making reference to the cubs winning the series cracked me up. nearly three decades later and the cubs are no closer to winning.

one slight flub, after magnum jumps of the pier into the water. next scene magnum is back at the estate with higgins and he is wearing the same clothes? wouldn't he have changed out of the soaking with sea water clothes since he was home?

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All About the Stache
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#24 Post by All About the Stache »

J.J. Walters wrote:The Mag hangs out with a Samurai Warrior! A Samurai played by the great Mako! Do you need to know any more? Of course this episode is good. ;)
Pretty much exactly what I came in here to say. I really liked this episode. One of the best of the season. Mako is always a treat to watch!
Magnum: Ivan...
Ivan: Yes?
Magnum: Did you see the sunrise this morning?
Ivan: Yes... Why?
*BANG*

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#25 Post by AmandaByNight »

I'm an idiot... I had NO idea that was Mako, yet I totally know who Mako is...

I actually saw Mako at a convention sitting next to Lorenzo Lamas (sp?) eating a sandwich! It was kind of an odd sighting.

I love this episode. Mako is terrific and I love the relationship between him and Magnum. It's so East Meets West 80s style! :)

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nha trang
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Hillarious hangover scene

#26 Post by nha trang »

I can't believe no one mentioned this yet...

Higgins coming in to wake up a hungover Magnum with his little triangle and notes so as to be considerate, and then before he leaves ringing the ship's bell that we see in the periphery as he entered...

ahhhhhhhhhhhhh I can relate only all too well and they really captured the hideous noise!

Totally laughed out loud at that one - one of my favorite comedic moments in the whole serious so far...(up to 3rd season)

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MaiTaiMan
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#27 Post by MaiTaiMan »

Magnum and a Samurai Warrior...interesting and something different! :o

This one has plenty of action, Samurai traditions, and a pretty cool plot! My favorite part is actually when Magnum out-smarts Higgins and figures out the plate is a fake by too much grout! :)

However, in all honesty, this one is a little over-the-top and unbelievable. :wink: But, it's still entertaining.
"It was more ironic than a Robin Masters novel--she thought he was dead, he thought she was dead...and only the chauffeur knew the truth! He should have been the butler!" "Lest We Forget"

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Little Garwood
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#28 Post by Little Garwood »

One of my favorite episodes as a kid. I was smitten with all things Ninja and Samurai back then, as I was an impressionable middle-school student.

The Arrow That is Not Aimed is reminscent of issue #39 (1980) of the Western comic Jonah Hex, called The Vow of a Samurai, which came nearly three years before the MPI episode. In it, Hex and a Samurai warrior are after the same man, one who kidnapped the (unnamed) Samurai's daughter and who is the leader of an outlaw gang. Hex is a bounty hunter, so he has a stake in this, too. Hex, like Magnum, serves as the Samurai's Kaishaku--yes, the term is used there, too, as is Seppuku.

Image

*Comic Spoiler*

The ending of this issue is staggeringly powerful, all the more so considering this was 1980, where few comic moments could equal what happened here. You know darn well that this finale wouldn't dare happen in a super-hero book.

I think Hex was so disturbed about the Samurai's death that he wasted the outlaw without even collecting the reward on the guy.

Of course, the ending isn't the same as the Magnum episode, but the similarities are worth pointing out. [/img]
Last edited by Little Garwood on Wed Aug 18, 2021 3:33 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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MaiTaiMan
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#29 Post by MaiTaiMan »

Little Garwood wrote:One of my favorite episodes as a kid. I was smitten with all things Ninja and Samurai back then, as I was an impressionable middle-school student.

The Arrow That is Not Aimed is reminscent of issue #39 (1980) of the Western comic Jonah Hex, called The Vow of a Samurai, which came nearly three years before the MPI episode. In it, Hex and a Samurai warrior are after the same man, one who kidnapped the (unnamed) Samurai's daughter and who is the leader of an outlaw gang. Hex is a bounty hunter, so he has a stake in this, too. Hex, like Magnum, serves as the Samurai's Kaishaku--yes, the term is used there, too, as is Seppuku.

Image

*Comic Spoiler*

The ending of this issue is staggeringly powerful, all the more so considering this was 1980, where few comic moments could equal what happened here. You know darn well that this finale wouldn't dare happen in a super-hero book.

I think Hex was so disturbed about the Samurai's death that he wasted the outlaw without even collecting the reward on the guy.

Of course, the ending isn't the same as the Magnum episode, but the similarities are worth pointing out. [/img]
Intersting...I wonder if one of the writers read the Jonah Hex comics and thought this one would be good for an episode??

My brother always thought all that Ninja/Samuari/Martial Arts stuff was cool too. Never was my thing, but it still made for an awesome and action-packed episode! :D
"It was more ironic than a Robin Masters novel--she thought he was dead, he thought she was dead...and only the chauffeur knew the truth! He should have been the butler!" "Lest We Forget"

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Doc Fred
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#30 Post by Doc Fred »

To me, this was one of the best shows in the entire series. It was so very entertaining, mixed with drama and comedy.

Mako was great.

I loved Higgy waking up Magnum with the bell, and Magnum's reaction. ONe of the funniest scenes in those many years of Magnum PI.

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#31 Post by Frodoleader »

A couple of things about this episode. First, did anyone think it was strange that Tozan walked around Honolulu carrying two swords? Personally I think he would be arrested within minutes today. Also, for the fight at the hanger, when all those ninjas came pouring out of the limo, first thing to come to my mind was a bunch of clowns coming out of a small clown car. Cracked me up!
"You are three months at Dak Wei and still you crack jokes?" - Ivan

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Styles Bitchley
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#32 Post by Styles Bitchley »

Frodoleader wrote:Also, for the fight at the hanger, when all those ninjas came pouring out of the limo, first thing to come to my mind was a bunch of clowns coming out of a small clown car. Cracked me up!
Ditto.
"How fiendishly deceptive of you Magnum. I could have sworn I was hearing the emasculation of a large rodent."

- J.Q.H.

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#33 Post by Seaver41 »

another really good episode in season 3.............though the whole bit of beating up Magnum at the hotel was lost on me.

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#34 Post by Bes »

Great episode! The plate smashing scene and the scene in the bathhouse are funny too, when the ladies snigger while Magnum de-towels himself [don't think they've been mentioned yet].

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#35 Post by Croix de Lorraine »

rubber chicken wrote:I didn't care for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles either. Skateboarding turtles who learn the art of ninjutsu from a rat? Come on, what are the odds. To me, that show and everything surrounding it was a bit phony.
You're trying to say it wasn't a documentary?

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