Black on White (3.6)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the third season

Moderator: Styles Bitchley

Post Reply

How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
22
16%
9.5 (One of the Best)
35
26%
9.0 (Excellent)
34
25%
8.5 (Very Good)
20
15%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
9
7%
7.5 (Decent)
6
4%
7.0 (Average at Best)
3
2%
6.5 (Not So Good)
2
1%
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
2
1%
5.0 (Just Awful)
1
1%
 
Total votes: 134

Message
Author
User avatar
Steve
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 1852
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2007 3:13 pm
Location: Chicago, Illinois

Re: Black on White (3.6)

#71 Post by Steve »

Pahonu wrote:
Kalai-pahoa wrote:a must-see episode. i like it so much. full of great, funny and dramatic moments. I absolutely love the scenes where Higgins is forced to share the guest house with TM (Hig:"You mean for the next week I'm going to have to live in this... squalor with... him.") :D
I noticed that Magnum never leaves the estate during the whole episode. I think this is the only time in the entire series.
This episode was included in the 2-disc dvd box edition "The Best Of Magnum PI" (2004).


He wears for the first time his gray US Naval Academy t-shirt:
ImageImage
Have we ever identified or seen a closeup of the photo on the dresser in the bedroom behind him?
I'm betting it's a picture of Selleck's mother and father............

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

Re: Black on White (3.6)

#72 Post by Pahonu »

Steve wrote:
Pahonu wrote:
Kalai-pahoa wrote:a must-see episode. i like it so much. full of great, funny and dramatic moments. I absolutely love the scenes where Higgins is forced to share the guest house with TM (Hig:"You mean for the next week I'm going to have to live in this... squalor with... him.") :D
I noticed that Magnum never leaves the estate during the whole episode. I think this is the only time in the entire series.
This episode was included in the 2-disc dvd box edition "The Best Of Magnum PI" (2004).


He wears for the first time his gray US Naval Academy t-shirt:
ImageImage
Have we ever identified or seen a closeup of the photo on the dresser in the bedroom behind him?
I'm betting it's a picture of Selleck's mother and father............

I wouldn't argue with that. It would be nice to see closer.

User avatar
Doc Ibold
Maniac Emeritus
Posts: 1741
Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2007 8:16 pm
Location: Detroit

Re: Black on White (3.6)

#73 Post by Doc Ibold »

Check "The Arrow That Is Not Aimed".. I think there is a good shot during the hangover scene.... I have taken a look at it in other scenes, and it is a picture of his Mom and Dad.

But this definitely isnt the only episode the picture is in!

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

Re: Black on White (3.6)

#74 Post by Pahonu »

Doc Ibold wrote:Check "The Arrow That Is Not Aimed".. I think there is a good shot during the hangover scene.... I have taken a look at it in other scenes, and it is a picture of his Mom and Dad.

But this definitely isnt the only episode the picture is in!
Cool! Another piece of the puzzle filled in.

User avatar
ConchRepublican
COZITV Magnum, P.I. SuperFan / Chief Barkeep - Flemingo Key
Posts: 2994
Joined: Fri May 30, 2008 6:19 pm
Location: Flemingo Key
Contact:

Re: Black on White (3.6)

#75 Post by ConchRepublican »

Not funny at all, but I did a double take when I saw my FB feed earlier and this was trending:

Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever

I guess our brain when multitasking (doing many things poorly) pulls familiar phrases first. My initial thought was - "There really is an African Hemorrhagic Fever"? Followed quickly by one of those Ally McBeal dream interludes where a spear flew into my office door.

I need rest. :magnum:
CoziTV Superfan spot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPTmsykLQ04

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

Re: Black on White (3.6)

#76 Post by Pahonu »

ConchRepublican wrote:Not funny at all, but I did a double take when I saw my FB feed earlier and this was trending:

Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever

I guess our brain when multitasking (doing many things poorly) pulls familiar phrases first. My initial thought was - "There really is an African Hemorrhagic Fever"? Followed quickly by one of those Ally McBeal dream interludes where a spear flew into my office door.

I need rest. :magnum:

Never really made the connection with the show's fictional illness and Ebola, but, your right, based on the name it would be in the same family of illnesses as Ebola. A viral hemorrhagic fever, simply means it includes bleeding as a symptom, hemorrhaging. There are all kinds of these viruses, and they often include their place of origin or discovery in the name, like Hantavirus that originated in the Hantan River valley in Korea, or Lassa Fever, from Lassa Nigeria.

I guess I just assumed the writers gave it a, sort of, generic name with Africa. It's kind of like when they give a fictional Latin country a name like "Costa Negra" they're just combining to words in Spanish because they need to name it something.

User avatar
Milton Collins
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 262
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 8:16 pm

Re: Black on White (3.6)

#77 Post by Milton Collins »

I remember this being one of the first Magnum's I ever saw in the mid 90's on AMC. I absolutely love it and gave it a 9.5! A top 10 episode for me for sure:

- Ian McShane is FANTASTIC in both his Magnum PI appearances (season 1's Skin Deep is another outstanding episode). From the opening scenes and his horrific scream as the spear passes through the door (in his crazed mind only of course) to the very end he is the epitomy of a creepy, paronoid nutcase. He really was outstanding in this one!

- The opening scene with Magnum luring Higgins into the trap with his African music starts 10-15 minutes of the most classic Magnum scenes ever. Higgins realizing that he is trapped in the guest house with TM is priceless. His exclamation of "Oh my God! London blitzed din't look this bad" is so dang funny (other than it reminds me of my ex wife he he he). This whole scenario where Magnum was acting RIDICULOUSLY immature on purpose to annoy Higgins was awesome. The gorilla mask, a pac man game, chili dogs and beer, some sports on TV, it really doesn't get much more Magnum than that!

- I love the conversation with Rick over the speaker regarding the steak where he states he wanted to eat it himself. I'm a huge dog lover but c'mon that steak looked pretty darn good:) Loved the back and forth between Higgins and Rick "tough"......"What"....."that was Zeus, he said ruff" and then Higgins replies "funny....that sounded more like Aplolo." Hilarious! And seeing the lads holding the bowl in their mouths as Rick was talking on the intercom was great! And btw, was that intercom ever used before or after? I can't ever remember seeing it in any other episode.

-I loved the whole story being focused around the estate grounds other than the begninning and TC's scenes. I don't think TM or Higgins or Rick left it once? And what a great story it was, a killer on the estate at night and stalking one Jonathon Quale Higgins for his life? And it turns out the nutcase was in facte Clutterbuck and he was there the whole time? It gave it a murder myster/creepy/scary genre episode which was rare for Magnum. I always LOVE these ones!

I'm wondering if anyone can help me out with a question. I'm not sure if it was on the ETrueHollywood Magnum episode (I'm thinking no because I recently watched that) but I'm thinking I saw/heard somewhere over the years that the producers wanted to get rid of the Lads due to the cost but Selleck and Hillerman wouldn't hear of it and picked up the tab themselves? I could be completely off on this but wanted to get all of your input becuase I could swear that I remember seeing that.

SignGuyHPW
Admiral
Posts: 191
Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2014 5:58 pm

Re: Black on White (3.6)

#78 Post by SignGuyHPW »

Milton Collins wrote: I'm wondering if anyone can help me out with a question. I'm not sure if it was on the ETrueHollywood Magnum episode (I'm thinking no because I recently watched that) but I'm thinking I saw/heard somewhere over the years that the producers wanted to get rid of the Lads due to the cost but Selleck and Hillerman wouldn't hear of it and picked up the tab themselves? I could be completely off on this but wanted to get all of your input becuase I could swear that I remember seeing that.
I know it was covered in Manetti's book. They were going to scrap the lads from the show because they were going to have to start flying the dog trainer from the mainland, but Selleck and Hillerman insisted that they be left in the show. If I understood correctly, there was also a quarentine period for the dogs when they came from California so that affected availability too.

User avatar
Steve
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 1852
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2007 3:13 pm
Location: Chicago, Illinois

Re: Black on White (3.6)

#79 Post by Steve »

SignGuyHPW wrote:
Milton Collins wrote: I'm wondering if anyone can help me out with a question. I'm not sure if it was on the ETrueHollywood Magnum episode (I'm thinking no because I recently watched that) but I'm thinking I saw/heard somewhere over the years that the producers wanted to get rid of the Lads due to the cost but Selleck and Hillerman wouldn't hear of it and picked up the tab themselves? I could be completely off on this but wanted to get all of your input becuase I could swear that I remember seeing that.
I know it was covered in Manetti's book. They were going to scrap the lads from the show because they were going to have to start flying the dog trainer from the mainland, but Selleck and Hillerman insisted that they be left in the show. If I understood correctly, there was also a quarentine period for the dogs when they came from California so that affected availability too.
Oh how I love this site! I never read Manetti's book so I never heard the story about "The Lads" before. Great info and thanks............

User avatar
Milton Collins
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 262
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 8:16 pm

Re: Black on White (3.6)

#80 Post by Milton Collins »

SignGuyHPW wrote:
Milton Collins wrote: I'm wondering if anyone can help me out with a question. I'm not sure if it was on the ETrueHollywood Magnum episode (I'm thinking no because I recently watched that) but I'm thinking I saw/heard somewhere over the years that the producers wanted to get rid of the Lads due to the cost but Selleck and Hillerman wouldn't hear of it and picked up the tab themselves? I could be completely off on this but wanted to get all of your input becuase I could swear that I remember seeing that.

I know it was covered in Manetti's book. They were going to scrap the lads from the show because they were going to have to start flying the dog trainer from the mainland, but Selleck and Hillerman insisted that they be left in the show. If I understood correctly, there was also a quarentine period for the dogs when they came from California so that affected availability too.


Thanks SignGuyHPW I appreciate the knowledge man. I knew I had seen that somewhere before. I want to buy Larry Manettis book but still have a tough time dropping $75 on eBay for a paperback. Either way great piece of info!

User avatar
308GUY
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 1228
Joined: Fri Mar 08, 2013 11:42 pm
Location: OH,USA

Re: Black on White (3.6)

#81 Post by 308GUY »

Milton Collins wrote: I want to buy Larry Manettis book but still have a tough time dropping $75 on eBay for a paperback.
Order it from Larry's website, $20, and he'll sign it! :magnum:

http://www.larrymanetti.com/shop.htm

(Ok, I guess the price went up, but it's still less than ebay! Looks like he raised the price a couple bucks, and increased the shipping to the over-inflated shipping charges that just about every place that ships anything have gone to....cheeeese! :x )

It used to be $20, under $25 WITH shipping! Shipping charges have gotten outrageous.
"C'mon TC...nothing can go wrong!"

User avatar
Milton Collins
Fleet Admiral
Posts: 262
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 8:16 pm

Re: Black on White (3.6)

#82 Post by Milton Collins »

308GUY wrote:
Milton Collins wrote: I want to buy Larry Manettis book but still have a tough time dropping $75 on eBay for a paperback.
Order it from Larry's website, $20, and he'll sign it! :magnum:

http://www.larrymanetti.com/shop.htm

(Ok, I guess the price went up, but it's still less than ebay! Looks like he raised the price a couple bucks, and increased the shipping to the over-inflated shipping charges that just about every place that ships anything have gone to....cheeeese! :x )

It used to be $20, under $25 WITH shipping! Shipping charges have gotten outrageous.

Thanks 308Guy I just bought it! And I agree the shipping sucks but well worth $39 to read the inside scoop on my favorite show ever!

User avatar
runawayselleck
Lieutenant Commander
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Mar 05, 2013 12:57 pm
Location: Plymouth UK

Re: Black on White (3.6)

#83 Post by runawayselleck »

Hi, just to say that the closing scene in Black on White is my favourite of all Magnum PI. Love the scene between Magnum and Higgins where Higgins shows he is excellent at the game and then the great scene and dialogue between Magnum and TC with the great freeze frame of Magnum diving to get away from TC at the end. The humour and chemistry between the stars of that scene was everything that I loved about Magnum PI. ANYWAY! I was watching that very episode with my wife and she noticed that at the moment Magnum is walking into the sea (and TC walks in after him) you can see just how sunburnt Tom Selleck is. His hair chest covers it up a lot but you can see it on his shoulders, proper red! Looks like Selleck forgot the suncream that day.

Runaway Selleck

User avatar
Derek
Commander
Posts: 42
Joined: Sat May 29, 2010 5:46 pm

Re:

#84 Post by Derek »

Jodykmg365 wrote:I really liked this episode a lot. I did notice that the black lady was driving a Porsche. I wasn't aware that a person could rent a car like that.
I know it's a bit late to respond to this, as the post was made in 2008 :)
Anyway, I remember the Kenyan lady driving that Porsche and I'm just wondering if anyone knows what type of car this is. I used to drive a 944 S2, and the one in the episode is either a 924 or a 944. I'm always fond of movies/series that have this sort of car in them :)
I know what you're thinking. And you're right.

User avatar
Derek
Commander
Posts: 42
Joined: Sat May 29, 2010 5:46 pm

Re: Black on White (3.6)

#85 Post by Derek »

Just watched this episode again, it is a very good one IMO, in short: They have managed to blend some of Higgins' history with a thrilling story and a twist. Also, locking TM and JQH in a room with TM behaving like a teenager puts the spotlight on their relationship. Rick and TC are doing a good job, and there is a lovely guest actress. Oh, and did I mention she drives a Porsche 924 or 944 :D

Then there is this surprising ending (Clusterbuck playing the Mau Mau, clearly because he is being plagued by his memories), which leaves the viewer thoughtful. This is never a bad thing.

I'm still undecided which rating to give, but it will be very high. Nine to ten, more precisely, I just still wonder what it takes for an episode to get a ten.

Btb this whole narrative of the Mau Mau taking revenge on the British strongly reminded me of the Statham/De Niro movie "Killer Elite", did anyone watch this one?
I know what you're thinking. And you're right.

Post Reply