Past Tense (3.5)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the third season

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How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
2
2%
9.5 (One of the Best)
4
4%
9.0 (Excellent)
18
18%
8.5 (Very Good)
31
31%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
26
26%
7.5 (Decent)
12
12%
7.0 (Average at Best)
3
3%
6.5 (Not So Good)
4
4%
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
0
No votes
5.0 (Just Awful)
1
1%
 
Total votes: 101

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Frodoleader
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#41 Post by Frodoleader »

Noted a flub: during the walk through the jungle, Higgins remarks that Lydon should take his loafers off, that walking would be easier. Higgy then comments that he would have to be careful of snakes and tarantulas though.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand there are no snakes in Hawai'i? (At least for now, if they can keep the brown snake out of Guam from moving in on cargo ships and planes, etc.)
"You are three months at Dak Wei and still you crack jokes?" - Ivan

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J.J. Walters
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#42 Post by J.J. Walters »

There are no tarantulas either. Higgy Baby was just trying to scare the guy to throw him off his game. ;)
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

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MaiTaiMan
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#43 Post by MaiTaiMan »

I actually really don't care much for this episode. :? All shows from the 70's and 80's seem to have to do some kind of prison and/or escaped prisoner type episodes. They're usually all the same...and this one's no different. A psycho escaped prisoner kidnaps one or some of the main stars and the other stars have to rescue them. It's just too predictable and boring. :?

The only things that make this one watchable are the scenes between Higgins and T.C., and the cool old abandoned gunnery placements on the beach--I assume left over from WWII. Also noteable is the first appearance of Rick's famous mob/underworld contact Ice Pick--however, he's played by a different actor than Elisha Cook (Jr.), and he's not as good as Cook eventually was.

Overall, this is not one I really enjoy much...I would have rated it "Not So Good", but because of the Higgins/T.C. moments and the gunnery placements (that I want to visit someday), I did end up rating it "Average At Best".
"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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Sisophous
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#44 Post by Sisophous »

The script writers do this often, they put so many twists into an episode that it leaves the viewer confused and guessing. This episode is unique in it is nearly all filmed away from the estate and outdoors. They had a winner here but then come up with the most senseless plot with Lyden hiding out on an island and not blowing away Magnum when he had all the time to do so. Instead he has a discussion with Magnum, just long enough for Rick to arrive on the scene after swimming underwater for a half mile.

They should have had Lyden do what most people would do who escape prison, disappear out of sight and not take hostages on a remote, deserted island. To add to the absurdity, Lyden goes into an underground bunker with heavy artillery.

When they keep it real, it works, when they add bizarre behavior, it fizzles.

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#45 Post by Seaver41 »

I found the episode entertaining enough. This is another example where the episode is saved by the characters and in this case the overriding theme is Magnum will do anything to help a friend in need. Call it character affirmation as when Lyden tells Higgins that Magnum will put friends in danger before his own safety.

Don't get me wrong, there were elements that stretched the scope of plausibility, but it's episodic tv and sometimes you deal with it.

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#46 Post by Croix de Lorraine »

Why do cars in TV shows explode at the slightest crash? It rarely ever happens in real life yet it's virtualy impossible to see an explosionless crash on TV. It annoys me to no end! :evil:
Last edited by Croix de Lorraine on Tue Jun 05, 2012 6:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Croix de Lorraine
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#47 Post by Croix de Lorraine »

*sorry, double post*

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Styles Bitchley
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#48 Post by Styles Bitchley »

Croix de Lorraine wrote:Why do cars in TV shows explode at the slightest crash? It rarely ever happens in real life yet it's virtualy impossible to see an explosionless crash on TV. It annoys me to no end! :evil:
It's just exciting. I have a parody in mind, but I can't remember what it was. A car zooms along but slows to a snail's pace and then taps the bumper of a car and the two of them erupt into a fire ball. What movie was that again?
"How fiendishly deceptive of you Magnum. I could have sworn I was hearing the emasculation of a large rodent."

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#49 Post by Braddah Kimo »

Top secret. By the Zucker brothers. Starring Kurt Russell as an ersatz Elvis. wacky fun! A jeep taps a Pinto's bumper and buh-LOOWEEE!


don't believe me? watch the nazi's learn of Quality Amerikkkaner automaking...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT0J0rcJTLo


looka dat nazi in the back self explode.

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Styles Bitchley
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#50 Post by Styles Bitchley »

Braddah Kimo wrote:Top secret. By the Zucker brothers. Starring Kurt Russell as an ersatz Elvis. wacky fun! A jeep taps a Pinto's bumper and buh-LOOWEEE!


don't believe me? watch the nazi's learn of Quality Amerikkkaner automaking...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT0J0rcJTLo


looka dat nazi in the back self explode.
That's it! Wasn't Val Kilmer in that too? I guess it was more poking fun at the Pinto than the hilarity of cars blowing up in movies and on tv. Funny nonetheless.
"How fiendishly deceptive of you Magnum. I could have sworn I was hearing the emasculation of a large rodent."

- J.Q.H.

Braddah Kimo
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#51 Post by Braddah Kimo »

e kala mai. I'm sorry. it WAS Val kilmer. not russel.

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ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)
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#52 Post by ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan) »

Braddah Kimo wrote:e kala mai. I'm sorry. it WAS Val kilmer. not russel.
Braddah Kimo must have TOMBSTONE on his mind. Hence confusing Kurt Russell with Val Kilmer. :?

Anyway this episode was excellent - easy 9.0 from me. After the terrific "Did You See the Sun Rise?" we got two mediocre-to-fairly-good episodes "Ki'i's Don't Lie" and "The Eighth Part of the Village". Here we're back at the top of the game again - lots of outdoorsy action, helicopter flying, prison breaks, revenge plots, awesome jogging opening with the car explosion, and great chemistry between T.C. and Higgy-Baby. Even a cool showdown in an old WWII bunker.

Anyway, the next 3 episodes are even more terrific than this one. Amongst my all-time favorite MPI's in fact! Season 3 seems to be shaping up as the best season of the show!

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Re: Past Tense (3.5)

#53 Post by Kudu buck »

I raise up this post about one year after.
The third season is a great season even this episode is one the weakest and James Wainwright is an outstanding and tough villain. So my vote is 8.
I enjoyed to find the yet unknown (or at least I think so) location of the Halawa prison. The real Halawa Correctional Facility is located on Moanalua Road, but the fictional location is at 475 22nd Avenue. They used the facilities of the hawaiian Department of Education.

Image Image
They filmed in the parking of the department. yeah this is definitely a parking. look at the stripes :o
Image

By way after the chopper accident they evidently lost the path during the "Death march". Infact during the episode we can see some brief footages showing different hawaiian locations. They must have walked all around the islands :D
Here is the Waipio Valley and Hiilawe Falls on Big Island
Image
Here is Halawa Bay on the east shore of Molokai
Image
i wasn't able to find this one. help!
Image

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Re: Past Tense (3.5)

#54 Post by marlboro »

I liked this episode and didn't find it that confusing.

Three years earlier Lyden had been selling weapons to mercenaries. Magnum infiltrates his organization and busts him.


Was the prison break implausible?

The multiple links to Helicopter related prison breaks have already dispelled that question.


There were also a couple of questions about the prison break earlier in the thread:.

How did he start the riot?

Obviously, Lyden payed a few of the inmates to set those dumpsters on fire. Prisons are powder kegs. I don't think it would take much to set the rest of the inmates off.

Who was the man in Lyden's cell?

The man in the cell was a minor crook (a paper hanger) who he had previously convinced/coerced to slip into his cell in his place when the guards were locking down the prison during the riot. That way the authorities would spend time looking for the wrong man - they believed the paper hanger had escaped when all the while he was just sitting in Lyden's cell. This would give Lyden plenty of time to kill Magnum and make his escape.

Why didn't Lyden just shoot Magnum on sight?

Lyden still considers himself a soldier and not just a criminal - he tries to pretend that he was doing a noble thing by selling guns to the mercs. Magnum destroys his facade by pointing out that he left another group of soldiers to be wiped out because they couldn't pay him enough. I think Lyden knows that he is just a crook with blood on his hands but he doesn't want to admit it. He wants to punish Magnum for the mercenaries death, but deep down he knows he is really at fault. His desire to erase his own guilt is why he doesn't just waste Magnum on sight.

What did the car wreck at the beginning have to do with Lyden's plan?

Lyden combines his plot to escape prison and his quest for revenge into one stratagem. While his men are kidnapping TC he simultaneously sends his associate with the French sounding name to deliver a message to Magnum. Presumably, that message would be "I have TC, come to this location if you want to see him again alive. Do not contact the authorities or else" His plan falls apart when his associate is killed by the reckless driver before he can reach Robin's Nest. He expected to have enough time to eliminate Magnum and make his escape,while the authorities were still looking for the minor crook who was pretending to be Lyden in his cell. When the Frenchman was killed Lyden's plan was already ruined. He wasn't able to set magnum up the way he wanted, and he lost his only means of escaping the island.


How did he know Higgins?

He's a smart guy. He knew about Robin's Nest. It isn't a stretch that he would get as much info on Magnum's friends as possible.

Why didn't the bad guys just kill Higgins and TC?

They would have if it had been up to the "hired muscle." They thought the plan was just to escape and secure a weapons cache. But Lyden knew he would need at least one or both of the the hostages to keep Magnum from coming in with guns blazing. TC would have been the ideal hostage, but he was wounded and likely dying so Higgins had to be kept as insurance.


Just my thoughts. I may be wrong about all of it. ;)

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Re: Past Tense (3.5)

#55 Post by Doc Ibold »

marlboro wrote:I liked this episode and didn't find it that confusing.

Three years earlier Lyden had been selling weapons to mercenaries. Magnum infiltrates his organization and busts him.


Was the prison break implausible?

The multiple links to Helicopter related prison breaks have already dispelled that question.


There were also a couple of questions about the prison break earlier in the thread:.

How did he start the riot?

Obviously, Lyden payed a few of the inmates to set those dumpsters on fire. Prisons are powder kegs. I don't think it would take much to set the rest of the inmates off.

Who was the man in Lyden's cell?

The man in the cell was a minor crook (a paper hanger) who he had previously convinced/coerced to slip into his cell in his place when the guards were locking down the prison during the riot. That way the authorities would spend time looking for the wrong man - they believed the paper hanger had escaped when all the while he was just sitting in Lyden's cell. This would give Lyden plenty of time to kill Magnum and make his escape.

Why didn't Lyden just shoot Magnum on sight?

Lyden still considers himself a soldier and not just a criminal - he tries to pretend that he was doing a noble thing by selling guns to the mercs. Magnum destroys his facade by pointing out that he left another group of soldiers to be wiped out because they couldn't pay him enough. I think Lyden knows that he is just a crook with blood on his hands but he doesn't want to admit it. He wants to punish Magnum for the mercenaries death, but deep down he knows he is really at fault. His desire to erase his own guilt is why he doesn't just waste Magnum on sight.

What did the car wreck at the beginning have to do with Lyden's plan?

Lyden combines his plot to escape prison and his quest for revenge into one stratagem. While his men are kidnapping TC he simultaneously sends his associate with the French sounding name to deliver a message to Magnum. Presumably, that message would be "I have TC, come to this location if you want to see him again alive. Do not contact the authorities or else" His plan falls apart when his associate is killed by the reckless driver before he can reach Robin's Nest. He expected to have enough time to eliminate Magnum and make his escape,while the authorities were still looking for the minor crook who was pretending to be Lyden in his cell. When the Frenchman was killed Lyden's plan was already ruined. He wasn't able to set magnum up the way he wanted, and he lost his only means of escaping the island.


How did he know Higgins?

He's a smart guy. He knew about Robin's Nest. It isn't a stretch that he would get as much info on Magnum's friends as possible.

Why didn't the bad guys just kill Higgins and TC?

They would have if it had been up to the "hired muscle." They thought the plan was just to escape and secure a weapons cache. But Lyden knew he would need at least one or both of the the hostages to keep Magnum from coming in with guns blazing. TC would have been the ideal hostage, but he was wounded and likely dying so Higgins had to be kept as insurance.


Just my thoughts. I may be wrong about all of it. ;)
I think you pretty much hit the nail on the head. Like you said, I didn't find it too confusing, and it is one of the "buddy episodes" which really showcases the bond. To me, the plot leading up to it is kind of secondary.

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