Operation: Silent Night (4.10)

[IKnowWhatYoureThinking]

Hawaii would be the deal! I want to retire at the beach one day, but I have too long to go to think about that!

[MACattack]

Its all good. I guess Barack Obama could be considered the real T.C.!!! (no disrespect to Roger Mosley, he's a class act!). Obama was born there and is currently vacationing there. Now, if he could only get somebody to paint the Air Force One helicopter rainbow colors!

[N1095A]

Marine One, Air Force One is the plane.

[MACattack]

Thanks for the heads up! The writers of MPI should have had you as an advisor!

[Tuan Vu]

A couple of strange things about this episode:

1. Rick, who is a Vietnam veteran, is afraid of insects and freaks out about being stranded on an island in Hawaii, even though there is a high likelihood that T.C. will fix the chopper or they will be rescued.

2. The commander of the destroyer orders the shelling of the island even though he knows about the fire on the island and that there are people on it (or perhaps I am missing something here).

Anyway, the best scene was with T.C. and Higgins where T.C. calls Higgins "Johnathan."

Also, it was great to hear everyone singing. T.C. has a pretty good voice. I'm not so sure about the other guys, though.

[Coops]

1. I went to Navy bootcamp with guys that were deathly afraid of water. I am not kidding.

2. Ship captains are the last true monarchs left in the world. Psycho captains are rare but they are out there. I know, I served under one.

[IKnowWhatYoureThinking]

Once out on the open sea the Old Man is almost the word of God!

[MaiTaiMan]

Interesting episode...where all the gang has to work together to try and find a way off the island. Higgins' hat he weaves is hilarious!

I also enjoy Rick's quick sand scene...he's such a drama queen! I also love the raft Higgins attempts to make out of the old Japanese WWII plane they found on the island. That actually was a pretty intricate idea...but it was hilarious when it sank immediately with Higgins standing in the middle of it!

The military men were way too over-dramatic though...especially the whacko commander of the ship. He seemed to talk and act like a psychopath or something. He also seemed to have no trouble murdering people he knew were on the island by blowing them up.

I love the end though, where T.C. finally fixes the chopper well enough to take off and they all break out into "Silent Night". Heart warming and a perfect happy ending to a Christmas episode.

[Croix de Lorraine]

I'm surprised no one mentioned the hilariously bad night flying effects when they're singing Silent Night!

[Seaver41]

I was laughing my ass off at the Rick dialogue while looking for Higgins........he worries about cannibals and answers the wondering of Magnum on where Higgins could be...Rick says stewing in a pot......it was par for the course for Rick in this episode. He was quite overdramatic.

This to me was a bone to the viewers. I say that in the context of it was blatant confirmation to what we have been watching unfold for 4 seasons.........Higgins genuinely cares about Magnum and there is at least some level of friendship between Higgins and Rick/TC. Those were nice moments to digest around the holiday theme of goodwill to men (and women).

Yes, a lot of the episode was contrived to deliver the main points they wanted, but all in all it works. The naval scenes on board were about the worst I've ever seen anywhere. It looked like they converted a classroom or something similar. Horribly written/directed/edited/lighted scenes with Ed Lauter. Quite honestly, the effect would've been more dramatic had they cut those scenes out altogether and just had that initial flare as any indication to not only the characters but the viewers as well that there was indeed imminent danger.

[Croix de Lorraine]

I was laughing my ass off at the Rick dialogue while looking for Higgins........he worries about cannibals and answers the wondering of Magnum on where Higgins could be...Rick says stewing in a pot......it was par for the course for Rick in this episode. He was quite overdramatic.

This to me was a bone to the viewers. I say that in the context of it was blatant confirmation to what we have been watching unfold for 4 seasons.........Higgins genuinely cares about Magnum and there is at least some level of friendship between Higgins and Rick/TC. Those were nice moments to digest around the holiday theme of goodwill to men (and women).

Yes, a lot of the episode was contrived to deliver the main points they wanted, but all in all it works. The naval scenes on board were about the worst I've ever seen anywhere. It looked like they converted a classroom or something similar. Horribly written/directed/edited/lighted scenes with Ed Lauter. Quite honestly, the effect would've been more dramatic had they cut those scenes out altogether and just had that initial flare as any indication to not only the characters but the viewers as well that there was indeed imminent danger.

I agree on all points. Great feel-good episode with good character depth, but embarrassing naval scenes.

[snp389]

One of the best!!!!!
It's an episode that when it's finished, I can easily watch it over again.
From what I've read in Larry Manetti's book, it is one of the cast's favourites. I can imagine it would have been a nice change of pace for all 4 actors and the crew.
There's a great Christmas Spirit feel, and an All for One, One for All sense too.
The relationship that further develops between TC and JQH is a great scene, with TC calling him Jonathon, which is sincerely noted by JQH.

I also love the scene between TSM and JQH, with Higgins reminiscing of Christmas' past and the profound effect it has on Soldiers serving away from home at Christmas and how it is extra special to those who have served their country. Great scene

[charybdis1966]

I liked this episode and pretty much everything has been said about this episode already, although I did detect a major Higgin's accent flub, no way would an englishman say "A-looo-me-nun", it would obviously be "a-loo-minny-yun" when he described the construction of the crashed japanese plane.

[ConchRepublican]

Operation "Operation: Silent Night" viewing in effect.

[Styles Bitchley]

I caught an episode of Gilligan's Island last night that has a central plot remarkably similar to this episode. Wonder if the writers used it as inspiration.

Gilligan's Island: Season 1, Episode 18, X Marks the Spot (30 Jan. 1965)