Letter to a Duchess (4.6)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the fourth season

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How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
9
8%
9.5 (One of the Best)
22
20%
9.0 (Excellent)
27
25%
8.5 (Very Good)
24
22%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
20
18%
7.5 (Decent)
4
4%
7.0 (Average at Best)
2
2%
6.5 (Not So Good)
0
No votes
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
0
No votes
5.0 (Just Awful)
1
1%
 
Total votes: 109

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Tayne
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#41 Post by Tayne »

mandolabar wrote:I need any Brits on the list to weigh in....but I may have spotted a rare instance of John Hillerman's Texas roots bleeding through.
"I fixed pheasant" is indeed an American phrase, though I believe it has spread outwith the south (TM even offers to "fix breakfast").
Over here fixing a pheasant might mean splinting a broken wing (unlikely) or trying to recover from overcooking to the point of dry meat.

However, Higgins frequently slips up. Incorrect intonation, the wrong names or grammatical mistakes, it happens at least once every two episodes.
It could be argued that Higgins has been living over there for so long that he's picked up a few Americanisms but its doubtful given that he holds events for the Queen Mother's birthday, QE2's coronation etc and frequently despises some of those "ghastly American customs".

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#42 Post by Seaver41 »

tell you what.....I don't believe i had seen that one since the original run......too many instances within it came to memory so I know I had seen it, but it's cool seeing these episodes that aren't fresh in the mind. I don't think I could've appreciated this episode as a 16 year old, but almost 30 years later it certainly hits me differently. This was a very comfortable episode that I enjoyed just last night.

I will say though.....the flashback scene where Higgins won't accept her help is to me annoying with his over the top genuflecting to the throne as it were......

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#43 Post by Croix de Lorraine »

Could anyone help me with the name of the classical piece that's playing in the background in the scene where Higgins is getting ready for dinner carrying a centerpiece, just before they cut to Magnum getting ready to watch the baseball? Thanks!

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Re:

#44 Post by charybdis1966 »

mandolabar wrote:I need any Brits on the list to weigh in....but I may have spotted a rare instance of John Hillerman's Texas roots bleeding through.

In the scene when Magnum comes to the study after he takes Vivien home, and they come to understand what happened--Higgins tells Magnum "I fixed pheasant" (I think it was pheasant)....My point: this usage of "fix" is, to my linguistic knowledge, unique to the southern US dialect. It's one of the things my husband (not from the south) laughs at me for, because I do say things like "I'm fixin to go to the store" and "I fixed the boys' lunches for them."


So unless the British actually say this too--which I doubt, but please chime in if you do--Higgins let slip a native Texan usage.

Maybe he's been hanging around with Elmo...

~Amanda
This does sound like John Hillerman reverting back to his actual accent and speech mannerisms as Brits would never say "fixing" up some food.

I've mentioned this on another episode thread that JH get's around 90% of the english speech mannerisms/accents correct so I think for a TV programme that is well above the usual attention to accent/dialects.

I can detect a few of his vowels said as americans would every now and then but I'd think that with the hectic shooting schedules you get on network TV and hasty rewrites JH did the best he could to deal with script changes.

As for the episode itself it was a light-hearted character driven episode which mainly showed Higgins' deferential attitude to the upper class.

I did have a few laugh out loud moments while watching this, initially when the opening caption shows "The English Midlands" and it showed a stately home type of place - no doubt there are some in the Midlands but most Brits would associate the Midlands with heavy engineering factories and housing estates, perhaps unfairly or stereotypically.

The cane fight seemed to me a homage to that other English gent character, Steed, of the Avengers(played by Patrick MacNee); such cane fights were one of his specialties.

Overall a watchable episode with the mutual respect between TM and Higgins beginning to show through the tomfoolery and bickering.
Last edited by charybdis1966 on Fri Nov 15, 2013 2:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re:

#45 Post by marlboro »

J.J. Walters wrote:This has to be one of the funniest, most bizarre flubs/continuity errors ever. In the surf ski race at the end, Magnum starts the race with his Detroit Tigers cap, but finishes it with his Da Nang cap. What makes this so strange is that Magnum lost his Da Nang cap in the Season Four opener "Home From the Sea" (when he is knocked off his surf ski by a reckless boater). We havn't seen him wear his Da Nang cap since, and yet here we see him suddenly wearing it out of nowhere, in the middle of a surf ski race! It's like he found his lost cap at sea! LOL! :)
Maybe "Herman" found it for him. Maybe that's why he was circling him in "Home From the Sea." He wasn't contemplating eating him - he just wanted to return his hat. "Listen buddy, stop counting for a minute and take your dang hat back. I've got an appointment with Robert Shaw at noon, and i haven't got time to deal with this."




As for the episode overall - I thought it was pretty good. Some very good Higgins/Magnum scenes - particularly the "You're attacking my character" scene. What knocks it down a notch or two is the fact that we've seen the lovelorn Higgins plot 3 times already.

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Re: Re:

#46 Post by J.J. Walters »

marlboro wrote:Maybe "Herman" found it for him. Maybe that's why he was circling him in "Home From the Sea." He wasn't contemplating eating him - he just wanted to return his hat. "Listen buddy, stop counting for a minute and take your dang hat back. I've got an appointment with Robert Shaw at noon, and i haven't got time to deal with this."
:)
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Re:

#47 Post by Netsrak »

Just watched this one, and was curious about where Higgie Baby walked out of the British shop... It's not in rubber chicken's guide, so I deduced the location myself... Higgins emerges downtown on Bethel Street in between Merchant and South King (coordinates 21.30972, -157.86309). I believe the building is currently used by the Kumu Kahua Theatre, which fronts on Merchant Street; Higgins comes out a side door. The assault on Vivian takes place directly across Bethel Street.

So of course I had to keep going...

Want to say that the "Lunalilo Bridge", where Higgins meets Wilkes, is the footbridge at Waialae Beach Park (21.26953, -157.77729, right by the KK Club Beach Bar set!), but I'm not 100% on that.

The establishng shot at the beginning of chapter 4 (37:37) is an interesting view of Honolulu from atop the Honolulu Municipal Building (21.30419, -157.85477), with South Street at left, the historic Kawaiaha'o Church at lower right, and Honolulu Harbor & Sand Island in the distance. The Municipal Building and its roof were previously used in "Ghost Writer" (2.12), so I presume this shot comes from that shoot.

With Magnum hiding in the backseat, Higgins drives over the old metal Sand Island Parkway bridge (21.31472 -157.88804)-- oddly coming from Sand Island, which makes no sense geographically. But hey, you can see Diamond Head in the background!

The big climax by the boat appears to take place a few hundred yards northeast of the Sand Island bridge (21.31650, -157.88629). The distinctive white pipe isn't there in the current satellite image, but otherwise the geography fits.

Finally... The surf ski race is truly bizarre geographically, apparently switching back and forth between Kailua Bay (on the windward side of the island) and Maunalua Bay (on the leeward side)! It starts out at 42:00 with a helicopter establishing shot over Kailua Beach Park (21.39605 -157.72215), then suddenly at 42:04 we're in the water off of Waialae Beach Park with Koko Crater & Koko Head in the background! Then from 42:12 to 42:29 we're treated to a long shot of the competitors-- back over in Kailua Bay, as the Mokapu Peninsula is clearly visible in the distance as the shot widens out. At 42:29, we're back to the Maunalua Bay with the distinctive slopes of Koko Head behind Magnum. Very strange. There were previous episodes with surf ski races, weren't there? I imagine the producers were just reusing old footage for parts of this one.

I'm still a bit puzzled by the opening shots from 2:57 to 3:20 (Waianae coast?), but I guess those can wait for another time. (Edit: Oh, I think the first shot is from the water off of Ka'a'awa... That pinnacle back behind the valley is pretty distinctive. I know I've seen some episodes with shots from here before.)
Croix de Lorraine wrote:Could anyone help me with the name of the classical piece that's playing in the background in the scene where Higgins is getting ready for dinner carrying a centerpiece, just before they cut to Magnum getting ready to watch the baseball? Thanks!
It's Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.

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Re: Letter to a Duchess (4.6)

#48 Post by Stelth »

This is a great episode but I found the duchess' wonky eye a bit off-putting.

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Styles Bitchley
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Re: Letter to a Duchess (4.6)

#49 Post by Styles Bitchley »

This is a great episode but in my most recent watching, I couldn't help noticing some convenient slips to help the plot along.

The first is Higgins writing the note, but not signing it because he "couldn't bring himself to do it." He would never have done this if it weren't to ensure the mix up happened for the show.

The next point is actually a flub unless someone has a better explanation. Higgins invites Vivian for dinner, but she thinks its Magnum. She comes over and shows up knocking on the guest house door...but who let her into the estate? Someone would have had to open the gate for her whether she arrived by taxi or car. Higgins had no idea she was there and Magnum didn't either. Did she hop the fence?

Finally, knowing what we know about the location of the guest house (real or the magical location on the show), there is no way that the baseball game was turned up loud enough for Higgins to hear it loudly in the main house...loud enough for him to need it turned down! Of course, this is to ensure Higgins walks in for the great discovery, but they could have dreamt up something more plausible, no?

Don't get me wrong, there's great stuff in this ep and I really enjoyed it. Still, I can't help noticing the glitches.
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Re: Letter to a Duchess (4.6)

#50 Post by Doc Ibold »

Styles Bitchley wrote: The next point is actually a flub unless someone has a better explanation. Higgins invites Vivian for dinner, but she thinks its Magnum. She comes over and shows up knocking on the guest house door...but who let her into the estate? Someone would have had to open the gate for her whether she arrived by taxi or car. Higgins had no idea she was there and Magnum didn't either. Did she hop the fence?.
Kenji, my friend! He is everywhere... Yet, he is nowhere. :wink:

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Re: Letter to a Duchess (4.6)

#51 Post by 308GTS »

Always enjoy this episode, and must have seen it at least 10 times now. Jane Merrow was certainly a looker!
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Re: Letter to a Duchess (4.6)

#52 Post by Hawaii84 »

Great episode. Reminds me of "Black on White."

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Re: Letter to a Duchess (4.6)

#53 Post by EZiller »

Somewhat similar to season 2's "Tropical Madness" once again we have TM and Higgins in a love triangle with another lovely and demure Brit. Given that TM & Hig are about 25 years apart in age this would seem unlikely. Vivian's age would probably be about halfway. It's always entertaining to see this side of Higgins, being smitten by a woman. Another brilliant job by Hillerman...I'm sure most of us have had a similar situation of being absolutely infatuated with someone only to realize they share that infatuation with your friend and not you.

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Re: Letter to a Duchess (4.6)

#54 Post by marlboro »

To me, the relationship between Higgins and Magnum is what makes this show great. This episode really showcases their friendship, so I really enjoyed it.

What about that fight scene? I actually laughed out loud thane they guy "came off the top rope."

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Re: Letter to a Duchess (4.6)

#55 Post by J.J. Walters »

marlboro wrote:What about that fight scene? I actually laughed out loud thane they guy "came off the top rope."
The dock fight scene is iconic! That is why I put a clip of it up on the Video page. The guy jumping off the top deck and crashing onto a table (while growling like Frankenstein) always cracks me up! Like you said, it's like he's "coming off the top rope" in a pro wrestling match or something! :)

http://magnum-mania.com/Video/Dock_Fight.html
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

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