All For One (1) (5.15)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the fifth season

Moderator: Styles Bitchley

How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
6
7%
9.5 (One of the Best)
15
18%
9.0 (Excellent)
16
19%
8.5 (Very Good)
16
19%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
13
15%
7.5 (Decent)
9
11%
7.0 (Average at Best)
4
5%
6.5 (Not So Good)
2
2%
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
0
No votes
5.0 (Just Awful)
3
4%
 
Total votes: 84

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Doc Ibold
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#11 Post by Doc Ibold »

James J. Walters wrote:I think it's great that the same episode can be rated both "Perfect" AND "Just Awful"! Everyone gets something different out of a Magnum episode*.

* Doc taught me that with "Birdman of Budapest". ;)
Thanks buddy!

And, just to show that it goes both ways, I watched "One More Summer" recently and thought to myself "James was right, this really isn't THAT good"

:D

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golfmobile
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#12 Post by golfmobile »

These two were on Sleuth today. It is SO nice to have Sleuth now running, apparently, all the seasons (as "Laura" [Season 7] was shown just before these two).

I liked these. Perhaps because the Vietnam Era was my high school/college era, it is of more interest to me. I like the serious shows. I like the humorous ones too (e.g., "Innocence: A Broad"), but I like the toughness of the serious shows a little better. I just like the way it allows the guys to be macho men instead of the spoiled little boys they frequently seem to be when "at home" in Hawaii. (Though I confess I am getting a little tired of the way TM and Higgins are always YELLING at each other. For example, in this episode, in the scene of assisting Higgins in recreating the Battle of Salamanca, why did they participate if they weren't going to do it right [can you imagine Civil War re-enactments where the participants make up their own battle plans?], and then when they couldn't do it "their way," they threw down the rifles and quit -- "take my ball and go home." How terribly childish!!)

Anyway, as to the serious shows about Vietnam, I like the way that, even though there always seem to be some American "bad guy" in the Vietnam-centric shows, there's almost always a "twist" ending as to who is really the good guy and who is really the bad guy. And these shows also highlight, again, the teamwork and loyalty of the group of guys, even to including (and appreciating) Higgins when he wasn't in that war with our boys.

To sum it up, it's very nice to have an "action" show do such a good job of some light humor and still be able to mix the characters into serious drama too.

Now, a couple of nitpicks: The helicopter that TC "restores" and gets flying again in the jungle is the T-tailed 500D. I thought that version was not made until 1977, so it couldn't have been abandoned in the jungle in 1975 (roughly, the characters said it had been there for around ten years and this was in the 1985 season of the show). Technically, I would have thought any heli that was left there, abandoned, would have been the old Huey, a Kiowa, or, if it had to be a "fighter," then the OH-6.

Is this important enough to be a flub?

Also, with the fire fight at the end when Tyler dies, from what I have heard recently with regard to "falling on a hand grenade," (particularly with respect to the Iraq war hero who was "medaled" just this week, I think) falling on the grenade does not prevent ALL damage -- i.e., there is only damage to the faller-oner, as happened in this show. Tyler falls on the grenade to save the kids, there's a minor explosion and the interior of the shack, the kids, etc., don't get damaged at all! Thomas walks in and carries the kids out, after killing the bad guy. And also, right then, conveniently, ALL the fighting stops! I thought that was very strange. There were dozens of Viets fighting all over the camp and then suddenly they all just stop?? As in, did all the bad guys get killed at the same time?

Secondly, just "of interest," the closing credits show a still of TC in that helicopter, apparently flying above the village people. He was grinning with his thumb up. But in the show, all he did was test the heli to see if it would fly, and "Joe" was the only one there to see him test it and find out that it would fly - a quick up and down, and then the rest of the guys arrived. So this must have been a scene that was filmed but not shown in the final cut.

Sorry to be so picky, but, boy, have all you guys taught me to be observant!!

golf
"Portside, buddy."

Trptpaladin
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#13 Post by Trptpaladin »

I saw this one today for the first time, kinda of an odd one. Chuck Norris meets the A-team....

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#14 Post by A P Leyland »

I'm on the fence with this one also. The Vietnam situation is far too complex a question to be answered in episode of an action adventure TV show. I always liked it better when the guys acknowledged their roots in the war but then moved on. It's always going to be a part of them but again, the show has neither the time or the money to really do the subject justice. It's not as bad a similar episodes of The A-Team or Airwolf (both of which did plots similar to this) but as I say it seems a simplistic way of handling a very weighty subject.

However, most Magnum episodes have moments of enjoyment and this is no different. The characterisation is still fun (although TSM is childish at the beginning but isn't that a part of his character?) and the actors do a good job. Pretty predictable stuff though and not a top 10 episode in my book.

Andy

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#15 Post by MACattack »

Seems like everybody is hatin' on this episode! I actually enjoyed it a lot more than episode with Luther Gillis .

The gunfight with the Thai bandits is reminiscent of the riverboat scene in 'Apocalypse Now'.
I just don't give a damn!

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Artie Canoe
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#16 Post by Artie Canoe »

I love this episode, especially the epic scene where the plane door opens and Higgins is standing there!

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N1095A
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#17 Post by N1095A »

Artie Canoe wrote:I love this episode, especially the epic scene where the plane door opens and Higgins is standing there!
This scene for me defines the relationship between Higgins and the rest of the guys. This wasn't his cause. He didn't know J.J., Despite what Tyler said about Higgins missing "the action", i believe Higgins went along because of his bond with the guys. Because knew there was a chance he would never see them again, and his knowledge of the area, and his ability as a soldier no matter how long past would be an asset in helping to keep his friends that he cared for much more than he left on, alive.

Also noteworthy was TC closing the curtain in the plane as they were leaving Hawaii. he paused, and the camera showed a "parting shot" of the island. To me this was his taking one last look at home, because ie might not ever see it again.

Set aside the Rambo, A-Team cheese factor, and this is a very good episode from the standpoint, of the guys feelings toward each other, and the overpowering comittment to duty and honor that they all had in common. It helped along with so many other scenes, in so many other episodes to define their character. For those who dodn't care for it, I suggest you look at not as a stand alone story, but rather in the context of the entire series. I too was not very keen on this one, but after watching it a few times I began to see it in a different light. In fact, looking at it from that perspective, I'd venture to say it may have been one of the best episodes of the series.
"But Higgins, I can explain."

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#18 Post by Seaver41 »

20 years later and I'm not enamored with it as I once had been. Honestly though, I expect to look at all the episodes in a new light just because I'm not a teenager anymore.......my life priorities have changed and the appreciation for things like life, family, and friends has grown immeasurably. I'm looking forward to seeing some of the less than well known episodes to see what I get out of them this time around. I watched 'L.A.' over the holidays and really enjoyed it....had forgotten a lot of it.....with the irony being he gets his heart broken in the end.

There is a certain cheesy factor I have to get past with episodes like All for One and Silent Night............

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IKnowWhatYoureThinking
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#19 Post by IKnowWhatYoureThinking »

Come on. Operation Silent Night wasn't that bad was it?

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#20 Post by Seaver41 »

IKnowWhatYoureThinking wrote:Come on. Operation Silent Night wasn't that bad was it?
I had to look twice to make sure the ship firing the guns wasn't stock footage from Buck Rodgers or battlestar Galactica.... :lol:

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#21 Post by Lt. Cook »

Used to hate it, now love it.

For me:

Cons:
-A bit cheesy Rambo/Chuck Norris-ish. There were a slew of "Private group of vets goes back to rescue POW's" films in the 80's and this was hopping on the bandwagon. Especially cheesy: Higgins after the final firefight, with cigar clenched in teeth.

Pro:
-Shows the bond of debt these guys felt for each other.
-I like the nod to the idea of starting to realize you are aging - as rtyler said "you don't have to be creeping up on middle age to feel old." I'm starting to have an uncomfortable understanding of that!
-The first time where TS is overtly referred to as a SEAL.
- The Bangcock bar scene does a great job with creating atmosphere.
-Tyler P. McKenna.

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Carmen
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#22 Post by Carmen »

You sure about Tyler being "pro"?!
Sometimes I get so lucky, even I don`t believe it (TSM)

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Ice_Pick
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#23 Post by Ice_Pick »

James J. Walters wrote:I think it's great that the same episode can be rated both "Perfect" AND "Just Awful"! Everyone gets something different out of a Magnum episode*.
That's a good point, James! I guess it all depends on what satisfies the veiwer...

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Jay-Firestorm
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#24 Post by Jay-Firestorm »

Like others, I couldn’t fully make my mind up about this one. Some good elements, some not so good.

[rating=9.0]

An old war acquaintance of Magnum’s arrives at the Estate, and asks Magnum, Rick and T.C. to help him rescue a comrade who has been captured. Soon, the gang and Higgins are making a dangerous trail into Cambodia. Mixed but decent opener to this two-parter…

-----

This review contains spoilers.

This story gets a mixed response from fans – some like it, some don’t. And ‘mixed’ is generally how I would sum it up – on the whole, I like the plot, but there are certain elements that don’t completely work for me.

Being a two-parter (the second of only two stories originally shown in two-part format, after ‘Echoes of the Mind’ at the start of the season), the pacing is noticeably much slower than normal (even the opening trailer is much longer than the norm), and this really slows the story down; as much as I liked the added ‘depth’, at a couple of points I was thinking “come on, get on with it”.

This would have worked better as a more compact standard-length episode in opinion, but deciding factors, such as budget, probably deemed that this one was worked into a two-parter.

One thing I did notice, particularly in the (overlong) bar scene, was the stock covers of various songs used (such as Jimi Hendrix), in an era when standard TV episode budgets used song covers instead of the originals to save money. And these covers are HORRIBLE sounding; I’m glad it’s a practice that has generally faded away in more recent times.

Once the story does finally hit its stride, we have the great action sequence of the ambush on the gang’s boat; in a season where real action has been missing for a number of episodes, it is a welcome inclusion – even if it does feel like it drifts into ‘The A-Team’ territory at times (and I say that as a fan of ‘The A-Team’!).

The scene of Higgins giving the injured Rick a blood transfusion via a bamboo shoot is enough to make me feel queasy.

As the story requires a number of ethnic actors, old MPI guest star stalwarts such as Seth Sakai and Clyde Kusatsu are called into play yet again – those guys must have made a packet from all of their guest appearances!

All-in-all, this is a reasonable opener to this two-parter, and certainly better than some of the weak stories of the fifth season. Although it is dragged out in places, it does build up well to Part II.

-----

Other notes, bloopers and misc.:

* The main page for this episode is slightly incorrect – it says that the episode title appears at the bottom-centre; actually, it appears centre screen.

* The inclusion of this story in the fifth season makes it the only season to have more than one two-hour / two-part stories.

* Further to Mark Seaman’s flub note regarding Rick’s pants changing design when the cannon is fired at them, if you look carefully, the shot where Rick, T.C. and Magnum are sent sprawling by the blast, they are actually their three stunt doubles.

* When Magnum arrives at Tyler’s plane, Tyler refers to him as “T.S. Magnum”. This is quite unusual. Early press promotion for the series said that Magnum was often called “T.S.”, but this was never really used in the series proper; the closest it came was when T.C. often referred to him as “T.M.”.

* During the bar scene, Magnum smokes his eleventh cigar of the series.

* I didn’t realise it when I first watched this episode, but it has no narration by Magnum. Unless I am much mistaken, the only other two stories without any narration are the third season’s ‘The Big Blow’, and the series finale, season eight’s ‘Resolutions’.

* When Five broadcast this episode in 2002… well, no comment on this one, because I can’t currently find the videocassette that I recorded it on. I think it’s got packed away with a load of old tapes I put in the attic but couldn’t bear to get rid of. I’ll try and find it to check if any of the boat raid or blood transfusion scenes were altered.
JAY FIRESTORM

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My A-Team site - http://thea-team.org aiming to be the most detailed A-Team site on the Net - if I ever get around to updating it!!

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IKnowWhatYoureThinking
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#25 Post by IKnowWhatYoureThinking »

Jay great review, and I would love to know what Magnum's final tally is on cigars. Being a huge cigar aficionado I have always loved the fact that Magnum was a cigar smoker.

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