[rating=8.5]
As Higgins prepares for a telethon to try and save an endangered species of coral worms, Magnum is hired by a woman wish psychic visions, to try and protect her from being murdered as she “sees” in her latest vision. Not bad, but not outstanding either…
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This review contains spoilers.
This episode very much sums up the fifth (and sixth) season of MPI – it is watchable, but hardly outstanding, and feels particularly flat when considering some of the great stories that have gone before in the series.
The story is the first of several directed by British actor David Hemmings. Hemmings would go on to appear this season in ‘Compulsion’, and as another character in the seventh season’s ‘Out of Sync’. (He also plays ‘Airwolf’s twisted creator Dr. Moffett, and directed a number of third and fourth season episodes of ‘The A-Team’).
The episode can be considered a ‘Hallowe’en’ story, with it’s “spooky” elements involving graveyards, psychic visions of murder, and dead bodies, and being broadcast the day after Hallowe’en 1984.
The story starts off well enough, and is fairly interesting with Laura Bennett’s visions of death. However, as the story progressed, I didn’t feel it had the good pacing of some episodes. I note that the episode has an unusually high number of writing contributors, so maybe this had something to do with it.
(Also, the opening trailer has a spoiler that it is not Laura’s own death that she keeps seeing, but instead Magnum’s. Ordinarily the opening trailers don’t give away too many spoilers, but this one slipped up).
Higgins’ preparing for the telethon starts off quite amusingly, and has several good moments, but ultimately it doesn’t go anywhere, and the final result is slightly disappointing.
I found it easy to deduct who the real villain was – Archie the used car dealer was given far too much screen time and prominence for it not to be obvious.
There are some good moments in the story - there is a good car chase involving the Ferrari mid-episode for example, but the episode never feels to really live up to it’s premise. I can name far worse episodes of the series, but as with many stories of the season, it’s sadly not very memorable.
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Other notes, bloopers and misc.:
I spotted this too - it's actually a similar flub to the skids on T.C.'s chopper - it is an older stock shot of the Ferrari; the updated model has black squares where the headlights pop-up, and a black grill between them; the older Ferrari has a plain red hood.IslandHopper wrote:1. When Magnum finishes his discussion with Laura about taking her case and he asks "am I going to take your case?" the camera cuts to Magnum driving the Ferrari downtown. However, the initial shot is not Magnum driving the Ferrari. The guy driving looks like he has a navy or black golf shirt and Magnum has a light colored button down shirt with a white collar. The next shot is a close-up of Magnum driving with the light colored-white collared shirt.
I noticed this too! I can't remember about the later episodes, but re-watching the series in order, this is the first time that I noticed it. I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees it as a bearded lady!IslandHopper wrote:Question: There is a painting in Higgins' study of a woman, however, it is not the Queen. This woman looks like she has a beard. I have seen this painting many times in many different episodes, and always thought it odd that Higgins would have a painting of a bearded lady in the estate. In this episode, the painting in question is on the wall of the study to the right of the door as you walk into the study. There are a few scenes inside the study when the camera is facing the door, thus, the painting is on the left of the screen. Does anyone know who this is a painting of, and its significance?