Photo Play (6.21)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the sixth season

Moderator: Styles Bitchley

How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
0
No votes
9.5 (One of the Best)
4
5%
9.0 (Excellent)
5
7%
8.5 (Very Good)
15
20%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
12
16%
7.5 (Decent)
19
26%
7.0 (Average at Best)
12
16%
6.5 (Not So Good)
3
4%
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
0
No votes
5.0 (Just Awful)
4
5%
 
Total votes: 74

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Shermy
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#16 Post by Shermy »

This episode does have one of my favorite "Oh My God!" moments from Season 6, as Magnum opens the door to reveal Higgins in the darkroom. What I love about it is that you just know it's coming, as soon as Magnum begins talking about the darkroom. For some reason, that just makes it even funnier. :lol:

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J.J. Walters
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#17 Post by J.J. Walters »

This episode also features one of the only looks at the back of the main house, oceanside. It may be the only look, I'm not entirely sure.

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Another nice patch of lawn. Too bad we can't see what's on the other side of the hedge. That little lawn area would be a great spot for an oceanside hammock. ;)
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

Jodykmg365
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#18 Post by Jodykmg365 »

Sometimes the things that Higgins gets all upset about are downright silly. I wouldn't have taken him for a billiard lover. Also, he was pretty callous toward Agatha's injury, considering how smitten she always has been with him.

Was the room that was shown where Higgins is watching TV an upstairs den? I think they showed the same room in Kona Winds??

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Doc Ibold
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#19 Post by Doc Ibold »

Jodykmg365 wrote:Sometimes the things that Higgins gets all upset about are downright silly. I wouldn't have taken him for a billiard lover. Also, he was pretty callous toward Agatha's injury, considering how smitten she always has been with him.

Was the room that was shown where Higgins is watching TV an upstairs den? I think they showed the same room in Kona Winds??
He's like me on NFL draft day!

:lol:

I do agree with him being callous towards Agatha, but with Shelley Faraday around, some of us get a little bit off our rocker!

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J.J. Walters
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#20 Post by J.J. Walters »

LOL Doc!

Speaking of snooker, there is a famous Scottish player named John Higgins! He won the world title in 1998 and 2007.
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

jimhalinda
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#21 Post by jimhalinda »

There is an error in the episode details for this one - it says that Shelly's car hit the Ferrari, but it was in fact the car chasing Shelly that hit the Ferrari. And later in the episode Magnum inspects the damage on that car (the four-door Ford, not Shelly's car).

Regards,

Jim
"It will only distress you to continue this conversation" - Jonathan Quayle Higgins III

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lutherhgillis
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#22 Post by lutherhgillis »

While I would rather be boiled in oil than see or hear Cassie Yates, I do admit this is a pretty good episode. I liked seeing Magnum interact with Agatha and her friends. The cat speech is a classic.

I also enjoyed the effort Higgins went through to view the snooker championships. It reminds me of how I get up early to see the Wimbledon finals and the British Open.

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Rutledal
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#23 Post by Rutledal »

I noticed Agatha got a little more screen time than usual in this one, but I wonder. Do any of you know what episode she most screentime? I meen she is the most common recurring character, yet there is never such a thing as a "Agatha-centric" episode.

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Doc Ibold
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#24 Post by Doc Ibold »

Rutledal wrote:I noticed Agatha got a little more screen time than usual in this one, but I wonder. Do any of you know what episode she most screentime? I meen she is the most common recurring character, yet there is never such a thing as a "Agatha-centric" episode.
You could also consider "Let The Punishment Fit The Crime"...

Here's a list of character-centric episodes!

http://magnum-mania.com/Forum/viewtopic ... c+episodes

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Rutledal
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#25 Post by Rutledal »

Thanks, haven't seen "Let The Punishment Fit The Crime" in years.

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Rutledal
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#26 Post by Rutledal »

On a side note about James Cromwell's short role; Cromwell was at the time married to Julie Cobb who played Magnum's cousin Karen in "Going Home" and "Resolutions".

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#27 Post by gmt16750 »

James J. Walters wrote:LOL Doc!

Speaking of snooker, there is a famous Scottish player named John Higgins! He won the world title in 1998 and 2007.
i just saw him and thought about this episode. Like our Higgins would be practicing after having learned by the best on video ;)
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Agatha: Why does he always do that, Jonathan?
Higgins: I don't know, Agatha. I think sometimes our creator is testing me. Indeed it could be for no other reason. If i thought otherwise i believe i truly would go irrevocably irretrievably mad!

JHM01
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#28 Post by JHM01 »

First time post/reply, A couple of things that stick out from this episode was Rick wearing the wig and big sunglasses and Higgins getting physical with the bad guy holding Agatha hostage with a big body slam. Also we get to see T.C. wielding a hand gun.

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#29 Post by Jay-Firestorm »

Okay, I know a lot of people don’t like this one – mostly due to Cassie Yates – but personally, I found this a nice, amusing end to the season. Though a little Yates goes a LONG way!

[rating=9.5]

Magnum literally runs in a rather “overpowering” photographer-come-author, who needs to hire him to find out who the two thugs pursuing her are, and just why they’re after her in the first place! A nice, humorous finale to the sixth season…

-----

This review contains spoilers.

This episode, like many fifth and sixth season episode, this one splits the vote with fans. There are some episodes that some really like but I’m not keen on, whereas some people don’t care for this episode – but personally I really like it.

It might not be one of the show’s classic plots, but I enjoy it because of its humour – something that the show had lost for much of the fifth season and thankfully was getting back to by this point.

Cassie Yates plays Shelly, after playing a different character in season five’s ‘Kiss of the Sabre’. Like her character in that episode, Yates plays Shelly in an extremely annoying manner (and with a grating voice). However, unlike her previous role, I find this one more of a love-to-hate character than out-and-out dislikeable.

I really like Magnum having to give a speech and accept an award for saving a drowning cat from the tidal pool. It is quirky details such as this that makes the series such a joy to watch.

There are also some good car chase shots as Shelly is being pursued by the bad guys – like humour, action is something that the series had moved away from somewhat, and it is nice that the show is starting to include more of it again at this point.

The only thing about this episode that doesn’t particularly work for me is the climax. Rich dressed in a curly blonde wig to pose as Shelly, T.C. flying overhead in the chopper… it doesn’t feel particularly satisfying, and lets an otherwise enjoyable story down a little in my opinion.

But all-in-all, although some don’t like it, I personally really like this episode. It has a nice amount of humour and little touches, and is a nice closer to the sixth season. I enjoy watching it enough to give it a very strong 9.5.

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Other notes, bloopers and misc.:

* On the DVD version of this episode, all but one of the act breaks are abridged.

* Cigar count… Magnum goes to take one in this episode, but Higgins slams the box shut!

* Rick only appears in the climatic sequence of this story.

* Watch the ambulance doors after Agatha is loaded into the back – the left hand door (when looking at it from outside) is closed. Then we get a shot from inside of the other door being closed… but in this shot, the left hand door can be seen to be open again!

* The snooker match that Higgins is watching is probably broadcast by the BBC, who hold the rights to broadcast snooker in the U.K. (However, I’m not sure if the BBC would have been available in Hawaii via satellite at the time of this episode).


-----
Sixth season overview

As I’ve mentioned in some of my reviews for the sixth season, maybe I’ve been a little too hard on it over the years. While hardly a vintage season of MPI, it certainly is a notch up from the overall terrible fifth season, which was bottom-of-the-barrel for the series in my opinion.
Of note with this season is that the Anderson Estate, used for all exterior shots of Robin’s Nest, was unavailable for a number of episodes, so the writers and producers had to come up with a number of stories set away from the Estate; some worked better than others.
The season got off to a notable start with ‘Déjà vu’, which stands out to me as it is set in my home country of England. Although over-talky and with a feeling that more could have been done with the story potential, it is a decent feature-length / two-parter none-the-less.
With the first standard episode of the season, ‘Old Acquaintance’, the show had feeling that it was gradually finding its feel again after going off-course in the fifth season.
Standout episodes of the season for me include comedy-based ‘The Treasure of Kalaniopu’u’, ‘Summer School’, gritty ‘Way of the Stalking Horse’, and – although some don’t like it – humorous season finale ‘Photo Play’.
Also of note is ‘Going Home’, which sees Magnum returning to his hometown of Tidewater, Virginia. It is the only episode of the whole run not to feature Higgins and Rick, and only one of three not to feature T.C.
The season wasn’t all perfect though – there were several duds. ‘The Hotel Dick’ has a tired feel to it, but worse down the barrel are ‘I Never Wanted to Go to France, Anyway…’, ‘All Thieves on Deck’ and the very weak ‘A Little Bit of Luck… A Little Bit of Grief’. Worse episode of the season, though – and one of the worse of the entire run in my opinion – is the abysmal and embarrassing ‘This Island Isn’t Big Enough…’.
We also got a third, final ‘Higgins’ half-brother’ episode this season: ‘Who Is Don Luis Higgins… …and Why Is He Doing These Terrible Things to Me?’. Although amusing in places, I personally found it quite disappointing after the first two excellent half-brother episodes.
But all-in-all, I actually really enjoyed the sixth season. For me, re-watching it to review, it felt by (unlike the fifth season, which really dragged). Thankfully, the series really feels back to it’s old self more in the seventh season – but there are also some duds there as well!
JAY FIRESTORM

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firefly
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#30 Post by firefly »

to me this episode really was the highlight of season 6. as has been said in previous posts it may not have the strongest core story, but it, imo, more than makes up for it with some truly classic mpi moments.

the cat speech was not only hilarious, but it also shows why i like the character so much, he is human. magnums "boyish" naivety told him that telling that story was appropriate, after all, it was a positive rememberance involving a cat.

my own favorite scene had to be the one when magnum finds higgins watching snooker. the complete juxtaposition of characters was brilliant. magnum barging in on higgins, higgins missing a key moment of the match, the scene just made me crack up.

i also enjoyed agatha getting a larger amount of screen time. her general sincerity toward magnum really shows after the cat speech as she tries to cheer magnum up, to get him to look at the glass as half full.

all around, i love this episode :D

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