All Thieves on Deck (6.15)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the sixth season

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How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
0
No votes
9.5 (One of the Best)
2
3%
9.0 (Excellent)
5
6%
8.5 (Very Good)
13
17%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
26
34%
7.5 (Decent)
19
25%
7.0 (Average at Best)
5
6%
6.5 (Not So Good)
3
4%
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
3
4%
5.0 (Just Awful)
1
1%
 
Total votes: 77

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J.J. Walters
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All Thieves on Deck (6.15)

#1 Post by J.J. Walters »

This is the official MM thread for All Thieves on Deck (6.15). All discussions and reviews for this episode should go here. If you wish to rate the episode, please do so with the poll. The avg. score will be the official 'community rating', which will be used on the episode page (updated monthly).

This thread is also linked in the episode page of the Episode Guide.


Original Air Date: 1/30/1986
What begins as a luxury cruise truns into a dangerous adventure when Magnum's assignment is to guard a priceless wooden statuette of a Hawaiian god on it's way to a museum.
Last edited by J.J. Walters on Fri Dec 28, 2007 5:59 pm, edited 4 times in total.

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Shermy
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#2 Post by Shermy »

One problem with Season 6 is that the plots were sometimes more convoluted than really necessary. But here the approach works well, and lends the episode a kind of lightweight, Agatha Christie-vibe.

Unfortunately, this whodunit approach is rendered pointless by the decision to show the killer in the opening scene. If the physical clues weren't a dead giveaway, they even reveal his voice!

But overall, this is a fun episode, thanks mainly to a cast of people who were, at the time, familiar faces: Sarah Douglas (Superman II; Conan the Destroyer), Alan Hale, Jr., Thaao Penghlis (Days of Our Lives; Mission: Impossible). Not one of the series' best, but certainly a highlight of Season 6.

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#3 Post by J.J. Walters »

Nice review Shermy. Well done. I couldn't agree more.

It's certainly an atypical, light, fun, romp isn't it! It's the Love Boat, but with thieves and murderers, and The Skipper from Gilligan's Island is running around. :shock:

Shermy, you've mentioned a couple of times about how the ending, or denouement, can be so good that it elevates the entire overall opinion of the episode. For me, this episode is another example of that, and may be the best denouement of the entire series! The famous "I Got Him" ending, with TM sipping brandy and smoking a cigar in Higgins' study, while explaining the confusing mystery which just unfolded. (puff cigar) "I Got Him" (smile). Camera turns to reveal he's been talking to the recently injured Apollo. (pet Apollo) "Glad you made it pal". Just an iconic scene, one that only Tom Selleck could make so great. In almost any other actor's hands, this scene just wouldn't be great, or memorable.

"I Got Him"

Image

Interesting anecdote about this episode: The ocean liner that was used for most of the filming of this episode, the SS Constitution, is sitting on the bottom of the pacific ocean. In 1997, it was being towed to an Asian breakers yard, when it began to take on water. They simply cut the line and let it sank, which it finally did almost two weeks later!
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

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#4 Post by rubber chicken »

I really enjoy this episode, although I agree that the killer shouldn't have been seen or heard at the start of the show. Hmm, fat handed killer... I'll have to keep an eye out for the rest of a fat body.

TC has good parts. His straightforward line saying "He's a dog" leaves the Captain to awkwardly wonder if Apollo really is a dog or if he's a reprehensible person.
Magnum on phone with Higgins: "Oh wait, how's Apollo?... Oh, k, well let me know." [then to TC] "He's scheduled for surgery at 6:00am"

Captain: "This Apollo a friend of yours?"

Magnum: "Kind of."

TC says flatly: "He's a dog."

Short pause while both Magnum and the Captain look at TC.
And we also learn that not only does TC have a love of ballet and singing (anything else? can't remember), he's also an avid reader. Never judge TC by the stains on his work overalls, he is a very cultured person! I can picture when he's off work and Magnum isn't pestering him, he likes to sit outside on his back porch overlooking the valley ("Did You See the Sunrise?") while he devours all sorts of literature.


I was going to say the Danny Frye character reminds me of the Jewish guy from The Hot Rock (great comedy diamond caper movie), but I looked on IMDB and they ARE the same guy - Paul Sand. I enjoyed his low key reaction to being discovered near the end of this episode. "I think I want my lawyer." :)

Fans of The Hot Rock could even imagine that Alan Greenberg (Sand's character from The Hot Rock) is still in the same racket he was in in 1972 when he and others tried to steal a diamond with hilarious results. He's now said goodbye to New York since he's wanted there by the police, and has changed his name to Frye, but he's still a heist man who's either very smart but has terrible luck, or just doesn't quite have what it takes but still has the terrible luck to make matters even worse.

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#5 Post by Frodoleader »

Watched this episode last night. It was cool to see the Skipper. It also reminded me that Sarah Douglas was always one of my favorites from the '80's. Does anyone remember her work in the sci-fi mini series "V"?
The gum chewing blonde seemed very familaier to me also.

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#6 Post by Apollo »

I got curious about Shelley Smith who played Peggy Armbruster. Turns out she quit acting in the 90's and became a family therapist in LA and runs a human egg donor program. www.eggdonation.com

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#7 Post by J.J. Walters »

Here's more evidence that I can't find my way out of a paper bag. This is the house where Magnum finds the dead body of Phillipe Dumout....

Image

Magnum enters the house from the ocean side, where we can see Rabbit Island in the background...

Image

... so it's gotta be somewhere in, or near, Waimanalo Beach. Looking up and down the coast of this area in Google Maps, I simply CAN NOT find it! RC, I don't know how you do it, but it's impressive!
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

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#8 Post by IslandHopper »

James J. Walters wrote:
Image

... so it's gotta be somewhere in, or near, Waimanalo Beach. Looking up and down the coast of this area in Google Maps, I simply CAN NOT find it! RC, I don't know how you do it, but it's impressive!
James,

Is that Rabbit Island behind those trees in the above photo? The left part of the island is visible and looks very similar to the end of Rabbit Island that looks jagged or "broken off."
The answer is obvious, old man. Logic is irrelevant. It's simply Tropical Madness. (J.Q. Higgins)

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#9 Post by J.J. Walters »

Yeah, that's what makes this so pathetic for me. Even with narrowing down the location with an obvious "marker" like Rabbit Island, I still can't find it in Google Maps! I seem to have this problem a lot! :oops:
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

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#10 Post by IslandHopper »

Duh...Sorry James, I didn't realize you had already mentioned that Rabbit Island was in the background. :oops:
The answer is obvious, old man. Logic is irrelevant. It's simply Tropical Madness. (J.Q. Higgins)

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#11 Post by rubber chicken »

Well in your defense James, the house has gone through some changes. An addition in 1989 for one, and a change in the look of the second story porch and overhangs. The roof color is now bluish instead of brown. And the garage type building on the corner across the street has changed the direction of it's eve (or top beam of the roof). It took me a bit to find it even though, as you said, the general location is pretty clear. Here it is.

Image

Cool to see them take advantage of the location and use the path to the beach for Magnum to go around to the back of the house. That's one of the fun things about doing this stuff - the thinking of the creators and process of making the show are sometimes better revealed. Personally, I doubt they knew Magnum was going to enter the house from the back until the location was found and maybe only when everyone arrived to shot the scene. And don't sell yourself short James, I'm sure you could find your way out of a paper bag. :lol:
Last edited by rubber chicken on Wed Sep 16, 2009 3:01 am, edited 1 time in total.

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#12 Post by J.J. Walters »

Ah, that's the one that was closest for me, but the addition really threw me off! The beach path was the hidden clue! Good sleuthing RC!
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

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#13 Post by IslandHopper »

Not one of my favorite episodes. In fact, this may be on my bottom 10 list. However, I do agree with James that the final scene where it is revealed that Magnum has been talking to Zeus was excellent.

This episode didn't start out well for me. The "suspension of disbelief" required and all. Magnum's stunt double (Tom Lupo, I think is his name) is the guy we see in Hong Kong with the Amakua, and then running from the gang. He is chased into the alley and behind the buildings and is caught by the thugs. Just then another guy (Tate) is seen walking casually into the scene with a handgun. Tom Lupo's character then reaches for his gun and is shot and presumably killed by Tate. Why didn't Tom Lupo's character pull his gun on the gang before they got to him when he realized he was trapped??? Did the writers really need to give Tate a reason to kill the guy? I think it was shown later in the episode that he and others were willing to kill just for the contents held within the Amakua. The opening scene would have been more believable if Lupo's character didn't have a gun at all.

Although Tom Lupo is seen in the beginning of the episode for a minute or two he is not credited with an appearance. In contrast, Ronald Nip (China Doll, Memories Are Forever, Billy Joe Bob, Little Girl Who), the pawnbroker, that Lupo's character gives the Amakua to is credited and is only seen in the episode for about 10 seconds and has no dialogue. Why isn't Tom Lupo given any screen credit? I don't think this is the first time he hasn't been given a screen credit. He also appeared in "Mr. White Death" and "One Picture Is Worth" and I don't believe he received a credit for those appearances either.

As in "Eighth Part Of The Village," there is a preview that is inconsistent with the actual episode. The dialogue anyway. During the preview that shows Higgins touching Apollo after he had been shot, Higgins says "Apollo's been shot." However, that same scene shown during the episode has Higgins saying "He's been shot." Not a flub, but interesting.
The answer is obvious, old man. Logic is irrelevant. It's simply Tropical Madness. (J.Q. Higgins)

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#14 Post by J.J. Walters »

Hey, nice pickup on Tom Lupo IH! What does a stuntman have to do in order to get a screen credit?!*

* I guess the answer is "he needs a speaking line"! ;)
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

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#15 Post by golfmobile »

One thing that bothers me about this one, though I enjoyed it for the most part, is how DUMB Rick is to take the spiked champagne from the countess. He's supposed to be GUARDING the statue, and he's so gullible as to not suspect her just because she's supposedly a countess and a beautiful woman? Some guard . . . . Yes, Rick was always a sucker for a pretty face, even a dishonest one, but he wouldn't be a very reliable and trust-worthy sidekick to help Thomas if he kept messing up like this. He usually doesn't do this. I think this is out of character from a standpoint of just suddenly ignoring his duties. Of course, the plot doesn't fly unless he does this, but still, it sure makes Rick look bad. I think it would have been better for him to have simply turned his back on her at one point, and she smacks him over the head with something. Enthusiastically drinking the champagne and not being suspicious is just too naive. And Rick really wasn't when it came down to a job. At least I hope not . . . . I grant you, his is not a character I particularly like, but he was usually "there" for Thomas and vice versa. This would have been a big letdown to Thomas and Higgins when they were trusting him.

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