The Hotel Dick (6.5)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the sixth season

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How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
1
1%
9.5 (One of the Best)
5
6%
9.0 (Excellent)
7
8%
8.5 (Very Good)
14
17%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
28
34%
7.5 (Decent)
15
18%
7.0 (Average at Best)
4
5%
6.5 (Not So Good)
4
5%
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
3
4%
5.0 (Just Awful)
2
2%
 
Total votes: 83

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MaximRecoil
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#21 Post by MaximRecoil »

Did anyone notice Higgins' light-up LED tie, or was that just on my copy?

Image

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lutherhgillis
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#22 Post by lutherhgillis »

Earlier, someone mentioned the bedroom set looked like the guesthouse bedroom but redecorated. I also noticed the kitchen set in the hotel room when they are waiting for the cat burgular looks alot like the kitchen in the guesthouse with different paint.

I love it when Magnum slugs Clyde near the end.

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J.J. Walters
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#23 Post by J.J. Walters »

MaximRecoil wrote:Did anyone notice Higgins' light-up LED tie, or was that just on my copy?

Image
Nope, it's on mine, too! Never noticed that before! Pretty funny, it just lights up in that one spot for a brief second and then disappears! I wonder how that (a wayward, concentrated beam of light) could have happened?

Perhaps it's a top secret MI6 tie? The "lads" are calling him in for another mission. ;)
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

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wilko
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#24 Post by wilko »

Here's what I think may be a screen extra anomaly

When Magnum and Leslie pull up to the hotel disguised as a couple to set the trap for Clyde Daltrey there are two uniformed guards standing on the pavement, one of whom is bearded. As Magnum and Leslie walk towards (what I presume is the entrance or check in area) the bearded guard is still standing at the entrance BEHIND them. The next shot shows Magnum and Leslie inside the hotel but the bearded guard is now in front of them on the steps.

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Jay-Firestorm
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#25 Post by Jay-Firestorm »

This seems to be another one that others liked, yet I didn’t care for, for a number of reasons.

[rating=7.0]

Magnum has given up being a P.I. to take a “real” job as an in-house detective at a large, plush hotel, where he is on the trail of a cat burglar targeting guests, but winds up helping a hooker whose life seems to be in danger. A very tired feeling episode…

-----

This review contains spoilers.

When I think of later episodes of ‘Magnum, p.i.’, this one often springs to mind. And not in a good way. After the exciting, vibrant earlier seasons, this one just sums up to me how the series went through a patch of feeling really tired and worn out.

In fairness, part of the theme itself is about aging. Magnum has given up his luxurious lifestyle working as a private investigator from Robin’s Nest, to take a ‘steady’ job working as an in-house hotel detective. At the beginning, chasing the cat burglar, he doesn’t dare to make a large jump from one building to another, and comments that not so long ago, he would have taken the risk. Not only that, but now he has to wear glasses for reading – another sign that he is aging.
But beyond that, the series itself at this point feels rather aged and worn out.

The set of Magnum’s room in the hotel is intended to be small and dingy, but even so, I found it a very boring and dull set. Considering that a large percentage of the story takes place there, surely they could have done something more with it.

And talking of settings, the hotel itself is never really used to it’s full extent, in my opinion. They could have done so much more, introducing many more areas of the hotel, but the whole thing just comes off feeling limited and stuffy to me.

Leslie, the prostitute that Magnum winds up helping, played by Candy Clark, would go on to appear in a few more episodes, as would her friend Cleo (Phyllis Mitchell) – in fact, Cleo possibly marries Rick in the series finale! However, for recurring characters, I found these two to be nothing special, and played by run-of-the-mill guest actresses.

Probably the only good thing about the episode is the closing sequence, with Magnum once again in pursuit of the cat burglar – and this time, he dares to take the massive leap. Does he make it? Who knows, as the episode finishes there!

A plot involving Magnum working in a plush Hawaiian hotel possibly could have been interesting, if more of the local ‘colour’ had been used, but to me this episode comes off as one of my far lesser favourite episodes.

Thankfully, the series would recover from it’s tired feeling for much of seasons seven and eight, but at this point, the show felt as if it was at a real low. Which is a real shame, considering the greatness it could achieve at other times.


-----

Other notes, bloopers and misc.:

* Magnum wears his glasses for the first of quite a few occasions in this story. However, he had actually previously worn glasses briefly in the early, first season episode ‘Thank Heavens For Little Girls and Big Ones Too’.

* The closing credits for this episode are unusual in that they feature the final few moments as Magnum chases the cat burglar (in a different take, as has been pointed out). Ordinarily, a selection of shots from the episode would be used.

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

* Surprisingly, when Five broadcast this episode in 2002, they did not cut the shot of the meat cleaver being thrown and nearly hitting Magnum. On other occasions they would edit use of sharp implements. (For example, in the ‘Knight Rider’ third season story ‘Knight of the Drones’, they edited out a shot of a meat cleaver being thrown at Michael).
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J.J. Walters
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#26 Post by J.J. Walters »

Jay-Firestorm wrote:Leslie, the prostitute that Magnum winds up helping, played by Candy Clark, would go on to appear in a few more episodes, as would her friend Cleo (Phyllis Mitchell) – in fact, Cleo possibly marries Rick in the series finale! However, for recurring characters, I found these two to be nothing special, and played by run-of-the-mill guest actresses.
I take it you havn't seen Phyllis Davis in Terminal Island with Selleck and Mosley? She's definitely not "run-of-the-mill"! ;)

Candy Clark was nominated for "Best Supporting Actress" for American Graffiti.
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

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Jay-Firestorm
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#27 Post by Jay-Firestorm »

James J. Walters wrote:
Jay-Firestorm wrote:Leslie, the prostitute that Magnum winds up helping, played by Candy Clark, would go on to appear in a few more episodes, as would her friend Cleo (Phyllis Mitchell) – in fact, Cleo possibly marries Rick in the series finale! However, for recurring characters, I found these two to be nothing special, and played by run-of-the-mill guest actresses.
I take it you havn't seen Phyllis Davis in Terminal Island with Selleck and Mosley? She's definitely not "run-of-the-mill"! ;)

Candy Clark was nominated for "Best Supporting Actress" for American Graffiti.
No I haven't - maybe I should check it out. :oops:
Though I have seen 'American Graffiti' - very much the template for 'Happy Days' if I remember correctly.

What I meant was that in terms of MPI, the characters never really stood out to me. Saying that, I haven't seen this far down the show's run for a few years, so maybe they'll run me over this time. :)
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#28 Post by J.J. Walters »

Jay-Firestorm wrote:No I haven't - maybe I should check it out. :oops:
I wouldn't waste your time Jay. It's a horrible (exploitation) movie. It's only notable because it's an early Selleck and Mosley film. ;)
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

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#29 Post by Little Garwood »

IslandHopper wrote:Although not a flub, there is a scene that is worth noting because it appears that TS is either reading from cue cards or he is merely regurgitating his lines in a very mechanical, unnatural way (his lines in Bold). The scene takes place in Magnum's Room/Office at the hotel after he finds the phone number from the bad guy's coat. Magnum dials the phone number and Leslie takes the phone from him and hangs it up whereby the following dialogue takes place between Leslie and Magnum:

LESLIE: "Who cares, I'm gone tomorrow, so are you, it's not our problem anymore. What's it matter?"

MAGNUM: "It matters."

LESLIE: "Why?"

MAGNUM: "It matters. It matters because some time you get to a point where easy rationalizations don't cut it anymore. There's gotta be a place where you stop and examine your life and if it isn't right then maybe you just got to say no, no more, or stop looking in the mirror." What do you think? :?
I just watched the episode--one I like quite a bit--with your criticism in mind but I interpreted Selleck's delivery of the line as something that Magnum was most likely saying to himself the whole time he had the hotel detective job. It was a way of telling himself that sentiment, even though he's speaking to Leslie. It's probably stretching things, but that's how I heard the lines.
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Carol the Dabbler
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#30 Post by Carol the Dabbler »

A lot of you have commented on this being an atypical Magnum episode. It struck me that way, too. In fact, it seems more like a Rockford episode that Magnum wandered into by mistake.

For one thing, since when was Magnum ever all that worried about his finances? Sure, he'd like to have more cash, and sure it'd be nice to get Rick, TC, and Higgins off his back -- but those have never seemed to be major priorities. It's not like he has to pay rent or anything. Now, all of a sudden, he's willing to give up his flexible lifestyle for the foreseeable future, just to have a more reliable income. Huh?

Rockford, on the other hand, does have to make trailer payments and pay utility bills every month. He's chronically under threat of having his phone service cut off for nonpayment. Taking a "real" job at least long enough to get his back bills paid would be a believable move for him.

It's even possible that this script started out as an unused Rockford script, but I can't make nearly as strong a case for that as I can for the following season's "On the Fly."
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#31 Post by Little Garwood »

Carol the Dabbler wrote:A lot of you have commented on this being an atypical Magnum episode. It struck me that way, too. In fact, it seems more like a Rockford episode that Magnum wandered into by mistake.

For one thing, since when was Magnum ever all that worried about his finances? Sure, he'd like to have more cash, and sure it'd be nice to get Rick, TC, and Higgins off his back -- but those have never seemed to be major priorities. It's not like he has to pay rent or anything. Now, all of a sudden, he's willing to give up his flexible lifestyle for the foreseeable future, just to have a more reliable income. Huh?
As we've discussed before, seasons five and on introduce the whole "Magnum needs to grow up" storyline that we find with increasing frequency and I guess that manifests itself in this episode, too. :(
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#32 Post by Little Garwood »

Jay-Firestorm wrote:The set of Magnum’s room in the hotel is intended to be small and dingy, but even so, I found it a very boring and dull set. Considering that a large percentage of the story takes place there, surely they could have done something more with it.

And talking of settings, the hotel itself is never really used to it’s full extent, in my opinion. They could have done so much more, introducing many more areas of the hotel, but the whole thing just comes off feeling limited and stuffy to me.
I think that the drabness of the hotel was by design. If things looked cosy, colorful, and delightful at Thomas' new job, we could understand why he'd leave Robin's Nest, the battles with Higgins, the lads, and another "tawdry divorce case"! By portraying the hotel gig as dull and colorless, not to mention that cruddy boss, Thomas--and the audience--can appreciate what he's left behind.
Last edited by Little Garwood on Wed Nov 10, 2010 7:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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#33 Post by AmandaByNight »

I like this episode. I'm a Candy Clark fan and am even on her FB page. I told her I loved her in this episode and she said she had a lot of fun doing it.

It's a light episode and it has a fun ending. Overall, I always enjoy watching it!

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#34 Post by steveadl »

I liked this episode. Bit different, but in a good way.

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nha trang
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#35 Post by nha trang »

I thought this was a pretty good episode, yes in a different way...

But the jump scene makes it a classic by itself, and the whole ending catches you off guard the first time and was a well written feature.

I like Cleo's curves as well heheh

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