An observation, during the Vietnam War, despite countless close calls, no SEAL was ever captured by the enemy. So with the information we have on the Magnumverse, this would make TM the only SEAL to have been a POW.

This 2-hour season premiere was definitely memorable! I thought it really portrayed some of the "horrors" of Vietnam realistically, and everyone gave outstanding performances!

I also thought Roger E. Mosley did an awesome job--especially with his flashbacks to what Ivan had done to him and the others when they were POW's. The plot twists and the ever "evil" Col. Buck Greene (who should have been shot too somewhere along the line during the show's run ) also made this one interesting. Towards the end the storyline suddenly makes a few unexpected turns--and makes for a good "Hitchcockian" style twist of the characters.

I did not like the fact, though, that Mac was killed. I was not expecting that when I first watched this when it originally aired. But, that was part of the more seriousness to this episode. I also did not like it when they brought Mac back later in the show...but it was really this other "fake" guy who just looked like Mac. That character annoyed the heck out of me, and he was nothing like Mac. That was stupid and they should have let the character go...or they could have brought him back, and his death was actually faked and Mac was really still alive. But, the fake one was a moron!

But...the actual last few scenes of "Did You See the Sunrise?" are the most memorable and famous for this episode! I remember growing up watching this one, and for a while it was somewhat controversial! Some people didn't like the idea that Magnum shot Ivan in what is technically referred to as "cold blood". However, considering the situation and who/what Ivan was...I think it was totally justified--and should have been done long before that!

This episode many times is "darker" and more serious than many of the others...but Vietnam wasn't exactly a "laughing" matter. I thought this one was captivating and excellent!

(I put this same post for Pt. 2, as well.)

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"It was more ironic than a Robin Masters novel--she thought he was dead, he thought she was dead...and only the chauffeur knew the truth! He should have been the butler!" "Lest We Forget"

I caught a few more flubs in Pt. 1. the other day.

When Higgins comes storming over to T.C. as he is landing the chopper, you can hear the engine and rotor blades turning, BUT if you look at the reflection in the windshield you can see the blades are not turning at the speed we are hearing, in fact they are turned off and gently moving from the wind off the ocean.

Another flub is when they hooking up the ski to the chopper, the ski is way past the front of the chopper and landing legs which is very dangerous, BUT when T.M. is about to unhook the ski into the ocean, the ski is basically flush with the front of the landing legs.

The last flub is when T.M. is walking on the beach and meets Higgins.
T.M.'s facial cut (more like road rash) changes from being bright red and very sore looking to almost not there. This continues into the study scene as well. I guess they had to do a few retakes.

You found it, Rubber Chicken...

That's the house... for anyone searching, here are the coordinates to enter into Google Earth search: 21 32' 58.49"N 158 08' 31.56"W

In it's own way, definitely the best show of the series.

I absolutely LOVED seeing Thomas terminate Ivan. It was so fitting, and justice prevailed.

Indeed. Of all the tv shows I've watched over the decade not a single one hit me with such force as the ending. To me, to this day, it's the greatest single moment of television I've ever seen. Truly stunning.

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Although I must say watching what happened to Mac really shocked me as well. This really is the high water mark of the show, not that the rest of the show is much below it as a whole.

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Agreed about Mac. When I first saw it, I said to myself they did it because his contract wasn't being renewed, or something of that nature...

This, to me, was the best tv show, best tv series ever. Yes, the content of the stories was pretty consistently very good, but it was the interaction between the four major characters, and their personalities, that really made the show for me. A truly great show.

Not a comment yet, but a question (well, actually, two questions) -

We'll be getting to this memorable episode soon as we work our way through the series. I've seen an remember it (boy, is it memorable) but my OH hasn't and its one of the ones I'm most looking forward to sharing.

I suppose we should watch it as originally aired, as a feature, but I am tempted to split it, both to basically get an extra week's episode out of it, and to have a major surprise in both episodes.

First question is - do you think it spoils the episode to split it? Any thoughts?

Secondly, can anyone tell me where did the episode break in the syndicated version come? I originally thought with the bomb, but that's a little too early, so I'm guessing it was with the Japanese dignitary's arrival, but thats a non-climax. But the way the DVD has been edited, I'd guess any major fade/break has been removed.

Ok, this is just a flat-out perfect episode!! What is it with these 2-hour episodes? The pilot episode is my favorite from season 1, "Memories are Forever" is my favorite from season 2 (though I haven't seen the whole season yet), and this one is my favorite from this season (though I haven't seen the whole season either).

But this one has to be the best MPI episode ever! I really can't imagine it getting any better. You've got top military brass, Japanese dignitaries, Russian villains, POW flashbacks, brain-washings, plot twists, action, and some of the most intense scenes you'll ever see in the MPI world. Can't get any better than that!!

Mac's death and Ivan's execution must be the most powerful stuff this show has ever done! And you just gotta love the Nuzo twist!

Yep, the darker the episode the more I like it. And this one is as dark as it gets! It's almost more Five-0 than MPI.