Distant Relative (4.4)

[J.J. Walters]

This is the official MM thread for Distant Relative (4.4). 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: 10/20/1983
Magnum reluctantly agrees to chaperone Rick's prim and proper 22-year-old sister and then finds himself trying to keep up with a wild hellion. The girl goes missing after dragging Magnum to a low-life nightclub, but things take an even more bizarre twist when the police find her murdered in an alley.

[Shermy]

Another example of how the show could surprise you with an unexpected punch. Whenever I watch this with someone, they always predict that Wendy will turn out to be a rebellious youth that Magnum will ultimately lose. But once they feel confident of figuring out the plot, the show surprises them by killing Wendy off.

It's an effective twist, not because we lose an unknown character, but because we don't know how it will affect the familiar ones. Selleck does a standout job here, from his gutted reaction when identifying the body to his tearful breakdown with Higgins. I also love his narration about losing both a loved one and the image you had held of them.

And though Rick was never given much to do on the show, Manetti finally got to shine in a terrific showcase for his character. He got to display the goofy side of Rick, as well as the troubled vet that was occasionally hinted at throughout the show's run. The gang's final showdown with the drug dealers is vintage Magnum P.I.-styled action.

This episode also features one of the show's greatest ending scenes, with Magnum's toy airplane dilemma- and ultimate solution- providing some much needed levity. Overall, it's a solid episode that works far better than it probably should, thanks to the excellent chemistry the actors had perfected by this point in the series.

Oh, and where else are you going to see a completely random Carol Channing cameo set in a club named "Tijuana Tokyo"?

[J.J. Walters]

What a fantastic write-up Shermy! Thank you.

The Carol Channing scene just kills me. As if it's not surreal enough that Magnum is hanging out in a New Wave club, he then bumps into none other than Carol Channing!! LOL! What is she doing there? We don't know, but it's hilarious!

And for goodness sakes, I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life as when Magnum pumped that shotgun slug through the fuselage of Higgin's RC plane!

Great episode. One of my favorites!

_________________
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

[eegorr]

[IslandHopper]

This is one of my favorite episodes from season 4 for all of the reasons stated above. I have a question about Wendy. My understanding is that Wendy really was a "mule" carrying drugs for her boyfriend as indicated by the federal agent, Ice Pick and Magnum, and that Magnum toward the end of the episode tells Rick that Wendy was just an innocent bystander, and really was a "good kid" to make him feel better so he could go on with his life. Right? Magnum was so convincing when he said she was just an innocent bystander, it makes you believe that maybe she wasn't a mule.

Additional Flubs for Distant Relative:

1. The two RC planes Higgins and Agatha are flying at the beginning of the episode are not perfect replicas of WWII fighters as stated by Higgins. These two planes are very crude planes and not WWII replicas at all.

2. The RAF (Royal Air Force) plane Higgins is flying that crashes is not the same plane that he is repairing in his study when Magnum comes in and tells him about Wendy. The plane that crashed has a thin fuselage and narrow rectangular wings. However, the plane in Higgins' study, is a replica of either a RAF "Spitfire" or "Hurricane." You will notice the wings on the plane in the study have wide/convex wings that taper and narrow toward the ends.

3. After Magnum arrives at the KKC he is sitting at the Beach Bar with TC, and Rick is behind the bar talking about his sister Wendy and says that "she is innocent." Magnum chuckles, and a you can hear Rick say "well she is." This line of Rick's does not have the same sound quality, and appears to have been looped in post production. In addition, Magnum's next line also appears to have been looped in post production: "how do you know, she's grown up, she lives in Chicago, you havent seen her in ten years."

4. When Rick is talking about the school his sister attended "The Mother of Mercy College for Girls" and explains he sent her there because he said "Chicago's a tough town to grow up in without any parents." However, in Jororo Farewell (season 4), Rick, while at the scrimmage between TC's team and the Jororo team, Magnum accuses Rick of handicapping the game in order to place bets. Rick replies that he is writing down a recipe for veal marsala (or something like that) for his mother. What Mother?

5. Still at the Beach Bar, after Rick says the name of Wendy's school he says "if you're not innocent you don't graduate." Magnum giggles, then Rick says "I'm tellin' ya." This last line of Rick's also appears to have been looped in post production. As he said this line, the camera was still on Magnum.

6. When Rick and Magnum go to Wendy's hotel room looking for her, Rick enters the room and yells "Wendy, Wendy, are you alright, it's Rick, Wendy." Rick then tries to open the bedroom door and jiggles the door knob and even tries unsuccessfully to force it open with his shoulder. He and Magnum break the door down and tumble into the bedroom. After all of this effort and loud noise while yelling for Wendy and trying to break the door down, the guy (federal agent) rummaging through Wendy's drawers seems oblivious to the racket created by Rick and Magnum, and was surprised when they broke into the room. He then runs out. How could that guy not have heard Rick yelling, and he and Magnum breaking the door down?

7. The first two shots of TC's chopper as he and Magnum are flying to Moloki to find Rick, show it with the skids without the extra fittings (skinny skids). However, the third and fourth shots of the chopper show it with the extra fittings on the skids (fat skids). As the chopper flys over Rick's boat, it does not have the extra fittings (skinny skids).

8. After Rick crashes into the beach shack and starts shooting it up, Magnum appears outside with TC. Magnum stands up first and then TC. As TC stands up he says "yeah Ricks relax." Ricks?

9. As the chopper is chasing the two drug dealers in the jeep, toward the end of the chase, the chopper drops down right behind the jeep and you can just tell that the pilot is wearing a black ski mask.

10. As Rick is firing at the rear of the jeep we see a close-up of the right rear tail light blowing out, then the left tail light and the license plate (MDX 776) is mangled and twisted. However, when the jeep rolls over just before it blows up, you can see the rear license plate (not the same as before) is intact and not damaged.

Toward the end of the episode while Rick, TC and Magnum are at the KKC, Rick is stacking beer cans. The Beer appears to be Tiller Beer and Flagler Beer. I have never heard of either, and don't know if these beers really exist, but thought it was worth noting. We know Magnum drinks Coops and Old Dusseldorf. Now we can add Tiller and Flagler, although it may have been Rick who drank all of the beer.

_________________
The answer is obvious, old man. Logic is irrelevant. It's simply Tropical Madness. (J.Q. Higgins)

[J.J. Walters]

As usual, wonderful episode notes & flubs IH! Thanks!

_________________
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

[MPS]

Thought this episode was great. Loved the way it showed the significance of the TM, Rick, TC friendships.

Found a possible flub in the episode. It's my first, so it could be off. As Rick is firing at the jeep from the chopper, the long shots have him positioned halfway outside the chopper, as he fires the SMG. During Rick's closeups, he is shooting from the inside, situated back in the seat, with both feet inside.

[Jodykmg365]

I think this is the first time I saw the back of the house and the wall. I loved it so much I had to keep going back to watch it again.

I don't know if it was real or not, but that was some fancy helicoptor flying!!!

The actress who played Wendy was really good in this episode. Rick was really overbearing, but I felt really sorry for him in the end.

Also, he tells Magnum that he needs to get out of the KKC because he is not a member there. Well yeah, he shouldn't have ever been there in the first place.

[Italian Ice]

I just watched this one for the first time in a few years, and is one of my favorites of the Rick-Centric episodes. Also, is it me or is Higgins smiling before the credits kick in after Magnum blows his plane out of the sky?


Some of these quotes made me smile:

1.
TM: "I'll remember Orvie" (after hearing that Wendy calls Rick by that name.)

2.
Rick: "The closest thing she's come to alcohol was sacramental wine"
(Then Wendy orders something called a Bora Gora Bazooka! That sounds strong!)

3.
TM: "Maybe we can catch the last half of Bambie. Thumper might still be alive."

4.
TM: "All I saw was....Carol Channing"
Rick: "At the movies!?"

_________________
Higgins: Dispatch the pig!!!

[IKnowWhatYoureThinking]