I Never Wanted to Go to France, Anyway (6.12)

[J.J. Walters]

This is the official MM thread for I Never Wanted to Go to France, Anyway (6.12). 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: 1/2/1986
The Inky Gilbert Traveling Carnival brings fun, glamour and tragic accidents to the island.

[J.J. Walters]

This show never ceases to amaze me. I always regarded this as the worst episode ever. Now, this was based on one viewing over 15 years ago. Revisiting this episode now, I'm shocked at how much better I like it!

The carny scenes are all quite enjoyable, especially the ones with "The Gang" in costumes. There are a couple of really good dialog sequences referencing carnivals and side shows - Magnum's narration about his memories of the county fair as a kid and Inky's speech lamenting the upcoming demise of the traditional traveling carnivals.

And every scene inside the "Tower of Terror" is fantastic. It's dark, spooky, and is inhabited by a creepy, disfigured carnival geek who wears a Jason Voorhees mask and kind of looks like Freddy Krueger! It's light horror, something rarely seen in the show, that actually works quite well! Even the "blaze up" ending was better the second time around. And fantastic make-up work on Geoffrey Lewis. Creepy.



There are some bad scenes, however, and some pacing issues, but overall a decent episode, much better than I remember it!

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

[Shermy]

The best part of this episode is that you spend the entire time trying to figure out the title! By the time they reveal it, you've almost forgotten that it's still a mystery.

I also like how Magnum links the final clue to the one incident Higgins never talks about.

[J.J. Walters]

Yeah, I really liked that, too! "I never wanted to go to France, Anyway!" Whoosh! Place goes up in flames!

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

[Frodoleader]

I don't remember this episode when it first aired, so it was kinda like watching it the first time. It wasn't as bad as I thought it could be. Geoffrey Lewis is a great character actor.

[golfmobile]

The only thing I thought was more improbable than all the others in this episode is how quickly the Tower of Terror gets engulfed in flames -- I think it takes a little longer than instantly to get the whole thing burning. Plus when they come out, the fire engines are already there pumping water!

Otherwise, it seemed to me to be "pushing" the Magnum-Higgins friendship a little TOO hard. We know it's there, the show/script doesn't need to clobber us over the head with it. I think that "relationship" is better when it's a little more subtle.

JMHO

golf

_________________
"Portside, buddy."

[wilko]

Is it just me or does Higgins come across as the most psychotic looking clown ever?

[J.J. Walters]

He sure is wilko! He's downright frightening!





If I was a kid, and I saw him, I would just drop my ice cream cone and run in the opposite direction!

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

[Doc Ibold]

Yeah, i was never one of those kids who was scared of clowns, but Higgo the Clown would certainly freak me out.

Why does he have the bloody tear?!

Why is he all in Black and White?

Couldn't he be a friendly clown?

[IslandHopper]