Never Again ... Never Again (1.7)

[J.J. Walters]

[Magnum T.]

I am watching again the entire series to write these reviews.
Last night I had the time to watch another episode so I took the DVD and put it into the player, having no idea which episode I was going to see.
It was "Never again... never again".
I remained like freezed because yesterday was The International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
What a strange coincidence that I was going to watch just "that" episode.

Saul and Lena are a mild-mannered couple, in friendship with Magnum.
They are two survivors of the Shoah.
When Saul is kidnapped everything indicates that a group of nazis is hunting them.
But evil can take the most unexpected forms.

This is a very good episode, the matter is not an easy one.
There are some lighter moments, like T.C. playing with Higgins' bed, but the overall mood is dark.
Well played, well written and directed, it deals with crime and punishment and it deals with evil and how it can be hidden where you wouldn't expect to find it.

As somebody else (maybe J.J. Walters) I think the climatic scene ends in a very strange way.
I think there is no gun shot because the woman kills herself with the scalpel.

Plus: a pretty good episode.
Minus: none to mention.
Best line:
Higgins (to Magnum): Feed the lads, would you? There are steaks in the freezer.
(Magnum looks at him, waiting)
Very well, you can have one too.

Notes:
- team ring on the left.
- the iconic "Da Nang" hat is worn by Magnum for the first time. We have seen it already on T.C.'s head in previous episodes.
- the "same actor/different character" issue again: Glenn Cannon plays Dr. Kessler here and the recurring Dr. Ibold in other twelve episodes.
Rick Quan will return in "Little Girl Who" (7.7).

Funny thing: in all of the hospital scenes the same names are called through the speaker.

_________________
"Zeus, Apollo, get out of my Ferrari!"
"Mr. Masters' Ferrari"

[Mozambique_patt]

I liked this episode, thought it was very good. I liked the plot twist. I saw it cold without reading this thread, at the end when she pushed her shoulders back I thought ok, thats it she's going to kill her self, how she going to do it.
I was expecting her to rush TM.

[MaiTaiMan]

I really liked this episode! The plot was awesome, and I liked "Magnum" because it many times had episodes that delt with WWII and/or Pearl Harbor. It had only been about 35 years since the end of WWII when "Magnum" started...so many of those who were in or involved with the war were still alive.

This also had a very superb plot twist at the end...however, the first time I saw it (which was actually in reruns a few years after the show had gone off the air) I did sort of guess what the twist was...that the older couple were really Nazis themselves, and not Jews the Nazis were after.

But, it was awesome seeing how Magnum and Rick discovered it and how they delt with it. The ending was very well done--both acting and camera job!

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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"

[Bathurstfan]

Dunno what it is but this episode is a true classic and for some
reason you just feel like your there this episode really gets you in, I feel like I moved back ina time machine to the 80's when I saw it, the acting was so lifelike and realsitic for the times.

[Agatha]

This is one of my favorites, too, Bathurstfan! It really drew me in as well. Maybe because I've never really been able to get my brain around the Holecaust. It was so incredible...so unbelievable...that it could have happened. And so insidious that this nice, elderly couple were not at all what they seemed. Another example of Thomas's character and what a strong sense of right and wrong he has. And some early good chemistry between Thomas and Higgins. Just a great episode all around but deeper and more...hmmm...important (?) than some. You're right...classic is a good word.

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Isn't the ocean beautiful at sunset? So soft....so peaceful...so romantic!

[MaiTaiMan]

[Visiting Stewardess]

Just watched this episode and have to say that I agree with the "suicide camp". She says, "Yes, it is finally over" with such a determined voice and grimace that I am sure she committed suicide with the scalpel.

But at the same time this scene made me wonder: who is steering the boat in the marina when Saul has just had a heart attack and Lena is leaning over him????

[IvanTheTerrible]

Of course the first thing you ask yourself is what the heck are Nazis doing in Hawaii? Heck, even Magnum couldn't help but ask Lena that question.

But it seems like every show at the time had to have a Nazi story (HAWAII FIVE-0 had at least 2 of them) so it was MPI's turn.

That said, I love this episode! It's in my TOP 4 of the season - alongside the pilot, "No Need to Know", and "Skin Deep". And the twist I totally did not see coming! Right up there with "Skin Deep" and S3's "Black on White" when it comes to best plot twists!

Now I just need to watch the last 2 of the season - "J. Digger Doyle" and "Beauty Knows No Pain" and I'll be done with the first season.

As for the dispute about the ending... it's true... I felt a bit cheated in that there was this huge build-up to some shocking conclusion and then... nothing. Was she shot? Did she commit suicide? Based on what was presented I have to believe that she gave up. She did say "It's over" and with Saul dead she really had nothing left to fight for. Though a point could be made that she also had nothing left to live for. In any case, Magnum shooting an old frail woman wielding a measly scalpel sounds gratuitous. He's a combat vet - he can take her no problem. Plus, there was no gunshot. So the 2 remaining possibilities are that she either committed suicide or gave up. I go with the "gave up" option since we don't actually see her taking her life nor is it mentioned at any point that she killed herself. As for Magnum being upset at the end by the tidal pool... well that's natural. He doesn't have to witness a suicide to feel upset. I mean a sweet grandmotherly old lady and her equally grandfatherly husband (who were long-time friends of Mag's) just turned out to be murderous, throat-slitting Nazis. Who wouldn't be shaken up by a revelation like that?

[Seaver41]