Try to Remember (2.15)

[J.J. Walters]

This is the official MM thread for Try to Remember (2.15). 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: 1/28/1982
Magnum wakes up in the hospital with amnesia and the Ferrari totalled. As he tries to put the pieces of the puzzle together, he remembers investigating the case of a missing woman. But, the girl turns up murdered and Magnum is considered the prime suspect when his baseball cap is found at the murder scene.

[eegorr]

I like this episode. I watched it again today after it aired on WGN. I know I have seen it several times before, but I didn't remember that it introduced two important characters that would appear, on and off, throughout the remainder of the series: Lt. Tanaka and Doc Ibold. It probably should have been the season two opener.

Also, there is lots of narration by Selleck. And a slick little twist in the story.

All in all, a good story.

[IslandHopper]

I like this episode too. I always thought that the Lt. Tanaka character was an excellent addition to the show. I would have liked to have seen him incorporated more often than he was. Their common interest in the Detroit Tigers allowed for their relationship to expand beyond a merely professional relationship. The way Lt. Tanaka finagles the Detroit Tigers cap away from Magnum at the end was a nice touch.

The one thing I always thought was a little squirrelly about this episode was that Magnum's Detroit Tigers cap was left behind at the murder scene in order to make him the prime suspect. This was supposed to be Dave's way of leaving a "subtle" clue as to who murdered his sister-in-law, Joni. Subtle? There was nothing subtle about the Tigers cap being left behind. Magnum was probably the only person on Oahu who wore a Detroit Tigers cap. That is like leaving a polaroid of Magnum committing the crime.

A possible flub occurs in the beginning of the episode when Doc Ibold is asking Magnum questions and Magnum says his mother's name is "Martha." It is later revealed in "Going Home" (season 6) and later in "The Aunt Who Came To Dinner" (season 7) that his mother's name is Katherine. Magnum had complete memory of everything that occured prior to being pushed off of the cliff, so it wasn't due to memory loss. I'm sure the writers and producers hadn't discussed incorporating Magnum's mother into the show and just made up a name. So, maybe the use of the name Katherine in the later episodes is a flub because they forgot about "Martha."

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

[SelleckLover]

Incidentally or coincidentally, Tom Selleck's mother name is Martha.

[J.J. Walters]

[grundle]

I watched the "Monk" matathon on USA a few days ago.

This woman woke up in her parked car, near the bottom of a cliff. She had no idea how she had gotten there.

When she got out of her car, Monk noticed that she had to push the seat forward, so he knew that someone else had knocked her out and put here there.

I wonder if they got that idea from this episode.

[Carol the Dabbler]

We just watched this episode tonight on DVD. When they showed the Crouching Lion Inn, I said, "Hey, that's a real place!" I remembered driving by there in 1974 -- at least, I remembered driving by the "Crouching Lion" rock formation, and was pretty sure that the Inn was a real place too. So I went looking for it online, and found this newspaper article about the restaurant closing late last December in order to upgrade their septic system. They were hoping to reopen in just a few weeks. Does anyone know whether they're open yet?

[Carol the Dabbler]

An enjoyable episode, especially because of the new to-be-continued characters.

One problem with this episode, from a dramatic point of view, is that there are no red herrings (unless you count Lt. Tanaka -- who would actually make a great villain, because who would suspect him?) The first time I saw the brother-in-law, with his neatly-pressed hair, I said, "I don't trust that guy."

The imitation-amnesia angle was an interesting plot twist. I'm wondering, though, whether there really is any type of knock-out drops that would either act instantaneously, leaving the victim with no recollection of a woozy period before he completely lost consciousness, or else induce a brief period of true amnesia coinciding with the woozy period.

Come to think of it, though, the Gilberts probably had no such consideration in mind -- they apparently intended for Magnum to die in the crash, and thus be unable to contradict their story or to defend himself. No wonder they showed up at the hospital -- they must have been terrified that he would sic the cops on them, and vastly relieved when they learned that he couldn't remember anything.

[Carol the Dabbler]

[Carmen]

... but maybe Tom Selleck just said "Martha" cause that`s his mothers name and nobody seemed to have a second thought about a name for Magnums Mom. It was season 2 and producers, writers and whoelse had to make further plans never thought of bringing her or her name back by then.
(Hope what I wrote is making any sense - it is to me, but sometimes reading what I wrote seems babbling even to me )

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Sometimes I get so lucky, even I don`t believe it (TSM)