Fragments

Episode Number: 90
Season Number: 5.6
Air Date: 11/1/1984
Writers: Nick Thiel, Donald P. Bellisario
Story: Nick Thiel, David Chomsky
Director: David Hemmings
Producer: Reuben Leder
Exec Producer: Donald P. Bellisario

Recurring Characters

Gillian Dobb (Agatha Chumley), Esmond Chung (Sgt. Kenny Chung)

Guest Stars

Samantha Eggar (Laura Bennett), Kenneth Mars (Archie), Vic Leon (Eddie), Madeline Press (Thelma), Karen Keawehawaii (Singer), Brian Clark (Soldier Buying Car), Sami Page (Soldier's Wife - uncredited), Jillie Mack (Tap Dancer - uncredited)

Episode Brief

A psychic hires Magnum to save her from the future she's seen for herself - being murdered! Meanwhile, Magnum also finds danger in trying to get paid by a client, and Higgins organizes a benefit variety show.

Rating

8.0

(31 votes)

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Notes

¹ This is the second episode to feature elements of "horror" - the spooky music and graveyard setting, psychic visions of murder, dead bodies, stalking villians, owls - and is the only one of the series that can truly be considered a "Halloween episode". Indeed, it was aired the day after Halloween. Season Two's "The Woman on the Beach" (2.3) featured some horror elements as well, including a ghost theme, a graveyard, and a stalking killer.

² This is the last episode to be written (or co-written) by series co-creator, writer, and executive producer Donald P. Bellisario. All total, he penned 16 scripts for the series, all in Seasons 1-5.

³ This is the first of several episodes to be directed by British actor David Hemmings. He will later guest star in "Compulsion" (5.14) and "Out of Sync" (7.19).

⁴ Tom Selleck's wife of 20+ years, Jillie Mack, makes an uncredited appearance (during the "telethon tryouts" scene) as a tap dancer*. She doesn't have any lines. Jillie previously had a small role in "Rembrandt's Girl" (4.14) as a British New Wav'er and will later have a guest starring role in "Professor Jonathan Higgins" (5.13) as a British Punk Rocker! (* Noted by sophia)

⁵ Kenneth Mars (Archie) appeared with Tom Selleck in the 1977, made-for-television, movie Bunco, which also starred Tom's friend Robert Urich.

⁶ We finally get a closeup shot of Magnum's MIA bracelet. It says "Kenneth Lancaster", date missing "1-3-68", rank "SGT". The scene where you can see the bracelet is just after Magnum leaves Archie's car lot and is being followed by Eddie and Archie's ex-wife. As Magnum is driving he looks into his side view mirror and sees Eddie's Cadillac get right on his rear bumper. Right after that shot, the camera cuts in on Magnum shifting and you can see the bracelet info. (Noted by IslandHopper)

⁷ Karen Kaleolani Keawehawaii (the self-proclaimed "First Lady of Hawaiian Music") has a small role as a singer in the telethon tryouts. She is seen "singing" the "Star-Spangled Banner".

⁸ The "Five-0" Hawaii police unit is mentioned for the fourth and fifth time in the series. Laura Bennett mentions "Five-0" when talking to T.C. and Rick at the King Kam Club, as does T.C. when he lands his chopper at the abandoned sugar mill/restaruant. (Noted by IslandHopper)

⁹ We get a clear look at the infamous "bearded lady" painting in Higgins' study. It's not a "bearded lady" after all. The "beard" is actually the effects of shadows and the darker paint color around her face and neck. The painting is Pablo Picasso's Seated Woman in a Chemise (1923). (Painting ID'd by Dan)

¹⁰ This episode features a great car chase in downtown Honolulu. The end of the chase (and the car crash into the canal) was filmed in West Chinatown, at River St. and College Walk.

¹¹ When T.C. radios "Five-0", he refers to his chopper as "9-5-Alpha" (call sign).

¹² Magnum is shot twice in the chest at the end. Thankfully, he was wearing a bullet proof vest, something he rarely wears!

¹³ Laura Bennett (Samantha Eggar) wears a Panama hat made in Cuenca, Ecuador. The lighter color; the larger size of the woven straw and the machine sewed brim differentiate it from the more expensive Montecristi hats, which have a darker color, and, usually, a finer weave. (Noted by Tim)

¹⁴ In 1976, Higgins and Robin Masters were in a Hawaiian yacht race together. They lost their Jib two days out and Robin broke his arm when a whale rammed the boat. They finished in 8th place.

¹⁵ At the end of the episode, during the telethon, Agatha is seen reading several lines from Percy Shelley's Ozymandias.

Quotes

¹
Magnum: Higgins, we are talking about saving my life.
Higgins: What is that, compared to saving an entire species?
Magnum: Of worms?!
Higgins: I rest my case.

²
(to Magnum)
Laura Bennett: I see. You only believe in your OWN little voice.

³
Magnum: I've always loved John O'Hara's story of the servant who saw death coming towards him in a Baghdad marketplace*. So he fled to Samarra only to learn that it was there that death had an appointment with him. Laura felt I had an appointment in Samarra. I had to find out if she was right. (Narration)

* Appointment in Samarra (1934)

Flubs

¹ When Magnum finishes his discussion with Laura about taking her case and he asks "am I going to take your case?" the camera cuts to Magnum driving the Ferrari downtown. However, the initial shot is not Magnum driving the Ferrari. The guy driving looks like he has a navy or black golf shirt and Magnum has a light colored button down shirt with a white collar. The next shot is a close-up of Magnum driving with the light colored-white collared shirt. (Noted by IslandHopper)

² As T.C. and Rick arrive at the beach to assist in the rescue of the drowning boy, the camera shows T.C. run to Laura who is at the water's edge. Before T.C. runs into the water to help Magnum you can see that his pants (warm-up pants) are already wet, however, he just got out of the van. The pants are obviously wet from the previous takes. (Noted by IslandHopper)

³ After Magnum and Laura talk with Higgins about the rare bottle of wine they leave the main house and the next scene cuts to a head-on view of Magnum driving the Ferrari, in which you can see condos on his left and no buildings whatsoever on his right. In addition, in this head-on view, Magnum is not wearing a hat or sunglasses either. This head-on view of the Ferrari lasts about 5 seconds (as Magnum narrates) and then cuts to a close-up of Magnum driving from Magnum's left side, looking out the right side of the car. Now, Magnum is suddenly wearing his Detroit Tigers cap and sunglasses and on the right side of the street there are buildings that weren't there 5 seconds earlier. (Noted by IslandHopper)

⁴ Recycled extras are used again. An Asian woman and a man with fishing poles are almost run over by the Ferrari in two separate scenes. (Noted by IslandHopper)

⁵ At mark 34:46, you can see almost the entire film crew (and lights) reflecting in T.C.'s sunglasses. (Noted by Bernd-Christian Schulze)

⁶ The skids (the part of the helicopter that supports it when it lands) on T.C.'s chopper change several times (thick skids, then regular skids) during the same chopper sequence due to the use of recycled aerial shots. Also, at 29:06, only one person is seen in the front seats of the chopper when there should be three (T.C., Magnum and Laura). (Noted by IslandHopper & Bernd-Christian Schulze)

⁷ When they arrive at the sugar mill, T.C. is radioing "Five-0" directly. In Hawaii Five-0, "Five-0" does not have its own dispatcher. Instead, they always use HPD's "central dispatch", who then routes the calls to "Five-0". (Noted by Tim)

⁸ In the scene in the cemetery, when Magnum leaps towards Laura, Archie shoots at Magnum, however, Magnum's back is toward Archie. Magnum then falls face first, gets to his knees and turns around to shoot at Archie and you see Archie fire one shot at Magnum, hitting Magnum in the chest. Archie then approaches Magnum and Laura while Magnum is on the ground, and before Archie can fire another shot at Magnum, Magnum shoots at Archie, saying "it's over Archie." Magnum reaveals his bullet-proof vest and it shows that two bullets hit the vest, however, it appeared that Archie fired only one shot at Magnum when Magnum was facing him. The extra bullet couldn't have hit Magnum when he leapt towards Laura because his back was toward Archie.

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