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Episode ID: 38
Episode Number: 2.20
Air Date: 3/4/1982
Writer: Andrew Schneider
Director: Alan J. Levi
Producers: Rick Weaver, Andrew Schneider
Exec Producer: Donald P. Bellisario

Guest Stars

Robert F. Lyons (Taylor Hurst), Joanna Kerns (Mary Kanfer), Kam Fong (Cam Chung), James Edgcomb (Ed Kanfer), Tommy Fujiwara (Hiramoto), Elizabeth Smith (Landlady)

Plot Outline

A Vietnam veteran hires Magnum to find his missing girlfriend. But, as Magnum continues to work on the case, he realizes that the vet has ulterior motives that have nothing to do with the girlfriend and everything to do with settling an old score.

Rating

8.0 (11 votes) MM Episode Forum Thread & Poll

Notes

1 This Vietnam War-centric episode opens with a notably graphic (for its time) flashback scene of a U.S. soldier being killed by a Claymore Antipersonnel Mine. The climactic ending also features a Claymore, used to powerful effect.

2 The "stalking horse" motif is used for the first time in the show. It will be used again in "The Eighth Part of the Village" (3.4), "Birdman of Budapest" (3.16), "Way of the Stalking Horse" (6.17) and "Laura" (7.18).

3 Honolulu's infamous vice district "Hotel Street" and historic Chinatown are used as filming locations for several scenes. The legendary Wo Fat Restaurant in Chinatown is briefly seen.

4 A sign at T.C.'s Island Hoppers headquarters ID's its location as a "Heliport" at Ala Wai Harbor. Island Hoppers will later move to the Makai Research Pier near Waimanalo.

5 Rick mentions his hometown for the first time, but it's not Chicago. While getting a massage, Rick tells Hiramoto that if he "is ever in Brooklyn and needs anything" to give him a call, strongly implying he is from Brooklyn. This is the only time Brooklyn is ever mentioned in the show in regards to Rick's hometown. All future references to his hometown mention Chicago. (Noted by IslandHopper)

6 Icepick is mentioned for the first time, although he is not seen on screen.

7 The cemetery where Magnum and Taylor meet is the famous Punchbowl National Cemetery in Honolulu [map].

8 Higgins is "Chairman of the Membership Committee" at the King Kamehameha Club.

9 Joanna Kerns (Mary Kanfer) will later guest star in Season Three's "Two Birds of a Feather" (3.20), as will James Edgcomb (Ed Kanfer) in "Mr. White Death" (3.9).

10 The chopper that T.C. flies in the Vietnam War flashback scenes is a "Huey" (UH-1 Iroquois). In the "Pilot Movie", he flew a OH-58 Kiowa. (Noted by IslandHopper & golfmobile)

Quotes

1
Magnum: Have we met somewhere before?
Taylor: We were briefed together once, in Da Nang. Operation Chessboard, I was a medic in Castle Team. Your buddy T.C. flew us in.
Magnum: Yeah, that's right. Our Teams never hooked up.
Taylor: Well we got hit. Friendly fire, sort of.

2
(Higgins fires a cannon)
Magnum: What are you doing!?
Higgins: Really Magnum, it's only powder.
Magnum: Higgins, I still could have gone into cardiac arrest! Do you have any idea what you are doing!? Any conception! A grown man playing with a cannon!?
Higgins: The club's Regatta is next week. I'm simply determining the proper charge to salute the winner. Did the sound carry?
Magnum: Oh, it was just fine! Now if you are finished on the firing range, I wanna talk to you!
Higgins: Just a minute, while you are here take a few steps back.
(fires cannon again)
(Magnum ducks)
How was that?
Magnum: Just perfect! My ears are still ringing!

Flubs

1 In the opening scene while riding in the "Huey" (UH-1) which is being flown by T.C., Lt. Ed Kanfer is seen with his M-16 rifle pointed upward toward the roof of the helicopter. This is not done, because if a round accidentally goes off, it could bring the helicopter down. Usually weapons are pointed downward with the barrels on the floor. (Noted by IslandHopper)

2 In this same scene, T.C. is flying the Huey in the right seat and Rick is the door gunner. We know T.C. and Rick are Marines, and Taylor and Ed are presumably Marines since they are flying in a Huey flown by a Marine pilot, and neither Taylor or Ed's uniforms display any U.S. Army insignia (i.e., unit patches such as 1st Air Cav, 101 ABN., 1st Inf. Div., etc). The flub is the fact that when Taylor first meets Magnum at the cemetery, he tells Magnum that he was a "Medic" in Castle Team. The term Medic is typically an Army term. Marine and Navy medics are called "Corpsman", not medics. (Noted by IslandHopper)

3 The Huey T.C. (USMC) is flying in the opening scene is a U.S. Army Huey, not U.S. Marines. This Huey can be distinguished as a U.S. Army Huey for two reasons: (i) You can see the crossed swords toward the front of the Huey on the pilot's door. This is an insignia for U.S. Army Air Cavalry (Air Cav). You can see it clearly after the Huey lands at the LZ and as it takes off again; (ii) toward the rear of the Huey you will see the words "United States" painted on the helicopter. It appears that it once read "United States Army" (as is standard on all U.S. Army helicopters), but the word "ARMY" is covered over in black paint, so it just reads "United States". It appears that the word "ARMY" was painted over intentionally with black paint because it would look funny that Marines were flying a U.S. Army Huey? The Huey is painted od-green with the exception of the crossed swords and the patch of black paint covering the word "Army." This is the only black paint on the helicopter, so it appears it was an obvious attempt to cover the word "Army." This seems to have been done to cover the fact that Rick, T.C., Taylor and Ed were Marines, and it would not have been consistent for a Marine pilot to be flying other Marines in a U.S. Army helicopter. (Noted by IslandHopper)

4 When Taylor tells T.C. he needs a helicopter ride to the island to go fishing, the helicopter skids are thin when they take off. It then changes to thicker (or padded) landing skids when they are flying over the water. It then changes back as he lands. (Noted by Mark Seaman)

5 This one may not technically be a flub, but it is worth noting. After Taylor, Ed and the others get off of the Huey and make their way into the jungle, they stop briefly and radio that they are in place and moving out. After they get up to move out, Ed hands the hand-set to the RTO (Radio Operator). The RTO has the hand-set in his right hand (can attach the hand-set to your web gear) and his M-16 in his left hand. The RTO is carrying the M-16 by the "carrying handle" in his left hand like a piece of luggage. Although that part of the M-16 is techinally known as a carrying handle, you don't carry the M-16 by the carrying handle like a piece of luggage, especially while on patrol in enemy territory. (Noted by IslandHopper)

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