Magnum Mania!

Distant Relative

Episode ID: 67
Episode Number: 4.4
Air Date: 10/20/1983
Writer: Nick Thiel
Director: Virgil W. Vogel
Producer: Reuben Leder
Exec Producer: Donald P. Bellisario

Recurring Characters

Kathleen Lloyd (Carol Baldwin), Gillian Dobb (Agatha Chumley), Elisha Cook Jr. (Icepick), Frank Atienza (Sgt. Puna)

Guest Stars

Alice Cadogan (Wendy Wright), Carol Channing (Herself), Doug Mossman (Officer Riley), George O'Hanlon Jr. (Frank)

Plot Outline

Magnum reluctantly agrees to chaperone Rick's prim and proper 22-year-old sister and then finds himself trying to keep up with a wild hellion. The girl goes missing after dragging Magnum to a low-life nightclub, but things take an even more bizarre twist when the police find her murdered in an alley.

Rating

8.5 (13 votes) MM Episode Forum Thread & Poll

Notes

1 This is the fourth "Rick-centric" episode of the series.

2 Unusual for the show, there is no opening preview for this episode. Also, the opening credits come in much later than usual - 4:30 into the episode.

3 Kathleen Lloyd takes over the role of Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Carol Baldwin, which was previously played by Patricia McCormack in "Foiled Again" (3.8). She will play the role for the rest of the series.

4 Lengendary actor Elisha Cook Jr. makes his first appearance as Icepick. Icepick was previously played by Walter Chotzen in "Past Tense" (3.5).

5 We learn that both of Rick's parents are dead. This will be both supported and contradicted in several future episodes.

6 The two RC planes Higgins and Agatha are flying at the beginning of the episode are not perfect replicas of WWII fighters as stated by Higgins. These two planes are very crude planes and not WWII replicas at all. Also, the RAF (Royal Air Force) plane Higgins is flying that crashes is not the same plane that he is repairing in his study when Magnum comes in and tells him about Wendy. The plane that crashed has a thin fuselage and narrow rectangular wings. However, the plane in Higgins' study, is a replica of either a RAF "Spitfire", or "Hurricane". You will notice the wings on the plane in the study have wide/convex wings that taper and narrow toward the ends. (Noted by IslandHopper)

7 Rick slugs Magnum for the second, and last, time. The first occurrence was in "Computer Date" (2.14). In both cases, Magnum does not retaliate.

8 Magnum hangs out with Rick's sister at a New Wave club (a place called Tijuana Tokyo) and runs into Carol Channing (of all people) by the restrooms. Priceless!

9 Magnum mentions that he drove a DeSoto in High School. In "Mixed Doubles" (3.10), he mentions that he had one in his second year at the Naval Academy. It's probably the same car.

10 This episode features a great chopper chase scene, with Rick manning the door gunner post and raining down hot lead with his Uzi! The Pali Tunnels are seen several times during the chase, as well.

11 In the denouement, Rick is seen stacking beer cans on a KKC beach bar table. The beer is "Tiller" and "Flagler" (both fictional) brands. "Flagler" beer hasn't been seen since Season One's "Skin Deep" (1.6) when Magnum downed a longneck "Flagler". Both will never be seen again.

12 In 1945, Higgins participated in the effort to push the Japanese out of Burma. His unit came across the home village of their native guide, which was completely destroyed by the Japanese. The guide was so distraught that he attacked the unit's captain in a successful attempt to get Higgins and his men to kill him. (Noted by Stephen Huntley)

Quotes

1
Magnum: Look, you havn't seen your sister in over ten years. Did you ever think that she might not be what she seems?
Rick: Are you telling me my sister isn't sweet and innocent?
Magnum: Sweet? Yeah, I think, probably she's very sweet, but Rick, believe me, she's not innocent anymore.
Rick: If you lay one hand, one hand, on her...I'll kill you!
Magnum: What are you talking about? I wouldn't touch your sister!
Rick: That's what happened, isn't it? You tried to put a move on her and she paniced and ran away!
Magnum: No! Look, maybe she ran away because her brother treats her like she is in kindergarten!
T.C.: Whoa, whoa, whoa, shut up, both of you. Getting hysterical isn't going to solve anything. What's the big deal anyway? She's 22, it's 12:30. She probably got bored with Thomas here and went for a walk. She's probably home by now.

Flubs

1 The post-production re-recording of Rick's "Don't talk to me like a little kid or like I'm crazy. Just get the hell out of here and let me handle this in my own way!" was very poorly done. The lip sync is completely off, and the quick cut to T.C. in an attempt to hide the dubbing, made it even more obvious that the line was altered.

2 More bad audio dubbing: After Magnum arrives at the KKC he is sitting at the Beach Bar with T.C., and Rick is behind the bar talking about his sister Wendy and says that "she is innocent". Magnum chuckles, and a you can hear Rick say "well she is". This line of Rick's does not have the same sound quality, and appears to have been looped in post-production. In addition, Magnum's next line also appears to have been looped in post production: "how do you know, she's grown up, she lives in Chicago, you havent seen her in ten years". (Noted by IslandHopper)

3 When Rick and Magnum go to Wendy's hotel room looking for her, Rick enters the room and yells "Wendy, Wendy, are you alright, it's Rick, Wendy." Rick then tries to open the bedroom door and jiggles the door knob and even tries unsuccessfully to force it open with his shoulder. He and Magnum break the door down and tumble into the bedroom. After all of this effort and loud noise while yelling for Wendy and trying to break the door down, the guy (federal agent) rummaging through Wendy's drawers seems oblivious to the racket created by Rick and Magnum, and was surprised when they broke into the room. He then runs out. How could that guy not have heard Rick yelling, and he and Magnum breaking the door down? (Noted by IslandHopper)

4 The first two shots of T.C.'s chopper as he and Magnum are flying to Moloki to find Rick, show it with the skids without the extra fittings (skinny skids). However, the third and fourth shots of the chopper show it with the extra fittings on the skids (fat skids). As the chopper flys over Rick's boat, it does not have the extra fittings (skinny skids). (Noted by IslandHopper)

5 As the chopper is chasing the two drug dealers in the jeep, toward the end of the chase, the chopper drops down right behind the jeep and you can just tell that the pilot is wearing a black ski mask. (Noted by IslandHopper)

6 In the scene at the police station, by the coffee machine, a boom mic can be briefly seen dropping into the picture frame, then go back up again. (Noted by Mike Barnes)

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