The Love-For-Sale Boat

Episode Number: 101
Season Number: 5.17
Air Date: 2/14/1985
Writers: J. Miyoko Hensley, Steven Hensley
Director: Ray Austin
Producer: Reuben Leder
Exec Producer: Donald P. Bellisario

Recurring Characters

Jeff MacKay (Jim "Mac" Bonnick), Elisha Cook Jr. (Icepick)

Guest Stars

Marilyn Tokuda (Sakiko), Carolyn Seymour (Leanne), Kam Fong (Kanki), George Cheung (Kanki's Nephew), Nathan Jung (Yaikra), Jeanne Kanai (Umeko), Masayo Ha (Tamiko), Bob Fimiani (Homer Knowlton), Klee Hoskot (Rental Car Agent #1), Linda Watson (Rental Car Agent #2), Kathleen Edwards (Rental Car Agent #3), Naomi Sodetani (Rental Car Agent #4)

Episode Brief

Jim "Mac" Bonnick is back, and he takes Rick for a ride by "selling" him a luxury boat and three beautiful geishas. But some angry yakuza businessmen and the boat's actual owners aren't exactly pleased with the deal.

Rating

7.7

(40 votes)

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Notes

¹ This is the fifth "Rick-centric" episode of the series, following "The Curse of the King Kamehameha Club" (1.11), "The Woman on the Beach" (2.3), "Smaller Than Life" (4.3) and "Distant Relative" (4.4). Jim "Mac" Bonnick also receives a considerable amount of screen time.

² Marilyn Tokuda (Sakiko) and George Cheung (Kanki's Nephew) return for second and third time respectively, and veteran English actress Carolyn Seymour (Leanne) returns for the second time. Carolyn Seymour previously played Lady Ashley in "Echoes of the Mind" (5.1 & 5.2).

³ As Magnum tries to catch up with "Mac", we see him at several different car rental booths at various airports, all of which look exactly the same except for the poster on the back wall, which is different for each city. Also, free lemons are offered at all booths for some strange reason.

⁴ All of the boat ("The Wright Stuff") and dock scenes were filmed at the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor (the "Hilton Lagoon"), located between r Ala Moana Park and Fort Derussey.

⁵ The King Kamehameha Club's yacht (King Kamehameha II) is seen again.

⁶ Magnum wears a new plain grey, adjustable baseball cap. It will be seen one more time in "Paper War" (7.8).

⁷ Higgins speaks Japanese, apparently fairly fluently.

⁸ Icepick has a daughter named "Hilda". At Icepick's request, Rick has gone on several "dates" with her in the past.

⁹ Another rare scene involving Higgins' bedroom can be seen in this episode.

¹⁰ Further evidence that Jim's ("Mac") last name is "Bonnick", not "Bonig". Kanki's nephew (the enforcer) is clearly heard saying "Bonnick" (with a "k"), not "Bonig".

¹¹ The climax of this episode features a cool fight scene aboard a yacht involving two asian enforcers (one with a meat cleaver), Jim "Mac" Bonnick, three beautiful, bikini-clad Japanese ladies, and Magnum pelting the bad guys with lemons!

Quotes

¹
Magnum: A few vital statistics that explain why paradise is called paradise: There are three-hundred and twenty-six days of sunshine each year, an annual average temperature of eighty-six degrees, billions and billions of gallons of blue Pacific, and one Orville "Rick" Wright, who will bet on anything. (Narration)

²
"Mac": What kind of sleaze do you think I am?
Magnum: Is this multiple choice?

³
Magnum: Oh come on Rick. You're not still mad at me are ya? I mean, a bet's a bet. You gotta be gracious about these things.
Rick: Gracious on a ten-point spread in a soccer game?! Well, serves me right for betting on a dumb sport where I can't pronounce the names and they play with their feet!

⁴
Rick: Look, get me downtown will ya. I gotta see Icepick and I gotta see him fast.
T.C.: Icepick!? Asian hoods arn't enough for you?
Rick: Will you cut it out. I told you before, Icepick's not a problem. As a matter of fact, I'm gonna ask him to protect me from the Yakuza. He will. I mean a lot to that old guy. He's a lot like my dad.

Flubs

¹ At 16:46, Magnum leaves the Ferrari with a bag and a picnic cooler and puts some luggage down on the ground, close to the sailing yacht. Less than a minute later, the luggage is suddenly near the Ferrari again (17:38). (Noted by Bernd-Christian Schulze)

² When Rick and Magnum are on the dock arguing with "Mac" about the raffle tickets, Rick is wearing a shirt with horizontal red stripes and matching red pants, but when the scene moves to Rick, "Mac" and the girls on the boat, Rick is suddenly now wearing a shirt with lime sherbet green stripes and matching pants. (Noted by Trixie)

³ 37:35 in, as T.C.'s vanagon drives up to the Estate gates, T.C.'s windshield reflects a couple of Magnum P.I. crew members in the bottom of his side. One looks like they are holding a folder or clipboard of some sort. (Noted by Sheedos)

⁴ At the Estate (40+ mark), just after Higgins says "I have never seen such a craven display of cowardice in my entire life", a Magnum P.I. crew member can be briefly scene opening the door of a truck on the far right side of the screen. (Noted by Italian Ice)

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