Unfinished Business (8.8)

[MACattack]

Selleck really shows his NRA roots in his acting roles. You got to respect a man who stands up for his convictions. Who cares what that bioch Rosie o'donnel thinks!

[Agatha]

Here's the quote that I think Tom took from Cooper's Golden Rule.

Night Passage...Jesse and Suitcase are out at the gravel pit shooting targets. After Suitcase finishes firing, Jesse says:

Good. Holster your weapon. You might want to get in the habit of keeping your finger outside the trigger guard? If you're handling a suspect, you might get a sympathetic response and shoot somebody.

Speaking of shooting somebody...I think Rosie has shot off her mouth several times too often...and ended up shooting her career in the foot! She shoulda known better than to mess with our Tom!!

[IKnowWhatYoureThinking]

I think it just shows how well respected Selleck is in Hollywood that he can have the convictions he has and still land roles. I think for someone like him people see the person and not the political views. Needless to say I see my views far more in line with Tom's than Rosie's

[Carol the Dabbler]

At one point in this episode, Buck Greene addresses Maggie as "Commander Poole." I think this really nails down the question of the correct way to address a Lt. Commander. I've also posted this info where the question was raised, on the "Infinity and Jelly Donuts" thread.

I watched The Great Hawaiian Adventure Company today. It's the episode just AFTER Unfinished Business. Thomas is wearing an MIA bracelet. I don't know if he went back and picked up the one he took off or got another one but he's wearing it.

Thanks for posting that Agatha. When Magnum started to walk away from his sniper's nest (after NOT shooting Quang Ki), I was watching to see whether he would stop for the bracelet. Although they did not show him picking it up, the scene ended before he had gotten very far, leaving me with the impression that he COULD have retrieved it. It would have been a nice touch to show him doing that, though.

[MACattack]

People still wear the MIA bracelets today. The lost soldiers of Nam will never be forgotten.

[timm525]

Hey gang,

Just a few observations and questions here.

This is a very powerful ep. I don't remember watching it when it first ran. No idea where I was at that time. But one of the greatest eps. of the series IMHO.

First, possible flub, in the beginning of the court room scene, Magnum and TC are sitting in the back of the court room waiting to give their testimony in the trial. Now I'm no attorney but I've had the "luxury" of serving on one DUI case and I know the witnesses don't sit in the back of the court room and get to hear the trial as it unfolds just as a juror does. Witnesses are sequestered into another room until they are called to testify. This way their testimony is not influenced by anything they hear during the trial. From there they are lead into the court room, take the stand, make their testimony, and then are escorted out of the court room and back into their sequestered waiting room for further testimony or outcome/dismissal of the case.

Genesis "Brazilian" was a great song and I forgot it altogether until I saw this ep.

One other thing, when Buck Green returns to his office and finds his desk broken into, he knows Magnum was responsible. He orders the area searched and gives the command to find Magnum and kill him. I don't remember the order to kill in the syndicated version. I was so shocked when I heard that!

On the version DVD/Tape I have Buck does not say "Kill Him". Many years ago before MPI came out on DVD I bought DVDs on Ebay from some guy in Canada. He taped MPI onto VHS, no idea if this was original or re-runs, and then transferred them onto DVD. The quality is horrible and are filled with 80's to early 90's commercials in every one. Some are so bad they are un-watchable.

In the scene in question, Buck is talking to the young Marine LT. and on my DVD/Tape the dialoged goes:

Buck: "It is possible he has penetrated the compound, I want him found."

Marine: "Yes Sir."

Buck: "Nothing is going to go wrong with the exchange today, is that understood?"

Marine: "Yes Sir."

There is no mention of Buck stating I want him killed! I'm really surprised that they would have changed the dialog to include him saying "kill him". That was a real shock when I read it.

Useless trivia of the day....

A young Richard Narita (Quang Ki) had a small role in Murder by Death, one of my favorite movies. He played Willie Wang, Sidney Wang's (Peter Sellers) adopted son! For some reason, I never made the connection before.

Now, every time I see Quang Ki I'm going to think, "I don't get it pop, was there a murder or wasn't there?"

I had to laugh when I read this one. Murder By Death is one of my favorite movies too. I never, ever, even made the connection between the two till I read your post! Peter Sellers, RIP, is one of the funniest actors I've ever seen. The Pink Panther movies are too funny to watch. They are a favorite of my father and I and we watch them all the time. Every time we see something in the background we never (after a 100 times) saw before!!!

"I don't get it pop, was there a murder or wasn't there?"

"Yes, killed good weekend." and don't forget "Shut Japanese mouth!"

...2. Jean Bruce Scott! My gosh that lady is gorgeous!! I recall the crush I had on her during her MPI and Airwolf days.
...

I liked her in Airwolf, but never before saw her with her hair down like that!!! She is gorgeous and I never really noticed before.

What kind of rifle does Magnum use in this episode?

It is a Steyr SSG 69 with a butter knife bolt handle and double set triggers, probably chambered for the .308 Winchester cartridge (commercial version of the military 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge)...

Gotta admit as a "gun buff" (OK maybe not so buff now) I never saw a rifle with a double trigger like that. No I'm not talking about a double barreled shot gun, but a rifle. That was news to me. Odd but cool design.

...Cooper was quite influential in the gun world. He is the one that published the "Mozambique Drill" (mentioned by Higgins in "Mad Buck Gibson"). He was also the man behind the "Bren Ten" (Sonny Crockett's pistol in Miami Vice) and its 10mm cartridge; a 10mm pistol which was based on the legendary CZ-75 platform (which Cooper also helped to popularize)...

OK, pistols are more my style. For anyone interested, a company called Vltor, Click ---> here is re-introducing the "Bren Ten" originally made by Dornaus and Dixon Enterprises, Inc. in the mid 80's. Yes this was Sonny Crockett's gun for season's one and two. The gun will be offered in a few different versions and calibers. Mainly there will be the "Vice Model" in 10mm chromed as well as the standard two tone 10mm and .45. There will also be a "Special Forces" model as well. All are scheduled to be out by October of this year with a MSRP of 1000-1300 US Dollars.

Great ep. all the way around. Really shows Magnum on the edge and what he may have been capable of doing under different circumstances just like he did in "Did you see the sun rise".

This one gets a 10 for me!!!

[Carol the Dabbler]

First, possible flub, in the beginning of the court room scene, Magnum and TC are sitting in the back of the court room waiting to give their testimony in the trial. Now I'm no attorney but ... witnesses don't sit in the back of the court room and get to hear the trial .... Witnesses are sequestered into another room .... This way their testimony is not influenced by anything they hear during the trial.

********************

I'm really surprised that they would have changed the dialog to include him saying "kill him". That was a real shock when I read it.

Hi, Timm. I believe you're absolutely correct about witnesses being sequestered -- at least that's been my experience. I suspect the scene was done that way for dramatic effect.

Just a guess, but presumably, the "kill him" line was in the original episode, then was deleted for the syndicated version (or was deleted by the Canadian station that your copy was taped from). Apparently the DVD has the original.

[J.J. Walters]

"I don't get it pop, was there a murder or wasn't there?"

"Yes, killed good weekend." and don't forget "Shut Japanese mouth!

Sidney Wang: What meaning of this, Mr. Twain?
Lionel Twain: I will tell you, Mr. Wang, if YOU can tell ME why a man who possesses one of the most brilliant minds of this century can't say his *prepositions* or *articles!* "What IS THE," Mr. Wang! "What IS THE meaning of this?"
Sidney Wang: That what I said! "What meaning of this?"

[ThomasSullivanMagnumIV]

[quote="stever"]What kind of silencer was Magnum using on his rifle? In some scenes it looked like a towel!
SR[/quote]

I was wondering the same thing.

[firefly]

First, possible flub, in the beginning of the court room scene, Magnum and TC are sitting in the back of the court room waiting to give their testimony in the trial. Now I'm no attorney but ... witnesses don't sit in the back of the court room and get to hear the trial .... Witnesses are sequestered into another room .... This way their testimony is not influenced by anything they hear during the trial.

********************

I'm really surprised that they would have changed the dialog to include him saying "kill him". That was a real shock when I read it.

Hi, Timm. I believe you're absolutely correct about witnesses being sequestered -- at least that's been my experience. I suspect the scene was done that way for dramatic effect.

Just a guess, but presumably, the "kill him" line was in the original episode, then was deleted for the syndicated version (or was deleted by the Canadian station that your copy was taped from). Apparently the DVD has the original.

in the dvd that i have he doesn't say "kill him", he tells him when he finds him to "shoot him".

[firefly]

"I don't get it pop, was there a murder or wasn't there?"

"Yes, killed good weekend." and don't forget "Shut Japanese mouth!

Sidney Wang: What meaning of this, Mr. Twain?
Lionel Twain: I will tell you, Mr. Wang, if YOU can tell ME why a man who possesses one of the most brilliant minds of this century can't say his *prepositions* or *articles!* "What IS THE," Mr. Wang! "What IS THE meaning of this?"
Sidney Wang: That what I said! "What meaning of this?"

too funny of a movie!

my favorite line;

"conversation like television set on honeymoon ..... unnecessary."

[Carol the Dabbler]

in the dvd that i have he doesn't say "kill him", he tells him when he finds him to "shoot him".

Thanks for the exact wording, firefly, and thanks for confirming that it's on the DVD.

I believe I've heard, though, that military trainees are taught that it's hard enough to just hit a distant or moving target, let alone hit some specific part of it, so don't attempt any of this fancy shoot-the-gun-out-of-his-hand stuff like the Lone Ranger -- don't shoot at someone unless you're intending to kill him.

In other words, in military parlance, there's no practical difference between Buck saying "shoot him" and "kill him."

[AmandaByNight]

I think this is one of the most moving episodes of the series. The choices he makes at the end are heart-wrenching. In some respect, it works out (with at least Lily), but to have to make that decision. I dunno. This episode truly affected me. I get chills thinking about it.

[MagnumsLeftShoulder]

Mindblowing is the only way to describe this episode! The first time I saw it 10 yrs ago, I had not seen Memories are Forever or DYSTS. This time, I am watching in order and its much more powerful. I love the hallway scene where Thomas is just daring someone to attempt to stop him. I think the title, Unfinished Business, implies that the end of the episode is not the end of Thomas' "business." I know the phrase was used a couple of times leading up to this episode, but if it had been the end of the Michelle, Lily, Quang Ki storyline, it should have been titled "Finished Business."

[Tuan Vu]

Today was the first time I had viewed this great episode. Boy, after the light-hearted and very funny "A Girl Named Sue" in the previous episode, we are hit with a profoundly moving and intense episode like "Unfinished Business"! I can't recall any show in history with range like that (although I suppose there must have been one or two).

I kind of knew (well...hoped, anyway) that Magnum would not shoot Quang Ki. To do so would jeopardize possible future MIAs from returning home, and in addition, Magnum is not one to take revenge. This is not like the case of when he shoots Ivan, who would have gone on to attempt further assassinations if Magnum had let him go. In that case, he was justified (IMO) in killing Ivan. Besides, to shoot Quang Ki would probably have set off all the Vietnamese soldiers and Marines into a gun battle (they all had their rifles out) and the POW and his daughter would have got caught in the crossfire.


By the way, Jay-Firestorm, I really enjoy your reviews and critiques on this website. I was wondering what your top 20 list is. If this episode would not even crack your top 10, then I would be curious as to what could top this episode!