On Face Value (4.19)

[J.J. Walters]

This is the official MM thread for On Face Value (4.19). All discussions and reviews for this episode should go here. If you wish to rate the episode, please do so with the poll. The avg. score will be the official 'community rating', which will be used on the episode page (updated monthly).

This thread is also linked in the episode page of the Episode Guide.

Original Air Date: 3/15/1984
A high-speed car chase between Magnum and some black-market operatives spins wildly out of control when a young woman gets caught in the crossfire. But when he continues to have run-ins with the devious thugs, he begins to wonder if this "innocent victim" might be more than she seems.

[lutherhgillis]

I never liked this episode and rank it somewhere near 'A Pretty Good Dancing Chicken'. It is fairly solid and I would definitely prefer it to any Simon & Simon or Miami Vice episode.

I bring this up to attempt to make a point. Any Magnum episode is a 'keeper' in my mind due to the general quality of the show. What I mean is this: likeable characters, strong friendships, self-effacing humor, Hawaii, Ferrari, Rich man's estate, tidal pool,... what more does one need to make a show? I would watch Magnum and Higgins sitting in lawn chairs clipping their finger nails...

Luther H Gillis

[Magnums Little Voice]

A good episode this one as you can see Magnum has a real sence of guilt for hurting the girl, and I love the fact that Higgins has always been through a similar experience!

[IslandHopper]

I liked this episode too. There was a great scene where Magnum is apprehensive, and trying to find a way to ask Higgins if the girl can stay at the estate to convalesce. To his surprise, Higgins agrees immediately and is very gracious.

We also see Magnum babysitting Kioki's nephew at the beach. What was that about? I guess it shows what a good guy Magnum is. As Magnum is building the sand castle Carol comes up behind him and says in a very high pitched voice "can I play too." That scene always reminds me of the Elvis movie "Blue Hawaii" where Elvis returns from the Army and goes swimming with his girlfriend. There is a little kid (3 or 4) who asks if he can play too. I always wondered if the inspiration for Carol's line, and the way she said it was from Blue Hawaii. I bet it is. Has anyone else seen Blue Hawaii and know the scene I am referring to?

[J.J. Walters]

IH, I've seen Blue Hawaii, but not in a LONG time. I don't remember the scene, but the IMDB has a quote from that scene that goes like this:

Kid on beach: [Seeing Elvis and Blackman kissing on beach] Can I play?
Chad Gates: I think you're a little young for this game.
Kid on beach: If I get a girl can I play with you?

Hehe, pretty funny!


This one has always been one of my favorites from Season Four. Selleck, Hillerman and Talia Balsam really deliver some standout performances in this emotionally charged episode. There are some really great scenes involving Selleck/Balsam and Selleck/Hillerman.

I love the themes presented here - accepting responsibility for your actions, knowing when to let go, "getting back into the game", looking deep inside yourself for the true motives of your actions.

Throw in a some good pacing, a great GTO-Ferrari chase, a heavy dose of Carol and a great ending, and you've got one heck of a solid episode!

For those that may be interested, the actress who plays Nurse Wilson (Carrie Kissinger) is a well-known local singer/songwriter. For many, many years she sang with pianist Kit Samson's Sound Advice at the Kahala Hilton's Maile Lounge.

http://cdbaby.com/cd/conniekissinger



I love when the show brings in local artists.

[IslandHopper]

IH, I've seen Blue Hawaii, but not in a LONG time. I don't remember the scene, but the IMDB has a quote from that scene that goes like this:

Kid on beach: [Seeing Elvis and Blackman kissing on beach] Can I play?
Chad Gates: I think you're a little young for this game.
Kid on beach: If I get a girl can I play with you?

Hehe, pretty funny!

That is the scene I was referring to James.

I thought the car chase with the GTO was one of the best of the series, and the stunt involving the VW Rabbit was very well done. Don't worry James, I won't bring up the stunt involving the plane in "Two Birds Of A Feather."

There is a flub involving the GTO during the car chase. As Magnum is chasing the GTO the bad guys start shooting at him from their car. Magnum decides to end the chase and as he stops the Ferrari the camera cuts in to a close up of Magnum. Then the camera cuts to the GTO executing a U-turn. As Magnum puts the Ferrari in reverse you can see the GTO in the background just beginning to execute the U-turn that it has already performed.

[Sam]

>> Don't worry James, I won't bring up the stunt involving the plane in "Two Birds Of A Feather."<<

I don't get it either.It only makes sense that the crash wasn't real but it does look like the real deal to me..If anything,when TM is running on the beach the plane as it approaches TM from behind,looks like a model.

[IslandHopper]

That's just how I remembered it Sam.

[J.J. Walters]

LOL Sam! Oh no, not him again!

[J.J. Walters]

Another blast from the past, the Little Professor calculator!



Yet another thing that I wished I'd saved from my youth.

[rubber chicken]

That's funny James, I've had a screenshot of that scene for a long time now because of those toys. In addition to the Little Professor Calculator, the boy is playing with a He-Man action figure, and the orange thing up front is a Speak & Spell.



Here's the wiki link for the Speak & Spell... unfortunately links with parentheses don't work right in this (and other?) forum/s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speak_&_Spell_(game)

[J.J. Walters]

Ha! Didn't notice the Speak & Spell! Never had one, but had some friends that did.

I tell ya what, the Little Professor totally helped me get through 3rd & 4th grade math! He made learning multiplication and division fun!

I find it kind of strange that they placed the Little Professor facing the camera, in clear view. The show didn't do a lot of product placement, especially circa 1984.

[Jay-Firestorm]

Wednesday’s review; I like this episode, even if the plot does get a bit ‘convenient’ at points.

[rating=9.5]

Carol persuades Thomas to do some surveillance work for her, but the case leads to a high-speed chase in which Magnum accidentally shoots out the wheel of a passing car, badly injuring the female driver and possibly leaving her legs paralysed. A dramatic ep...

-----

This review contains spoilers.

‘On Face Value’ (working title: ‘Innocent Bystander’) is one of the most dramatic episodes of the fourth season. However, unlike some of the other more ‘serious’ instalments (I’m thinking of the boring ‘Paradise Blues’, for example), this one comes off as very watchable and engaging.

Things start of humorously enough, with a very amusing scene of Magnum building a grand sandcastle on the beach as he looks after Keoki’s nephew, who is intent on destroying the construction.

But soon as Magnum takes on the surveillance case for Carol, the story takes a more serious turn. The chase between the Ferrari and the GTO is exciting, but it comes as a shock when Magnum’s gun accidentally takes out the front wheel of a passing car, causing it to turn over, and badly injuring the driver.

Talia Balsam puts in a good performance as the injured driver, Emily Jackson, who is relentlessly upbeat. (Also, she reminds me of Jean Bruce Scott for some reason.) Although the plot is one of the more serious of the season, it still has some lighter-hearted moments, thankfully saving it from becoming too heavy going, and Balsam works well with Tom Selleck.
Magnum’s scenes with Emily as he tries to help her regain feeling in her legs are quite touching, and are very well acted by both performers.

The only thing that marks this story down a notch in my view, is the rather over-convenient final act. Magnum learns that Emily had got use of her legs back some time previously, and didn’t tell him as she didn’t want him to leave her. It also emerges that she was employed as a lookout by the bad guys of the story. I found these two points rather TOO convenient, freeing up Magnum to solve the case and not having to worry about Emily for the rest of his life.

But other than that, I find this to be a very good episode. It’s not one of my absolute favourites of the season, but that’s only because there is so much strong competition from other episodes.

-----

Other notes, bloopers and misc.:

* Rick and T.C. only appear in one scene in this episode.

* I too noticed the selection of toys that the kids are playing with in one scene outside the hospital. It caught my eye because the boy is playing with a He-Man figure …I’m a Masters of the Universe fan, and have a complete set of the figures (ahem)!. He is playing with the original version He-Man, first produced in 1981.

[Higgy_baby]

Two things you gotta love about this episode:

1. Smoking in a hospital bed.
2. Nurse Wilson. (She's hot and I read she sings too)

[sandbiscuits]

I agree with Jay-Firestorm that the convenience of the plot twists detract slightly, but it really is only slightly. It would have been interesting to see Magnum deal with the aftermath of the injuries to Emily in future episodes. Also, Magnum's angst over the use of his gun was too easily resolved. The question of when use of lethal force is justified, or whether or not it is ever justified, looks like it will be developed, but in the end Magnum gets his cathartic and righteous retribution in the alley.

Overall, the performances were solid, and I felt more touched at the end of this episode than usual. This was the first time I'd seen this episode, and I wonder how it would hold up to repeated viewings.