This Island Isn't Big Enough (6.16)

[J.J. Walters]

This is the official MM thread for This Island Isn't Big Enough (6.16). 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: 2/13/1986
When Rick's boat returns empty from a cruise, Magnum, T.C. and Higgins set out to find those who were on board and are now presumed dead.

[J.J. Walters]

I like what they tried to do with Clyde's Det. Gordon Katsumoto character, it just doesn't work so well for me. It's a little too over-the-top. The delirious Rick scene at the end was amusing. And we see another "new" room at Robin's Nest:



I'm diggin' those couches!

Still, one of the weaker episodes from Season Six.

[Vanity]

Little flub that I noticed in this episode (I think it is this episode).
When Magnum, TC & Higgins take off in the chopper to go and find Rick, the close shot of the helicopter shows a Hughes 500C. Seconds later, it's the well known 500D that keeps on flying.

[lutherhgillis]

To add to the flub about the choppers being different, you can see that the FAA ID number on the top side of one chopper is N5034A and the other is clearly N1095A. Also, the 500C has no FAA ID on the bottom in large white type like the 500D which clearly had the N1095A.

[Sam]

I found this clip showing the two different helicopters.In the first shot it's stock footage of N58243,the one that crashed in the first season.The second is the more familiar N1095A.

What I find interesting and never noticed until now,when they cut to Kalakaua Ave,that is old old footage.On the far left of the undeveloped area along the avenue,is the location of the Hyatt Regency which opened in 1976.Today Kalakaua is a one way west to east but you'll notice cars traveling west.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFpYl7DjEa0

[Artie Canoe]

It always makes me laugh when Carol is going through slides and Magnum and TC start cracking up

[Jay-Firestorm]

Okay, I have a feeling this is one where loads of people will say “hey, this ep was great”, but I have to say, this is in my book, one of the weakest of the entire show’s run.

[rating=4.0] (I couldn't even rate that low in the poll! )

Out on his boat, Rick and his passengers are attacked by thugs. With no-one back home knowing what happened, Magnum finds himself joining forces with a detective who thinks he’s John Wayne as they investigate. One of the worst eps of the entire series…

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This review contains spoilers.

I criticised the previous episode, ‘All Thieves on Deck’, but at least it had a few redeeming moments. On the other hand, ‘This Island Isn’t Big Enough…’ is a high candidate for worst episode of the entire series in my opinion.
I had totally forgotten this one until I came to re-watch it to review – maybe my brain had blanked it out as it was so bad!

Detective Gordon Katsumoto, the John Wayne-wannabe, is played by Clyde Kusatsu, making his hundredth (!) appearance in the show. Whenever they wanted a Vietnamese / Asian actor, chances are they’d use Kusatsu!
Kusatsu might be okay as a guest bit actor, but for a role like this, he is totally miscast. His scenes impersonating Wayne are as much unconvincing as they are toe-curlingly embarrassing. The sequence where he is examining the hotel room and finds the money, talking to himself in his (supposed) John Wayne drawl, is one of the worst sequences in the show’s run!

The rest of the cast, including the main four actors and regular guest star Kathleen Lloyd (Carol), also feel like they’re just going through the motions with this one, and the episode decidedly feels like filler material, to bump up the season’s episode count.
It comes to something when the only real notable element of an episode is when Ice Pick’s real name (Francis Hofstetler) is revealed!

I could barely follow the plot of this one – maybe I just didn’t care enough to pay attention, but even so, I just could not make the connection between some of the occurrences.
Only at the very end of the episode, where Rick is finally found on the island, going insane, and the bad guys are taken care of, that the episode vaguely hints that there might have possibly been a good story somewhere in there.

I like Katsumoto’s closing line, that in a film of the story, Magnum could be played by Burt Reynolds (Tom Selleck was sometimes dubbed “TV’s Burt Reynolds” back in the day), but other than that, I’m glad to see the back of a truly terrible episode.
There are so many quality instalments in MPI’s run – I just hope that someone new to the show doesn’t start with this episode, it’s enough to put them off for life. A strong candidate for worst episode of the entire run.

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Other notes, bloopers and misc.:

* To be trivial, the exact formatting of this episode’s title on-screen is ‘This Island Isn’t Big Enough…’, complete with ‘…’.

* I’m not sure about the in-episode guest characters being accompanied by a ‘new version of the theme tune’ – to me it sounds no different to many of the ‘theme tune overtures’ featured in other episodes.

* I don’t bother listening all of the appearances of the 308 after the show upgraded the Ferrari, but one that did stick out to me is when Magnum is driving to Starr’s office – it is quite clearly stock footage of the original 308 (no black headlights or grill in-between).

* I also noticed changing and stock shots of the chopper in this episode.

* Another case of act breaks being abridged.

* I’m not a cap expert like some other forum members, but I did notice that T.C. wore a purple Lakers cap in this episode. Can’t remember if he ever wore it again, but it’s certainly the first time it’s seen in the series.

* As mentioned in my review, I like the Katsumoto’s closing line, that in a film of the story, Magnum could be played by Burt Reynolds - Tom Selleck was sometimes dubbed “TV’s Burt Reynolds”, due to similar appearance and characteristics (and laugh!) and it’s not the first time in the series we hear mention of Reynolds.

* Like ‘Round and Around’ earlier in the season, this episode features a version of the closing credits theme usually reserved for feature-length / two-parters (although is a very slightly different edit here!)

[Little Garwood]

I think many are too harsh on this one, as it's far from being the series' worst episode! However, I can understand how one's opinion on Gordon Katsumoto might color their view. I like the character--but one appearance is enough! His embarrasssingly bad scene with Luther Gillis in A.A.P.I. is enough to swear me off those two guys for life!

This episode has a few Hawaii Five-O alumni in the cast: Clyde Kusatsu (Gordon); Josie Over (Lily); Jimmy Borges (Coast Guard Officer), and the mean-looking thug that TC dispatches, Peter Kalua, all appear in This Island Isn't Big Enough...

I liked the added character backstory for Higgins--there's never too much--how he headed a relocation committee and helped the young Lily come to Hawaii. Josie Over was a regular stock player on Five-O and was quite a looker in her day.

The action moved along nicely, and I liked Jenny Sherman as Starr Davis, if only in a tacky, hilariously 1980s sort of way. According to the all-knowing, never-wrong IMDB, this was (to date) Sherman's last film or TV appearance.

The tone of the episode managed to remain light, but the latter-season standby of Higgins joining with Thomas and TC in search of Rick is always a welcome sight, as it shows how strong their bond had become since All For One.

Larry Manetti shows of his usual comic flair with his delirious schtick after getting the drop on Magnum and Higgins.

Cool shot of the chopper heading towards the island where Rick was. Nice!

There's also what I thought was a reflection of glass in one of the office scenes, as if the shot was done through a window. I'll get back to you on that...

[timm525]

...There's also what I thought was a reflection of glass in one of the office scenes, as if the shot was done through a window. I'll get back to you on that...

Just watched this one. The reflection seems to be off the picture frame or mirror (not sure which) and it looks like a camera person moving in the background. It is in the beginning when TM is in the office talking to the secretary and she orders him out of the office or she is calling the police.

I couldn't stand Gordon's character! The John Wayne bit was way over the top and killed the ep. for me.

Funniest part was TM and TC cracking up with Carol's slides that were totally useless.

[MaiTaiMan]

This one was pretty good! I liked the plot, with Rick disappearing and everyone coming together to try and figure out what happened and where he is.

However, the Gordon character trying to imitate John Wayne was stupid and way too over-the-top! It annoyed the heck out of me, and I could hardly stand to watch his scenes! That whole aspect to this episode could have been, and should have been, left out. The rest of the plot and/or episode held it's own just fine.

But, the episode as a whole was good, and I enjoyed it. I rated this one "Pretty Good".

[miltontheripper]

It has been years since I had seen this episode and while it was not great it was better than I remembered. And Gordon was less annoying and more comical too. Not that I think he's a great character or anything, but I remember watching this the first time and hating it and I actually found him somewhat humorous this time. It seems like in most episodes it's usually TM, TC, or Higgins that is missing or in peril, and this time it was Rick so that gave it a bit of a different twist that I liked. I liked his street smarts to take shot with his pistol and then jump off the boat to avoid getting shot, which the killers made pretty clear was going to happen. I thought this was a good plot and an entertaining episode. Season 6 continues to be one of my favorite seasons!

[Croix de Lorraine]

Possible flubs:

- When TM first visits Reed's office and the girl tells him to go he says "If you change your mind I'm on the book". But unless I missed it he never told her his name in the first place.

- We learn that Higgins brough Lily to Oahu 40 years ago, but what was he doing on the island? Wasn't he in the Army then?

[china clipper]

..that Selleck REALLY did not like Gordon (Clyde).
It wasn't too much of a stretch!

[Kalai-pahoa]

Well, if this Island isn't big enough on the other hand this episode isn't even good enough Yes... I just don't like very much Katsumoto's character. But the 'slides scene' and 'delirious Rick scene' are very funny indeed.

Icepick told Carol that Manzano was staying at the Puna Kohola hotel on the West Shore (maybe the first time they mention the West Coast in the show?). We know they used only one filming location on the west coast ('The secret beach' in the episode 'Rapture'), so the fictional 'Puna Kohola Hotel' is indeed the 'Ilikai Hotel', nearby the Ala Wai Harbor.


As said in the main page for this episode they filmed the rooftop fight scene at the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel, but the scene where they are exiting the hotel going down the escalator was filmed at 'The Modern Honolulu Hotel' on Hobron Lane, nearby the Ala Wai Harbor.


At the beginning of the scene at the morgue we can briefly see one of the 'Whaling Walls' by marine life artist Wyland.
Here is the List of Whaling Walls: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Whaling_Walls
The Whaling Wall seen in the episode was at Holomoana St, it doesn't exist anymore following demolition of the old Kaiser Hospital in 1987 and it has been erased once the Hawaiian Prince hotel was built.


You can see here the original wall: http://macpro.buzznet.com/photos/archive/?id=884280
It was repainted at 3049 Ualena St.

[marlboro]

I'll let Magnum explain how i feel about Gordon Katsumoto's John Wayne impersonation:




And how I feel about his character over all:






I like the actor who plays Gordon, but that preposterous John Wayne impersonator aspect the writers saddled the character with absolutely ruins the episode.

I did like the plot of the episode. I think it would have been neat twist to reveal at the end that Rick had already defeated the bad guys and was just waiting to be rescued instead of just using him as comic relief.