Thicker than Blood (1.12)

[K Hale]

another brick in that Magnuym/Higgins foundation laid...............really cool to see. When Higgins sees the conviction in Magnum's eye in the darkroom.......he realizes a bit late this is a huge issue to Magnum. Slowly the respect is growing for his integrity.

What I wonder is why Magnum didn't just tell Higgins something like, "I need this developed to help TC, he's having a crisis. But it's personal so I can't say anything more."

Of course then we would not have the great ending.

[ENSHealy]

1.12 THICKER THAN BLOOD
Hawaiian shirts: 1
Island Hopper shirts: 1 Blue logo on yellow
Body Count: 0
Shirtless: 1
Little Voice: 0
I know what you’re thinking: 0
When I write HTBAWCPI: 0
Investigator corrections: 0
Magnum injuries: 0
Higgins musings: 0
4th wall breaks: 2
Negotiations: 1
Famous guest stars: 0
Magnumometer: 7

Potential magnumania usernames: Joey

This somewhat mundane episode, with a genuinely annoying, whiny guest protagonist in Joey, is nonetheless fully redeemed by the two classic scenes between Thomas and Higgins: in the darkroom, and in the guest house at the end.

EPISODE GUIDE QUIBBLES

8 The shot of the car exploding and going over the side of the cliff was lifted from the "Pilot Movie". (Noted by Jay-Firestorm)

While this shot was no doubt filmed for the pilot, I don't believe it actually appeared in the pilot. In the pilot, the car does not explode until it is already over the guardrail and has crashed. This shot must have been done for some other/alternative scenario. I assume the cable you see under the car (which has always bugged the hell out of me that they used that shot even though the cable is so visible) was to retrieve the car from where ever it lands after they blow it up?

2 On the helicopter ride from the ship (just before getting busted by the USCG), the audio between Joey and T.C. is off. Joey is speaking in a normal volume with minimal backround chopper noise, whereas T.C., who is sitting next to him in the same cockpit, is screaming at Joey above some obnoxious chopper noise. As they talk balk and forth, the chopper noise and actor volume keeps changing. By the end of the ride the problem has been corrected. (Noted by Jamie O'Neill)

Actually, if you listen closely, the chopper noise in the background is consistent throughout. However, Joey does speak in a normal tone and TC does yell back at him, so those two aspects don't line up, but the audio track doesn't sound pieced together, at least to me.

NEW FLUBS?
1. How does Mac know that pilot at the bar is a Marine pilot? And is he actually a Marine pilot? Sure looks like a Navy uniform to me. No Marine Corps insignia (wouldn't one collar have had the globe and anchor and the other the Captain's bars? Or was that just how they did it in NROTC?) The wings he has on do not identify him as a Marine, only as a Naval aviator.
2. Speaking of uniform protocol, both Mac and the pilot are uncovered (not wearing hats) outdoors. I believe this is against regulation? Although maybe there's some kind of ambiguity because they're sort of in a building but outdoors at the same time?
3. "10 years in the Navy." Thomas refers to his 10 years in the Navy. That creates a gap in his timeline. We know he went in after graduation in 67. We know he started at the estate in 1980 sometime about a year after he resigned from the Navy. So there's a 2-3 year gap there.
4. How does the chopper door get closed? When TC lands with Joey, Joey gets out of the chopper and moves away without closing the door, and the door is all the way open. When we see TC take off, the door has somehow closed itself.
5. "I haven't seen flying like that since Vietnam" How exactly did he see that flying, anyway? He was the pilot of the C-130. They spotted TC, but it was a chopper that came to intercept. It would have been the chopper pilot, not Mr. Lipe, who would have seen that flying.

CRUCIAL CONVERSATIONS
Higgins: You still haven’t told me what this is about or where you got this photo.
Magnum: I didn’t?
Higgins: No, you didn’t. Of course, where you got it is quite obvious to the experienced eye, anyway.
Magnum: It is?
Higgins: Quite. You took this photo, probably from T.C.’s helicopter at an altitude of two or three thousand feet using Robin Master’s 35mm reflex camera with a 600mm lens.
Magnum: Higgins, you’re amazing.
Higgins: Thank you. The next question is why.
Magnum: Why?
Higgins: Why you took it. Although I don’t really care, I just want to know, is the name of this ship important?
Magnum: Very.
Higgins: I thought so from the way you’ve been hovering over me. [Pause as Higgins waits]
Magnum: Oh, come on Higgins, I’ve already given up the wine cellar and assorted other things. What more do you want?
Higgins: Whatever I can get.
Magnum: Why do we have to play swap meet every time I need something?
Higgins: Because I don’t like the way you live. I don’t like the way you drive Robin’s car. I don’t like your friends. You’ve been a thorn in my side since the day Robin Masters invited you to use his guest house.
Magnum: For as long as I wanted!
Higgins: That was a mistake he made with which I have had to live. If the name of this ship is so important, it’s going to cost you dearly.
Magnum: Higgins, I need that name now!
Higgins: I know.
Magnum: Oh boy, you are really something.
Higgins: Yes.
Magnum: All right that’s it, I give up, I am just tired of these games! I’ll tell you what Higgins, I’ll give you it all!
Higgins: All?
Magnum: Yeah! I’ll move out of the guest house and off the estate. Now I need that name now! Look, will Sunday be soon enough for ya?
Higgins: Well, uh, Sunday, uh…of course, I….
Magnum: Good! Now develop the photo and gimme that name! [pause as Higgins looks confused] Now please.
Higgins: Yes, of course.

[ENSHealy]

One other backstory note: T.C. says “even if we gotta do an instant replay of our first meeting in Saigon.” This implies that Magnum and T.C. met in Saigon before T.C. and he were on the VM02 team together. Seems like quite a coincidence? I suppose in theory they could have gotten to know each other and then pulled strings to get assigned to the same unit, but it seems like a stretch.

[ENSHealy]

1.12 THICKER THAN BLOOD
EPISODE GUIDE QUIBBLES

8 The shot of the car exploding and going over the side of the cliff was lifted from the "Pilot Movie". (Noted by Jay-Firestorm)

While this shot was no doubt filmed for the pilot, I don't believe it actually appeared in the pilot. In the pilot, the car does not explode until it is already over the guardrail and has crashed. This shot must have been done for some other/alternative scenario. I assume the cable you see under the car (which has always bugged the hell out of me that they used that shot even though the cable is so visible) was to retrieve the car from where ever it lands after they blow it up?

Small correction to the above: the shot of the car being thrown up near the guardrail was shot for the same scene in the pilot, it is just from an earlier portion of the sequence than made the final cut in the pilot. Here is the first frame from the pilot movie after the Challenger has left the road. As you can see, it is already over the guard rail. The shot we see in the opening sequence was from when they blew it over the guard rail.

From the pilot movie:


From the opening sequence:

[ENSHealy]

3. "10 years in the Navy." Thomas refers to his 10 years in the Navy. That creates a gap in his timeline. We know he went in after graduation in 67. We know he started at the estate in 1980 sometime about a year after he resigned from the Navy. So there's a 2-3 year gap there.

In the pilot movie, Ski says "You know, I haven't seen you since you beached yourself, what, uh,
four, five months ago?
To which Magnum replies "More like a year."

Since I think the general assumption is that Magnum is happening in "real time" i.e. this would be the end of 1980, that would have him resigning at the end of 1979, creating a two year gap between "10 years in the Navy" and 1967-1979.

I suppose he could have just been "rounding down" when speaking to Mac, but why let that get in the way of a little obsessive compulsive over-analysis?

[T.Q.]

Great episode.

Always remembered the lesson about loyalty to a friend (and the limits to that loyalty).

Danger of drugs.

And letting best friends vent every once in a while when they're going through poop.

Ending is great.

Higgy baby likes Thomas a bit afterall. Haha

[N1095A]

In going through the dvds for maybe the hundredth time, I've come to this episode. I've decided I can overlook those suspension of disbelief parts, except for one. I cannot believe the Coast Guard would not search the chopper and find the drugs. Especially considering they were not really that well hidden. Could it be possible they did find them, and put them back in the chopper for the sting operation to catch the real smugglers?