Memories Are Forever (1) (2.5)

[Milton Collins]

I think this is one of the best of the whole series, a perfect 10! What a sad episode. TM and Michelle were clearly madly in love and they just can't seem to be together. As far as the comments regarding Michelle/Marta Dubois, I personally find her to be an absolute knockout! I don't think they could have picked a better, hotter, "Michelle" for Magnum than Dubois (big hair and all lol)! I also think part of this is the amazing chemistry that the two actors have which definitely sells it. Anyway, a classic episode that really lets you see into Thomas and see him from the inside out. Have to also say it was great scene seeing TM throw the film out at the beginning, he just couldn't expose the little car salesman lol. Not that I condone cheating but it definitely shows he has a heart. Overall I love this one!

[magnumette]

I am watching the series in order for the first time. Over the years I know I have seen them all but watching in order has been wonderful so far. Of course I am a different person when it first was released and I saw as a teen, but this episode is perfect. I only saw Casablanca as an adult and was delighted at how many references the entire MPI series makes toward this classic masterpiece.

The same mentality and integrity is there , Michelle must leave and Thomas must support that in his heart or it will end up destroying them. Sigh how romantic. I find that Michelle is perfect for Magnum: exotic, beautiful, intelligent, gentle and kind. She also loves and accepts his friends. She has flaws but that makes her interesting. She rescues Thomas from Vietnam in my opinion. She is Magnum's great love and it sets the tone for the rest of the series . Here is TM-He is a man who has loved and lost early in his life his father and his wife but continues through the support of his friends and his inner strength.

TC's speech on the beach has to be one of the best in the series- TC is so serious and wise such a sharp contrast to the playful back chat he was giving TM in Moscow to Maui ( I forgot what a CO you can be, or just like in Cambodia......). The advice, insight and support he shows his friend is profound.

I rated this a 10-but it is not in my top 3 - many MPI are perfect to me simple b/c they are MPI! ( however, even I cant give Billy Joe Bobb or LIttle Girls close to a 10 ) Great acting, great story , great pathos.

[EZiller]

Some things I like about this episode, but I’m not a huge fan of the TM/Michelle storyline, although I know Bellisario commendably used it partly as a way of bringing attention to other issues from the Vietnam War, such as MIA’s and POW’s. I really think they stretched it too far about Michelle’s background. I mean, if she had been married to a NVA general, I’d think she would have been too far indoctrinated and committed to the Communists and their complete takeover of the south to go working in an American hospital in Saigon.
Plus I don’t believe that Ho’s regime would have permitted her departure from NV-being married to a general meant that she had too much knowledge of the NVA hierarchy and inner workings to permit her to leave. Also, I would also believe that even if she escaped would be they would hire someone with her background to work among American soldiers? And if they NVA had found out, would they not eliminate her?

I just find Michelle’s affections alternating between General Hue and TM a bit hard to swallow. And as far as Hue being the “Tiger” he’s hardly a good guy, his Communist allegiances are just of another shade of Red. Nothing more than a power struggle in Hanoi.

8.5. Also didn't really really see much chemistry between Selleck and DuBois.

[charybdis1966]

I kinda agree with you there EZiller, I didn't really get much sense of chemistry between TS and his on screen wife.

I was also quite confused by her emotional vacillations.

[Lindsay Writer]

I'm watching this episode right now on Cozi TV and it's almost as good as Did You See The Sunrise. The two of them together make the perfect double-feature. Bellisario was brilliant especially with this scene where Michelle explains to our hero what's really going on it's so smart and so perceptive:

Magnum (in the shower): Who is this "Tiger"?
Michelle (in bedroom): What do you know of the "Tiger"?
Magnum: Oh, those MVA types who jumped us in "Little Saigon", they said something in Vietnamese about being after the "Tiger". Who is he?
Michelle: He leads the new revolutionary front.
Magnum: What? Say it again, I don't think I heard you right.
Michelle: Yes you did.
Magnum: You mean, it's starting again?
Michelle: Well there are many from the North who are as disillusioned with the reunification and the party leadership as those in the South. The most effective of these is called "The Tiger". He says the party has betrayed the people and sold out to Moscow.
Magnum: Does that include your husband?
Michelle: Yes, that is why he insisted upon having the MIA negotiations here in Hawaii, instead of Hanoi. He and Colonel Ki knew that the "Tiger" would be here this month to organize the refugee community and to negotiate for aid from your CIA.
Magnum: The "Tiger" would trust us?
Michelle: No, but he would take aid from anybody - The Chinese, the Americans, anybody but the Russians.
(Magnum comes out of the bathroom)
Magnum: Do you know who he is?
Michelle: No, why would I?
Magnum: Buck Greene admitted to me that you work for him. Is that why Colonel Ki came after you?
Michelle: I don't know...(Magnum takes Michelle's hair pin out) Thomas please, no... Thomas, no please.
Magnum: It's like we've never been apart. As if these six years didn't exist.
Michelle: But they do.
Magnum: No, not at this moment they don't.
(Long kiss - Magnum carries Michelle to bed)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Magnum: I think Michelle is going to die because of you. What do you think?
Col. Buck Greene: You're right. Colonel Ki believes she's the "Tiger" and I want him to think that. At least until the real "Tiger" can finish his work here and return to 'Nam.
Magnum: Which is?
Col. Buck Greene: Setup a network of refugees, gather support, arrange funding, weapons, form a political base.
Magnum: Aw, cmon Buck! You're not gonna dance to that fiddler again.
Col. Buck Greene: That's not for me to say, but in the meantime we are trying all the channels we can, to do whatever we can, to get the bodies of our boys back home.
Magnum: Where is Michelle?
Col. Buck Greene: Waiting to join her husband.
Magnum: Can he protect her from Colonel Ki?
Col. Buck Greene: He'll try.
Magnum: But he's counting on you to do that.
Col. Buck Greene: Can't, too risky. It could...
Magnum: Blow his cover...He's the "Tiger".
Col. Buck Greene: That's why I can't intervene. Once, last night at the church was risky enough, twice in 24 hours, no way. Colonel Ki would put it together. He'd know we were being tipped off and he'd realize the man he is hunting is General Hue.
Magnum: He probably already does. Either way you can't let Michelle walk into it.
Col. Buck Greene: She was safe. She could have stayed with you.
Magnum: Where is she!!??
Col. Buck Greene: Sorry, I can't tell you that.
Magnum (points .45 at Buck's head): Buck.
Col. Buck Greene: Go ahead, pull the trigger. I can't jeopardize this operation just so you can have General Hue's wife.
Magnum: Say again.
Col. Buck Greene: If he's dead, the lady stays with you. He knows it, she knows it, and I know it, and so do you.

[LION]

i wanted to see if anybody else noticed this.
when magnum opens the door to leave the guest house after two nights without sleep
right before the dogs greet him at the bottom of the steps.
if you look into the guest house you see it is a solid floor all the way to the wall, and they cut a wood piece to look like the step rails.
and it is set on top of a solid floor. not a flub, but something i noticed and wanted to share

[Pahonu]

i wanted to see if anybody else noticed this.
when magnum opens the door to leave the guest house after two nights without sleep
right before the dogs greet him at the bottom of the steps.
if you look into the guest house you see it is a solid floor all the way to the wall, and they cut a wood piece to look like the step rails.
and it is set on top of a solid floor. not a flub, but something i noticed and wanted to share

I also noticed this, years ago. This fits perfectly with the actual boathouse construction which has a single room and bathroom in that space, and storage beneath. There are a couple of other episodes where you can see the fake railing. I think italian Ice shows it. This has been discussed a bit in the thread on Pahonu, but it's a looong one to browse through. Maybe the guest house thread has something too.

[Croix de Lorraine]

'Over here the natives don't shoot at us, General'

'At least not yet'

What a beauty Marta DuBois was. I would have married her just to look at her all day.

[KingKC]

I have been delaying any post on this/these episode(s) since I firmly agree with a couple of previous posts that I am not really a fan of the serial/theme situations. This episode was definitely good though and what made the theme of TM/Michele work was that is was not used in constant, overbearing fashion throughout the show. It did play an obvious role in the ending of the show and I think that was done as well as could be expected. It put an emotional aspect to the Vietnam connection and actually made that connection stronger again without being overbearing. I haven't rated it and I doubt I would rate it as high as the room in the mid-nine range but it/they was/were significant to the show. The rest of the show continue to concentrate on both serious and light-hearted investigations.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

I think this is one of the best of the whole series, a perfect 10! What a sad episode. TM and Michelle were clearly madly in love and they just can't seem to be together. As far as the comments regarding Michelle/Marta Dubois, I personally find her to be an absolute knockout! I don't think they could have picked a better, hotter, "Michelle" for Magnum than Dubois (big hair and all lol)! I also think part of this is the amazing chemistry that the two actors have which definitely sells it. Anyway, a classic episode that really lets you see into Thomas and see him from the inside out. Have to also say it was great scene seeing TM throw the film out at the beginning, he just couldn't expose the little car salesman lol. Not that I condone cheating but it definitely shows he has a heart. Overall I love this one!

Agreed 110%!! I have no clue how anyone can call Marta DuBois (as she looks in this episode) anything but an absolute knockout! Reading some comments here about her not being very attractive just blows my mind completely. Not very attractive??? How about "breathtakingly makes-me-weak-in-the-knees gorgeous"?! Perhaps some folks need a new prescription for their glasses. What were they looking at I wonder? It's her almost heavenly beauty that really sells what Magnum is going through. Like he says to her, that kind of "real love" only comes along once in a lifetime and once you lose it there's no bringing it back. Michelle definitely comes across as that once-in-a-lifetime woman.

I have seen Marta in an episode of THE A-TEAM and WALKER TEXAS RANGER and perhaps a case could be made that she's not exactly a knockout in those episodes (she plays more of a "plain Jane" there) but I just can't fathom anyone seeing her as anything less than a perfect 10 in this episode. Heck, I'd even accept a 9 but to say she's not particularly attractive??? I absolutely don't get that.

[KingKC]

I just saw Marta Dubois as Sgt. Roberta Hansen in a rerun of one of the McBride movies. I was pretty surprised as she looked nothing like she did as Michelle in the MPI episodes. I thought she looked part Asian in MPI and had no hint of Asian in McBride. Makeup and wardrobe can sure create a completely different person. I actually think she was even better looking as the detective but that is purely a personal opinion. Maybe me being older has something to do with that.

[ConchRepublican]

Rewatching this episode in HD I caught something new. When Higgins enlarges the picture of Michelle and confirms she's wearing the cross, a tear rolls out of Thomas' eye.

I never noticed this before.

[K Hale]

Just my $0.02 worth here, but there were scenes where she was quite attractive, like the wedding scenes. However the big hair was a real turn-off for me then, and now. As for her character? Nothing beautiful there, quite the opposite. She was a user. She used TM whenever she needed him, and spit him out like an old piece of gum when she was through.

The "Thomas and Michelle" Song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPeMx6LQxPk

Glad to see someone say this. I was never a fan of Michelle.

[ENSHealy]

A few thoughts:

After Thomas throws the film in the ocean, what does he tell the client? Presumably he tells her he didn't find anything. But since that is a lie...does he take the fee, or does he just tell he's off the case and doesn't charge her anything? Curious what we all think TM would do. Or, as the t-shirt I recently acquired says...."What would Magnum do?"

The dialogue quotes in the episode guide refer to "MVA types." Pretty sure he actually said "NVA types" for North Vietnamese Army. I believe North Vietnamese regulars were referred to as NVA.

Flub: They open with a shot of a sunset, and Thomas talks about the beauty and affects of a Hawaiian sunset while he's taking photos of the cheating couple...meanwhile the whole scene is clearly shot in bright daylight. And how does that "flare" get on the team ring pendant (clearly glare from the sun) if the sun is setting?

New flub: when Higgins delivers the prints to Magnum, he quickly shuffles through them. Just before he gets to the one where the team ring pendant has the "flare" that he later asks Higgins to remove, there's a copy where the team ring pendant is not blurred out by a reflection, it's clear as day. There was no need for Higgins to redevelop the negative with the "flare."

Potential flub: I think there's a timeline issue with Thomas and Michelle being separated during the fall of Saigon. In an earlier episode, Jose Ferrer's character refers to Magnum as being Navy class of 67 and having served three tours in Vietnam. That part lines up, because tours in Vietnam were typically one year, and per Wikipedia, the last SEALs left Vietnam in 1971 as part of Nixon's Vietnamization strategy. So Thomas graduates in 67, goes through his SEAL training and does tours in 68-70 or 69-71 depending on how long the training was, leave between tours, etc. So what's he doing in Saigon in 1975? His three tours would have been long over.

Finally, I've always been bothered by how they just cast any old Asian to play the Vietnamese characters. Hue is played by a Korean and Colonel Ki by a Japanese. Was it really that hard to find Vietnamese actors in Hawaii in 1980? I'd be curious to know if they even tried. Probably not, as I recently watched High Road to China, which was filmed about the same time, and all the tribesmen from Waziristan fighting the British were played by white dudes in pancake makeup, most notably the overly-campy Brian Blessed.

[☨magnum.t]

Magnums Vietnam service particulars are somewhat convoluted but not really a flub. He was never said to be on a SEAL Team, only SEAL qualified. He was assigned to VMO-2 in Da Nang which apparently was a Fixed wing only after 1969. They split the squadron and were only flying OV-10 Broncos. But the squadron did have had Cobras and T.C. was said to have flown Cobras, so for the sake of the show we have to assume it's a different Universe than ours. I always took it as a multi-national US-Vietnamese-French joint task force that did recon and raid operations behind enemy lines.