Almost Home (3.11)

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#1 Post by **J.J. Walters** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 9:13 pm

This is the official MM thread for Almost Home (3.11). 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: 12/9/1982
When a woman is denied permission to scatter her late father's ashes at a Pearl Harbor memorial, Magnum delves into the past to investigate a decades-old court-martial ruling.

N1095A · #2 Post by **N1095A** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 4:44 am

Bridget Archer's (Kathleen Lloyd) father's name was Miles Archer. Another reference to the movie Cassablanca.

rubber chicken · #3 Post by **rubber chicken** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 4:39 pm

I think you mean The Maltese Falcon, which makes for an even better reference because of the P.I. factor being in common.

Thanks for pointing it out, I wouldn't have noticed and looked it up otherwise.

N1095A · #4 Post by **N1095A** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 5:41 pm

Oops! Ya got me. I guess I'm not as big of a Bogart fan as Rick.

golfmobile · #5 Post by **golfmobile** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 1:03 am

I just heard this tonight in watching "Almost Home" and was about to point it out. But it has apparently already been spotted (though slightly inaccurately, but at least N got the Bogie reference). Miles Archer was Sam Spade's partner, who got killed early on, in the "The Maltese Falcon." Remember, Bogie has the "& Archer" scraped off the window so it was only the "Spade" name as the name of the detective agency. So I think this is more of a salute to Rick's dedication to Bogart movies than a salute to Bogie in "Casablanca." Once the Bogie references were started . . . . what others can we find?

And I think this one, in spite of "flubs," should rank up there with the good episodes because it pulls in the Hawaii "Pacific Theatre" WW II war/veterans stories to parallel the Vietnam War/veterans pain -- a good correlation for the Gen X'ers who had never understood either. I wonder if they do now, but I really doubt it.

N, go rent or buy "The Maltese Falcon," "Casablanca," "To Have and Have Not," "The African Queen," "The Big Sleep," "The Petrified Forest," "High Sierra," "The Desperate Hours," "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" -- watch them, and THEN say you aren't a Bogie fan. And then I'll give you the names of all the rest of them . . . "Sabrina," "The Caine Mutiny," "We're No Angels." Never mind, if you become a fan, you'll find 'em.

I was lucky enough that, when I was in junior high, there was an "Afternoon Movie" that I would watch while doing my homework, and all these GREAT B&W movies were shown. That's when I became a Bogie, Bette Davis, James Cagney, Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart, etc., etc., fan. I fear I'm STILL one of those who recites, "They just don't make 'em like that any more." Maybe this is why I liked the B&W tongue-in-cheek "film noir" MPI episode.

golf

Carol the Dabbler · Mon Apr 28, 2008 3:29 am

This is the second case Magnum's had involving a sailor who happened to be AWOL from the Arizona when it was bombed. Bobby Wickes ("Lest We Forget") was the sailor in the first case.

N1095A · #7 Post by **N1095A** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 8:24 pm

Golf,
I've seen "Casablanca", and "The African Queen. I didn'say I wasn't a Bogart fan, just not as big a fan as Rick.

There's something about the actors of that era that appeals tto me. They had class. You see so little of that nowadays. TS has it too. Very rare.

Steve · #8 Post by **Steve** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 10:55 pm

Just caught this again this afternoon. I think Kathleen Lloyd looked so darn sexy in this episode what with her spaghetti string tops, silk dresses and especially, the gorgeous streaks of siver in her hair. Too bad they homogonized her when she became Carol Baldwin........

#9 Post by **J.J. Walters** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 7:07 pm

Indeed Steve, indeed!

N1095A · #10 Post by **N1095A** » Sat Jan 17, 2009 7:08 pm

IKnowWhatYoureThinking · Sun Jan 18, 2009 4:03 pm

It is amazing how much they changes her for the role of Carol.

Jay-Firestorm · #12 Post by **Jay-Firestorm** » Tue May 26, 2009 1:57 pm

My first review of the weak, and another great third season instalment. I watched this episode on DVD in bed last night and ended up dreaming of Jean Bruce Scott! Well I can think of worse things!

[rating=9.0]

Thomas is hired by a waitress who has been denied permission to scatter her late father’s ashes at the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, due to the man being charged with being AWOL on the night before the Pearl Harbor Attack. Another strong third season ep…

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After the truly terrible ‘Mixed Doubles’, the third season returns to form with this well executed episode.

Bridget Archer, the cocktail waitress who never knows when to keep her mouth shut, is brought to life well by Kathleen Lloyd. Bridget is one of those quirky, always-ending-up-in-trouble characters that the series does so well.
Lloyd, of course, would take over the much recurring role of District Attorney Carol Baldwin from the fourth season onwards. The character had previously been played by another character this season in ‘Foiled Again’, and I wonder if they recast based on Lloyd’s great performance in this episode.

Maggie (Jean Bruce Scott) also somewhat takes over the late Mac’s role in this episode, of the Naval officer who Magnum always ‘persuades’ to give him information. Although she would be used in this position a couple of times, it never became as regular as it did with Mac.

I really like the story, finding it very involving and well acted. One thing that I did feel, though, that it was highly convenient that Magnum should just happen to meet Admiral Wheeler, the very man he needs to see, at the gathering on the Estate. This felt just a little TOO convenient for me.
My only other niggle is that the whole Ferrari-being-stolen plot, good as it is, does rather detract from the main plot, and seems very much to be stuck in to fill the story up, and maybe does knock my rating of the overall story down very slightly.

But other than that, this is a very good story, which is very engaging, and just the right mixture of drama, comedy and action. ‘Mixed Doubles’ take note!

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Others notes, bloopers and misc.:

* The ‘standard’ opening trailer music makes it’s first appearance of the season (different pieces of music had been used previously in the season). It is re-recorded from the first and second season versions, and, like those versions, would appear in a number of different edits.

* For some reason, although the regular third season opening credits are seen visually, the later first season version of the theme music is used.

* …And the later first season theme is also used on the closing credits too.

* The footage of the Pearl Harbor bombing seems to be taken from the film ‘Tora! Tora! Tora!’, the same as use for the first season episode ‘Lest We Forget’. And as with that episode, many of the shots appear to be ‘squashed up’ from widescreen.

* When Magnum gets a drink from the drinks machine, notice how the ‘Coke’ logo has been covered up with a large white panel.

* On the DVD version of this episode, all of the commercial breaks are abridged.

* In the United Kingdom, Channel 5 broadcast this story fell on Wednesday September 11th 2002, the first anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The announcer noted how poignant the end of the story seemed to be with the day in question.

Jay-Firestorm · #13 Post by **Jay-Firestorm** » Wed May 27, 2009 5:01 pm

Just an update on the first season theme being used, I just checked my off-air recording of this episode, and it has the standard third season version of the theme.

I've noticed that with many Universal shows, the episode openings get "standardised" over the years (for example, the second season of 'Quantum Leap' originally had several versions of the opening, but nowadays you're only likely to see one), and this may be such a case.

#14 Post by **J.J. Walters** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 5:28 am

This episode features what has to be one of the greatest double entendre's of all-time.

http://magnum-mania.com/Audio/smoking_buns.wav

An outtake from this scene can be found here (at the :50 mark). Selleck and Hillerman couldn't stop laughing when filming it! Notice, however, in the outtake that the line is slightly different. In the outtake, Agatha says, "hot crust" (?). In the actual episode, this line is removed. Still, absolutely hilarious!

Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:20 am

James J. Walters wrote:Notice, however, in the outtake that the line is slightly different. In the outtake, Agatha says, "hot crust" (?).

Actually, it's "hot cross buns." Where I'm from, we traditionally eat them at Easter. There's a cross on top of the bun that is probably supposed to be a reference to Christ's crucifixion.

Naturally, more than you'd probably like to know is on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_cross_bun

Almost Home (3.11)

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Almost Home (3.11)