Letter to a Duchess (4.6)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the fourth season

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How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
9
8%
9.5 (One of the Best)
22
20%
9.0 (Excellent)
27
25%
8.5 (Very Good)
25
23%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
20
18%
7.5 (Decent)
4
4%
7.0 (Average at Best)
2
2%
6.5 (Not So Good)
0
No votes
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
0
No votes
5.0 (Just Awful)
1
1%
 
Total votes: 110

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SelleckLover
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#31 Post by SelleckLover »

Dang, Rubber Chicken! You rock! :D

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Steve
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#32 Post by Steve »

I just watched this one again. The scene in the study wherein Higgins lashes out at Magnum and TM looks at Higgins dead on and proclaims that attacks on his bad habits are withing the rules, but on his character are not, is in my opinion a defining moment on the complex relationship between Higgins and Magnum. Higgins apologizes and seems to be for one the very first times seeing Magnum the War Hero, the galant and chivalrous and friend to the end Magnum. Great writing and character development....Bravo!

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nha trang
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Excellent episode

#33 Post by nha trang »

Rated it a 9.5, trying to hold out on the 10 ratings, but I agree this is an episode that one can re-watch and enjoy, unlike basketball orphan willie...hehe.

Seriously though, this seems to me to be one of the "classic" episodes, just the right amount of everything. One of the fortunately, many, good episodes that keep the Magni-verse turning, even 30 years later.

Emperador Chabe
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#34 Post by Emperador Chabe »

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Last edited by Emperador Chabe on Sun Jan 17, 2016 2:36 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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burny
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#35 Post by burny »

"....dig my action over there...."

great ep! in my top 10....show's how strong the characters are.

In keeping with the surf ski hat flub....in the final push of the surf ski race,
mag's sunglasses come on and off twice. I doubt he stopped in the last
couple hundred yards to take his sunglasses on and off. The aerial shot of
the race cuts to the mag with no sunglasses, then with, then without, then
he crosses the finish line with.

northshore
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#36 Post by northshore »

Question regarding the black metal box Higgins opens in the study. He pulls out a few items and lays them on the table before the flashback scene to his roadside meeting with the Duchess. After the flashback he places the newspaper clipping next to a German SS lapel and knife. I realize many collectors of military items would have these type of things in a collection. Does anyone know the significance of showing these items? Higgins placing the Duchess clipping right next to these items seems symbolic to me.

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MaiTaiMan
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#37 Post by MaiTaiMan »

Love this episode...awesome! :) This is one that I really enjoy the situation that Higgins and Magnum find themselves in, and the issue between them---a woman! :lol: Rarely do Higgins and Magnum become involved (in one way or another) with the same woman. :wink:

I respect how Higgins handles himself, and I also respect Magnum for trying to help Higgins and clarify the problem to the Duchess.

I really love the ending...where Higgins gets in on the action of taking down the kidnappers/bad guys! Awesome!! :D

This was a superb plot, and everyone gave outstanding performances! This and "Distant Relative" are two of my favorites from season 4. :)
"It was more ironic than a Robin Masters novel--she thought he was dead, he thought she was dead...and only the chauffeur knew the truth! He should have been the butler!" "Lest We Forget"

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miltontheripper
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#38 Post by miltontheripper »

Definitely enjoyed this episode. Great scenes with Higgins using his cain as a weapon, especially the end, hilarious! The mistaken note and the resulting hangout by the Duchess in the guestroom with Magnum was very entertaining. Funny how TM seems to occasionally get in the way of Higgins limited love life (remember Tropical Madness from season 2!)

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MaiTaiMan
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#39 Post by MaiTaiMan »

miltontheripper wrote:Definitely enjoyed this episode. Great scenes with Higgins using his cain as a weapon, especially the end, hilarious! The mistaken note and the resulting hangout by the Duchess in the guestroom with Magnum was very entertaining. Funny how TM seems to occasionally get in the way of Higgins limited love life (remember Tropical Madness from season 2!)
Exactly...love the cain scenes! :lol: The episodes where Magnum and Higgins' love lives become intertwined are always interesting and entertaining! :wink:
"It was more ironic than a Robin Masters novel--she thought he was dead, he thought she was dead...and only the chauffeur knew the truth! He should have been the butler!" "Lest We Forget"

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mandolabar
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#40 Post by mandolabar »

I need any Brits on the list to weigh in....but I may have spotted a rare instance of John Hillerman's Texas roots bleeding through.

In the scene when Magnum comes to the study after he takes Vivien home, and they come to understand what happened--Higgins tells Magnum "I fixed pheasant" (I think it was pheasant).

My point: this usage of "fix" is, to my linguistic knowledge, unique to the southern US dialect. It's one of the things my husband (not from the south) laughs at me for, because I do say things like "I'm fixin to go to the store" and "I fixed the boys' lunches for them."

In south Texas, especially, accents are much more about word usage than pronunciation (I also say "y'all" and use the double modal - might oughta, maybe should).

But to the point: to the rest of the world beyond the southern dialect, "fix" means "repair," and that's why they notice, and laugh at, this usage.

So unless the British actually say this too--which I doubt, but please chime in if you do--Higgins let slip a native Texan usage.

Maybe he's been hanging around with Elmo...

~Amanda

Tayne
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#41 Post by Tayne »

mandolabar wrote:I need any Brits on the list to weigh in....but I may have spotted a rare instance of John Hillerman's Texas roots bleeding through.
"I fixed pheasant" is indeed an American phrase, though I believe it has spread outwith the south (TM even offers to "fix breakfast").
Over here fixing a pheasant might mean splinting a broken wing (unlikely) or trying to recover from overcooking to the point of dry meat.

However, Higgins frequently slips up. Incorrect intonation, the wrong names or grammatical mistakes, it happens at least once every two episodes.
It could be argued that Higgins has been living over there for so long that he's picked up a few Americanisms but its doubtful given that he holds events for the Queen Mother's birthday, QE2's coronation etc and frequently despises some of those "ghastly American customs".

Seaver41
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#42 Post by Seaver41 »

tell you what.....I don't believe i had seen that one since the original run......too many instances within it came to memory so I know I had seen it, but it's cool seeing these episodes that aren't fresh in the mind. I don't think I could've appreciated this episode as a 16 year old, but almost 30 years later it certainly hits me differently. This was a very comfortable episode that I enjoyed just last night.

I will say though.....the flashback scene where Higgins won't accept her help is to me annoying with his over the top genuflecting to the throne as it were......

Croix de Lorraine
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#43 Post by Croix de Lorraine »

Could anyone help me with the name of the classical piece that's playing in the background in the scene where Higgins is getting ready for dinner carrying a centerpiece, just before they cut to Magnum getting ready to watch the baseball? Thanks!

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charybdis1966
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Re:

#44 Post by charybdis1966 »

mandolabar wrote:I need any Brits on the list to weigh in....but I may have spotted a rare instance of John Hillerman's Texas roots bleeding through.

In the scene when Magnum comes to the study after he takes Vivien home, and they come to understand what happened--Higgins tells Magnum "I fixed pheasant" (I think it was pheasant)....My point: this usage of "fix" is, to my linguistic knowledge, unique to the southern US dialect. It's one of the things my husband (not from the south) laughs at me for, because I do say things like "I'm fixin to go to the store" and "I fixed the boys' lunches for them."


So unless the British actually say this too--which I doubt, but please chime in if you do--Higgins let slip a native Texan usage.

Maybe he's been hanging around with Elmo...

~Amanda
This does sound like John Hillerman reverting back to his actual accent and speech mannerisms as Brits would never say "fixing" up some food.

I've mentioned this on another episode thread that JH get's around 90% of the english speech mannerisms/accents correct so I think for a TV programme that is well above the usual attention to accent/dialects.

I can detect a few of his vowels said as americans would every now and then but I'd think that with the hectic shooting schedules you get on network TV and hasty rewrites JH did the best he could to deal with script changes.

As for the episode itself it was a light-hearted character driven episode which mainly showed Higgins' deferential attitude to the upper class.

I did have a few laugh out loud moments while watching this, initially when the opening caption shows "The English Midlands" and it showed a stately home type of place - no doubt there are some in the Midlands but most Brits would associate the Midlands with heavy engineering factories and housing estates, perhaps unfairly or stereotypically.

The cane fight seemed to me a homage to that other English gent character, Steed, of the Avengers(played by Patrick MacNee); such cane fights were one of his specialties.

Overall a watchable episode with the mutual respect between TM and Higgins beginning to show through the tomfoolery and bickering.
Last edited by charybdis1966 on Fri Nov 15, 2013 2:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

marlboro
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Re:

#45 Post by marlboro »

J.J. Walters wrote:This has to be one of the funniest, most bizarre flubs/continuity errors ever. In the surf ski race at the end, Magnum starts the race with his Detroit Tigers cap, but finishes it with his Da Nang cap. What makes this so strange is that Magnum lost his Da Nang cap in the Season Four opener "Home From the Sea" (when he is knocked off his surf ski by a reckless boater). We havn't seen him wear his Da Nang cap since, and yet here we see him suddenly wearing it out of nowhere, in the middle of a surf ski race! It's like he found his lost cap at sea! LOL! :)
Maybe "Herman" found it for him. Maybe that's why he was circling him in "Home From the Sea." He wasn't contemplating eating him - he just wanted to return his hat. "Listen buddy, stop counting for a minute and take your dang hat back. I've got an appointment with Robert Shaw at noon, and i haven't got time to deal with this."




As for the episode overall - I thought it was pretty good. Some very good Higgins/Magnum scenes - particularly the "You're attacking my character" scene. What knocks it down a notch or two is the fact that we've seen the lovelorn Higgins plot 3 times already.

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