Going Home (6.7)

[VM02]

I like this episode as well. I only wish that they had brought Joey up in other episodes of the series.

[Coops]

I don't see a problem at all with Joey not being mentioned an any earlier episodes. There are many family secrets and other things that don't go mentioned, Joey is TM's. It's obvisous he's never cared for Frank and has harbored dark thoughts about his childhood after his father passed away. Children typically do suppress such bad thoughts, and like it was pointed out, Billy saying good bye was TM's way of saying good bye as well. When he visited the wall and saw Joey's name you could tell that between what happened with Frank and seeing Joey's name on the wall, TM finally had the closure he needed to move on.

[Jay-Firestorm]

Of all of the MPI episodes, this maybe the hardest for me to rate. It’s not an outstanding favourite, but at the same time, there are some strong elements.

[rating=7.5]

Thomas has returned home to Tidewater, Virginia for the first time in thirteen years to attend the funeral of his beloved grandfather, but a family feud with his stepfather soon opens up over the disappearance of a valuable family heirloom. An acquired taste…

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This review contains spoilers.

I am a seasoned ‘Magnum, p.i.’ viewer of many years now, having seen the episodes many times over, and of them all, I find ‘Going Home’ probably the hardest of all of the stories to sum up.

It is the only episode of the entire run where John Hillerman (Higgins) and Larry Manetti (Rick) do not appear, and one of only three where Roger E. Mosley (T.C.) is not present (he also missed the second season’s ‘Dead Man’s Channel’, and will not be seen in ‘Who Is Don Luis Higgins… …And Why Is He Doing These Terrible Things To Me?’ later this season).

The story is penned by Chris Abbott-Fish, and to me sums up her influence on the series, as she moved it from the comedy-drama adventures of earlier seasons, very much more into out-and-out dramas at this stage in the show’s run. I have to say, on the whole, it was a move that I wasn’t completely keen on.

Magnum’s family are a mixed bunch. Frank is a complete jerk (to put it lightly) and even though he turns out not to be behind the missing heirloom in the end, I think that Katherine should have left him – he’s not a nice man! When I was younger, Don stood out to me, as he is played by Joe Regalbuto, who co-starred in ‘Street Hawk’ (1985), which was a favourite of mine as a kid, despite it only lasting a few episodes.
The family will return in the series finale, ‘Resolutions’, and Magnum’s mother Katherine will make a couple more appearances in the meantime.

The story also makes mention of Magnum’s half-brother Joey (I had to watch the episode a couple of times before it became clear); Joey was never mentioned in any episode previously, and – if I recall correctly – will never be mentioned again after this, and as a result, I found this sudden introduction of a half-brother to be out of the blue.

This episode is certainly not one for a first-time viewer of the series, as – besides not featuring any of the three co-stars and taking place entirely out of Hawaii – it features none of the show’s trademark humour and action (more action-free stories being another mark of Abbott-Fish), and just not a typical example of the show.
And even for those that have been watching the series for a while, this one is definitely an acquired taste.

I really don’t know how I feel about this episode. It is not my ideal MPI episode, being far too serious and having absolutely no action; it is also, to be honest, a bit boring in places. However, the episode also has some strong redeeming merits – young Billy’s calling “Goodbye, Grandpa, goodbye” near the end of the episode, is almost haunting, and the final scenes, of Magnum visiting the Vietnam war memorial, are very good too.

So all-in-all… I’m not really sure what to make of this one. Certainly not one of my outstanding favourites… in fact I hadn’t watched it for some years until re-watching it to review. Like I say… and acquired taste.

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Other notes, bloopers and misc.:

* I wonder if the Region 2 version of the DVD also have the opening trailer of this episode missing. (As I’ve said before, I actually fall under R2, but bought the R1 versions as they were released earlier and in some cases had more features).

* Unusually, the episode title appears centre-screen on a black background, as the old film footage starts up.

[J.J. Walters]

I really don’t know how I feel about this episode. It is not my ideal MPI episode, being far too serious and having absolutely no action; it is also, to be honest, a bit boring in places. However, the episode also has some strong redeeming merits – young Billy’s calling “Goodbye, Grandpa, goodbye” near the end of the episode, is almost haunting, and the final scenes, of Magnum visiting the Vietnam war memorial, are very good too.

So all-in-all… I’m not really sure what to make of this one. Certainly not one of my outstanding favourites… in fact I hadn’t watched it for some years until re-watching it to review. Like I say… and acquired taste.

Another fine review Jay! I feel exactly the same way about this episode. It's just so.... Un-Magnumesque! Still, all the family info and backstories are a nice change, and much needed.

[Jay-Firestorm]

Another fine review Jay! I feel exactly the same way about this episode. It's just so.... Un-Magnumesque! Still, all the family info and backstories are a nice change, and much needed.

Thank you kindly - Like I say, I think this is the one single episode that I find hardest to sum up how I feel about it.

[Doc Ibold]

Jay,

While your reviews are spot on and awesome, you are violating a VERY basic tenet of Magnum Mania.

We NEVER speak the name of "You Know Who".

LOL

(I'm back... and I figure before I pass out from Jet Lag, I'd try to catch up with whats been goin on the past two weeks!)

[J.J. Walters]

What, did they let you out early for good behavior or something?

Just kidding Doc! Where did you go? Someplace tropical I bet.

[Doc Ibold]

Just got back from 11 days in Maui.

Learned to surf, went scuba dving and "surfskied" (actually kayaked).

SOOOO relaxed.

[IKnowWhatYoureThinking]

Sounds like a geat time Doc!

[John.1962]

I watched this episode last night. My "Magnum Days" are centered on the first three years and then I lost touch when I got married and had kids, etc. So when I watch anything past the 4th season (managed to sneak a few episodes) it's new. It was only the second time watching this episode, but hey, I think it's great!

What I like is it makes Thomas Magnum even more human as a character (family issues, hurts, forgiveness). Even Magnum being Magnum is not enough for his family, he needs to be humble and forgiving and receive forgiveness. A lesson for me!

[J.J. Walters]

Raise your hand if you recognize the face, but can't name the actress...



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Irene Tedrow.

Her television credits read like the Complete Encyclopedia of TV; The Red Skelton Hour to L.A. Law with pretty much every relevant show in between! Leave It to Beaver, Rawhide, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Twilight Zone, Dennis the Menace, Perry Mason, The Andy Griffith Show, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Family Affair, Bonanza, Banacek, The Six Million Dollar Man, Columbo, The Streets of San Francisco, Charlie's Angels, Mary Tyler Moore, The Rockford Files, Quincy, Three's Company... and on and on. An incredible six decade career! She didn't have many lead roles, but by golly she should have!

[Styles Bitchley]

Nice investigating James. There are quite a few of these actors that did the circuit with bit roles all over the place. Irene certainly was a master of this craft. I remember the Three's Company episode.

[AmandaByNight]

I love this episode. Especially two scenes - Billy saying goodbye to grandpa and Thomas saying goodbye to Joey. Who knew that when TM was talking to Billy about saying goodbye to grandpa that he was actually still dealing with Joey?

Other reasons that are purely personal for liking this episode:

- I'm not sure I've ever really said goodbye to my dad and he died more than 20 years ago. Not sure that I want to.

- I was too young for Viet Nam but my uncle lost his brother. I finally saw the Memorial last year and found his name. That was a moving experience. The whole setting is profoundly moving, regardless of your feelings about the validity of the war.

I totally agree with this. I lost both of my parents about five years ago and my grandpa and brother-in-law a little afterwards, and episodes like this effect me far more deeply than they did when I originally saw them. I think this is a simple, understated episode that is extremely effective because it's so human and real. I loved the twist with the little boy holding onto the expensive memento and how the whole episode was about finding closure.

[nha trang]

I had just finished watching this episode when I was reminded that it was my grandfather's birthday, who has passed away several years ago...wow

[AmandaByNight]

This is a beautiful, poignant episode. I love the "twist" at the end with the little kid being the culprit. When Magnum helps the kid deal with his loss, he is able to handle his own. It's such a personal, under the radar episode.

I haven't seen this one in forever, but when I start revisiting the show in the early 2000s, I remember how moved I was by this episode.