Pleasure Principle (8.2)

[J.J. Walters]

This is the official MM thread for Pleasure Principle (8.2). 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: 10/14/1987
Appearances can be confusing as Magnum begins to act and dress like Higgins.

[Doc Ibold]

So, in my 5 hour Magnum marathon last night, I watched this episode.

At first I thought a "Magnum/Higgins" role reversal - AWESOME.

Started watching the episode and I kind of felt it was lacking and not what I thought it was going to be and got pretty annoyed.

Exploding Macs, psychologists, made it kind of BLEH for me.

HOWEVER, the last 10 minutes were classic Magnum and to me, and epitomized what the show was about - true friendship.

Each of the gang was reacting differently to Magnum's coma.

Magnum -heeding the psychologists advice and "growing up"
Higgins - becoming Magnum
TC - Hovering about Magnum constantly (which I believe came from Ricks berating of him in "Infinity and Jelly Doughnuts")

But wait, there actually was a role reversal in that point, because in "IAJD", RICK was the hoverer and TC hung back. In "PP", TC hovered, and Rick hung back.

Fascinating....

OK, back to topic,

Rick - getting culture.

And FINALLY at the end, when the 4 of them are sitting around, they disclose that they all did it because they were worried/affected by Magnum's coma, and I think FINALLY get over the events in "Limbo" and went back to their normal selves.

Whats cool is that "Limbo", "Infinity and Jelly Doughnuts" and "Pleasure Principle are all like one 3 hour movie. I like how they had the coma scenario play across all three, and they didn't treat it like some one off incident but more like the events os "Echoes of the Mind"/"Macs Back").

I also liked how when Magnum finally banished the hallucination of Mac, Mac told him that was all he wanted.

I THEN watched it with the commentary and was psyched because what I took away from the episode was pretty much how the writers intended to be.

Some key takeaways for me (over the 3 episodes....

1) From "I.A.J.D.", my take of Frank Peterson as a "jackhole" still rings true.

2) Apparently "Conga" was the only Latin song in 1988 since they played it like 4 times throughout the episode.

3) Higgins can bust a move, and has added another weapon to his arsenal - "The Dropkick of Devastation".

4) Higgins was so happy when Magnum came out of the coma. I thought he would start skipping or something! (But clearly that shows JH's range as an actor)

[Shermy]

I was also expecting more from the Magnum-Higgins reversal, but I like the way they kept everything subtle (ie. Magnum's tan outfit and occasional accent).

Selleck does a good job of portraying Magnum as a little "off", which is a lot more logical than acting as if "Limbo" never happened. By the time he offers that final grin at Mac, the viewer gets to share his relief that everything is (finally) going to return to normal.

[J.J. Walters]

So, in my 5 hour Magnum marathon last night, I watched this episode.

You just couldn't wait for the rest of us, could you? You just dove right in, with no thought or concern about how we might feel!

Haha, just kidding my friend! Great write-up there! Thanks! Oh my word, I just can't wait to get my hands on this DVD!

[Doc Ibold]

So, in my 5 hour Magnum marathon last night, I watched this episode.

You just couldn't wait for the rest of us, could you? You just dove right in, with no thought or concern about how we might feel!

Haha, just kidding my friend! Great write-up there! Thanks! Oh my word, I just can't wait to get my hands on this DVD!

Sorry James,

I'm just an impatient person.

I'm REALLY chomping at the bit for you guys to get yours so we can discuss!

I'll probably be done with the whole season tomorrow night (including commentaries)

[maggiepoole]

So, in my 5 hour Magnum marathon last night, I watched this episode.

You just couldn't wait for the rest of us, could you? You just dove right in, with no thought or concern about how we might feel!

Haha, just kidding my friend! Great write-up there! Thanks! Oh my word, I just can't wait to get my hands on this DVD!

Ok, I don't feel so bad watching 4 hours, going to bed at midnight, and getting 4 hours of sleep. I guess calling in sick today would have been over the top to watch the rest? I don't remember this season very well, so it is like watching brand new episodes. I really should pace myself!

I liked the Mendelssohn-esque version of Conga. That was classic.

[sophia]

Calling in sick to watch the rest of the season!
No, I couldn't, my boss would figure it out.
If fact she told me I better not stay up all night and I had better not be late. Oh well, there is always friday night.

[J.J. Walters]

This is an excellent episode IMHO, with some really good scenes. I love the "role reversal" setup here. Perfect timing for something like this.

I like the fact that Carol, Agatha and "Mac" are featured prominently. Each one is important to the development of the story. And Carol, with a jean jacket and new hairstyle, has never looked better!

The "tropical storm" narrations from Magnum are also really well done.

Whats cool is that "Limbo", "Infinity and Jelly Doughnuts" and "Pleasure Principle are all like one 3 hour movie. I like how they had the coma scenario play across all three, and they didn't treat it like some one off incident but more like the events os "Echoes of the Mind"/"Macs Back").

This is something that I didn't remember from the original broadcast - the fact that "Pleasure Principle" is so tightly linked to "Limbo" and "Infinity". Almost everything that happens in "Pleasure" is foreshadowed in the previous two episodes. Very cool!

2) Apparently "Conga" was the only Latin song in 1988 since they played it like 4 times throughout the episode.

Heh! Hey, I'm just glad they didn't choose "I Wanna Dance With Somebody"! But seriously though, Higgins (in a Aloha shirt) dancing at the club, with his arms in the air while slowly spinning around, is an iconic moment for me. It's one that will stick with me for a long, long time.

3) Higgins can bust a move, and has added another weapon to his arsenal - "The Dropkick of Devastation".

LOL Doc! Another great moment! Like the "Karate Chop of Doom" in "Magnum on Ice", this one is also preceded with "Hi Ya!" from Higgins!

Favorite Episode Quote:

Magnum: If this keeps up, I'm afraid I'll have no alternative but to call Robin.
Higgins: I see, so there IS a Robin Masters when YOU need him!!

[Shermy]

this one is also preceded with "Hi Ya!" from Higgins!

This reminds me of something I forgot to mention in the Resolutions thread: The episode includes a terrific fight scene in a strip club. And in it, Higgins gets to go all out with his "Hi Ya"s!!!

[Doc Ibold]

this one is also preceded with "Hi Ya!" from Higgins!

This reminds me of something I forgot to mention in the Resolutions thread: The episode includes a terrific fight scene in a strip club. And in it, Higgins gets to go all out with his "Hi Ya"s!!!

That's actually one of my favorite scenes in the series - the final "Hurrah", so to speak.

[J.J. Walters]

I liked the Mendelssohn-esque version of Conga. That was classic.

Yeah, me too! That was the last thing I expected - a Mendelssohn-Gloria Estefan "Mashup"!

Did anyone else notice anything different about "The Lads"? Zeus (or is it Apollo?) appears to have shrunken in size! Either that, or Apollo (or is it Zeus?) appears to have gotten bigger!

[Doc Ibold]

I do know by "Resolutions 2", that either Zeus or Apollo is MUCH thicker than the other.

Its like the shoulders are splayed or something.

Wish I had a screen grab...

[IslandHopper]

This was a middle-of-the-road episode for me. However, like every episode, it had several memorable scenes. The final scene with Mac was very good.

Agatha feels jilted when she overheard Rick reveal that Higgins dumped her to go to the grand opening of the Night club, Stage West. Poor Agatha has been getting rejected by Higgins for years ("Echoes Of The Mind"), so why does she keep doing this to herself?

In response to Carol’s question “Have you ever considered that maybe, just maybe, she likes Jonathon?“ Magnum implies that Higgins is a U.S. citizen when he says “Yes, I’ve also considered that she (Rosita) may be trying to get her ‘Green-Card’ the easy way (by marriage).” I’m sure Higgins would never give up his UK citizenship, so he would be a dual citizen (UK & U.S.A.).

What happened to HPD? Diana (Amy Yasbeck), Magnum’s police officer girlfriend is apparently with the “State Police” and not the Honolulu Police Department according to the shoulder patch on her uniform. This is the first time I recall seeing someone from the “State Police” on the show.

Is that a new cap Magnum is wearing during the final scene?

[VM02]

I agree with Island Hopper that this was a middle of the road episode. Somewhere on these boards, though, someone mentioned that taken as a three pack with Limbo and Infinity, it becomes a better episode. With this I concur and so I voted it a bit higher than middle of the road. The Higgins scenes are a bit disconcerting though. The best scene is when he drop kicks the priest.

[Doc Ibold]

So, in my 5 hour Magnum marathon last night, I watched this episode.

At first I thought a "Magnum/Higgins" role reversal - AWESOME.

Started watching the episode and I kind of felt it was lacking and not what I thought it was going to be and got pretty annoyed.

Exploding Macs, psychologists, made it kind of BLEH for me.

HOWEVER, the last 10 minutes were classic Magnum and to me, and epitomized what the show was about - true friendship.

Each of the gang was reacting differently to Magnum's coma.

Magnum -heeding the psychologists advice and "growing up"
Higgins - becoming Magnum
TC - Hovering about Magnum constantly (which I believe came from Ricks berating of him in "Infinity and Jelly Doughnuts")

But wait, there actually was a role reversal in that point, because in "IAJD", RICK was the hoverer and TC hung back. In "PP", TC hovered, and Rick hung back.

Fascinating....

OK, back to topic,

Rick - getting culture.

And FINALLY at the end, when the 4 of them are sitting around, they disclose that they all did it because they were worried/affected by Magnum's coma, and I think FINALLY get over the events in "Limbo" and went back to their normal selves.

Whats cool is that "Limbo", "Infinity and Jelly Doughnuts" and "Pleasure Principle are all like one 3 hour movie. I like how they had the coma scenario play across all three, and they didn't treat it like some one off incident but more like the events os "Echoes of the Mind"/"Macs Back").

I also liked how when Magnum finally banished the hallucination of Mac, Mac told him that was all he wanted.

I THEN watched it with the commentary and was psyched because what I took away from the episode was pretty much how the writers intended to be.

Some key takeaways for me (over the 3 episodes....

1) From "I.A.J.D.", my take of Frank Peterson as a "jackhole" still rings true.

2) Apparently "Conga" was the only Latin song in 1988 since they played it like 4 times throughout the episode.

3) Higgins can bust a move, and has added another weapon to his arsenal - "The Dropkick of Devastation".

4) Higgins was so happy when Magnum came out of the coma. I thought he would start skipping or something! (But clearly that shows JH's range as an actor)