Magnum PI episode 4 review: Was Magnum framed for an art theft?

Tonight, Magnum PI episode 4 brought a pretty intense showdown between Magnum and Detective Katsumoto, and with good reason. Magnum was being set up as a culprit for an art theft, and he had to figure out who was really responsible for the crime — while clearing his own name in the process.

The problem for Magnum with this case is that there was a reason for all eyes to be pointed on him. After all, he did a test-run on a security system that was later broken into, so he understood the vulnerabilities more so than just about anyone. Beyond this, however, there were also some murders that became involved. We don’t think that Katsumoto ever actually thought that Magnum was the responsible party, but he needed to play his in the case.

After Magnum was brought in by police and then released, he then was tasked with trying to actually figure out who was responsible for all of this — and it wasn’t someone you would have first expected. It was an art appraiser named Tracy, and then another insider in James Chen. They were in on this together! Magnum eventually figured this out, but he still had to take on both of them at various points in the final ten minutes. He was probably helped by the fact that Tracy and James weren’t exactly on the same page by the time Magnum showed up, so he really didn’t have to take them both on at the same time. Eventually Katsumoto showed up, everyone was arrested, and Magnum’s name was finally cleared.

Following the case being concluded, there was one other thing that Magnum needed to take care of: Higgins, as one of the men who died was someone in Jack she cared about dearly. This episode offered up a brief window into Higgins’ world, which is fairly rare in that she’s not someone who lets her guard down all that easy.

CarterMatt Verdict

While we do think that there were many a serious moment tonight, there was also humor — namely, Higgins roasting Magnum and even going at him for his tie at the end of the episode. As good of a private-investigator as Thomas may be, he clearly has some work to do in some other parts of his life. At least he’s not in prison and he’s got a little bit of time to work on some of those!

Overall, Magnum PI is starting to find a rhythm four episodes in; here’s to hoping that it is a rhythm that lasts moving further into the series’ run as a whole.

What did you think regarding Magnum PI episode 4 overall? Be sure to share in the attached comments below. (Photo: CBS.)