Magnum PI episode 19 review: Did Magnum, Higgins make it to shore?
At the start of the episode, these two characters saw themselves thrown overboard from Robin Masters’ yacht — not Higgins was shot and bleeding out in the middle of the ocean. They had to find their way on top of a small piece of land, which also took some MacGyver-like ingenuity from Magnum to help Higgins get there. Seeing the two get there was a bold testament to all the time that they’ve spent together and how much they’ve really come to understand each other over time.
What was so smart about this episode was watching the present be juxtaposed perfectly with the past, given that through flashbacks, we got a chance to see how Magnum actually first arrived on Masters’ guest house and, in turn, how he come to form a relationship with Higgins. He wasn’t always upfront, but he absolutely learned over time that she could handle the truth, virtually no matter what it was. Their relationship has always been one built on good humor and teamwork, and they needed that as eventually, they were able to get their reprieve and get back to land.
In the culmination of this episode, Magnum and Higgins had to take down the bad guys who hijacked their boat and came back to finish the job; on the other side of that, they finally had a reprieve courtesy of TC and Rick, who were able to track them down thanks to the original boat’s navigation and also some careful studying of the situation. Sure, “Blood in the Water” was a nice testament to how Magnum and Higgins care about each other, but also the strength of the overall team. Everyone’s alive, and everyone’s going to have a shot to investigate another day. Cheers to that!
Also, cheers to the writers for the soft-spoken subplot revolving around TC as he struggled with his father deciding to bail on a trip out to see him. He was yearning for more family but at the same time, he knew that he had another family-of-sorts in the people he spends some time with on the island.
CarterMatt verdict
Perhaps the most shocking part of this episode was the simple fact that Magnum and Higgins went back to the yacht after what they went through the first time around. That did produce a fun few moments in an episode full of many — and also one with some stupendous history-lesson components at the same time. We learned a lot about the Thomas Magnum origin story tonight, and we’re starting to become all the more convinced that he and Higgins have one of the best partnerships in all of TV … even if they’re not formally partners. It just seems that way, given how much time they actually spend together.
What did you think about Magnum PI episode 19 overall, and some of the big revelations that came out throughout? Share now in the comments. (Photo: CBS.)