‘Magnum P.I.’ Recap: ‘Out of Sight, Out of Mind’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

MAGNUM P.I. -- "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" Episode 509 -- Pictured: Jay Hernandez as Thomas Magnum -- (Photo by: Zack Dougan/NBC)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 509 of ‘Magnum P.I.’ To revisit the previous episode, click here. Also, this article contains discussions regarding self-harm and suicide, which may be triggering to some individuals.
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It is definitely safe to say that the last episode of Magnum P.I. on NBC, left all of us extremely nervous. For Higgins brought up some good points regarding Magnum’s gambit to uncover who was hunting him and his friends. Specifically, that he might have exposed himself and his friends and risked everyone’s safety and well we simply wanted to know if that was the case or not, and this week’s episode did in address that worry, but in the most surprising manner possible. Because ‘Out of Sight, Out of Mind’ is an episode, that really didn’t hint at addressing such matters. In fact, this was an episode that featured some powerful moments involving Gordon ad Dennis, and quite the ugly case for our heroes to take on. In fact, let’s talk about that Gordon-centric storyline, first, since it had a lot of say about our modern world, and certain sentiments that are suddenly surging in parts of America where they shouldn’t.

Which was made possible by a mainland college visit to see if Dennis wanted to go to school in Hawaii or elsewhere and while they were there, they had a genuinely unfortunate encounter with an idiot of a man who fired off some racist remarks. The kind that served as an uncomfortable reminder that racism is alive and well in America right now, especially Anti-Asian sentiment, and it was enough to spook Dennis to the point where he truly considered just staying home for school. And while Gordon had hinted about preferring that to have Dennis around and home… he wasn’t good with that decision being made out of fear. And that allowed for Gordon to speak to his son from the depths of his heart and ask that Dennis to not be afraid and stand tall against such ignorance to shut it down. Which was an important message to express for certain, and kudos to the show for taking the time to speak up about such matters.

However, there was also mention of an ugly case present in this story as well, and it was a scary one to say the least. For Magnum and Higgins were asked to help in a case revolving around the death of an orderly, who seemingly took his own life. But as the duo dug deeper into the case at hand… they came to realize he was the victim of a grand conspiracy at a psychiatric facility. One designed to keep money in the pockets of a crooked nurse and the crooked friend of a man trapped in that facility. And since that poor orderly got too close to the truth… that dastardly duo was forced to act and well, they were to called to action once again when Juliet and Magnum came within inches of the truth. All so that money would be protected and that led to some genuine moments of terror for the audience and Juliet, as that orderly took the time to drug Higgins and bring her within an inch of her life and had it not been for Magnum… she might have faced the end. 

All of which felt akin to a regular episode, one that was going to have little to offer in the way of the big case at hand. But while Gordon and Thomas, and Juliet were dealing with their respective problems, Detective Childs was digging into the ugliness surrounding the late Captain Buck Greene. Because he was mad, he was excluded, and demanded that Magnum get him in on the case and well… this became a clear-cut case of be careful what you wish for. Because Childs made headway on this investigation quickly and stumbled not only upon the hideout for these shady soldiers, but he also came to discover that they had in fact identified Thomas and the rest of the squad and they were ready to act. As evidenced by the tripwire that ended Childs’ life in the blink of an eye and through the harrowing finale of this tale. Wherein T.C. missed the notice that an intruder was in his midst, which led to him taking a pair of bullets before facing an unknown fate.

Which is a cliffhanger that set the stage for a scary mid-season/spring finale for the show. Since we don’t know if T.C. is okay, and we don’t know if anyone is safe at the hands of these rogue soldiers and well… all of this made for a bleak and powerhouse episode. One that really hammered home the danger of this situation and how ugly the fight ahead will be. Because these guys are prepared and work under incredible stealth and that is going to make the wait for next week’s spring finale as painful as it gets. Simply because we must know if T.C. is okay and we are aching to know if Thomas can stop these guys and save the day and learn why these assassins were tasked with causing harm, and who was behind that decision. So that there can be justice for Childs and Greene and so the person behind the curtain can also enjoy their just desserts and well… it will be interesting to see all of that come together come next Sunday. Until then.  

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