‘Magnum P.I.’ Recap: ‘The Passenger’ & ‘The Breaking Point’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

MAGNUM P.I. -- "The Passenger" Episode 501 -- Pictured: (l-r) Perdita Weeks as Juliet Higgins, Karissa Lee Staples as Melinda Parker, Jay Hernandez as Thomas Magnum -- (Photo by: Zack Dougan/NBC)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Season Five Premiere of ‘Magnum P.I.’ Also, this recap contains discussions regarding domestic violence and abuse, which may be triggering for some individuals.
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One year ago, it truly seemed as though that a beloved series was coming to an early and unsettled end. For Magnum P.I. received its cancellation notice, leaving fans everywhere devastated and uncomfortable with the fact that a huge moment would go unexplored, and that the wondrous adventures of Thomas Magnum and Juliet Higgins would no longer be part of their weekly television viewing and enjoyment. But thankfully, they weren’t comfortable with just sitting back and letting this show fade quietly into the night, and a massive fan campaign was waged to save the show and their passion reaffirmed to NBCUniversal, that their investment in the series, was worthwhile, and that if by chance… they made themselves the solo investor in this show, wonders could be achieved.
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So, they swooped in and saved the day, giving new life to a show with a massive and loyal following and well, that news sent everyone soaring and left everyone wondering… when we would enjoy new episodes with this newly romantic duo and what this revitalized series would look like on NBC, and thankfully… that long wait is over, and that question has been answered. For last night saw season five debut on NBC with a powerhouse two-hour season premiere extravaganza and well… the first thing we learned about this new season, is that we are going to get a lot of what we love and expansion upon the big kiss that took place at the end of season four. In fact, ‘The Passenger’ and ‘The Breaking Point’ wasted zero time in informing us… that the plan for Thomas and Juliet going forward, was to dive right in and explore their feelings for one another… in private.

Just so they could properly sort out these feelings without feeling pressured by their friends and the world. Where they could be themselves and grow and that was a lovely way to handle such a big moment for this series, since it will ensure that their love is neatly woven into the fabric of this show and the wondrous moments we share in with these characters. Speaking of that, it was also lovely that these two episodes took the time to catch up with the crew and see how they’re doing. Which allowed for us to see how Rick was handling fatherhood, to be reminded of TC’s big heart courtesy of that Purple Heart storyline, and of course… to be refreshed upon the fact that Kumu is still as awesome as ever. But where this segment of the premiere truly shined, was in the follow up of Gordon’s storyline since he finally decided… to fight his dismissal with every fiber of his being. 

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MAGNUM P.I. -- "The Breaking Point" Episode 502 -- Pictured: (l-r) Perdita Weeks as Juliet Higgins, Jay Hernandez as Thomas Magnum -- (Photo by: Zack Dougan/NBC)

But of course, while we love the characters through and through and savor every delightful moment with them, we also tune in to be treated to unique mysteries and cases for Thomas and Juliet to solve and the show delivered there as well in a powerful manner. Since there was a case involving a dirty lifeguard captain that was willing to kill to fatten his wallet, and without the help of Magnum and Higgins, a good life would have been sullied by a lie. Plus, this premiere also went bold and took the time to explore the horrors of domestic violence through a case that involved a good Samaritan’s suffering because he tried to rescue an abuse victim from her abuser and well… this taboo topic rarely makes its way onto prime-time television and it’s a huge deal that the series made the effort to speak upon it. 
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Which does leave one to wonder… what other deeper storylines await us in season five since clearly… that’s some bold storytelling to inject in the first two episodes of a new season. And it just so happened that this premiere did tip its hand about what we can expect, since we came to learn that serialized storytelling is about to come into play. For a continuous thread in both of these episodes, involved the disappearance of Captain Buck Greene. The commander that put Magnum and his team in harm’s way, setting in motion Thomas’ fateful journey to Hawaii and his employment by Robin Masters. And well, since we the audience were privy to the fact that nefarious forces want to find Magnum and his crew, and harmed Buck to try and get information regarding them… it is inherently clear that this is a plot thread that will carry on throughout the season. 

A move that is… both exciting and brilliant to say the least. Since it informs us that the move to NBC will allow for this series to try new things storytelling wise and really keep us on our toes and keep us engaged and of course… create conversation around important topics that need to be addressed. All of which makes this, a perfect premiere when all is said and done. One that seamlessly immersed us back into Magnum’s world before letting us know that we are about to embark upon some incredible journeys with Thomas and Juliet and well, that is going to make the wait for next week’s episode quite painful to say the least. Because we simply want more of this dynamic and wonderful series and we simply must know how these characters are going to grow now that they’ve all taken bold steps to be the best people they can be. Until next time.

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