‘Magnum P.I.’ Recap: ‘The Retrieval’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

MAGNUM P.I. -- "The Retrieval" Episode 515 -- Pictured: (l-r) Jay Hernandez as Thomas Magnum, Perdita Weeks as Juliet Higgins, Bobby Lee as Jin Jeong -- (Photo by: Zack Dougan/NBC)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 515 of ‘Magnum P.I.’. To revisit the previous episode, click here. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.
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We often like to believe that people are willing to let go of something important they lose in life. Simply because often times what we lose, wasn’t meant to be or wasn’t as important as we give it credit. But alas, it doesn’t take long for us to learn that simply isn’t the case. Because people struggle with the notion of letting go and cannot stand the thought of not being near that which they craved and because of that… they will go the extra mile to have what they want, and sometimes, they will do horrible things to have it for reasons that aren’t always clear. But those reasons don’t really matter in the end, what matters more is stopping individuals that reach that point before the collateral damage they could create from such an act causes great harm, and well… this truth is top of mind today, simply because it was the focus of last night’s episode of Magnum P.I. on NBC.

But at first it seemed as though ‘The Retrieval’ wasn’t going to focus upon such matters. Since it opened up with a missing person’s case. For a bunch of friends who only interacted online, hadn’t heard from their friend in ages and that wasn’t like him. So, they asked Thomas and Juliet to track him down and well, that brought about some odd truths. In that, this loyal guy that was never late, wasn’t showing up to work and he really was going off of the grid, for some wildly unexpected reasons. For it turned out, that he worked at a fertility clinic, one that stored viable eggs for future implantation, and well… once Thomas and Juliet dropped by his workplace, did, they uncover the reality that this poor man was caught up in something quite wild. In that, someone used him to break into the facility to steal those eggs, in the hopes of using them for ransom.

To complicate matters further, the thief killed that poor man and well… that motivated Magnum and Higgins to see this through to the end and find the thief turned killer, and that is where the theme came into play. Because the more our heroes dug into this case, the more they came to realize that something was off about this whole mess, especially when it came to the greed aspect of this case, and it turned out the awkward nature of this case related to the fact that the thief wasn’t acting alone. For he was hired to steal the eggs of one woman, who desperately wanted them back to potentially have children after a bitter divorce with her husband denied her of her rightful biological property, and she was so hellbent on having them back… she really didn’t care who got hurt in the process. Because having children meant that much to her, and those eggs represented agency. Agency that our heroes denied when they finally figured out the plan and brought her and her cohort to justice.  

Which was a story that really did hammer home the plot and was quite tragic in nature. Because so many suffered because of that woman’s greedy actions. Especially when there were other ways to find agency and peace. If anything, that plot could have resulted in a supremely dark tale, but this episode knew how to lighten the mood by way of a plot involving Jin. Who had an old friend return to the fold after spending years in prison and Bo needed Jin, to pay him his due. For Bo had Jin hold onto some cash to pay off a kingpin who provided him with protection in prison, and that brought forth, a wild and funny ride. Wherein Jin, Bo, and T.C. went about the island trying to find that money when in fact… it was in the most obvious place possible.

Of course, that meant Bo was going to be okay. Because not paying off the big boss would have resulted in great harm, but more importantly, this plot really did lighten the mood of a supremely unsettling story. One where a person truly went the extra mile to get theirs, and instead… GOT theirs for certain, thanks to our heroes. Who by the way, started to ponder on starting a family. Something that was unexpected to see here but also welcome. Because these two crazy kids are deeply in love and should start looking into what might lie ahead, so that perhaps the ending of this tale will offer up a little hint of a happily ever after for two private investigators that once again risked life and limb, to keep things right in the world. Until next time.

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