‘Magnum P.I.’ Recap: ‘Three Bridges’

10/12/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

MAGNUM P.I. -- "Three Bridges" Episode 512 -- Pictured: (l-r) Jay Hernandez as Thomas Magnum, Perdita Weeks as Juliet Higgins -- (Photo by: Zack Dougan/NBC)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 512 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.

If there is one particular type of person none of us want to encounter in this world, it would have to be an online scammer. Because they resort to some gross tactics to scam people out of their hard-earned money, and some of them… are unsavory people to say the least. Who more or less get a thrill off of bringing that kind of harm to people, and the damage they do at any level, is devastating. For not only are people out of their savings when a scammer strikes, but their ability to trust fades, and they are emotionally wounded for some time. Yet, the scammers persist, despite our lamenting of them, and that’s likely because we don’t know how they function or how they manage to operate with impunity in plain sight. Which is why the next episode of Magnum P.I. on NBC opted to delve into such matters. To get an idea what that world is all about and to help us be vigilant against the warning signs.

A feat that ‘Three Bridges’ accomplished, by having Thomas and Juliet, deal with a scamming case. Which could not have come at a better time for them since they were in the midst of a dry spell case wise. To the point where stolen stingray retrieval became a service they offered. But that downtime allowed for them to really dig deep into the case at hand and really inspect how these guys work and what they learned was horrifying in nature. In that, scamming is a long con, and the scammer will wait patiently to build trust and build rapport to make it easier to get access to the accounts they want. Then… bam… they strike, and their mark is left holding the bag. But thanks to this duo’s keen eye and Kumu’s desire to never quit, since she was the one that brought them this case to help out a friend… they found an actual clue. Which is rare since these cases tend to be open and shut, with the victim losing out.

But that clue brought them… to a broken-down hotel, one that appeared to be closed for business but was in fact, open for the wrong kind of business. For far away from prying eyes, were server farms and active employees who worked to scam people out of precious money and savings. And of course, for a brief moment, Magnum and Higgins were in trouble because they were discovered by the people in charge here. But of course… give Higgins a chance to throw a punch and everything changes, and that’s what happened here. Allowing for this duo to shut down the farm… and work to save a life. For they learned that the man that scammed Kumu’s friend, wasn’t a bad man, he was just forced to take part in awful acts to see another day, and sadly… he was now up for sale. Which prompted the duo to get Gordon involved so they could what they do best, and save him and bring everyone to justice, which they did. And they even managed to get money back to people.

However, before we dive too much deeper into that plot, we need to talk about the wondrous storytelling involving T.C. and Rick. Because both men were at a crossroads here. For T.C. was shutting everyone out. Because of the belief that he would be a burden if he let his friends near. But his mother dropped by and made sure to teach him, that was not the case. That everyone still loved him and would be there for him regardless, and that allowed for T.C. to let his guard down and let his friends back in, something he absolutely needs to heal. And Rick… well… a chance to date his houseboat neighbor, and some find advice from his friends… helped him to realize… he needed the mother of his child to be at his side. So, he made a successful attempt to be with her and to be honest with her about how much he needs her in his life.

Which made for more growth during some difficult times, and those plot threads and the whole scammer storyline, made for one delightful episode. One that really did explore how these organizations work in the shadiest means possible to thrive and grow and use the shadows and the sorrow they produce to stick around. Not to mention, it taught us that if we encounter something or someone that seems too good to be true, that likely is the case, and we should trust our gut and our common sense when someone comes calling that won’t be near us and only wants to sweet talk us and well, now that we’ve reached the end of this supremely engaging and unique story... the time has come to turn our attention to what lies ahead. As we continue the farewell tour for this incredible and delightful series. Until next time.

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