Two of the series’ most tightly wrapped characters got the spotlight treatment.
Yup, Magnum P.I. Season 4 Episode 4 took a look inside Higgins and Katsumoto, with cases that hit close to home for both of them.
It was surprising that Juliet was willing to admit that she could use some professional help untangling some of her recent life changes.
It made perfect sense that Higgins did a deep dive into Dr. Ogawa before ever setting foot in her office. And even then, an anxious Juliet was ready to cut and run before she even started.
Ogawa had dealt with doubters before and appeared to be an ideal choice to crack the nut that is Higgins.
But, seeing the shift in Ogawa’s temperament after she received that calendar reminder, Juliet put off that moment of revelation by offering instead to investigate the suicide of Ogawa’s former teen patient.
Ogawa’s need to know why quickly overcame the borderline ethical questions she was debating, and Higgins had bought a reprieve from potential soul searching.
It was laughable that Thomas would complain about Juliet agreeing to take on a client without checking with him first. How many of his messes has she had to clean up through the years? She couldn’t even escape him in Kenya.
But seeing how important it was to her, and with all the oddness surrounding Ani’s death, Magnum got on board quickly enough.
Nothing was adding up. Ani’s social media disappeared and reappeared. Her friends didn’t know about her boyfriend Will. She broke up with Will on the morning she died. There was an overdose of Xanax in her bloodstream.
And all along the way, the detectives got a whiff of guilt from all of Ani’s friends. Why became apparent when they caught the hacker and saw the nasty video of Will’s bet with Ani.
After Will fell for Ani, Amanda sent that video to her, along with the Xanax, cruelly urging her to kill herself. Which she ultimately did.
It’s encouraging that a procedural such as Magnum P.I. would tackle issues such as teen suicide and social-media bullying. In the end, Ani still committed suicide (and Colette attempted it), but at least someone paid for that.
Ani’s situation hit home with Higgins, who was bullied as a child, long before becoming the strong woman she is today.
Thomas showed how well he knows Juliet, hitting the mark on that part of her background. He also pieced together that she was beginning to see a therapist and called Mi-6 to find the hacker.
Now, how long before Magnum figures out that she is back working for Mi-6, albeit reluctantly?
Dr. Ogawa saw through Higgins’ denial already. While Ethan has many fine traits, it’s actually Magnum that’s her “partner,” even if she can’t admit that to herself yet. What else will the therapist uncover in future episodes?
So Juliet and Ethan are circling the drain. Next must come the breakup of Thomas and Lia.
Magnum is already getting on her nerves, although she seems to blow off those annoyances quickly.
But now, Katsumoto has revealed that he knows about their relationship. Since it’s no longer so secret, will that take away some of the hotness?
The big question is whether we want Thomas and Juliet to be a couple, or would that ruin the good thing they have going now?
Katsumoto only uncorked his observation after a long, trying day, following a carjacking that injured his ex-wife Beth and his son Dennis.
It was refreshing to see Tim Kang open up emotionally after playing the same straight-laced cop character on first The Mentalist and now Magnum, kind of an Asian Jack Webb.
Gordon admitted to his failings both as a husband and a father, with his job too often taking priority over his family. This time out, he put his family first, staying by Beth’s side until the good news came down about Dennis.
Dennis, once awake, was pleased to see his parents being pleasant around each other, maybe even harboring some hope of a reconciliation. But Katsumoto being Katsumoto, that’s doubtful.
He also had to admit that sometimes Magnum’s methods were better, even if they stepped outside the letter of the law. If Thomas hadn’t made that call, Katsumoto might still be searching for the carjackers.
Also, Gordon was smart enough to step back and allow Lia to handle the final takedown of the carjackers so that he wouldn’t risk the case being tossed out.
The third storyline continued Cade’s mystery beyond being an obvious bickering point between T.C. and Rick.
T.C. won the argument after Rick got to see Cade in action, a much-needed addition to La Mariana. Rick came around to T.C.’s point of view.
Then he came back to discover that Cade was homeless and was sleeping in the back of the bar. Wait, that’s another topical storyline — teen homelessness, a popular one these days.
Next up will have to be Cade’s true back story, and it’s likely to tug at the heartstrings.
To follow Juliet’s back story, watch Magnum P.I. online.
Are you looking forward to Higgins’ future sessions?
Did you enjoy seeing another side of Katsumoto?
What’s Cade’s story?
Comment below.
Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
