Magnum, P.I. (TV Series) Foiled Again (1982) User Reviews

A Higgins-centric episode with another strong performance from Dana Wynter

[DVD_Connoisseur · 7/10 · 25 November 2018]

Not one of my favourite episodes, "Foiled Again" is somewhat slow to engage the viewer.

There's a long lead up into this episode, with a flashback to Higgins' childhood. This is a Higgins-centric episode and John Hillerman is always very watchable. The tale, though, is somewhat meandering.

Dana Wynter (who appeared in the second season's "Double Jeopardy" episode) is very good as the recently widowed Velma Troubshaw but I don't think the material is as strong as usual.

Something of a filler episode, then, I'd give it a 7 out of 10. Not bad by any means, it's just nowhere near as engaging as the episodes preceding it.

As a side-note, Selleck appears to have broken a finger at some point during the filming but this is incorporated into the script. There are a few moments when the pain displayed by Magnum looks very genuine!

A who done it!

[mm-39 · 8/10 · 10 August 2021]

P B S style who done it English mystery Magnum. There is foreground of the old boarding school and Higgens fighting with a rival. A jerk who has hurt Higgens over the years. There is a mystery murder which has the perfect frame for Higgens. What works here is Magnum like all the detective's in Christies novels must deduct all the clues. Magnum hits the 80's style way of solving the case. Well written, and acted. The director creates a great who done it feel to Foiled Again. Not my favorite, but in the top 10. 8 stars.

Electric fence

[safenoe · 7/10 · 20 October 2023]

Nicholas Hammond, who was one of the boys in the Sound of Music movie and who also played Peter Parker in the 70s TV series The Amazing Spider-Man, guest stars in Foiled Again as Clarke Troubshaw.

Anyway, the fencing scenes kind of reminded me of the jedi scenes in Star Wars, and you can see Higgins being quite troubled by his childhood experiences with fencing and the like.

Anyway, I'm enjoying watching the early seasons of Magnum, P. I., along with Law and Order and Father Brown. It makes good daytime television for sure, and I must confess I haven't bothered watching the Magnum reboot init.

My all-time favorite episode

[wildside-3 · 10/10 · 23 February 2024]

I love this episode, and as l said, it is, indeed, my favorite because it has all the elements of what made the original Magnum series so great. Strong performances by the regulars, fascinating flashbacks, twists and turns, and all kinds of surprises. The producers and writers seem to always want to make sure that there were enough episodes to highlight each individual character and what makes this one wonderful is the strong performance by John Hillerman. It also shows Selleck's character's total love for his friend and his concern for his welfare. The flashbacks, especially of Hillerman's early days in boarding school in England, really gives you new insight into what makes his "dyspeptic" character tick, and the moments of his meeting the love of his life in World War II, and how he lost her to his longtime bully that dates all the way back to his boarding school days, really tugs at the heartstrings. Not sure if you ever got to see Hillerman's personal, romantic life before. I guess we understand why he seems to be very much the loaner. Two of the guest stars were a real treat. The legendary Paxton Whitehouse as his lifelong nemesis, and the equally legendary Dana Wynter as his long lost love. Top acting, great guest stars, and the dialogue sparkles!