The Big Payback is the ninth episode of the third season for the 2018 remake of Magnum P.I., and the forty-ninth episode overall, which was aired on February 19, 2021.
Summary[]
When Higgins is abducted, Magnum discovers it's retaliation related to one of his first cases on the Island, and he, Rick and TC must break out an ex-client from prison in order to save her.
Recap[]
Rick tells Magnum that maybe he can ask Suzy out for him, he really likes her. Magnum asks him if this is fifth grade. Rick says he is acting like TC. And, if Higgins can date her doctor, why can’t he date an employee. They are at the beach and all of a sudden, Higgins’ horse comes running, and she is not on it. The two start searching around and calling out her name. Magnum finds her phone, and Rick finds blood, and track marks. There are tire tracks, they have taken Higgins.
Gordon is fixing his son’s vehicle with him, making chit-chat. Gordon tells him the alternative is broken, but he will pick him up a new one. Magnum is calling, Gordon ignores it and tells his son they can go have breakfast together. Magnum keeps calling and his son tells him to pick it up.
At Robin's Nest, everyone knows Higgins has been kidnapped. Magnum doesn’t want the police to be notified. Magnum says he has been followed for a couple of months and now Higgins is kidnapped, maybe it is no coincidence. Magnum wants to keep Gordon out of it. He thinks maybe they are using Higgins to leverage him. Rick got off the phone Icepick, he has a name of a prisoner that is being moved, Elliott Handler, he hired Magnum to find his wife Keana, it was one of Magnum’s first cases, and he ended up putting Handler in jail. Gordon walks in and says that identified the kidnapper’s vehicle, but it is stolen. Gordon thinks this is linked to the person that was following Magnum and is asking them all to stand down. Magnum says Gordon is right, they have to step down. Gordon leaves and Magnum says they are not standing down.
We see Higgins, she has her eyes covered and her mouth has something in it so she can’t talk. She is hanging from metal chains, and her kidnapper takes off the covering and the rag in her mouth and she says he is planning to kill her because he would never have let him see her face.
Magnum and Rick go see a contact who is a hacker, they want him to check online and find out when Handler is being transferred. Meanwhile, Higgins is trying to free herself and she manages to get the chains loose. She leaves the room and heads upstairs, and sees her kidnapper, he doesn’t notice her and she runs outside, tries to jump the fence but doesn’t know that it is wired and it zaps her, she falls to the ground.
Magnum, Rick, and TC are mapping how to hit the convoy. Magnum tells them the story of why he turned on Handler. Magnum finds Keana, she said that her husband was just a criminal in a suit and he is dangerous. She claims she had to leave or she would end up dead like his first wife. Magnum looked into the first wives’ disappearance, it definitely was shady. The premise here is that Handler’s son, Miles, kidnapped Higgins because Magnum put his father away. They find where Miles was staying, he is not there and calls Magnum to say that he just got Higgins killed. Magnum says if he kills Higgins he will never see his dad again. Miles tells him he better stop that transport.
They stop the transport and get Handler. Gordon finds out that the prison transport was hit, and they were using blanks, not real bullets.
Magnum throws some clothes at Handler who tells him that he lost three years because of him. Magnum tells him to tell it to his first wife. Handler tells him that he made a mistake when he came after him.
Gordon shoes up, he tells Magnum to work with him so they can get Higgins back. They tell Gordon the truth, and that Miles was very specific, no cops. They do the trade-off, but it doesn’t go well. Magnum drops his gun, and Handler picks it up, he shoots the tires on the truck they came in, lets Higgins go, but they take Magnum and tells Higgins it is going to be ok.
Gordon, Rick, and TC pull up, the put a listening device on Handler, it also has a GPS, they tell her to hurry.
Handler and Miles usher Magnum onto a boat, then Magnum says I guess your dad never told you about your mother. She was going to divorce him, so he made her disappear. Miles asks his father if it is true, Handler says no. Handler punches Magnum in the face. Miles is furious, he asks his father again if it is true and a scuffle breaks out, giving Magnum enough time to jump off the boat and run away. Miles runs after Magnum and catches up to him, to defend himself Magnum has to kill him.
Back at the bar, Suzy asks Rick to dance, he finally gets his "date" time with her.
Magnum tells Higgins that he is glad that she is ok. Magnum then mentions to TC that he gave Susie a nudge.
Notes[]
- Magnum prefers to be called a "Private Investigator" and hates when someone refers to him as a "P.I.". In the flashback, he referred to himself as a "P.I." twice.
- When Elliot Hamler is shot dead and falls out of shot, as the camera switches to the medium shot, you see him moving his hands from push-up position where he lowered himself to the ground to back along his sides as Detective Katsumoto bends forward to check for a pulse
- Ethan Shah is mentioned but do not appear in this episode.
Deaths
- Elliot Hamler (killed by Gordy Katsumoto)
- Miles Hamler
Trivia[]
- Both Lance Lim and Betsy Phillips are guest appearance in this episode.
Quotes[]
- Miles Hamler: More.
- Juliet Higgins: I do have a question, though. Why bother giving me water when you clearly plan to kill me?
- Miles Hamler: Why would you assume that?
- Juliet Higgins: Because of I had any chance of getting out of here alive, you would never have let me see your face.
- Miles Hamler: You surviving this depends entirely on your friend, Mr. Magnum. If he delivers what's been asked of him, I'll be leaving the country, and no one will ever see me again. But if he fails, well, you said it yourself.
- Suzy Madison: Look at this. The whole crew is here. What's the occasion?
- Juliet Higgins: You know just celebrating being alive.
- Suzy Madison: Mm. Good a reason as any.
- Kumu: Juliet, you've had a hell of a day. You sure you wouldn't rather be at home?
- Juliet Higgins: After what I've been through, I could use a drink... or three. Plus, um, this band is pretty good.
- Suzy Madison: They are, aren't they? It's a shame he crowd not giving them more love. Dance floor's empty.
- Rick Wright: I know, right?
- Suzy Madison: Yeah, something should get out there and get the dancing started. I mean, I would, if someone would just ask me.
- Rick Wright: Totally.
- Kumu: She's talking about you, idiot.
- Rick Wright: Right. Uh... Yeah. Suzy, you want to dance with me.
- Suzy Madison: Oh, hell no.
- Rick Wright: Oh.
- Suzy Madison: Kidding. I'd love to.
- Rick Wright: OK. All right. Great.
- Gordy Katsumoto: That was hard to watch.
- [KUMU LAUGHING]
- [CHUCKLING]
Cast[]
Main[]
- Jay Hernandez as Thomas Magnum
- Perdita Weeks as Juliet Higgins
- Zachary Knighton as Orville "Rick" Wright
- Stephen Hill as Theodore "T.C." Calvin
- Tim Kang as Detective Gordon Katsumoto
- Amy Hill as Teuila Tuileta
Recurring[]
Guest[]
- Bill Sage as Elliot Hamler
- Cameron Radice as Miles Hamler
- Makana David as Zeke
- Virginia Ma as Kaina Hamler
- Jhey Castles as Sergeant Casey
- Landon McNamara as Himself
- Kimo Carpenter as La Mariana Musician – Drummer
- Keith Tsukamaki as La Mariana Musician – Keyboard Player
- Royce Kaneshiro as La Mariana Musician – Bass Player
- Strider Ellis as Skateboarder #2