Gordon Katsumoto was the star of Magnum P.I. Season 5 Episode 13.
Not only did an undercover Gordie help Magnum and Higgins locate a missing chef and shut down a robbery ring, but he also got to indulge his cooking hobby as a chef at a high-end restaurant.
Even better, he participated in creating a thank-you dinner with Konoa, the recovered executive chef, for Thomas and Juliet.
It’s always great when a supporting character such as Katsumoto gains added depth through a spotlight episode such as that.
It showed there’s more to him than the dour detective who often rags on the two P.I.s for their borderline illegal practices.
So what are Magnum and Higgins up to on Magnum P.I. Season 5 Episode 14?
According to the logline supplied by NBC, “Magnum and Rick race to find a missing witness who can exonerate an innocent man accused of murder.”
That brings up a couple of questions.
The most important is “Where is Higgins?”
One of the supplied promotional photos shows Juliet consulting with Gordie at HPD. So, possibly she’s working on a different case?
It never hurts to shuffle around the combinations of characters working together. Kumu helped on a case on Magnum P.I. Season 5 Episode 12, then Katsumoto was featured in the last episode.
With T.C. still rehabilitating, that makes sense; it’s Rick’s turn this time out.
Rick has a specialized skill set, which is handy if some black-market knowledge or sniping is needed. Also, he knows a lot of people. And you hear things operating a bar.
Also, Rick has been more in the background since the series’ return, first choosing between Piper and Suzy and then covering as coach for T.C.’s youth-league baseball team.
Also, this gives Rick and Thomas a chance to catch up.
Maybe Rick could get an explanation about why the fish in the La Mariana aquarium appear different.
How this case lands in Thomas’s lap isn’t clear.
But one photo shows him and RIck meeting with presumably his jailed client. Another reveals them talking to an M.E. over a body.
And for some reason, they spend time walking through an auto graveyard.
So, who is this mysterious witness that can clear their client? And why are they racing against time?
All will be revealed at 9/8c on Wednesday on NBC.
And what’s Juliet up to? The NBC logline gives no hint about that. It must be something serious, not just an appointment that she has.
And will she be available to research for Thomas because we know him and computers? It’s not pretty.
Also, Magnum and Rick aren’t exactly models of restraint. That, too, is Higgins’ department.
But then Thomas and Rick were part of a secret military unit, so they could blend in when they chose to.
The rest of NBC’s logline reads, “T.C. tries to repair his relationship with Mahina after being released from the V.A.”
The essential part of that sentence is “after being released from the V.A.”
That means T.C. has made enough progress that his doctors allow him to receive outpatient therapy.
He gets to go home, although he is not likely back to work yet.
It was disappointing that, during T.C.’s rehab, few appearances were made by Shammy, last seen on Magnum P.I. Season 5 Episode 11.
If anyone could understand what T.C. was going through, it was Shammy.
Sure, Shammy was keeping Island Hoppers afloat. But indeed, he’d have time to visit T.C.
Shammy could have been an inspirational example to T.C. But instead, it was T.C.’s players cheering him on as he made that crucial trip across the bars. That was pretty heartwarming.
Unwilling to accept anyone’s help, T.C. shut out everyone around him early in his rehabilitation when his progress was slow.
T.C.’s friends were understanding and gave him room.
His mother, Verna, flew in once she heard from North Carolina, ignoring his objections after she arrived.
But his firefighter girlfriend Mahina didn’t have to accept his behavior. She wanted to be there for him during this challenging time, and he appeared to be shutting her out.
He called and invited Magnum to visit. He couldn’t do the same for supposedly the most important person in his life?
T.C.’s friends had each other for support. Shammy had the business to run. Kumu was there for Cade.
But T.C. and Mahina’s relationship is relatively new, and she hasn’t been fully integrated into his circle of friends and family.
She had no one to support her. So, Mahina’s right to be angry or at least very frustrated with him.
Then again, T.C. is amidst what is arguably the worst experience of his life, so she has to give him a whole lot of latitude. Walking away from a man fighting to return from paralysis wouldn’t be a good look.
Likewise, it’s probably not take much for T.C. to win her back. He needs to talk from the heart and explain what he’s been going through. But talking about his feelings has never been his strong suit.
Check out a preview of Wednesday’s episode below, and then come back for a review on Wednesday.
Are you looking forward to Thomas and Rick teaming up on an investigation?
Any thoughts about what Juliet is up to?
Will T.C. mend his relationship with Mahina?
Comment below.
Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.