This is a fantastic episode. The powers that be have wisely chosen to bring back not just one but two great leading ladies from previous episodes. We have the insanely funny and loveable Carol Burnett from Rembrandt's Girl all the way back in season four, which may just be my favourite Magnum episode of all.
Then there's the beautiful Shelley Smith, who sadly left us far too early, in August of 2023. She was the perpetually gum-chewing archaeologist to whom Thomas got very close in season six's All Thieves on Deck. It's hinted in this episode that her new character, Melissa Wainwright, has also had a more than purely professional relationship with Thomas, though we never actually catch them in the act.
The plot in itself is very slight and, being honest, doesn't really make much sense. But that doesn't matter. It's all about the character interactions here, which are brilliantly done. I've been pretty critical of seasons seven and eight so far, because I feel they haven't matched the high standards of the preceding seasons. But every once in a while the makers can still offer up outstanding episodes which remind me why I loved this series. This is definitely one of those episodes.
Then there's the beautiful Shelley Smith, who sadly left us far too early, in August of 2023. She was the perpetually gum-chewing archaeologist to whom Thomas got very close in season six's All Thieves on Deck. It's hinted in this episode that her new character, Melissa Wainwright, has also had a more than purely professional relationship with Thomas, though we never actually catch them in the act.
The plot in itself is very slight and, being honest, doesn't really make much sense. But that doesn't matter. It's all about the character interactions here, which are brilliantly done. I've been pretty critical of seasons seven and eight so far, because I feel they haven't matched the high standards of the preceding seasons. But every once in a while the makers can still offer up outstanding episodes which remind me why I loved this series. This is definitely one of those episodes.
