It was apparent that Robbie was going to come to a bad end.
At least it was a memorable one on Magnum P.I. Season 4 Episode 7.
It's too bad that Rick's Porsche had to go with him.
It's hard to fault Rick for being faithful to his friends/family. He has to be more selective about who those people are. As T.C. pointed out, first Icepick and now Robbie.
Sure, Robbie was there for Rick when they were younger. He took the fall for a crime they did together, and then Rick escaped into the military.
That should have earned Robbie a few nights on Rick's couch when he visited Hawaii, and all he eat could eat and drink at La Mariana.
It doesn't buy Robbie cover from an overly zealous FBI agent and a couple of bloodthirsty Albanians. He should have hopped a freighter a whole lot sooner and disappeared overseas. There are criminal organizations everywhere that could have utilized his skill sets.
Robbie had decades to get straightened out. The fact that he never managed to make something legitimate of himself wasn't Rick's fault.
But instead Robbie played on the debt Rick felt toward him so that the topic of why Robbie was there never came up for an extended period.
This doubt left Rick having to defend Robbie against concern from his partner T.C. Just like Rick, T.C. was going to protect his friend against any threat. And Robbie, or at least the people who were chasing him, were a threat.
Magnum did what Thomas does: stick his nose in where it isn't welcome. He was determined to save Rick from himself.
First, he had to subject himself to abuse from that Ken doll of an FBI agent that Lia used to date (Lia has a type). Fortunately, Jack came through with the bare minimum on Robbie's case, just enough that Magnum couldn't denigrate him to Lia.
Jack also dished some dirt on Lia, who left him without warning. Might the same treatment be facing Thomas in the future?
After Higgins learned that Sloane, the FBI agent leaning on Rick, was in Hawaii on his own dime, Magnum determined that Sloane had gone rogue on an unauthorized pursuit of Robbie.
Sloane was also oblivious to the Albanians tailing him, hoping he would lead them to Robbie.
Rick finally had it out with Robbie, who admitted that he had killed a man he didn't know was a federal agent (not much of a defense).
But in the end, Rick couldn't betray Robbie, even if that would have been his best move. Instead, he got Robbie a fake passport and a boat out of town, even if that escape proved to be a little too late.
Since Rick is dead, does that mean the end of this storyline? Probably not. Rick will be in the Albanians' sites since they fear Robbie may have spilled secrets.
One hilarious moment came when a cheerful Katsumoto was gloating to Lia because Magnum was coming to her for favors, only to have Higgins call him for a favor.
It was great that Juliet and the soon-absent Thomas enlisted Kumu to go undercover at the retirement village after their client's father, a resident there, somehow lost his savings.
Kumu doesn't get out into the action often enough. She blended smoothly into the group of active seniors, pumping them for intel and assessing them for Higgins.
Things got more interesting when they determined that Joseph cleaned out his savings himself, hoping to make a killing in the stock market.
Instead, he got scammed by Ron, the head of the investment group, who made a mint and took all the profits for himself. Then he turned up dead just when Juliet and Kumu went to question him. Any trace of the money he had stolen disappeared as well.
Death is an everyday occurrence at a retirement center. But Higgins' hunch was proven by the autopsy that she convinced Katsumoto to request.
Death by boner pills. What a horrible way to go!
Then came the race to the docks to keep Ron's girlfriend, Betty, from absconding with the loot.
Vicki's interaction with Joseph got Kumu and Juliet thinking about their fathers.
It was too late for Kumu, but at least Higgins could still call up her father and talk with him. Maybe that will be a prelude to him coming to visit.
It was enjoyable to see Kumu developing a friendship with David (played by sitcom veteran Richard Masur), although it likely won't go anywhere.
Magnum and T.C.'s talk about respecting boundaries was interesting. T.C. knows that Rick reacts badly to T.C.'s intrusions into his personal life, but T.C. is there out of friendship.
Likewise, Thomas knows that Juliet has something going on the side.
But she's always been the group's adult, so he's hesitant to step in and ask what's been troubling her lately.
Her undercover Mi-6 assignments will get messy, so it's likely just a matter of time before she needs his help.
To revisit Rick's missteps, watch Magnum P.I. online.
Were you at all surprised that Robbie ended up Porsche pizza?
How will Rick handle his loss?
When will Higgins let in Magnum?
Comment below.