Warning: spoilers ahead for Episode 15 of Magnum P.I. Season 5, called "The Retrieval."
Only five episodes of Magnum P.I. are left in the 2023 TV schedule after the events of "The Retrieval," which means that it's time to look at every plot twist as something that will need to pay off before the end of the season or never be paid off at all. While it seems safe to say that Jin's hijinks with T.C. and his former partner in crime aren't going to have lasting repercussions for the series finale, Magnum and Higgins had another conversation about kids this week that I think fans need to take very seriously. Time is running out, after all!
It was no surprise that kids were on Magnum and Higgins' minds in this episode, as their search for a missing person led to a search for stolen embryos that represented families' final hopes for a biological child. They even went undercover as a married couple pretending to be considering parenthood to gain access to a clinic's computer. This led to a discussion about really having kids together, and they've seemingly moved on from considering starting a family to planning on it.
The origin of their serious conversation was actually played more for laughs than anything else, with Higgins telling the family planner that she intended strict discipline for her children, while Magnum was planning on being more lenient and easygoing. While they were technically playing undercover characters, he checked in with her after to see if she was serious, prompting her to remind him that she's English and went to boarding school. They revisited the topic later, debating boarding school vs. public school, and Magnum cracked a joke about wanting five kids... but she's only slotted for the first two.
Higgins didn't find it quite as funny as I did from Jay Hernandez's delivery, and they finally were both serious at the end of "The Retrieval" to address their approaches to potential parenthood. She noted that they had "wildly different" thoughts on raising kids, and love isn't always enough. Magnum responded:
We have plenty of time to sweat the big stuff, and there's no one I'd rather sweat it with than you... Couples have disagreements all the time. We've been butting heads since the day we met, and we've gotten really good at it. If you ask me, I think we're ahead of the curve. I like our odds.
First of all, can I just say that Thomas Magnum has been crushing it with his mature speeches to Higgins in Season 5B? Of course, they don't actually have "plenty of time to sweat the big stuff" on screen considering that only a handful of episodes are left, and they started joking about her piano teacher right after the speech, so those conversations about actively trying for a baby aren't happening just yet. Still, the show set up that the two aren't kidding around when it comes to starting a family.
And I think we really need to take this seriously as viewers running out of episodes for two reasons. First, the fall premiere of Season 5 (available streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription now) involved a pregnancy scare that led to the first "I love you" exchange and the pair actually putting some thought into having kids. Second, showrunner Eric Guggenheim shared that he thinks the Season 5 finale is "quite satisfying" and he "didn't want to end on a cliffhanger" but rather "wanted to play it safe."
For me, those two factors point toward a baby bombshell of some kind in the last episode. Whether that would be as simple as the good ship Miggy deciding to start trying for a baby or as big as a reveal that Higgins is pregnant, I really think that the show has set this story up to be paid off before the end of the season. I know I'm taking it seriously, and I think my fellow fans should as well! I still want to know who Jay Hernandez was referring to when he previewed a character who will cause Magnum problems, though.
For now, there are still five episodes left unless Magnum P.I. is miraculously rescued for the second time, and you can find them on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC. I'd still love for the network or another platform to order at least another four installments so that the show could hit the 100-episode milestone, but I'll settle for a solid ending with the Season 5 finale at this point!
