Mugnum, Higgins and T.C.'s attempt to talk their way out of a spot of bother with Immigration encounters a problem when armed gunmen take over the Federal building.
Tropes:
- Call-Back: Magnum and co. are trying to talk their way out of trouble caused by their attempts at a Citizenship Marriage near the end of the last season.
- Commitment Issues: Higgins attempts to explain the various engagements she'd been involved in.
- Cut Phone Lines: Played With. When Magnum realises something's up and tries to call for help, he realises the hostage takers are using cell jammers. However, once they reach an empty office the gang are able to use landlines.
- "Die Hard" on an X: Die Hard in a Federal building!
- Elevator Failure: The gang's first hint of something wrong as they try to leave the Federal building.
- Foreshadowing: When Higgins comments that one hostage taker looks quite a lot like Magnum, you know how the situation's getting resolved.
- Mugged for Disguise: Magnum gets the drop on the lead hostage taker by clobbering one of his guys and taking his clothes (including a mask).
- Separated by a Common Language: There's some disagreement on whether a homwmade knife is called a "shiv" (UK) or "shank (US).
- Ship Tease: When Higgins shouts at Magnum that he has no good plan, just like his idea about her visa, he retorts that there wouldn't be a problem if she'd just married him.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Turns out if a woman faced with deportation files engagement paperwork with two different men, only to marry neither of them once another option for staying in the country appears, that will be considered suspicious.
- Taking the Heat: Higgins and T.C. accuse Magnum of causing the episode's problems (with Immigration, not the gunmen) by trying to find ways around consequences instead of facing them; his plan to fake-marry Higgins to prevent her from being deported has led to their being investigated by Immigration, which they're now trying to talk their way out of, again on his say-so. At the end, he confesses to the Immigration agent, claiming it was all his idea. As they've just saved his and his colleagues' lives, he lets him off with a warning.
- Two-Timing with the Bestie: The gang's explanation for Higgins being initially engaged to Magnum, then switching to T.C. is that the two of them were going behind Magnum's back before coming clean. T.C. then claims to have rethought the relationship after considering that Higgins cheated on Magnum and may cheat on him. This explanation was apparently Magnum's idea.
- Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters: The hostage takers want a man who revealed classified information and was recently taken by the CIA to be released to a non-extradition country, believing him to be a patriot and not a traitor. The lead hostage taker being the man's brother probably helped with that decision.
