Join Neil on his celebration of 80s Hawaii-set detective show Magnum P.I.
It approaches as the morning sun silhouettes it with a heavenly glow.
Hes twenty-five years older, but could still kick all our asses.
He coolly removes his aviator glasses, slyly raises both eyebrows, and grins sarcastically.
TheMagnum P.I.theme charges in as:
TITLE CARD: SUMMER, 2013
Boom!
Can you picture that?
But bear with me because putting it on paper does serve a purpose.
One of my guilty pleasures has always beenMagnum P.I.
Join me as I look back on the best eight years of Thomas Sullivan Magnum IVs life.
- His other best friend Theodore Calvin, aka T.C., owns a helicopter.
Well, three out of four isnt bad.
Aside from that last point, life is pretty good for Magnum.
In it we meet Magnum a year after his resignation from Naval Intelligence.
Thats really not the case here.
As it turns out, CBS agreed and immediately ordered twenty two episodes.
What I think is most often overlooked about the programme is that it really operates on several different levels.
Magnum and Higgins constantly bicker.
Magnum mooches off Rick and T.C.
for favours in solving cases.
Magnum, Rick, and T.C.
are all Vietnam vets.
Who is Robin Masters?
Is he an unseen presence who conveniently sounds like Orson Welles?
Or is he really Higgins all along?
Its really the intertwining relationships that are first, then the mystery second.
Zeus, Apollo, Patrol!
If you ever hear that yelled at you it can only mean one thing: Higgins!
As I mentioned before, Magnum and Higgins bicker….a lot.
Its this interplay that lends itself to some of the best moments on the show.
Favours are never done willingly between the two.
If they are done at all, it usually comes with ultimatums.
Magnum usually wants access to the usual: tennis courts, the wine cellar, Robins camera, etc.
Higgins always wants to take them away.
Veterans
All this talk of war leads me to my next point.
The fact that Magnum, Rick, and T.C.
were five years out of Vietnam was and still is an inspired choice.
Remember that Team Ring Magnum, Rick, and T.C.
Yeah I know you do.
The backdrop of Vietnam shows the three as real people and, for that matter, a little damaged.
Magnum is caught up investigating the apparent suicide of a movie starlet.
However, what is pretty awesome about it are the unrelated intercuts of Magnum and T.C.
going in and out of Vietnam within their heads.
The mystery is solved!
All is right with the world.
are relaxing on the beach playing volleyball.
Magnum casually asks T.C.
if he still thinks about the war.
laughs it off with a quick No, never, how about you?
Magnum pats him on the shoulder and says Who me?
One of the most superb episodes of the entire series is fan favouriteDid You See the Sunrise?
(episodes 3.1;3.2).
Also, if you irritate him enough, Magnum will take you down in cold blood.
Nothing exemplifies this more than the final moments of the whole shebang.
You would be too if Ivan had hypnotized T.C.
to attempt to kill a visiting Japanese dignitary.
and shot him at point blank range.
What makes it all come full circle though is that Did you see the Sunrise?
was the last thing Mac yelled out to Thomas right before the car bomb went off.
So, its this eerily poetic and revenge-filled moment that resonates with this nerd…uh, fan.
Ill leave you to ponder that scene and its meaning solemnly by yourself on You Tube.
One week could be intense drama and the next broad comedy.
How about Ricks sauna loving underworld contact Icepick?
Even Jessica Fletcher from Murder She Wrote showed up.
If not, then you have an eight season DVD set with your name on it.
Oh and Magnum …never mind.
There are just too many nuggets of quality in this one for me to spill the beans here.
Lets just say many loose ends are tied up, while a few tantalizing mysteries (i.e.
Robin Masters) are left to be just that…mysteries.
On that note, I find myself reflecting on that long ago reunion trailer in my head.
Whether a proper real reunion ever gets made I guess doesnt matter.
Under the 80s sheen is a character that people identify with.
Hes not superhuman like Indiana Jones, James Bond, or Batman.
Hes Thomas Magnum, a beach bum who is a lot like us.
He has close buddies, likes beer, chili dogs, and the beach.
Hes gone through hell, but after eight years grew and became a better person.
