My magnum opus on Magnum, P.I.
05/10/2016
Other tweaks that we see in season 3 include a very subtle change to the opening music, finally making it the theme that we all know and love and the introduction of a comma, making the official program title now Magnum, PI.
The ante has unmistakably been upped in season three and the first few episodes each have a very different and much stronger story, which makes a welcome change from the formulaic Magnum acts like a spoilt brat → argues with Higgins despite being at fault → Magnum helps a hot woman out of sympathy → his friends reluctantly help out → Rick obtains essential insider info from Ice Pick → Magnum flirts → everyone shouts at each other → utterly irrational decisions are made → by some miracle everything ends happily.
The new, high standard continues with Flashback (S3, E6) where the majority of the episode unfolds as a dream that Magnum has…and this was four years before Dallas set the entire ninth series inside Pam Ewing’s twisted subconscious. Magnum has a weird dream where he’s investigating a murder in Hawaii in 1936 and to be perfectly honest, the concept is carried off faultlessly. It’s great fun to watch. Every major character is explored a little but more in season three, including Higgins. Foiled Again (S3, E7) dives into a little of the sergeant major’s childhood when he’s arrested for the murder of an old school bully. Despite protests from Higgins, Magnum persists in helping him to the extent that you even start to forgive him for acting like a spoiled brat most of the time.
Vietnam isn’t the only war to be addressed in Magnum. Being set in Hawaii, there are obviously links to World War II, particularly the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. One episode that’s pretty much guaranteed to make your top lip quiver just a little bit is Almost Home (S3, E10). Season three continues the momentum of unconventional and entertaining episodes, from an off-beat masquerade ball to the traditions of Japanese Samurai to a pint-sized basketball prodigy to the elimination of Merlin the attack parrot by way of spinning helicopter rotor blade. Each episode is very different and thankfully a far cry from the repetitive, run-of-the-mill storylines that were coming out of season two. A few interesting guest stars include Dana Hill, who played Audrey in European Vacation, Sylvia “Hahaha, they blew up Congress” Sidney was a favourite of Tim Burton’s and appeared in Beetlejuice and Mars Attacks! and Jacqueline Ray (nee Selleck) – the ex Mrs Tom Selleck of some 11 years – even pops up, playing a total bitch incidentally, but also giving the viewer some insight into the sort of woman that could tame the devilishly handsome, Detroit-born bad boy. Although they had already divorced by the time this particular episode, Birdman of Budapest (S3, E15) had aired.
Season three also contains what is considered by many to be the worst episode of Magnum, although to be fair, it’s still not as bad as The Ugliest Dog in Hawaii (S1, E7). Dear God, that screaming old man was enough to drive you insane. This particular episode, Two Birds of a Feather (S3, E19) was used as a “backdoor pilot” for a potential new TV series about treasure hunter and ace combat pilot Sam Hunter and his family. However, the series failed to attract any interest and Donald P. Bellisario took the bare bones of the concept and eventually developed it into Airwolf. Aside from a Vietnam flashback at the beginning, Rick and TC aren’t even in this episode and Magnum’s total screen time can’t be more than a few minutes. Still not as bad as that infuriating, screeching old man.
The last few episodes of the season are an amusing mix of murder-mystery meets the Marx Brothers. Robin Masters makes a rare on-screen “appearance” in The Big Blow (S3, E21) albeit he’s seen only from the neck down. Both this episode and J “Digger” Doyle (S1, E16) proves that Higgins is not Robin Masters – something that’s hinted at in later episodes – as Robin appears in person at the same time Higgins is around. However, it doesn’t necessarily prove that Robin is the one who writes the novels and owns the estate. Higgins could easily have hired someone to perform this role, making appearances and taking the credit for writing the novels. It is possible that Higgins ghost writes the novels, pockets most of the money and lives the kind of life he wants to live, in anonymity on Oahu.
It might not be a cliffhanger, but the season three finalé Faith and Begorrah (S3, E22) is fantastic. Once again John Hillerman entertains us with the portrayal of another Higgins half-brother; so in addition to Texas cowboy Elmo Ziller, seen in The Elmo Ziller Story (S2, E20) we are now introduced to whisky-swilling Father Paddy McGuiness. The eagle-eyed amongst you might also spot Donald P Bellisario, the show’s creator, making a cameo appearance as a degenerate desk clerk of a squalid motel, studying the centrefold of fictional men’s mag Playpen, drinking beer and stuffing his face with a KFC.
Season four
Finally, it’s here; season four starts strong straight away with what is widely regarded as the single best ever episode, Home From the Sea. Without giving too much away, it reaffirms beyond any doubt the strong bond that now exists between Magnum, Higgins, TC and Rick. Robert Pine – probably best known for his role in CHiPs and being the father of Kelvin Timeline Captain Kirk, Chris Pine – plays Magnum’s father in this episode, a Navy pilot soon to be shipped out to fight the Korean war. Both Tom Selleck and Donald P Bellisario have remarked that this is their favorite episode.
The next episode is another memorable one and falls into the either-love-it-or-hate-it category. The oddly titled Luther Gillis: File #521 (S4, E2) introduces us to the fast-talking, 50s-style, trilby-wearing, shoot-from-the-hip gumshoe private detective Luther Gillis, who will ultimately appear in four more episodes. The following two episodes are both very Rick-centric, the first Smaller Than Life (S4, E3) is a little like something out of Time Bandits and the second, Distant Relative (S4, E4) Rick goes all Rambo after his sister is murdered and demonstrates he is possibly the worst aim of any Huey door gunner the world. There is however, a quite emotional scene between Higgins and Magnum, which will almost certainly put a lump in your throat. The relationship between Magnum and Higgins continues to strengthen in Letter to a Duchess (S4, E6) and not only is this one of the most appealing, ongoing story elements of the show, but also testament to the fact that the series has matured. When the love interest of Higgins throws herself at Magnum, he actually behaves responsibly, not like Tropical Madness (S2, E6) when he actually cops off with the romantic interest of poor Higgins.
We get another TC-centered story in A Sense of Debt (S4, E8) in which Higgins and TC bond a little more. We also hear more about an incident in the Vietnam War when TC is pulled from a crashed chopper, although it’s not clear if this is the same incident mentioned in Thicker Than Blood (S1, E11) plus a very young Shannen Doherty makes an early-career appearance in this episode. In my personal opinion, the bonding between TC and Higgins is almost as entertaining and second only to the relationship between Magnum and Higgins and this season contains some great examples. Operation: Silent Night (S4, E10) is another wonderful episode and sees our quirky quartet stranded on a remote island used for Navy target practice on Christmas Eve. Both Larry Manetti and Roger E Mosley have said that this is their favorite Magnum, PI episode and aside from some sentimental seasonal bonding, we get to watch Higgins make a sailboat out of the fuselage of an old WWII Japanese reconnaissance plane in a Flight of the Phoenix-style subplot. Rick even references the movie.
The theatrical antics associated with anything Robin Masters continues in The Case of the Red Faced Thespian (S4, E12). Only hours before a lavish Great Gatsby-themed costume ball to be held at Robin’s Nest begins and in a serious case of over-acting Higgins is struck on the head with a stray croquet ball, believes himself to be a thespian actor and finds himself the prime suspect in the murder of one of the guests. You can’t help but wonder if perhaps Donald P. Bellisario saw a little of Robin Masters in himself. Notable guest include Ronald Lacey, the memorable melting-face Nazi from Raiders of the Lost Ark, June Chadwick, a British actress who was in the original series of V and Laurette Spang, who you might recognize from the 70s Battlestar Galactica. Lacey actually plays a character called Lowell Xavier Jameson (aka “Archer Hayes”) who was the original majordomo of the estate, fired by Robin Masters and replaced with Higgins.
Surprisingly soon, we get another TC-centric story with Paradise Blues (S4, E15) that has some great Vietnam flashbacks and a quite unexpected, quite dark conclusion. On Face Value (S4, E19) is both interesting and infuriating, like oh-so-many episodes. Firstly the reoccurring character Carol Baldwin, an assistant district attorney, is the only one who can manipulate Magnum as much as he manages to do to other people and in fact she happily mentions this just a few episodes earlier in No More Mr Nice Guy (S4, E13). Carol enlists Magnum’s help in a “simple surveillance job” although how the bloody blazes Magnum ever survived three tours of duty in Vietnam is difficult to comprehend. Navy SEALs specialize in covert warfare, just watch Act of Valor. Camouflage, stealth…the art of concealment. So what does our simpleminded sleuth do? He stands, upright, next to the bright red Ferrari, parked on an open road and clearly visible to anyone below, actually in the private grounds he’s meant to be observing. It’s no surprise then he gets spotted, his casual approach aggrandized further as the sun reflects off his camera lens. What a tool. Or, maybe it’s lazy writing.
