Filming outside of Hawaii or away from the estate...

[lutherhgillis]

Did you enjoy the episodes that were fimed outside of Hawaii ala Deja Vue or LA? Also, what about the Hawaii episodes filmed off the estate like Paniolo or Hotel Dick?

Let me hear you sing, Bub. I wonder why the big guy never visited St Louie?

[IKnowWhatYoureThinking]

Looks like we voted the same way Luther. The estate was one of many elements that made the show what it was.

[Jay-Firestorm]

I prefer episodes featuring the Estate, although I am a fan of 'Deja Vu' as it was filmed here in the United Kingdom.

[SelleckLover]

I enjoyed each and every episode as long as TS was in it. The ones without TS...not so much!

[Doc Ibold]

I enjoyed each and every episode as long as TS was in it. The ones without TS...not so much!

SL,

Maybe I'm misinterpreting something here.... but TS was in every episode of Magnum. Ooooooh wait! Now I get it!

[IKnowWhatYoureThinking]

Thinking of it... Wouldn't it have been weird to have a Magnum episode without Magnum in it? What do you guys think some possible storylines would've been? Magnum doing his 4th of July thing, and the script focusing on Higgins and the Estate?

[lutherhgillis]

I think IKNOW... has brought up a very good question. What about an episode without TS? I do not think it would have worked. Also, I do not think the episodes without including most if not all of the characters worked well (Going Home and Solo FLight). I believe the interactions of the friends made the show work.

I will get pummeled for this but here goes... I do not think TS is one of the best actors around. He was good but not great. He did so well on MPI because the show was set up for him to play off of some really good and equally flawed characters.

Thoughts?

[golfmobile]

luther,

I think TS became a better actor as the show progressed and the years advanced. By the end of the run, I think he was pretty darned good -- and when you add in his other accomplishments in his total body of work including serious movies such as "An Innocent Man," "Quigley Down Under," and now the Jesse Stone movies, I think his acting is just fine if not superior. I'll grant you a little inexperience early in the show, but that could be forgiven because, as YOU pointed out, the other aspects of the show that made it "complete." (Heck, if one could forgive Larry Manetti's bad acting for all eight years, one should be able to cut TS a little slack early on!)

JMO

golf

[IKnowWhatYoureThinking]

Golf, I too believe TS has become a better actor as the years have gone on, and you can see his maturity as an actor in Magnum.

[golfmobile]

But back to the question for a minute:

I liked the ones away from the estate. To me it showed that the characters are still "who" they are regardless of "where" they are. The only sequence/storyline I really didn't like was the one where T.C. was in Morocco or wherever it was when he was trying to get to the U.K. in "Deja Vu." That was just too "jump the shark" for me. But except for that, the guys acted just like they would "at home" when they were far away. That worked for me.

golf

[VM02]

Holmes is where the Heart is seems like a non TS episode, and I for one am surprised there wasn't a few more of these types with minimal TS appearance, if only to give the man a break.

I found Holmes to be enjoyable, and occasional episodes very heavy on Rick, TC, or Higgins would have been OK by me.

[lutherhgillis]

Golf, I also enjoyed Deja Vu except for the overt psychic mumbo jumbo and the bed hopping. The part where TC was stuck in Morrocco was not enjoyable for me either. It was a very effective red herring however. I was sure this fit with the story line somehow when I originally watched but it did not.

I agree the characters remained who they are even outside of Hawaii and the estate but I think they were less enjoyable outside of Hawaii or off the estate (Hotel Dick, LA, Going Home). JMHO

VM02, I also enjoyed Holmes even thought TS did not get very much screen time. But hey, John Hillerman and Patrick McNee are able to carry an episode very well!

Thanks for your comments.

[lutherhgillis]

TS is definitely a very good actor and he improved during the MPI series. He is just not one of the great ones... That is all I was trying to say.

However, I may just contradict myself by saying that sometimes the best actors get typecast because they do such a good job playing a character that they are inextricable from that role. TS is certainly forever tied to the role of Thomas Sullivan Magnum III.

Well, is TS one of the great ones...?

[Steve]

Well, is TS one of the great ones...?

Great question.......There is no doubt that he was channeling some kind of force in Magnum and sure did make the character his. In my opinion he truly came into his own when he became a Producer as well as an Actor. The two minute scene in Death and Taxes when he is searching for the next victim, with "Momma" playing and he doesn't need to utter a single word showed his depth as an Actor, Producer and I suspect, even an editor. Obviously, if he has a character like Magnum or Jesse Stone that he can really sink his teeth into, get to know and grow into the character and also produce, he is in the top tier (IMHO)