Magnum Mania!

Bondtoys.de wrote: Styles, you really love your theory, don't you?

While disagreeing on the result with you, I like these possible explanations and stuff.
Very entertaining!

I'm not sure I agree with myself! But there is some plausibility there...

maybe you talk this out with yourself and then come up with a final verdict?

Styles Bitchley wrote:

Seaver41 wrote:Why would Higgins live the life he lives rather than the jet-setting life of Robin? Let's be real, if he has that trashy novel material in his head, you'd see something of it in his real life. the guy is so bottled up it is ridiculous.

The guy knows his role in life and that is to always remain proper and honourable. The jet-setting lifestyle is gauche, but not without its attraction. That's why he scratches that tawdry itch by living vicariously through his novels and the life of Robin Masters. Sure, he may be eccentric, but the world is full of nutty people!

Higgins can't spell the word eccentric, let alone live it. He is so proper, he can't possibly have that alter ego. Not buying it.

Seaver41 wrote:Higgins can't spell the word eccentric, let alone live it. He is so proper, he can't possibly have that alter ego. Not buying it.

Not everyone is what they appear.

If you need evidence that Higgins is NOT Robin Masters, look at the J. Digger Doyle episode:

Higgins is alone at the estate, the red phone rings and Higgins assumes that Robin calls (but Magnum is on the line).

He wouldn't expect that if he would be Robin himself

The theory usually includes the idea that there's somebody travelling the world and pretending to be Robin Masters and in this case he could indeed call Higgins without Higgins expecting his call. So Higgins is the true author of the books and the "real" Robin Masters but that actor is the man everybody in the world knows as Robin.

The theory does make some sense when looking at Higgins' background - hence it's clear that this was an idea added to the series later on. I still like it though

Yeah, but why would Higgins - while being alone - expect "Robin Masters on the red phone and call him that way?

Just because someone else could accidentially use that red phone?

When Higgins is alone and the actor would call the red phone, I would expect Higgins to call him with his real name and not with "Mr. Masters"...

However I agree with you 100% that the Higgins = Robin idea came much later and in the first seasons, the storyboards have been all written with Robin being Higgins and Magnums real boss.

I was playing "Wheel of Magnum" this weekend (basically eenie, meenie, miney, episode) and "The Big Blow" came up the winner.

I think this episode, even more so than "J. Digger Doyle" undermines the "Higgins as Robin" concept. TM had Robin hidden upstairs and shared screen time, shadow obscured of course, but he was standing right next to Mr. Masters in the reveal scene.

Without these two episodes, I think the "Higgins as Robin" mystery is interesting, but there are too many earlier instances to refute it.

Unless of course, there's a darker side to this. That being that our hero is like any other human being and after years at war, physical abuse and head trauma as well as the mental and emotional anguish he's had to deal with, he's beginning to show the early signs of dementia.

This is my theory, which I posted here quite some time ago:

I think the answer is "yes...and no".

Imagine this scenario:

Robin Masters, a real writer, strikes gold with his first novel or maybe first couple of novels, but then hits a slump. He maybe writes a few stinkers, or perhaps, can't seem to write anything at all to completion, and it is beginning to seem like he was a flash in the pan that got lucky.

While discussing his misfortune with Higgins, Higgins offers to help by doing research, reading over his manuscripts and giving suggestions on how to improve, etc.

Robin Masters becomes a success again, and it is primarily due to Higgins' work. Eventually, very little of what Robin Masters churns out is his own work, essentially being ghost-written by Higgins. Higgins, being no fool, makes sure he is getting most of the income from the novels, but sees value in keeping the Robin Masters name and image around, to keep his own name from being associated with the lurid novels, along with the fact that the name recognition of Robin Masters helps publicity and sales.

By the end of the series, Robin may still technically own the estate, but we also know that Higgins has "Power of Attorney" over Masters' affairs, which is a huge step above simply being the "majordomo" of the estate (for example, he can withdraw money, e.g. $300,000 in one episode, from Masters' account without needing his consent).

So maybe, in effect, Higgins gradually becomes Robin Masters for all intents and purposes, in that, he's the one that, by the end of the series, actually writes the novels and calls the shots.

This theory doesn't violate any of the continuity of the series and also allows for Magnum to be right in a sense when he claimed that Higgins was Robin Masters.

Let's just accept the obvious. Higgins is not Robin Masters. Higgins did not say he was Robing Masters. Robin Masters is a real person. Higgins is either his ghostwriter, partner, or even senior partner. Higgins writes the books or at least does the lion's share of the work. He enjoys his lifestyle immensely and finds it quite satisfying to run his estate and entertain his society members of which, you will note, he is treated like one. He certainly doesn't want to be associated directly with those dreadful but very lucrative pieces of fiction he tosses out. He especially doesn't want to have to deal with the kind of fans and such that this kind of rubbish attracts. Robin Masters gets to do that and probably revels in it.

This actually fits pretty well in that, despite owning one of the finest estates in Hawaii, Robin Masters never really comes to stay at his own home. This is because it is Higgins's home (and they probably don't even have that much in common anyway) and it would be awkward having Higgins play the part of a servant in his own home, to his own partner or junior partner.

Robin Masters (certainly an assumed name there) was concerned about the eccentric man that his lifestyle is so dependent upon and decided that the two Dobermans alone were insufficient protection for a single older man living in a remote location surrounded by millions of dollars of goodies. For this reason, he arranged for Magnum (a very dangerous and capable man in Robin Master's eyes) to take up residence there to provide protection for the estate (and primarily for Higgins). Higgins was not fooled at all and was greatly irked by this but either couldn't unilaterally prevent it or didn't want to break cover to do it. Hence, he was very unpleasant to Magnum, hoping, perhaps, he might leave.

Later their relationship changed substantially.

Great first post & welcome.

Welcome aboard! (Nice post too)

Snazster, I like this.

I did notice that Robin Masters can anagram to: As one Brit RSM (RSM being the abbreviation of Regimental Sergeant Major) but I think I may be clutching at straws.

Majordomo wrote:My feeling is that Higgins is not Robin...pretty much for many of the reasons already cited. I do like the inference that Magnum makes saying Robin sound like Orson Wells, lol.

I saw on imdb that Orson Welles was supposed to appear as Robin in the later seasons but died before that could happen. That would have been a cool episode!

I've read every post but I would like to think over these questions:

-Why is Magnum invited for free to dependance by a man he never knows?
-Why does Higgins call "my ferrari","my house","my mail" etc in many episodes?..Magnum considers this one also as a proof that Higgins=Robin M
-Why does Higgins get angry and fear so much when Magnum read his written texts?
-Why Higgins avoids Magnum to send away home at the end of many episodes?..Higgins always invents an excuse as make an inventory and so on..

Well..I think that exists a sureness,that is Higgins knows who Robin Masters is,as it seems he wants to tell him in the room of hospital,when Magnum was in coma...
he could be Higgins,though ,as you have written, there is a proof that is another one in "italian ice".
I think that if not Higgins there is a new pretender...the grandfather of Magnum..(resolutions S 8 ).It's possible that the hidden benefactor is a relative..he has wanted to protect Magnum from afar,He has always had an adventurous life ,so is not impossible that he is a writer also..everything is explained,you think this!