Magnum Mania!

Good discussion, indeed, gents. I didn't mention it in this thread--I don't think--but I would definitely be one of those who dislikes Magnum's re-upping in the USN. "Two steps back", as I call it.

My father was a combat infantryman in Vietnam (1969-70) and he almost never discussed his experiences with any of the family as far as I know and they never asked, because he told me this after my grandfather died, though if I asked questions, dad would talk about it, and always in his low-key, self-effacing way. You'd never know that this man received three Bronze Stars over there. The things he went through definitely had a devastating effect on him. I would even say that it led him on a slow, forty-year march to the grave (he died of throat cancer in 2009; age 61).

Little Garwood wrote:Good discussion, indeed, gents. I didn't mention it in this thread--I don't think--but I would definitely be one of those who dislikes Magnum's re-upping in the USN. "Two steps back", as I call it.

My father was a combat infantryman in Vietnam (1969-70) and he almost never discussed his experiences with any of the family as far as I know and they never asked, because he told me this after my grandfather died, though if I asked questions, dad would talk about it, and always in his low-key, self-effacing way. You'd never know that this man received three Bronze Stars over there. The things he went through definitely had a devastating effect on him. I would even say that it led him on a slow, forty-year march to the grave (he died of throat cancer in 2009; age 61).

wow, a 40 year march to the grave. That's horrible. Thanks for sharing that with us.

btw, here's more evidence that Magnum had a hard time dealing with Michelle's "death" in 'Nam from season 2's "Memories Are Forever":

T.C.: "It took you a long time for you [Magnum] to get over Michelle's death, man, if you ever did. And you just should not go trying to scratch a wound that's beginning to heal, man. You could get infected real bad, real bad".

"Memories Are Forever", by the way, is my favourite "Magnum" episode of all time. I like it even more than the shocking "Did You See The Sunrise". The story of seeing T.M. struggling with Michelle and losing her again in the end is just some of the best inside looks at T.M.'s character of the entire series. And although the ending isn't as shocking as "Did You See The Sunrise", I think "Memories Are Forever" had an ending that packs a deeper emotional punch and is truer to life. It also ends with the writers saying this: "Vietnam is a war that will never end until all the boys come home. And for some, not even then".

Great conversation, enjoying the discussion

Based on my most recent viewings, the worst episodes are IMO as follows:

The Ugliest Dog In Hawaii - Not actually a bad episode, but still my least favourite from the impeccable 1st series.

Mixed Doubles - The young lady Magnum is forced to 'babysit'/ take abuse from here is painfully obnoxious & even Selleck doesn't seem to be enjoying himself; I think he overacts in this one! Only an effectively creepy Henry Gibson saves this episode from the bin.

2 Birds of a Feather - Although OK viewing, this is not a Magnum episode, as I'm sure we all agree.

No More Mr Nice Guy - A promising premise is undercut by the annoying portrayal of Carol; the writers made her so duplicitous here that I can't understand why TM ever agreed to help her again. Luckily her character improves in later episodes, though she remains hit & miss. The plot gets a bit too convoluted here too.

Kiss of the Sabre - The premise of this one is OK I suppose, but the execution is completely misguided, with ill judged humour & style, & a thoroughly annoying guest star/ character as the female writer. I won't blame the actress as it may have been the script or direction which were most to blame.

Deja Vu - The point where the 2 part episodes start to jump the shark. 1 part would've been more than enough for this uncomplicated, needlessly protracted mystery story. I could've done without seeing Higgins' 'Dad' too. Shudder!

Summer School - I found this episode very annoying, with Tate Donovan's brattish nephew of Robin causing much havoc throughout, only for Higgins to bizarrely telling him to visit any time at the end. I found this most out of character/ unbelievable all things considered. It's not like there was any worthwhile redemption for the character.

A Little Bit of Luck... A Little Bit of Grief - This episode where Rick becomes a millionaire was extremely ill judged and was so tediously protracted it felt like a 2 parter! Larry is not really at his best here (though one can hardly blame him). Bruce Forsyth's cameo was the high point!

Who Is Don Luis Higgins... - The nadir of the Higgins 'twin' episodes; pointless, poorly written & generally tiresome.

Paniolo - A very mediocre story; perfectly watchable, but all too bland for a Magnum episode. Long term fans would rightfully expect a higher quality by this stage.

LA - A very lacklustre 2 parter with another ill fitting romantic interest for TM. Meh. Next!

Missing Melody - Along with Mixed Doubles, Kiss of the Sabre & A Little Bit of Luck... this has to be the series at its' very worst. A rock bottom episode which is poorly written, directed & acted; Roger Mosely is terrible here & the characterisations are almost all off, even Higgins'!

Limbo - I strongly disliked the ending of this one, though I might give it another chance. I'd still give it 7/10 overall though. I may remove this after a re-watch; it's just the climax that I found thoroughly unsatisfying/ misjudged.

The Great Hawaiian Adventure Co. - Mediocre with a capital M & really clumsily placed after Unfinished Business. An embarrasment all round really.

Legend of the Lost Art - IMO An extremely tiresome, unpalatably broad (for the series) parody of Raiders. Blah.

I recall A.A.P.I., Transitions, Resolutions 1 & 2, and the series 6 episode about the missile launching dolphins were all a bit ho hum too, but I'll re-watch them before official inclusion on the worst list.

It appears that seasons 6 & 8 are the weakest for me judging by how many of my least favourites appear in each. I couldn't decide on whether to include an episode from series 2 (perhaps The Taking of Dick... deserves the hall of shame?). Even the series 1 episode I picked was a borderline inclusion. Perhaps it just goes to show how consistent those 2 series' were? Actually, Series 3 & 4 too; even the Carol episode I picked as the worst from the latter isn't outright bad, just annoying IMO. Even series 5 holds up better than I remembered.

It's certainly easier to pick the few 'lesser' episodes then it is to choose the best, as there were just so many great episodes!

The only episode that is unwatchable to me is the one with the midget secret agent.

Two Birds of a Feather is, IMO, the absolute worst! Kiss of the Sabre was not far behind. Then I would go with Who is Don Luis Higgins and next would be Deja Vu.

I'm surprised "The Taking of Dick McWilliams" hasn't been mentioned more. The plot holes and guest characters in that really soured me against watching it again.

A bad episode of Magnum is better than 90% of the current crapola on American tv.

Mrs. Higgins wrote:A bad episode of Magnum is better than 90% of the current crapola on American tv.

I agree. There are some episodes I'm less keen on than others, but even those have something good in them. Very often, it's a scene between Thomas and Higgins, or it might just be Thomas wearing my favourite shirt (the pink rugby-type one). There's always something.

Oh absolutely. The Magnum and Higgins scenes really help keep even the weaker episodes from being unbearable.

Bes wrote: the missile launching dolphins

Very keen to see this episode again as I'm very curious, it sounds utterly bizzare and I have no memory of it

Turkey wrote:

Bes wrote: the missile launching dolphins

Very keen to see this episode again as I'm very curious, it sounds utterly bizzare and I have no memory of it

Lol it is a strange concept. I don't hate that episode, but Goldie is definitely annoying to me. That said, I'd be lying if I said I didn't know of people in my age group like her. Imagine if she existed in the internet age.

To make matters worse, I'm pretty sure the dolphin thing was ripped off from a George C. Scott movie called "Day of the Dolphin." Of all the ideas to rip off - you choose the one about dolphin hit men? Really?

marlboro wrote:To make matters worse, I'm pretty sure the dolphin thing was ripped off from a George C. Scott movie called "Day of the Dolphin." Of all the ideas to rip off - you choose the one about dolphin hit men? Really?

Dolphins and Sea Lions have worked with Navy Seals for years. They are especially good at detecting enemy attempts to plant mines in the area of or on our naval vessels.
They can also penetrate enemy harbors and plant mines, at least according to Bodacious Bob down at my friend's VFW, for what thats worth, though Bob once spent his entire vacation one year at Area 51 looking for UFO's.
The Canadians have outstanding sea critter training too.
But I say our dolphins are better trained, heck the ones in Miami even play football.

thechickinthemiddle wrote:

Turkey wrote:

Bes wrote: the missile launching dolphins

Very keen to see this episode again as I'm very curious, it sounds utterly bizzare and I have no memory of it

Lol it is a strange concept. I don't hate that episode, but Goldie is definitely annoying to me. That said, I'd be lying if I said I didn't know of people in my age group like her. Imagine if she existed in the internet age.

Yeah, Goldie can be a bit much

So now that I've seen it again - definitely played out less silly than I expected, but not one of my favs. (Higgins getting stuck into the dictator was cool though)