Season 1 Episode 6: Death Is Only Temporary (1.6)

[sandbiscuits]

Is it me, or Victor in the beginning of the episode in Moscow, really looks like Cork Hubberts's (Waldo Norris in S04E03 Smaller Than Life) son?

Looks more like Tim Allen to me.

Good call!

[f14peter]

Quick question - did the mission in Moscow at the beginning really happen or was that the story that Shiggins was reading to the kids?

Absolutely the Moscow scene was a depiction of the book Higgins was reading. The actual transition from the depiction to reality was when Higgins dropped out of reading and expressed her disbelief about how Magnum grabbed the villain's pistol and got off four kill shots so quickly and without hitting Rick and/or TC.

One could argue that despite it being a novel written by the host to the children's field trip, a military/spy thriller where characters are facing torture/execution threats may or may not be appropriate subject matter for the age group Higgins was reading to.

[T.Q.]

My first episode that I didn’t even watch 5 minutes.

I’m now officially in the “Refuse to Watch” camp.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Quick question - did the mission in Moscow at the beginning really happen or was that the story that Shiggins was reading to the kids?

Absolutely the Moscow scene was a depiction of the book Higgins was reading. The actual transition from the depiction to reality was when Higgins dropped out of reading and expressed her disbelief about how Magnum grabbed the villain's pistol and got off four kill shots so quickly and without hitting Rick and/or TC.

One could argue that despite it being a novel written by the host to the children's field trip, a military/spy thriller where characters are facing torture/execution threats may or may not be appropriate subject matter for the age group Higgins was reading to.

Thanks! I guess I wasn't paying very close attention to the transition between the Moscow stuff and Shiggins reading to the kids. It wasn't until later that I got the thought that maybe this was something out of the Robin Masters novel and not something that really happened. I do remember as soon as the Moscow scene opened thinking what the heck is MiniMag doing in Moscow?

[Amian]

My first episode that I didn’t even watch 5 minutes.

I’m now officially in the “Refuse to Watch” camp.

This camp seems to be growing, based on the ratings reports in another thread.

As I was looking at the grades for this and other reboot episodes, I started to think about how the scores for the reboot are being made in a qualitatively different way. All the original episodes are being graded many years after they originally aired, so presumably many people had already seen a particular episode before. Or they were familiar with the general arc of the show and how things fit together. In other words, most members had a better basis for evaluating any given episode. For the reboot, scores could conceivably change as time goes on... sort of like grading on a curve.

I also wonder whether people are grading the reboot in comparison to the original or to other reboot episodes... or is there some platonic ideal of a television episode?

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

I think it's interesting how different the opinions are for this episode. A few thought it was horrible and that they're done with the show while others suggested this one was the best so far. Did we ever have such varied opinions on the old show?

So far I have seen every episode of the new series (though I keep wondering why - maybe because there's not much to do on a Monday night) and honestly I couldn't even begin to tell you which one I liked the most and which I liked the least. There isn't one I totally hated and there isn't one that I loved (or even liked) either. The whole thing is just so vanilla plain that nothing really sticks out. It's funny but all I can think of is "the one with Carl Weathers", "the one with Ben Vereen", "the one with Cyndi Lauper" (lol, just like FRIENDS episodes) but I can't remember a damn thing about the plots in those episodes. It's so weird because when I watch classic MPI (even new episodes that I haven't seen - I'm still fairly new to the show) I don't immediately forget the episode after seeing it like with the new show. The episode sticks in my mind (even if it's average) and I know exactly what I think of the episode and how I would rate it. But I've no such luck with the new show. It could also be that I pay closer to attention to the old show than I do when watching the new show. I'm just not really into modern shows. But somehow 80s shows are more appealing to me, especially MPI which I have really come to love!

[Steve]

I guess I will still be in the minority but I found this episode very good, especially the touching side story wherein Rick and T.C. encounter a disabled veteran and......well, I don't want to give anything away............

Well there you go..... You may have just nailed it Peter, the OG was major league baseball while the reboot is sandlot baseball...but.......It is still baseball and I love it in any form......

[eagle]

My first episode that I didn’t even watch 5 minutes.

I’m now officially in the “Refuse to Watch” camp.

The first 5 minutes were the worst but it did get better. I finished the episode thinking it to be the best so far. I still wonder why I'm watching. I watched these recent 2 eps for variety while I was sick, but don't see continuing that. I have a lot to do, especially after this illness, and more TV doesn't help get things done.

So far I have seen every episode of the new series (though I keep wondering why - maybe because there's not much to do on a Monday night) and honestly I couldn't even begin to tell you which one I liked the most and which I liked the least. There isn't one I totally hated and there isn't one that I loved (or even liked) either. The whole thing is just so vanilla plain that nothing really sticks out. It's funny but all I can think of is "the one with Carl Weathers", "the one with Ben Vereen", "the one with Cyndi Lauper" (lol, just like FRIENDS episodes) but I can't remember a damn thing about the plots in those episodes. It's so weird because when I watch classic MPI (even new episodes that I haven't seen - I'm still fairly new to the show) I don't immediately forget the episode after seeing it like with the new show. The episode sticks in my mind (even if it's average) and I know exactly what I think of the episode and how I would rate it. But I've no such luck with the new show. It could also be that I pay closer to attention to the old show than I do when watching the new show. I'm just not really into modern shows. But somehow 80s shows are more appealing to me, especially MPI which I have really come to love!

The bolded part. I can't remember one ep from the new series. I remember individual scenes, but the episodes themselves are not memorable.

I've been super sick for the last 6 days, and I've watched 2 episodes of the new show (last week's and this week's), and 5 episodes of the original show.

The original show is immensely better written and acted.

Most of the original stories involve all 4 characters (and the Ferrari and the estate and the club, and often the chopper) in a single plot. In fact, most TV shows in general involve all main characters in a single main plot. We have yet to see this in the new series. The closest we got was this episode, where Rick & TC had a subplot (a good one), and Magnum & Higgins had a subplot (a good one), but there was no overall plot.

As I said, I thought the start of the episode was terrible. I do not want a terrorist/spy show, and that's how this one started. I was about to cut it off, but then Juliet broke her reading. I guess this is the new show's version of flashbacks, but I don't care for them.

In my current viewing of the original series, I'm in season 2, and the other day I watched "Computer Date." In that episode, Magnum has a subplot with Higgins and a subplot with Rick & TC, and Rick & TC have some, though not substantial, interaction with Higgins. That's the closest thing I can recall to something like the new series (that is, not all characters involved in a single plot), but in the new series I still wonder why Rick & TC are characters.

I sure hope they start writing episodes that involve all 4 characters, but as Higgins has seemingly replaced both Rick as Magnum's source of information and TC as Magnum's backup muscle, I just don't understand the reason for them as characters.

Edited to add:

The writing in the new show. UGH. It's terrible.

Another thing that stands out as I watch both shows side by side: the voiceovers. In the original, they were useful, and they added to the story. In the most recent episode, we got one useful voiceover, but Magnum didn't even need to say it. We all got it without him saying it.

The new show feels poorly executed. It's unfortunate, because it could have been so much more.

[NitroNick50]

The Guardian of Forever????????

At about the 18 minute mark, the sculpture behind Higgins sure looks a lot like the Guardian of Forever, from the Star Trek universe.

Anyone else notice this?

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

My first episode that I didn’t even watch 5 minutes.

I’m now officially in the “Refuse to Watch” camp.

The first 5 minutes were the worst but it did get better. I finished the episode thinking it to be the best so far. I still wonder why I'm watching. I watched these recent 2 eps for variety while I was sick, but don't see continuing that. I have a lot to do, especially after this illness, and more TV doesn't help get things done.

So far I have seen every episode of the new series (though I keep wondering why - maybe because there's not much to do on a Monday night) and honestly I couldn't even begin to tell you which one I liked the most and which I liked the least. There isn't one I totally hated and there isn't one that I loved (or even liked) either. The whole thing is just so vanilla plain that nothing really sticks out. It's funny but all I can think of is "the one with Carl Weathers", "the one with Ben Vereen", "the one with Cyndi Lauper" (lol, just like FRIENDS episodes) but I can't remember a damn thing about the plots in those episodes. It's so weird because when I watch classic MPI (even new episodes that I haven't seen - I'm still fairly new to the show) I don't immediately forget the episode after seeing it like with the new show. The episode sticks in my mind (even if it's average) and I know exactly what I think of the episode and how I would rate it. But I've no such luck with the new show. It could also be that I pay closer to attention to the old show than I do when watching the new show. I'm just not really into modern shows. But somehow 80s shows are more appealing to me, especially MPI which I have really come to love!

The bolded part. I can't remember one ep from the new series. I remember individual scenes, but the episodes themselves are not memorable.

I've been super sick for the last 6 days, and I've watched 2 episodes of the new show (last week's and this week's), and 5 episodes of the original show.

The original show is immensely better written and acted.

Most of the original stories involve all 4 characters (and the Ferrari and the estate and the club, and often the chopper) in a single plot. In fact, most TV shows in general involve all main characters in a single main plot. We have yet to see this in the new series. The closest we got was this episode, where Rick & TC had a subplot (a good one), and Magnum & Higgins had a subplot (a good one), but there was no overall plot.

As I said, I thought the start of the episode was terrible. I do not want a terrorist/spy show, and that's how this one started. I was about to cut it off, but then Juliet broke her reading. I guess this is the new show's version of flashbacks, but I don't care for them.

In my current viewing of the original series, I'm in season 2, and the other day I watched "Computer Date." In that episode, Magnum has a subplot with Higgins and a subplot with Rick & TC, and Rick & TC have some, though not substantial, interaction with Higgins. That's the closest thing I can recall to something like the new series (that is, not all characters involved in a single plot), but in the new series I still wonder why Rick & TC are characters.

I sure hope they start writing episodes that involve all 4 characters, but as Higgins has seemingly replaced both Rick as Magnum's source of information and TC as Magnum's backup muscle, I just don't understand the reason for them as characters.

Edited to add:

The writing in the new show. UGH. It's terrible.

Another thing that stands out as I watch both shows side by side: the voiceovers. In the original, they were useful, and they added to the story. In the most recent episode, we got one useful voiceover, but Magnum didn't even need to say it. We all got it without him saying it.

The new show feels poorly executed. It's unfortunate, because it could have been so much more.

Like you, I can't remember the main plots of these episodes, much less any of the subplots with MiniMag and Shiggins. Compare this to the original series where often the subplot was even more memorable than the main plot. Who can forget the Kudu buck in "Dead Man's Channel"? Definitely the main draw of that episode for me! There's absolutely nothing like that in the new show.

[Majordomo]

This episode is my favorite so far. I think the actors are slowly starting to find their niche.

I think the wheelchair guy will be a recurring role.

I am really enjoying some of the guest stars that are coming to the show. Ben Vereen was such a treat in this episode.

[LZeitgeist]

Just rewatched this on the DVD, and I have to say that if this episode didn't make you know that you were watching Magnum P.I and liking it, then you are simply purposefully blinding yourself just because they dared to make a new Magnum, P.I.

Best new episode yet. The ONLY thing lacking is an Aloha shirt (but that is coming with the next episode).

(BTW, the forum is still hosed with the 'phpBB Debug' lines of junk at the top of the page. Thank you in advance to whomever can fix it again.)