Skin Deep (1.6)

Rate, review & discuss the episodes from the first season

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How Would You Rate This Episode?

10 (Perfect!)
3
3%
9.5 (One of the Best)
7
6%
9.0 (Excellent)
23
21%
8.5 (Very Good)
39
36%
8.0 (Pretty Good)
20
18%
7.5 (Decent)
6
6%
7.0 (Average at Best)
4
4%
6.5 (Not So Good)
5
5%
6.0 (Pretty Bad)
1
1%
5.0 (Just Awful)
1
1%
 
Total votes: 109

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J.J. Walters
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Skin Deep (1.6)

#1 Post by J.J. Walters »

This is the official MM thread for Skin Deep (1.6). All discussions and reviews for this episode should go here. If you wish to rate the episode, please do so with the poll. The avg. score will be the official 'community rating', which will be used on the episode page (updated monthly).

This thread is also linked in the episode page of the Episode Guide.


Original Air Date: 1/15/1981
In an apparent suicide, a beautiful actress is killed by a shotgun blast in a scenario closely resembling a scene from the script of an upcoming film. Magnum is hired by her former producer, who also happens to be her lover, to investigate the case and finds that things are not they appear. Still haunted by nightmares of the Vietnam War, Magnum finds himself reliving it in a deadly hunt on a deserted tropical island.
Last edited by J.J. Walters on Fri Dec 28, 2007 5:05 pm, edited 8 times in total.

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Shermy
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#2 Post by Shermy »

I like the basic setup of this episode, and the idea that Magnum's refusal to help a client somehow led to murder. But it's primarily noteworthy for the flashbacks suffered by both Magnum and T.C. Near the end, Magnum is almost as out of it as T.C. was in "Did You See The Sunrise"!

There's also a really great scene where Magnum asks T.C. if he ever has flashbacks. T.C. immediately recalls one, but says that he never does. Magnum understands and simply says, "That's what I thought."

Overall, an interesting look at the character being developed. It leaves the impression that they could've turned Magnum into a far more troubled vet. Fortunately, they soon found the proper balance, while still allowing Vietnam to be an ever-present memory.

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#3 Post by SelleckLover »

I agree with you Shermy. I think that's why both my husband and I enjoyed the show so much. My husband spent 4 years in Vietnam, and thought the treatment of that subject was realistically portrayed in all the episodes. The fact that it is so difficult to forget all the death and destruction that he witnessed on a daily basis, is something he struggles with to this day. But he still feels proud that he served his country, at a time when being in the military was not very popular. Not only is he my hero, he's your hero too.



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#4 Post by golfmobile »

My husband and I watched this last night, TiVo'ed from the Sleuth Channel. Interestingly, TM is wearing "my" black and purple parrot shirt for the first half of this episode. So there's more confirmation that he wore it at least twice, the other episode of which I haven't been able to determine just yet.

Secondly - and I don't know if this is true on this episode put out on the first season DVD -- but the closing credits music is the OLD theme song, not the MP one. The episode starts with the MP one, so I'm surprised this far into the season they were still using the old song for the closing credits. Is this true on the DVD? And has anyone else noticed this on any other of the first season episodes?

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J.J. Walters
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#5 Post by J.J. Walters »

Wow, I didn't realize the original theme song was used in the closing credits in syndication! I thought it was all the iconic theme song.

In the original run and in the DVDs, the original theme song was used for the opening credits for the first ten episodes, up until Thicker than Blood when the iconic theme song took over. The original theme song was used in the closing credits for the first seven episodes, up until The Ugliest Dog in Hawaii when the iconic theme song kicked in.

So, syndication is now still replacing the opening credits theme song, but leaving the closing credits theme song in place?! Weird.
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eegorr
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#6 Post by eegorr »

James, here is the bit of dialog from this episode that is the reference to Five-O:

Magnum, from TC's copter: Billy, this is McGarrett of Five-O. Was David Norman armed?

Billy: No. He just had a backpack and an orchid lei he wanted to leave in Erin's memory.

It is the most direct reference I remember from any episode. I thought you might want to work it into the page for this episode somehow.

Also, does anyone have any idea who did the voice of Billy, TC's friend and a helicopter pilot for Paradise Found? He has quite a bit of dialog in this episode (voice only) but he is not credited.

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#7 Post by IslandHopper »

eegorr wrote:James, here is the bit of dialog from this episode that is the reference to Five-O:

Magnum, from TC's copter: Billy, this is McGarrett of Five-O. Was David Norman armed?

Billy: No. He just had a backpack and an orchid lei he wanted to leave in Erin's memory.

It is the most direct reference I remember from any episode. I thought you might want to work it into the page for this episode somehow.
There was a reference to Hawaii Five-O and McGarrett in "The Taking of Dick McWilliams" (season 2). When Rick was on the phone with his police contact and he and TC were going through list of possible suspects who were driving the light blue Ford. Rick said something to the effect that one of the names was someone with Five-O and TC asks what's his name, and Rick replies McGarrett.

Another reference I can think of is in "Fragments" (season 5). When TC lands his chopper at the abandoned sugar mill/restaruant, he says that he will contact Five-O.

Although I can't think of all of the references to Hawaii Five-O, I know there are several more that have been mentioned in multiple episodes. That would make a good post: Episodes Of MPI That Have Made Refernce To Hawaii Five-O. How many actors from Hawaii Five-O have appeared on Magnum P.I.? I can think of three: (1) The valet from "Jororo Kill"; (2) The drug boss (Chin Ho Kelly) from "The Last Page": and The Hawaiian boyfriend/boss in "Thank Heaven For Little Girls and Big Ones To." Sorry, I don't remember the names.
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#8 Post by J.J. Walters »

Yeah, lots of Hawaii Five-0 connections in Magnum. McGarrett was also mentioned in the Pilot Movie.
IslandHopper wrote:How many actors from Hawaii Five-O have appeared on Magnum P.I.? I can think of three: (1) The valet from "Jororo Kill"; (2) The drug boss (Chin Ho Kelly) from "The Last Page": and The Hawaiian boyfriend/boss in "Thank Heaven For Little Girls and Big Ones To." Sorry, I don't remember the names.
The crime boss in Thank Heaven was Al Harrington. Other big connections are the Hawaii Five-0 recurring cast members Kam Fong, Herman Wedemeyer, Glenn Cannon (Doc Ibold) and Moe Keale.
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#9 Post by N1095A »

When TC is calling in his mayday, he identifies his himself as Bravo fiver one six. The camera pulls out as he fires a flare, and we see N58243 clearly on the side of the chopper.

Toward the end of the episode after the vollyball game Magnum asks TC if he ever thinks about Nam. Take a look at the scar (prop) on Magnum's shoulder. It looks loose, like it's coming off.

Side note: N58243 is the chopper with the floatation gear and long skids seen in opening credits and early episodes. Since later in the series N1095A is used, N58243 could be the chopper that crashed during this episode's filming killing camera technician Robert Van Der Kar.
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lutherhgillis
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#10 Post by lutherhgillis »

I like the treatment given to Vietnam veterans by this show! Our soldiers were not treated properly by the US upon their return from this unpopular political conflict. MPI always took the high road and gave the vets their due. They did what they had to do...

This is a good episode. The first time I saw it, I believed Erin to dead until Magnum began to piece the story together. It was a total plot twist for me. Ian McShane does a great job of playing the cad. TC and Rick are great as usual but Higgins is still 'becoming human'. His character will take a little longer to become likeable.

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#11 Post by J.J. Walters »

lutherhgillis wrote:I like the treatment given to Vietnam veterans by this show! Our soldiers were not treated properly by the US upon their return from this unpopular political conflict. MPI always took the high road and gave the vets their due. They did what they had to do...
Absolutely! The show was pretty much the first, TV or Movie, to show Vietnam Vets in a positive light, a radical position at the time. And thank god for that. Someone desperately needed to step up and do that, as Donald P. Bellisario did.

A solid episode. The climactic ending, with David "hunting" Magnum and Erin on the island, is one of the best in the series IMHO. If anything, they should have made it longer!

I also get a kick out of watching Ian McShane here, years before he became a big star.
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#12 Post by J.J. Walters »

Found yet another "made up" beer. This time it's "Flagler Beer".

Image

Kind of a cheesy looking label if you ask me.
Last edited by J.J. Walters on Wed Jun 18, 2008 6:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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#13 Post by SelleckLover »

I agree, James. It kind of looks like a label that should be on a bottle of ROOT beer! :D

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#14 Post by IKnowWhatYoureThinking »

That looks like a brand Archie Bunker would drink. Only Archie would down the cans!

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#15 Post by golfmobile »

Interesting!

1. "Back then," the show probably had to PAY a royalty fee to use a name brand product in shots, as opposed to today when the name brands PAY a movie or TV show to use its products to promote them.

2. Makes me wonder who "Flagler" was -- another inside joke for the crew with the name of someone on the crew?

3. Why use beer so much anyway? Why not just have a glass of iced tea or a implied alcoholic drink (granted, I doubt MPI was a big mai tai fan, but he could have had a scotch and soda or a screwdriver, etc.)? Why go to the trouble to have to cover up a name brand? The drinking of beer in the show was never any part of any particular plot line -- not like any of the guys ever actually got drunk, and TC didn't drink at all later.

4. Why would "they" pay THIS much attention to beer bottles and neglect so many OTHER things?

Oh, yes, I forgot: "THAT is the order of the universe!" (TITOOTU!) :lol:

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