Skin Deep (1.6)

[J.J. Walters]

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.

[J.J. Walters]

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



Kind of a cheesy looking label if you ask me.

[SelleckLover]

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

[IKnowWhatYoureThinking]

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

[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!)

golf

[Doc Ibold]

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!)

golf

I think if you had Magnum running around drinking scotch all the time, it would have lessened his charm and relatability.

He has been known to indulge in scotch, brandy, (and I want to say cognac), so he's not completely w/o merit!

[J.J. Walters]

And the wine! Let's not forget about all those bottles of wine the Mag has "borrowed" from Mr. Masters wine cellar!

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.)?

It's just part of who he is. He enjoys knocking back a cold one (or two) most days. I never got the sense that he drinks in excess (unless he's really bummed out). In fact, I think he's a shining example of drinking responsibly, in moderation. Unlike, say, Joe Mannix, who was almost always half in the bag in the middle of the day!

Plus, he does drink a fair amount of milk.

[IslandHopper]

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



Kind of a cheesy looking label if you ask me.

You can get a look at Flagler Beer cans in "Distant Relative." At the end of that episode, Rick is seen stacking Flagler and Tiller beer cans.

[J.J. Walters]

You can get a look at Flagler Beer cans in "Distant Relative." At the end of that episode, Rick is seen stacking Flagler and Tiller beer cans.

Aaaah, forgot about that scene! Nice one IH.



Looks like they slapped the label on a Coops can! Only on MPI do you see a fake beer, then four years later see it again, then for four more years of nothing. Heh!

[Operation Chessboard]

I watched this episode again last week and had forgotten something the first time I saw it years ago: A recycled music score from Buck Rogers is used during the climax scene where TM and Erin are being pursued. I checked the credits at the end of the episode and it's a John Cacavas score taken directly from a Buck Rogers episode titled 'A Dream of Jennifer.' I guess the producers figured that since they would not need much music in this ep, except for the final act, they would just 'borrow' a score from another recent Universal TV series.

[J.J. Walters]

I watched this episode again last week and had forgotten something the first time I saw it years ago: A recycled music score from Buck Rogers is used during the climax scene where TM and Erin are being pursued. I checked the credits at the end of the episode and it's a John Cacavas score taken directly from a Buck Rogers episode titled 'A Dream of Jennifer.' I guess the producers figured that since they would not need much music in this ep, except for the final act, they would just 'borrow' a score from another recent Universal TV series.

Wow, never noticed that before! Thanks OC!

You can (legally) watch the episode here: http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi215679001/. Boy, that's a show that sure doesn't hold well today! It was fun watching it as a kid though.

[Agatha]

This episode rubbed me the wrong way! Not that it isn't a good story or that it's not well-written or well-acted...it just BUGGED me!

1 - I HATED the David Norman character! Of course, that probably means that Ian McShane is a good actor. The David Norman character is supposed to be an ass.

2 - The Erin Wolf character was unbelievable as a major star. I didn't think she was that good an actress and not even very pretty...kind of scrawney, if you ask me. Sorry, guys.

3 - When someone is murdered, isn't the house a crime scene? Could somebody like Thomas just come in and spend the night watching movies and eating the murdered person's food?

4 - Does Thomas really expect...well, actually he does...Erin to just go with him...a total stranger...without any explanation? And yet he tells her he doesn't have time to explain. Hello?

In this case...for me...it's the Vietnam "layer" that saves it. As has been mentioned by others, this show recognized the Vietnam vets and "gave them a voice". Thomas and TC do that in this episode with their flashbacks...and even their unwillingness to talk about them.

I like that Donald P Bellisario wrote the Skin Deep script. I like those "crossovers" that involve the production crew. There's one episode where Thomas's client is J Rickley Schneider...a take off on J Rickley Dumm and Andrew Schneider, right? And isn't Doc Ibold named for Glenn Ibold, a film editor? And, of course, Mr Bellisario actually appears in Faith and Begorra. Fun stuff.

Just my opinion...

[Agatha]

Oops. The film editor is Doug Ibold.

And this is the first of several appearances by Tom Fujiwara.

[J.J. Walters]

Love your reviews Agatha! They are well-written and chalk full of all kinds of interesting insights and opinions. I like your style. Keep 'em up.

3 - When someone is murdered, isn't the house a crime scene? Could somebody like Thomas just come in and spend the night watching movies and eating the murdered person's food?

For most people, no. For people like Columbo, Rockford and Magnum, yes!

[Agatha]

Thanks, James! And thanks for creating a space where we all feel comfortable enough to be able to say what we feel.