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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Jay-Firestorm
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#31 Post by Jay-Firestorm »

Another day, another great episode to review.

(TV.com rating=9.5; Another great instalment)

After a beautiful actress is apparently killed by a suicidal gunshot blast, Magnum is hired by her former producer – who is also her jealous ex-lover – to prove that she was seeing another man before her death. Another episode showing the quality of the first season…

--

This review contains spoilers.

Just a few episodes in, and already the series has perfectly found its footing and is offering up great episodes such as this.

The episode opens eerily, with actress Erin Wolfe seemingly shooting herself through the head. There is also a nice touch here, as the script she is rehearsing is ‘Skin Deep, by Donald P. Bellisario’, the same title and writer as for this episode.

Magnum’s frequent flashbacks to ‘Nam make the episode, showing that no matter how much her tries to put it behind him, it’ll always be with him one way or another.
Although touched upon previously, especially in the Pilot, this is the first (of a number) of episodes to show just how affected Magnum is by his experiences in Vietnam. It really adds depth to the character, and was indeed probably the first TV show to show Vietnam veterans in a positive light.

Another great, if almost throwaway, scene, is as Magnum is woken up by Higgins’ clay pigeon shooting near the beginning of the story, believing it to be 6 am, not realising it is actually 6 pm. Maybe Zeus and Apollo really WERE releasing the clay pigeons!!

David Norman is, of course, played by Ian McShane, who would go on to be known her in the United Kingdom for playing ‘Lovejoy’ (1986, 1991-1994). By the way, although Magnum and Lovejoy are quite different characters – Lovejoy was an antiques dealer- there are some notable parallels with the character, not least in both of them often addressing the camera.
McShane would be seen again in ‘Magnum’ in the popular third season episode ‘Black on White’.

I love the way that Magnum immerses himself in the world of the supposedly dead Erin, getting to know her through her library of videotapes, and making himself at home, even drinking milk from her refrigerator! Personally I’d find it kind of creepy, in a room where such a gruesome suicide took place, but it doesn’t seem to affect old T.M. Presumably after witnessing the horrors of war, he’s learnt to accept such things.

Although the story is sometimes wordier than I would normally like, here I enjoy it, and it adds a lot of depth to an interesting story.
Then there is the climax on the deserted tropical island. I was never in any doubt that David Norman would turn out to be the villain, but it still makes for an exhilarating match of wits.

Also to look out for briefly is as Magnum pretends to be “McGarrett from Five-0”, another of the show’s nods to “Hawaii Five-0”.

We are also given some kind of time-frame of how far apart the individual episode stories take place, as in the final scene Magnum comments that it is several months later.

Then there is the classic final scene, when Magnum asks T.C. if he ever has recollections of Nam. After a flashback of his own, T.C. denies it. When asked if he does, Magnum simply replies “No”.

(As a footnote, camera technician Robert Van Der Kar was killed when T.C.’s helicopter crashed into the ocean when filming. A caption remembering him is given before the closing credits).

All-in-all, I find this to be a really good episode, and one that I can watch a number of times. It wouldn’t make my Top 10, but it’s a very good one none-the-less.


Other notes, bloopers and misc.:

* The standard used theme to the pre-episode trailer is used here for the first time (although in a longer form than usual). Only heard in its entirety once, in the previous episode, ‘No Need to Know’, this would go on to be the commonly used theme on the trailers, although re-recorded several times over the show’s run.

* The caption before John Hillerman’s name becomes ‘Also Starring’, as it would be for the rest of the series. On the previous episodes (bar the Pilot), it was ‘Co-Starring’. To note is that the DVD versions of the previous episodes use ‘standardised’ beginnings, using the ‘Also Starring’ caption.

* I’ll have to check my old Channel 5 recording to see if Higgins’ “bloody”s in this episode are edited out or not – sometimes they would be, other times they were left in, depending how generous 5 were being that day!

* T.C. wears his blue Da Nang cap for the first time in this episode.

* As T.C. flies Magnum to the deserted island, the tail rotor of his helicopter is seen to changes sides several times, due to the film being reversed.
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#32 Post by J.J. Walters »

Great review Jay-Firestorm!
Jay-Firestorm wrote:I’ll have to check my old Channel 5 recording to see if Higgins’ “bloody”s in this episode are edited out or not – sometimes they would be, other times they were left in, depending how generous 5 were being that day!
Pardon my ignorance, but why would the "bloody"s be edited out?
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#33 Post by N1095A »

James, I have a friend from England who once told me that "Bloody" was considered profanity in Europe.
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#34 Post by Agatha »

We had Lovejoy here in the states, too, Jay! Right, guys? Doesn't my foggy old brain remember that?

I've also heard that "bloody" is considered profanity in England.

:)

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#35 Post by Jay-Firestorm »

Bloody is sort of a mid-level curse word.
It's not REALLY bad, and it seems to have become more accepted in recent years, but it's still technically a swear word.

Channel 5 were really contradictory in editing it out - some days they'd cut it, some days they'd leave it in! Guess people are more offended on some days than on others!! :lol:
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#36 Post by golfmobile »

I'm sure our native Brits and Aussies here can give us the TRUE skinny on its usage, but I thought it was supposed to be mildly profane also. FYI, Wikipedia says:
Some say it may be derived from the phrase "by Our Lady", a sacrilegious invocation of the Virgin Mary. The abbreviated form "By'r Lady" is common in Shakespeare's plays around the turn of the 17th century, and interestingly Jonathan Swift about 100 years later writes both "it grows by'r Lady cold" and "it was bloody hot walking to-day" [1] suggesting that a transition from one to the other could have been under way. Others regard this explanation as dubious. Eric Partridge, in Words, Words, Words (Methuen, 1933), describes this as "phonetically implausible". Geoffrey Hughes in Swearing: A social history of foul language, oaths and profanity in English (Blackwell, 1991), points out that "by my lady" is not an adjective whereas "bloody" is, and suggests that the slang use of the term started with "bloody drunk" meaning "fired up and ready for a fight".

It has been said, however, that the offensive use of the word first came up during the Wars of Roses when Royalty and nobility that is all those "of the blood" (meaning blue-blooded descendants of Charlemagne) wrought death and the most bloody destruction on England. Elizabeth I is also supposed to have used it when referring to her elder sister, Mary, due to her persecution of Protestants. Another thought is that it simply comes from a reference to blood, a view that Eric Partridge prefers. However, this overlooks the considerable strength of social and religious pressure in past centuries to avoid profanity. This resulted in the appearance or slang appropriation of words that in some cases appear to bear little relation to their source: "Crikey" for "Christ"; "Gee" for "Jesus"; "Heck" for "Hell"; "Gosh" for "God"; "dash", "dang" or "darn" for "damn" (though it bears noting that "darn" is a legitimate verb in its own right, and did not originate as a minced oath, despite the fact that its original meaning is now somewhat obscure and that it is most often heard as a slang euphemism for "damn" with the same apparent meaning of "to curse" as an antonym to the verb "salve"). These, too, might be considered implausible etymologies if looked at only from the point of view of phonetics. Given the context in which it is used, as well as the evidence of Swift's writing, the possibility that "bloody" is also a minced oath (or more precisely, a slang usage of an otherwise legitimate word masquerading as a minced oath, like "darn") cannot be lightly dismissed. The suggestion that it originated as a reference to Jesus "bleeding" on the cross is compelling for its shock value, callousness and sacrilegious intent, just as the Irish, and those of the diaspora, will exclaim "suffering Jesus" in response to something shocking.


[edit] Usage
Although in the 1600s the word appeared to be relatively innocuous, after about 1750 the word assumed more profane connotations in the UK and British Empire. Various substitutions were devised to convey the essence of the oath, but with less offence; these included "bleeding", "blinking", "blooming" and "ruddy".

On the opening night of George Bernard Shaw's comedy Pygmalion in 1914, Mrs Patrick Campbell, in the role of Eliza Doolittle, created a sensation with the line "Walk! Not bloody likely!" and this led to a fad for using "Pygmalion" itself as a pseudo-oath, as in "Not Pygmalion likely".[1][2]

The use of bloody in adult UK broadcasting aroused controversy in the 1960s & 1970s but is now unremarkable (for comparison, in the Harry Potter movies, which are geared towards children, the character Ron says "bloody hell" many times in all the movies).


[edit] Usage outside of the UK
Bloody has always been a very common part of Australian speech and has not been considered profane there for some time. The word was dubbed "the Australian adjective" by The Bulletin on 18 August 1894. One Australian performer, Kevin Bloody Wilson, has even made it his middle name. In the 1940s an Australian divorce court judge held that "the word bloody is so common in modern parlance that it is not regarded as swearing". Meanwhile, Neville Chamberlain's government was fining Britons for using the word in public. The use of "bloody" as an intensifier used to be considered highly offensive in India[citation needed].

The word as an expletive is seldom used in the USA. However, in Canada, it is much more commonly used,[citation needed] and not considered a major profanity. In the USA it is sometimes used to imitate or ridicule the British. The term "bloody murder" (usually in reference to a particularly loud scream or yell) is also in common use, without any connection with the British usage. The term is usually used when the intention is to mimick an Englishman, though there are some who have adopted it from the British as an everyday term. The term however can sometimes be seen in an American movie or TV episode. For example, in Episode One, Series One of 1987 TV series "Tour of Duty", an American infantry officer whose outpost is under attack, is seen screaming down the phone, "where the bloody hell are you?", attempting to get air support for a napalm attack.

There is also "Bloody hell", often pronounced "Bloody 'ell," which can mean "Damn it," or be used as a general expression of surprise or as a general intensifier. It is talked about in a poem about the letter H (aitch)[3]-

Letter aitch, in some tongues, you can tell,
Is pronounced not at all, or not well.
By the Brits it is rated
Their second-most hated,
Right after, of course, "bloody ell."

In March 2006 Australia's national tourism commission launched an advertising campaign targeted at potential visitors in several English-speaking countries. The ad sparked a surprise controversy because of its ending (in which a cheerful, bikini-clad spokeswoman delivers the ad's call-to-action by saying "...so where the bloody hell are you?"). Initially, the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre (BACC) required that a modified version of the ad be shown in the United Kingdom, without the word "bloody". However, in May 2006, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that the word "bloody" was not an inappropriate marketing tool and the original version of the ad was permitted to air.

In Malaysia and to a certain extent Singapore, the word bloody is commonly used as an expletive. One example is "bloody bastard" which has been transformed into a more polite word, "bloody-basket" or "blardi-basket" in Manglish, the colloquial version of the English language as spoken in Malaysia. Other examples include "Wah!! Damn bloody hot!", usually a reference to the unimaginably hot weather in Malaysia, even for the locals
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#37 Post by J.J. Walters »

Well, as Johnny Carson used to say, "I DID not know that!" ;)
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

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#38 Post by Jay-Firestorm »

It's faded in severity in recent years. It's kind of like 'crap' now - not too strong, but still classed as a swear.
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#39 Post by Jaybird »

I watched this again after a post regarding 'underdog' episodes. I feel this to be a very important episode in that it shows us the memories of TM's Vietnam war experience and the effect it has on him. Yeah, the actual episode is very good but the character development starts pretty much here and reaches full circle in the last episode, Season 8. TM's past haunts him alot. It has alot to do with who he is and how he views life. He struggles with what we now call PTSD but back then, who knew anything about it? So, keep this in mind when you watch 'Skin Deep.' Watch his development and his quest to exorcise his demons as you go through all 8 seasons.

Pretty important episode in that the war was just over in the early 80s. The writers had first hand exposure to what was going on with returning soldiers.

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#40 Post by AmandaByNight »

This episode is memorable to me for a couple of reasons, but one in particular.

When Magnum finally happens upon the actress and he's explaining what is going on, they use the word "lover" over and over again. I don't remember the exact dialogue, but it's absolutely hilarious. I always wanted to make that scene a drinking game.

I also quite like the way this episode opens. It's really dark.

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#41 Post by charybdis1966 »

Has anyone else from the UK noticed how this episode is never shown in the syndicated run MPI gets on DMAX ?

Surely it's not been censored for being too racy a plot line or subject matter?
I remember it being shown during it's original run in the 1980's on ITV, so why are censors all squeamish about it now?

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#42 Post by J.J. Walters »

AmandaByNight wrote:This episode is memorable to me for a couple of reasons, but one in particular.

When Magnum finally happens upon the actress and he's explaining what is going on, they use the word "lover" over and over again. I don't remember the exact dialogue, but it's absolutely hilarious. I always wanted to make that scene a drinking game.

I also quite like the way this episode opens. It's really dark.

Magnum: David hired me to find your lover.
Erin: I don't have a lover!
Magnum: David believes you do, because of all the weekends that you disappear.
Erin: I was here! Alone!
Magnum: David didn't know that. He figured wherever your lover was, that's where you'd be. That's why he hired me, to find your lover. And once I led him to your lover, then he'd kill all three of us.

Hehe, pretty funny!
Higgins: It's not a scratch! It's a bloody gouge!

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#43 Post by AmandaByNight »

J.J. Walters wrote:
AmandaByNight wrote:This episode is memorable to me for a couple of reasons, but one in particular.

When Magnum finally happens upon the actress and he's explaining what is going on, they use the word "lover" over and over again. I don't remember the exact dialogue, but it's absolutely hilarious. I always wanted to make that scene a drinking game.

I also quite like the way this episode opens. It's really dark.

Magnum: David hired me to find your lover.
Erin: I don't have a lover!
Magnum: David believes you do, because of all the weekends that you disappear.
Erin: I was here! Alone!
Magnum: David didn't know that. He figured wherever your lover was, that's where you'd be. That's why he hired me, to find your lover. And once I led him to your lover, then he'd kill all three of us.

Hehe, pretty funny!
That's it! I just read it to my fiance! It's so funny. I didn't know you could use the word lover that much in one small dialog exchange! I swear, there's a drinking game here! :)

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#44 Post by Magnum T. »

A movie producer and former lover of a famous actress wants Magnum to find her new lover, claiming she could be in danger, but Magnum refuses to take the case.
When she is actually found dead on what appears to be the scene of a suicide, Magnum agrees to investigate and find the truth about the woman's death.

I think this is a decent episode with a good twist in the finale (maybe a little predictable?)
Tom Selleck delivers a very good performance (as usual) and the same does Mr. Hillerman. The interaction between them is hilarious.
On the other hand, I find Ian McShane a little unpleasant and Cathie Shirriff far from being "the most beautiful woman in the world".

Plus:
- the misleading opening.
- the alternating switching between the present action and Vietnam flashbacks.
Minus: as said, I am not a fan of Mr. McShane.
Best line:
Magnum: Sorry Higgins. I wouldn't blame you if you set the dogs on me.
Higgins: I would but they're obviously busy. (supposedly launching clay pigeons!)

Notes:
- this episode is dedicated to camera technician Robert Van Der Kar who died during its filming.
- team ring is on the left hand.
- the "Black & Purple" shirt is seen here for the first time.
- the script Erin Wolfe is reading is "Skin Deep", written by Donald P. Bellisario.
- again, same actors different characters: Ian McShane will return in "Black on White" (3.6) while Tom Fujiwara will return in "The Last Page" (2.20), "The Arrow That Is Not Aimed" (3.14) and "On Face Value" (4.19).
- Erin Wolfe's house will be used again in other two episodes, "The woman on the beach" (2.3) and "Forever in time" (8.5).
- this episode has the first of many to come references on the "How to be a world-class private investigator" book Magnum intends to write (some day).

Funny thing: while T.C. is trying to call for help by the radio, his team ring is upside down.
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#45 Post by Little Garwood »

eegorr wrote: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.
I'm 99% sure that the actor who played Billy is Paul Martin, who also appeared in a 12th season Hawaii Five-O episode A Lion in the Streets as a character named "Moki."

I rated Skin Deep an 8.0. I liked Cathie Shirriff, who played the Klingon commander who Christopher Lloyd blows up at the beginning of Star Trek III: the Search For Spock.

The story creeped me out as a kid, with Erin rehearsing the suicide scene. The episode also has elements of Laura, the 1944 movie where a girl is murdered and her face obliterated by a shotgun blast. That's about all this episode has in common with the film, unless one counts the utter contempt one might have for Ian McShane's character, who is as despicable as Clifton Webb's was in Laura.
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