In Country: Place and Historical Connection in Magnum PI

[Reef monkey]

To the casual observer, the setting of the original Magnum PI series merely served to afford the protagonist a carefree, beachboy lifestyle in paradise. But Magnum was not just a feckless playboy, he was a man haunted by his memories of the Vietnam War, a war that in the early 80s still haunted America as a nation. It was both recent, and enough time had passed for Americans to question what was the point of it, of the loss of American lives, of American honor. Upon deeper inspection, it is clear that Oahu served a deeper purpose, to connect Magnum not only to his own history in Vietnam, but to connect the viewer to a greater history of the Pacific and Southeast Asia extending back to 1941.

From the first few minutes of the premiere episode, “Don’t Eat The Snow in Hawaii (pt 1)”, Magnum’s errand to pick up Dan Cook immediately connects us with Pearl Harbor, the site of the attack that drew the US into World War II. It is also quickly established that Higgins served in Burma during World War II. While Higgins apparently served all around the global conflict, including Europe and North Africa, it is his service in the Southeast Asian theatre of that war which clearly had the most influence upon him, from his ubiquitous KD shorts to his meticulous construction of a model of the Bridge on the River Kwai out of matchsticks. Higgins’ history in Burma plays an important subliminal role in connecting him to Magnum. The US, British, and their allies managed to free the Burmese, French Indochinese, and other peoples like the Koreans from Japanese rule, but they did not free these people from colonial rule, or from the civil strife that would result from these new countries emerging in the post-War era. In essence, the Korean War that took Magnum’s father’s life, and Magnum’s own Vietnam War, were the unfinished business of Higgins’ World War II.

Hawaii had more of a connection to East Asia than simply being the spot where our 35 years of wars there began in 1941. Hawaii has a strong Asian cultural influence, especially Japanese, who represent the second-largest ethnic group in the state, but many Vietnamese refugees also settled in Hawaii after 1975. From the lush tropical jungle foliage of the islands to Honolulu’s Chinatown to Byodo-In Temple, there was much of Hawaii that could remind Magnum of being in Vietnam on a daily basis. It’s important here to note that Magnum, and most American servicemen, did fully experience Vietnam. Unlike the GWOT where servicemen spend their offduty time in secure compounds, servicemen in Vietnam were free to don their civvies and stroll around Saigon, frequenting local bars, and many, like Magnum, fell in love with and even married local girls. Hawaii, with its climate, landscape, and cultural connections to East Asia, not to mention literally being halfway between Asia and the continental US, was a metaphor for Magnum spiritually not fully returning from Vietnam, his postwar life being stuck “halfway” home. And Magnum served as a metaphor for the soul of America, less than 10 years out of the Vietnam war, a war we fought, and did not win, and questioned why we even went in the first place. The Ghost of Vietnam was the uncredited 5th lead character in Magnum.

This is all why I think the Magnum reboot simply can’t succeed. First, we don’t have the historical perspective on the “new” Magnum’s war in Afghanistan, since we’re still over there. We also have a clearer reason to be there, our purpose and actions there are far less muddy than they were in Vietnam. And our new Magnum could never have immersed himself in the people and culture of Afghanistan to the same extent the real Magnum did in Vietnam. And even if new Magnum could have, there is no real connection of place between arid, Central Asian Islamic Afghanistan and lush, tropical, East Asian-influenced Hawaii. There is no deeper reason for the new Magnum to be in Hawaii.

[K Hale]

Great piece, although I think Afghanistan will emerge in history as just as muddy as Vietnam.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

To the casual observer, the setting of the original Magnum PI episode merely served to afford the protagonist a carefree, beachboy lifestyle in paradise. But Magnum was not just a feckless playboy, he was a man haunted by his memories of the Vietnam War, a war that in the early 80s still haunted America as a nation. It was both recent, and enough time had resolved for Americans to question what was the point of it, of the loss of American lives, of American honor. Upon deeper inspection, it is clear that Oahu served a deeper purpose, to connect Magnum not only to his own history in Vietnam, but to connect the viewer to a greater history of the Pacific and Southeast Asia extending back to 1941.

From the first few minutes of the premiere episode, “Don’t Eat The Snow in Hawaii (pt 1)”, Magnum’s errand to pick up Dan Cook immediately connects us with Pearl Harbor, the site of the attack that drew the US into World War II. It is also quickly established that Higgins served in Burma during World War II. While Higgins apparently served all around the global conflict, including Europe and North Africa, it is his service in the Southeast Asian theatre of that war which clearly had the most influence upon him, from his ubiquitous KD shorts to his meticulous construction of a model of the Bridge on the River Kwai out of matchsticks. Higgins’ history in Burma plays an important subliminal role in connecting him to Magnum. The US, British, and their allies managed to free the Burmese, French Indochinese, and other peoples like the Koreans from Japanese rule, but they did not free these people from colonial rule, or from the civil strife that would result from these new countries emerging in the post-War era. In essence, the Korean War that took Magnum’s father’s life, and Magnum’s own Vietnam War, were the unfinished business of Higgins’ World War II.

Hawaii had more of a connection to East Asia than simply being the spot where our 35 years of wars there began in 1941. Hawaii has a strong Asian cultural influence, especially Japanese, who represent the second-largest ethnic group in the state, but many Vietnamese refugees also settled in Hawaii after 1975. From the lush tropical jungle foliage of the islands to Honolulu’s Chinatown to Byodo-In Temple, there was much of Hawaii that could remind Magnum of being in Vietnam on a daily basis. It’s important here to note that Magnum, and most American servicemen, did fully experience Vietnam. Unlike the GWOT where servicemen spend their offduty time in secure compounds, servicemen in Vietnam were free to don their civvies and stroll around Saigon, frequenting local bars, and many, like Magnum, fell in love with and even married local girls. Hawaii, with its climate, landscape, and cultural connections to East Asia, not to mention literally being halfway between Asia and the continental US, was a metaphor for Magnum spiritually not fully returning from Vietnam, his postwar life being stuck “halfway” home. And Magnum served as a metaphor for the soul of America, less than 10 years out of the Vietnam war, a war we fought, and did not win, and questioned why we even went in the first place. The Ghost of Vietnam was the uncredited 5th lead character in Magnum.

This is all why I think the Magnum reboot simply can’t succeed. First, we don’t have the historical perspective on the “new” Magnum’s war in Afghanistan, since we’re still over there. We also have a clearer reason to be there, our purpose and actions there are far less muddy than they were in Vietnam. And our new Magnum could never have immersed himself in the people and culture of Afghanistan to the same extent the real Magnum did in Vietnam. And even if new Magnum could have, there is no real connection of place between arid, Central Asian Islamic Afghanistan and lush, tropical, East Asian-influenced Hawaii. There is no deeper reason for the new Magnum to be in Hawaii.

As Higgins would say... Extraordinary!

[☨magnum.t]

As a GWOT veteran I agree and disagree. I agree that the connection would never be the same as the original in the locality similarities or cultural feel. I agree that the politics and motivations for the current conflicts are much different than back then and the patriotism the country has as a whole is much, much greater than back in the Vietnam era. But I disagree that a connection couldn't be made if the writers and producers were worth a damn. I live in the mountains of East Tennessee and it couldn't be more different in contrast than where I served in Afghanistan but things from war will forever haunt you and always come about in the most unexpected ways, it can be a low flying helicopter buzzing by, or a semi truck letting off an air break that sounds so similar to an RPG you want to jump for cover. It might be a big pile of rocks on the side of the road that signifies an IED is near or something as common as just seeing a military type vehicle can set off an emotional response. That being said Hawaii is the perfect escape and direct contrast to the Middle East. But there is also an Army, Navy, Air Force, AND Marine Corp base on Honolulu so to say the PTSD triggers or emotional reminders of war aren't there would be wrong. So culturally yes Middle Eastern and Muslim culture isn't as prevalent in the south pacific but tying in war traumas and military service would be simple to do if the writers actually cared.

[Reef monkey]

Thank you for your service. I'm not saying that PTSD triggers aren't there in Hawaii for the new Magnum, as you have said, PTSD triggers can be anywhere. And the original Magnum PI definitely dealt with PTSD. But there was more to Magnum's experience in Vietnam than the trauma of war, there was a connection to the culture, and he found an echo of a connection to that culture in the strong East Asian cultural influence (as well as flora and climate) in Hawaii. As you said, "Hawaii is the perfect escape and direct contrast to the Middle East" - but Mangum wasn't looking for an escape and contrast to Vietnam, if he were, he would have moved to Boston. East Asia had gotten under his skin, he couldn't let it go, there was a part of him that didn't want to let it go, which is why after he left the Navy he settled in the one place in the US he could be that was most similar to it, Hawaii. There just isn't that kind of connection between Hawaii and Afghanistan, not even close.

[☨magnum.t]

I agree with that for sure! I think someone on the reboot topic mentioned that they should've done a show similar to Magnum with the new cast and set it in the southwest somewhere. That would have been much more fitting.

[Reef monkey]

Great piece, although I think Afghanistan will emerge in history as just as muddy as Vietnam.

It seems you were proved right sooner rather than later, with the disasterous pullout two years ago, and our seeming disregard for many of the Afghans who risked their lives to work with us.