Would you be friends with Thomas Magnum?

Message

#1 Post by **Styles Bitchley** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 11:19 am

It may seem like an easy question, but there are so many things going on with that guy. Let's face it, the Mag is a loyal, honourable and funny guy, but he does a lot of things that would drive me nuts as one of his pals. Borrowing money and not paying it back, asking for huge favours and rarely doing the same in return, living the high-life rent free at the estate, while I pay my bills like everyone else.

I'm pretty sure I'd like to BE Magnum, but I'm not so sure I'd want to be Rick or TC.

IKnowWhatYoureThinking · Fri Oct 14, 2011 1:13 pm

He'd be a fun guy to play ball with, or hang out with at he KKC, but I'm not sure I'd want to be friends with someone that had me getting shot at all the time.

AmandaByNight · #3 Post by **AmandaByNight** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:28 pm

I think I'd want to be a Carol in the relationship since she seemed to have the upper hand on him!

I love Thomas, sure he can be a total slacker, but in the end, he's always there for you. There are a lot of people in the real world who could never say that.

Visiting Stewardess · Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:51 pm

Yeah, borrowing money all the time or asking people for a favour and rarely being able to return a favour, that would really get on my nerves. Not sure, if he's always "there for you"...

Majordomo · #5 Post by **Majordomo** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 8:37 pm

My best friend from college had a lot of Magnum's tendancies (the bad ones). I still consider the guy my best friend, but we kind of went our separate ways. If my best friend were the Tom Magnum of our friendship, then I am probably the Mac of our friendship.....so I voted MAYBE.

erock308 · #6 Post by **erock308** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 10:11 pm

I used to be "That Guy" ;{)

But I had Grew Up... I kinda had it made; I made more cash than I could spend... Lived on an Estate Rent Free... had a shiny Red Sports car... had the favour/barter system working for me....

I miss being "That Guy" :{

Karrnut · #7 Post by **Karrnut** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 10:42 pm

I think we all have a friend like Magnum; they drive you nuts, and you want to kick them in the a**, or wish they would just "grow up"! But at the end of the day, don't you just wish you could be them? And for better or worse, you still keep them on your speed dial. So, yeah he's the kind of nut case I would hang with, I would just get a nice side arm first, maybe a ...Magnum?

Louise · #8 Post by **Louise** » Sat Oct 15, 2011 3:39 pm

I'd definitely be friends with him. He would be good fun to hang out with and if I was in trouble, he'd be there for me (ok, so I have a knight-in-shining-armour fantasy!). And he couldn't borrow money off me because I never have any to spare, so that wouldn't get in the way of our friendship!

I wouldn't mind being his girlfriend too, though any woman he got involved with would be living in the shadow of the ghost of Michelle of course, so that's not such a good thing!

#9 Post by **Doc Ibold** » Sun Oct 16, 2011 5:53 am

I would say this merits a study into the character/profile of Thomas Magnum.

While he may freeload off of some of his friends at times, he always came through in the end.... and at the end of the day provided rewards that would have otherwise resulted in their deaths, financial, professional, or social ruin for any of the three main (or even secondary) characters.

(And I will most likely be remiss in some.. but bear with me)

Higgins:

Pilot:

Stealing the Ferrari, but letting Robin think Higgins was spot on in security

Foiled Again:

Tracking down the true killer of Willie, thus freeing JQH

Letter to a Duchess:

Acting like an "ass" to let Higgins share a moment with his lady and to show he was a man of respect, even though JQH couldn;t admit it

Compulsion:

Allowing JQH to maintain the facade that he was the true master of Robins Nest

Deja Vu:

Reuniting JQH with his father

Rick:

The Woman On The Beach:

Tracking Down a ghost

Distant Relative:

Pretending that his sister was a pawn in the scheme to let his memory of his sister stay alive... even if it was a facade.

Computer Date:

Exposing his girlfriend as a mistress and ultimately preventing his death and/or kidnapping.

Limbo:

Getting Rick Off the weapons charge that put him in jail

TC:

Thicker Than Blood:

Getting TC out of jail and getting the chopper back

Did you See The Sunrise?

tracking down "nuzo" and preventing TC from blowing up a building

Missing Melody:

Getting TCs daughter back

Lots of stuff.. and I could probably go back and back, but this Doc is tired and ready for a Lions Game...

But case in point, TM operated out of a code of old school honor, and while he freeloaded, wheeled and dealed.. a lot of times, he operated without any financial gain.. which leads me to say #1.

#10 Post by **Styles Bitchley** » Mon Oct 17, 2011 8:58 am

Thanks for the reminders Doc. You're right. But wouldn't the little things get on your nerves?

It reminds me of a scene where a someone lists off a bunch of things that his friends should hate him for. I think it was Carol Burnett in Rembrand's Girl, but I'm not sure. Anyone remember that scene?

Danno · #11 Post by **Danno** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 12:50 am

Everyone is frustrating in some way. I'm unreliable at times, but I'm fiercely loyal.

I think TM would be a good mate to have. It's good advice to look over faults in others, because they do the same for you.

#12 Post by **ConchRepublican** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 2:19 am

I think what's overlooked is why they are friends in the first place.

If I had gone through what they had together I think the tendency there is to look the other way over the "trivial" stuff because when it's time for the "important" stuff, you know who you can count on.

I think we all deal with things the same way, to a lesser degree. I know I have friends who I allow more slack than others due what I know they have gone through in life and what they have done for me in the past. I know that the same has gone on for me because some people have hung around me and given me a lot of rope during a time when I needed it.

I think, if you knew TM in the past, you're with him. Otherwise you're on the outside and it takes a little while to understand him/get accepted.

Seaver41 · #13 Post by **Seaver41** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 5:20 pm

Styles Bitchley wrote:It may seem like an easy question, but there are so many things going on with that guy. Let's face it, the Mag is a loyal, honourable and funny guy, but he does a lot of things that would drive me nuts as one of his pals. Borrowing money and not paying it back, asking for huge favours and rarely doing the same in return, living the high-life rent free at the estate, while I pay my bills like everyone else.

I'm pretty sure I'd like to BE Magnum, but I'm not so sure I'd want to be Rick or TC.

I feel that if you walked a mile in the shoes the three of them did in Vietnam......money and favors are trivial parts of the relationship. I don't think we can even imagine that mindset w/o having been in that type of life/death existence. To us, money is too big of a deal.

Seaver41 · #14 Post by **Seaver41** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 5:24 pm

Karrnut wrote:I think we all have a friend like Magnum; they drive you nuts, and you want to kick them in the a**, or wish they would just "grow up"! But at the end of the day, don't you just wish you could be them? And for better or worse, you still keep them on your speed dial. So, yeah he's the kind of nut case I would hang with, I would just get a nice side arm first, maybe a ...Magnum?

not want to be them...........it's knowing that person would be there when you really need him. There is a certain level of comfort in knowing that. My best friend was my freshman college roommate..........a loooooong time ago.....we were opposites, but he had my back and when in a situation like a brawl, there is no replacement for standing up .......talk is cheap, actions rule. Thomas Magnum is a man of action.

#15 Post by **J.J. Walters** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 11:45 pm

Is this some kind of a joke, Styles?

Would I like to be friends with Thomas Sullivan Magnum, our good-natured, affable, athletic, beer-chugging, cigar-smoking, sports-loving, Ferrari-driving, war hero of high integrity and moral code who is always involved in some sort of interesting, exciting investigative case, who is frequently in the presence of beautiful women? No, no, no.... who would want to be friends with somebody like that?

But seriously, regarding the mooching, I've always got the impression in the show that Magnum ALWAYS makes an effort to pay back his debts, it just takes him a while to do so. As others have said, he could probably easily pay back T.C. and Rick quicker if he didn't take on so many pro bono cases, or cases with "reduced rates". The guy has a big heart.

Magnum, Higgins, T.C., Rick..... I'd be friends with all these people. I draw the line at Goldie Morris and Shelly Faraday, though.