Favorite Subtleties of the Show

[Doc Ibold]

Hi all,

Just a little thread to celebrate some of the subtle aspects of the show that may not be apparent to the casual viewer. I think it would be interesting to see the responses that come out of the forum:

To start it off:

1) Magnum not being "perfect" ala Lance White. He gets beat up, has money troubles (for a guy who lives on a lavish estate and drives a Ferrari)
2) The depth and breadth of plotlines ... from the deadly serious, to slapstick, to introspective, to character driven episodes outside of Magnum (aka the "centrics")
3) Outside of Michelle, there never was a sustained relationship arc that begged the question "Will they or won't they" that would have distracted from the show
4) The Higgins brothers themes - Some episodes were better than others, but they were for the most part enjoyable

I realize mine are rather broad based to any Magnum fan (and I'll probably have more once the caffeine kicks in).. but curious to see your thoughts.

[ConchRepublican]

Hi all,

Just a little thread to celebrate some of the subtle aspects of the show that may not be apparent to the casual viewer. I think it would be interesting to see the responses that come out of the forum:

Love the idea!

1) Magnum not being "perfect" ala Lance White. He gets beat up, has money troubles (for a guy who lives on a lavish estate and drives a Ferrari)

I love that Selleck himself was involved in this. Initially Thomas Magnum was the "guy with it all" living in California. He may have been Lance White. I think this right off the bat creates a lot of things:
- the question about just who TM is? Why does he and how can he live at the Estate? Something that they never answered during the course of the series.
- it created the Higgins/Thomas dynamic. The initial tension and building respect. It gave life and depth to both characters.

I think all this makes him more relatable.

2) The depth and breadth of plotlines ... from the deadly serious, to slapstick, to introspective, to character driven episodes outside of Magnum (aka the "centrics")

It shows the ability of, and says something about, the actors not only that they were able to do so many different things on the show but that there were all willing to do it. I never got a prima donna feel from anyone.

I also think the "centrics" helped flesh out the supporting characters in a way that made them much more than just background. Aside from Rick and TC, how many times were Icepick or Carol actually on the show? Yet they were very much a part of the Magnaverse and you knew who the characters were. I wish there were more, I think something about Agatha's backstory would have been great.

3) Outside of Michelle, there never was a sustained relationship arc that begged the question "Will they or won't they" that would have distracted from the show

I am SO glad they never went the Moonlighting route. I also think the inability to keep a sustained relationship added to the flaws of the character. The good looking knight can't get the girl? I mean he can, but he can't keep the girl. Demons man, demons.

4) The Higgins brothers themes - Some episodes were better than others, but they were for the most part enjoyable

I agree, I loved how they added that aspect to Higgins that he's fighting against his past as well. It adds a parallel to TM and Higgins in that they both are trying to be/find who they really are. Maybe Higgins is already there having seen what he didn't want to be.

I realize mine are rather broad based to any Magnum fan (and I'll probably have more once the caffeine kicks in).. but curious to see your thoughts.

More things I like:
- I LOVE the little voice. A lot of people (well I hope, because I know I do) talk things out in their heads. I just love that sharing of his inner thoughts and how he works through things.
- Yes, I like the supernatural side of the show. It's small, but important in that the character is open to things. Even talking to his dad during Home From the Sea . . . everyone having that feeling . . . there's bond people have that's more than just what we can touch and feel and quantify.

There are more, but I have work to get done sometime today!

[marlboro]

Hmmm...I don't know how subtle these two points are, but I'll throw them out there anyway.

1) The Higgins/Magnum relationship: It's my favorite part of the show. Rarely do you find two actors so perfectly cast for their roles who have such great chemistry.

2) I don't think I've ever seen a show that could mix comedy,drama, and action as well as Magnum P.I. I usually prefer movies and shows that keep them separate, honestly. It takes a lot of writing and acting skill to get the right balance, and more often than not the guys who made Magnum delivered.

[Dave Anderson]

I love 80's "sleeze." That is to say, sleezy bars, nightclubs, strip joints, porno shops, back allies, nighttime streets teeming with hookers, neon signs. The show did a good job of incorporating those elements without making it the focus of the show. Its sad these days, there are so few sleezy places left with re-development, gentrification, and the rise of the internet letting people indulge their vices at home. The romantic sleeze of yesteryear is hard to find. Even dive bars are mostly filled with hipsters and posers now. That's why I love the old 70s and 80s TV shows, especially Magnum. Bars where you could get knifed or pick up a disease, where are those places now? Mostly on classic TV, lol.

[Little Garwood]

I love how the Estate always comes across as a place of safety and sanctuary, even when bad things happen there! Whether it's TM's cozy guesthouse, Higgins' study, the beach, or any other corner of the place, the entirety of the Estate felt like a true home and not just a TV set. I felt this way as a kid thirty plus years ago and I still feel that way now whenever I watch the show.

[marlboro]

I love 80's "sleaze." That is to say, sleazy bars, nightclubs, strip joints, porno shops, back allies, nighttime streets teeming with hookers, neon signs. The show did a good job of incorporating those elements without making it the focus of the show.

Even libraries were dens of iniquity in the 80s...

[Steve]

The fact that Magnum was a character that had a name that was so macho it was almost a joke, was drop dead good looking, living in paradise on an oceanfront estate, driving a Ferrari, an ex Naval Academy Graduate and Quarterback and war hero yet he was always broke, getting shot and/or beat up, didn't always get the woman and was even akward around many. I am one of the old timers on here who was 26 years old when the show first aired but didn't watch until about four seasons in as I mistakingly thought it must have been about a Lance White type characer. Bravo to Tom Selleck and the creators for not going with the original plans.........Oh, and as also mentioned the relationship between Magnum and Higgins was incredibly well written and cultivated as the series went on.......

[BWheelz54]

I always enjoy the subtle nods and winks that MPI threw to "English major" nerds throughout the series. I have to confess that I have a degree in English. Degree has never done much for me, but it sure helps me get a lot of inside jokes that I feel the writers of MPI threw onto the tv screen during the show's run. The rich man behind the scenes is not an oil tycoon, or a captain of silicon valley, but is of all things, a writer of books. Higgins is always writing. Thomas is always talking about the detective book he will write one day. So many of the guests who come to Robin's Nest, such as Mad Buck Gibson, are writers. The tv screen is filled with typewriters and encyclopedias and books. You have shows where the bad guys are after manuscripts, or even editing manuscripts, or trying to steal manuscripts. So many allusions to literary characters. Higgins holding his poetry readings with Agatha. So there had to be too many English majors thrown into the entire MPI production run, and I laugh to think that in MPI the English majors took their revenge.

I also really love the subtle "throwback" feel that the show has to the roaring adventure of the 30s. Now of course MPI is a creation of the 80s, but the adventure sometimes seems so "old school," especially when Higgins starts telling tales. Some episodes even wink to that "golden era of adventure" with dream sequence time machine plots, and costume parties brimming with swashbucklers and flappers.

The subtle things just hook me. From baseball to the Maltese Falcon. Those are the things that keep me coming back. Anymore, I find myself hardly paying attention to the plot or the detective work. I just want to sit on that beach behind Robin's Nest in my imagination and soak up all the underlying currents that I just love about the show. ANOTHER GREAT THREAD!

[BWheelz54]

I forgot to mention one of my other favorite "subtleties" about the show in my post above. I also like watching all the kids on TC's youth baseball and basketball teams. I was the age of those kids when the show was on-air, and so I like to imagine myself taking coaching tips from TC, and probably laughing at Rick and Thomas when they were hanging around practice!

[Kwai Bridge]

I love how the Estate always comes across as a place of safety and sanctuary, even when bad things happen there! Whether it's TM's cozy guesthouse, Higgins' study, the beach, or any other corner of the place, the entirety of the Estate felt like a true home and not just a TV set. I felt this way as a kid thirty plus years ago and I still feel that way now whenever I watch the show.

This, exactly this. I feel the same.

I would add other things such as little voice and friendship between characters, but those aren't exactly "subtle".

[Croix de Lorraine]

This is a formal subtlety but I love how they frequently melt one scene into the next through unconnected pieces of dialogue that make it sound as if characters from different scenes are talking to each other when they're not (I don't think I'm doing a great job of explaining myself )

[Croix de Lorraine]

I always enjoy the subtle nods and winks that MPI threw to "English major" nerds throughout the series. I have to confess that I have a degree in English. Degree has never done much for me, but it sure helps me get a lot of inside jokes that I feel the writers of MPI threw onto the tv screen during the show's run. The rich man behind the scenes is not an oil tycoon, or a captain of silicon valley, but is of all things, a writer of books. Higgins is always writing. Thomas is always talking about the detective book he will write one day. So many of the guests who come to Robin's Nest, such as Mad Buck Gibson, are writers. The tv screen is filled with typewriters and encyclopedias and books. You have shows where the bad guys are after manuscripts, or even editing manuscripts, or trying to steal manuscripts. So many allusions to literary characters. Higgins holding his poetry readings with Agatha. So there had to be too many English majors thrown into the entire MPI production run, and I laugh to think that in MPI the English majors took their revenge.

Well, I'm sure many script writers are English majors.

[Turkey]

This is a formal subtlety but I love how they frequently melt one scene into the next through unconnected pieces of dialogue that make it sound as if characters from different scenes are talking to each other when they're not (I don't think I'm doing a great job of explaining myself )

Sometimes called an 'audio bridge' in editing terms, I believe

(I love the technique too)

[Little Garwood]

Maybe it's not a subtlety, but I am always impressed at how MPI can "go international" at a moment's notice yet also be tied to domestic issues on Hawaii. Storywise, it's great that the characters have a background that allows their immersion into plots that take them to other parts of the world and actually belong there, in terms of that they fit into the story.