Magnum Mania!

I've seen most if not all of the episodes so far and find myself annoyed when they go into detail about things like the surfski. The original series had a certain level of trust that viewers could paint their own picture of why Magnum did this and that. This new one seems to want to explain every detail. Personally I like the connection to his father, but really? Let some things remain a bit of a mystery, we don't need to know everything. ANother point that rubbed me the wrong way is that all the guys knew Robbin before the 808??? I guess we aren't likely to have the same wonder about if Higgins (or likley Magnum in this case) is really RM.

Sure the unexamined life might not be worth living, but we could all do with a little mystery too

I think there is a latent fear from the producers/writers that the new MPI will simply not make it that long and there is a need to explain things NOW so fans of the new MPI don't complain that they were not exposed to the whole nine yards and blame that for its cancellation. The producers/writers of the original MPI may have felt they had much more of a long run show on their hands and let things develop over time. Besides, nowadays younger fans who really like shows like the new MPI and all of its fast paced action with its staccato dialague have the attention span of a gnat and want too much immediate gratification.

perfectlykevin wrote:I've seen most if not all of the episodes so far and find myself annoyed when they go into detail about things like the surfski. The original series had a certain level of trust that viewers could paint their own picture of why Magnum did this and that. This new one seems to want to explain every detail. Personally I like the connection to his father, but really? Let some things remain a bit of a mystery, we don't need to know everything. ANother point that rubbed me the wrong way is that all the guys knew Robbin before the 808??? I guess we aren't likely to have the same wonder about if Higgins (or likley Magnum in this case) is really RM.

Sure the unexamined life might not be worth living, but we could all do with a little mystery too

I take it as evidence of how dumb they believe their audience to be. Of course, they're wrong, but hey they gotta fill up the 42 minutes with something, amiright?

jeffran wrote:
I take it as evidence of how dumb they believe their audience to be. Of course, they're wrong, but hey they gotta fill up the 42 minutes with something, amiright?

42 minutes? Is that how long 1 hour shows nowadays? I don't do prime time so I am out of the loop.

I think the shorter running times hurt a lot of shows. You have time to do some nice character moments as well as a complete story with 50 minutes.

Of course, shows havent been that length in decades.

MiniMag narration: Now, typically when I open the car door it is so that I can get inside. Then I close it behind me so that I don't fall out as I drive. But today, it's a little different. I'm opening the car door so that I can get out. Then I close it behind me so that no one steals this expensive car. In fact I even lock it so that it REALLY doesn't get stolen.

IvanTheTerrible wrote:MiniMag narration: Now, typically when I open the car door it is so that I can get inside. Then I close it behind me so that I don't fall out as I drive. But today, it's a little different. I'm opening the car door so that I can get out. Then I close it behind me so that no one steals this expensive car. In fact I even lock it so that it REALLY doesn't get stolen.

You have a brilliant career as a Hollywood writer ahead of you, sir!

IvanTheTerrible wrote:MiniMag narration: Now, typically when I open the car door it is so that I can get inside. Then I close it behind me so that I don't fall out as I drive. But today, it's a little different. I'm opening the car door so that I can get out. Then I close it behind me so that no one steals this expensive car. In fact I even lock it so that it REALLY doesn't get stolen.

Too funny Ivan!!!

What’s funny is I’ve been talking a lot of Burn Notice as a contrast to the new Magnum, as generally better, but one thing I used to make fun of about Burn Notice was the pedantic over explanation in the voiceovers, always starting with “When you’re a spy...” or "when you're [insert spy activity here]....". I’d come up with my own Michael voiceovers of me doing mundane things like making a ham sandwich, but overemphasizing minutia.

"When you're making a ham sandwich, proper mustard application is critical. Too little mustard, your sandwich is bland, too much mustard, your sandwich is too spicy. But with the proper amount of mustard spread evenly on one slice of the bread, your sandwich can be used as an optimal food object."

IvanTheTerrible wrote:MiniMag narration: Now, typically when I open the car door it is so that I can get inside. Then I close it behind me so that I don't fall out as I drive. But today, it's a little different. I'm opening the car door so that I can get out. Then I close it behind me so that no one steals this expensive car. In fact I even lock it so that it REALLY doesn't get stolen.

Not only is this funny...but it is also scary in that it could happen with bad writing the new MPI has!!

Reef monkey wrote:What’s funny is I’ve been talking a lot of Burn Notice as a contrast to the new Magnum, as generally better, but one thing I used to make fun of about Burn Notice was the pedantic over explanation in the voiceovers, always starting with “When you’re a spy...” or "when you're [insert spy activity here]....". I’d come up with my own Michael voiceovers of me doing mundane things like making a ham sandwich, but overemphasizing minutia.

"When you're making a ham sandwich, proper mustard application is critical. Too little mustard, your sandwich is bland, too much mustard, your sandwich is too spicy. But with the proper amount of mustard spread evenly on one slice of the bread, your sandwich can be used as an optimal food object."

UNEXPECTED PLOT TWIST: The ham was a day past its expiration date.

KingKC wrote:

IvanTheTerrible wrote:MiniMag narration: Now, typically when I open the car door it is so that I can get inside. Then I close it behind me so that I don't fall out as I drive. But today, it's a little different. I'm opening the car door so that I can get out. Then I close it behind me so that no one steals this expensive car. In fact I even lock it so that it REALLY doesn't get stolen.

But, then again, I may just hop into the car so as to not have to waste time unlocking it.

Chris109 wrote:

jeffran wrote:
I take it as evidence of how dumb they believe their audience to be. Of course, they're wrong, but hey they gotta fill up the 42 minutes with something, amiright?

42 minutes? Is that how long 1 hour shows nowadays? I don't do prime time so I am out of the loop.

marlboro wrote:I think the shorter running times hurt a lot of shows. You have time to do some nice character moments as well as a complete story with 50 minutes.

Of course, shows havent been that length in decades.

I remember when a large pizza was actually a LARGE and not a medium and a bag of chips had more chips than air in it.....everything has just shrunk in size over the years including the lead actors, yet they sell it as a large pizza/1 hour show etc.. I've found a few times watching this show that they take their time setting things up and then all of a sudden press fast forward and rush the ending to get the episode under the required time. I guess they would rather add a few commercials to the show to help with the bottom line while risking the loss of more viewers with a bad ending. Without the viewers they have nothing, so they may want to rethink things a bit more. Hmmm......with the terrible writing we are witnessing, maybe shorter is better!!!

What’s funny is I’ve been talking a lot of Burn Notice as a contrast to the new Magnum, as generally better, but one thing I used to make fun of about Burn Notice was the pedantic over explanation in the voiceovers, always starting with “When you’re a spy...” or "when you're [insert spy activity here]....". I’d come up with my own Michael voiceovers of me doing mundane things like making a ham sandwich, but overemphasizing minutia.

LOL! I watched the first season of Burn Notice a couple of months ago and got so sick of the "explainarration" that I still haven't started season 2.

jeffran wrote:

IvanTheTerrible wrote:MiniMag narration: Now, typically when I open the car door it is so that I can get inside. Then I close it behind me so that I don't fall out as I drive. But today, it's a little different. I'm opening the car door so that I can get out. Then I close it behind me so that no one steals this expensive car. In fact I even lock it so that it REALLY doesn't get stolen.

You have a brilliant career as a Hollywood writer ahead of you, sir!

Thanks! I rather enjoyed it myself. If Lenkov needs a writer he knows where to find me.