Magnum P.I. (2018) - General Discussion

[ByaNose]

2 hours ago, Unclejosh said:

I am liking the change because while I like Jay ok, he doesn't really have the charisma to lead the show solo like Selleck did and Perdita Weeks is the best part of the show in my opinion.  I would rather have her being more a part of the team than try to redo the dumb Higgins hates Magnum bull that made the original show tiresome.  Hillerman was awesome but it was just stupid having him just be a foil most of the time.  Got so repetative and unbelievable that it took me out of the show.

YMMV

You’re right about the hate Magnum shtick. Even the first few episodes were laying it on too thick with it. I guess I didn’t understand the 180 turn where they’re working together all the time. I’m just watching the 3/14/19 episode. I was months behind and finally started seeing the Magnum & Higgins show. I was taken aback a little. I also agree that Jay Hernandez while a good actor isn’t necessarily a strong lead. You really can’t top or copy Selleck. They didn’t do that. I mean you can’t duplicate the mustache and hairy chest. LOL!!! I mean you could but it would be dumb to do so. That said, the show is still fun to watch and the Hawaii photography never gets old. It’s simply gorgeous. 

[Rose Quartz]

5 hours ago, ByaNose said:

Are Magnum & Higgins now Hart to Hart? All they need is a dog and they’re set. The past 3 or 4 episodes have them looking at a laptop and going over the case. They jump in the Ferrari and chase down the bad guys. Maybe, Rick & TC swoop down in the helipcopter with Det. Katsumoto in tow. Case solved. Why the sudden shift with Magnum & Higgins as a crime fighting duo? The show is called Magnum P.I. for a reason. Is it just me noticing the change or not liking it? 

I agree completely.  My biggest complaint about the reboot is that there's a bunch of episodes with way too much emphasis on Magnum and Higgins working together where the other characters barely show up.  I actually thought the show got really bad with this last fall and then seemed to get better after the holiday break, but the last couple of episodes have gone back to that earlier pattern.

5 hours ago, Unclejosh said:

I am liking the change because while I like Jay ok, he doesn't really have the charisma to lead the show solo like Selleck did and Perdita Weeks is the best part of the show in my opinion.  I would rather have her being more a part of the team than try to redo the dumb Higgins hates Magnum bull that made the original show tiresome.  Hillerman was awesome but it was just stupid having him just be a foil most of the time.  Got so repetative and unbelievable that it took me out of the show.

YMMV

I haven't seen Jay in anything other than Magnum so I can't speak to his overall abilities, but I feel like he doesn't get much of a chance to shine here, which is silly considering that he's the title character.  Take the episode a couple of weeks ago where Hannah came back.  The first scene we see of him, he's tied up being kidnapped, then he's shown on a boat getting punched around.  Sure, he manages to escape later but we're just told about it and see some clips rather than the whole escape sequence.  And later there's the scene between him and Hannah which could have been very powerful since he's been wondering for years why she betrayed him and his friends and nearly got them killed.  Instead, half the scene is Hannah and Higgins raising their hackles at each other and the rest of the scene is Hannah spouting ridiculous platitudes (it's complicated) and generic warnings and then wandering off without really doing anything to dissuade Magnum from coming after her.  There was no big confrontation that would let Jay flex his acting chops and without that I really can't say that he's lacking in charisma.

[Unclejosh]

Fair enough. I have been watching Jay in things for 20 years or so and I do like him but I think this particular show works better when he isn't the sole focus.  I prefer the episodes and scenes when Magnum and Higgins work together rather than rehash the lame bickering and sniping of the old show.  I don't mind the show moving in that direction at all.  I was never a fan of the Rick and TC characters other than in supporting roles so I don't need any more of them although I do like both Stephen and Zach in their roles.  But a little goes a long way for me for those characters.

[AnimeMania]

I think of it as a Higgins redemption arc where Higgins used to be a badass, but now she has locked herself up in a mansion hiding from people and the beautiful scenery because of the death of her fiance. Magnum is forcing Higgins to come out of her shell and meet the people and go to the places on the island. Higgins has a lot of talents that she wasn't putting to good use, Magnum is providing her a method to help other people. Now Higgins is feeling a lot better about herself.

[Raja]

I think they lucked into chemistry with Magnum and Juliet, sort of like Sleepy Hollow did. So now don't make the mistake of sticking to Plan A and forcing a 1980s repeat like Sleepy Hollow stuck with the wife.

[kirkola]

14 hours ago, Unclejosh said:

Fair enough. I have been watching Jay in things for 20 years or so and I do like him but I think this particular show works better when he isn't the sole focus.  I prefer the episodes and scenes when Magnum and Higgins work together rather than rehash the lame bickering and sniping of the old show.  I don't mind the show moving in that direction at all.  I was never a fan of the Rick and TC characters other than in supporting roles so I don't need any more of them although I do like both Stephen and Zach in their roles.  But a little goes a long way for me for those characters.

I never liked Rick or TC in the original either.  I generally preferred TC over Rick, but that has more to do with the fact that the 1970's/1980's playboy roles never have appealed to me. I get that original Magnum and Rick were pretty similar in their ability to charm ladies (getting whomever they wanted at the moment), but Rick always more of a used car salesman. 

That said I love the newer Rick & TC.  I want more Stephen and Zach working with Magnum.  They just light up the screen.

[Rose Quartz]

13 hours ago, kirkola said:

...That said I love the newer Rick & TC.  I want more Stephen and Zach working with Magnum.  They just light up the screen.

Yep, I've thought that Stephen and Zach work well together since the first episode I saw (the one with the art nerd bits).  And that was true again tonight with them goofing around in the barbershop scenes as well as the more serious part of their storyline when TC was trying to get the girl to reconcile with her mother.  They really do give off the vibe of good friends who like to snark at each other and I wish we had more scenes where Magnum is included in that dynamic too.

Edited March 12, 2019 by Rose Quartz
typo

[Aliconehead]

Our first Original Magnum PI main character cameo TC, Roger Mosley. He has aged but he is 80.  I was glad to see him and new TC in a scene.  I enjoyed Magnum helping  katsumoto with out giving it a second thought.  Magnum might ignore his directives but he does like and respect him. 

Edited March 12, 2019 by Aliconehead

[atiyah9369]

1 hour ago, Aliconehead said:

Our first Original Magnum PI main character cameo TC, Roger Mosley. He has aged but he is 80.  I was glad to see him and new TC in a scene.  I enjoyed Magnum helping  katsumoto with out giving it a second thought.  Magnum might ignore his directives but he does like and respect him. 

I love when an original character appears on the revamped show.

[andipandi]

Loved the TC cameo. Despite also liking the katsumoto collaboration, this ep was kind of blah though. I had very little interest in the mother-abandonment-issues bstory.

[non sequitur]

On 3/11/2019 at 7:18 AM, kirkola said:

That said I love the newer Rick & TC.  I want more Stephen and Zach working with Magnum.  They just light up the screen.

It feels like Rick and TC are on their own spin-off show most of the time.

[fifiwesfan]

On 3/12/2019 at 5:16 PM, non sequitur said:

It feels like Rick and TC are on their own spin-off show most of the time.

Agreed.  I feel like if they talk about anything that's happened with them around Magnum, he'd give that curious-dog-head-tilt and they'd just say 'private joke, you'd have to be there'.  The Hart to Hart comparison made me chuckle.  I've been catching up on all the episodes since they came back from winter break and it really shows how much its the Magnum and Higgins show.  Rick and TC are so great it annoys me that she's basically taking their place but then I figure they might be better off.  It almost seems like they have different writers for the two teams.  And I also agree that this Magnum needs this Higgins.  For me, Jay seems ok but even mentally separating him from Selleck's Magnum, I don't think he's got the wow factor to lead this show alone.

I thought there would've been more drama with the mama protection, like she'd get grabbed going to the bathroom or the daughter would've been the one who sold her out and they foolishly brought her to the safe house.  I think they wanted a way to give us more background on a background character but it didn't seem to give up much.   I think the red herring is one thing these writers do well, most of the time they have me sure I figured it out then surprise me.  I suspected the real killer's dad was the the killer.

When they found the notebook with the coded notes I immediately said, shorthand!  When they went on about having to research and translate it I laughed - up until I realized how old I was.

I've been happy to see Shammy has been making appearances and he wasn't just a throw away, especially in light of the gravity of his intro episode.  Though it really irked me that he was given and took all the credit for the home built for the vet.  I know he was supposed to come across as cheeky but it just felt like a dick move for me.

Hannah.  Sigh.  I'm so not a fan of Jordanna Brewster.  When I heard she would be on and play such an important character I groaned and was suddenly glad Higgins is set to be his true love, I'll settle for that over Brewster.  

I also couldn't figure out why Amy (?) went out on date with an obvious douche and then got upset when the date acted like a douche.

Next episode in 2 weeks - Maggins alone together (shocker) treading water.  If the show wasn't already renewed that might've been ironic. 

[kirkola]

7 hours ago, fifiwesfan said:

When they found the notebook with the coded notes I immediately said, shorthand!  When they went on about having to research and translate it I laughed - up until I realized how old I was.

I guess that makes me old too.  I recognized it...couldn't read it....but I recognized it right away.  They were replacing shorthand with computers when I was in High School. 

[alexa]

For me this was another great episode.  I am really loving the flow of the episodes, the use of the characters, and definitely love that they are figuring out how to balance Magnum and Katsumoto's roles in the storyline.  Honestly, this is probably my favorite show right now.  

[AnimeMania]

31 minutes ago, SweetTooth said:

Oh, the closeup of those guys and her staring back at them. Is that proof that she called someone? Or maybe the daughter did, out of spite?

Or the daughter kills the mother because the daughter has taken her father's place as head of the mafia.

[fifiwesfan]

10 hours ago, SweetTooth said:

I kept waiting for something more! Like:

Oh, she's going to the bathroom. She's probably going to be kidnapped or ditch them.

Nope. She just went to the bathroom.

Well, maybe we'll find out she called someone when she went to the bathroom, after they made such a big deal about where they could have figured it out.

Nope.

Oh, the closeup of those guys and her staring back at them. Is that proof that she called someone? Or maybe the daughter did, out of spite?

Nope. We don't hear from them again.

Is she coming back? Because otherwise, that was a whole lotta foreshadowing with no payoff.

I loved Magnum working with Katsumoto. They have a great camaraderie. Magnum helping him out and him kind of digging being a bit of an outlaw, was great. We also had the chance to get more background on him, which was nice as well.

I've been the biggest Tim Kang fan, and I'm so glad to see him here being his charming self. 

9 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

Or the daughter kills the mother because the daughter has taken her father's place as head of the mafia.

2 hours ago, SweetTooth said:

Seriously. There were just so many things they seemed to highlight without any payoff.

In particular, really zooming in on the guys in the SUV.

AND................Icepick got really pissed at Rick during the poker game episode for having anything to do with the guy that was a mobster/drug runner (can't remember which) but he blindsides Rick by asking him to escort a woman who turned on the Chinese mob without telling him that tidbit of info?  If they drop this totally I'll be very disappointed.  What involvement does Icepick have with her that she can get him to in prison?

[alexa]

26 minutes ago, SweetTooth said:

True facts. Not alerting Rick to the dangers of what he was asking him to do and sending him in there as if he's just showing this woman the town, seems like some kind of breach of trust, right? Like, he doesn't say, "BTW, you might have people trying to kill the both of you. Stay on your toes."

I'm assuming we haven't heard the last of this story line, because it was all just a little too bizarre.

I agree. I had forgotten to mention I found this storyline odd, especially that it closed so quickly and away from the audience view. 

[fishcakes]

Katsumoto would never give his dead partner's badge to Magnum. Pretty sure the widow would have something to say about that as well.

I was expecting more from the B-story as well. There were guys following them and then ... there weren't. Okay.

On 3/13/2019 at 7:56 PM, fifiwesfan said:

Next episode in 2 weeks - Maggins alone together (shocker) treading water. 

Honestly, that makes me kind of mad. There are a couple of iconic episodes of Magnum. One is "Did You See the Sunrise?" and they've already messed with that one by making Nuzo a friend of the guys instead of a Russian sleeper agent. And another is "Home from the Sea," which is about Magnum nearly dying alone in the ocean on the anniversary of the day his father was buried, but now it's going to be a vehicle for Higgins and Magnum shippers. I don't care if they want to remake and change some of the lesser or more comic aspects of the original show -- getting locked in a bank vault with Carol Burnett or Higgins's string of illegitimate siblings for example -- but I wish they would leave the canonical episodes alone.

[Maren]

On 3/10/2019 at 8:18 AM, Unclejosh said:

I am liking the change because while I like Jay ok, he doesn't really have the charisma to lead the show solo like Selleck did and Perdita Weeks is the best part of the show in my opinion.  I would rather have her being more a part of the team than try to redo the dumb Higgins hates Magnum bull that made the original show tiresome.  Hillerman was awesome but it was just stupid having him just be a foil most of the time.  Got so repetative and unbelievable that it took me out of the show.

YMMV

I agree. New Higgins is my favorite part of the show. Perdita is awesome and believable to me! I'm glad that they are pairing Higgins up with Magnum regularly. 

Spoiler

And I'm really psyched that he's going to "make it official" and ask her to be his partner!

And I am liking Rick and TC off on their own stories. It feels more natural and it makes Magnum look better by not always having them shoehorned into the mystery by him taking advantage of their friendships. Cuz honestly, that wasn't looking good on Magnum. 

[crowsworks]

On the original show Magnum went from High school to Naval academy to war. He never had a chance to be young. So he was kind of childish/boyish and sort of fragile (see Higgy's speach in the Hanna ep) so there was always an element of keeping his 'people' close - a "See They Love ME" more than taking advantage of them. I think his friends all know he needs them for more than computer time and free chopper rides.

[AnimeMania]

I thought Higgins was more of a thong gal.

[Raja]

6 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

I thought Higgins was more of a thong gal.

I think you are projecting my dreams onto Juliet.

Since she has retired from the Queen's services there is no need for her to fully employ her assets.

[andipandi]

On 3/16/2019 at 12:20 PM, fishcakes said:

There are a couple of iconic episodes of Magnum.... another is "Home from the Sea," which is about Magnum nearly dying alone in the ocean on the anniversary of the day his father was buried... but I wish they would leave the canonical episodes alone.

I remember the original episode as moving and suspenseful. This was neither. I fell asleep. Perhaps there was something more tragic about being alone, rather than making lame jokes about taking off your pants. (pretty sure juliet should have known how to make a pant float, doesn't take a navy seal, I learned that when I was 12).

If they are going to borrow the classic plotlines, the least they could do is not provide weak sauce.

[Raja]

Coming out of the commercial where TC found out his father wasn't coming it looked like Kamekona's helicopter in the background but a network promo banner was blocking where his giant logo would be.

[Rambler]

I had to laugh at Higgins being shot, thrown from a boat, and treading water for hours, and yet she somehow managed to end up on the island with perfect hair and makeup and no sunburn.

[seacliffsal]

Not only that but Higgins was also able to swim out to the fishing boat upon which the bad guys had returned to kill them, pull herself up onto the deck (silently) and then knock out a bad guy.   After having been shot in the arm.  And treading/swimming several miles to the atoll. 

I'm not as in love with the revised Higgins characters as others are, but I wouldn't be surprised if next season the show is renamed Higgins P.I.  Her super powers are what help Magnum in his investigations...

Edited March 28, 2019 by seacliffsal

[kirkola]

3 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

Not only that but Higgins was also able to swim out to the fishing boat upon which the bad guys had returned to kill them, pull herself up onto the deck (silently) and then knock out a bad guy.   After having been shot in the arm.  And treading/swimming several miles to the atoll. 

I'm not as in love with the revised Higgins characters as others are, but I wouldn't be surprised if next season the show is renamed Higgins P.I.  Her super powers are what help Magnum in his investigations...

If it helps at all, I really like her just not that her name as Higgins. 

[Passepartout]

I think Higgins as a woman really has in the making her more of a character than the late John Hillerman's character as he seemed to be at times one or two dimensional. At least the female version has a personality and not as stuffy or snooty as the male one. Just IMHO!

[Aliconehead]

So after a wicked night of insomnia, i have come up with what i need from this show

1.) mix up the pairings. Show Rick or TC asking Magnum for a favor

2.) DO NOT have Magnum try to wiggle out of it, have him say simply “sure, what do you need”. As a way to SHOW he values Rick and TV and would do anything for them. 

3.) Have Higgins work with the other on something she needs help with

4.) Have her offer to pay, put Rick/TC turn it down as a friendship thing

5.) DO NOT use the Higgins pairing to further Maggins, is have Higgins bitch about Magnum and Rick/TC defend him followed by a heroic story that puts Magnum in a new light and have her fall a little for him

6.) Show the friendships between all of them with out angsty romantic drama

[Rose Quartz]

On 3/30/2019 at 11:40 AM, Aliconehead said:

So after a wicked night of insomnia, i have come up with what i need from this show

1.) mix up the pairings. Show Rick or TC asking Magnum for a favor

2.) DO NOT have Magnum try to wiggle out of it, have him say simply “sure, what do you need”. As a way to SHOW he values Rick and TV and would do anything for them. 

3.) Have Higgins work with the other on something she needs help with

4.) Have her offer to pay, put Rick/TC turn it down as a friendship thing

5.) DO NOT use the Higgins pairing to further Maggins, is have Higgins bitch about Magnum and Rick/TC defend him followed by a heroic story that puts Magnum in a new light and have her fall a little for him

6.) Show the friendships between all of them with out angsty romantic drama

This, a thousand times this!  One of the things that's really frustrating me about the show is that we rarely see Rick and TC interacting with Magnum and Higgins, even when they're all working on the same case.  I like all of your options as a way of better developing the characters and their relationships.

[Tachi Rocinante]

Magnum is right about the general stupidity of the famous quote.

Simple math, folks.

[AnimeMania]

Not sure if that episode made any sense, but I can definitely be thankful that the Hannah plotline is over. Now Magnum can go into cruise control and let Higgins do all the work. 

[Passepartout]

Yeah but really Brian Austin Green only in there for five minutes? Thought he would be the bad guy in all of this. But really someone needed to punch him in the face over his snide comments.

[Brian Cronin]

One of the things that Hernandez has never really been able to sell is the hidden anguish that Magnum is supposed to carry with him. The whole point of a decorated Navy officer becoming a private investigator was that the stress of his "perfect" naval career was too much (due to PTSD from his experience in 'Nam) and so he decided to have fun and sort of have a second/first childhood. So under the joviality was some real pain. I don't get that from Hernandez's Magnum, even when he really tries to do it. 

That said, even without that element to his performance, Hernandez is an amiable actor and so I enjoy him well enough and the show is still fun, but it doesn't have the depth that the original series could hit on. Still, it's a pleasant show to watch and not think too much about (it's basically like Hawaii 5-O, which isn't a surprise, of course, since it's the same production team). 

I thought it was interesting that we didn't get to see Higgins' answer to Magnum's partnership request.

Edited April 2, 2019 by Brian Cronin

[Raja]

3 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

I thought it was interesting that we didn't get to see Higgins' answer to Magnum's partnership request.

After the course corrections due to fan reaction of LT Kasumoto becoming LT Tanaka and the rank of TC in the trailer to the shown pilot. And with a recast back to Detective Kasumoto  I think TPTB are paying attention to the social media. So no Higgins answer almost acts like a cliffhanger. I am expecting a yes as the show becomes more of its own thing and stops relying on  legacy show characters showing up.

That was some weird staging on the helicopter chase. TC's bird does have a back seat. There was no need for Juliet to sit on his controls to be closer to Thomas. The ridiculousness of TC trying to get on his tail WWII dogfight style  with no guns to shoot him down made me flash to Firefly when the bad guy just stayed high and watched Wash take Serenity through all the yanking and banking to absolutely no effect of losing his pursuer..

Edited April 2, 2019 by Raja

[andipandi]

so bored by every scene Hannah was in. Did not buy the love or anything about the story. Glad she's done!

[alexa]

4 hours ago, andipandi said:

so bored by every scene Hannah was in. Did not buy the love or anything about the story. Glad she's done!

I agree.  I liked the interaction of the other characters that occurred because of her storyline, but frankly Jordana was awful in this role, and her character sucked.  I enjoyed having Magnum spend more time with his friends than usual, and bringing them all together. 

[seacliffsal]

i am so over storylines (in every show) in which someone claims they had no choice because something will happen to someone they love.  Well, what about the four guys she traded to the Taliban for her father-she claimed she loved at least one of them and they all have people who love them.  It's like during a thriller when someone demands that someone else build a nuclear bomb or they'll kill their child.  Well, they're all going to die anyway due to the nuclear bomb.  Playing with other people's lives for one's own purposes infuriates me.  

Plus I've never really liked Jordanna Brewster, so there's that.

[Sonja]

On 3/31/2019 at 5:50 PM, Rose Quartz said:

This, a thousand times this!  One of the things that's really frustrating me about the show is that we rarely see Rick and TC interacting with Magnum and Higgins, even when they're all working on the same case.  I like all of your options as a way of better developing the characters and their relationships.

They even split them up when they were working on their 'personal' cases by TC declaring their friendship over when Magnum handed over the evidence in the ep he asked for help and Rick going to Icepick and whatwashername respectively in the ep he asked Magnum to get the money from the poker game back. It's really bad storytelling if by the end of the hour you've forgotten that this was not a case they were hired for but Magnum helping out his friends instead of the other way around.

On 4/2/2019 at 1:24 PM, Brian Cronin said:

One of the things that Hernandez has never really been able to sell is the hidden anguish that Magnum is supposed to carry with him. The whole point of a decorated Navy officer becoming a private investigator was that the stress of his "perfect" naval career was too much (due to PTSD from his experience in 'Nam) and so he decided to have fun and sort of have a second/first childhood. So under the joviality was some real pain. I don't get that from Hernandez's Magnum, even when he really tries to do it. 

That said, even without that element to his performance, Hernandez is an amiable actor and so I enjoy him well enough and the show is still fun, but it doesn't have the depth that the original series could hit on. Still, it's a pleasant show to watch and not think too much about (it's basically like Hawaii 5-O, which isn't a surprise, of course, since it's the same production team). 

I think it's the writing and production team, not necessarily the actor's choice. The show suffers from Morbus Lenkov.

They are getting shot, knocked out, hit by cars, stabbed, swimming for hours and whatnot and in the next scene, all is good. Same for emotional injuries. Katsumoto doing actual, realistic damage to his hand was needed in order for his boss to declare him too involved, otherwise they would probably have made the tree the losing party in that interaction.

Higgins is talking about a triathlon as if she could do it in her sleep, a few eps later she's not a good swimmer. I have several Iron Men and Women among my friends and can only say good luck with that, sister. At least Magnum was allowed to have some naval knowledge in the boat jacking episode.

The person being responsible for one and a half years of being in the enemy's hands is back and Rick is the only one with a (initially at least) senisble reaction? Oh, please.

I really don't think the showrunners want actual gravitas near their show. I stopped watching Hawaii 5-0 years ago because I couldn't stand the plot holes and there were characters in there that I don't want to see in my living room (*cough*Danny*cough*), but I genuinely like this cast, so I hope they don't screw up the potential the show has.

Three of my all-time favourite shows are Due South, Leverage and Psych. All three of them could be insanely funny when they wanted to and punch you in the stomach the next moment. Be more courageous, showrunners, we can handle intelligent and consistent writing and the actors might even have more fun with challenging scripts.

16 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

i am so over storylines (in every show) in which someone claims they had no choice because something will happen to someone they love.  Well, what about the four guys she traded to the Taliban for her father-she claimed she loved at least one of them and they all have people who love them.  It's like during a thriller when someone demands that someone else build a nuclear bomb or they'll kill their child.  Well, they're all going to die anyway due to the nuclear bomb.  Playing with other people's lives for one's own purposes infuriates me. 

Not even her father was really grieving when she was dying. I was actually waiting for him to chew her out for endangering others to free him. How many died in the ep she first popped up in alone and how many dead did she leave in her wake off-screen? If her dad was CIA, he probably would be ashamed of her.

[Jaded]

I remember being sad and kinda mad when I found out this show was going to be another overly action scene packed instead of decent storylines Lenkov production. As has been repeated multiple times already OR Magnum had depth in regards to storylines and characters on the show. I've watched a few episodes of this show and it barely feels like Magnum to me. I haven't felt inclined to add it to my DVR schedule and I don't always remember when it's on.  Jay Hernandez and Perdita Weeks would have been better paired together in a Hart to Hart reboot of some sort if a reboot had to be made. 

Edited April 3, 2019 by Jaded

[alexa]

18 minutes ago, Sonja said:

Higgins is talking about a triathlon as if she could do it in her sleep, a few eps later she's not a good swimmer. I have several Iron Men and Women among my friends and can only say good luck with that, sister. At least Magnum was allowed to have some naval knowledge in the boat jacking episode.

Do you mean in the episode where they were swimming from the hijacked boat?  Her arm was shot--that is the reason she couldn't swim very well.

[Rose Quartz]

22 hours ago, alexa said:

I agree.  I liked the interaction of the other characters that occurred because of her storyline, but frankly Jordana was awful in this role, and her character sucked.  I enjoyed having Magnum spend more time with his friends than usual, and bringing them all together. 

Yes!  I was very happy to have an episode that actually showed them all working together for once, but I had no sympathy for Hannah and am happy that she is apparently definitively dead since they told Katsumoto that they brought her body back.

1 hour ago, Sonja said:

I think it's the writing and production team, not necessarily the actor's choice. The show suffers from Morbus Lenkov.

They are getting shot, knocked out, hit by cars, stabbed, swimming for hours and whatnot and in the next scene, all is good. Same for emotional injuries. Katsumoto doing actual, realistic damage to his hand was needed in order for his boss to declare him too involved, otherwise they would probably have made the tree the losing party in that interaction...

The person being responsible for one and a half years of being in the enemy's hands is back and Rick is the only one with a (initially at least) senisble reaction? Oh, please.

I agree that the writing is the weakest element of this show.  I can't let myself think too hard about the plot of this last episode because it makes no sense.  Why on earth would the kidnappers hang on to Hannah's father for four years, giving her chance after chance to get the money they wanted?  It takes a lot of effort to hold someone prisoner, so I would have expected them to cut their losses and kill him when Hannah didn't get them enough money the first time after she sold the guys out.

With that said, I'll forgive a lot of plot holes if it gives me good character development and we had some of that here.  I loved Rick's barely restrained fury when he confronted Hannah about how much her betrayal had hurt all of them, especially Thomas.  And I was really intrigued by his comment that she had made it impossible for him to go home, because that ties back to what he said when they first met Shammy about how he had only been able to stay a few weeks in Chicago before coming to Hawaii with the others. 

Another good scene was when Magnum admitted to Hannah that he feels guilty every day about what Rick and TC went through because it was his relationship with Hannah that led to them getting captured.  Again, it was a nice callback to the scene in an early episode where Rick tries to convince Magnum that he and TC don't blame him for what Hannah did to them.  I'll be much happier with the show if we keep getting character development moments like this in the new season.

[Perkie]

On 4/2/2019 at 7:24 AM, Brian Cronin said:

One of the things that Hernandez has never really been able to sell is the hidden anguish that Magnum is supposed to carry with him. The whole point of a decorated Navy officer becoming a private investigator was that the stress of his "perfect" naval career was too much (due to PTSD from his experience in 'Nam) and so he decided to have fun and sort of have a second/first childhood. So under the joviality was some real pain. I don't get that from Hernandez's Magnum, even when he really tries to do it. 

I like Hernandez, but he's never felt like "the" Magnum.  Tom Selleck had a certain gravitas to him that I don't see with Hernandez.  I also feel that Higgins treats him like dirt most of the time.  To me Magnum (this version)is this guy who suffered unspeakably, horrible things overseas and barely survived.  But half the time Higgins treats him like a puppy who's pooped on the carpet, that she needs to chastise.  Now, maybe part of that is that Hernandez, especially the first handful of episodes, was playing it very childish, frat boy, surfer dude, flighty (no gravitas) and that allowed to judge him and treat him that way.  

I only see a little bit of respect, understanding, recognition from her when we have a scene where he'll mention the past or a reminder of something.  That needs to be tightened up for next season.  Is there a next season?!

[Brian Cronin]

Part of it is unfair, as Selleck was just a really good actor (he won a Best Actor Emmy for his portrayal of Magnum, and this was back in the days when you had to beat Daniel Travanti, Ed Flanders and William Daniels for Best Actor, which was no easy feat), but yeah, part of it is that he just doesn't have very much gravitas. 

But luckily for the show, he's definitely likeable. You don't get the idea that he is a jerk or anything, even as he constantly takes advantage of his friends. Like when Katsumoto tells Magnum that he'll never trust him again, we all know that he eventually will, because Magnum is too likeable to not stay friends with him. 

36 minutes ago, Perkie said:

Is there a next season?!

There is, which is a huge sign that we'll probably be following this show for many years to come (as it fits in perfectly with their "runs forever" model like Hawaii Five-0). 

[kirkola]

4 hours ago, Perkie said:

I like Hernandez, but he's never felt like "the" Magnum.  Tom Selleck had a certain gravitas to him that I don't see with Hernandez.  I also feel that Higgins treats him like dirt most of the time.  To me Magnum (this version)is this guy who suffered unspeakably, horrible things overseas and barely survived.  But half the time Higgins treats him like a puppy who's pooped on the carpet, that she needs to chastise.  Now, maybe part of that is that Hernandez, especially the first handful of episodes, was playing it very childish, frat boy, surfer dude, flighty (no gravitas) and that allowed to judge him and treat him that way.  

I only see a little bit of respect, understanding, recognition from her when we have a scene where he'll mention the past or a reminder of something.  That needs to be tightened up for next season.  Is there a next season?!

For alot of these type shows, I follow the "alternate reality" theory.  I am enjoying Magnum, even if he's not the "real" Magnum.  He's an alternate reality or a Multi-Verse Magnum.  I have to do the same thing with MacGyver, Charmed, and Roswell. 

Hollywood gets confused about the elements of a hit TV show or movie.  It's not just the scriptwriter.  It's the script writer, the director and the actors all working together to make things work.  Original Magnum worked because of Tom Selleck and John Houseman and the overall focus on being true to returning Vietnam Vets.  The show holds up because all the elements were right.

I was wary of Jay Hernandez going into the season.  But I find myself looking forward to the show every week.  So he's doing something right.  And I suspect in future seasons, we'll get to the darkness that would come from living in captivity.

[Perkie]

2 hours ago, kirkola said:

  I am enjoying Magnum, even if he's not the "real" Magnum.

I agree with this.  The first couple of episodes were rough because I kept trying to picture Tom and really not seeing Jay's version.  But now it's just, this is the 2019 version of Magnum and I'm ok with it.  He's a likable character and actor (and he'snot ugly to look at!!!).  My only complaint by the end of the first season is Higgins treatment of him.

Plus, I wasn't happy with the one step forward, two steps back thing they did with Katsumoto with the last episode.  They had gotten around to being friendly by the previous episode and I feel like they lost that because of stupid Hannah (that actress just rubs me the wrong way in every single role she's in).  

[Raja]

3 hours ago, kirkola said:

For alot of these type shows, I follow the "alternate reality" theory.  I am enjoying Magnum, even if he's not the "real" Magnum.  He's an alternate reality or a Multi-Verse Magnum.  I have to do the same thing with MacGyver, Charmed, and Roswell. 

Hollywood gets confused about the elements of a hit TV show or movie.  It's not just the scriptwriter.  It's the script writer, the director and the actors all working together to make things work.  Original Magnum worked because of Tom Selleck and John Houseman and the overall focus on being true to returning Vietnam Vets.  The show holds up because all the elements were right.

I was wary of Jay Hernandez going into the season.  But I find myself looking forward to the show every week.  So he's doing something right.  And I suspect in future seasons, we'll get to the darkness that would come from living in captivity.

I think part of the problem is by 1980, although being  a POW wasn't in the first Magnum season, the audience knew about how the Vietnamese treatment of prisoners from folks like Senator McCain and The Deer Hunter movie. Since the Taliban did not cut off their heads we do not have any cultural knowledge of what the four likely faced 

[AnimeMania]

11 hours ago, Perkie said:

stupid Hannah (that actress just rubs me the wrong way in every single role she's in).  

I liked Jordana Brewster in Lethal Weapon, it seemed like she was going to have a relationship with Riggs, then the writers tanked the whole show by trying to make Riggs even crazier, the moment it seemed like he was starting to get better.

[Sonja]

On 4/3/2019 at 5:27 PM, alexa said:

Do you mean in the episode where they were swimming from the hijacked boat?  Her arm was shot--that is the reason she couldn't swim very well.

She admits in the last scene that she's actually 'a crap swimmer' and lied to Magnum about Cambridge so he wouldn't worry about her to which he replies he still did.

On 4/3/2019 at 8:01 PM, Rose Quartz said:

I agree that the writing is the weakest element of this show.  I can't let myself think too hard about the plot of this last episode because it makes no sense.  Why on earth would the kidnappers hang on to Hannah's father for four years, giving her chance after chance to get the money they wanted?  It takes a lot of effort to hold someone prisoner, so I would have expected them to cut their losses and kill him when Hannah didn't get them enough money the first time after she sold the guys out.

With that said, I'll forgive a lot of plot holes if it gives me good character development and we had some of that here.  I loved Rick's barely restrained fury when he confronted Hannah about how much her betrayal had hurt all of them, especially Thomas.  And I was really intrigued by his comment that she had made it impossible for him to go home, because that ties back to what he said when they first met Shammy about how he had only been able to stay a few weeks in Chicago before coming to Hawaii with the others. 

Another good scene was when Magnum admitted to Hannah that he feels guilty every day about what Rick and TC went through because it was his relationship with Hannah that led to them getting captured.  Again, it was a nice callback to the scene in an early episode where Rick tries to convince Magnum that he and TC don't blame him for what Hannah did to them.  I'll be much happier with the show if we keep getting character development moments like this in the new season.

Exactly. Plus Hanna's reasoning for why she sold the guys out instead of asking for help. She endangered them a lot more this way and then kept on causing carnage for years. Those must have been the most patient kidnappers ever. Eric Beaumont from Ransom would have negotiated her father out of there in a minute flat.

Plot holes (and inconsitstently covered tattos) drive me nuts. Even when I try to ignore them. Did I hear that wrong or did Magnum say 'once upon a time I was going to ask her to marry me' in this ep? In a past one they had already set a date.
I actually loved Rick in this ep and am as intrigued about his comment about not being able to go home as you are. I hope they don't drop that but take the chance of exploring the consequences of the guys' captivity in the next season.

Couldn't agree more. I hope that now they know the characters and actors better, they go more into character development.

20 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

But luckily for the show, he's definitely likeable. You don't get the idea that he is a jerk or anything, even as he constantly takes advantage of his friends. Like when Katsumoto tells Magnum that he'll never trust him again, we all know that he eventually will, because Magnum is too likeable to not stay friends with him.

It irks me that they are trying to play this off as cute like in the ep where he gave away the money his dead client sent without having had paid off his debt to his friends first. He's quick to jump to their aid when they need him, but they can't invent storylines like this to cancel out him taking advantage all the time. Although I'm afraid TC's father not making it to the island wasn't just a storyline for that one ep but is probably going to end up as some 'he's in trouble which follows him to Hawaii and the guys need to get him out of it' shitck in the next season.

It's the same as McGarret in 5-0 never paying for any rounds or not having his walltet with him. It's not cute or fun, it's bad manners. Same in the ep with the house for the vet. Why didn't they just have him say 'I actually was tied up in a case, the other guys did all the work'?

14 hours ago, Perkie said:

I agree with this.  The first couple of episodes were rough because I kept trying to picture Tom and really not seeing Jay's version.  But now it's just, this is the 2019 version of Magnum and I'm ok with it.  He's a likable character and actor (and he'snot ugly to look at!!!).  My only complaint by the end of the first season is Higgins treatment of him.

Plus, I wasn't happy with the one step forward, two steps back thing they did with Katsumoto with the last episode.  They had gotten around to being friendly by the previous episode and I feel like they lost that because of stupid Hannah (that actress just rubs me the wrong way in every single role she's in).  

The back and forth of Higgins' behaviour is weird. They seemed to get along and understand each other better and better, then sometimes she goes back to acting as if he wasn't able to tie his shoe laces by himself. Maybe TC bringing her into the family hug changes her perspective somewhat and they don't have her nagging all the time anymore.

Higgins taking time off and not telling anyone where she went was dropped very quickly. I'm guessing that is connected to her not giving Magnum a reply regarding a possible partnership.

[fishcakes]

3 hours ago, Sonja said:

I actually loved Rick in this ep and am as intrigued about his comment about not being able to go home as you are. I hope they don't drop that but take the chance of exploring the consequences of the guys' captivity in the next season.

Rick is becoming my favorite of the guys. (But Kumu is my favorite overall; her asking Hannah if she wanted water and then, "get it yourself. I'm going to feed the dogs" was the best.) Zachary Knighton seems to be the best actor of the three, and he's the only rebooted character that I like better than the original. Original Recipe Rick with the Manson lamps and the little platform shoes was kind of a creeper.