Magnum P.I. (2018) - General Discussion

[Rose Quartz]

2 hours ago, fishcakes said:

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.

I like original Rick but there's no doubt his character was badly Flanderized in later seasons when he became awfully inept and his only usefulness seemed to be his connection to Icepick.  So I'm very happy that reboot Rick is not only competent but also something of a bad ass.

[Brian Cronin]

Knighton was by far my favorite actor coming in and I thought he was an inspired bit of casting. He's definitely added some nice dimensions to the Rick character. 

It is still hilarious, though, to see how often this dude is just flying around Hawaii with a machine gun and/or a sniper rifle. It's pretty weird how Magnum and his friends are, like, this private unlicensed paramilitary assault group in the middle of Hawaii. "Magnum's in trouble, Rick, go get your machine gun!" 

[Raja]

9 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

Knighton was by far my favorite actor coming in and I thought he was an inspired bit of casting. He's definitely added some nice dimensions to the Rick character. 

It is still hilarious, though, to see how often this dude is just flying around Hawaii with a machine gun and/or a sniper rifle. It's pretty weird how Magnum and his friends are, like, this private unlicensed paramilitary assault group in the middle of Hawaii. "Magnum's in trouble, Rick, go get your machine gun!" 

I can't help but recall that the legacy show Rick was jailed on a weapons charge,

[Perkie]

On 4/5/2019 at 8:07 AM, Sonja said:

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.

I almost feel like some of the episodes were shown out of sequence, especially stand alone episodes that didn't tie in to others (unlike the Hannah stuff which had to be shown in order).  Otherwise the direction for her is all wrong.  "Here, you're mad at him.  Now here you understand that he suffered greatly and feel badly for him.  Now, act as though you have no clue that he was tortured and you think he's a moron, Action"

I think they were trying so hard not to have any romantic chemistry between them that they went overboard in the oposite direction.  Usually I get a vibe from a couple by mid season at least if I think they should get together romantically or not, and here, I'm just confused by her behaviour half the time.  Eh, I need to focus more on Jay's hotness!!

[kirkola]

On 4/6/2019 at 9:21 AM, Perkie said:

I almost feel like some of the episodes were shown out of sequence, especially stand alone episodes that didn't tie in to others (unlike the Hannah stuff which had to be shown in order).  Otherwise the direction for her is all wrong.  "Here, you're mad at him.  Now here you understand that he suffered greatly and feel badly for him.  Now, act as though you have no clue that he was tortured and you think he's a moron, Action"

I think they were trying so hard not to have any romantic chemistry between them that they went overboard in the oposite direction.  Usually I get a vibe from a couple by mid season at least if I think they should get together romantically or not, and here, I'm just confused by her behaviour half the time.  Eh, I need to focus more on Jay's hotness!!

You would think a former MI6 agent would understand about the torture or be all "suck it up buttercup" about it.  After all, it's just as likely that she, herself, was in a similar position at one time or another.

Though I think you can feel badly for someone and still think their an idiot in a current situation.  I do not like their chemistry at all.  I can see friends.  Anything more than that should be of the table as far as I'm concerned.

[Sonja]

On 4/8/2019 at 6:16 PM, kirkola said:

You would think a former MI6 agent would understand about the torture or be all "suck it up buttercup" about it. 

You'd also think MI-6 agents, Marines and Navy Seals might have had decent first aid trianing, but mostly they are exhibiting the triage skills of Max the cat except for the CPR on Higgins bit.

[Rose Quartz]

CBS just announced today that Magnum PI will be moving to Friday nights at 9 pm this fall for season 2.  That puts it in between Hawaii 5-0 and Blue Bloods and MacGyver will be a mid-season replacement.

[alexa]

1 hour ago, Rose Quartz said:

CBS just announced today that Magnum PI will be moving to Friday nights at 9 pm this fall for season 2.  That puts it in between Hawaii 5-0 and Blue Bloods and MacGyver will be a mid-season replacement.

Glad for the Magnum move, but bummed about MacGyver.

[AnimeMania]

Magnum P.I. started it's first day of shooting for the second season on Jul 8, 2019 and the show will air on Sept. 27.

[Advance35]

I just finished binging the entire first season on Amazon and I have to say, I'm surprised by how much I liked it.

I actually really like ALL of the characters.  One of my favorite friendships (and I'm a fan of all of them) is Rick and TC.  I love how sensitive TC is, I think he's the most open hearted of all the main characters.  When we found out about his estranged relationship with his Father and TC's reaction to his Dad bailing on him again, the actor made me feel bad for him.   I loved Rick making a point of checking on him and talking to him about it.  Rick "There's no way to tell what kind of demons other people are fighting, we can only fight our own."  Rick promising that he and Magnum are always going to be there for TC made this bromance one of my favorites in recent memory.

I love Higgins and her gradual thaw over the course of the season.  While all of these characters are supposed to be damaged, Higgins has always come across as damaged and solitary.  I also get the impression solitary was just fine with her.  I think she worked very hard to keep Magnum at arms length but by the end of the season and getting to know him better (the whole Hannah situation and his Mom dying while he was in a POW prison) and the fact that he genuinely wants to help people helped her to marginally let down her own guard.

Magnum himself, I feel like the actor has brought a real warmth to the role.  He managed to convince me that Magnum is deeply wounded but it's not something he holds against the rest of the world and is always willing to help someone in need.  His brotherhood with Rick and TC is always fun.  Those three together can come off like the little rascals but it's understandable why they've all stuck together.  He's grown to deeply care about Higgins and she doesn't always make it easy (much as I love her).

The show is not without flaws but I really like it.  And I find all the characters lovable in their own way.  I'm looking forward to season 2.

[alexa]

5 minutes ago, Advance35 said:

I just finished binging the entire first season on Amazon and I have to say, I'm surprised by how much I liked it.

I actually really like ALL of the characters.  One of my favorite friendships (and I'm a fan of all of them) is Rick and TC.  I love how sensitive TC is, I think he's the most open hearted of all the main characters.  When we found out about his estranged relationship with his Father and TC's reaction to his Dad bailing on him again, the actor made me feel bad for him.   I loved Rick making a point of checking on him and talking to him about it.  Rick "There's no way to tell what kind of demons other people are fighting, we can only fight our own."  Rick promising that he and Magnum are always going to be there for TC made this bromance one of my favorites in recent memory.

I love Higgins and her gradual thaw over the course of the season.  While all of these characters are supposed to be damaged, Higgins has always come across as damaged and solitary.  I also get the impression solitary was just fine with her.  I think she worked very hard to keep Magnum at arms length but by the end of the season and getting to know him better (the whole Hannah situation and his Mom dying while he was in a POW prison) and the fact that he genuinely wants to help people helped her to marginally let down her own guard.

Magnum himself, I feel like the actor has brought a real warmth to the role.  He managed to convince me that Magnum is deeply wounded but it's not something he holds against the rest of the world and is always willing to help someone in need.  His brotherhood with Rick and TC is always fun.  Those three together can come off like the little rascals but it's understandable why they've all stuck together.  He's grown to deeply care about Higgins and she doesn't always make it easy (much as I love her).

The show is not without flaws but I really like it.  And I find all the characters lovable in their own way.  I'm looking forward to season 2.

I agree.  I watched it over the normal season and it really grew on me.  Pretty much by episode 3 or 4, I think they had a good flow going.  Looking forward to the new season, however the only con for me is that the schedule change has removed MacGyver from the fall schedule, and it won’t return until January.  I like MacGyver a little bit more and it has been on longer, so that is my only gripe.  Lol

[Advance35]

12 minutes ago, alexa said:

I agree.  I watched it over the normal season and it really grew on me.  Pretty much by episode 3 or 4, I think they had a good flow going.  Looking forward to the new season, however the only con for me is that the schedule change has removed MacGyver from the fall schedule, and it won’t return until January.  I like MacGyver a little bit more and it has been on longer, so that is my only gripe.  Lol

Oh wow.  I didn't hear about MaGyver.  I miss Jack but I've come to love Desi.

Having said that, I'm more attached to Magnum's characters.  I don't know how else to put it but Magnum's characters feel more mature to me.

[Thomas Crown]

Looking forward to the new season as I really like the characters on this show. I just hope they hired some new writers as the writing was horrible IMO in season 1. Predictable storylines. 

[nittany cougar]

The season premiere was last night.  Surprise, Magnum has another woman he is interested in- an attractive defense attorney. 

Are there any women on this show who are not chasing after Magnum?  It's kind of ridiculous.   I realize Higgins isn't openly chasing him, but she spends all of her time hanging out with him, so she doesn't count.

[Raja]

I think i was a slow season 2 premiere. They need to up their game  Det Katsumoto's no time for back up act was lame compared to the monster truck rampage in Hawaii the hour before.

Edited September 28, 2019 by Raja

[Rose Quartz]

4 hours ago, Raja said:

I think i was a slow season 2 premiere. They need to up their game  Det Katsumoto's no time for back up act was lame compared to the monster truck rampage in Hawaii the hour before.

I agree. It wasn't a bad episode but there was nothing particularly exciting or memorable about it so I've already forgotten most of the plot.

I also don't understand why they bothered bringing Abby back when they're so clearly aiming for a Magnum/Higgins pairing.  I actually rather like Abby so I'd love to see the show subvert expectations by having her and Magnum in an extended, serious relationship, but I really doubt that TPTB are willing to do that. 

[AnimeMania]

I didn't like that they teased that Higgins might leave permanently for London and then they show us a clip of next week's episode and Higgins is in every scene. Way to kill the suspense.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

4 hours ago, Rose Quartz said:

I also don't understand why they bothered bringing Abby back when they're so clearly aiming for a Magnum/Higgins pairing.  I actually rather like Abby so I'd love to see the show subvert expectations by having her and Magnum in an extended, serious relationship, but I really doubt that TPTB are willing to do that. 

Because it must have been made into law, at some point, that a healthy lasting relationship from the start can't be allowed to happen.  There has to be a few season's worth of WT/WT sexual tension (which usually starts out as the two of them not seeming to like each other all that much outside of being acquaintances), hurt jealous feelings over side relationships, and everyone around them 'seeing it' before the pairing finally happens.

Its repetitive and usually boring & ultra predictable.  But that seems to be the route almost all shows take nowadays.

Edited September 29, 2019 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[Sweet Tooth]

On 9/28/2019 at 9:12 PM, iRarelyWatchTV36 said:

Because it must have been made into law, at some point, that a healthy lasting relationship from the start can't be allowed to happen.  There has to be a few season's worth of WT/WT sexual tension (which usually starts out as the two of them not seeming to like each other all that much outside of being acquaintances), hurt jealous feelings over side relationships, and everyone around them 'seeing it' before the pairing finally happens.

Its repetitive and usually boring & ultra predictable.  But that seems to be the route almost all shows take nowadays.

It's in the man/woman partners/buddy cop handbook. There must be season upon season of throwing in seemingly acceptable, attractive partners who, while being fabulous in almost every way, are merely cannon fodder for the destined relationship. 

[Raja]

5 hours ago, Sweet Tooth said:

It's in the man/woman partners/buddy cop handbook. There must be season upon season of throwing in seemingly acceptable, attractive partners who, while being fabulous in almost every way, are merely cannon fodder for the destined relationship. 

I think this might be a case of the Sleepy Hollow variation. Where the plan was, "we are just going to have platonic partners" but the actors came off so well together the shippers wishes became known but they still held back the relationship to try to go with the plan.

[Advance35]

I really liked the premiere.

Not enough Rick and TC for my taste but still enjoyable.

I like the idea of Magnum and Higgins as I feel like I've seen both characters evolve since we've met them.  I doubt we get them in an actual relationship for sometime.  I think we will just get a professional commitment as Partners for the time being.  I doubt we see many triangles as it's really not needed.

While Higgin's bark tends to be louder, I rewatched the series premier not too long ago and you could tell he loathed Higgins right back (before the thaw).  So to see how much they've come to mean to each other as friends/family, if nothing else was nice.

Really liked Magnum's speech to the guy at the end.  It perfectly mirrored his own journey,  And I see what Abby (and Higgins) see in him.  His compassion never comes across as feigned to me.

I also like seeing Magnum try to work to get in Katsumoto's (forgive spelling) good books again.  I really like him too and it's was fun seeing him connect with the group.

Question, What the HELL is Kumu doing in her opening??????

[Sweet Tooth]

7 hours ago, Raja said:

I think this might be a case of the Sleepy Hollow variation. Where the plan was, "we are just going to have platonic partners" but the actors came off so well together the shippers wishes became known but they still held back the relationship to try to go with the plan.

That could be as well. However, if that's the case, then they must be exceedingly naive not to realize that putting two ridiculously attractive people in close quarters who start out hating each other but banter playfully, wouldn't result in some kind of sexual chemistry.

And yeah, whether they meant to or not, they have the handbook down pat, as Abby can already see she has one foot out the door. She will be the first victim. If they go the usual route, we'll have at least a season or two more of them trading off having a partner, the other being jealous, the partner recognizing the heat between these two, and walking out the door, ad nauseum, until they understand they're meant to be together and live blissfully ever after, totally forgetting the string of people they decimated.

[kirkola]

7 hours ago, Raja said:

I think this might be a case of the Sleepy Hollow variation. Where the plan was, "we are just going to have platonic partners" but the actors came off so well together the shippers wishes became known but they still held back the relationship to try to go with the plan.

I actually liked the "platonic partners" bit on Sleepy Hollow.   Two people from very different worlds, where it would have been a bit star-crossed (which never really works out for anyone involved).

And I don't know that I want Magnum to go there either.   Maybe it's my affection for the character (having grown up watching the original....and now the remake), maybe not.  But a big part of the original Higgins and Magnum dynamic was that Higgins secretly liked Magnum....but found him utterly annoying because Magnum was a mooch.  Magnum is still a mooch as TC & Rick keep reminding him.  This version of Higgins shouldn't become a will they/won't they just because she's a woman.  Also, what would Zeus and Apollo do if Higgins is suddenly dating Magnum.  It would confuse the poor puppies.

[Foxsill]

I thought the season premiere was good. I haven't found a show I like this much in a while. I love all the characters and their interactions with each other. 

I'm just hoping the ratings go up this week. The demo is down but the viewers are up. Probably because more 18-49 year olds are out on Fridays. (except me apparently)

Also, I'm pretty excited about the crossover with H50. Does anyone know if they released a date/ep. number for that?

[Tachi Rocinante]

Not bad.  I've resigned myself to the fact that the show leans a bit too much on the camp and unbelievably bad stunts.

It's a pleasant diversion, nothing more. 

[Mars477]

1 hour ago, Tachi Rocinante said:

Not bad.  I've resigned myself to the fact that the show leans a bit too much on the camp and unbelievably bad stunts.

It's a pleasant diversion, nothing more. 

I don’t mind the bad stunts when they’re something out of a Masters book, but the fact that they also happen in the real life of the show suggests the writers aren’t that self aware.

On 9/30/2019 at 7:34 AM, Raja said:

I think this might be a case of the Sleepy Hollow variation. Where the plan was, "we are just going to have platonic partners" but the actors came off so well together the shippers wishes became known but they still held back the relationship to try to go with the plan.

I dunno, I feel like it was clear from the getgo that Higgins and Magnum were being set up for a will they or won’t they romantic arc.  I don’t understand why they’re having Higgins drag out becoming Magnum’s PI partner for so long when she clearly enjoys the work and jumps to participate in it at the first chance she gets.  Save the tedious back and forth for the romantic “will they/won’t they”, not the professional one.

[Tachi Rocinante]

1 hour ago, Mars477 said:

I don’t mind the bad stunts when they’re something out of a Masters book, but the fact that they also happen in the real life of the show suggests the writers aren’t that self aware.

Yeah, I was referring to the wheelie-in-the-windshield bullshit.  He would've been scraped up or knocked out.

The 'acting out the Robin Masters books' thing is kinda cool because they are so over the top.

Edited October 2, 2019 by Tachi Rocinante
Coherence

[Brian Cronin]

It's amazing that they cut the theme song for Hawaii Five-O in half from the classic theme and that's somehow still TWICE as long as the Magnum P.I. theme song. I know the running time of TV shows has been brutalized over the years due to increased commercial time, but they seriously can't spring for a 30 second opening when the theme song is one of the best of all-time?

[Raja]

7 hours ago, Brian Cronin said:

It's amazing that they cut the theme song for Hawaii Five-O in half from the classic theme and that's somehow still TWICE as long as the Magnum P.I. theme song. I know the running time of TV shows has been brutalized over the years due to increased commercial time, but they seriously can't spring for a 30 second opening when the theme song is one of the best of all-time?

Well 5-0's theme and opening credits sequence has become one of the iconic pieces of music and video whereas the Magnum main melody is just not good in my opinion. But the bridge was nice. So now instead of being a change of pace interlude, action and comedy or drama, it is just a tune in an era where that time is normally used for advertising 

[Rose Quartz]

Maybe this should go in the unpopular opinions thread, but I have zero interest in the relationship between Magnum and Higgins.  The whole will they/won't they is such a cliche, especially since the writers are dropping anvils that this'll have a "will they" ending.  But even that I could put up with if they hadn't made Higgins such a Mary Sue.  She's better at literally everything than Magnum is, and what I think the writers consider joking banter about her competence comes across to me as arrogance.  To be fair, I also thought the original Higgins turned into a bit of a Marty Stu, since it seemed like he always had a personal story for everything, but even he was never this bad.

The only part of the episode that really worked for me was Rick's club.  It was great to see Larry Manetti again and I enjoyed the scenes when the whole team was together trying to figure out how to swing the finances.  My favorite scene was TC giving Rick a pep talk before he met with the banker.  It was very honest and heartfelt and it was easy to believe these guys are good friends.  I'd love to see more scenes like that, especially if they actually included Thomas for once.  These guys are supposed to be his best friends so it'd be nice if he was actually involved in their lives occasionally instead of constantly running around with Higgins.  I liked that the writers at least have enough self-awareness that they had TC call him out on that! 

[non sequitur]

Not really feeling the new season at all. 

[alexa]

I loved this episode...I liked the added humor with the guy that was a thief, and the scenes with all of the regulars.

[Mars477]

49 minutes ago, alexa said:

I loved this episode...I liked the added humor with the guy that was a thief, and the scenes with all of the regulars.

I hated that guy.  I kept on thinking “Dude, how to you have that little sense of self preservation?”

Still don’t know why they decided to have Higgins undecided on whether she wants to work with Magnum formally.  Of course she’s going to say yes, this isn’t like SWAT where it’s between seasons and the actor’s contract is up.  And the option of her returning to the SIS would be a lot more meaningful if we actually saw her do something for the SIS and see what she gets from playing the spy game.  They could turn the episode into Burn Notice all of a sudden and have Higgins enlist Magnum et al for their assistance for once instead of the other way around.

Also maybe because I’m loving Stumptown but I can’t help but think how Magnum is a terrible PI.  Dude is putting himself against guys with guns without getting anyone to agree to pay him!

Edited October 6, 2019 by Mars477

[alexa]

11 hours ago, Mars477 said:

I hated that guy.  I kept on thinking “Dude, how to you have that little sense of self preservation?”

Still don’t know why they decided to have Higgins undecided on whether she wants to work with Magnum formally.  Of course she’s going to say yes, this isn’t like SWAT where it’s between seasons and the actor’s contract is up.  And the option of her returning to the SIS would be a lot more meaningful if we actually saw her do something for the SIS and see what she gets from playing the spy game.  They could turn the episode into Burn Notice all of a sudden and have Higgins enlist Magnum et al for their assistance for once instead of the other way around.

Also maybe because I’m loving Stumptown but I can’t help but think how Magnum is a terrible PI.  Dude is putting himself against guys with guns without getting anyone to agree to pay him!

I don’t really care for Stumptown, so I guess we are on opposite ends here, and that is fine....

[fifiwesfan]

On 9/30/2019 at 12:32 PM, Advance35 said:

I really liked the premiere.

Not enough Rick and TC for my taste but still enjoyable.

Question, What the HELL is Kumu doing in her opening??????

Rick and TC are why I watch.  They now feel like a separate show.  I'm thinking Kumo is doing yoga classes or something on the beach?

On 10/1/2019 at 8:05 PM, Mars477 said:

I don’t understand why they’re having Higgins drag out becoming Magnum’s PI partner for so long when she clearly enjoys the work and jumps to participate in it at the first chance she gets.  Save the tedious back and forth for the romantic “will they/won’t they”, not the professional one.

No story ideas in the writer's room so they're stalling for time?  Gives them more changes to bicker (and bicker, and bicker, and....)  I gave up on H50 because of the bickering.  I'm not at the point of fast forwarding through Magnum/Higgins scenes just yet but I feel its coming.  I won't give up on the show simple because of Rick and TC.

On 10/5/2019 at 11:00 AM, Rose Quartz said:

The only part of the episode that really worked for me was Rick's club.  It was great to see Larry Manetti again and I enjoyed the scenes when the whole team was together trying to figure out how to swing the finances.  My favorite scene was TC giving Rick a pep talk before he met with the banker.  It was very honest and heartfelt and it was easy to believe these guys are good friends.  I'd love to see more scenes like that, especially if they actually included Thomas for once.  These guys are supposed to be his best friends so it'd be nice if he was actually involved in their lives occasionally instead of constantly running around with Higgins.  I liked that the writers at least have enough self-awareness that they had TC call him out on that! 

Yes to all of this.  My favorite scene was after the meeting with the banker.   All of the real poignant moments have come from the stories for Rick and TC (at least any from Magnum haven't made an impression on me).  They've replaced Rick and TC in Magnum's life with Higgins so basically they're just around as a tie-in to the Original.  I watch TV for the entertainment value, I'm not into drama-drama.  But.....I think with Rick and TC, TPTB can really do something good with stories relating to returning vets.  They touched on it with Shammy, and building a house, and now even Rick's issue with the loan.  Through Rick and TC they have the chance to address more topical issues and not just the stereotypical returning vets are real-life supermen and become cops/PIs/etc.

14 hours ago, Mars477 said:

I hated that guy.  I kept on thinking “Dude, how to you have that little sense of self preservation?”

I liked the character but it was too much of him.  I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of him than Shammy.

So now we've had Original TC and Rick show up (will Larry be recurring since NuRick bought the club?).   There's only one person left.  I think it would be easy to get Selleck on now that H50, Magnum, and Blue Bloods are all on the same night.  Maybe have the Blue Bloods family go on vacation/destination wedding to Hawaii and it all goes south.  You wouldn't even need to end the cross-over it NYC, just have Selleck and family get on a plane back to the mainland.

[susannot]

On 10/5/2019 at 8:22 PM, alexa said:

I loved this episode...I liked the added humor with the guy that was a thief, and the scenes with all of the regulars.

I just love the show.  Maybe because my son lives in Hawaii (Navy) and I have spent extended visits there but I appreciate the fact that they use Hawaii's spectacular scenery to maximum effect.  

Did not realize that the piano guy was original Rick.

Looking forward to crossover ep with Hawaii 5-0.  I never liked that show very much  but watched it last week waiting for Magnum and it was great.

What a GREAT idea to also have crossover with Blue Bloods which, again, I have never watched but would this time.

Edited October 9, 2019 by susannot

[andipandi]

I kept watching last year even though it was blatantly silly, because I liked Higgins and the new rick and TC. It grew on me.

Not sure why Rick would have horrible credit just because he was a vet... surely a) he must have had credit before he enlisted? during? and its been a few years since his return? How did TC get his chopper business going, he must have got a loan?

Anyway, I am on team NoRomance, but they are definitely teasing it.

[Raja]

35 minutes ago, andipandi said:

I kept watching last year even though it was blatantly silly, because I liked Higgins and the new rick and TC. It grew on me.

Not sure why Rick would have horrible credit just because he was a vet... surely a) he must have had credit before he enlisted? during? and its been a few years since his return? How did TC get his chopper business going, he must have got a loan?

Anyway, I am on team NoRomance, but they are definitely teasing it.

Rick being an enlisted Marine very well could have gone straight from high school to the Corps and perhaps he was smart not to get into the loans that many junior enlisted saddle themselves with. Thus the bank officer says he has no credit and Rick agrees.  TC as a Major is frankly in a different category from Staff Sergeant Wright, starting with the college degree needed to be able to earn his Officer's commission. In the legacy show he wasn't a service academy guy like Magnum so was on the economy during his college education

They both very well could have been living off of back pay from their months as POWs and it has been speculated that like Robin Masters put up Magnum he very well could be part of Island Hoppers, of course then the question becomes why he would  go in on the King Kamehameha Club.

[alexa]

I find it interesting how some episodes are kind of light and fluffy, and then they suddenly have a very dark one like tonight.  I am not a fan of the episodes that involve capture and torture, etc. I know they didn't go all in, but it had a different vibe.  The same thing happens in MacGyver sometimes too, and I just prefer the more fun/adventurous episodes.  

[Raja]

1 hour ago, alexa said:

I find it interesting how some episodes are kind of light and fluffy, and then they suddenly have a very dark one like tonight.  I am not a fan of the episodes that involve capture and torture, etc. I know they didn't go all in, but it had a different vibe.  The same thing happens in MacGyver sometimes too, and I just prefer the more fun/adventurous episodes.  

The legacy show was like that too. So I guess for a.series theme we have switched from was Jonathan Quayle Higgins really Robin Masters to did Thomas Magnum do the things the books White Knight do?

However it was the best of the first three this season 

And speaking of serious Ivan, I guess this one when he makes an appearance wasn't an advisor to the Taliban which held the trio as prisoners 

Edited October 12, 2019 by Raja
Ivan.

[Maren]

Great episode!! I'm usually fine with the B stories but I have to admit, I skipped a lot of it the first time. I was tired and too tense from the A story lol. I'll have to watch that stuff in my rewatch. 

I really like the Higgins and Kumu bonding! I don't know whether Higgins is closed off because she was MI6, it was just the way she was raised or it was because of losing Richard, but it's nice seeing her try and come out and be part of the Ohana crew. Like being worried about Rick's chances of making the bar succeed or bonding with Kumu. I love the family they're all building together and I'm glad they're making it the reason Higgins is staying. The bonds you make!

Obviously the Ivan thing is going to be a thing. But I'm confused because I didn't think it was a secret that Magnum was Robin's inspiration? I guess I missed something. I didn't think it was "Magnum gets interviewed by Today show" known but I thought it was easily known and yet it seemed like a tight kept secret, according to this episode. Weird. I can't imagine what Magnum would know this Ivan wants. 

I am sooooo glad they finally had Higgins say yes!! I love those two working together, so I'm happy it's official! I wonder what Robin wil say, with his MI6 source and his White Knight teaming up? LOL. And I totally don't blame Higgins wanting to be paid in actual MONEY! Maybe the business might be a little solvent now with her there LOL.

All in all, great episode. And good introduction to the season mystery!

Oh, and yay for Shamy's return!

Edited October 12, 2019 by Maren
Spelling correction!

[Raja]

The who is the real White Knight makes little sense by itself. You would think a writer would have multiple muses anyway. From what we have seen so far Steve McGarrett was more a super SEAL than Thomas Magnum, at least early into each one resigning their commissions.

However in Ivan is looking at the inspiration from one White Knight book to find some McGuffin I can handle that even if you would think that Magnum, Nuzo or someone handed it over to Captain Buck Greene, who was suddenly name dropped for the first time since the pilot.. And if Ivan's fate is that of the legacy show perhaps he worked under a different name during Magnum's captivity.

[Bulldog]

22 hours ago, Raja said:

was Jonathan Quayle Higgins really Robin Masters

New to this thread, so forgive me if this has been asked earlier.  But my recollection of the original (admittedly hazy) was that Masters was a mysterious, always unseen and unknown presence.  And it was revealed, or at least strongly suggested, that Higgins was in fact Masters.  Here, while Masters remains unseen, it seems as though all of the major characters have met him and know him.   Am I remembering incorrectly, or is this just a change the new version has made.

[Raja]

12 minutes ago, Bulldog said:

New to this thread, so forgive me if this has been asked earlier.  But my recollection of the original (admittedly hazy) was that Masters was a mysterious, always unseen and unknown presence.  And it was revealed, or at least strongly suggested, that Higgins was in fact Masters.  Here, while Masters remains unseen, it seems as though all of the major characters have met him and know him.   Am I remembering incorrectly, or is this just a change the new version has made.

In the original they all may have meet Robin but the speculation began in the later seasons that he was just an actor hired by Higgins to draw public attention away while his endless stories of service to the Queen was the inspiration for the books. Thus Higgins   lived a really good life on the estate unbothered . In the new version Masters was a reporter embedded in Magnum's special forces team and known by the SEALs and Marines from their time deployed. And the first scene of the pilot was Thomas parachuting into North Korea from space that was then shown to be the boys reading a scene from a Master's White Knight novel and joking that Thomas didn't do that.

By the way McGarrett and 5-0 has infiltrated North Korea twice.

Edited October 13, 2019 by Raja

[Brian Cronin]

My only real concern about the Magnum/Higgins partnership is that she just seems too competent to not make their business a big success and Magnum really doesn't work as a super successful PI, right? 

I guess they could also do an angle where Magnum is SO incompetent at running a business that he drags Higgins down with him? I guess that that could work, too. 

[Rose Quartz]

1 hour ago, Brian Cronin said:

I guess they could also do an angle where Magnum is SO incompetent at running a business that he drags Higgins down with him? I guess that that could work, too. 

Oh please no.  I really dislike that idea on a couple of fronts.  First, it strays too far from the original Magnum.  He was always very good at his job, he just was completely uninterested in the trapping of success.  There's an episode where the bad guy offers to give him a cut and says that this way he can afford his own Ferrari and estate instead of borrowing Robin's and his response is "That would take all the fun out of it."

And even if I look at this as a completely new show independent of the original, I don't find it very appealing to have the lead character (ex-Naval Intelligence, ex-Navy SEAL) so utterly incompetent at his civilian job that he has to be constantly rescued by his partner.  I would also say it's not very realistic, but this show parted ways with realism about five minutes into the pilot.  😉

[Brian Cronin]

But if they're a highly successful private investigation business, where's the drama there, as well? That's why I wish they just stayed away from this "business partners" idea.

[Rose Quartz]

1 hour ago, Brian Cronin said:

But if they're a highly successful private investigation business, where's the drama there, as well? That's why I wish they just stayed away from this "business partners" idea.

I agree that I would have preferred them not becoming partners, but I’m not sure why you think that the only options are either they become so successful that all dramatic tension is lost or that Magnum is so incompetent he drags them both down.  Higgins was involved in every case last season so not much is different now that she’s officially his partner.  I assume this change is because the writers were getting tired of coming up with excuses for her getting involved every week, plus it makes the shippers happy.

If I want to come up with an in-universe explanation then Magnum has said several times that he wants to serve and help others, so I can see him continuing to do pro bono work or bartering for payment like he did last season with the chickens and grill.  That would keep them from becoming too successful and surely annoy the hell out of Higgins so they’d have a reason to continue bickering.

[Raja]

On 10/6/2019 at 9:07 AM, fifiwesfan said:

Rick and TC are why I watch.  They now feel like a separate show.  I'm thinking Kumo is doing yoga classes or something on the beach?

I think with Juliet now half of Magnum & Higgins P.I.s  that Kumu might be taking over a lot of the Jonathan and Agatha stuff from the legacy show. Just as the boys only a few years out of the service rather than almost a decade messes up some of their direct correlation to the original of all the local folks they knew, you really don't get the sense that Juliet was out of the British Secret Intelligence Services long  enough to build her network of British and Hawaiian culture events friends that Jonathan had when not helping Magnum.

H5-0 does have a "retired" MI6 agent among its reoccurring characters available for crossover purposes.

[Maren]

I don't think there will be a problem with success or lack of. I think they'll stick with the formula of them helping out people who can't necessarily afford it. Even last season when Higgins wasn't part of the team, she was still into helping out people. That's usually how she got pulled in and one of the things that made her respect Magnum. 

But in between, they can mention cases they took on for money, without having to show those cases. And make the business a little more successful financially.