MovieChat Forums > Magnum, P.I. (1980) Discussion > Magnum's tortured soul (spoilers)

Magnum's tortured soul (spoilers)


I was never a huge fan of this show, but there were a couple episodes I found very well done. One involved Magnum being stranded at sea, and having to fend off a shark and face other life threatening dangers. Another, similarly, involved him being trapped under an old plane. This time though, he had to save a fly (symbolically himself) from falling victim to a spider.

However, rewatching it recently has shown me that there is even more depth to his character than I had previously realized. In one episode, he accidently shoots at the wrong person and a woman ends up paralyzed. Okay, it turns out wasn't permanent, and that she was in on the plot against him, but still, for him to have to deal harming an innocent isn't something you normally see on TV.

In another episode, his former wife and child are killed. Well, at least he thinks so, and he goes to avenge those who are guilty. Though, again, things are not as they seem. At least he is forced to face this for a while.

The main character was dealing with dark emotions that are rarely shown on TV, especially for a "hero." I applaud the show (four decades later) for going to these places, and taking these chances.

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Magnum's character is very complex yet the series mostly shows his light down to earth fun persona but still we get some really complex episodes about him which are some of the best.

I really love how Donald P. Bellisario makes his characters simple and somewhat cartoonish to the viewer but the more we watch the more complex they turn out to be.


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To me the show is actually very complex, especially for the time it was produced.

When it came out audiences were surprised to see Vietnam vets living normal lives, actually showing them deal with their PTSD (Magnum constantly has flashbacks to Nam), and how they adapted successfully when they came back from duty.

Magnum on the surface is a hunky private eye, but internally is haunted by his past, not just because of the war but because of his time as an intelligence officer and his upbringing (his father died in the war).

The show does a delicate job balancing these episodes to show the complexity of the characters. One episode will be much more comedic, one very serious, and another will focus on a side character like Higgins or TC. They have a straightforward episode where Magnum solves a murder, another where he's forced to tread water while his friends search desperately for him, and then one where Carol Burnett shows up.

To me the beauty of the show isn't the episodic storylines, but the relationships between the characters. Magnum has a surface ball-busting friendship with everyone - Magnum is a serious mooch, Higgins is a stuffy elitist, Rick is the mob-connected wannabe tough guy, TC the long-suffering business owner - but deep down everyone absolutely loves each other like family and knows their suffering and history. My favorite moments are when Magnum and Higgins talk seriously about their pasts after arguing about who gets access to the tennis courts.

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Well, I haven't seen every episode, but I do recall them doing some stuff with PTSD, but more often they would use Magnum's (as well as Rick and TC's experience in Vietnam) as a pretext for how they would deal with criminals. It's too bad they didn't deal more with PTSD.

I'd say this show was generally a B, but at times it lifted itself into A territory where it became introspective. I also did like the relationship between Magnum and Higgins.

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In contrast the reboot fails at this.I've only watched the first 3 episodes because that's all I could stand but the reboot was a very generic procedural actioner.The original had it's fair share of car chases shootouts and fist fights but it was much more character driven.

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I haven't seen the new one, but I'll take your word for it.

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