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Some of my friends seem to wonder why I love this show that much I do, but then isn't this the problem with anything one likes? And then, wouldn't it be
kind of boring if everyone had the same interests? But then, I was often thinking about this topic, trying to arrive at a conclusion to why I love certain
things, or why not. A result of this process would be this website of mine, which is nothing more than thoughts being published in a very cheap way - just
consider the thought alone! Being enabled to produce something and make it accessible to the public - worldwide! Well, I think I should try to talk about
Magnum, p.i..
Magnum, p.i. is in a way a highlight of detective and crime stories - and the show is much more entertaining and of a much higher quality than a lot
of shows of the same genre. First of all, the very first criterium concerning quality is the cast - and that of Magnum, p.i. is really a perfect one. The Magnum-Higgins relationship, Zeus and Apollo, Rick and T.C. - a classic creation. But for Magnum, p.i. it is not just the cast.
This is not a simple detective show. It is not about some private investigator who enjoys the financial success of a writer, well, in fact, it is a show
about such a character. Magnum's financial situation is always a catastrophic one, but he lives at Robin's Nest and drives a Ferrari. But then, this is not
a stupid idiot who has a strange job. He might not be as educated as Higgins, he might not have the same habits as Higgins, but he is a gentleman, and he's
a man with a history. Although it seems as if he's exploiting his friends for his work, I think this relationship is based on a deeper level of
understanding - he's helping people, and his friends understand that. Besides, without Magnum, what excitement would there be in the lives of Rick and T.C., even Higgins?
Magnum, p.i. is also a show about Vietnam, about the simple fact that war is something very cruel, very sad and very much unproductive for it only
lives on hatred and produces only hatred. Magnum has lost his wife due to this war, and the same still ongoing war is killing her again. Magnum tries to be
funny and optimistic, but deep inside he has seen it all - there are moments where the view into his heart and mind is open and one can see an ongoing
battle within; moments just as the final scene of 'Did You See The Sunrise (2)' or 'Echoes of the Mind (2)'. Unforgettable are episodes like 'Home From the
Sea' and 'Solo Flight' and 'Unfinished Business' as well as those episodes like 'Paper War', 'Legend of the Lost Art' and 'Who is Don Luis, Higgins, and Why is He Doing Those Terrible Things To Me?'.
But there is still another factor that makes Magnum, p.i. extraordinary. Those scenes where his inner voice is speaking, the coma episodes - all
those things that can't be explained. And then, of course, there is Hawaii. Is there a more beutiful place to film a show?
May 20th, 1998
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