TV - Magnum PI: Darker & Smarter Episodes

This two-parter isn't on the list of recommended "darker & smarter" episodes, but it is a cornerstone in the overall series. Michelle, the woman Magnum married during his tour of duty in the Vietnam War, haunts Magnum throughout this episode (and the series) when he thinks he sees her in present-day Hawaii. It's basically a remake of "Casablanca" containing an uncomfortable amount of Shakespearian coincidence, war-buddy cliches, outdated sexual politics and the unintentionally hilarious overuse of a church location in the second half, but the story gives more depth to Magnum's world and character.

Soon-Tek Oh gives a fantastic performance as General Nguyen Hue. It also introduces the recurring character of Col. Buck Green who is a frequent thorn in Magnum's side and played by character actor and 80's TV staple, Lance LeGault. (He could just be Col. Decker in Hawaii on vacation from hunting "The A-Team.")

The hook of the episode is the international assassin making his way to Hawaii, but its strength is the once-promising reporter who is trying to track him down. Tyne Daly gives a strong and raw performance as an old friend who reconnects with Magnum in pursuit of a story she hopes will put her back on a reputable track.

The 80's sins creep in most notably during the assassination scenes: A silencer quiets a bullet in a cavernous church, an explosives shed goes up with only the force of a rage bonfire and the professionally trained killer leaves behind his most reliable disguise for anyone to find. Rick and TC are relegated to exposition work and sitcom-style relief.

Donald Belisario sends this episode goes right after the moral question that must haunt many a POW: can I move on once I'm free? The Vietnam War comes back to haunt TC and Magnum as a fellow POW visits the island with news that their one-time tormentor may be in Hawaii on deadly business.

The 80's sins are at a minimum here thanks to the serious tone. It's the actions they prevent rather than the spectacles they cause that really keep the tension going. The last scene leaves the audience with no answers and seriously compelling questions about our regular heroes.

This mystery that begins with a murder in World War 2 plays out like a game of 3 card monte as Magnum chases down leads. It's a sharp mystery that dangles clues in front of the viewer but refuses to say what they reveal until the end.

The worst 80's sin here is the treatment of the potential romantic interest. She is saddled with an excruciating amount of family exposition and her motives don't really get fleshed out as you'd like. The antics between Higgins and Magnum surrounding a hospital stay also lean on the sitcom-ish side.

We receive a closer look at Magnum's past when a reckless speedboat separates him from his surf ski and leave him adrift in a riptide headed for the north Pacific. This is more than a clip show as Magnum relives childhood lessons about learning to swim as he struggles to stay afloat and clings to the hope that he'll be reported missing in time to be rescued.

This is easily one of the most dramatic episodes. It focuses on character over a typical mystery plot as each of the other main characters begin to realize that Magnum is missing. The only 80's sins are the thin characterization of TC's little league protege and Rick's bikini-clad date, whose best moment is when she gets to call Rick out on his flimsy excuse for keeping her out on his boat overnight.

(And a footnote: the shark that menaces Magnum is convincing even in the pre-CGI days.)

Rick's sister dying during a visit while under Magnum's watch is bad enough, but the club owner and sidekick struggles to reconcile the image of the innocent girl he knew with the mounting evidence that she was rebellious and a budding criminal. Rick goes on a quest for revenge while TC and Magnum attempt to rein him in.

The premise is a compelling one but is completely undermined by the limits of Larry Manetti's acting skills. He is perfectly serviceable as a club owner and buddy, but asking him to plumb the depths of Rick's soul to show the grief of losing a sibling is like watching someone freak out about drowning in the shallow end of a swimming pool. He simply doesn't have the chops to pull it off, so you'd wish he'd just stand up and walk out instead of thrashing about making waves. The scene where he would have been told that his sister's death has been confirmed gets relegated to a voiceover by Tom Selleck as Magnum drives back to the estate. Placing the dramatic thrust of the episode on his shoulders is simply too much.

The real shining moment is the climactic chase scene between a fleeing jeep and TC's helicopter. The pilot deserves an award for the breathtakingly precise stunt manouvers as the chopper weaves in and out of a tree-lined road.

There's an odd hint of superstition as Magnum takes on a wealthy new client, Diane, who shares a traumatic past with her twin sister, Deirdra. Magnum takes on a bodyguard role and rushes off even when he gets a feeling that there may be trouble, which proves coincidentally to be correct. Higgins takes on the challenge of marriage with Lady Ashley, a woman with whom he has corresponded for several years. In doing so, he also creates unintended misunderstandings with Agatha.

It's mostly set-up with the most harrowing moments coming in the presence of a pair of attack dogs (not Higgins's usual "lads") and an unexpected nighttime visitor who drops in on Diane.

The second half of this two-part episode gets to its real point: a study in private and public faces. While Magnum begins to see that there is dramatically more to Diane's situation with her sister than meets the eye, Higgins finds that the woman with whom he thought he was in love shows her own secondary agenda and he examines his relationship with Agatha. The solution to his problems also arrives in the form of his alcoholic brother, played in a dual role by Hillerman.

It's a well-written episode good plot turns. The tone is strange, however, because it yanks back and forth from the almost sitcomish antics of Higgins's dilemma to the psychodrama of what Magnum and Diane are experiencing. Some of the best scenes are actually between Higgins and Agatha.

The 80's sins are mostly clothing related. Even a young Sharon Stone has a tough time in the styles she ends up in as Diane (school teacher respectable) and Deirdra (power broker trendy).

If Magnum was living in Gotham City or was studying at Quantico with Clarice Starling, this story would not be out of place. A deranged multiple murderer is angling for Magnum's attention and does so without reservation. It's not clear if the evidence Magnum is following is either skillfully detected clues or a trail of breadcrumbs leading him where this nemesis wants him to go.

The biggest 80's sin here is the re-use of the song "Mama" by Genesis. It's got an appropriatly creepy tone, but the lyrics don't quite fit as it hammers at the audience throughput the episode. You'll quickly overlook that for comic actor Kenneth Tigar's frightening performance every time he gets Magnum on the phone.

Magnum dies (or does he?) in a warehouse gunfight and spends the remainder of the show haunting his friends and getting insight as to the impact he's made with his life and mistakes.

This is a wonderfully philosophical episode that was intended to be Magnum's sendoff before the show was renewed for a very haphazard 8th season. This episode seems to be very personal for show creator Donald Bellisario as similar themes are echoed in his script for the "Quantum Leap" finale in 1994. Heroes don't always know what they're doing, and the wealth of life is in the journey.