Magnum PI - Season 7

[Lieutenant Gerard]

Although I've only seen select episodes from various seasons, I must say that the episodes currently being shown on the local RTN network are among the most reflective and introspective episodes of the Magnum, P.I. series I've seen. Right now the show is in the seventh season cycle, which is among many fans, arguably the best season of the series. This is not surprising, given that the producers assumed the seventh season was to be the last, and wanted to go out with a bang. It is difficult to overstate the writers brilliance in this season, exemplified by episodes such as "Solo Flight", "Forty", "Laura", "Kapu", "Paper War", and "Novel Connection." Thanks to these episodes, the character of Thomas Magnum becomes much more than a suave playboy/private dick, and he's shown to be not only very three dimensional, but a somewhat tragic figure in his own right. "Solo Flight", with its intensely depressing flashbacks from Magnum's childhood, combined with the gory scenes of his experiences in Vietnam, cannot help but evoke a deep feeling of pathos from the audience for Magnum. This pathos is further evident in "Forty", when it's shown that a "playboy" like Magnum cannot always get the girl. His call to his mother at the end is the most poignant scene of the episode, especially when she tells him to take it easy and he tells her that he's "only forty" (heh heh...only forty).

 

Perhaps the most tragic episode of this season was "Laura", when Frank Sinatra plays a retired cop who tracks down the men who raped and murdered his young granddaughter. Although it's easy to simply let Sinatra's character find the culprit and exact justice, Magnum nevertheless tracks the retired cop down in an attempt to stop him. The scene at the end, where Sinatra's character visits his granddaughter's grave is truly heartbreaking, especially when one considers that these kinds of heinous acts seem to happen with appalling regularity. What also sets season seven apart is the fact that a much more subdued piece of music is played over the credits of most of the episodes, rather than the rocking, bombastic magnum theme. This immensely adds to the strength of the episodes, and small creative touches like this are rarities among television programs. For those in tvland who feel that a show like Magnum, P.I. is an hour long piece of cardboard filled with mindless violence and pretty girls ought to check out season seven. My opinion of the show has dramatically improved thanks to the episodes of this season.

[TVYesteryear]

Paper War is one of my favorite episodes of season 7, if not the entire Magnum PI series. I'm a sucker for "practical joke one-upmanship gone too far" type episodes. LOL. Though, I'd have to say, blowing up the Bridge Over the River Kwai was crossing the line... How many times has Higgins rebuilt that thing? LOL.

[TVYesteryear]

What with Magnum, PI now available on Netflix, we've been watching the whole series over again. And yes, we're back on season 7. Season 6 was probably the weakest, so it's nice to get back to some solid episodes. We watched Death and Taxes last night, creepy episode. That's one that I distinctly remember from the original run of the show.