| Review:
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This five disc boxed set gives viewers all 21 episodes
of Magnum P.I.'s season seven. Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck)
is still tooling around in the Ferrari, paling around with
Rick (Larry Manetti) and T.C.(Roger E. Mosley), marshaling
security from the guest house on the mysterious Robin Masters'
(voiced by Orson Welles) Oahu estate, generally annoying
prim and proper Higgins (John Hillerman) whenever possible,
while still managing to find time to solve a crime or two.
Season seven includes some great episodes! The season opener,
"L.A", is a popular one with fans of the show. Magnum is
sent to Los Angeles to deliver lawsuit papers on behalf
of Masters to a small film company. He befriends a budding
comedienne who later turns up dead in his hotel room. With
the help of an attractive lawyer, Magnum is sure to unravel
the mystery. This episode is perhaps most unique because
it is the first time we see Magnum without his home-court
advantage or any of his usual backup. TC, Rick and Higgins
only communicate with him over the phone for this entire
episode. This is also the first episode to be co-produced
by Selleck's company.
Throughout season seven viewers will see Magnum: struggling
with a tax audit, playing bodyguard for a hearing impaired
artist who is the only witness to a bank robbery, confronted
by his ex-wife with the possibility of a daughter he never
knew about, attempt to throw a party on the estate while
Higgins is being chased around an island by three juvenile
convicts, struggle through red-tape to renew his Investigators
license, clear Rick of murder charges, loose his luck, his
heart, and nearly his life! Some of my favorites. In the
"Novel Connection" viewers were treated to a two-part crossover
episode with Angela Lansbury and the equally popular Murder
She Wrote, and in "Laura" Frank Sinatra appears in his last
major acting role! While I'm not a fan of Sinatra, I thought
Jessica Fletcher (Lansbury) made a uniquely interesting
foil for the character of Magnum. I'm not always entertained
by these crossovers shows, but here, it works. Their age
differences and varied approaches to sleuthing made for
some really entertaining viewing. I particularly enjoyed
the surrealistic two-part finale from season seven entitled
"Limbo", in which Magnum is apparently killed and we witness
his struggle to ascend to a peaceful afterlife. It was assumed
at the time that the series was being concluded, but Magnum
P.I. was brought back for an eighth season; Leaving fans
plenty to look forward to when Universal issues that final
season! I think my personal favorite from this season though
has to be the prank wars between Magnum and Higgins in "Paper
War"!
This show was incredibly popular throughout the '80's,
and it is easy to see why. The characters are fun, unique
and engaging. The stories are a great blend of action, mystery
and humor; wonderfully entertaining without being too heavy.
The scenery is unbeatable! Who wouldn't want to sit around
watching pieces of Hawaii float by in the background? Personally,
I was most impressed with the consistently good writing
on Magnum over the years. The final season was just as sharp
and diverting as the first season, which is certainly not
always the case. By this time of course, fans had 6 years
of history with Thomas Magnum, his friends, enemies, and
many adventures which makes a difference. When characters
and stories continue to have you eagerly tuning in for eight
years, viewers are dedicated, and it's not every show that
can carry a devoted fan base for that long!
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| Special
Features: |
The interview with Angela Lansbury, while interesting
enough, seems out of place here with no extras from Magnum
P.I. to round out the Special Features of this set. In essence,
this is a bare bones edition that counts on the interests
of Magnum fans. It must be difficult to work up something
interesting to include in a boxed television series set.
Primary actors have long since moved on to other things
and probably don't want to rehash, and any leftovers or
outtakes have probably long since disappeared. I would have
loved to pick the brains of the writers, director, and actors
though; listen to what inspired various episodes or scenes,
what influenced certain shots, and perhaps a deeper look
into the action sequences so common on this show.
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