Magnum P.I.: Season Two

We pick up where things left off in season one with Higgins (Perdita Weeks) still contemplating Magnum’s (Jay Hernandez) offer to be partners in his P.I. business. She has a chance to resume working for MI-6 so flies back to London for an interview. You can guess what her decision is and what follows is the usual stuff working cases as a team. “Magnum P.I.” is modestly entertaining but I continue to struggle with the many unlikely and just plain silly elements to this show. Some minor spoilers ahead. Rick (Zachary Knighton) decides to quit as manager of the King Kamehameha Club and despite not having any money or credit decides to buy a vintage Tiki bar. After wisely telling his pals he doesn’t want their money he winds up taking cash from TC (Stephen Hill) after the banks turn him down. Despite his money woes Rick is still cruising around in a Porsche…how does that work? In the same episode, OG “Magnum P.I.” Orville ‘Rick’ Wright actor Larry Manetti has a cameo as a piano playing lounge singer at the bar. It’s nice that they brought him back like they did with Roger Moseley (TC) last season. A continuing problem is people keep doing either outright stupid or at least very questionable things. In episode three the estate is invaded by bad guys (again, see Season 1) searching for a piece of information while Magnum’s gone. When he returns unexpectedly and discovers what is going on he manages to disarm one of the henchman. Magnum takes the man’s pistol but leaves his Uzi behind. Moments later he does the same thing…this guy is a former Navy SEAL?! Now alerted that something is up, when Magnum goes to the guest house he discovers ‘the lads’ (Doberman’s Zeus and Apollo) are locked inside. Does he let them out? Nope, sure the dogs don’t like him but having two highly trained and lethal dogs running interference might be helpful. Later he gets the drop on the two gang leaders in the main house with Higgins; but does this highly skilled commando check six or put his back to a wall so he isn’t ambushed from behind? Of course he doesn’t and is taken captive. That evening when Det. Katusmoto (Tim Kang) and Higgins track him down and are debating on waiting for SWAT to arrive here come Rick and TC who as usual have nothing but time on their hands (and Rick’s running a bar now keep in mind). Rick proceeds to unload a military grade automatic weapon and tactical shotgun and Katusmoto doesn’t blink an eye at their hardware. So even though they’re three civilians Katsumoto lets them go ahead and assault the stronghold where a big shootout ensues and all the criminals are killed; wonder if the HPD leadership is going to condone that decision? In another episode set on Halloween night Rick’s bar is supposed to be hosting a big costume party but patronage is lacking. While he and TC are commiserating Magnum calls and next thing you know Rick is off to accompany Higgins to spend the night at a supposedly haunted house for a client. Thinking TC must be supervising the bar’s floundering party since he’s a big investor I’m proven wrong when he shows up to help Kumu (Amy Hill) with something else. With this laissez faire management style I’m betting the Tiki bar will fold very soon leaving Rick destitute. Using a blazing red Ferrari for surveillance has always been ridiculous but other shows are guilty of the same thing, but perhaps not so flamboyantly. A real P.I. would want a silver or white Honda Accord or Toyota Camry which are ubiquitous and blend into any surrounding. This season, Magnum takes things up a notch using Robin Masters brand new Lamborghini Urus SUV in screaming yellow to tail a guy in a remote area. Maybe the fairly pedestrian black Range Rover the estate has would have been a better choice, the Lambo is pretty cool though but seriously dude, keep a low profile. In one episode we meet Paulie, the brother of the late Nuzo one of the guy’s team mates in Afghanistan. He ropes the gang into a preposterous and illegal scheme to smuggle some 16 year old kid they knew in Kandahar into the country. Paulie is a fat, whiny, Brooklynite and is without doubt one of the most annoying characters I’ve seen on TV since the infamous Jack Dalton from “MacGyver”. I will not watch another episode that he appears in. Equally preposterous, in another outing Magnum’s on Naval Reserve duty and gets dispatched on some Top Secret snatch & grab mission in the hinterlands of Argentina with a team of two other guys he’s never met. Okay, just like Selleck would occasionally put on a Navy uniform with his insanely out of regs haircut and mustache, Jay Hernandez likewise flaunts grooming standards too. I don’t know about USN order of precedence rules for qualification badges but am pretty sure his SEAL Trident would top those jump wings he was wearing on top of his ribbon rack. Anyway, given this show is from CBS the writers might have checked out a few episodes of “SEAL Team” to see how much planning and training goes on for a mission like of this nature. There’s no way Magnum would get sent on something like this or agree to do it as presented here…of course TC, Rick, Higgins, wheel chair bound Shammy, and even Katsumoto have to fly in Robin’s private jet to Argentina and rescue him in an outlandish off-the- books op. Then there are just basic goofs like the time Magnum and Higgins dive into the water with their cell phones in their pockets but later they still work…not in my universe they don’t. And not since “The A-Team” has a show featured vehicles riddled by automatic weapons fire with the occupants emerging without a scratch. Finally, a personal favorite is how Higgins who favors form fitting pants and skin tight tops will magically produce a good sized handgun; where did she have that hidden? If you’ve ever carried a concealed weapon it really isn’t that easy to do, especially dressed like her. Another miss for me was the “Hawaii Five-O” crossover show; as a kid I loved the original Five-O starring Jack Lord but could not get into the reboot. The Five-O episode with the Magnum gang is provided as a bonus feature but it all felt pretty cobbled together. Two gimmicks are wearing thin very fast; the whole Rick “knows a guy” thing no matter where in the world they are who can magically solve the team’s problem of the moment, and Higgins’ ability to use her old MI-6 access to hack into surveillance satellites that are always serendipitously in orbit wherever they need imagery. To me this is just lazy writing; instead of having to do some actual sleuthing or come up with a creative solution to a problem Rick’s buddies and Juliette’s satellites are used to save the day way too many times in my opinion. Also, the show runners seem bound and determined to have a Magnum/Higgins romance which is a mistake. Anyone remember “Moonlighting” and what happened after Maddie Hayes and David Addison finally hooked up? The kiss of death almost for certain. Last season for comic relief we had the woefully miscast Ken Jeong as Luther H. Gillis, a gumshoe who competes with Magnum. This time around we have “MAD TV’s” Bobby Lee as Jin, a low level pickpocket and grifter who gets involved in some of Magnum and Higgins’ cases. Lee appears in 4 episodes which is about three too many. There are a number of special guest cameos including Lee Majors (The Six Million Dollar Man), Catherine Dent (The Shield), the band Train, and Corbin Bernsen. As another reviewer has noted; each episode concludes with a kind of sappy moralistic lesson about family, friendship, or loyalty, or whatever. Maybe I’m just too cynical but it’s is definitely a pattern and I find myself cringing the last 10 minutes of each show because I know what’s coming. If it gets any more cloying then “Magnum P.I.” should air on the Hallmark Channel. Look, the original Magnum hasn’t aged particularly well and has plenty of eye-rolling moments too but it’s over 30 years old. The production team does earn a salute because like the original, this incarnation of “Magnum” continues to highlight veterans and veteran issues; different wars but the problems don’t really change. I personally could relate to the episode where the MGySgt ‘Murph’ who just retired after 30 years struggles with transitioning to civilian life. I’ve warmed up to Jay Hernandez version of Magnum, he’s got a certain charm that captures the spirit of his predecessor. And in Season 2 Thomas finally wears the iconic red Jungle Bird Hawaiian shirt made famous by Tom Selleck in the original series which was a nice touch for old fans. Not sure why they have the old Ferrari 308 that they destroyed in the pilot on the cover of the DVD case though. A third season is beginning production after being delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and I’ll probably check it out. I hope it gets better as it ages but if the show is just more of the same I might be done.

Season Two continues to develop the characters. The episodes ate exciting and humor is thrown in to lighten the seriousness of the cases Magnum, Higgins and the rest of the team take on. I found myself tearing up at the end of many of the episodes. Simply love the bantering, yet there is a great deal of support when needed.

I tend to like investigative shows set in Hawaii to begin with, and this show is no exception. The storylines that spring up as a result of the setting itself are interesting, and the actors are well chosen for their roles. Some of the writing is a bit simplistic sometimes, wild at other times. But overall it’s enough to keep me watching.

This is an amazing show absolutely perfection I don’t like the old one but this one has everything you can ask for , adventure, romance, mystery, friendship and above all clean nothing disgusting or bad language

Love Magnum. Can’t wait for season 4 to come out!

The DVD case and Discs are in really good condition. The Video, Audio, and English subtitles work in great quality. When I was watching Season two of Magnum P.I. I couldn't stop laughing, Season two is just as funny and serious at times like Season one. I really like this Series! I am really pleased with my purchase. I also give Season two 5 stars!!

I added to my collection and really love these movies

Great season and shows

Very good series and extras worth the moneyDVD plays on my region 2 player ok

great purchase, if you liked season 1 , season 2 just as good, great story lines and high impact dramadoes state on case its region 1 does play on my region 2 player so no problems on play back issues,

A brilliant follow up season, long may it continue

The quality of the Magnum dvds are good and worth the money.

PRODUCT ITSELF IS GOOD, HOWEVER THE DELIVERY SERVICE IS VERY VERY POOR AND TOOK WEEKS TO ARRIVE.