Most Shocking/Jolting Magnum Moment

[Styles Bitchley]

That was indeed a shocking ending. I think it was less powerful though, because we didn’t know the victim nearly as much as Mac. As an unexpected finale, it is still a high ranking episode.

I don't know. There was something truly unsettling about that scene. Even more so than Mac in a way. Mac's death was surprising, but it wasn't super shocking for some reason. Perhaps because it lacked some finality. I'm sure I'm not the only one who expected Mac to miraculously appear again.

You watched the episode when it first aired and thought he would be back! I didn’t have that kind of foresight when I was twelve.

Sorry. What I mean is that I expected him to return later in the episode. So his death didn’t feel real to me. It was clear by the end that he wasn’t faking it but there was a while there where I expected the tone to switch back to “everything’s ok.”

[Styles Bitchley]

By the way, of relevance to this thread, Magnum Mania (I.e., JJ Walters) votes for Ivan’s execution.

http://magnum-mania.com/Episodes/Season ... ise_2.html

“This episode has the most shocking, unexpected and controversial ending of the entire series, with Magnum killing Ivan in cold blood! In most airings in the UK, the gunshot is omitted.”

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

We see Mac get blown up in spectacular fashion, followed immediately my Magnum standing over his charred body in the hospital with a white sheet covering him entirely. Followed by a teary-eyed and grief-stricken Magnum's confrontation with Buck Greene. Can't get anymore "finality" on a character than that. There was no doubt in my mind that poor Mac was dead and gone.

I'm sure back in the day killing off characters wasn't a very common thing but it's not like it was one of the main cast - Rick or TC. It was Mac, a recurring character. An expendable character. So it wasn't hard for me to accept that he was really gone.

[ConchRepublican]

That's like talking about Butch and Sundance going out in a blaze of glory at the end of their movie . . . at this point we assume everyone knows.

Wait... what???? You're pulling my leg!! Spoilers, man, spoilers!

[Styles Bitchley]

We see Mac get blown up in spectacular fashion, followed immediately my Magnum standing over his charred body in the hospital with a white sheet covering him entirely. Followed by a teary-eyed and grief-stricken Magnum's confrontation with Buck Greene. Can't get anymore "finality" on a character than that. There was no doubt in my mind that poor Mac was dead and gone.

I'm sure back in the day killing off characters wasn't a very common thing but it's not like it was one of the main cast - Rick or TC. It was Mac, a recurring character. An expendable character. So it wasn't hard for me to accept that he was really gone.

Maybe I'd just seen that play out so many times before. Completely implausible, but there would be something that would allow it to happen...someone else's body, someone who looks just like the character, etc. You know you've seen it happen.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

That's like talking about Butch and Sundance going out in a blaze of glory at the end of their movie . . . at this point we assume everyone knows.

Wait... what???? You're pulling my leg!! Spoilers, man, spoilers!

Actually I saw the movie a long time ago and don't even remember what happened at the end. So you did spoil it for me.

[Pahonu]

That was indeed a shocking ending. I think it was less powerful though, because we didn’t know the victim nearly as much as Mac. As an unexpected finale, it is still a high ranking episode.

I don't know. There was something truly unsettling about that scene. Even more so than Mac in a way. Mac's death was surprising, but it wasn't super shocking for some reason. Perhaps because it lacked some finality. I'm sure I'm not the only one who expected Mac to miraculously appear again.

You watched the episode when it first aired and thought he would be back! I didn’t have that kind of foresight when I was twelve.

Sorry. What I mean is that I expected him to return later in the episode. So his death didn’t feel real to me. It was clear by the end that he wasn’t faking it but there was a while there where I expected the tone to switch back to “everything’s ok.”

I gotcha. Even still, I don’t recall thinking it was some kind of prank or a dream or anything. Very interesting take on it.

[Pahonu]

That's like talking about Butch and Sundance going out in a blaze of glory at the end of their movie . . . at this point we assume everyone knows.

Wait... what???? You're pulling my leg!! Spoilers, man, spoilers!

Actually I saw the movie a long time ago and don't even remember what happened at the end. So you did spoil it for me.

That’s such an iconic…
<SPOILER ALERT>





…freeze frame ending. It’s hard to believe you forgot it. It has similarities to TM killing Ivan.