Magnum Mania!

i just joined the MPI facebook group and there was a thread with this topic there. most said no, and surprisingly, it seemed like such a dry discussion to the ones we have here. I may have missed this thread if there's another one already (sorry).

But lets have it! What do you think and why?

I think yes, because the spirit of the show was the fun between the characters and it would be another totally awesome layer to totally awesome show.

Considering they botched the continuity after Wells died, either answer is acceptable IMHO.

Although it would be funny, I think that Higgins and Mr. Masters are absolutely two different persons.
There are too many circumstances that indicate so.
The idea of the Higgins/Masters stuff comes out pretty late in the show (actually in the seventh season). If the screenplayers had thought about it earlier then things would have been different, but being the things as they are I think there is no way they are the same person.

The episode where Robin's nephew shows up for some Mr Manners training kinda seals the deal that Higgins is not Robin.

I do think the writers could have directly worked this in more episodes, and may have beefed up the overall plot line, but at the time no one probably saw the value in it.

Maybe the writers thought the show had lost it's edge ( I disagree) and they thought making Higgins seem to be Robin Masters would pump some life into the show?

As one who prefers seasons 1-4 I say no, he wasn't. Too many things pointed to Higgins NOT being Robin.

As I've stated before, those last four seasons had a few too many unwelcome additions and I often wondered if I was even watching the same show I loved for those first four years. One of--if not THE--worst ideas they ever attempted.

It's certainly a cool concept - one that I'd like to believe. But I agree that there are too many instances where it just doesn't make sense.

This is my theory, which I posted here quite some time ago:

I think the answer is "yes...and no".

Imagine this scenario:

Robin Masters, a real writer, strikes gold with his first novel or maybe first couple of novels, but then hits a slump. He maybe writes a few stinkers, or perhaps, can't seem to write anything at all to completion, and it is beginning to seem like he was a flash in the pan that got lucky.

While discussing his misfortune with Higgins, Higgins offers to help by doing research, reading over his manuscripts and giving suggestions on how to improve, etc.

Robin Masters becomes a success again, and it is primarily due to Higgins' work. Eventually, very little of what Robin Masters churns out is his own work, essentially being ghost-written by Higgins. Higgins, being no fool, makes sure he is getting most of the income from the novels, but sees value in keeping the Robin Masters name and image around, to keep his own name from being associated with the lurid novels, along with the fact that the name recognition of Robin Masters helps publicity and sales.

By the end of the series, Robin may still technically own the estate, but we also know that Higgins has "Power of Attorney" over Masters' affairs, which is a huge step above simply being the "majordomo" of the estate (for example, he can withdraw money, e.g. $300,000 in one episode, from Masters' account without needing his consent).

So maybe, in effect, Higgins gradually becomes Robin Masters for all intents and purposes, in that, he's the one that, by the end of the series, actually writes the novels and calls the shots.

This theory doesn't violate any of the continuity of the series and also allows for Magnum to be right in a sense when he claimed that Higgins was Robin Masters.