MPI Before MPI & During Five-O

[Agatha]

The possibilities are endless, Little Garwood! And too funny!!

[Little Garwood]

One of the oh-so close Magnum-H5O meetings would be when John Hillerman's appearance in the Hawaii Five-O S10 episode "A Stranger in his Grave" is that while it is JH at the Estate, his performance is un-Higgins-like that it breaks the spell, so to speak. So close, yet so far...

[Little Garwood]

I really wish there was more info on Magnum's time in Naval Intelligence, which was after his time in Vietnam and before his start as a private investigator. Whenever his Naval Intelligence days are mentioned, I wonder if he was deployed to the Far East or maybe just within the Hawaiian Islands. There was a fan website for Hawaii Five-O that had a few (long) fan fiction stories of Steve McGarrett's Naval Intelligence Years during the Korean War. Someone should do one for Thomas Magnum.

[ConchRepublican]

I really wish there was more info on Magnum's time in Naval Intelligence, which was after his time in Vietnam and before his start as a private investigator. Whenever his Naval Intelligence days are mentioned, I wonder if he was deployed to the Far East or maybe just within the Hawaiian Islands. There was a fan website for Hawaii Five-O that had a few (long) fan fiction stories of Steve McGarrett's Naval Intelligence Years during the Korean War. Someone should do one for Thomas Magnum.

Pearl Harbor, 1970 something

It was raining. Again

People don't think of rain in Hawai'i, they never show it in the ads, but it rains. Especially when I have leave.

I had just finished up more unnecessary paperwork for Lt. Colonel Greene ... I know, he was was Major Greene last week, actually he's been a major .... anyway .... Lt. Colonel Greene had me complete in quadruplicate the details of a coordinated operation between Naval Intelligance and the so-called 5-0 task force. It seemed all a bit too polished for me, especially Buck .... Lt. Col. Greene playing along as an understudy to that McGarret character.

But who cares anyway? It's done and I'm on leave for three days.

Except it's raining. On an island surrounded by water. More water. Ugh. Sometimes I think there's a little man with a doll of me playing games.

Cut to the interior of a well appointed Estate.
In the kitchen a man in khaki safari wear is rinsing what looks to be a G.I. Joe figure in the sink .....

[Little Garwood]

Nicely done, Conch!

[Doc Ibold]

Nice work!

[Hawaii Winds]

So many interesting possiblities, Little Garwood! It almost doesn't matter what tidibit pops into our minds...we can wonder "what if" about it.

I think it would have been GRAND to have some crossover episodes with both Hawaii 5-0 and Magnum. But SOMEBODY would have had to think of the idea and put it together soon after Hawaii 5-0 went off the air. Which would have made it REALLY early in the Magnum series...maybe too early in the Magnum series. I don't know starting/stopping dates. I guess there's a reason why it didn't happen.

All I know is that if you had Hawaii 5-0 and Magnum PI going at the same time, you wouldn't have had to kill Tanaka off in Season 8. He'd have died way earlier in the series from stress! Being in the middle between McGarrett and Magnum would have been more than any human being would be able to stand!!

...And I encourage everyone to post their ideas! The "what ifs" are endless and always interesting to ponder.

As for Kwan Hi Lim, he DID deal with McGarrett a lot during the show, in a variety of roles. In season six's The Sunday Torch, he plays an arson investigator. However, he usually played a slimy lawyer/assistant to a "syndicate" boss or some such crime lord. His best work is on H5-O, especially as a villain.

Hawaii Five-O ended its run on April 26, 1980. MPI premiered December 11, 1980 (at least according to The Complete Directory to Primetime Network and TV Shows!)

Kwan Hi Lim, was actually a lawyer by trade...

[terryfromkerry]

Kwan Hi Lim, was actually a lawyer by trade...[/quote]

And a Judge also apparently.

[Little Garwood]

Since both McGarrett and Magnum had hitches in military intelligence, I feel that the two series shared a kinship just based on the Navy connection alone. There was the tantalizing possibility of Thomas and McGarrett actually meeting since McGarrett, like Magnum, was called back into duty, as in Five-0's season eight opener, the superb Murder--Eyes Only. If only Jack Lord had returned as McGarrett during Magnum's run. Oh, the possibilities.

[SignGuyHPW]

I wonder if TM was stationed in Hawaii with the NIA after returning from Vietnam? He seemed to know a lot of navy personnel while a private investigator, so it stands to reason that he was in command of a desk or off on missions in the Far East.

They heavily implied that Magnum was stationed at Pearl when he was part of NIA. They mentioned how Mac was actually the guy that replaced Magnum when he left the Navy which is why Magnum knew exactly what Mac could and couldn't do and how classified it was when getting help. It was also how Magnum was able to get onto Pearl so easily. He knew so many people there that they didn't really think anything of granting him admission to the base. The only time they implied he wasn't soley doing what Mac and Maggie's job was later was when they had the story where someone he'd arrested after deep cover kidnapped Higgins and TC to lure Magnum.

[Little Garwood]

I wonder if TM was stationed in Hawaii with the NIA after returning from Vietnam? He seemed to know a lot of navy personnel while a private investigator, so it stands to reason that he was in command of a desk or off on missions in the Far East.

They heavily implied that Magnum was stationed at Pearl when he was part of NIA. They mentioned how Mac was actually the guy that replaced Magnum when he left the Navy which is why Magnum knew exactly what Mac could and couldn't do and how classified it was when getting help. It was also how Magnum was able to get onto Pearl so easily. He knew so many people there that they didn't really think anything of granting him admission to the base. The only time they implied he wasn't soley doing what Mac and Maggie's job was later was when they had the story where someone he'd arrested after deep cover kidnapped Higgins and TC to lure Magnum.

Thanks for the reply! It all makes perfect sense and your explanation has me picturing Thomas during his years in NIA, which would be the 1970s. Speaking of which, Hawaii Five-0 often dealt with Far East intrigue and it is quite easy to picture Thomas being involved in some way. One of the greatest missed opportunities was having Jack Lord on MPI, even if it was for just one episode or perhaps a two-parter, where the script could info dump a whole ton of backstory regarding any and all interactions between Five-0 and Commander Magnum. Oh, the lost opportunity!

[Little Garwood]

I've always wondered: was Magnum Mac's boss at NIA? I know he was Mac's superior officer in terms of rank, but did the two work in the same department (and what exactly was that department)?