Season 1 Episode 2: From The Head Down (1.2)

[Steve]

"Folks" is one of my favorites...but you know what they say...."There's no accounting for taste"....

And here I thought I was the only one that liked Folks and have kept that fact as my dirty little secret. Truth be told, I like it because it had Tom Selleck of course, was shot here in Chicago, some scenes in the area I used to live in and would see the film crews, plus, I actually drove a Nissan 300zx at the time as TS did in the movie before it was repossessed. Just don't try and explain the plot to anyone if you want them to actually watch it ...........

[Amian]

"Folks" is one of my favorites...but you know what they say...."There's no accounting for taste"....

And her I thought I was the only one that liked Folks and have kept that fact as my dirty little secret. Truth be told, I like it because it had Tom Selleck of course, was shot here in Chicago, some scenes in the area I used to live in and would see the film crews, plus, I actually drove a Nissan 300zx at the time as TS did in the movie before it was repossessed. Just don't try and explain the plot to anyone if you want them to actually watch it ...........

I love Folks, too. And Quigley. Actually, the goofy and silly TS is really great... his absence is one of the bummers about Blue Bloods. Gravitas is all well and good, but the charm comes from the silly side.

[Reef monkey]

I didn’t have high hopes for this episode, but was pleasantly surprised. It was more true to form to the original Magnum, with a derpy run of the mill case leads him into a more important case involving helping someone who needed real help. Plus Carl Weathers wearing a VM 02 Danang hat was a nice Easter egg.

[Gamer77]

It's tough to say who is and isn't a great actor today- and in fairness this goes for Jay Hernandez as well- whatever my misgivings for the reboot. I tell myself part of this is just generational bias. I'm getting old, and I hate having my sacred cows bent over a stump and cynically used. If you have to lay the blame on anyone lay it on Lenkov and co. The actor is there to do a job- which is -within reason- whatever is asked of them.

And to give the Devil his due- If Hernandez shows up to work and the best he gets from the people on the other side of the camera is 'Right. We want Magnum. Magnum but not Magnum because, you know, we don't want to be seen as trying to imitate or erase Tom Selleck's Magnum. We want you to be your own Magnum. Yeah! Magnum but not Magnum. Make it your own, but still be deferential to the past to keep older viewers at ease.' And he turns around and says, 'Yeah... So who is Magnum? WHo do you want him to be?' And the best they give him in turn is, 'You know. Magnum! Everybody knows Magnum.' How in the hell do you that as a professional? Keep in mind - in spite of all the short jokes we toss about here- They hired Hernandez. They didn't have to. But if it bombs they'll most certainly lay the failure at his feet. Not a good place to be.

As for monologues in many scenes Actors have someone or something to bounce off of. With monologues there's no audience or even a camera to play off of. Some have it, some don't, and some have terrible directors. Some have gimmicks- perhaps a person in or on the other side of the booth to read to in order to help them them through. Having to act with characters who weren't there for the sake of green screen post processing made Ian McKellan break down. It's not the easiest thing to do - when 'convincing' or 'conversational' is what's called for. Again -unless we're mad- conversations tend to be two sided affairs. Tom Selleck was a master of those monologues, but he's incredible at playing off of others too. Probably broke the mold when they made him.

For acting in general Selleck's done a lot of westerns too and you should watch them. Not just QDU but the others some from before and well after he'd done MPI and QDU. Apart from his stature he's more of an 'everyman' actor- in the vein of Jimmy Stewart, Spencer Tracy, or yes- as was mentioned- Kevin Kline or Harrison Ford. They often play characters who are capable of comedic moments, physicality, menace, and even heroism- but who'd rarely aspire to heroism if it wasn't thrust upon them. As with many of the greats, though he might seem larger than life on screen he's not necessarily musclebound. John Wayne wasn't either. Perhaps even a bit flabby toward the end of things but who cares? That's what happens to bodies that are lived in. It's why they're relatable to us as viewers. It's what makes them -and all of us- characters in their own rights. It begs the question - should it matter if you're genuinely entertained?

That isn't to say that certain actors don't make careers out of playing themselves on screen but that's Hollywood. If an actor or actress becomes known for being good or bankable at doing one thing then they'll keep calling them back so long as they're good and bankable in that one thing. If they're lucky they'll ride that way for a decade. If they're extra lucky and if the stars align they'll continue to ride that popularity into old age. The one's who don't tend to disappear after they've been caught in a police mugshot for drug abuse, DUI, after shocking the public with some off the wall political manifesto, and when they've tried to spread their wings to escape the ruts they've been typecast into. Everyone's sweetheart plays a murderess, The funny man plays a pervert, or the leading man plays a criminal. Some make it, most don't.

I'd say just be happy for for Tom Selleck - this far down the road he's still working and people still love to watch him.

[ConchRepublican]

Yes, his narration LITERALLY makes my brain see him standing in a sound studio reading from a script.

He’s not a good actor.

Sound studio - YES! I had the same thought.

Side note: Despite my love of Tom Selleck (and Magnum, P.I.) I never actually thought he was the greatest actor out there but he was so believable/relatable in the role.

When Tom Selleck spoke to us I really felt Thomas Magnum, a friend, was speaking to us*.

All part of the magic of the one and only MPI.

* Edit: Epiphany... Maybe that makes him a great actor. My brain hurts now.

You are not alone. I always loved Selleck in Magnum, the Westerns, 3 Men and a Baby but Lassiter and High Road to China I didn't care for. I felt Tom was less an actor and more a character, basically he plays versions of himself - like John Wayne, Clint Eastwood even Harrison Ford - people who have a way on screen you like to watch, unlike Pacino, Hanks and guys who seem like they can morph into different people.

Then I realized much later how hard it is to do what he did. To be that comfortable being serious, being strong, being violent, being funny, being emotional. He ran the gamut as Magnum and it all worked, he was a fully rounded character not a one trick pony. I agree, that how easy he made it all seem shows just how good he is.

And really, being compared to Wayne, Eastwood & Ford really isn't a bad thing.

[eagle]

Then I realized much later how hard it is to do what he did. To be that comfortable being serious, being strong, being violent, being funny, being emotional. He ran the gamut as Magnum and it all worked, he was a fully rounded character not a one trick pony. I agree, that how easy he made it all seem shows just how good he is.

Yup. Sometime during or after every episode of Blue Bloods, I used to remark to my wife how difficult it was to believe that Frank was played by the same actor who played Thomas Magnum.

[sandbiscuits]

It's tough to say who is and isn't a great actor today...

I'm not going to quote the whole comment, but I thought this was a well-thought-out post and I agreed with it.

[308GUY]

It's tough to say who is and isn't a great actor today...

I'm not going to quote the whole comment, but I thought this was a well-thought-out post and I agreed with it.

Seconded...

[KingKC]

Great post Gamer77!!!!

[Rembrandt's Girl]

This listing is strange:

RECURRING CAST:
Domenick Lombardozzi (Sebastian Nuzo)

So Nuzo is alive?

It could just be a flashback in time that Jay/Thomas is remembering or a dream sequence, so they brought him back to film these scenes.
He looked pretty dead to me.

Back when the series got picked up Domenick made a comment to Lenkov on social media, "Can't wait to see everyone back on Oahu" or something like that, and I remember thinking the same thing, that he would be in a flashback scene or the like.

Nuzo may still be lurking about... over the weekend Zach posted an Instagram story showing him and Domenick on the North Shore. I suppose he could just be visiting but maybe he's not quite "gone" yet. I really enjoyed his acting, what little we saw of it unfortunately.

[ENSHealy]

"Folks" is one of my favorites...but you know what they say...."There's no accounting for taste"....

And her I thought I was the only one that liked Folks and have kept that fact as my dirty little secret. Truth be told, I like it because it had Tom Selleck of course, was shot here in Chicago, some scenes in the area I used to live in and would see the film crews, plus, I actually drove a Nissan 300zx at the time as TS did in the movie before it was repossessed. Just don't try and explain the plot to anyone if you want them to actually watch it ...........

I love Folks, too. And Quigley. Actually, the goofy and silly TS is really great... his absence is one of the bummers about Blue Bloods. Gravitas is all well and good, but the charm comes from the silly side.

Couldn't agree more. My text tone is TM/TS's high-pitched silly laugh, and that was the Magnum I loved, a 6' 4" statue of a man with a laugh like a teenage girl. I stopped watching Jesse Stone when they turned into silent pics, with Jesse silently glaring around the town, and a friend of mine jokes that they must have Frank Reagan's sotto voce grumble pre-recorded and they just drop it in randomly a requisite number of times per episode.

[Rembrandt's Girl]

I stopped watching Jesse Stone when they turned into silent pics, with Jesse silently glaring around the town, and a friend of mine jokes that they must have Frank Reagan's sotto voce grumble pre-recorded and they just drop it in randomly a requisite number of times per episode.

Whenever I see Frank Reagan scowl, Seth Sakai always pops in my head.

[Amian]

I love Folks, too. And Quigley. Actually, the goofy and silly TS is really great... his absence is one of the bummers about Blue Bloods. Gravitas is all well and good, but the charm comes from the silly side.

Couldn't agree more. My text tone is TM/TS's high-pitched silly laugh, and that was the Magnum I loved, a 6' 4" statue of a man with a laugh like a teenage girl. I stopped watching Jesse Stone when they turned into silent pics, with Jesse silently glaring around the town, and a friend of mine jokes that they must have Frank Reagan's sotto voce grumble pre-recorded and they just drop it in randomly a requisite number of times per episode.

Let's hope there are a few more vehicles to get the fun TS back on our screens. Maybe not an ongoing show like Blue Bloods, but a limited series.

[ConchRepublican]

OK, because of some of you guys I figured let me give episode 2 a shot. Supppsedly a bit better than the pilot.

I lasted maybe 2 minutes.

Chauffeur Shiggins? Really?!?

[T.Q.]

OK, because of some of you guys I figured let me give episode 2 a shot. Supppsedly a bit better than the pilot.

I lasted maybe 2 minutes.

Chauffeur Shiggins? Really?!?

I feel partly responsible.

I, along with some others, think I said it was a bit better than the pilot.

My apologies for helping contribute to your misery.