ReLoaded: The Rookie & Magnum PI

The doors open elevator style and a man on a strange bicycle type device, all gears and steampunk pipes, pedals his way out furiously. The bicycle extends out into a dark void, from the meager light through the door, attached to telescoping tubes, only precariously connected to the fevered pedaling of the cyclist.

At full extension, the bike clicks and locks and distant gears begin grinding, the bike shifting down in gears, the pedaling slows. In the blackness surrounding the cyclist, lights begin flickering on, no not lights but screens. 4x9 screens suspended without CRT, just light and colour. TV shows and movies, red and green and blue and all the colours of life and fiction, flicker into life in a sphere around the cyclist. Interspersed are screens of text, Times New Roman and Verdana, HTML and plain text.

"Miss blogging, miss putting thoughts into words, even when they won't come, miss being a part of something I once embraced, even if I sucked at it..."

"Friendships are like muscles, they have to be worked, but no matter what you do, they change over time..."

"I am not That Movie Guy anymore, I am not even the guy who used to be him. Its been longer not being That Guy then I was that guy, but I still see hints of him on the screen..."

"Media consumption has gone from being a thoughtful process, or even an escape, and fallen into a comfort food or nubby blanket, something to wrap your self  in distraction..."

The cyclist twitches, flinching at the words on the screen. Some hurt, some remind, some inspire. He leans on the handlebars, sweat beading on his pale taught face. Suddenly, he reaches out and grabs at one of the screens, tapping it like a UI and it expands, while off to his right, a screen of text goes blank and begins to fill...

***

Magnum PI, 2018-19, CBS -- download

My best friend from high school died about a year ago, on New Year's Eve. I don't have the circumstances or the story, but I suspect he took his own life. But whatever happened, it was an unfortunate event. I wish I could say I miss him, but to be honest, we had faded away decades ago. I let that happen a lot. It is easier to let things fade, then to suffer loss.

Shawn would have hated this reboot, but when I watch it, I remember him fondly. He was a huge original Magnum PI fan. Parts of his post-high school personality was taken from Thomas Magnum, a tall jovial lady's man who was constantly getting himself in trouble. They both loved red cars. They both looked terrible in short shorts. We played many a RPG scenario which was lifted directly from episodes of this show.

When I watch this show now, it is like curling up on the couch and wrapping myself in nostalgia, and the show knows it. From the setup to the friendships to the backgrounds of the characters, the show remains faithful to what it once was. But of course, much has changed. Gone is the Tom Selleck tall, mustachioed swagger, replaced Jay Hernandez's compact smirk-y confidence -- and it works. Higgy Baby is now a woman (Perdita Weeks), but still British, still ex-MI6 and still sicking the dogs (Zeus & Apollo) on Magnum. Rick & TC are exactly what they were back then, but the show endeavours to make them less background material and more equals in Thomas's actions. They even worked Nuzo into the opening episodes, so they could more strongly tie in Magnum's military background. And with the theme music perfectly recreated and the provision of a new, updated red Ferrari, the show is just meant to draw in people who loved the original show.

My, how Shawn would have hated it, especially the budding relationship between Thomas and Higgins. Right now, deep into Season One, they still don't really get along -- Magnum keeps on abusing her good faith, as he squats in the guest house and constantly asks favours of her. But there have been enough episodes where she witnesses Thomas's delicate sensitivities and strong moral code, that you can see she may grow from grudging respect into something more. I hope the show dispenses with it, and just makes them strong friends, but you know how shows like this need romance. What I truly expect them to do, is drawn upon the canonical relationship from Magnum's past (Michelle) and throw up a wall between Magnum & Higgins hooking up.

Oh, and can I say I love the cross-over? The original series loved its crossover episodes (Murder She Wrote, Simon & Simon), so the fact that this show takes place in the same continuity as the Hawaii Five-Oh remake makes me chuckle.

The Rookie, 2018-19, ABC -- download

From nostalgia for a show past, to a nostalgia for an actor past. But to be honest, even if I wasn't a massive (MASSIVE) fan of Firefly I would still be a strong fan of Nathan Fillion. That this show has drawn upon his likable personality and reputation as a "nice guy" is apparent, in a show about a rookie cop in LA who stands out, not just because he is over 40 (oldest rookie on record), but because he is just genuinely a stand-up guy with no agenda.

Migawd, I am just loving this show. When every other show is showing itself to be gritty and dark and edgy and contemporary, and every aspect of real life is Trump or stress tainted, I just need this fucking unabated optimism. Sure, they are being shot at every single episode. Sure, it is un-shirking in its reflection of modern life, and how crime perpetrators are often victims themselves, but it doesn't stop him and his fellow rookies from just doing Good, capitol G, good.

I find myself being strung along with all the standard tropes of this show, all the familiarities and the standard setups to the cliches of each and every character. Sure, one Training Officer is a gung-ho asshole, but he has a heart of gold and a tragic history. And the women in the focus have to constantly deal with their equality among their peers, working harder and doing more. And the other male rookie has to live up to his dad's force legend. The tropes are there, obvious and heavy handed, but I find myself instantly falling into alignment with Fillion's John Nolan as he experiences tragedy in the field, from the outrageous treatment after his first kill (do they really call a cop shooting, a homicide??) to just the victims of crime who he tries to help, and sometimes fails.

I am just waiting for the late season Act 3 trouble to stir up. I hope they leave at least one season relatively unscathed and give me reasons to keep on smiling at it.