The
lowdown: 'Magnum, P.I.' starred Tom Selleck as a private investigator,
Thomas Magnum. Magnum is a former
Naval Intelligence officer
who is hired by the mysterious and never seen Robin Masters to handle security
at the
reclusive millionaire's
estate in Hawaii. The relationship between Magnum and the estate's manager,
Jonathan Quayle
Higgins III (John Hillerman),
was often tense, but they ultimately had mutual respect for each other.
162 episodes were
made and broadcast on CBS
between 11 December 1980 and 1 May 1988. A running theme of the show was
the
question of Masters' identity,
and while it was never revealed, Magnum became convinced that it was Higgins
himself.
Other regular characters
were Magnum's friends Rick Wright (Larry Manetti) and T.C. Calvin (Roger
E. Mosley).
'Deju Vu' was a two-part
episode that opened the sixth season of "Magnum, P.I.", and was first broadcast
in the US on
26 September 1985. The story
sees the action shift from Hawaii to England, where Robin Masters has bought
a castle
known as Robin's Keep. Higgins
has travelled to England to supervise the hiring of staff, including training
the castle's
major domo, Ian MacKerras
(played by Peter Davison). Meanwhile, Magnum takes the opportunity to travel
to London to
visit Geoffrey St. Clare,
an old friend who he served with in the Vietnam war. However, St. Clare
has died in a hit-and-run,
and Magnum is convinced
that it was no accident. Magnum had had a dream on the flight to England,
in which he saw a
vision of a black car like
the one that killed St. Clare, and he believes that it is no coincidence.
The episode neatly links
the story of Magnum's friend,
Higgins' attempts to train the often inept but enthusiastic MacKerras and
a separate storyline
about T.C. being left stranded
in Morocco.
'Magnum, P.I.' has aged surprising
well considering it ended nearly 20 years ago, and it is still enjoyable
to watch (unlike
many TV shows from the 1980s).
'Deju Vu' is perhaps one of the more entertaining episodes of the series,
mainly because
it takes the action away
from its usual locations and shows off the sights of London, although of
course there are inevitable
comments about driving on
the wrong side of the road. Peter Davison was very good as Ian MacKerras,
who gets the staff
into a panic about the ghost
that is supposed to haunt the castle. His portrayal of the bumbling McKerras
is very much a
combination of the personality
of Tristan Farnon in 'All Creatures Great and Small' and the Fifth Doctor,
although he spends
a lot of his time on camera
with a rather cheesy grin on his face.
Trivia:
'Deju
Vu is notable for featuring two other Doctor Who regulars. Julian Glover
from 'City of Death' appears as a police
officer,
while Geoffrey Beevers of Melkur fame has a brief appearance as a mortuary
attendant.
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