I remember exactly when it hit me, that I understood the show's low-key greatness: a police detective and several cops approach Magnum and tell him he has to come downtown, and they pull out handcuffs, and Magnum in his lightweight Hawaiian gear says, "Guys, cuffs? Isn't this a bit much?" and this was such an assured moment, like Howard Hawks with Bogart, or Hitchcock with Cary Grant; it felt lived-in, director and actor being firm in where they are, knowing the world they're creating.
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