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Magnum P.I aired from 1980 to 1988, concurrent with the years of Ronald Reagan’s presidency. The great depression also began shortly after Reagan took office. The premise of the pilot episode of Magnum P.I, ‘Don’t eat the snow in Hawaii,’ reflects the spirit of the years in which it was aired.
It can be interpreted as an example of how Reagan-economics theoretically helped out down-on-their-luck Americans. Despite being completely broke and jobless, Magnum, the protagonist played by Tom Selleck, lives a dream. Not only is he constantly surrounded by beautiful ‘babes,’ he is living for free in the guesthouse of a beachfront estate. He has free access to a Ferrari and comes and goes as he pleases. It is as if he is awarded for simply having the can-do attitude.
The is also possible that the parallels between the pilot episode and the history of Captain Cook in Hawaii was premeditated. In the beginning scenes, Lt. Cooke is killed by two locals. Magnum then sets out to find the culprits. Almost every ‘bad guy’ he crosses in the episode is Hawaiian, until the very end when Magnum realizes the antagonist is one of his ex-Navy mates. Implying that the Americans were the real ‘bad guys’ in the actual Captain Cook scenario.
I never expected to recognize any of those themes from a public television show about a private investigator in Hawaii.
Island Shenanigans 