#26: Murderers' Sky

Season: 3

Synopsis in 3 sentences or less:

A Hong Kong cartel tries to take over a shipping company by killing the CEO.  Then they try to kill his grandson, Luke, and MacGyver tries to protect Luke while searching for those responsible. Eventually, MacGyver and Luke are captured and stashed in an underground cellar where they escape through a secret door and then disappear by hiding behind some paper that looks like a rock. 

Memorable Quote:

It has been called into question whether numbers will always prevail.  ~Luke

Highlight:
I was originally planning on going with the ending where they disappear, but I'm switching to the fight scene in the parking garage (more on that below).  

Lowlight:

Hard to think of anything.  This isn't really a lowlight, but when Pete and MacGyver go into the house to ask Luke how he knew his grandfather was poisoned, I wondered why they didn't just ask him that at the hospital when he declared that initially.

Best MacGyverism:

MacGyver and Luke paint some sheets of paper and use wooden braces to support it.  Then they prop it up against a rock and hide behind it (so it looks like part of the cave).  Originally I was planning to put this as #1 on the MacGyverism list because I remembered it so fondly.  It didn't hold up quite as well to me today (the construction of the materials was less elaborate than I remembered), but it still is great (and I'm still putting it on the list),  Part of me wonders if it might have been cooler if they would have just stayed hidden to see how long it would have taken for the bad guys to find them, but it worked out for them in the end so who am I to question MacGyver?

Other thoughts, observations, and questions I didn’t ask when I was in fourth grade:

• For reasons that I cannot understand or explain, I don't remember most of the details in this one.  I know the kid is awesome and the ending is great, but everything else is pretty fuzzy. I'm trusting my instincts on the ranking that it should be as high as it is. Let's watch it now and find out.  And kind of fun to watch one where I don't remember much. 
• Fantastic opening as Tia Carrere is dressed like a ninja and takes out the floor of a building occupied by the CEO of the company the cartel wishes to take over.  The whole thing is very well done and feels a little like a Bond movie. 
• Then later we see a mole at the hospital (acting as a nurse) informing the cartel that Chen has a grandson, and we then learn Chen's Vice President is in league with the cartel also.  This episode was ahead of its time - now it feels like an episode of 24. 
• Powerful scene in the hospital as Luke, the 14 year-old grandson, using pressure points to mystically revive his grandfather (see above picture)
• Wow, I had no memory whatsoever of that fight scene, which might be the best fight scene in the series history.  Why don't I remember this?  I need to watch it again.
• OK, just watched it again.  Luke uses martial arts to take on about 6 guys, and MacGyver alternates between watching Luke and using a metal pole (Donatello style) to take out a few guys himself.  As someone who loved Jackie Chan movies as a kid, this stuff is right up my alley.
• This monastery where Luke grew up sounds like an awesome place: you learn spirituality, how to revive people, and how to beat up 6 guys. 
• 20:50 - I remember playing that computer game as a kid!

• Tia could have just killed Luke at any time when they're in the room together, but the whole birdcage poison dart contraption is creative, and MacGyver's rescue dive with Luke while the darts explode is spectacular. 
• "She left her purse.  Maybe we can find out who she is."  At this point I was about to write, "well, that was convenient," and then I jumped out of my chair as the cobra rose from the bag. How could I not remember that?  It's in the opening credits!
• Luke discovers that his grandfather was poisoned by opening his eyelids and noting the yellow color of the irises. This kid is the best. 
• 29:48 - Perhaps the most striking and outrageous example of MacGyver's genius in the entire series:
• "Look at this.  He's mourning the death of his grandfather."  ~Pete
• "No he's not.  That's not a God of mourning.  It's Guan Di."  ~MacGyver
• "Guan Di?  Who's that?"  ~Pete
• "It's sort of like a war god.  He's going after 'em himself, Pete."  ~MacGyver
• If you don't think MacGyver is an expert in ancient Chinese war gods, well then you don't know MacGyver.  
• Funny how MacGyver looks around the dead end room and figures out a plan in about 5 seconds before shouting "It's great!"  He's operating at full mental capacity in this episode. 
• "The dirt is disturbed.  There must be a door here."  ~Tia.  I remember this bothered me as a kid (I did remember a few things about this episode) - like how could anyone possibly notice that?  But upon rewatching, it is fairly noticeable that something is amiss with the dirt. 
• Here's a good discussion topic: where does Luke rank on the list of best wingmen for MacGyver?  The way I think of it is if MacGyver was in Situation X, who would I most want by his side to help him, and who would prove most useful?  Now it depends on the situation, but I'm thinking of something general and undefined.  I tend to favor brawn over brains because I figure that MacGyver has enough brains and thus the brawn would be more valuable. My current top 5 looks like:
• Toberman
• Murdoc (when he's a "good" guy)
• Jesse Colton
• Earl Dent
• Sean (Sam) Malloy
• Toberman seems like an ideal partner because he's quiet, big, and strong, and he'd be a great personal bodyguard for MacGyver.  But now I'm thinking that Luke might go to the top of the list.  The question I'm asking myself is, could Toberman (or anyone else on that list) have taken out the 6 guys in the parking garage the way that Luke did?  I think the answer is probably no. I suppose Murdoc could have if he was using a flame thrower, but MacGyver likely wouldn't approve of that.  Back to Luke - he also is a pleasant kid with a zen personality, a positive attitude, and amazing powers of healing. Instead of running the shipping company, he should have been hired by the Phoenix Foundation to be MacGyver's apprentice.  I've convinced myself - Luke Chen is now the top wingman for MacGyver.  

Final Analysis:

Wow!!  That is what we in the biz like to call a television tour de force.  And to think I was worried that I might have it too high - now I wonder if I have it too low.  I have no idea why I didn't remember much of it.  Almost all the episodes left I remember quite well, though there's actually one more (in my top 10 if you can believe it) for which I only remember half the episode, but it's a great half!  It makes it fun to rewatch when I don't remember exactly what is happening - that's one reason why I'm really looking forward to watching the 2 movies (even though one of them sounds pretty bad based on Mark and Highlander's reviews).  Back to this episode - just an action packed hour of fun in a great locale (Chinatown and surrounding areas), and tremendous performances by Ernie Reyes Jr., Tia Carrere, and the rest of the cast.