#4: Ghost Ship

Season: 3

Synopsis in 3 sentences or less:

MacGyver is in Alaska on an expedition to map out a natural preserve when he stumbles upon what appears to be an abandoned ship.  He boards the ship and encounters the legendary Sasquatch, and he narrowly escapes the boat with a young Russian stowaway.  Then they discover that thieves are stealing oil from a nearby pipeline, and MacGyver has one final encounter with the Sasquatch.  

Memorable Quote:

One of my biggest problems is I can never leave a puzzle alone.  And this ship sure qualified.  ~MacGyver

Highlight:
The entire scene on the ship from the time MacGyver spots it to the time that he leaves it is as suspenseful and dramatic as anything that has ever been on television.  Just the concept of being on a boat by yourself with Big Foot is as creatively simple and compelling a story line as there is. I talked to writer and producer Calvin Clements Jr. recently, and he echoed the point about this plot as being effective because it was so simple.  He also said that it was a real freighter that they brought to this bay in the middle of nowhere, as opposed to using a miniature or stock footage. I'm thankful that they went the extra mile because it is an incredible scene. 

Lowlight:
None.

Best MacGyverism:

Not too many to choose from.  I'll go with putting a piece of tarp over a long stick to create an oar.

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

• We're at the point now where all the episodes that are left (including this one at #4) are better than the best episode of any other show in tv history.  Big time stuff going on here.  
• Slightly contrived opening as MacGyver and Pete talk about the program in such a way that it's clear that the only purpose of the conversation is to give the audience some background.  But I'm in no mood to pick nits on this legendary hour of television, so let's just move on!  
• Speaking of the program, it's described by MacGyver as a "Phoenix Foundation Save the Wilderness Mapping Expedition" where his objective is to hike for a few days in the Alaskan wilderness and plant electronic markers (which look like tent stakes), and these markers will send a signal to a satellite and create a map for the creation of a national preserve.  If anyone were to ever ask me, "What is your dream job?" I would tell them about this program here.  I would cut off my left arm with a swiss army knife to be part of a program like this.  What's really appealing is the hiking and outdoor adventure combined with a higher purpose (in this case, following a route, planting markers, and mapping out a national preserve).  Going off on a hike of my own to the Appalachian Trail, let's say, would certainly be fun, but there would be no sense of purpose beyond my own enrichment and so it wouldn't feel nearly the same.  But this Phoenix expedition? This would be an ultimate dream.  If anyone from the Department of the Interior is reading this ever needs help with hiking and planting markers in the wilderness, call me!
• The station where Pete is working from says "Akwe Lake."  I looked it up on Google Maps and it's a real lake in the Alaskan Panhandle.  In fact, if you look at the map and go a little bit north of the lake, you see the Russell Fiord, and this topography matches the map in the station where we see the planted markers lighting up.  I love maps.    
• The Interior Department lady is super annoying, but that's not a criticism because she's supposed to get under our skin with her constant badgering of Pete and her wondering why MacGyver is laying his markers so slowly.
• Fantastic moment as MacGyver sees the ship in the inlet for the first time and is puzzled by its presence and the lack of activity around it.  "Now where did you come from and what are you doing here?" he says to himself right as the suspenseful music starts to play. And then he finds the old rowboat and makes himself an oar out of a stick and a tarp, and he sails out to board the ship and utters the quote mentioned earlier about never being able to leave a puzzle alone. I love that he's willing to put aside his mission in order to follow his intuition about something seeming wrong with the scene in front of him. 
• Then we see a shot of "something" looking out the port window at MacGyver approaching, and then the something gives a growl.  Whoa!  
• 10:44 - classic shot from the opening credits of MacGyver hurriedly opening the door hatch which had previously closed on him.
• Amusing moment as MacGyver takes a whiff of a fur strand he finds and then wrinkles his face as a result of the odiferous smell. A bit later he runs down these same stairs (another shot from the opening credits, as is his jump off the boat). 
• Even though I can remember exactly what moment the creature strikes, it still scares the crap out of me every time.  There's not a person alive who would not have been frightened at that moment when watching it for the first time. If anybody says that they weren't startled, then they are either lying or are actually a robot. And imagine what it must have felt like to be MacGyver. Maybe going through so many life and death situations helps him to control his adrenaline, but I would have had a very hard time being on that boat by myself.
• And really great acting from RDA during this boat scene - he seems legitimately terrified.
• The actress who plays Karin reappears in Season 4 as Stone's daughter in Collision Course. She does a great job in this episode as the shell-shocked Russian girl.  
• Awesome Ken Harrison music as MacGyver taps the plant to create a spring.  This was Harrison's first episode and a perfect venue for him to launch his darker, more minor-key style.
• I like how MacGyver tries out many different languages on the girl before finding the right one - very cool. And then a fun moment when he realizes that she speaks English.
• Absolutely LOVE the campfire scene where the Native Alaskan trappers approach MacGyver and Karin.  They begin talking about the Sasquatch, and the old uncle starts speaking in a native language while the younger man translates.  This picturesque moment is like something out of a legend, and it resonates with me to my core.  
• Ugh, that Interior Department woman just makes my skin crawl!
• A shake after punching out the big guy escorting Karin to the ship.  Pretty impressive that he was able to tie the fishing line at the exact height so that it would be taller than Karin but low enough for the guy to walk into it with his face.
• Great use of the signals and the pipeline by MacGyver to warn Pete, and I like that he knows that Pete will interpret his message as a call for help.  And then an electrifying moment when he looks up and sees Big Foot bounding down the mountain.  The fight scene between them is excellent and extremely well done.  
• Fun conversation after the climax:
• "What is THAT?"  ~Pete  
• "It's a long story, Pete."  ~MacGyver

• The ending is perfect as MacGyver and the Interior Department lady hear Sasquatch calling, but then they realize that it is Pete playing an audio tape that was found.  They laugh about it, and just when we start to relax, they hear the noise again.  Brilliant writing from Stephen Kandel.

Final Analysis:

Words cannot adequately describe how much I love this episode.  It's "like a dream come true," as Dalton and Pete would say in Brainwashed.  The Alaskan wilderness setting is perfect, the debut effort from Ken Harrison is outstanding, and the plot is amazing.  Just like I said in the last review, I could watch it again and again and again (and I have).  I can hardly believe that it's not number 1, but it beats number 1 of any other show, that's for sure!