tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post6334440506755489824..comments2024-03-27T00:26:22.316-05:00Comments on The MacGyver Project: Legend -- Episode 7: The Gospel According to LegendNicholas Sweedohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-45735387115420415642016-03-10T12:36:21.643-06:002016-03-10T12:36:21.643-06:00The ending scene, when the rain comes right on cue... The ending scene, when the rain comes right on cue to put out the fire and make Bartok looked redeemed reminded me of Legend of the Holy Rose, when the sun appears just in the nick of time to save Macgyver and Zoe. Funny how it turns Mordecai's pretended doctrine all on its head.<br /> I figured out pretty quick the the Creation company was out for Bartok, trying to close down their competition, but I didn't forsee it being the very ones trying to fund him. How clever to keep an eye on his progress with the front of forthcoming grants. <br /> My sister and I liked Legend's Dexter-like moments, but he was more believable as a person in this episode. We were excited to watch it since it was yall's new number one.<br /> Another interesting thing was that in the credits this time, there was no preview of the next legend episode. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18105118051541586987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-39498254009487072292016-03-08T08:44:40.418-06:002016-03-08T08:44:40.418-06:00Yeah, we're all practically in lockstep on the...Yeah, we're all practically in lockstep on these episodes! Nicholas Sweedohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-79891035660103460822016-03-08T06:01:45.707-06:002016-03-08T06:01:45.707-06:00We all seem to be much more in agreement about the...We all seem to be much more in agreement about the Legend episodes than MacGyver ones!<br />Like Mark I enjoyed all the science versus religion debate and agree that Bartok's speech after the car-burning was excellent and almost moving.<br />RDA/Pratt/Legend was at his best so far, I felt. There was much less cartooning around and the character was more serious, effective and likeable in this context. For once it was Pratt persuading Bartok to do the right thing.<br />I really liked the meeting with Pratt and Miles trading Bible verses and the quotation from Keats letter to Benjamin Bailey;'I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the heart 'etc. How many tv shows would have a Keats quotation! As Pratt says he can 'trade rhetoric with the best of them'. There were plenty of quotarions to look up, (The 'covenant with death' speech was from Isiah 23;15 if anyone's interested!), I learnt a new word from Pratt; 'shills' - an accomplice to a con trick and found out more about Chinese locks!<br /><br />I enjoyed the 'follow the money' detective work and, like you both, the resulting smooth-talking conning of the security guard. There were even a couple of Macgyver-like moments when Bartok explains the molecular structure of the box before shattering it and the escape from the ropes in the barn. Skeeter continues to be an amusing minor character.<br /><br />There was intelligent writing and humour, interesting detective work and plot and at least some action at the end but I can't help thinking that RDA's more subtle performance is a key reason why I prefer this episode. It's gone to no.1 for me too.Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-34150857132888990092016-03-07T20:11:24.944-06:002016-03-07T20:11:24.944-06:00I tend to like somber and depressing shows. Some ...I tend to like somber and depressing shows. Some episodes of "The Wonder Years" were like that I guess but I thought most were pretty feel-good.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04953380288384883179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-34661791653078846062016-03-07T10:49:00.729-06:002016-03-07T10:49:00.729-06:00The Wonder Years was definitely a well-done show, ...The Wonder Years was definitely a well-done show, I just found it to be a little on the somber and depressing side. Nicholas Sweedohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-91628209245561913972016-03-07T06:27:34.134-06:002016-03-07T06:27:34.134-06:00Yes, Michael's off-the-cuff smooth talk to ave...Yes, Michael's off-the-cuff smooth talk to avert a crisis in "Burn Notice" is a good comparison to Pratt's encounter with the security guard as well. I've watched a few "A-Team" episodes recently which is why my mind immediately jumped to that but "Burn Notice" is definitely a more contemporary example. I'm guessing Paramount saw dollar signs due to the RDA fan base association and that's what compelled them to release the series on DVD. Because beyond that, it really is startling to look at that episode guide and see how even an upstart network like UPN gave up on this series after six weeks and then merely plugged scheduling holes to air the remaining six episodes over the course of the summer.<br /><br />Kinda surprised you were only lukewarm on "The Wonder Years". I always thought it was excellent.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04953380288384883179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-69624371822054854792016-03-06T23:36:33.249-06:002016-03-06T23:36:33.249-06:00Interesting that our top two is the same so far. ...Interesting that our top two is the same so far. Pratt's smooth talking reminded me a little of some Burn Notice episodes I've seen lately where Michael has to make up things on the fly to support his cover story. They really did give up on this series quickly, and I wonder how much of the decision to make a DVD was due to the RDA fans petitioning Paramount for the DVD because they knew it was RDA's favorite show.<br /><br />I haven't seen the Grinder but have heard of it. I wasn't the biggest Wonder Years fan in the world but I did watch it and enjoyed it at times. Nicholas Sweedohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-71078036689726677002016-03-06T22:38:56.200-06:002016-03-06T22:38:56.200-06:00I was curious what your thoughts were on this epis...I was curious what your thoughts were on this episode and we're in agreement that it's the best so far. Interestingly, the episode with the least action so far has the most interesting story. Robert Englund was excellent as the Bible-waving con man and his eye contact with Pratt in the episode's first scene set the stage for the hour ahead. I also really liked the narrative angle for Miles to pit the community against Bartok and all of his blasphemous "science", a historically relatable premise that even threw in Charles Darwin references to authenticate it. Bartok's speech after the townspeople set his vehicle was earnest and impassioned. I also liked the scene where Pratt conned the security guard into thinking he was doing a security check rather than breaking and entering....which reminded me of any number of the fast-and-smooth-talking cons Face routinely pulled on people on "The A-Team". The ending was creative and fun although, it must be said, a derivative and hokier version of Considine's lightning scene from "Good Knight, MacGyver". Definitely the most consistently amusing episode so far and a nice contrast to the previous week's clunker for me. I looked at the series' air dates list on www.epguide.com and see that after episode 6, which aired May 23, 1995, UPN began a pattern of persistent pre-emptions of this series future episodes with a scattershot of airings on different nights in the summer months. Looks like they gave up on the series very quickly and were burning off the final six episodes whenever needed to plug a scheduling hole. Not too many series with such a limited run that flopped so badly ever came out on DVD so "Legend" fans should consider themselves lucky.<br /><br />I didn't know that Jarrad Paul, who plays Skeeter, was Michael Greenburg's godson but I recognized him right away as the main tech guy from a 2001-2002 NBC action show called "UC Undercover", a show I really liked in its brief 13-episode run. Interestingly (assuming it's the same Jarrad Paul and I'm guessing there's a very good chance it is), Paul is the co-creator of a current Fox sitcom called "The Grinder" starring Rob Lowe and Fred Savage. I loved "The Wonder Years" as a boy so I tuned in because of Savage but must say it's a very funny show and I've seen a few reviews listing it as the funniest show currently on network television.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04953380288384883179noreply@blogger.com