tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post7458438246357476370..comments2024-03-27T00:26:22.316-05:00Comments on The MacGyver Project: #65: PilotNicholas Sweedohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-43486189405372978232020-02-29T00:32:50.143-06:002020-02-29T00:32:50.143-06:00Excellent review, I agree ever word! Excellent review, I agree ever word! Sofianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-63862614217335430882019-02-28T14:38:29.840-06:002019-02-28T14:38:29.840-06:00Over the past two years we have gone through each ...Over the past two years we have gone through each Macgywer episode and picked up on your blog mid way through season 3. We are going back to the beginning now and are delighted to be back in season 1. Back to macgywer swagger,niceness and enthusiasm. I remember this episode from my childhood, the chocolate stopping acid, sticking out in my memory. Looking forward to the countdown from season 1 to 3. Rate this pilot in our top 10.stickman and ladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09215618464155447211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-48652412899909532412019-01-09T05:07:33.366-06:002019-01-09T05:07:33.366-06:00As I mentioned somewhere else, I'm currently w...As I mentioned somewhere else, I'm currently watching all the episodes from start to finish after buying all the DVDs a couple of weeks ago. I've now watched 6 episodes of the first season. (I've watched quite a few episodes before in my life, though.)<br /><br />Enjoyed this one a lot. It's probably not my absolute favourite but it's right up there. The opening gambit is a brilliant start to the episode and to the series as a whole. I'm not too bothered by his use of the gun - it might be a bit out of character, but nothing earth-shattering: he only uses it for a few seconds to scare off the baddies. (I do love your "lowlight" comment, however.)<br /><br />The only really weak spots for me are at the beginning and end of the episode proper - the bits where he's hanging around with the kid at his observatory/flat or whatever it is. (I think one of you mentioned that the kid was originally supposed to appear in more episodes, or am I mistaken?) Especially the bit at the end seemed tacked on just to end the episode. But it's a small gripe in the grand scheme of things.<br /><br />So far my favourite episode (of the six I've seen this time round) is The Gauntlet and my least favourite is Thief of Budapest - I found the bit with all the cars driving around near the end particularly tiresome.Svenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03623528205533251641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-14213411857416590082018-01-22T17:08:44.859-06:002018-01-22T17:08:44.859-06:00"We end things with some live-action end cred..."We end things with some live-action end credits!"<br /><br />And a filmed version of Paramount Television's Blue Mountain logo (I think that the same was in a videotaped form for the balance of the first season and all of the second [1986-87]).bmasters1981https://www.blogger.com/profile/00936980133381081983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-64744640289020210972017-03-23T23:35:33.948-05:002017-03-23T23:35:33.948-05:00I wonder if the outer space explosion that is usua...I wonder if the outer space explosion that is usually shown during the opening credits is stock footage from the early 80's time traveling TV show Voyagers! It too had an outer space explosion that was shown as a part of the time travel sequence.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06144153891814185415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-67578792906778273832016-05-02T16:00:51.437-05:002016-05-02T16:00:51.437-05:00Hi and thanks, I wish I joined sooner!
It's ni...Hi and thanks, I wish I joined sooner!<br />It's nice to see that most episodes are up on Dailymotion! I tape on a freeview box but it's a shared one with rarely more than ten hours space on it at any time so instead of recording whole episodes I pick the MacGyverisms out, usually in four segments per episode just because that's how many fits on the screen without scrolling. If there's more than that worth recording, as it usually is the case with the earlier seasons overflowing with creativity, I make it 8; if that'd still miss a lot of good out, or I just liked the plot or anything else enough, I keep the whole episode (a way to end up with a favourites list!). The recording needs to be at least 30 seconds long to store on the box so I look at the Dailymotion uploads (they are the shorter versions, unfortunately!) for markers, this way I can also start at the start of a cut and finish at the end of one, and not cutting sentences in half (which is a bit tricky as the screen is sometimes half a second early, other times half a second late to what's actually taping and the sound stops recording about a second earlier than the picture). I piled up quite a collection by now so I whish I could aomehow save it off the box!<br />This episode, of course, was one to keep entirely. It's the pilot, it's packed with MacGyverisms and there are some unique never-again parts in it such as MacGyver firing a gun and Dana Elcar not as Pete!Ritanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-29077825650118669372016-05-01T18:34:25.086-05:002016-05-01T18:34:25.086-05:00Hi Rita, I'm still around! I'm glad that ...Hi Rita, I'm still around! I'm glad that you were able to finally see the pilot and that you found my site, and thanks for the comment!Nicholas Sweedohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-15831236155969420552016-05-01T16:00:54.017-05:002016-05-01T16:00:54.017-05:00Hi everyone, it's great to be here!
I first sa...Hi everyone, it's great to be here!<br />I first saw "MacGyver" in 1990 when I was ten years old. It was my favourite series at the time – though it did not air past the first three seasons – so of course my eyes lit up when I come across it on CBS Action after so many years! One of the big differences watching it nowadays is the internet one can delve into for information. I was interested to find thoughts of others who followed the show, and it didn't take long to end up here! The amount and quality of work you all put in this blog is amazing!<br />It looks like we all were around the same age when we first saw the show. I started watching it on CBS Action from Season 4, and besides seasons 4-7 I never saw the pilot before either, so, when I expected to see Tough Boys after Passages and saw MacGyver climbing rocks, I thought, "Wow! The opening gambits are back! So are the voiceovers and the cocky attitude! And he finally sorted his hair out, back to the way I liked it and the music's back to keyboards instead of violin-whinging (sorry!)! And a MacGyverism already? And another, and another?? OMG, that's the show I remember...! So, it took me a minute to realise that it's not that they suddenly made huge improvements for the last two seasons but started over and this must be the pilot...<br />Please let me know if any of you are still around, I hate to see discussions ending with my posts as if I killed them!<br /><br />RitaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-9352574486032488632016-02-23T14:15:32.050-06:002016-02-23T14:15:32.050-06:00IMPORTANT! I meant to post this earlier in the mon...IMPORTANT! I meant to post this earlier in the month; Season 6 will be finally be starting tomorrow, 24th February, on CBS Action at 19:00! The series is still in the morning listing too so I assume that maybe each episode will be repeated the day after as it has done for the re-runs so far. Having just watched Passages again with a tear in my eye, I am very excited to watch some new episodes!Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-7729779778512835692015-12-07T11:57:11.777-06:002015-12-07T11:57:11.777-06:00Thanks Ed, that was enterprising of you, I'd j...Thanks Ed, that was enterprising of you, I'd just about given up hope. Though I'm going to have to do some deleting to fit all those MacGyver recordings in!Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-24802709000217607692015-12-07T08:40:38.801-06:002015-12-07T08:40:38.801-06:00If you are reading this Al, there is good news! I ...If you are reading this Al, there is good news! I contacted CBS about season 6 and 7 and they confirmed that they will be showing them in February, although no definite date was given. Something to look forward to so keep checking the channel listings!Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-25757363221921965952015-11-07T11:47:06.529-06:002015-11-07T11:47:06.529-06:00I agree Ed, the sudden switch back to the beginnin...I agree Ed, the sudden switch back to the beginning after season 5 on CBS action was irritating. I'd set the recorder for Tough Boys only to find it was the Pilot again. I've obviously got the DVD but its still handy to have them as tv recordings. When I watched in the early '90's the episodes seemed pretty random and I don't think we ever got the later seasons in the uk. The fact that its now only being shown once a day at 10,00 am makes me think they're tailing it off and we're never going to get to the later episodes! Even seeing them, like you, completely out of order, I really liked the epic, old fashioned feel of the Pilot and the brashness of the younger MacGyver.<br />As a minor aside, I mentioned in my previous comment that MacGyver seems to be whistling 'Penny Lane' as he crawls along the shaft. I've since read on various sites that its supposed to be 'The Streets of Laredo' but I know that tune and it isn't that. Its also not quite right as 'Penny Lane' because he whistles a couple of descending notes at the end. Maybe RDA just forgot how the tune was supposed to go!Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-59608055588216124212015-10-13T17:48:42.552-05:002015-10-13T17:48:42.552-05:00Welcome to Season 1 MacGyver! In a lot of ways, S...Welcome to Season 1 MacGyver! In a lot of ways, Season 1 is like a completely different show, and coming from just having watching season 5, I'm not surprised that you have noticed a big difference. The accent is noticeable -- in some of these early episodes RDA sometimes talks like a hick for unknown reasons. There are technically 7 opening gambits, with one of them having a slight connection to the rest of the story. I love the opening gambits, but sadly they had to stop them for production cost reasons. Nicholas Sweedohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-47213677248552648422015-10-13T04:04:52.865-05:002015-10-13T04:04:52.865-05:00As I noted in the comments for 'Passages',...As I noted in the comments for 'Passages', my MacGyver viewing has been stopped at the end of season 5 because for some reason CBS Action isn't carrying on with season 6. The only plus side to this annoying hiatus is that the channel has started showing the series again from the beginning so I can catch up to what was my introduction to MacGyver, season 2's 'Pirates'. <br /><br />My thoughts on the Pilot are summed up like this; it was MacGyver but it wasn't, at least not as I know it! I can't deny that it was an action packed and exciting episode but there were things that I thought I knew that were just, well, different! <br /><br />I had seen the term 'opening gambit' on this site before and was expecting an adventure before the theme music but this bore no relation to the actual episode! It was like a separate episode condensed into 5 minutes! I know these opening gambits are much loved so don't misunderstand me, it was very good, but why didn't the story continue into the actual episode? <br /><br />As a pilot, I obviously expected it to be a bit rough around the edges and for character background to not be developed; Dana Elcar wasn't Pete but sort of acted like Pete! Mac lived in a huge observatory with an adopted brother? Mac's accent suddenly changed! If I had started here then everything would have been new and the oddities would have emerged later on, but watching it after three and a half seasons just made it seem strange! Still, everything has to start somewhere and with so many great MacGyverisms and action throughout, the episode was certainly enjoyable, just not quite right for someone who watched it out of order!Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-1243774168189223822015-01-18T16:46:05.405-06:002015-01-18T16:46:05.405-06:00Got it, good point Highlander. Thanks.Got it, good point Highlander. Thanks.Corey Nookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02635691967039797784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-59689483894706937742015-01-18T15:45:10.339-06:002015-01-18T15:45:10.339-06:00I think it was replaced by the Challenger's Cl...I think it was replaced by the Challenger's Club, which, in s6 & 7 can be seen w/ the Big Brothers, Big Sisters logo. Maybe a partnership or something. And, with the Challenger's Club, Mac can help more ppl at a time. But the concept is similar.Highlander_IIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12390532917085374247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-12342400196585989052015-01-18T15:30:00.242-06:002015-01-18T15:30:00.242-06:00I don't know why it took me so long to realize...I don't know why it took me so long to realize that's what he meant about his little brother. I don't remember him ever talking about this particular volunteer program where he is assigned a specific person. Either way, the kid who played Reggie did a nice job. Very energetic like 1985 Mac was. As soon as I saw him I knew he was the kid who played Arnold's friend Dudley on Diff'rent Strokes. Corey Nookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02635691967039797784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-76854534117707628182015-01-18T13:31:52.196-06:002015-01-18T13:31:52.196-06:00Trail to Doomsday is my #141... if that tells you ...Trail to Doomsday is my #141... if that tells you anything.Highlander_IIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12390532917085374247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-34464649494125670702015-01-18T13:28:28.602-06:002015-01-18T13:28:28.602-06:00I'm looking forward to watching the movies aga...I'm looking forward to watching the movies again since I don't remember them, but Trail to Doomsday sounds really bad! Nicholas Sweedohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-58070049736991669832015-01-18T13:08:33.611-06:002015-01-18T13:08:33.611-06:00'because it's so rare' -- yeah - until...'because it's so rare' -- yeah - until they bungle it all up in "Trail to Doomsday" *sigh*Highlander_IIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12390532917085374247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-15460226537975309942015-01-18T13:05:54.764-06:002015-01-18T13:05:54.764-06:00Thanks Corey! You're right that MacGyver is a...Thanks Corey! You're right that MacGyver is an only child and his little brother is from the volunteer program. I actually don't even mind his firing the gun (my making it the lowlight was more of a joke) - in some ways it's kind of a cool piece of trivia and something that is interesting to see because it's so rare (like a 4-leaf clover). Nicholas Sweedohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-4385053291244737442015-01-18T10:40:47.529-06:002015-01-18T10:40:47.529-06:00Thanks all for a great review of the groundbreakin...Thanks all for a great review of the groundbreaking and wonderful pilot! I'm a big fan of this one too. One of my favorites in fact. It's one of those episodes that I remember well and the MacGyverisms have stuck in my mind after all these years. The chocolate bar acid plug and sodium cold capsule bomb are 2 of my all-time favorites.<br /><br />Very interesting information about LDZ and his contributions or lack thereof. I'm very interested to read the MacGyver Global page to learn more.<br /><br />I too am disappointed in the scene where Mac fires the gun, but I have heard many times over the years about how the character wasn't yet developed and they hadn't decided that the anti-gun stance was going to be central to the character's ethos. This reminds me of when Mac used the word "hell" in "Flames End". Not something that felt very MacGyver and they quickly put an end to the PG rated talk from him. I loved Mac's brown leather jacket in this one too. It's different than his other, more common one, later in the series. Loved the quote about how his bag is for what he finds along the way (not what he takes). It is reminiscent of a quote Pete had in "Ghost Ship" about Mac taking next to no food or water, he travels light and survives on what he can find. I also found interesting that Mac said he had a date (which he pretty much never talks about) as well as his little brother, which I'm pretty sure is never mentioned again. In fact, later in the series, I'm pretty sure we find out that Mac is an only child. Now that I think about it, he probably meant Little Brother as in Big Brothers/Big Sisters.<br /><br />I agree, the strange accent or intonation Mac had while describing the chemistry of chocolate is similar to a few other instances in the series. Namely the ones already mentioned as well as a similar one in "Legend of the Holy Rose" while describing Ambrose's laser. I do agree that it's mostly due to his excitement at the time coupled with the noise level/location at that particular instance.<br /><br />I liked Spencer and it seems like the producers thought the character might be a recurring one, given how smitten they both were with each other. Her and Mac obviously had chemistry so I wonder why she never reappears. She's a heck of a lot better for Mac than some of the floosies they tried to make us believe were part of Mac's past.<br /><br />Lots to discuss here, but I think you guys captured it well. Thanks!Corey Nookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02635691967039797784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-49899034664437415042015-01-12T12:16:44.529-06:002015-01-12T12:16:44.529-06:00Good observation on the Penny Lane whistling! I j...Good observation on the Penny Lane whistling! I just went back and rewatched that clip and you're right - it does sound like Penny Lane. Nicholas Sweedohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-34343556278007689542015-01-12T04:07:34.588-06:002015-01-12T04:07:34.588-06:00Wow..it would be brilliant to see the full 90 mins...Wow..it would be brilliant to see the full 90 mins - perhaps its in a storeroom in a studio somewhere or would they have deleted it- someone, somewhere must know. Perhaps we could launch a campaign to track it down? .... I'm getting carried away here! I knew about the Alan Smithee significance of the episode but not the reason behind the anonymity - cutting the director's work from 90 to 45 mins might well explain it. Shedding some light on Nicholas's theory about RDA and MacGyver's character development, Michael Greenburg says on the MacGyver global site ( where the LDZ info is) that one of the highlights of his involvement was ' watching Rick become the character and the character become Rick in many ways.Wit and charm come to mind'. RDA certainly does a great job in the Pilot; confidence and charm radiate from him, helped by his handsome looks and those amazing dark eyes. I won't go on in case I start sounding too much like Patti and Selma Bouvier. I guess over several seasons, long hours and a punishing schedule, some of the initial spark fades out of any actor/character and they themselves also become older and wiser. I think most Stargate fans preferred the early to mid season Jack O'Neill to the later version.Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-83900156478706950962015-01-11T18:11:23.822-06:002015-01-11T18:11:23.822-06:00A fair number of people consider the Pilot the bes...A fair number of people consider the Pilot the best episode of all as you suggest you may ultimately rank it. I'd like to see the original 90-minute pilot some time to see what all was cut out.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04953380288384883179noreply@blogger.com