#119: Trumbo's World

Season: 1

Synopsis in 3 sentences or less:

MacGyver is in the Amazon rainforest helping a scientist friend figure out what so many animals are running away from.  As they go deeper into the jungle, they meet Trumbo, a stubborn plantation owner who wants to defend his land from an invading army of ants.  MacGyver and Trumbo battle the ants with a flame thrower and an exploding dam and save Trumbo's plantation.

Memorable Quote:

"But I'm going to ask you one more favor.  You come back in one year from now.  Take a look at what you helped build." ~Trumbo  
"You bet." ~MacGyver

Highlight:

This is a really tough call because I love the beginning and the ending, but I'm going to go with the end.  You know how much I love talking about music, and at the 46:41 mark you get one of my favorite arrangements: the sweet, sentimental, piano arrangement of the main theme that only appears in a few episodes.  In this episode, the sometimes-difficult Trumbo shows his human side by thanking MacGyver and asking him to come back sometime (see Memorable Quote).  If this scene doesn't make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, then I'm not sure what else to say. 

Lowlight:

Hmm, I don't know, maybe the multiple scenes where the ants crawl all over every square inch of the victims and eat them?

Best MacGyverism:

Mixes nitrate from fertilizer and cellulose from plant bark.  "Stir, don't shake, with a drip or two of acid."  Makes nitromannite, which is "a little less touchy" than nitroglycerin. 

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

• OK, it's opening gambit time!  What's an opening gambit?  There were 6 episodes early in the first season that have a 10 minute intro (i.e. before the song) that has nothing to do with the rest of the episode.  They are always fantastic, and this one is certainly no exception.  Let's break it down.
• MacGyver is in the Pyrenees, or as he calls them, "The Py-re-NEES." Some Basque separatists have kidnapped an American geologist, Dr. Gates, and MacGyver is there to rescue her.
• The first two minutes are brilliant.  We hear MacGyver's thoughts as he enters the Basque camp, wraps a towel around his waist so he's half-naked (supposedly this helps him blend in), and takes a bite of stew from a pot cooking over an open flame.  Then he breaks into Dr. Gates' cabin to rescue her.
• Some classic images here (classic because we see them for years on the song)
• 5:12 - MacGyver rappelling down the mountain
• 5:55 - MacGyver jumping into the boat but ending up partly in the water
• The music is fantastic throughout the opening gambit, and the last two minutes bring us to what I would consider The MacGyver Project's first truly great MacGyver moment.  As the Basques run into the barbed wire that MacGyver sets out and their boat capsizes, Dr. Gates says, "Are they still after us?"  MacGyver replies, "No, chances are those guys are all washed up!"  Meanwhile some rocking music is playing and the whole thing ends with a great drum sequence that leads right into the song. Tour. De. Force.  
• These real early episodes have kind of a sacred, legendary feel to them.  Probably because they seem so old and so much of the song footage that we see for years is taken from them.  But despite their age, they hold up better than many of the later ones.  
• Love the Calgary Flames hat.   
• Funny how this episode to me has a Jurassic Park feel to it (probably due to the rainforest) and the scientist is played by Peter Jurasik. 
• Despite being a jerk at times, Trumbo has some good qualities.  In fact, he wouldn't be a bad wingman for MacGyver - let's add him to the list. 
• Would the dam bursting really sweep away all the ants?  There were a ton of ants.

Final Analysis:

The episode is well done (despite the stock footage), and there is great music from beginning to end.  I have it ranked low because of the ants - I don't like them.  I really don't like how they eat people.  In fact, this episode would be lower if not for the awesome opening gambit and the great ending.  Those scenes alone make this episode must-see viewing for any MacGyver fan. 

#120: Harry's Will

Season: 6

Synopsis in 3 sentences or less:

MacGyver is back in his hometown of Mission City, Minnesota, to read a codicil (will amendment) of his grandfather Harry’s will.  At the same time, Harry’s old friend, Cody, gets out of prison and searches for a large diamond that Harry hid and left clues to find.  Some crooks are also after the diamond, but MacGyver and Cody foil the crooks and use the proceeds from the diamond to fund a soup kitchen.

Memorable Quote:

"You intentionally tripped that boy." ~Grandpa Harry

"We did it Granpda, we won!" ~young MacGyver

"You’re no winner, bud." ~Grandpa Harry

Highlight:

The "Lesson at Center" scene.  MacGyver visits the ice rink where he played as a kid and has a flashback (in black and white, no less) to a time when he tripped a boy on the other team and then scored the winning goal.  Everyone is celebrating except for Grandpa Harry (see Memorable Quote).  MacGyver then goes to the referees and asks them to disallow the goal he just scored. I’m all for sportsmanship, but even I think that might be going a little far--nevertheless, it’s a good scene.  Also gotta love the poignant music in these flashbacks.   

Lowlight:

If you’ve read this blog before, you know I’m not a fan of the overly slapstick moments.  Therefore, it stands to reason that I wouldn’t be a big fan of the Rich Little scene at the end of the episode.  Basically, Rich Little plays a bizarre crook who appears at the end wielding a gun and having a mental breakdown as he alternates between multiple personalities/celebrity impressions.  When I was a kid, our family had a cassette tape of Rich Little answering machine messages, and I remember we sometimes switched between using his John Wayne and Humphrey Bogart messages.  He’s a talented guy, but the scene is too goofy for me.  The lead-up to this moment where everyone is running around on the ice, however, is fun.  

Best MacGyverism:

While trapped under a car in an auto repair shop pit, MacGyver uses the tools at hand to inflate an innertube-looking thing to raise the car up.    

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

• Henry Winkler (executive producer of the show) makes his one and only acting appearance of the series in the opening scene as Wilton Newberry, Harry’s lawyer.  I’ve always been a big Henry Winkler fan going back to his days as the Fonz, and his brief performance here is memorable and entertaining. 
• This episode wins the award for most celebrity guest stars, including Winkler, Abe Vigoda, Dick Butkus, Marion Ross, Henry Gibson, and Rich Little.
• Our first Earl Dent episode!  Dent, played by Dick Butkus, is a great example of what I’m looking for in a wingman (see my wingman page, which I will bump Dent to the top of immediately, even though he battles MacGyver in this episode).  Imagine if MacGyver had Dent by his side throughout the series.  MacGyver would provide the brains, and Dent would provide the brawn/muscle – a great team!
• Abe Vigoda looked familiar to me, like he was from the Godfather, and sure enough he was (Tessio).  In our episode analysis, he’s the latest in a string of old guys that do their own thing, don’t listen to MacGyver, and get MacGyver in trouble (we’ve already seen Honest Abe and Pinky).  Speaking of Pinky, it just so happens that Henry Gibson, who played Pinky, appears briefly in this episode as a drive-thru customer.
• Big fan of the Blue ‘57 Nomad.  Great color.
• Fun piece of trivia here. Big Mama is played by Wendy O. Williams, who I had never heard of before, but according to IMDB, she was the inspiration/namesake behind the Super Mario 3 (one of the best video games of all time) villain, Wendy O, Koopa.
• Our first carikaze! For a reminder of what a carikaze is, see the key terms page. It’s not a true carikaze in that he doesn’t first run in front of the car before jumping out of the way, but it’s close enough that we’ll add it to the list.
• About partway through, MacGyver reacts like a little girl at the sound of a gunshot, waving his hands and yelling.  Not that I'd react any better, but what a long way from the Season 1 swagger.

Final Analysis:

A little goofy at times, but the guest stars are enjoyable and the flashback scenes are fun.  Next up, going back to early Season 1—perhaps an opening gambit is involved?!