#114: On a Wing and a Prayer

Season: 4

Synopsis in 3 sentences or less:

MacGyver and Jack Dalton fly to Latin America to rescue a wounded Pete and a nun who have been kidnapped by rebels.  Their plane is shot during the escape attempt, and they are forced to make an emergency landing where one of the rudders gets damaged.  As the rebels discover their location and head towards them, MacGyver must fix the plane to escape so Pete can get medical attention and so they can warn the country's president about a palace bomb. 

Memorable Quote:

"MacGyver!  What's happening?" ~Jack
"Your slip knot's not slipping!" ~MacGyver

Highlight:

I like the scene in the beginning in the sea harbor where MacGyver approaches Dalton and sheepishly asks him for a favor.  Always enjoy the interplay between the two of them, and this one is a reversal of the more typical bit where:

1. Dalton asks MacGyver for help.
2. MacGyver complains and gets frustrated.
3. Jack continues to press.
4. MacGyver relents and agrees to help.

To Jack's credit, he does not need any convincing--he happily jumps at the chance to help MacGyver.

Lowlight:

There's not one jumping out at me--I guess I'll go with Pete getting shot. 

Best MacGyverism:

In order to seal the gash in the rudder, MacGyver heats up some rubber and nylon mixed with pieces of a life jacket in order to make a waterproof seal.  

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

• In this episode, Pete gets shot in the shoulder.  This is the first episode we've covered where either MacGyver or Pete gets shot.  I think we need to add a "shot chart" to keep track of all the times MacGyver and Pete get shot, so I'll add it to the rankings page.  At this point, you're thinking, "that's a little weird."  Let me explain.  When I was a kid, I played a game with my sisters that I called "Dodge the Bullet."  I liked to dodge things, and I was impressed with MacGyver's ability (or luck) to dodge bullets that were frequently whizzing by.  So when I was watching MacGyver with one of my sisters, we would play "Dodge the Bullet" during the commercials.  The rules of the game were that my sister had to sit on the sofa while holding a balloon.  Meanwhile, I would jump and dive around the room.  She would whack the balloon with her hand (like overhand hitting a volleyball) and try to hit me with the balloon, and I would try and dodge it.  As soon at the balloon hit something (like the floor, the window behind me, or the coffee table), the bullet was dead, so to speak, and I was free to pick it up and give it back to her.  Each time the balloon hit me first, however, I was "shot."  My goal was to get shot fewer times than MacGyver had gotten shot all-time in the series--if that happened, then I "won."  If I got hit greater than or equal to the number of times he got shot, then I "lost."  There were many times where it was very dramatic as I was on my last life and waiting for the commercial to end while having to dodge the balloon like my life depended on it.  Back then, there were still new episodes coming out and I was seeing older ones for the first time, so if there was a new one where he got shot, it was actually a good thing for me in the game, because it meant I got an extra life. Although of course I didn't like to see MacGyver get shot.  There you go. See, no weirdness at all.  
• Good shake at 21:21--we'll add it to the list. 
• Who knew Central America had so many evergreen trees?  I know, that's the tenth time I've made that joke. 
• If Rafael (the rebel leader) wants to take power after the palace bomb goes off, wouldn't he be in town rather than in the middle of nowhere?  

Final Analysis:

This episode is ok--no real highlights or lowlights.  The rebel band is contrived and more silly than menacing.  But at least MacGyver has to do something creative--it's been about 4 episodes since we could say that.  Happy Memorial Day everyone! 

#115: Thin Ice

Season: 3

Synopsis in 3 sentences or less:

MacGyver is in Minnesota to coach a college hockey team in the state finals while the full-time coach is recovering from a health problem.  The team's star player, Derek Kirby, is conflicted between playing the game the right way versus playing dirty to impress the NHL scouts whom his father is courting.  After severely injuring an opposing player, Derek must decide which direction he will go in, once and for all. 

Memorable Quote:

"When I played for Turk back in high school, he used to read this at the top of every season.  It's the Olympic oath.  I think he'd appreciate it if I read it now.  In the name of all competitors, I promise that we will take part in these games..." ~MacGyver

"...respecting and abiding by the rules that govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of the sport, and the honor of the team." ~Kirby (interrupting MacGyver and finishing the quote)

"Let's play some hockey." ~MacGyver (followed by the sound of triumphant trumpets).  

Highlight:

See Memorable Quote.  I must admit, it was a little goose-bumpy. 

Lowlight:

Hard to watch the part where the opposing player hits his head on the goal post and is knocked out cold and put in a coma. 

Best MacGyverism:

Takes a spring from a flashlight to fix a compressor.  

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

• Always good to see MacGyver back in Minnesota
• This episode wins the award for longest time we see MacGyver in a suit
• The hockey scenes are really good and filmed well
• The father does a good job as the unenlightened, super-serious sports parent
• I don't know RDA personally, and I've often wondered how similar he is to the character and how much of his acting is him playing himself.  In this episode he says some things like "every time I lace up the skates, I wonder if I could have made it or not." Makes me wonder how much of that is really the actor himself talking.
• "All right, we’ve got 20 minutes left to do it.  Let’s go!" ~MacGyver's intermission speech.  Not winning any awards as far as motivational speeches go.  
• It's clearly stated multiple times that this is a college tournament, though MacGyver says that Turk was his high school coach.  And the whole thing has more of a high school feel with the meddlesome father, and I've never heard of a state championship for college sports. 
• Wouldn't Kirby have been suspended for the last game, or would the other kid have had to die first? 

Final Analysis:

All in all this is a good episode and better than I remembered.  The acting is solid and there are a lot of good scenes with well-written dialogue.  It's a little gloomy and not all that fun to watch which is why I had it lower on the list.  

#116: Hearts of Steel

Season: 5

Synopsis in 3 sentences or less:
Lisa Woodman (aka Blossom) is back, and this time she's kidnapped by steel workers who are mad at her father for closing their steel plant.  Mr. Woodman enlists MacGyver's help and gets 5 million in cash to trade for Blossom.  During the exchange at the plant, MacGyver convinces the head kidnapper that the unemployed steel workers wouldn't want blood money and that no one has to die in order for the plant to reopen.

Editor's note (as also seen in Twenty Questions): Lisa is played by Mayim Bialik of Blossom fame so I’ll refer to her as “Blossom” for the rest of the post.  Why?  Because it’s a great name.  How come there aren’t more Blossom’s in the world?

Memorable Quote:

"Look, kidnapping me isn’t going to change anything.  Just let me go.  I’ll ask my dad to give all those jobs back, I promise." ~Blossom
"A Woodman promise isn’t worth the powder it’d take to blow him to Hell." ~Travers

Highlight:

Near the end, MacGyver forgoes descending some stairs like a normal person and instead puts his legs over each railing and rapidly slides down to the bottom.  Given the relatively small number of steps and his stumble and roll on the ground afterwards, it's doubtful that his maneuver saved much, if any time. Nevertheless, it's a pretty sweet move and one that I'd be tempted to try if I found the right staircase and wasn't worried about breaking any bones.  

Lowlight:
Every scene with Mr. Woodman.  Just a total sleaze from beginning to end.  And we know from Twenty Questions that Mrs. W. isn't much better either.  One wonders where Blossom got her charm and sweet disposition - maybe from the grandparents.  

Best MacGyverism:

MacGyver hangs a rope on a big hook and swings on the rope to kick one of the bad guys.  Not really a MacGyverism but there's nothing else to pick from.  

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

• When MacGyver prints out the kidnapper's portrait from the facial recognition software, we see printer paper with holes on each side.  That takes me back to childhood right there. 
• How does Travers know to tell his henchmen that Blossom will be wearing a purple leather jacket?
• Once they realize the kidnappers got the wrong girl, shouldn't they place Blossom under maximum protection under the assumption that the kidnappers also realized their mistake?
• So MacGyver convinces Travers to put the gun down in exchange for Woodman's promise to reopen the plant.  After Travers is hauled away by the cops, MacGyver asks Woodman when the plant will be re-opened.  Woodman hesitantly double backs on his promise, to the dismay of Blossom, who scolds him for lying.  He changes his mind and says he'll open the plant, and Blossom gives him a hug and says that she loves him.  I don't like Travers being rewarded with his initial objective by using coercion, but somehow Mr. Woodman seems the sleaziest of all.  

Final Analysis:
I didn't remember this one too well (since it's not too memorable), but it's great to see Blossom again. We'll see her once more in the countdown, but that won't be for a while.  Next up, get ready for some hockey!  

#117: Hind-Sight

Season: 6

Synopsis in 3 sentences or less:
Pete is in the hospital getting ready to have eye surgery for his glaucoma.  MacGyver visits him and they reminisce about past adventures while talking about Pete’s stubborn refusal to ask for help.  Then, some flowers are delivered from a mystery woman, and MacGyver and Pete discuss who it might be until the woman visits Pete at the end.

Memorable Quote:
"But I thought he [Murdoc] fell down a mine shaft and was killed." ~Willis

"What you talkin’ about, Willis?"  ~MacGyver

Highlight:

See memorable quote, and MacGyver’s actual response, which was:

"Willis, he’s also been blown up in a building, consumed by a fireball, he’s fallen off a 2000 foot mountain, he’s drowned, and they never find the body."

Murdoc doesn’t appear in this episode--MacGyver is merely considering him as the source of the mysterious flowers that Pete receives.  His quote is not much of a highlight, but I just like the way he says it.  And there’s not really much else to pick from in terms of highlights, though I do like the part at the very end where MacGyver messes with Pete by not turning in his Pete’s resignation like he asked.

Lowlight:
The nurse is as cold as it comes.  "You have to leave, now," she tells MacGyver with complete disdain.  Yikes.

Best MacGyverism:

None

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

• This episode is a “flashback” episode where clips of old episodes are played while the characters reminisce.  This used to be a fairly typical construct in 80’s tv shows, but you would never see it today when episodes are so readily available on DVD or the internet.  Back then, it was more of a treat to see an old scene that you might not have seen in a long time.  
• MacGyver tells Pete that he (MacGyver) wants to be there for Pete just like Pete was there for him.  Which prompts Pete to lament that he was never able to help MacGyver, that MacGyver always saved himself.  That prompts MacGyver to try to think of times where Pete helped, and his examples are very weak which Pete rightly notes.  
• "I was helpless, I would have drown if you didn’t show up when you did."
• "C’mon MacGyver, you didn’t drown - you came up by yourself.  I had nothing to do with it."
• "You threw me a life preserver."
• That might be the dumbest thing MacGyver has ever said.  Why not mention the time where Pete convinced the rescue workers to keep looking for MacGyver when he was buried in the avalanche?  That would have been a much better example.  
• I like how when MacGyver and Pete are running through a list of potential female villains that might want to harm Pete, the first one that comes to MacGyver’s mind is Santina, the Latin American military officer from an earlier episode.  Was she really the type to come up to Los Angeles and cryptically send flowers to Pete in the hospital?
• Here’s a link I found on youtube where Dana Elcar talks about his real-life glaucoma.  I didn’t realize that he was diagnosed with glaucoma 25 years before he developed symptoms. 

Final Analysis:
Not much to say about this one, given that half of it is flashbacks of other episodes.  Interesting that this was the finale of season 6. It’s funny how much season finales have changed since then.  Now, there’s always a big cliffhanger and dramatic moment to keep people in suspense for months.  This episode, in contrast, is as mundane as it gets.   

#118: A Prisoner of Conscience

Season: 1

Synopsis in 3 sentences or less:

MacGyver is in Russia to help Pete rescue the daughter of a Russian activist thought dead.  After learning from the daughter that her father is still alive, they mount a rescue operation on a mental institution where he is being held, with MacGyver pretending to be an inmate, and Pete posing as his doctor.  The rescue attempt is successful, and the activist remains in Russia to continue his work. 

Memorable Quote:

"Hey, what about me?  I've never been to Leningrad before.  I hear it's a real...party town." ~MacGyver

Highlight:

I'll go with the boat chase in the beginning.  Some sweet background music.  

Lowlight:

The entire last ten minutes.  We'll cover this below. 

Best MacGyverism:

"Caulking compound mixed with the proper hardening agent makes a unique version of Russian crazy glue."  MacGyver puts this mixture along the edge of a pail which a guard then grabs on to and gets his hands stuck.  Bonus points to MacGyver for then walking behind the guard's back no more than one foot away without him hearing a thing. 

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

• A brief but fun dialogue at the 13:56 mark.  
• Maria: "Are you certain we can do this?"
• MacGyver: "Nope."
• Maria playfully laughs at MacGyver's wit (if you want to call it that) and puts her hand and head on MacGyver's shoulder.
• Pete: "Maria?"
• Maria: "Uh?!" as she inwardly curses Pete for ending her moment with MacGyver.
• Pete doesn't even try to pretend he's Russian, not even a hint of an accent.  Wouldn't the mental institution be a little more curious about what an American doctor is doing with his American patient in Leningrad?
• A shake at 39:29.  We don't actually see him shake his hand, but his arm goes up like he's about to before the camera cuts away, so I'm counting it. 
• The last ten minutes are a disaster.  It's unclear how MacGyver and Pete can stroll around the facility when:
• the prisoner escaped the night before
• there's a riot in the big patient room
• multiple guards have been subdued
• Somehow all of that was not enough to create any kind of alert level, as the other employees are calmly eating breakfast in the dining room.  Maria adds a chemical to their drink that makes them all happy and allows the others to get away, though it's unclear why that was necessary because they didn't seem to care much about what was happening anyway.
• To top it off, we end the episode having to suffer through half-hearted platitudes about things like love of country and power of the people.  
• 45:00 - pretty sure this is the only time in the series when we see MacGyver in a fur coat.  

Final Analysis:

Not a good episode.  If I had to do it over again, I'd put it a bit lower.  The mental institution is not a fun setting, there are no good villains, and after going through the trouble of rescuing the guy, they just let him stay in Russia and walk around the streets as he did before.  Next, we'll be leaving Season 1 but staying with the clinical theme! 

#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?!