MacGyver

Mark Moore · Dec 15, 2014

Anyone here a fan of this series? I used to watch it in the late '80s and early '90s. I don't think I'd seen it since then (except maybe some reruns during one of the times that we had cable in the early '90s).

The series revolves around Angus MacGyver (played by Richard Dean Anderson), an agent for a fictional government department known as External Affairs (in season 1) and the fictional Phoenix Foundation (seasons 2-7), a government think tank. Pete Thornton (Dana Elcar) was his boss in both places.

MacGyver has a high intellect and possesses a working knowledge of the applied sciences. Part of the appeal of the series is watching MacGyver improvise a solution to a problem with whatever materials are on hand (plus his ever-present Swiss Army knife and roll of duct tape).

My mom and I watched the pilot episode on Thursday. It's good, although apparently the director was unsatisfied with it (it's credited to Alan Smithee). Dana Elcar is listed merely as a guest star and doesn't play Pete Thornton, and there's a different costar listed during the opening credits. After a mysterious explosion at a research lab, MacGyver has five hours to locate and free the trapped survivors before the military floods the lab to stop leaking acid from contaminating the water supply.

Episode highlights:

*MacGyver uses chocolate bars to stop an acid leak

*MacGyver pokes fun at a ridiculous MacGyverism - before MacGyverisms were even a thing

Anyone have any personal favorite episodes?

MaryMumsy · Dec 15, 2014

Used to watch it every week. His first name wasn't revealed until the finale episode. He was just A. MacGyver.

MM

Diana Hignutt · Dec 15, 2014

I believe the show was created by Terry Nation, also famous as the creator of the Daleks of Dr. Who fame. Loved that show. Well, both those shows. I was a big fan of the character, Jack Dalton too, for some reason. And who was that master of disguise arch-nemesis played by that British rock star...darn, I can't remember his name.

Mark Moore · Dec 15, 2014

MaryMumsy said:
Used to watch it every week. His first name wasn't revealed until the finale episode. He was just A. MacGyver.

Actually, it was revealed in a two-part dream episode called "Good Knight MacGyver" (which I'm looking forward to watching and will probably skip ahead to), although it was revealed within the dream, so that puts its accuracy in doubt. I don't recall if they ever said his name later on or not.

Mark Moore · Dec 15, 2014

Diana Hignutt said:
I was a big fan of the character, Jack Dalton too, for some reason.

Played by Bruce McGill, who also played Al the bartender in the series finale of "Quantum Leap". Yeah, gotta "love" Jack.

Diana Hignutt said:
And who was that master of disguise arch-nemesis played by that British rock star...darn, I can't remember his name.

Murdoc, played by Michael Philip Des Barres. I had no idea that he was a rock star. Cool.

I always thought Murdoc was an awesome name for a bad guy, because it sounds like "murder".

Oh, brief correction: the agency that MacGyver worked for in season 1 was the Department of External Services (DXS).

Some other oddities about the pilot: MacGyver seems to live in an observatory, and he's living with a young, black kid (I don't recall if their relationship is ever defined).

Diana Hignutt · Dec 15, 2014

Mark Moore said:
Played by Bruce McGill, who also played Al the bartender in the series finale of "Quantum Leap". Yeah, gotta "love" Jack.

Murdoc, played by Michael Philip Des Barres. I had no idea that he was a rock star. Cool.

I always thought Murdoc was an awesome name for a bad guy, because it sounds like "murder".

Oh, brief correction: the agency that MacGyver worked for in season 1 was the Department of External Services (DXS).

Some other oddities about the pilot: MacGyver seems to live in an observatory, and he's living with a young, black kid (I don't recall if their relationship is ever defined).

In the later episodes he lived in a house boat, right?

Mark Moore · Dec 15, 2014

Diana Hignutt said:
In the later episodes he lived in a house boat, right?

Yeah, but that's a few seasons later. In the first few seasons, he lives in a waterfront apartment.

Layla Lawlor · Dec 15, 2014

Oh man, I used to absolutely love this show. One of my favorite shows, back when it was brand new. I've rewatched a few episodes over the years, and it's still a lot of fun in a nostalgic kind of way. One of these days I ought to do a complete rewatch.

What I always loved most about the show was that it was all about brains over brawn, improvising clever solutions to tough problems. I'm such a sucker for smart characters. Also, I have a real thing for scenarios with characters trapped in the wilderness, behind enemy lines, etc, and MacGyver did that a lot.

Most of my favorite episodes were in the first 3 or 4 seasons, though; it kinda went downhill after that, it seems like.

Friendly Frog · Dec 16, 2014

I loved it when I was young. The only show we could stay up late for, which meant we even loved it more. It has aged quite a bit when watching a re-run recently, but I agree it's still kinda fun, and not just in a nostaligic way.

Once! · Dec 16, 2014

I used to love it. I have this odd memory of him in a car which is hurtling down a hill side because the brakes had failed. So he climbs out while the car is still moving, opens the bonnet/ hood and switches the clutch and brake cables over because they use broadly the same kind of fluid. Then gets back in and brakes just in time.

And I recall thinking both "Yeah, right" and "Yeah!" at this point.

Not sure if that really happened or if I only dreamt it, so I Googled it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaPrK26fTvM

Incredibly cheesy. Cheesily incredible.

Love it.

Faye-M · Dec 16, 2014

Once! said:
I used to love it. I have this odd memory of him in a car which is hurtling down a hill side because the brakes had failed. So he climbs out while the car is still moving, opens the bonnet/ hood and switches the clutch and brake cables over because they use broadly the same kind of fluid. Then gets back in and brakes just in time.

And I recall thinking both "Yeah, right" and "Yeah!" at this point.

Not sure if that really happened or if I only dreamt it, so I Googled it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaPrK26fTvM

Incredibly cheesy. Cheesily incredible.

Love it.

LOL That clip is awesome! Ahhhh, I loved MacGyver as a kid. I was too young to really understand what I was watching, but Richard Dean Anderson is so much fun to watch.

Anybody else see the outtake from Stargate SG-1 where Amanda Tapping starts talking to Richard Dean Anderson like he's MacGyver instead of Jack O'Neill? HILARIOUS - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo8mePgx4yw

cmhbob · Dec 16, 2014

I loved the way they worked Dana Elcar's blindness into the series.

Forbidden Snowflake · Dec 16, 2014

I used to love it when I was around 12 years old, 1996 and would watch it occasionally when my parents weren't home. They didn't like me watching it.

Shadow_Ferret · Dec 16, 2014

It hasn't aged well. It plays on cable and it seems really corny and badly acted. I don't know if I was more forgiving back then or I'm just more informed now and realize how hokey some of his jerry-rigging is.

robjvargas · Dec 16, 2014

Shadow_Ferret said:
It hasn't aged well. It plays on cable and it seems really corny and badly acted. I don't know if I was more forgiving back then or I'm just more informed now and realize how hokey some of his jerry-rigging is.

Some of it was hokey on purpose. I watched an interview with the star once, and he said they researched the things they'd have Macgyver do, and then they'd deliberately leave something out.

Locke · Dec 16, 2014

Shadow_Ferret said:
It hasn't aged well. It plays on cable and it seems really corny and badly acted. I don't know if I was more forgiving back then or I'm just more informed now and realize how hokey some of his jerry-rigging is.

It was just the prevalent style of the day, and I think ABC probably put some pressure on Paramount to keep the content family-friendly. I think the format (every other episode had some one-time guest star or another) posed problems that the writers and directors had a difficult time adjusting to.

robjvargas said:
Some of it was hokey on purpose. I watched an interview with the star once, and he said they researched the things they'd have Macgyver do, and then they'd deliberately leave something out.

I'd imagine so, considering some of the things he'd build.

Mark Moore · Dec 16, 2014

Remember this MasterCard ad? There's even an interview and making-of featurette after it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYryLFfOa8k

Faye-M · Dec 16, 2014

Mark Moore said:
Remember this MasterCard ad? There's even an interview and making-of featurette after it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYryLFfOa8k

RDA: "I'm convinced I was put on this earth to make a fool of myself, and so far so good."

LOL!! He's so awesome.

M.S. Wilson · Dec 16, 2014

I loved this show. All the Murdoc episodes were good, but Halloween Knights (when they teamed up to save Murdoc's sister) was my favourite; I also loved "The Human Factor" where MacGyver and that cute blonde scientist were trapped inside the computer-controlled building. The show lost some steam in the later years, but overall, I really liked it.

Layla Lawlor · Dec 18, 2014

robjvargas said:
Some of it was hokey on purpose. I watched an interview with the star once, and he said they researched the things they'd have Macgyver do, and then they'd deliberately leave something out.

Yeah, I think I read somewhere they'd always leave out a key ingredient of anything explosive or otherwise dangerous, so people couldn't build it at home.

MacGyver

Mark Moore

MaryMumsy

the original blond bombshell

Diana Hignutt

Very Tired

Mark Moore

Mark Moore

Diana Hignutt

Very Tired

Mark Moore

Layla Lawlor

Friendly Frog

Snarkenfaugister

Once!

Still confused by shoelaces

Faye-M

cmhbob

Did...did I do that?

Forbidden Snowflake

I'm quite put out.

Shadow_Ferret

Court Jester

robjvargas

Locke

Lost the instruction manual

Mark Moore

Faye-M

M.S. Wilson

Layla Lawlor