I've noticed throughout watching all 7 seasons and 2 TV-movies of MacGyver, that for a show that is basically grounded in scientific reality (for the most part ), MacGyver seems to have his share of brushes with the supernatural.
I just thought it was interesting to point out. I don't necessarily mean episodes like "The Madonna" and "There But For the Grace" because although I guess you could consider Catholics and other organized religion supernatural (and obviously it is)- I mean more the episodes with touches of mysticism that not everyone necessarily believes in. (and yes, I know- for that matter, not everyone believes in organized religion- but you get what I'm saying.)

I'm talking episodes like-

"The Wish Child" (the whole Chinese legend)

"Ghost Ship" (the Bigfoot "hearing")

"GX-1" (psychic)

"Mask of the Wolf" (a bit of Indian/Native American mysticism)

"The Secret of Parker House" (how exactly DID Sheriff Howels die? )
(of course- this one being the "Halloween special"- it was kind of expected)

"Legend of the Holy Rose" (Parts 1 and 2) ("I think someone was on our side." "Yeah, me too." )

"The Madonna" (well- I will mention that the ending did give you the idea that maybe Carol was an angel... though for clarification on my part- I definitely believe in God and angels )

"Serenity" (well, there is the matter of how MacGyver found a Swiss Army Knife that "looks like it's a hundred years old" in his pocket)

"Passages" (big time- Egyptian mythology as well as the "after life" experience commonly reported by people with near-death experiences and comas...)

I could mention "Deadly Dreams" and "Lesson in Evil" (because Norse mythology is mentioned in both- but it doesn't quite come into play the way Egyptian mythology does in "Passages"- if you see what I mean...)

"MacGyver's Women" (okay- this was just a dream- simple as that. But I figured I might as well mention along with the other episodes that have a touch of "out of th ordinary" to them...)

"The Visitor" (aliens and UFOs)

Also, episodes like "The Treasure of Manco" and "Eye of Osiris" and other treasure-hunting type episodes don't necessarily have elements of the supernatural in them (as far as in direct intervention- necessarily) but they do tend to mention mythology and give that feel of the supernatural to them...

"Faith, Hope & Charity"- (well....there is a legend to the white wolf thing....not very strong in this episode- but you do keep seeing it show up)

"Trail of Tears" (okay- maybe "Faith, Hope & Charity" was a foreshadowing of this- definitely heavier on the white wolf- and more Native American mysticism involved in healing MacGyver in this one...)

"Walking Dead" (voodoo and zombies)

"Good Knight, MacGyver" (Parts 1 and 2)- (again, I know it was all a dream- which allows for a bit of time travel, ala Mark Twain's "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court"- but there is the whole matter of Mac waking up with the amulet in his pocket)

"The Mountain of Youth" (a bit more mysticism in this one- with the fountain of youth and everything...)

"MacGyver: Lost Treasure of Atlantis" (I wouldn't say there's much supernatural going on in this one- but it does lend that feel a bit, as I mentioned before with these type episodes....)


Okay- I may have missed some but that's the main ones I can think of.
And I'm not saying that these episodes are bad by any means (I love all the episodes!!! As I've said many times before)
Some of my favorite episodes of all are among this list....and I enjoy the hints of supernatural in there- it definitely adds something to the show- and adds to MacGyver's character- as we see he's willing to explore the possibilities.....
And plus, it generally makes for a kinda spooky and exciting and intense feel to the episode- so that's cool!
Overall, it does make you think about the supernatural in any case...
As MacGyver said in "The Visitor"- "You gotta wonder......."

I love mysticism and supernatural stuff. I think believing in things like that, adds a little more flavour to life. At least, for me that is.

What fun is a world in which everything is scientifically explicable. Like religions, mysticism gives people hope and dreams. For instance: we all know it's probably bull, but who of you wishes upon a falling star when they see one? I know I do. And I think very few people let a chance to make a wish pass them by...

That's what I like about MacGyver: he is conviced everything is explicable, but even he has to admit there are some things that aren't.
Love it. YAY

I was raised roman Catholic, but I also believe in Native American myths and much more.

The 'supernatural' is just stuff that science has yet to explain. It is no less 'true' than gravity or the speed of light.

I've experienced enough 'supernatural phenomenon' to have no choice but to believe in it, no matter how preposterous is might seem. So I understand people's reluctance to believe that there are things in our universe that can't (yet) be explained by 'natural law'.

Mac

Sorry but those are way and way too many and some too far fetched.

Those are just legends. They have nothing to do with the supernatural. Like MacGyver once said: 'The supernatural is just an explanation for what we can't understand.'

On those I can see why.

Not at all!

On the floor!

Alright I agree on that.

Shouldn't be mentioned. Deadly Dreams was about Zito controlling Cross psychological and psycho babble. Lesson in Evil was the rematch. I even believe Zito doesn't the buy the stuff himself.

Oh, please. There's absolutely nothing supernatural about it, just the three women showing up in his dream.

Uhu. I'm all for this.

Nope I don't agree.

Nothing supernatural about it.

Not really.

Zombies really not!!! Voodoo... I'm not quite sure on that.

Same situation as for Serenity.

Arguable.

And again not at all.

Scratch almost all the treasure hunting episodes. Those are just history and in what they believed in at that time.
Scratch all episodes about legends with exception of Mask of the Wolf, Trail of Tears and the Legend of the Holy Rose.
And scratch Deadly Dreams, The Madonna, Lesson in Evil, Faith, Hope & Charity.

Arguable episodes:
GX-1
Mask of the Wolf (doubtful)
The Secret of Parker House
Legend of the Holy Rose
Serenity
Passages (not much to argue about),
The Visitor (again not much to argue about)
Trail of Tears (doubtful)
The Walking Dead (doubtful)
Good Knight MacGyver
The Mountain of Youth (doubtful)

Don't want to be a kill joy but I think those 11 episodes are more discussable than with all those others you placed.

If you want supernatural watch Shymalan's films: The Sixth Sense and Signs etc.

Than why are my wishes never fulfilled?

I like the darker sides of life. I don't say I'm not into it: I believe my horoscope and it all depends on how much you believe in it. Everybody needs to believe in something.

Well, I know some episodes are real stretches, but I was just trying to think of every possible instance (no matter how far of a stretch)

And yeah- most of the treasure-hunting episodes aren't necessarily brushes with the supernatural, but they lend that feel for me. (Though obviously others may disagree.)

And I know that the endings of episodes like "The Madonna", "Serenity", "MacGyver's Women" and "Good Knight, MacGyver" (Parts 1 and 2) are just mainly for fun- like I'm pretty sure we're not to really believe that MacGyver actually travelled in time in his dreams- but hey, look- there's that old Swiss Army Knife or there's that amulet! How'd that get there?

Anyway- I just think it's cool there are some episodes that deal with that...and that some are left kinda open-ended ("The Visitor" for example)

I suppose that's just another aspect of MacGyver that reminds me of Indiana Jones- and I'm a big fan of both.

For me trying to work out what the causes of events are is fun. The more bizarre the scenario the more challenging it is to explain. I like that. Although I also like that we don't know everything and can't explain everything... yet. gives us something to strive for.


MacGyverGod...I'm confused. How do you class MacGyvers dream/vision when he's in a coma in Passages as "supernatural" but his dream/vision in Trail of Tears as not "supernatural"? What is your reasoning or are you just going for the "feel" of the episode for you?

Let's say the "feel". To me in Passages he was dead in Trail of Tears a vision for me is something that is about to happen, if this or that happens.

WHAT??!!

Dealing with animal spirits and what happens after death isn't supernatural??

Native American spirits healing MacGyver isn't supernatural??

*walks of shacking head*

I think it's funny how people's religions are being called "legends" & "mysticism".

It was / is as real to them as a "virgin mother" is to others.

Exactly what I was thinking. :-)

If someone had told me just three years ago that I would be not only praying to, but truly believing in Osiris, Isis, Hathor, Ra, Anubis, et al I would have laughed in their face, but now I have no choice but to believe because of certain events that happened. Hey, I used to be one of those atheists who laughed at those who believe in 'god' until the day that enough happened and I felt more ignorant by denying what was around me than by 'succumbing' to faith.

Mac

Well- to people that do believe in organized religion (many of them- though not all) would view such things as "black" and "white" magic, Native American spirits, voodoo, etc. as mysticism. Just as atheists would most likely classify it all as legends and mysticisms (and they would include organized religion in there too)

But yes, I can see how Wiccans or people that worship Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Norse, Native American or whatever other gods might look at other organized religions as mysticism.

Look at the definition of mysticism.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mysticism

I think it's kind of a vague term that could fit any kind of religion.
In this case, it was a convenient term to describe the stuff that you can find in the .001 to 100 area of the Dewey Decimal system of your library.

To me MacGyver isn't just a character, it is a frame of mind...a perspective so to speak. That perspective is to be understanding and the things you don't understand...learn and gain knowledge so that you can understand. Knowledge along with the will to use your knowledge to help others. So they(the writers and producers) probably used these different topics to show us the viewers a show look into other cultures and beliefs, and to keep it interesting. Now all of this is just my opinion and not to be construed as fact.

What ever you want to call it supernatural or religion... im personally religious but this isn't about me its about MacGyver.

About the treasure hunting episodes it can be stretched because the ancient people set up traps to kill the greedy.. MacGyver is not greedy and is the morally correct person and ends up living... because that was the intention of the ancient people. So its a far reaching social moral.

Lets not forget The Gauntlet. "We need all the help we can get" as MacGyver empties his pocket in the tithing tray.

Lets not forget certain scenes in Harry's Will. ... Ghost Ship, i guess its more scientific mystery than super natural....

Anyway if any of you happen to watch my name is earl, "Do good things, good things happen", MacGyver not only deserves his luck or supernatural blessings, but he needs it.

I'm not gonna get into every nitty gritty of it all, but just my addition/ take on the topic

Sometimes.... but sometimes bad things happen.
But it doesn't really matter- either way, you should still do good.

I agree with Rock on this matter. But I might not be really objective as I love Native american legends/ myths / religion.


To me it felt supernatural as Mac heals miraculously from a bullet wound overnight with the help from Standing Wolf, a medicine man (can't remember the right word for it)

Next morning he wakes up next to a real wolf and the end when we him again, now to me; that is supernatural.

But hey, this is a woman speaking who has a dream catcher hanging over her bed...

Well excuse me for the mix-up!

To a priest, the answering of a prayer may not seem unnatural--his faith might suggests (and perhaps insist) that this is normal.
To a shaman, animals and nature speak-- it is not unusual or supernatural to him.
Science can predict that at a certain time, the sun and moon will line up for an eclipse. There is no longer any magic or mystery about it... and yet, millions of people stand and stare upward in awe and with a trace of instinctive fear that the sun will not reappear. Is this supernatural?


I think it is just a question of interpretation. MacGyver is a man of science and of facts, but he is also curious and open-minded. I love all the episodes that cause him to test or challenge his own beliefs. I believe that the ability to question and grow in our beliefs is a very good thing!

The things that can be interpreted as supernatural-- that is to say, beyond the power of science to explain (don't get me started on Quantum Theology, folks!) can be presented in perhaps a not-very-flattering way, because first of all we only have an hour to establish a story and conclude... except in the cases of two-parters. But in most cases where a steryotype is presented, I think the folks writing MacGyver are clever at showing that there is more to be learned, if one chooses to look deeper.

JMHO

Remember, science used to be considered sorcery, and was the subject of much mystery. Science itself could be classified as 'supernatural' by someone who has never studied it.

To me, physics and chemistry are more 'supernatural' than praying to my gods.

Mac
not naturally gifted in the science/math department

Exactly!
That's one thing I like a lot about episodes that have a bit of supernatural to them- it challenges MacGyver to consider his own beliefs and views- and leaves the viewers with something to think about too. As MacGyver said, "You gotta wonder..."

Aren't there some states in the US that still do consider it sorcery?