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Jimmy
Kendal Formerly known as "The Eraser”, James "Jimmy" Thomas Kendall gave up his life as a professional hit man (with MacGyver's help) and assumed a new identity as the coach of a minor-league baseball team. Born in |
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| MacGyver Online Forums > Characters > Jimmy Kendall |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 5 October 2007 - 02:48 PM | ||
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| Posted by: MacGyver 5 October 2007 - 02:53 PM |
I just recently rewatched "The Eraser" and one thing that struck me is how likeable the Jimmy Kendall character is. I definitely like this character. Particularly in "The Eraser" we see how he becomes something of a father figure to MacGyver- Mac's like the son Jimmy never had. I enjoyed their interaction and their growing friendship. And I like how MacGyver helped Jimmy realize his dream- and then of course, how he had to help him keep it in place in "Back From the Dead". Both are great episodes and Jimmy's a pretty cool character. (Of course, Joe Santos is a great actor too- got some great acting chops from those years on The Rockford Files.  )"Dreams are important. Otherwise sleep is just eight hours of nothing."- Jimmy Kendall in "The Eraser"  |
| Posted by: Lothithil 5 October 2007 - 03:15 PM |
I love Jimmy!  But as much as I like him, and as much as I enjoyed 'Back from the Dead', I just can't get over the way the writers threw in his daughter (and grandson) without qualifying them. Ol' Ralphie just pulled them out of a hat! In my mind, even in the world of MacGyver, when a person is put under Witness Protection, the authorities keep track of their immediate families that are not protected. Even if Jimmy didn't tell Pete or MacGyver about her, there should have been records of who his death benefits were paid out to. Quibbling, I know... but I think that they could have done it a little smoother... by having Ralphie kidnap the gawky pitcher that Jimmy was mentoring, or SOMETHING... However... *waffles*... I LOVED how Jimmy was with his grandson! It's just that I think that, sometimes, the writers of this series play the 'Surprise!Offspring' card waaaay too many times!  Still... I love every second of the episodes! Joe Santos  |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 5 October 2007 - 03:47 PM |
| I really liked Jimmy. He seemed very friendly, easy going and him and MacGyver seemed to play off each other really well. It was like there was an instant bond between them. I really like Jimmy's wit too... his one liners and quick comebacks where entertaining and made him seem more friendly in my opinion. He just seems like an all around nice guy and is a character I would have liked to have seen more often in the show. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 6 October 2007 - 02:36 AM | ||
| I voted good. I like the chemistry between Mac and Jimmy and the history Jimmy had. I like it when bad guys turn good. The thing what's so likeable about Jimmy is actually his experience. He has seen and done everything in his business. And you can really see that he has had it with killing. Jimmy is a real enjoyable grandfather, I think. He would've indeed fitted more into the show. He had a great storyline in The Eraser as hitman wanting to retire and comes Back From The Dead in the third season where stakes are a little higher. Than again Jimmy Kendall is played by Joe Santos, no one better to do it. Didn't he had a few guest appearances in The Sopranos? He played a big role as the shouting captain in The Last Boy Scout.
Ralphie just gave the pitcher his number, he didn't kidnap him. |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 6 October 2007 - 03:44 AM | ||||
Loth's saying the story should have been that the pitcher was kidnapped rather than a daughter that just appears out of nowhere, because it feels like the writers just decided to throw her in to suit the story. Correct me if I wrong Loth. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 6 October 2007 - 12:23 PM |
| Oh, now I see what she means. |
| Posted by: Lothithil 6 October 2007 - 02:52 PM | ||||||
X-actly!  's all good! |
| Posted by: MacGyverGrrl 6 October 2007 - 08:20 PM |
| I really like Jimmy Kendall. He is one of the more believable characters and he has a credible story. Joe Santos did a great job bringing this character to life. The interaction between Jimmy and MacGyver is convincing and easy. The dialog is well written and both actors are comfortable with their roles. Even when Jimmy betrays Mac by using him to get to the target he's supposed to kill, Mc doesn't resent him for it. Mac almost feels sorry for Jimmy, and stands his ground when facing down Jimmy's gun. Mac's attitude shows a trust that Jimmy will do the right thing and turn the intended victim over to MacGyver, which he does in the end. This is one of the better written and definetly better acted characters in the series. Its too bad that Jimmy didn't have a few more appearances during the show. I agree that Jimmy's daughter and grandson were handled awkwardly by the writer's I think the emotion effect of having them kidnapped added to the drama and the interaction between Mac and Jimmy. While Jimmy cares for his young baseball pitcher, knowing his daughter and grandsons's lives are at stake ups the ante and sharpens Jimmy's resolve to get them back. It also gives MacGyver a greater emotional stake in the game as well, especially since a child is involved. Overall, I really like Jimmy Kendall. Well developed, well acted, and well scripted. The glitch with his daughter is to me, minor, compared to the greater ineraction and strengths of this character. |
| Posted by: trtlsoup 7 October 2007 - 01:51 PM |
| I loved Jimmy Kendall. I could see how Mac was snowed by him in the first place. Very personable... As Grrl said, he was very personable and believable as a retired hitman. A mobster with a heart. But then again, I have always loved Joe Santos. He'd always shine in any role. (Rockford Files junkie here...) Too bad they only used him for 2 episodes... RDA had great chemistry with him. I don't remember the second episode that much. It's been a while since it aired. Guess I need to drag out the DVDs again.  |
| Posted by: Zerocool1089 2 September 2008 - 07:04 PM |
| The character Jimmy is one of my favorite characters, and he really was great in 'The Eraser', and 'Back From The Dead'.. I wish he appeared a little more throughout the show, I mean he was just awesome. |
| Posted by: Murdoc12 10 March 2009 - 01:13 PM |
Jimmy was pretty awesome. He had a great accent and was very likeable. I agree with whoever said it was weird about his fam not being protected, but he still was a good character.  |
| Posted by: Beachbead 24 April 2009 - 09:32 AM |
| awesome job on the cast and crew on this one, I too wish he appeared more so. |
| Posted by: Scwilson 31 July 2013 - 09:24 PM |
| Jimmy was a likeable guy for being a professional hitman. He came to realize that his life as an enforcer was wrong and wanted to make amends for his violent past. Mac believed in Jimmy and offered to help. I found the episodes to be some of the best. Joe santos was a good choice to portray the character. |
| Posted by: Kristelle 6 May 2015 - 03:58 AM |
| I love both episodes with him. He is very human and I like the relationship between Mac and him. |
| Posted by: Elizabeth MacGyver 6 May 2015 - 05:48 AM |
I like this character.  This is how I explained the first episode he was in "The bad guy hired a bad guy to get another bad guy, but the bad guy let the other bad guy go, so the bad guy that hired the bad guy tried to get the bad guy he hired." |
| Posted by: sylvain1888 25 September 2020 - 10:17 AM |
| I like the character of Jimmy, moreover the fusion between him and Mac works right away and it can be seen... |
