Every week I will be posting a new topic titled "Episode Discussion". In this we will discuss an episode, what we liked about it, what we didn't like, etc.


Episode 138 - The Stringer

While working with Chinese dissidents to expose illegal labour camps, MacGyver gets unexpected help from a young photojournalist who claims to be his son!

I only watched this episode once, when it aired. Ever since then, I have chosen not to watch it. It's too sad for me--so final. But also, I just have a hard time accepting that MacGyver has a "long lost son." Sure, I know it happens, but it just kind of ruins the whole notion of Mac being a lone, freelance agent. Plus, the whole idea is such a tired cliche.

It wasn't as strong as it could have been for a series finale, either. As I've said before, Passages would've been a better series finale, because it has more tension to it. I voted Average.

I wonder if the idea of a spin off had been floated at the time this episode was written?

Maybe there was an idea that SAM could have his own show at a later date.

If ever an episode deserved a poor rating this is it. Quite possibly the suckiest series finale ever. But I can't because it's MacGyver I guess.

Hated the whole SAM thing!

Poor Sheepy.


Rockatteer? I noticed you didn't express an opinion.

Ah- I see we're sticking with the aired order- thought we might have done "The Mountain of Youth" before hitting the series finale- but that's cool.

Well, here we finally are at "The Stringer". The series finale episode!
And I enjoyed it pretty well. I remember watching this episode when it first aired back in 1992. And I was probably crying at the end because I was so upset to see MacGyver ending.
To clarify a few things- as far as I know, yes, I do believe a spin-off series starring Dalton James as SAM had been considered, just because the producers liked him so much. And he was a great choice for his role- I could maybe have seen a spin-off series with him in it. In fact, if the "Young MacGyver" thing had ever really taken off- I would have much rather seen Dalton James return as SAM, perhaps with a recurring role for RDA as MacGyver, of course.
And by the way, a stringer is just another term for a photojournalist, if anyone's wondering. (Having been one for a while, I should know! )
The whole episode is pretty emotional with fairly shocking revelations along with some good action. It started off with a bang with the escape on the motorcycle breaking through the window. That was cool! And we got to see MacGyver's jeep one more time (as it was riddled with bullets!).
And the scene on the ship rescuing Mei Jan was great. It was neat to see Mei Jan show again from the "Children of Light" episode. As for MacGyverisms, we had the smoke flare down the tunnel to distract the bad guys- and of course, the really cool hydro-powered lift!
But the main thing with this episode is the revelation that MacGyver has a 20 year old son- Sean Angus Malloy- aka SAM. And this is also only the second time MacGyver has actually mentioned his middle name.
And MacGyver and Sam have a big clash over taking revenge- and MacGyver has to stop Sam from going after Chung with a gun. And probably has one of the greatest lines from the series in this episode- "The killing has to stop with us. It has to."
This is a key crux of what MacGyver was about- he's hated guns and this last episode is where the writers can drive home that message once more again in a powerful way. We all want murder and war to cease- but it has to start with us. We have to be willing to be the first one to take responsibility- even if nobody else does.
And of course, it was great to have Pete back for this last adventure (for the series' run anyway). And we have that tearful goodbye at the end- where Pete and MacGyver part ways and MacGyver finally retires from the Phoenix Foundation. Maybe he'd come back and join them again one day- but for now, he and Sam were heading into the sunset.
"Things change."- MacGyver
"Not always. Good things don't. Don't you ever change MacGyver."- Pete
"Don't you either Pete"- MacGyver

I love that scene!

BUT- I do have to point this out... The main thing I hate about this episode and it still disturbs me now-
After seeing such a virtuous example throughout the show from MacGyver
I was pretty sickened to see that he had committed adultery and had a child out of wedlock. That was so much against MacGyver's character- throughout the show he had never been portrayed as sleeping with a woman (the closest he probably came was with Kate Connolly in "The Gauntlet"- something they allude to in "Friends"...though I never took it as MacGyver having actually slept with her.)
(And we later see him in bed with Natalie in "Trail to Doomsday"- but that wasn't by his choice)
In any case, I was upset about that- and all I can say about it is, he's not perfect...yet. )
And at least he did take up the responsibility of raising Sam after he found out about him.
But it's annoying to me when Sam could have easily been introduced within the context of marriage. MacGyver could have been married to Kate and away from her when she got murdered in China- never knowing that she had been pregnant and had given birth to their son during the time she was away.
And having his wife killed would only add to MacGyver's fear of committment and losing people he loves and it seems it would tie in to his character as has been established on the show already.
Anyway- this episode marked the end of my favorite series of all time and I was quite sad to see it go. (And then I got to see "The Mountain of Youth" and the TV-movies "Lost Treasure of Atlantis" and "Trail to Doomsday" I'd still love to see RDA make one more MacGyver movie- on the big screen this time...maybe he'd be willing to change his mind and do it one day- you never know...)
If anyone's interested, you can view my little tribute page to "The Stringer" and Dana Elcar here. But for the most part, I definitely enjoyed "The Stringer"- and it made for a great ending to the greatest TV series ever- MacGyver!

How did he commit Adultery without being married?

And why do you have to be married to have children?

It's still adultery whether sex is had between a man and someone else's wife or between a woman and someone else's husband. I think of sex between an unmarried man and woman as adultery too, since it's all a violation of the marriage bed in one form or another.


adultery

"voluntary violation of the marriage bed," c.1300, avoutrie, from O.Fr. avoutrie, aoulterie, noun of condition from avoutre/aoutre, from L. adulterare "to corrupt" (see adulteration). Modern spelling, with the re-inserted -d-, is from c.1415 (see ad-). Classified as single adultery (with an unmarried person) and double adultery (with a married person). O.E. word was æwbryce "breach of law(ful marriage)."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper


At the very least, it's still fornication, if you prefer that term. (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?db=mwlaw&q=fornication)

And both adultery and fornication are sins.

And you should be married before you have children or before you have sex period.

Sex outside of and before marriage only serves to cheapen it. God created sex to be a beautiful thing but sin has made it ugly. Sex is a special act reserved only for a husband and wife. It is an act of love between a husband and his wife.
When sex is done outside of marriage, it makes it into merely a physical act that lacks the committment that comes with it. (And of course, sleeping around with people also increases chances of getting STDs, even with protection- worth mentioning.)

The reason why so much of society looks at sex as a physical act to be done anytime is because it's been so cheapened from what it's meant to be- the ultimate expression of love between a husband and wife. It represents a full committment- and if you're ready to truly make that committment, then you should be ready to get married first and prove it.

True love waits!

Well I don't agree with anything you've said there.

But I'm not going to argue about it with you. To each his own, and all that.

I voted ok. Simply because RD looked good in it.

I agree with everything MacsChick said. It's a too easy way out of a show.
And I really really hate the idea of Mac having a son. It REALLY end MacGyver, as a series, but also as the person we know him.

For years I've been trying to get myself to watch this episode again (I have had it on VHS for many years now) but I just can't. Call me a complete moron, but the episode is way too final for me and has an awkwardly different feel to it.
I remember crying my eyes out when I saw the episode, I must have been 16 or so (I also still cry when watching "All dogs go to heaven" everytime I see it)

I should watch the episode again, but just thinking of it makes my stomach turn.

Seems I took on just the right fanfic, LOL.


Well, I can go on for hours about this eppy, but it makes me sad just thinking about it.

I can't believe what I just all read and I voted excellent.

That's the biggest load of ... I've ever read.
I'm with Rock on this.

Anyway my opinion now. This is one of the better episodes along with Obsessed and Good Knight MacGyver. I liked the first scene with him walking under the lantern, the discovery about his son, his car shot to bits, him getting shot on the ship, the escape out of the cargo hold and the last scene. You know in all it was a satisfying ending. But as I said before to me it may've been a two-parted ending. Almost all shows end like that, just to end "big". Series ending with just a single episode always makes it feel the ending is abrupt. It's just so cool to see the men leave on their bikes and the final shot over MacGyver's street.

It seems like every woman has hard time accepting things. Nobody accepted Nikki, nobody accepted Maria and nobody can't apparently accept Sam.

I can understand that. That's also why I said The Stringer should've been a two-parter to keep the audience guessing of who that kid is.

I wished that was true.

No you don't, actually you liked it very much.

What? Just remember that this was all before his life got set the way it is now.

"At least"? You see him do otherwise. MacGyver always takes his responsibilities. And besides I don't think Sam needed much more raising. Especially not if you travelled through Red China on the age of 9. He's a full grown young man. OK, he has his flaws, like that gun thing. It seemed only natural because he didn't know his father's point on it. I think after MacGyver got shot, he would never touch a gun again.

Well for once I do have to admit that. His mullet's done very nice in this one. Who would his hairdresser be?

Says who? Because someone has a son, their personalities changes? I just think MacGyver became a bigger person to know, because now he has someone who he can teach his ways, his thinking, his morals, his knowledge. He can pass that all over to his son. Because when MacGyver's gone, Sam can help living those things on in the memory of his father. And I think that's noble.

Just try.

All good things must come to an end. Unfortunately.

Up until this episode, you seriously thought MacGyver was a 46ish year old virgin?

Never looked at it that way, Nymph!
Besides Mac was a teen in the time of Love and Peace in the 60's...

Has it really been fifteen years since this ep first aired?!

I voted okay because the 'long lost kid' thing is such a tired cliched, but love Sam so much that the ep deserves better than average. What can I say, I love that now there's a chance that Mac will get to be a crochety old grand-pa like Harry!

The political commentary in this ep is unforgettable; it's thanks to 'Children of Light' and 'The Stringer' that I first learned about the horrors committed at Tiannamen Square, and in China in general. I love Mei Jan's character; she seems like such a gentle soul, but she's so strong.

As far as series finales go, this one is a bit meh in that not much is wrapped up, but I do appreciate that it ends with new beginnings, giving us an idea of where Mac's life is heading.

Mac
stuck at work on the first bright and sunny Saturday in, oh, eight months or so *sighs*

I vote ok for this episode. Wow, this one has such a mixed response with some feeling quite strongly about this one way or the other but for me it wasn’t awful (apart from the fact it was the last one ) but it also wasn’t the best.

I was confused by the sudden appearance of another girl that MacGyver was in love with. I thought the one who worked at the orphanage (Debra) was the only one he loved like that - He wanted to marry her! Flames End’s Amy was his girlfriend during his degree but The Road Not Taken’s Debra and the Stringer’s Kate were from around that time too weren’t they? I know there’s no reason for MacGyver to be talking about past girlfriends all the time so its feasible that we’d never heard of her before but the timing doesn’t sit right in my head. Unless it doesn’t take MacGyver long to get over past relationships before getting involved in another? but then that doesn't match with what we know about his commitment issues. Inventing a whole new woman at the last minute for the finale without bearing in mind the back story of previous series seems like cheating to me!

I didn’t mind so much they rolled out a son for MacGyver. Even though Sam was all grown up it was a life-altering discovery to find he had a son and I think made it more final that his career at Phoenix was over. I liked the end how MacGyver and Sam rode off together to get to know each other and to have adventures together no doubt.


Edit: Ok, just re-watched The Road Not Taken and am gradually unconfusing myself. Debra was “8 years ago” during that episode so that relationship was around 7 years after Kate… I think.
but where does Amy fit in?

Don't remember quite what she said but she mentions something of degree. Don't know if it's a high school degree or a college degree. I always assumed they were together in their senior high school year. 12th grade.

Amy was college, because they talked about MacGyver's science degree getting him a job in the power plant.

That kind of degree comes from a college or university (what ever you want to call it).

Actually your right. It didn't really wrap anything up did it? It was really just another episode with a more final ending tacked on the end.

MacGyverGod, I just wanted to reply to your earlier post. I don't have a problem with Nikki--I like her. I don't see anything wrong with Maria, either. I'm not one of those women who has a problem with MacGyver being involved with other women. I just don't like the idea of him having a kid. He likes kids, but I never saw him as having one of his own. I saw him as helping the kids that were already out there in the world. Now, does this mean he couldn't have "accidentally" had a son, as The Stringer shows? Of course not. I just think it's a predictable way to end a series, that's all.

Yes. Why is that so funny? Being a virgin is something to be proud of, not ashamed of. And until one is married, they should be a virgin.
That's the best present you can give to your spouse.

I always thought MacGyver was portrayed as being a bit of a "ladies man" and field player myself.

The scene in Friends when he sees Kate's pregnant certainly tells us that he thought it was his. So from that scene alone we know he had sex with her. So theres no reason to think he didn't have sex with other girlfriends and flings.

So from that point of view the storyline of him having an unknown son can follow.

That being said I'm still not sure if I really like that plot line or not.

*shrugs*

Yes. Why is that so funny? Being a virgin is something to be proud of, not ashamed of.

I don’t think being a virgin is funny. I think that you thinking MacGyver is a virgin is funny, and maybe more than a little naïve.

That's your opinion. I'm not a big fan of should and shall when it comes to telling other people what to do with their own life when their actions aren't harming others.

In my opinion, and this is one lacking religious zealotry, the best “present” you can give your spouse is love and fidelity.

according to our time line this story line doesn't work...

MacGyver says the picture of the two of them is the last time they where together.

"After we graduated she went to cover a story in Brazil"

then 2 years later SAM is born. That doesn't make sense.

Nobody should be something. If I was Mac and still a virgin on that age I'd kill myself.

Yep.

Absolutely.

Mac's arm was broken so he couldn't climb. I think if the water pressure was high enough it might be possible.
Just imagine if they don't got enough rope to make it out of the hold. Can you see them floating there in the air with not enough rope and then getting caught again?

I think Kate would've told him the whole story about what happened between his father and her.

Hmm it could be right what MEP said. It could've happened during the time between his assignment in Afghanistan and college.
That assignment was in Afghanistan in 1971 to our timeline, the same moment his mother dies.
In the episode MacGyver said he saw Kate for the last time twenty years ago. Since the episode was aired in 1992 and set in the present time we can assume it was 1972 when he last saw her. When exactly in 1972 we'll never know. Could be January 1972, could be late November or early December. However Sam's birth year says 1973 on our timeline. That would make him about 19 when we met him. So probably Sam was born in the early months of '73. Between January and April probably. So Kate must've been pregnant from halfway 1972. At least between June and Octobre from that year. Than I think it can make sense. Maybe an interesting fact for the timeline.

Sorry MG I for got about that.

No that’s not what I meant. I was talking about Why didn’t Mac know that Kate was DEAD until Sam told him so. She’s a Photo Journalist so the name Kate Malloy would be out there, right? So why didn’t he wonder what happened when he no longer saw her name in the papers and Magazines next to the photos. Maybe that is just me then I know I would wonder what happened.

OMG you mean I might have gotten something RIGHT?!

How did MacGyver get her pregnant in Afghanistan, when the last time they saw each other was high school?

Nobody should be something. If I was Mac and still a virgin on that age I'd kill myself.

Rock according to your own time line SAM was born in ’73, also Mac and SAM meet in ’92. If Mac said its been 20 years since he's seen Kate.

Besides if it was since High School then how did SAM come about? If he was born in '73 cuse Mac got out of HighSchool in '70?

OK, we all assume Sam is like 19 or 20. MacGyver graduated from high school in 1970. We don't know how much time passed between their graduation and the assignment Kate got to cover the story in Brazil. It could've been her first big assignment since their graduation. OK, so they graduated and not much later MacGyver is called for to go to Viëtnam. How long he's been away is unclear, maybe not even a year because in 1971 he goes to Afghanistan and his mother dies. So his mother dies during Christmas time 1971.
The way I see it is that MacGyver and Kate could've spend a long time together. At least two years.
I find it hard to believe MacGyver pregnated Kate when they were 18. I just can't believe that. He also said himself: 'People don't know what they want when they're 18.' If it's so than Sam must be older than we first thought. That would make him 22 and I think that's just a tad too old. I don't say it's not possible but I think that would be a bit unbelieveable.
So I'd say that after they graduate MacGyver and Kate travelled down the world a bit to get to know the world. They travelled around the world until MacGyver was called for to go to 'Nam. After he came back, they could've picked up their trail again and continued doing so until he had to go to Afghanistan. When he came back from Afghanistan his mother died at the end of 1971. So he was definitely in Minnesota, presumably with Kate at that time. So we go in 1972 and they spended at least another four months together if Sam was to be born in early 1973.
In short this would mean MacGyver and Kate had their share of love together. Two years at least.
I can hardly believe that Kate would've gotten an assignment so soon after graduation. It's possible but I think it would be more normal that Kate had to look around a bit. Or maybe because of travelling with MacGyver like I said, she made pictures that pleased her employers and that she gotten an assignment to cover a story in Brazil.

I know it's a big chunk I wrote. But doesn't this make sense? I mean not always something major has to happen in his life. 1970. He graduates with Kate, he got his degree and he's got to urge to go out and live a little. So he takes Kate on trips on lets say throughout Europe and Africa and Southern Asia. Sniff up a little world culture. Goes to 'Nam, comes back again months later. 1971. They start travelling again, goes to Afghanistan for a couple of months, comes back to find out that his mother had died. 1972. They spend another time together, travelling or not. They go to the place where they last met and nine months later, 1973 Sam's born.

Maybe MacGyver said: 'After graduation she went to cover a story in Brazil', maybe he said that to make a long story short.

If this all did not happen and Sam was indeed conceived after graduation when they were 18, than Sam must be 22 in The Stringer and Kate would've gotten her assignment in Brazil right after graduation.
Than I'd say Sam's birthdate got to be set higher on the timeline somewhere between graduation and MacGyver going to 'Nam.

Nobody should be something. If I was Mac and still a virgin on that age I'd kill myself.

*touches shoulder* You okay Sheepy?

This isn't my opinion that one should be a virgin until married. This is what God says in The Bible and I believe that. This is why I have a problem with pre-marital sex and why I don't like that part of "The Stringer".
Obviously, not everyone believes this and I understand that. You're entitled to those beliefs and I'm not telling you what to do. I'm just telling you that I believe everyone should be a virgin until they're married and that is what The Bible says.
If I'm compared with Simon the Zealot for holding on firmly to that belief, that's cool with me. I'd rather be naive.
But I've clarified my position and I think most everyone else on this thread has clarified theirs, so I don't wish to berate the point any further.
One of the points of the show itself that I'm sure MacGyver would agree with is tolerating other people's beliefs, even if we don't agree with them.
So thank you for letting me have my say.
Let's move on to other aspects of the episode- like say, MacGyver's last goodbye with Pete. I was definitely crying at that point.....um, I mean I had something in my eye!

I still think it should have bee the Mac should have been getting groomed to take Pete’s place at Phoenix. Riding off in well in this case Sunrise (if I remember right they were headed East) is over done. MASH did it, X-Files did it in their own twisted way, hell Star Trek: The Next Generation, did it TWICE.

I’m sorry its just doing the same format for each and every ending is just getting old for me. Pete retiring and have Mac take his job would have been nice.