|
Breeze A former gang member, Breeze has grown into a valued member of the Challengers Club. Breeze has a particular concern for environmental issues and was the organizer of a challengers club “help this planet” environmental awareness expo. |
| Printable Version of Topic
Click here to view this topic in its original format |
| MacGyver Online Forums > Characters > Breeze |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 27 October 2007 - 02:12 AM | ||
|
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 27 October 2007 - 09:08 AM |
| I voted good on Breeze. He was in one of the very first episodes I ever saw: The Gun. Breeze is the clear evidence on how people can change from lowlife to decent guy. He was real bad in The Challenge. However what's bizar on Breeze is in The Challenge he rather changes pretty fast from bad guy to good guy. All of a sudden he's a member of The Challengers Club. He didn't seem to care about Booker and in The Madonna, he's heartbroken over it because it's the first Christmas for Cynthia without him. In The Gun he had a bigger role and better too for being framed for a cop he didn't kill. I do like how the situation began. The cops saw him for Rudy and then he runs of course. |
| Posted by: Lothithil 27 October 2007 - 09:49 AM |
| Good character! A very distinct arc in his development! There is something curious about this character, as MGod mentioned. I suppose that there is nothing to prove that Breeze couldn't have known Booker before his death. He was a drug dealer at the time, but he might have privately harbored respect for the man, even if he couldn't bring himself to demonstrate it-- Just a personal opinion to justify part of his change.-- Still, I wonder if the character of 'Breeze' didn't take the place of Cuba Gooding, Jr.'s character 'Ray', when Cuba became a more regular character in the MacGyver story in the role of 'Billy Colton'. We don't see anymore of Ray after The Challenge, but Breeze got so involved in the Club that he became one of the kids that Cynthia came to rely on for help. Quite a turnover from selling crack off the hood of a car! I like the character. He is strong and savvy! |
| Posted by: trtlsoup 27 October 2007 - 11:51 AM |
| I didn't know he was in three episodes until I looked it up. I remember him from The Challenge, one of my favorite episodes. But in The Gun, he really shined. I think it one of the better episodes of S6. I'd have liked to see him in more episodes. I have to watch The Madonna again... I don't remember the specifics of the episode. A little side note: I looked him up on IMDb. He had a bit part in Cold Lazarus, a first season episide of Stargate SG-1. |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 27 October 2007 - 01:49 PM | ||
Thats what I was just thinking after reading Mgods comments. It does feel like they used Breeze to replace Ray and in my opinion the changes are too big to be left unexplained. As you say its quite a jump to go from troubled drug dealing teen to Fine upstanding Challengers Club member. I got the feeling the writers thought that Breeze was enough of a bit-part-character that no-one would think twice about the complete change of character.  I wonder how the show would have been written if the writers could have known we would be on this site providing such in-depth analysis of everything they did.  |
| Posted by: jackwabbit 27 October 2007 - 06:18 PM |
It'd be written like SG-1. Ok, so they make mistakes, too...like don't ask about the zat gun thing... But the bottom line is that MacGyver's team didn't have to worry about the internet. Everything changed with The X-Files, the first real 'internet fandom' show. Communication is so easy now, etc, that we dissect these shows backwards and forward and such...previous to this medium we didn't really do it. So...many newer shows tend to have to answer to the fans more and thus try a little harder to maintain continuity. Commonplace use of VCRs started this, but DVRs and the internet have taken it to the next level. And MacGyver simply didn't have to deal with that. So, you have to put on your 'belief suspender' hat for a while. And that's ok. |
| Posted by: trtlsoup 27 October 2007 - 07:21 PM |
| And sometimes they actually listen to the fans. With writers, directors, actors, et al blogging their way to the viewers. I would have liked to hear the production crew blogging about MacGyver... And what would they have said? |
| Posted by: MacsChick 27 October 2007 - 08:05 PM |
This is a great idea, Rock! Rating the characters! Boy, I can't wait to see what people rate Penny...    Anyway, I love Breeze. He's a steady--and sturdy--character. I hate to borrow from the discussion on realism, but to me Breeze seems like a "realistic" character. I like how even though he's changed and entered The Challenger's Club, he still displays some bitterness that we see in The Madonna. In other words, he hasn't instantly become a complete saint just because he's now at the Club. He still has some growing to do and some issues to resolve, and that makes him a very human character. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGrrl 27 October 2007 - 10:25 PM |
| I voted good as well. Breeze is a strong character but has his flaws which actually makes him more believable and relatable. I would have liked to have seen more of him as well. His anger and bitterness in the Madonna came from losing a strong male role model (Booker) and having a leadership role cast upon him by Cynthia. He is dealing with his own grief and trying to fulfill a role he is not prepared for. Cynthia needs a strong person she can rely on and she puts a lot of that burden on Breeze. He is trying, but lacks the knowledge and emotional maturity to give her everything she needs. He eventually comes through for Cynthia, with the help of the Madonna. In The Gun, he is excellent as a young man in the wrong place at the wrong time. The story was well written and a good lesson on the dangers of jumping to conclusions. I liked this character a lot and it would have been nice to see more of him. It would have made a nice story arc to show Breeze's evolution from hard case gang banger drug dealer to Challengers Club youth counseler. And I agree, had the internet technology been as prevalent when MacGyver was initially aired as it is now, I think the writer's would have paid much more attention to the details and the back stories of the characters. |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 28 October 2007 - 12:57 AM |
| of coarse had the writers paid more attention we wouldn't have anywhere near as much to talk about now would we. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGrrl 28 October 2007 - 01:16 AM |
| True, but we could alway spend our time pitching ideas.......... |
| Posted by: MacGyver 28 October 2007 - 12:58 PM |
| I like the character of Breeze. He definitely has a big turnaround from crack dealer in "The Challenge" to a valuable member of and leader in The Challengers Club. That just goes to show the difference Cynthia and Booker Wilson and the whole club has made in his life. And it was nice to see his change of heart at Christmas after an encounter with Carol (who I think was probably meant to be an angel) in "The Madonna". And then he does a great episode in "The Gun" and also demonstrates something that sadly continues to be true sometimes- that the police finding a black male teenager at the scene of a crime are probably not going to just take his word for it that he wasn't involved. Now it's true that anyone at the scene of a crime would be suspect- but I think the episode demonstrated that there's still some racial profiling that goes on at times- and thankfully, MacGyver doesn't believe in that. He judges someone by their motives and intentions and deeds, not by their color. Anyway, I enjoyed having Breeze around and I'm surprised he didn't show up in "Gunz 'N' Boyz" but that may have had more to do with the actor's availability. By the way- regarding the "Ray" and "Breeze" thing from "The Challenge" episode- interestingly, Charles Payne portrayed a character named "Ray" on the pilot episode of "21 Jump Street", which is the first credited acting he has listed on IMDB- and immediately after that follows his role as "Breeze" on MacGyver!  I also found it interesting that Charles Payne is originally from the island of Grenada in the West Indies. He developed an American accent very well- I never would have guessed that necessarily unless I'd seen it on his IMDB page. And yes, he's also made an appearance in StarGate SG-1. Wow- as I said before, if you even showed up uncredited as a bum on the street for 2 seconds in a MacGyver episode, you were probably offered a guest starring role on StarGate SG-1 later in your career! |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 28 October 2007 - 01:50 PM | ||
| Hmm so we have 2 possible reasons for the characters sudden turn around. 1. The writers needed to replace Ray and assumed no-one would notice if they just suddenly gave Breeze a complete turn around. or 2. It was supposed to be the end result of the good influences and work of the challenge club to point him in the right direction. IMO it's probably a combination of both.. but for me, changes of this magnitude need to be explained. Even working it into a discussion in the episode would have been enough.
Well that might explain his unusual speech pattern. I actually found the way he talks quite distracting at times.. he kinda pauses and breaths in the wrong places some times... could be the left overs of his Grenadian accent. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 29 October 2007 - 03:31 AM | ||
I always figured that his way of talking was quite smooth. Which is definitely the case in The Gun less yelling and more normal speaking than in The Madonna or The Challenge. I never noticed him breathing or pausing in the wrong places. Than again I kinda grew up with this episode when I was very young and English sounded like Chinese for me. |
| Posted by: John Litteral 9 December 2008 - 12:34 PM |
| I voted average. I thought the acting was not that great, but I thought the character was fairly good, I love a good success story in life. |
| Posted by: Murdoc12 15 March 2009 - 04:44 PM |
| I thought Breeze was um...pretty good. Not amazing, but a good addition to the show. |
| Posted by: Beachbead 22 April 2009 - 05:47 PM |
| I thought he was pretty good too. If I may ask will you post any more chars on hear like Roxy and her twin sister or other chars on the show that made a one shot? |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 22 April 2009 - 05:59 PM | ||
If you have other characters you'd like to discuss, you can either drop me a PM or post in the board room forum.  |
| Posted by: Beachbead 23 April 2009 - 05:50 AM | ||||
cool beans i shall thank you. |
| Posted by: Scwilson 10 August 2013 - 06:26 PM |
| He was a good character going from a street dealer to a leading member of the Challengers Club. He developed over the episodes we viewed him in. A success story of what the Club can do for troubled youth. |
| Posted by: Elizabeth MacGyver 8 May 2015 - 01:51 PM |
| I did not care for this character. |
| Posted by: MacFan092985 8 May 2015 - 10:10 PM |
| Was never a big fan of this character. Thought the acting was a little too over the top, similar to William Shatner's portrayal of . . . any and every character he's ever played. |
| Posted by: MiracleMac 10 May 2015 - 06:18 AM |
| Looks like wise guy |
| Posted by: Joe SAKic 15 May 2015 - 05:09 PM | ||
Shatner, like RDA, only really played himself. Little 'acting' involved in both cases really ... it was what is was. Both were great! |
| Posted by: KiwiTek 15 May 2015 - 07:03 PM | ||
I'd strongly disagree with that. It's very easy to forget that Jack O'Neill was MacGyver. They are such different characters. And then you have Legend and the various TV movies RDA starred in between series and you find a wide range of acting there. |
| Posted by: Joe SAKic 15 May 2015 - 07:16 PM |
| He may have matured after his 'MacGyver years' .... as, perhaps, Shatner did after his brief stint on Star Trek and his Shakespearean origins. But at the end of the day, RDA portrayed MacGyver - a hockey player from Minnesota and which is exactly what he was ,, amongst other aspects of his personality. Sir Alec Guinness would not be impressed!  |
| Posted by: Jediferret 17 May 2015 - 08:50 AM |
| I'd rather watch RDA... he doesn't put down his fans. Sir Alec was known for putting down Star Wars fans, including children... which is why I don't care for him. So the fact he wouldn't be impressed doesn't impress me. =P Edit: Edited because my original comment seemed a bit harsh. |
| Posted by: Joe SAKic 17 May 2015 - 02:22 PM | ||
There was one (alleged) incident where he told a kid who'd watched Star Wars over 100 times that he'd give his autograph in return if he'd stop his incessant viewings and to basically get a life.  Not bad advice, really. What was Einstein's definition of 'insanity'? Here is wiki's version of the incident:
Anyway, my point being with Sir Alec in that his roles where so different from one another and it was often hard to even identify him in several of his film appearances - let alone accuse him of adopting, drawing and/or playing out from his own life's experiences. Not to take anything away from RDA's performance which was tailor-made for the MacGyver character and one of my personal favorites ... but really nothing to write home about in the drama/awards department. |
| Posted by: Jediferret 17 May 2015 - 07:22 PM |
| And you jumped to Alec's defense... which might make you understand why we would do the same for RDA. My point is that I'm simply don't care. I like RDA because he's a nice person that treats his fans well. If he were a jerk, I'd have nothing to do with him. |
| Posted by: denizen 18 May 2015 - 04:42 AM |
| I recall the whole Alex Guinness shenanigans. He despised being in Star Wars after a while. Thought it was fantasy tripe. |
| Posted by: Joe SAKic 18 May 2015 - 06:10 AM |
Yeah, I can sort of see his frustrations at the time and especially being an old school Brit (he was born in 1914). I mean of all his great, great performances, to have OWK be his sort of everlasting legacy.  Was it his acting performance or more the character amplified by the pop culture craze thing that fans admired most? Or do they even know or really care? Just give me your dang autograph, Sir Alec!!! |
| Posted by: Walter 18 May 2015 - 01:04 PM |
| Alec Guinness was a pompous arrogant egotistical jerk. How much of a jerk to you have to be to assume that because you think something is rubbish the millions of fans around the world who like it must be wrong AND then you voice that opinion to the fans when they come to get autographs. I'm sorry but that's a grade 1 a-hole. |
| Posted by: Joe SAKic 18 May 2015 - 07:28 PM |
Perhaps ... and if you poop your pants once that's all anybody will remember of you .... apparently. But he was a great actor and wasn't afraid of going well out of his comfort zone in the roles he chose/accepted.  |
| Posted by: denizen 18 May 2015 - 09:13 PM |
| You have to remember that when Star Wars was made, NOBODY wanted to do it. Alec was not as big as he was back in the day and took the role thinking it would be a forgotten little money maker. Remember, he came from a lavish and respectable background. Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, Great Expectations. But cinema was changing. The science fiction he came to know was a thing of the past. He did not foresee where film was going which is why he could not take it seriously. Even when filming Star Wars, Lucas stated his frustration in getting the cast to act seriously because they thought it was silly. They ultimately felt it would end up being another 50's sci-fi bomb. Of course, to his last day, his personal feelings never really changed, I guess. But who do we love? The actor or the character? Now should we get back on topic? |
| Posted by: Walter 21 May 2015 - 03:44 AM |
| There does seem to be something "off" about this character, but I can't place my finger on what it is. He seemed to be all over the place. Hardened inner city gang member one minute and staunch eco-warrior the next. That inconsistency was certainly part of the "offness" of the character, but not the only thing. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 21 May 2015 - 05:45 AM |
| If themacgyverproject ever interviews Chris Haddock for his blog we might get some answers since he wrote The Challenge. |
