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| MacGyver Online Forums > Characters > Coltons |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 3 November 2007 - 02:35 AM | |||||
Frank, Jesse, and Billy Colton are brothers in the bounty-hunting business. Their mother, affectionately known as Mama Colton, is the brains behind the operation. A recent addition to the family has been Frog, a dog who was left behind when his previous owner was forced to assume a new identity. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 3 November 2007 - 08:17 AM |
| I voted good. Have to say though that it bugs me somewhat that Jesse played the role of a villain at first in Ma Dalton before switching camps. Of course coming to think of them as bounty hunters, they would've been better of as cops. Jesse and Frank were the typical bad cop/good cop characters in a way. I'd say they added a lot mainly to the fifth season, each character got their chance to shine in their own episode with Jesse and Billy showing up twice. In all: Ma Dalton, Black Corsage, Second Chance, Black Rhino and Squeeze Play are episodes amongst my favourites. From charity work in Thailand to a crazy adventure in Africa. And in nearly each episode a great fight. What more do you want? Of course there's still the episode many of us didn't like. The Colton episode itself. Most of doesn't like just because Mac only shows up in the beginning and the end. If it was sold, we probably would talk more different. Now more about the characters. About Jesse Colton. I'm glad they gave him a... 'Second Chance' to proof he's not such a bad guy after all. Of course his only mistake was that he did it for the money. Frank is more of a ladies man and enjoys life more. He's also smarter than Jesse no doubt. Jesse means brawl, Frank is more brains, however Jesse has to come up with all the plans. Of course he said it himself in The Coltons that he's at least four years older and there for wiser. Correct me if I'm wrong but he said so because it's true. Billy, the youngest, well, he's the one who still needs to learn a lot about working the field. He's impulsive and that might work in his disadvantage. However he seems the one with a sense of humor. However that was just only briefly in Black Rhino when the guy says: 'Hang him!' 'Hang?' Mama Colton. She's someone you don't want to fight with I think. She's disciplined but likes to gossip too much. But I think you can learn a lot from her. Also she has a sense of humor. It's just hilarious to see her running after Ricky in Squeeze Play and screaming: 'Help! Thief!' Still I liked the way she handled Ricky after he stole the baseball cards. It wasn't a real punishment but a great way to learn something. Frog: I guess we all agree on him. Mean and ugly.  |
| Posted by: MacGyver 3 November 2007 - 08:41 AM |
| Yeah, I think The Coltons were a great addition to the MacGyver universe. A bounty-hunting family is a pretty neat idea- at least I can't think of many others in the TV world. And I think the fact that they dealt in a serious business but were still a family with their own sibling squabbles and rivalries and such- and all 3 were basically grown men but still got fussed over by their Mama- that was pretty funny. It made for good dynamics- and plus, I think The Coltons kind of had their own style in capturing bad guys. As I've said before, if The Coltons TV show had really been made, I probably would have watched it- and not necessarily just for the MacGyver connection. But anyway- I thought "Ma Dalton" was a great introduction for Jesse Colton as an initial adversary to MacGyver until they become friends by the end and was pleasantly surprised to see him return in "Second Chance". I thought that was another good episode and good to see Jesse and MacGyver working together in that one. And Frank Colton was great in "The Black Corsage" and I loved his relationship with his dog, Frog. Ha- Frog is great! (I love dogs!) And then we get to meet Billy Colton in "Black Rhino"- a powerful episode in itself just for its theme. And Billy shows up again in MacGyver's dream in "Serenity". And I thought Della Reese was a great choice for Mama Colton in "Squeeze Play". She did a great job of being a tough lady but at the same time had a tender and loving heart- and I thought it was funny seeing her fussing and worrying over her boys in "The Coltons". Overall I enjoyed all of The Colton family and think they make a great set of allies for MacGyver.   |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 3 November 2007 - 02:15 PM |
| I think over all I enjoyed the Coltons. They where a useful edition for MacGyver, with their connections and street smarts provided another useful resource for MacGyver to call upon when needed. I particularly like Jesse in Ma Dalton. I thought he was quite entertaining. (side note: Richard Lawson starred along side RDA in the movie Pandora's clock) Over all the Coltons where an enjoyable edition to the show, with (for me at least) the right combination of drama and humor. |
| Posted by: MacsChick 3 November 2007 - 03:56 PM |
| I liked them and the whole bounty hunting dynamic they brought to the show. Jesse is my favorite. I love his sense of humor, his street sense, and that he has some conflicts of his own (the son he didn't know he had). The son thing is a little bit of a cliche and a pet peeve of mine (why I don't like The Stringer), but I think it does humanize him and make him more than a caricature. |
| Posted by: MacGirl 22 December 2007 - 03:28 PM |
| The Coltons are a riot. I loved all four of them. They definitely had their own style in going after bad guys, and were great for comic relief. Also, Jesse, Frank, and Billy were very much "mama's boys" to a certain extent, and that contradiction in their characters made the whole thing funnier. I also really wish the spinoff series had been made; I would have watched it for sure. |
| Posted by: Lothithil 3 May 2008 - 08:27 PM |
| I love the Coltens. I think that they add a wonderful dimension to the MacGyver Universe. I still haven't been able to bring myself to watch the episode of 'The Coltens', though... without MacGyver in more than just the intro and adieu, it just doesn't intrigue me enough to watch it. But I will watch it eventually! Everything in its own time...  |
| Posted by: jknnej 20 June 2008 - 07:56 PM |
| I enjoyed the Coltons. But the episode where Jesse learns he has a son-that kid with his "You are not my fajjjja" accent (like the Dutch guy in Austin Powers) is so frickin' cheesy that I laugh out loud every time I watch it. I know it's supposed to be serious but the way that kid talks cracks me up every time. It's hard for me to take the episode seriously. |
| Posted by: John Litteral 3 December 2008 - 06:35 PM |
| I love all the Coltons! Jesse and Frank were awesome. Billy and momma were great too. |
| Posted by: Murdoc12 15 March 2009 - 02:31 PM |
| Yeah John I agree. The Coltons are great. |
| Posted by: Beachbead 22 April 2009 - 01:28 PM |
| I liked the Coltons pretty well. |
| Posted by: Scwilson 16 August 2013 - 08:09 PM |
 They were a interesting bunch. |
| Posted by: denizen 2 March 2014 - 10:24 PM |
| Thought these guys were okay. Although MacGyver evolved with every season, I always felt that the introduction to the Coltons that veered Mac to a very common ground. I guess being a fan of the early stuff, occasional characters that interfered in Mac's missions were always more amusing that those that became a part of his everyday life. Even though regulars such as Pete, Jack & Penny were like this, they formed part of the cast you would come to expect. The adventures of the Coltons always seemed less than exciting to me as opposed to Penny getting herself into the usual kind of trouble. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 3 March 2014 - 10:53 AM |
The Coltons were a great addition. How each had their own introduction episode. One better than the other sometimes. Second Chance is good one and I like the Mac and Billy chemistry in Black Rhino. Also Squeeze Play is a good one. I really like Frank as being the older and wiser one (the good cop), Jesse being younger and there for a little more aggressive (the bad cop) and Billy being the youngest and eager (the rookie) to do something. And Mama Colton being strict and keeping everyone together. That is something I really liked about Mama Colton in Squeeze Play how she reminded Mac that he promised her to help her if the boys weren't around and how Mac humbly acknowledges with: 'Yes, ma'am.'  |
| Posted by: Rocket 4 March 2014 - 03:10 AM |
Ma Colton's great. Definitely my favourite of the family  |
| Posted by: Leevi 13 October 2014 - 02:06 AM |
| Never really liked Coltons and those episodes are my least liked generally. |
| Posted by: Elizabeth MacGyver 18 May 2015 - 06:36 AM |
| I love the Coltons! My sister does too. Her favorite MacGyver character is frog. |
| Posted by: Hannibal_Smith 22 June 2015 - 12:58 PM |
| I really liked the Coltons and would've loved to see the spin-off. I expect the basic premise would've ended up being similar to Magnum or Rockford - the "pilot" episode showed them moving into the more respectable (compared to bounty hunting) Private Detective business. In these kinds of shows, a lot of the time, the PI serves a purpose as the go-to person for people who can't trust the cops, or don't trust the cops, or that the cops aren't interested in helping. But... most PIs aren't black people in early 1990s Los Angeles. (Hello, Rodney King and LAPD Rampart Division scandal). Take that premise and combine it with the writers of MacGyver who loved to rip stories from the headlines and dwell on the issues of the day, and I'm actually really sorry we didn't get to see what it led to. |
| Posted by: Avilos 19 April 2016 - 05:28 AM |
| I always enjoyed their episodes. I wonder how far in advance the idea of a spin-off was planned? Think about it, it was very unusual for a show to keep introducing family members who never appeared together at all. That only happened with the final appearance which was a backdoor pilot. It's great that happened even if the show never did. It finally tied all those previous episodes together. I thought for years that originally the first episode with Frank had been planned to be Jesse. But the actor was not available. But they decided they did not want to recast him so they rewrote it to be his brother. Then the idea of expanding the family grew from there. |
| Posted by: denizen 19 April 2016 - 05:39 AM |
| Hi Avilos and welcome to MacGyver Online! That is exactly what happened, Although I now "like" them I can honestly say that I was never a fan of the Coltons when MacGyver originally aired. |
| Posted by: KiwiTek 19 April 2016 - 05:07 PM |
| Hi Avilos, http://www.macgyveronline.com/pages/article26.html#.VxbV__l96Uk. |
| Posted by: Avilos 19 April 2016 - 05:42 PM |
| Thanks for the welcome! Also thanks for the behind the scenes info! I never would have guessed Billy was also created as a rewrite. I am a long, long time fan of the show. I watched new episodes when they first aired when I was a kid. I can't remember when I first started. I do remember seeing the reruns on USA Network. I might of seen The Coltons episode on ABC before I saw some of their early appearances. Its a good thing they had all been on the show before that. Back in the 80s it was very common to see these backdoor Pilot episodes. But often they would introduce new characters for a single episode who had never been seen before. Just to give them promotion for a new show. So its debatable to call those real spinoffs. Often a series never happened or was short lived and forgotten. So years later when you see those episodes in syndication they seem so out of place. Its a good thing with the Coltons though. It just feels supporting characters getting a special showcase. |
| Posted by: sylvain1888 20 October 2020 - 10:09 AM |
| I love the Coltons, they are great to me, funny, with a sense of humor. Mom has a very good network of contacts and manages her business with a masterful hand ... My favorite episode: The Coltons, not only are they all together (for the first time, and the last 🥺) but they play completely the game. For me I am an unconditional fan of the Coltons. 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
