Well, Murdoc is a good example of that. Part of the fantasy was wondering HOW he always survived? I was always perplexed. XD

Me too, but it's a show for kids and I like episodes with him, so I just don't wonder how he did.

I like the character because sometimes he's very bad , frightening , but sometimes he can also be goodhearted, as in Halloween Knights and Cleo Rocks.

Murdoc had different kind of knives, does anyone know what was he using?

Murdoc was never used *quite* as well as he could have been. I mentioned on the relevant episode thread that I wish he was more like Piedra – the scenes with Piedra making lethal MacGyverisms out of everyday objects and moments like him breaking out of prison, there are ways he felt like a better anti-MacGyver.

But Murdoc just had that theatrical, charismatic, larger-than-life personality that made him incredibly fun to watch. And what turned out to be a great story arc and some hidden depths. He’s easily my favorite villain in not just MacGyver but all of eighties television.

I really loved the Assassin and Piedra in it. I have always wondered if he was something that later on created Murdoc to the serie. Piedra definitely had some quality to him and even though he wasn't exactly like Murdoc, there were some similarities. Piedra ranks also pretty high on my list on villains of the show. He felt like anti-MacGyver like you said Hannibal. Love the fight between Macgyver and Piedra in the clockshop or the scene where Piedra escapes the cell.

By the way, Anthony De Longis played Blade villain in the Masters of the Universe movie.

I was disappointed in the Murdoc episodes, which were rather campy and unrealistic. There was alot of realism in Macgyver, but in these episodes it stretches all credulity for this guy Murdoc to have escaped death every time with not even a hint of an explanation about how he did it.

Not only that, but how did he manage to set up all his contraptions so easily and without detection? In "Strictly Business" he managed to get the money and food for an elaborate table in Macgyver's apartment without being detected, as he did previously in Jack Dalton's apartment, where he planted a bomb.

There is no reason a couple of minutes could not have been dedicated to explaining these strange anomalies.

Furthermore, we get no background at all about the life and events of Murdoc that enabled him to operate the way he did without detection.

Finally, if it was so easy for him to track down Macgyver, why couldn't the Phoenix Foundation track down Murdoc? Where did he live? Where did he hang out? The Foundation managed to track down all kinds of obscure details on people except for Murdoc......

Then again, wasn't Pete Thornton the original enemy of Murdoc, yet HIT and Murdoc forgot all about him.

Hey Dave,

Welcome to MacGyverOnline. Some great points you have raised there.

In all honesty, I think everyone wondered how Murdoc managed to survive everytime he faced certain death. MacGyver came out at a time when shows did not necessarily throw in too much characterisation or development when it came to its occasional or supporting cast. There was also a fun factor involved in not knowing.

Campiness was the norm. Look at the A-Team for instance. Family entertainment consisted of drama, action and adventure without the reality of life. It was fantasy. Where MacGyver rose above others was the logic of his MacGyverisms and his good spirited personality.

Looking at TV now, its all about the nitty gritty & harsh realities. Even disturbing at times. Most like that sort of thing.

When I used to watch MacGyver, I was just 11 years old but it was incredible & scared the hell out of me at times. Again, it was a different age & TV was innocent.

As time went by, television started changing to soceity.

Yes, you're right, but I still feel they overdid the campiness with Murdoc. Come to think of it, many endings of many episodes left things hanging. If Macgyver and company were out in the middle of nowhere with no access to phones (or cell phones!) or neighbors, HOW did he get back from that gas station with those bad guys watched with a gun? How long did it take to find the airport before turning around and getting those kids back from the hiking area?
And HOW MANY TIMES could one man get beaten, kicked, hit, banged up, knocked unconscious before it affects his health and ability to function?
Ah well, the world of television....... ;-)

Murdoc's a man of mystery. The less we know about him, the better. And I think most of his episodes were like: 'forget logic, this is Murdoc.'

It's also good that we don't know how it comes that he keeps coming back. The guy got a building on his head, blew himself up with his dynamite, fell of mountain, electrocuted and drowned, threw a grenade on his own boss, fell in a mineshaft and drove a car into a cliff.

After he fell of the mountain, death was a certainty. You might wonder why didn't Mac jump in the pool to look for the body himself in Cleo Rocks or why didn't he go down the mineshaft in Strictly Business? Maybe the scream and the echoing bang was enough?

As far as doing things undetected is concerned... it's called breaking in. Waiting till the occupants of the residence are gone to strike.

You have seen Strictly Business. Murdoc says MacGyver is the only blemish on his otherwise spotless record. So he obviously got paid on his other contracts, that's where he gets the money from for the food. Do you really consider it odd that he wasn't noticed? This guy is a pro. And even if he was noticed would you think it's odd if you see someone bringing food into a house?

But you obviously haven't seen Halloween Knights. That episode shed a little light on Murdoc's background.

Phoenix never tracked down Murdoc, because he was believed to be dead. And each time he showed up, he ended up dead. Or dead-ish. Point is believed to be dead by mostly everyone except for MacGyver. That's how he became 'Obsessed' and Murdoc is still out there. Also where he lived and hangs out, you find your answer in Halloween Knights. Also in that episode Mac mentions that he read Murdoc's file. So Phoenix does have a file on him and probably a complete as possible one. Probably going back to the days the DXS was looking for him.

Pete hunted down Murdoc all over the world as stated in Partners before he met MacGyver. Apparently all the way into Lisbon and to Murdoc's count they've been at each other for like 10-15 years. On the hunt he met MacGyver who helped him out. After they chased Murdoc into a demolition zone, the explosives went off. Again Murdoc believed to be dead life just went on. Mac and Pete became partners and Mac joined the DXS until they both transfer to Phoenix. Seven years pass and Murdoc captures them both in a trailer. Thanks to Mac they could escape and I think Murdoc couldn't accept that. He hold him responsible for his failure with the trailer, the broken bones, the scars. Maybe Mac is a better challenge for Murdoc. After all they are each others match.

To me the Murdoc episodes are the better episodes. Maybe with exception of Cleo Rocks. Seriously, staging a full blown musical to get to Mac?

A character like Murdoc is fun. He's a badass and with most badasses you gotta keep something in mind: don't take it too serious. After all it's just fiction.

Murdoc was the ultimate badass of that era. Fun, adventure, fantasy factors lived strong, it didn't need to be realistic about everything. It's something that I really love and miss about the old times. There were lots of over the top characters in the 80's for example, something that you don't see nowadays. Many of them may seem a bit comic today, but times were different back then. I have always enjoyed Murdoc episodes and even though he's not scary as in the childhood, he's tremendously funny and entertaining. Majority of the people has voted Murdoc as excellent character and his episodes are highly rated among the fans. I myself could not think MacGyver without Murdoc, it definitely gives richness to the show to have him around.

I guess while we're at it, I'll verbalize my wonder how it was possible for Pete and Macgyver to live in apartments without proper high class security and warning systems. All that kind of stuff that would be expected in such circumstances. But of course it's hard not to laugh about life before the age of cell phones or GPS systems. If just those two elements existed, I guess there would have been no Macgyver show at all. ;-)

Then there is the mystery of why the writers were able to reference European countries by their true names, but use fictional names for Latin American and African countries. There was San Pablo and another couple of countries, but then there was Russia, China, etc.

Mystery of mysteries - why there was no explicit reference to the big Israel-Palestinian conflict and its assorted implications. Then there was the other side of the show: the Challengers Club for the kids at risk, and the assorted personal cases that didn't involve the Phoenix Foundation.

And did Pete have a staff that covered for him when he was away, or filled in for him? A deputy director of Operations, etc.?

And the most "nagging" question: How was the Phoenix Foundation going to function without Macgyver and also without Pete? Who was going to successfully handle all those tough cases around the world, dealing with the environment, the inner city, and everything else? And what happened to poor Pete after going blind and presumably quitting his job, and Macgyver at 40 years old with a whole future in front of him, with or without his son?

Pete lived in an apartment building as shown in Early Retirement. Mac and Nikki got in thanks to the maid. So I assume there had to be some kind of guard. Mac usually lived in places with lots of peoples so I guess everybody watched each others back (this being in the day neighbors didn't bark at each other) and if he's not at home, Pete usually checks in every once in a while as seen in The Widowmaker.

Why would be it a mystery for using fictional countries in Latin America? Could've been a choice of the writers. It's not only Latina America. Also Africa has fictional countries in Macverse. Kambezi (Black Rhino) and the country he helped in Brainwashed. Kabulstan/Ammukash, Samadia and the nation of the Azmirs.

I think the Israel/Palestina conflict wasn't as topical than as it is now. And if it was I don't think people needed to be reminded about a forever ongoing conflict in their show when they want to get a load of a few things. It's the same thing as with the Russian/Afghan war. Only mentioned once very briefly in Gold Rush, they never mentioned it in the show. And that war lasted almost a decade.

What is so mysterious about the other aspects of the show? It shows MacGyver has a wide variety of interests and will help out whoever needs help. It can't always involve the Foundation.

When Pete is away his secretary Helen fills in for him. She shows up mostly in season 3 and 4. I'd like to think the other personel knows what they have to do when Pete is absent.

How many episodes have you actually seen? MacGyver and Pete don't own the Foundation, it'll function without them as well. There is a board doing all the meetings. And the chairman of the Board is called Farrell. Also seen in Early Retirement. Pete is a board member That is a heavy Phoenix Foundation related episode. MacGyver, Pete and Nikki are all high ranking staff members.

Pete was still able to do his job after eye surgery and there's no way to indicate Pete was going to quit his job. MacGyver's resignation was just a quick way to end the show. It seems indeed a little far fetched for him to retire at 40. But that's how it happened.

I love the Murdoc episodes. I watched MacGyver when I was a kid. If I had started watching as an adult I probably wouldn't feel the same way. That said, Murdoc in Macgyver isn't the only unrealistic aspect of the show. Most of it is unrealistic. It's fun. That's why I like it.

One of my favorite episodes, Cleo Rocks, is probably the most absurd Murdoc episode. Jacque looked just like Murdoc. He wasn't disguised one bit. Mac should have probably given up his day job after that episode. But it is one of my favorites, mainly for its nostalgic value.

As a kid, I used to love the Murdoc episodes because I thought they were the scariest ones. Now, I find them hilarious. So they're still entertaining episodes, but on a totally different level.

As for why they used fictional South American countries-- I think sometimes it was simply because the writers were creating fictional circumstances. For example, if they wanted to do an episode about a revolution and an evil dictator, they had to make up a fictional country since they couldn't really show Mac taking on a real-life dictator. Fictional countries gave them more leeway in that regard.

And regarding Mac living with little security: I asked the same thing a while back. He doesn't even bother to lock his door sometimes. I mean, the guy has made enemies all over the world, and a good percentage of his ex-girlfriends are psychopaths, yet he takes fewer precautions than most regular people do. Yeah, it's silly. But that's just how t.v. was back then.

I think it would be interesting to see how MacGyver would be done in today's world. Back in the 80s, characters never evolved. No matter how many times Mac watched friends die, or was betrayed by people, he was always smiling by the next episode, and always willing to help someone else. Nothing really had any lasting impact on him. In the 80s tv world, that was the norm. Good guys always had to be good guys. Today, though, his character would likely evolve. The bad experiences would gradually change his outlook on life. He'd become more cynical, less trusting, etc.

Poor Murdoc. Has no real character at all. Kind of like Wiley the Coyote chasing after the Road Runner. Nothing to describe where he lived, how he got involved with HIT and why, anything of his life, etc. Just a bad guy out there. At the end of Obsessions after apparently being burned up in the military jeep he is calling Macgyver. So poor Macgyver can never know how his life will go because Murdoc may pop up without any advance notice. Yet once Macgyver leaves the Phoenix Foundation, would Murdoc still have an incentive to kill Macgyver? At least he could have gone after Pete when he was going blind and became so vulnerable.....

Murdoc will keep going after Mac. It's a never ending story. I think Murdoc takes it kinda personal, that he never got Mac.

Murdoc had a supernatural element attached to his character. It allowed the script writers to push his episode de jour that much more and still have him return for another. That's it, that's all!

Just watched Cleo Rocks last night. Its funny when you really think about it. Murdoc rents a theater, sets up and directs a play on Cleopatra just so he can kill Mac and Pete. That sure seems like a lot of work to go through when he could have just waited for them outside their homes or the Phoenix Foundation. He must have went through a lot of time and money developing Cleo Rocks play. Plus he had to hire the cast members and everything. Really funny when you stop and think about it.

Cleo Rocks is one ludicrous episode and has a laughable appearance by Murdoc, including the worst disguise ever. Even as a young kid I identified Murdoc immediately, so it was puzzling that MacGyver didn't. Still we like to watch Cleo Rocks, despite all of the foolishness of it . It's guilty pleasure, it's fun and entertaining.

By the way Monsieur Murdoc had a crush on Penny, yes?

Yes, EXACTLY like Wyle E. Coyote. I've described him that way myself a few times.
The only reaon I think Murdoc works as well as he does (for most of us) is because of Michael Des Barres' performance. He managed to take what is essentially a cartoon character and somehow make him very watchable. You can just tell that he's having fun with the role, which, in turn, helps the audience have fun with it, too.

Also find it funny when Pete has photos of Murdoc that you knew noone was there to take. There is a photo of Murdoc posing with a gun, dressed up like Sarah ect. How did Pete get these photos lol

Cleo Rocks is one ludicrous episode and has a laughable appearance by Murdoc, including the worst disguise ever. Even as a young kid I identified Murdoc immediately, so it was puzzling that MacGyver didn't. Still we like to watch Cleo Rocks, despite all of the foolishness of it . It's guilty pleasure, it's fun and entertaining.

By the way Monsieur Murdoc had a crush on Penny, yes?

Cleo Rocks is hilarious on so many levels. I remember watching that with my ex gf, and she was practically peeing on herself from laughing so hard at the absurdity of it. She actually made me pause it a few times so she could regain her composure.

Not only did Murdoc write a play, hire actors, rent a theater, costumes, etc, etc, he also rigged up that whole booby trap arrangement under the theater. And even after all that, he STILL failed to accomplish anything, which I think makes him officially the world's worst hitman ever.

What's funny is that he's supposed to be such a formidable enemy and yet he's completely inept.

Cleo Rocks is one ludicrous episode and has a laughable appearance by Murdoc, including the worst disguise ever. Even as a young kid I identified Murdoc immediately, so it was puzzling that MacGyver didn't. Still we like to watch Cleo Rocks, despite all of the foolishness of it . It's guilty pleasure, it's fun and entertaining.

By the way Monsieur Murdoc had a crush on Penny, yes?

Cleo Rocks is hilarious on so many levels. I remember watching that with my ex gf, and she was practically peeing on herself from laughing so hard at the absurdity of it. She actually made me pause it a few times so she could regain her composure.

Not only did Murdoc write a play, hire actors, rent a theater, costumes, etc, etc, he also rigged up that whole booby trap arrangement under the theater. And even after all that, he STILL failed to accomplish anything, which I think makes him officially the world's worst hitman ever.

What's funny is that he's supposed to be such a formidable enemy and yet he's completely inept.

Lol, that's just too funny . You had to pause, hilarious . I also remember something funny. Me and wife, we used to watch MacGyver together when we met 13 years ago and as we watched Cleo Rocks, she had no idea that Jacques was Murdoc and I was about to burst into laugh since she didn't have a clue and it was obvious. When it was revealed she said "I knew it, no honestly I knew it all the time'', I was laughing so hard to her

But anyway, how ridiculous it may be, we always wanna watch it no matter what and enjoy the ride over and over again

Hey! Am I the only one who didn't know that Jacques was Murdoc?
Ok, it isn't much of a disguise. But I hadn't watched MacGyver in years and I didn't recognize him!

I love the Murdoc episodes and I don't have a problem with some things being a bit unrealistic. It's entertaining and as Denizen said, today's shows can get a little too realistic and disturbing some times. (That said, I used to be scared of Murdoc!)

To come to Murdoc's defence: According to Murdoc, he has a spotless record, so I guess he is more effective when MacGyver is not involved.

Maybe they were selfies?

Me too. I like episodes with Murdoc, even if I know it's impossible that he survives everytime. They are entertaining.
It's a show after all. I just enjoy it without too many questions.

Me too. I like episodes with Murdoc, even if I know it's impossible that he survives everytime. They are entertaining.
It's a show after all. I just enjoy it without too many questions.

Same here. It's tv show for crying out loud Besides not everything needs to be explained always, since there should be some room for mystery and to your imagination.

Cleo Rocks decent moments were the trap and the fight, that's it. But I admit, I like Murdoc's more direct approaches. The dude has guns, knives, mines, flamethrowers, bazookas, rocket launchers, dynamite, grenades, bombs and an axe. Maybe he figured that all didn't work before so that's why he tried it subtle with a musical before going on a brief retirement to strike back afterwards with a vengeance.

Murdoc is awesome. He scared me so much as a kid. lol I love Murdoc because he's so much fun. He's actually my second favorite villain after Albert Wesker from the Resident Evil franchise.

I like the mystery of Murdoc's survival to all his "deaths". Even Mac is like... "that's not possible" every time he has to deal with him. Murdoc is a funny kind of crazy, but they're the most dangerous because people like that are usually underestimated. But he got under Mac's skin, and caused him emotional distress with every encounter.

Poor Mac. lol I can only imagine how much he pays in therapy. Unless... Mac's therapist is Murdoc in disguise! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Granted, MacGyver isn't always very realistic, but I really don't care. That's the fun of fantasy. Realism is what real life is for... and sometimes realism isn't as much fun.

Nicely put, Jedi!

I've just been and watched it on Youtube - I'd forgotten he was in it.

He proper gets into it, doesn't he!

He always does, with everything haha
I love his dancing onstage though