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| Macs Lab Rat |
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Phoenix Operative
Posts: 1,027
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Season: season 1
Episode:Jack in the Box (...possibly!)
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Votes from October 2006
Poor [ 1 ] [5.56%]
Average [ 1 ] [5.56%]
OK [ 1 ] [5.56%]
Good [ 4 ] [22.22%]
Excellent [ 11 ] [61.11%]
Total Votes: 18
Archived comments
Posted by: MacsChick Jan 30 2006, 03:49 PM
| QUOTE | I love any episode with Murdoc in it! I read the Michael Des Barres interview someone posted recently on this forum, and he said it was kind of silly that MacGyver couldn't recognize him...a nitpick, I guess, but it's still a good episode! We get to see Mac doing some more amateur detective work, and squaring off once again with his nemesis! One question, though...how could the theatre have that underground dungeon? Wouldn't somebody notice it, or was it part of the basement? A lot of theatres have trap doors on stage, and beneath the stage is a basement-like area where the actor "disappears" from the audience. I was thinking that maybe that area was like that, and Murdoc took advantage of it for his own purposes. Any ideas?
"I was a little slow coming out of the esophagus." --Penny Parker |
Posted by: rockatteer Jan 30 2006, 04:00 PM
| QUOTE | QUOTE
| QUOTE | | I read the Michael Des Barres interview someone posted recently on this forum, and he said it was kind of silly that MacGyver couldn't recognize him |
Well Murdoc was a master of disguise. So it makes sense that Mac didn't recognise him... wouldn't be much of a master of disguise if Mac did recognise him would he.
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Posted by: MacGyver Jan 30 2006, 04:29 PM
| QUOTE | "Cleo Rocks" Rocks!!! Of course I voted excellent! This is an episode I definitely remember seeing as a child. Of course, any episode with Murdoc in it was also a great suspenseful episode. But this one had Murdoc using Penny in a trap for MacGyver and Pete. And we see more of MacGyver and Penny's relationship and an interesting side of Murdoc. MacGyver views Penny as a little sister who needs looking after. And Penny talks about the beautiful songs Jacque LaRue wrote and can't believe that Murdoc is such a murderous, hateful man. As to the disguise issue- I don't think I recognized Murdoc right away when I was a kid the first time I saw the episode. I wonder if that would make a difference, comparing your experience watching it the first time in 1989 as to watching it now, going in and knowing that Michael Des Barres is in there as Murdoc. I suppose you probably would have read that Michael was the guest star in your TV Guide or seen it in the credits, but anyway..... It worked well enough. Sometimes the viewers are let in on things before the main characters figure it out and that only adds to the suspense, so that's good.
It was also kinda cool seeing the poetic side of Murdoc, though he's obviously pretty blatant with his clues. I'm sure there's a healthy bit of impunity there in his character- I'm sure he knew MacGyver would figure it out pretty quickly, but then I think he wanted MacGyver to know he was after him. Anyway, I certainly love the trap Murdoc left MacGyver in. Either save himself or save Pete. And the best part was watching Mac and Pete work together to save both their lives. Because that's most certainly part of MacGyver's character. As he said in "Trail to Doomsday"- "No one's gonna die!" And that's how MacGyver thinks in every situation. He doesn't believe in letting anyone die, so of course he's going to try to save everybody. And I love that optimism. And like Captain James T. Kirk on Star Trek, MacGyver comes through as always and beats the odds and changes the rules with a great MacGyverism! And he has a great fight scene with Murdoc, culminating in the classic scene where he shocks Murdoc and while shaking and vibrating from the shock, Murdoc screams out "MmaaccGyyvverr" before falling into the pool and "drowning".
And of course, MacGyver later finds out that they didn't find a body.
This was one of my favorite episodes as a child and it's certainly still a favorite today. And the "Cleo Rocks" production was pretty cool too. Michael Des Barres actually wrote the song, by the way. So, to sum up, definitely an excellent episode!
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Posted by: Sjaop Jan 30 2006, 10:21 PM
| QUOTE | Honestly, this is one of two episodes which I think were poor.
I thought it was a bit cheezy.
I didn't like the plotline, although I'm a lover of any Murdoc/Mac episode.
But this one was set up a little too easy, so to speak. I didn't buy it.
I hate Penny, for starters (can't stand the fact that Teri used to date him either, so maybe it's nothing but jealousy) She is way too annoying. I know it's only a role she's playing, but I just can't stand her.
Next to that, this episode did not have me on the edge of my seat. I'm not used to that. The suspense was not built up properly. But I see I'm the only one who rated poor so far, so I might be mistaken. |
Posted by: MACGYVERISMYDAD Jan 31 2006, 02:30 AM
| QUOTE | | I voted excellent for cleo rocks. i agree that i can't believe mac didnt know it was murdoc..i mean his disquise wasn't the greatest but the number penny did was great. she could really have a role on broadway or something she has the talent. i love the song michael wrote for the show it was great. pretty freaky scene to when murdoc shuts off the lights and opens the door at the end of the hall so you can just see part of his face. it gave me goosbumps. "its either deep fried thorton or pancake MacGyver!!enjoy!!" i love that scene!! also funny scene when mac find the tape recorder in the sarcophogus and murdoc says whats the matter MacGyver?? cant you find your mommy. something that really bothered me though was how at the very end pete and mac are showing penny pictures of murdoc dressed up as sarah and posing outside petes cabin with his rifle from the widomaker. noone was there to take these pictures of murdoc..so who did?? also i saw a scene for the first time when i got the dvd that i never saw on tv due to them cutting it out. when penny goes into the owners office and is trying to explain to him that she is a star and he tells her shes to emotional for acting. anyways excellent ep.. definitly one of my favorites. |
Posted by: Toni Jan 31 2006, 02:45 AM
| QUOTE | | QUOTE | QUOTE (Sjaop @ Jan 30 2006, 10:21 PM)
Honestly, this is one of two episodes which I think were poor.
I thought it was a bit cheezy. |
I agree with you Sjaop
I'm not a great fan of this episode. I like a bit more action and this didn't do anything for me.
Toni
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Posted by: MacGyverGod Jan 31 2006, 05:46 AM
| QUOTE | | I voted excellent on this episode. This was a great episode ending in a great fighting climax between MacGyver and Murdoc. Penny was so scared. Just great. Nice suspense, with the weird things happening in and around the theatre. The lights going off and she's hiding and acting like a scared little girl. Perhaps the best part was when Murdoc pulls of his skin. Fake skin unfortunately but I loved the sound it makes and then messes up his hair. |
Posted by: Lothithil Jan 31 2006, 07:14 AM
| QUOTE | I love the whole 'Phantom of the Opera' theme... I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff!
And seeing Penny/Teri performing 'Cleo Rocks' is great. A softer, if even more insane side of Murdoc emerges as he sinks himself into a role and catches himself falling in love with Penny. Great story, IMO. |
Posted by: Amy Jan 31 2006, 01:51 PM
| QUOTE | | QUOTE | QUOTE
something that really bothered me though was how at the very end pete and mac are showing penny pictures of murdoc dressed up as sarah and posing outside petes cabin with his rifle from the widomaker. noone was there to take these pictures of murdoc..so who did?? |
I thought about that too Macgyverismydad! Do I sense a nitpick coming......
I thought this was an excellent episode. I loved the choice Murdoc gave to Mac, his life or Pete's, never considering that Mac will completely thwart the whole thing anyway. It's like there isn't even an option in Mac's mind--right away he works on finding a way to save them both. I also liked seeing a different side of Murdoc--he really cared for Penny and you could see the turmoil going on inside when he was revealing his feelings and then he was hurt by what Penny said because he was going to kill her friends. I think this is the first time he seems like more than just a revenge-obsessed lunatic--there's actually a heart in there somewhere...
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Posted by: rockatteer Jan 31 2006, 03:00 PM
| QUOTE | | QUOTE | QUOTE
something that really bothered me though was how at the very end pete and mac are showing penny pictures of murdoc dressed up as sarah and posing outside petes cabin with his rifle from the widomaker. noone was there to take these pictures of murdoc..so who did?? |
Remember how Murdoc explains to Mac and Pete in the taxi that he takes 2 picture sof his kill.. one as proof to whomever ordered the kill and one for his album... and he had a camera setup on a tripod...
Probably the same idea... did some pose shots to remind himself of the triumphant killing of the only man who ever made him fail.
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Posted by: MACGYVERISMYDAD Jan 31 2006, 04:19 PM
| QUOTE | | lol would he get the tripod in the taxi when he was sarah?? maybe mac took them for him in agreement of giving them a head start |
Posted by: MacGyverGod Feb 1 2006, 05:52 AM
| QUOTE | | Didn't het took it out of the van or the car he was driving. |
Posted by: MacGirl Feb 3 2006, 07:03 AM
| QUOTE | I voted excellent. This is one of the few Penny eps I like. It was also one of the first eps of the show I ever saw. (When I first discovered the show, I watched the reruns on USA, and they didn't show the eps in chronological order. Anyway...) I do agree that it was a little odd for Mac not to be more suspicious of "Jacques" from the get-go, but even a smart guy like Mac can be fooled. I also liked the angle they introduced with Murdoc falling for Penny. It was kind of nice to see another dimension to our favorite bad guy... and it was a little unsettling, too. It was kind of a reminder that even the seemingly worst person in the world (unless they're a total psychopath) is human, too. We like to distance ourselves from people who do horrible things, partly by telling ourselves that that person is somehow less than human. But I think that unless we see their humanity, we'll never understand their awful behavior, and unless we understand THAT, we'll never find a way to combat it and defeat it.
But back to the subject at hand... ... I liked the song Michael wrote for the show, too. And it was fun to see Teri dancing and singing. Normally (as you all know) Penny drives me up the wall, but I could stand her in this one. |
Posted by: rockatteer Feb 12 2006, 07:24 PM
| QUOTE | QUOTE
| QUOTE | | lol would he get the tripod in the taxi when he was sarah?? |
Camera tripods have telescopic legs.
They fold up to be about 2 or 3 feet in length for easy trasportation.
It also allows the legs to be set to different lengths on uneven surfaces.
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Posted by: MacNymph Feb 16 2006, 03:25 PM
| QUOTE | I voted good.
Penny Parker urks the crap out of me but I found her less annoying in this episode.
How anyone could look into that womans big brown puppy dog eyes and want to do wrong, I just don't get. No I'm not gay. Just that scene when the tears are weeling up in her eyes... *sniff*
What did annoy me however, was how does a struggling actress get a designer wrap like that. Geesh that thing was gorgeous.
As far as the Murdoc disquise... or lack there of... it's called suspension of disbelief. Without it... really can't have more than one Murdoc episode. I mean who "dies" that many times???
Or you could say.. MacGyver never paid any attention to LaRue, because everytime they came into contact Mac was on an adrenaline buzz from saving Penny. Or because he was in a wheelchair Mac was never on the same plain of view with him and the disquise was enough in combination with that. Orrrr... that if you want to hide something, hide it in plain view. If Mac wasn't expecting Murdoc, who would think the poofter French dude in the wheelchair doing a cheesy musical was Murdoc?
oh oh oh ... one more urksome Penny thing. Cleopatra with blue eyeshadow? |
Posted by: Amy Feb 17 2006, 01:29 AM
| QUOTE | | QUOTE | QUOTE
Orrrr... that if you want to hide something, hide it in plain view. If Mac wasn't expecting Murdoc, who would think the poofter French dude in the wheelchair doing a cheesy musical was Murdoc? |
I was thinking along those lines too, MN. And the last time Mac saw Murdoc his face was all scarred up. I'm trying to remember (LOL--gives me an excuse to watch it again...) if Mac started to suspect after he found "Murdoc" in the poem, or if Murdoc revealed himself before Mac suspected.
| QUOTE | QUOTE
one more urksome Penny thing. Cleopatra with blue eyeshadow? |
LOL--well, weren't the Egyptians the make-up artists of the ancient world? Perhaps they had woad like those Scottish ancestors of MacGyver.
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Posted by: Sjaop Feb 17 2006, 03:00 AM
| QUOTE | | QUOTE | QUOTE
Penny Parker urks the crap out of me |
Finally someone who agrees.
Everyone in my family think she's cute, she just tickles my nerves and makes we wanna hurl.
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| Sheepy |
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| QUOTE (Nutsy @ 31 August 2007 - 06:07 PM) | I know this ep may not be among your favorites but don't tell me you don't like Murdoc's line
It's either deep fried Thornton or pancake MacGyver!
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You're absolutely right Nutsy! I really hate the episode, but I really love that line! 
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| j12752 |
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This epsode did have some good lines. One thing that always bothered me though, is why MacGyver never recognized Murdoc right away, the disguise was not very good
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| Lothithil |
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Director of Intelligence
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 Well... Murdoc was supposed to be dead at the bottom of a cliff already... I figured between the make-up covering his scars and the finality of their last meeting, Mac didn't suspect that it was Murdoc. Anyway, they couldn't fix him up so much that we didn't know who he was...  It would have been quite brilliant if they HAD, though, (covered him so that we didn't recognize him) because I would have TOTALLY suspected Wintergreen as the culprit ... ((((Robert Donner))))  ... he was so perfectly creepy! Another one of my favourite scenes: Mac working all night with a Bunsen burner, his SAK, and a spoon, and solving the mystery! 
Everyone, sometimes, needs a camel.
Old troubleshooters never die...
They just wait til the last moment and then rescue themselves!
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| j12752 |
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I liked how Mac gave Penny the star from her dressing room at the end too
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| j12752 |
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Yes, that was good make-up!
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| Lee Nole-Isil |
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Trouble shooter
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Episode:Anything with Murdoc
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I have only one question, though, about something that didn't quite seem to fit. So, there were all those flames coming from the pool, but was it oil or water? Murdoc's line would indicate oil, but if one fell into hot grease they would be quite crispy when they emerged, no? And Murdoc lived through that one, as well... but then, he did also survive falling off a cliff... 
"The common cockroach. And that's what you are!" -Peter Thornton
"Are you calling me common, Pete?" -Murdoc
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| NightTinkerer |
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I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post this "review", but my Christmas has been... well, rather hectic to say the least. I've seen my brother and his four year old daughter for the first time in three years, as his family finally came to visit my parents. And I've had little time for television whatsoever, she wants to play all day long... and you're not particularly motivated to watch anything after everyone's gone to bed since you *know* said niece will wake you up early by blowing a party whistle next to your ear...  And, I've also finally got myself a regularly paid job for some time to come, so my posting schedule might be a bit irregular from now on! Anyway--onto "Cleo Rocks!" Unfortunately, I must say this is one of my least favorites of season 4, and it's frustrating, because it could have been so much better. But the fact is, this episode storyline is, in my opinion, almost bordering on plagiarism. I've even read an interview where the writers of this episode are discussing this quite openly; they (or h/she) saw "The Phantom of the Opera" and got "inspired..." Well, well. Let me just say I *know* what they're talking about. I've seen the Phantom too--on its original stage in London, and OH YES, you *will* get totally mesmerized. The Phantom *will* mess with your brain, and for some time, everything you write, paint (or whatever kind of art you're creating) will be inspired by the experience. Even worse, you won't even notice until the Phantom effect starts to wear off! That said, I *do* understand the writers' motivation. But still, it doesn't justify plagiarism... and so many scenes from this episode are just pure liftoffs from the Phantom, slightly modified to fit the MacGyver universe... Maybe I'm taking things way to seriously. Yeah, I can surely see Murdoc having a lot in common with the Phantom, and of course, Penny Parker does make a perfect Christine. And MacGyver... well, even if his and Penny's relationship are described like more of a brother-and-sister-thing here, he can still take the role of Raol... and add Pete for a little more motivation. Don't get me wrong, I'm not *all* negative about this episode--it does have some good elements in it. I think it's Penny's best episode, to be honest, from her character's point of view. At least one of the better. It's obvious that Teri Hatcher is a talented dancer/show artist, and I think it's great to actually get to see that side of her. And Michael Des Barres is a very good actor too. The scene where he "rips off" his "mask" *is* creepy and well acted. But the story line itself... it just makes me cringe. I seriously wonder if the writers of any TV-series could do such a thing today and get away with it. "Borrowing" stuff from other films/TV-series is OK, especially in a parodic sense (the excellent TV series "Due South" which I didn't discover until recently, (since it was poorly promoted during its original run in my country) contain lots of such successful attempts). But entire storylines? Naah. So, my verdict? I'm going to give it an "average", still... because it's still (almost... ) MacGyver, and there *are* some good elements to it, after all.
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| MacGyverGod |
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Also just saw this episode again. I really enjoy that finale when Mac gets trapped and fights with Murdoc.
But when you really analyse this episode, I think Murdoc went through waaaay too much trouble just to get to Mac. I mean using a musical which happens to star Penny Parker a friend of Mac's to get Mac, hiring a theater, get all the arrangements done for the show...
Murdoc can be so much deadlier as he was in The Widowmaker. Give him a knife, rifle, flamethrower, mines. Or as he became in Strictly Business with that gun rocketlauncher, bazooka, mines, dynamite.
I never disliked this episode but using a musical that was never going to open to get MacGyver is I don't know, a little far fetched.
 I think the poison that was used was applied to this knife, passed to the mutton when it was cut and then activated by the wine. - MacGyver.
Sometimes you just have to die a little inside to be reborn and rise again as a stronger and wiser version of you.
It's better to be a little sad than to be fake content.
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I kinda feel sorry for Murdoc in this episode. He is rejected by the woman he loves and is called insane. I love his line, "No, no, Penny, I am not a madman. I'm just very, very determined." It always gets me. I think that Penny is a rather likable character, she brings out the BIG BROTHER side of Mac, and I like that. I voted excellent. Way to go. Two thumbs way up!!!! 
Well... Murdoc was 
I watched it on YOUTUBE today to refresh my memory. It was nicely done and great action packed! 
Maybe Murdoc did have some romantic feelings for Penny because I saw it in his eyes and facial expressions. You go to have felt badly for him. Well I liked the ending part with Penny, Pete and MacGyver! 
