Here's a question.. regardless of whether Murdoc hit MacGyver with the jeep or not... wouldn't it still go over the edge of the cliff? And if so then isn't Murdoc going over the cliff regardless?

That whole thing seems like a really stupid idea.. drive a jeep towards a cliff trying to hit someone with no abort plan?

...yeah that'll work.

Good point. It's as stupid as the assassin woman jumping right through the window in Phoenix Under Siege. :-\ Lame. And a crappy way for Murdoc to go out.

It was a dumb move in the sense that Murdoc should have foreseen that Mac would be able to jump out of the way, but no doubt Murdoc knew he would survive the crash in the same unexplained and completely implausible way he always survived.

I always assumed that Murdoc simply didn't know there was a cliff there. He was so fixated on hitting Mac, he wasn't looking at what was beyond Mac. It's still pretty stupid, but it makes a bit more sense than just mindlessly driving off a cliff that he knew was there.

But then again, Murdoc always has been the human incarnation of Wyle E. Coyote. He's not the sort of villain you can take seriously because he constantly does moronic things. I think if MacGyver came back for an 8th season, we'd see Murdoc buying an anvil from the ACME supply company, and trying to tie it up over the exit to the Phoenix Foundation. Then, as he's waiting to drop it on Mac's head, he'd somehow drop it on his own head instead.

The other explanation, which I think is probably true for a lot of shows, is that scenes, shots, information was edited out of the final cut of the episode resulting in things not making 100% sense.

For example there may have been some reason Murdoc couldn't' see the cliff in the original script, but it got changed due to time and budget, or that scene may have simply been cut out in order to keep the show to it's required length.

This is a pretty common occurrence in both TV and movies. They have to make sacrifices for the sake of time, budget and story telling.

I really enjoyed this episode. The human side of MacGyver losing his temper, the re-occurring nightmares, etc., adds to the reality of the early part of the episode for me. Yes, the latter half was a little more hokey, but it still had parts I enjoyed. MacGyver egging on Murdoc was great, and the interaction between Pete and MacGyver in the loft was really good.

I had no problem with it. The episode explained that HIT was through with him, which is the logical result of what happened in "Strictly Business." I don't think it was about validation and recognition so much as the security of having an entire military government looking after you - especially if HIT was still gunning for him, and even if they weren't, there've got to be plenty of others who are. Basically, it was his retirement.

And that's a story arc that had been going on for years. If you think about it, Murdoc was already "over the hill" the first time we met him in Season 2 - no longer a cool professional assassin, he was a has-been back from the dead on an obsessive personal revenge crusade. Which fails, again and again, convincing him that it's time to retire... only he's in a line of work where you can't do that.

The rest of the series (or his part in it) is all about him trying to find a way out. First, he tries just quitting. That doesn't work - they put a contract out on him, then kidnap his sister, forcing him to go to MacGyver for help (boy, imagine how excruciating THAT must've been for him). Second, he tries following MacGyver's advice - give up everything he knows about HIT (which would mean the authorities could take them down and he'd no longer have to worry about them). That doesn't work either - a year later, they're still operating, even if they've been taken down a peg. Third (and after his sister's death), he tries getting them to take him back. That doesn't work either - he fails his entrance exam. At that point, if I were him, I'd be getting desperate. Compared to some of the other options out there, getting a senior job in Noriega's government (sorry, "Delasora") was a godsend.

Clearly, it wasn't the first time. By the time of the episode he'd probably done it enough times already to start giving him nightmares, and that one just happened to coincide with his next phone call.

(I've had night terrors - waking up in the middle of the night, seeing something that's not there and flipping out for a couple seconds - before. It's usually brought on by a combination of stress and too many nights of not-sleeping-enough in a row. In this case, that would be Murdoc's repeated 3AM phone calls plus the stress of knowing he's out there and has something planned for you).

I liked the episode overall despite its flaws. My main objection actually isn't with the cliff scene at the end - it's with the way he allowed MacGyver to goad him into doing exactly what he wanted. Come on, Murdoc. You KNOW what he's trying to do. But overall, loved the episode anyway. Murdoc makes such a wonderful bad guy I can forgive the flaws.

I agree! Murdoc should have known MacGyver better than that after their previous encounters. Also, I find it strange that Murdoc trusted Delasora. I was hoping for a better end to the last Murdoc episode. Maybe it's like Rockatteer mentioned, that they cut something out from the "jeep heading for cliff" scene.

I think that the first half of the episode is excellent!

I'm with you Hannibal Smith, on your thoughts on why Murdoc all of a sudden felt like supporting a dictator. It is a little more believable now.
One would think that scenario is more likely than making a musical to get to MacGyver. However, I had no problems with that!

That's what you get for deciding to 'be all that I can be'. Honestly I think Murdoc was really on fire in The Widowmaker. (And actually he was ) I mean the burnt face, the hair, the military outfit. He was a real sicko. But also in Strictly Business, but there he was the decent sicko. Determined, decent clothes and he really owned Mac in that one. In Obsessed, they had something, but didn't work out good enough. It's indeed a little weird to have a hitman becoming a general in a Noriega-ish army. Maybe they could've kept that part out because when I think of it Murdoc stalking Mac sounds like a great idea. Mac's stressed out, can't sleep, if he sleeps, he has nightmares, the phone calls... Obsessed could've been a great psychological thriller plot.

Yeah, I agree. I liked him best in "Strictly Business," actually, because it's the only time you actually see him doing his job - as a cold, professional killer fulfilling a contract. (Unless you count "Serenity.") In the other episodes he was either out for revenge, working with MacGyver, or (in this one) a general.

And one other thing about him becoming a general, if it helps - I don't think he was actually planning to be a conventional "leading men in battle" kind of general. I always assumed the deal was for him to be Delasora's head of secret police, head of covert ops, or something like that. Which would be a lot closer to his old job than most generalships, and also allow him to keep a somewhat lower profile.

I think so too.

You know, if they ever get around to actually dropping The Bomb, there will be two classes of creature left alive on the planet: Cockroaches and Murdoc. And the cockroaches will be nervous...

This one really is a return to the kind of episode I like - Pete is back, the jeep (OK A Jeep) is back, Murdoc's back, there's a madman to deal with and a sticky situation to escape

I really like the beginning when Mac is so hounded by everyone's favourite psycho that he's on the verge of losing it. Attila the Hen in the Phoenix office just brings out the worst in him and it's interesting to see him so much on the ragged edge.
I also like the way this is paralleled by equal desperation on Murdoc's part - cosying up with Delasora is a last ditch attempt to make something out of his situation as it's clear that the HIT 'community' has properly turned it's back on him. MDB does do aristocratically bonkers so very well!

My favourite part has to be when Mac is taunting Murdoc about his failure to kill him all those times. You can see that this really hits home with Murdoc - maybe he's been thinking the same things, maybe he is a washed out no-hoper after all... But then NO! He doesn't need a firing squad, he's got a much better idea!

OK, the boot throwing did stretch my disbelief suspenders a little bit and either Murdoc somehow didn't know the cliff was there, or he's finally lost the last of his marbles and was making a desperate and suicidal attempt to nail MacGyver once and for all, but I can forgive those niggles for an otherwise very entertaining episode.

Deep breath everyone: MACGYVERRRRRR!!!!

And that laugh on the other end of the late night phone call... Just perfect.
Best get comfy on the settee and break out the chamomile tea Mac, it's going to be a long night.

Despite what I said earlier about that, I think it's funny that it's MacGyver's comment about how he always fails to kill him that goads him into... proving that comment right. If only he'd stuck with the plan and just had the firing squad execute him then and there, everything would've gone fine. Instead he lets himself be maneuvered into creating a Blofeld-type elaborate death trap, which MacGyver immediately escapes.

"Blew it again, Murdoc," indeed.

"You're the joke, Murdoc," indeed.

'Think about it. All those times you tried to kill me, you've nothing but fail. And now you need a firing squad to do it for you. How weak is that?'

Just love it how Mac is challenging Murdoc like: 'You wanna try me? Go ahead.'

I just love it too. The best part of this episode.

It's weird to see Mac so stressed, he always had steady nerves. And I hate that Cindy Finnigan.
Pete's delivery was fine, she bought it (me too, the first time I watched this eppy )

The MacGyverism of the boot and the jeep over the cliff are a little far fetched , but since it's just a show I can accept them, even if it's the third time he uses the boot after "Holy Rose" and "Honest Abe". Clearly the writers were running out of ideas.

I prefer the second part of this episode because MacGyver gets back in his usual mood.

Since there are better episodes, I voted ok for this one.

In this episode, MacGyver tackles a photog he thinks is Murdoc (who just fired a dart from a fake camera). The shot shows the suspected attacker on his back, and his face looks familiar. When it switches to the close up, he looks very familiar.


Dwight Shultz.

It would be a casting of pure genius since he played a character in The A Team named Murdoc (and it would make sense that he could do the job, Paramount owned both Star Trek and MacGyver)

Nope. There is no sign of that on his filmography and yes Paramount owns Star Trek and MacGyver but not The A-Team. The A-Team is owned by Universal.

It does look similar and being such a bit part it wouldn't be credited.

Paramount don't have to own a show to employ an out of work actor.



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I think I vaguely remember this scene. Since they did not use the name Murdoch" from the A-Team, there is no copyright infringement. It is just there for you to figure out.

At the end of the day, only Dwight or someone from this episode (Creative dept) might be able to confirm or deny this.

I guess what I was aiming at was how it seemed like a lot of actors were on both shows. (since both are produced by Paramount)

1. Terri Hatcher: Penny Parker and trasnporter operator to hit on the Rocketeer.
2. The bad attitude high school teacher who also played the Romulan who was tricked into defecting.
3.Nana Visitor. In the episode Wildfire (the oil rig one) and Deep Space Nine as Kira Nureas.
4. The head of HIT who also played professor Moriarty in The Next Generation (episodes that also featured Reg Barkley /Dwight S.)

That screen shot shocked the crap out of me. Really does look like him. Even SOUNDS like him (that kinda whiny voice he used as Barkley)

Just would be a hilarious case of double takes. MacGyver thinks he just tackled Murdoc. He did, just the wrong one XD

Isn't the guy's name on the end credits? Than you'll know who he is.

This is an episode that I'm going to look up tonight. My son just asked me if I had ever seen it, and told me it was a great one! Dwight had an acting style all his own, so I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Yep, uncredited peoples are called extras

Don't blink or you'll miss it. There's not really any acting involved in his part it's just a quick shot of him laying on the ground about to get punched out by Mac.

I'm quite surprised by some of the hate for Cindy. Yeah, she wasn't the most sympathetic character. But she's hardly the worst person in this episode. Plus, Mac did quite a lot of shouting, which was hardly very professional of him either.

I just worked out how both Murdoc and are able to survive so many scenarios which would kill most ordinary humans.

They're not ordinary humans.

They're descended from someone who was the offspring of Rasputin and one of Buffy the Vampire Slayer's predecessors. Thus they are hard to kill and have supernatural strength and healing powers.

I don't know how they're related - maybe long-lost brothers or cousins.

Or twins separated at birth!

I like it! Murdoc is Mac's evil twin!