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MacGyver Online Forums > Characters > Earl Dent


Posted by: MacGyverOnline 16 December 2007 - 12:19 PM

Earl Dent

An ex-convict, Dent has since gone straight. Dent has tried to support his daughter, Veronica, with winnings from prize-fights.



Posted by: Lothithil 16 December 2007 - 06:08 PM
Earl Dent... what can i say?

I really like Dick Butkus. He was just-right campy in 'Harry's Will'. When he came back in 'High Control', I enjoyed his performance again, showing some growth in his character, still a bit campy and funny, but also with a touch of seriousness.

But I can't say I was so thrilled with the boxing episode.

First of all, it was again, one-too-many foreshadowings of Mac's own 7th season bombshell. I think the whole 'SAM' thing would have been a bit easier to take if not the vast majority of Mac's friends/aquaintances had already had their 'I'm a daddy' epiphanies.

Second of all, there is my ever-present distaste for the seventh season, of Mac's abrubt sacrifice of his personal space, of his lost of identity in this lunatic asylum they call a neighborhood. I mean... less than a season before this, Mac would have come UNGLUED if someone (that wasn't Pete, or Jack Dalton with provisional permission) traisped through his home like that! *shakes head in disbelief* I just can't justify it.

On the whole, I like Dent, though. He's the poster-child for 'I fell in with the wrong crowd'. MacGyver helped him turn his life around; I'd say he was one of Mac's successes.

Posted by: MacsChick 16 December 2007 - 06:56 PM
Amen, Loth! My sentiments exactly! clapping.gif

I wanted to not like this character at first, just because he did seem like a cliche biker dude, but High Control made him more of a human being than a caricature. His daughter was snotty and annoying however, and did little to add to his character. Anyway, if the series had to have a bunch of "long lost" sons or daughters, why couldn't Mac's kid have been a strong-willed daughter like Ronnie, but with a better temperament? hmm.bmp

Posted by: MacGyver 16 December 2007 - 08:25 PM
I liked Earl Dent just fine. It's nice to see a character on MacGyver show up for 3 whole episodes- and be portrayed by the same actor! That's a feat in itself. And Dick Butkus is cool- great football player and a pretty good actor. He's shown up on a couple of shows I like, including "My Two Dads" ('80s sitcom about two guys who have to raise a daughter together- they're not sure who's the real dad- and don't really want to know because they both love her- kinda like an "Odd Couple" for the 1980s- admittedly, perhaps not the best premise- but I liked it as a kid... happy.gif ) and "Hang Time" (90s TNBC teen sitcom where Dick Butkus is a high school basketball coach- fun show)- and of course, MacGyver.

Hmm- I thought Earl Dent was pretty funny on "Harry's Will"- and it was great to see him go straight and sort of enlist MacGyver to help him turn his life around in "High Control" (MacGyver seems to get drafted for such things a lot!)
and then to see him trying to be a good father and take care of his daughter Ronnie in "Split Decision". Good that he made a good progression- and I think Ronnie got her life turned around a bit too for that matter...

Anyway- Earl Dent's a cool character. He seems like he'd be good "muscle" for MacGyver when he needs help with an assignment or something.
cool.jpg




Posted by: MacGyverOnline 16 December 2007 - 09:06 PM
QUOTE (MacGyver @ 17 December 2007 - 05:25 PM)
He seems like he'd be good "muscle" for MacGyver when he needs help with an assignment or something.

At the start of High Control he is just that. He turns up and saves Macs butt.

Posted by: MacGyverGod 19 December 2007 - 02:25 AM
I voted good for Earl Dent. But his character went from good to barely ok. I like him in Harry's Will and in High Control he was even better but in Split Decision... It was bye-bye clumsy biker image and hello suite image. Than all of a sudden he has a daughter. And most of all in Split Decision he seems to explode about little things, like Ronnie saying she changed her name from Veronica to Ronnie. It's not that she did that officially, it's only a nickname for crying out loud. Well like I said in the Split Decision's weekly episode discussion. That episode is merely a bad remake of Rocky. Hardly any excitement till the end, a training scene and many scenes where in the boxer has outburst of anger. To tell you the truth Sly did a much better job than Dent did. But there's a lot more potential for him in the biker world than in the normal or boxer world.

Posted by: jackwabbit 19 December 2007 - 06:41 PM
I'm with Loth, and I voted ok here.

Posted by: MacGyverOnline 19 December 2007 - 07:56 PM
I can't really give him more than an ok.

He annoyed me. He seemed like the kind of guy who didn't really care or listen to what people said and just expected people to do what he asked, and if they didn't then he manipulated them to get it.

Oddly enough thats pretty much what Jack Dalton did too.. but Earl had an air of arrogance about him that Jack didn't have and it just bugged the hell out of me. And I think that arrogance was really shown in Split Decision. He wanted his daughter becasue it suited him and he wasn't interested in understanding her, he just wanted to tell her to do this or that and got mad when she didn't

So he gets an ok for being a character with some depth and for being more than a 1 off.. but I didn't really like him that much.

Posted by: Macs Lab Rat 23 December 2007 - 10:36 AM
He gets an ok from me too.
It is almost like he is two separate characters. I don’t think they saw him as a re-occurring character when they did Harrys Will. I can’t remember too much about the episodes concerned but the character I saw in Harry’s Will was not the same as when he reappeared. It took me a moment to link them if I remember rightly. I think my problem was I saw split decision before high control and it seemed a huge leap from Harrys will. Watching high control after filled in some of the gaps but I was still unconvinced.

Posted by: Liz1976 12 July 2008 - 11:05 AM
Hey guys! My hubby and I are watching the Chicago Cubs play the San Francisco Giants (on the TV) and Dick Butkus (aka: Earl Dent, also the Chicago Bears) sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"! biggrin.gif

Posted by: MacGyverOnline 12 July 2008 - 01:01 PM
He can sing?


Posted by: Liz1976 12 July 2008 - 03:03 PM
Not really, but that doesn't stop people.

Posted by: MacsChick 12 July 2008 - 03:46 PM
laugh.gif Yeah, just look at some of the pathetic contestants on American Idol sometime.

Posted by: Liz1976 12 July 2008 - 03:56 PM
roller.gif

Posted by: John Litteral 4 December 2008 - 08:45 AM
I put OK. I like the character pretty good but I thought Butkus was not a very good actor, which kinda got on my nerves a little. Especially when he was boxing. That was the worst boxing and training act I have ever seen, it did not look the least bit real. I am sure that if he was doing a football scene it would have been great.

I did love his friendliness and big heart that he had in a big man's body.

Posted by: Murdoc12 24 March 2009 - 11:52 AM
QUOTE (MacsChick @ 13 July 2008 - 11:46 AM)
laugh.gif Yeah, just look at some of the pathetic contestants on American Idol sometime.

roller.gif roller.gif roller.gif clapping.gif clapping.gif

Posted by: RamonCota 5 April 2009 - 04:39 PM
ahh i clicked "good" by accident!
i agree with you guys about him being annoying and all.. yea he is very annoying person.

Posted by: macsgirl1 5 May 2009 - 09:10 PM
I thought he was cool and funny. I agree about MacGyver's apartment. though because in Passages when Harry said that he didn't like been crowded ay more than Mac did, Mac said no. MacG.gif But I doubt that he would have too big of a cow if Pete did because of their relationship.

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