3.21 - Treason + Heartbreak + Gum

Airdate: May 3, 2019
Writer: Nancy Kiu & Lindsey Allen
Director: Stephen Herek

Recurring Cast: Levy Tran (Desi) , Tate Donovan (Oversight)

Guest Cast: Brendan Hines (Ethan Reigns) , Sissi Kal (Deena) , Mina Lukia (Mara) , Lance Gross (Billy)
Sheryl Lee Ralph (Mama Colton) , Zane Stephens (Ryan Hayes) , George Tchortov (August Krieger)
Diana Chiritescu (Ava Malone) , Adam Minarovich (Kosta) , Joseph Steven Yang (Director Huang) , Mahdi Cocci (Agent)
Moses Das (Attache) , Chazz Mangusta (Cashier) , Jeff Bachar (Sommelier) , Marissa Chanel Hampton (Phoenix Tech)
James Sosa, Jr. (S-Company Tech) , Justin Torrence (Brad)


Matty’s ex-husband, Ethan, asks her for help when S-Company, kidnaps his wife and daughter, forcing Matty to decide if she’s willing to commit treason in order to help save his family. Also, Riley makes a heartbreaking discovery when she joins Billy Colton and Mama Colton on a mission to Paris.

ooo, Can't wait

I hope we are done with the Ethan storyline. How many times can they trot this guy out? For super spies they did a lousy job of witness protection.

and I prefer one story. Not looking forward to Riley/ Billy arc.

I guess the sneak peeks for me are disappointing. 5 seconds of Mac. To be fair, i just am not a fan of Nancy Kiu's writing.

I agree, I'm so tired of Ethan

A well acted episode but too little Mac. Love how he comforted Riley and his support of Matty. I understand that other characters have stories but the show is "MacGyver" so he should have more than 10 minutes screen time.

I did like the mac/Riley scene at the end. And Matty/Oversight. And the fact that Riley mentioned how much she misses Jack.

I wish Riley had actually told Billy why she decided to break up with him. Call him out, see his response. He didn't really seem too upset. Surprised, yes. Saddened and hurt, yes. Devastated, no. Like he's thinking, "On the bright side, I can just focus on [insert girl's name here]".

I do feel kinda bad that Ethan had to get arrested. He just wants his family And yes, of course I understand why. But he focuses so much on his family, I just hate to think they have to be separated. Think they'll be allowed to visit him? Or is that restricted, given the crime?

I still don't like him, of course

Yayyyy no more Biley lolll

I feel like he'll figure it out. LOL it's funny how Riley and Tristin's life mirror lol, her IRL ex-boyfriend plays for a European league, so with their schedules they only saw each other like twice a year, just like Riley & Billy lol. I knew that wasn't gonna work.

I like Mac comforting her. And I like every showing real emotion in these last couple episodes.

Now if CBS can stop having them waiting in vain for their love and give the green light for a next season.

Tristin Mays got an honorable mention by TV Line as performer of the week in this episode: https://tvline.com/2019/05/04/jodie-comer-k...on-2-episode-4/

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I think confronting Billy would have been a good decision. But I felt the behavior fits Riley well. She rarely opens up about her feelings - she did and got hurt. It makes sense to me that she would shut down; trying to forget about it and pretend it never happened.

But I think cheating AND stupidly leaving a trace of it on his cell-phone (while dating one of the best hackers) was very out of character for Billy. The way he was raised by Mama and born into a family of confident and independent women; the way he treated Riley in other episodes and tried to find her grandmother... Also his reaction... I don't know. I thought it was weird.

Wouldn't he have immediately realized Riley knew about it since she didn't act "weird" when they started the mission? If he had cheated, wouldn't he have felt at least a bit guilty or embarassed about getting caught? And worried about Mama's reaction if she got wind of it?

On the other hand, it's possible it turns out he didn't cheat and it was only a cover for another job. That way, they could bring him back next season.


Generally, I feel like they're burning through all the recurring guest stars really fast.
> Helman: prison
> Murdoc: prison
> Ethan: prison
> Leanna: disappeared
> Billy: byebye, therefore probably also the other Coltons.
> Charlie: might die in the Season Finale, so maybe byebye as well.
> James/Oversight: might die of cancer or while giving his life to save Mac as the ultimate redemption

No one will be available in S4 .

If they want to bring Helman, Murdoc or Ethan back, they would have either to break out of prison or get released early (which shouldn't happen, considering the crimes).

Preliminary Ratings: http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/the-...d-5-3-2019.html

Not all that great, but could be worse.

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Should be better but ok for May. Really, who needs Diane Sawyer to report that obsessive phone use is detrimental to relationships? duh

I can't stand the fact that Matty was willing to commit treason to help her EX husband save his family. Even if she did eventually spin it so it all worked out. Also, you think if she was able to do all of that she could have gotten Ethan to avoid prison?

Personally I would love for less Matty focused stories. Never really cared too much for her.

I don't mind a Matty-focused episode every once in a while. But the Ethan storyline does nothing to develop her character and two Ethan-episodes within half a season was just too much.

They shouldn't have brought him back so soon or better not at all. I think there's more interesting stories to tell. Also, the main lead that the show is named after didn't even show up until after the first commercial break. I thought that was weird. Again, they packed too many storylines and personal tragedies into a single episode.

Also, I think it's a pity that Season 3 doesn't have an underlying story-arc. The big bad behind the S1 finale (the Organization) were never heard of again. All the build-up of Oversight and his ex-best-friend-now-enemy in the S2 finale is just forgotten. Now they bring in another big bad for the S3 finale.

I don't get why they burn through the recurring characters so fast and introducing new villains just for one episode when they never use them again. They could have brought back the Ghost for 3x22 if they hadn't killed him off; why bring in a new bomb-maker we haven't even heard of yet...

Blog Post about the MacHacks by Tech Consultant Rhett Allain: https://rhettallain.com/2019/05/04/macgyver...heartbreak-gum/

Contents are
> Breaking Window Bars with a Bicycle
> Spark Gap Generator
> Gum Wrapper Switch

That's Nancy Kiu. This isn't the first time I've questioned whether she knows what show she writes for. I see her name and inwardly groan.

I also think the Ethan story ended nicely with witness protection. That should have been it. I guess this allows for the end of S company. I am grateful at least they didn't use this as the season finale.

I think the answer to that question lies in the obvious lack of experience and leadership in the writing room.

If you look at the writers credits, non of them have much, if any, prior experience in writing and it's pretty obvious there's no mentoring or leadership going on there anymore.

I don't really mind that the Ghost is gone, and exchanged for a new bomb-maker. But I agree with the other comments about unused storylines. What about Walsh? Or the Organization? Or PATRICIA for crying out loud?!

I think Walsh should have been explored. I know they took care of the cartel leader.

I also think Lenkov's main concern is his Hawaii shows. MacGyver is left adrift. I don't bother with Lenkov's twitter anymore because he rarely if ever mentions MacGyver. He should provide that leadership.

I think confronting Billy would have been a good decision. But I felt the behavior fits Riley well. She rarely opens up about her feelings - she did and got hurt. It makes sense to me that she would shut down; trying to forget about it and pretend it never happened.

But I think cheating AND stupidly leaving a trace of it on his cell-phone (while dating one of the best hackers) was very out of character for Billy. The way he was raised by Mama and born into a family of confident and independent women; the way he treated Riley in other episodes and tried to find her grandmother... Also his reaction... I don't know. I thought it was weird.

Wouldn't he have immediately realized Riley knew about it since she didn't act "weird" when they started the mission? If he had cheated, wouldn't he have felt at least a bit guilty or embarassed about getting caught? And worried about Mama's reaction if she got wind of it?

On the other hand, it's possible it turns out he didn't cheat and it was only a cover for another job. That way, they could bring him back next season.


Generally, I feel like they're burning through all the recurring guest stars really fast.
> Helman: prison
> Murdoc: prison
> Ethan: prison
> Leanna: disappeared
> Billy: byebye, therefore probably also the other Coltons.
> Charlie: might die in the Season Finale, so maybe byebye as well.
> James/Oversight: might die of cancer or while giving his life to save Mac as the ultimate redemption

No one will be available in S4 .

If they want to bring Helman, Murdoc or Ethan back, they would have either to break out of prison or get released early (which shouldn't happen, considering the crimes).

> Sparky: Electronically fried for being nosey

Is it just me or were you worried Riley wasn't in her normal self while driving after the phone thing....looked like she was about to off herself around the wheel

Of course she wasn't her normal self. She just found out her boyfriend has been cheating on her.

Not sure what "off herself around the wheel" means.

honestly, before the press release for 3x22, I was totally convinced Walsh will be the big bad for the S3 finale. I assumed that's why they kept the storyline in "storage"; especially after revealing James having cancer.

I assumed that's why James - despite undergoing therapy - is still working as Oversight instead of taking time off to spend it with Mac. Because that's the last work-related thing he wants to accomplish before it's too late - catch Walsh. This makes no sense to me...

It's as half-baked as Jack going off to catch a baddie that hasn't ever been mentioned before... instead of making a villain up that the audience could actually relate to; e.g. something connected to Cairo or one of his Delta buddies getting killed and Jack trying to enact revenge

Maybe Greer (Bruce McGill's character in 2x11) was right. Mac is just a delinquent in the making

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The episode also got a mention in TV Line's "Quotes of the Week": https://tvline.com/gallery/game-of-thrones-...-matches-quote/

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Have to agree with those who say there was a little too much Ethan in the back half of this season. Probably could have condensed his last two appearances. Hopefully this is the end of that thread.

That being said, I enjoyed both storylines this week.

I would agree that the biggest missing aspect of this season is an underlying story for Mac. I guess you have the Mac Sr. cancer diagnosis, but...well, I guess we'll see how that plays out.

Thought Tristin was really good again in this one...some hope for the MacRiley shippers after all...

Of course she wasn't her normal self. She just found out her boyfriend has been cheating on her.

Not sure what "off herself around the wheel" means.

I meant like she'd not care if she crashed...which is different from her normal meticulous self

As sad as it was to see Riley upset, I loved the interaction between her and MacGyver (the whole part about crying and burning things.)

Also I've been catching up on this season so I actually finally saw this today.

Not sure why it took them so long, but we finally have a final ratings table in pretty colors: http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/show...s-5-3-2019.html

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First I need to get a few things of my chest here.

The writers of this episode really need to get off the show and they really got to stop with the B-storylines if this is all they can do. Riley is just assuming that Billy is cheating on her and then breaks up with him without telling him she knows about it without even knowing what exactly is going on or whatever the reason is, she just dumps him. Which seems for both characters so unlike them. Billy could be working on a mission for all we know. That Riley has trouble opening up to people, ok, I can get that but I don't get she won't give him a chance to explain it. Halfway the mission she finds out, then apprehends their targets, fly all the way back from Paris to L.A. and then dumps him at Mac's place and Billy doesn't seen to know why.

This is probably just a set-up for another episode where in turns out it was just a misunderstanding or something and everything will be fine but you can't leave Billy hanging like this.

Even if he is cheating on her, there so many better ways to handle this kind of idea.

And as said in the honorable mention: "A sharp dark turn"? This is not a sharp dark turn. This really is just poor writing. So bye-bye Nancy, bye-bye, Lindsey.

Don't get the hate Ethan is getting. In comparison to what they did to Billy, Ethan's story was at least better written. He at least send a final message to Matty saying he had take off his ring for his deep cover mission and then he ends up in such deep cover that the mission became his life. He didn't chose this, you know. You go in so deep, can't have contact with whatever your life before was, you fall back in love and then you remarry.

So this is his third episode, might as well be the Matty-Ethan trilogy then. I never expected to see him again after his first anyway and not after his second either, yet both were interesting surprises. Maybe the one thing that was good about this episode, that and the fight in the garage of course. The A-storyline was fine but far from great. Ethan is in jail now, so I don't think we see him back anytime soon. Maybe they do need to watch out with the fact that they don't make him the character who appears in every episode he is in that he needs a favor from his ex-wife. It might be another nod to Jack and Mac in the original, but you know what I mean.

How many times can they trot Murdoc out or Oversight or The Ghost if he didn't die? They get multiple episodes, then why not Ethan?

Still there are plenty of other characters worth a mention from the original into the reboot. I think of Earl Dent, Kate Connolly, Lt. Murphy, The Woodmans, Breeze, The Von Leer brothers, Quayle, just to name a few...

I think it makes an interesting concept. Are you willing to commit treason to help innocent people? Maybe even better, are you willing to commit treason in order to help your country?

Making room for new ones as I said above? You never know which new villain might return. They had a good one with The Ghost though. And who knows, maybe the new bomb-maker could be Prometheus to take over from The Ghost.

Word.

The only writer that actually sticks with me is Brian Durkin. At least he came up with The Ghost, I would say that would put him in charge. Anyone else is more or less forgetable.

I do wonder what it'll give if Lee David Zlotoff gets a chance to reboot the pilot he wrote for the original or if John Sheppard could write one more Murdoc episode, of course starring MDB as Helman.

Killing herself behind the wheel and taking Billy with her.

You're in for a treat then because both writers moved to other shows (Nancy Kiu for Batwoman I think)

And without revealing too much, they've also pretty much dropped the B-Storylines so far in Season 4 which I'm really happy about.