Every week I will be posting a new topic titled "Episode Discussion". In this we will discuss an episode, what we liked about it, what we didn't like, etc.


Episode 127 - Obsessed

MacGyver’s obsession that Murdoc is still alive is interfering with his job and threatening Pete’s position at the Phoenix Foundation.

Yeah, I like this episode. I like the ones with Murdoc. But the thing that gets me,is that I forgot that Murdoc DID NOT die. Even at the end of the last episode with him. And I would do as MacGyver did, when he knocked his head on the back of his sofa. He was frustrated that Murdoc is , possibly, not dead. Poor MacGyver !
I think if " MacGyver" was still running on t.v. today, that they would still find ways to get MacGyver to chase after his nemesis. And try to get Murdoc killed. But Murdoc just doesn't die. I am , firmly , convinced of that. But as usual, we all know that in the end,
because, he is the good guy and the good will always rule over the evil.
Sincerely,
Kate Mackay

As a kid, my brothers and I lived for the "Murdoc" episodes of MacGyver. So basically they all rule! But this one in particular, I remember not seeing for the longest time because I missed seeing it in the original run (for some annoying reason) and I had to get told by my friends at school about how incredibly cool it was!
But that's okay- I'm over it now. I finally got to see it later on in syndication and "Obsessed" is definitely an excellent episode! We have the last appearance of Murdoc in this episode. I particularly loved the spooky opening with MacGyver's dream. It helped add to the idea that MacGyver might have gone over the edge with "this Murdoc thing". This is one episode where Murdoc's whole amazing longevity thing and the fact that he keeps coming back to haunt Mac is kinda explored and I thought that was interesting. It was also great how Murdoc had convinced everyone that he was dead (except for MacGyver of course) and he tried to discredit MacGyver through that.
And it was neat to see how MacGyver and Pete knew each so well that Mac knew Pete would never fire him and he was setting things up so that MacGyver would be free to do some work on tracking down Murdoc.
And we also see something new to Murdoc as he has joined forces with a dictator and he himself states that now he prefers killing for money and power. Of course, the dictator turns on Murdoc, as all criminal alliances tend to do.
As for MacGyverisms, it was a pretty intense scene watching MacGyver escape from being strapped to a rocket! (echoing one of Mac's lines from the opening gambit of the Pilot episode- "You might as well strap yourself to a- well, to a rocket." )
And he managed to stop the rocket from reaching its destination and he tripped up the dictator with the cleaning liquid at the light bulb trick.
Note MacGyver is also now using a cell phone. I wonder if this was the first appearance on the show or if he had used them before. (I know he's used car phones, but I can't remember if he's used others before.)
Anyway, this is a great episode and probably one of the best of the 7th. Season- though of course, you know I love them all!

I somehow wondered why he did not tape the calls by Murdoc so that he could prove he was still alive... Wouldn't that seem a logically thing to do?


But yeah, the "strapped to the missile"-scene was very intense. He only had two shoes after all... so what, if both of them missed?

I also liked the creeping moments where Mac seemed to see Murdoc everywhere.

Again with using the boots to save himself? Whats this... the third time now?

How likely do you think it would be to have bottles of liquid nitrogen in an army camp... let alone right next to where they are launching a missile?

I can't get past any macgyverism involving accurately flicking or throwing boots at objects.. it just seems too far fetched for me, and, I think, over used.

He used one in "the black corsage"

So I'm thinking he did the shoes thing in " Legend of the Holy Rose" when he was strapped to the sarcophagus. With the big knife swinging lower and lower. I liked that " fancy foot work " was what he said to Zoe. And it is true that he did his " fancy foot work " in the " Obsessed " episode.
I , also liked that MacGyver could see Murdoc everywhere. It made me think " Oh, no ! MacGyver IS really flippin' out. Because the stress of the work was gettin' to him. Or was it ?
Sincerely,
Kate Mackay

I voted excellent on the final Murdoc episode. This was indeed a great and one of the better episodes of the 7th season. Plus it's episode 128.
The rocket scene is one of the best scenes in the episode. When you think he succeeds in getting the liquid nitrogen, it stops very close by but not close enough. Murdoc was also very great and actually that general suit suited him well.

You call those cell phones? I call them portable phones. They don't need to be reloaded with money.

Continue banging on the missile with his foot? Didn't see the point there what he was trying to do anyway.

Second time, me thinks. But it's the third time he's strapped down under something.

There's always a way in escaping, far fetched or not, he's just a very lucky man. Too lucky maybe. Over used? What about all those smoke screens he made, huh?

I wondered about that myself. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

This eppy ranks as one of my favorite Murdoc eppys, though it also features one of my least favorite characters... Cindy Finnegan. Stupid know-it-all b****. She clearly had a lot to learn, and was too proud to admit it (until the very end, of course). I wonder if by this time, Mac had developed some sort of sixth sense when it came to Murdoc. He'd certainly had plenty of previous experience dealing with him.

I also liked that unspoken understanding between Pete and Mac. Mac seemed to sense that Pete was only "firing" him for show.

I do agree that the throwing-boots-at-something MacGyverism was a little old by this time, and a little far-fetched, but what other option would he have had? It's clear that by now Murdoc has figured out that Mac will do just about anything to get out of his traps, and maybe Murdoc thought that this was the only way to get rid of his worst enemy once and for all. As usual, however, he underestimated Mac's creativity. Maybe, since this was the final eppy to feature Murdoc, the writers decided to dial up the tension as much as they could. But maybe they were running out of ideas by this time, and decided to fall back on something tried-and-true. And besides, let's face it, a LOT of the MacGyverisms were at least somewhat far-fetched. In addition to the smokescreens, I think of all the flying devices he made... three over the course of the series, by my count: To Be a Man, The Wasteland, and Bitter Harvest (if I'm remembering right).

He also made an ultralight plane in "Legend of the Holy Rose" (Part 1).

And yeah, MacGyver's only used his shoes for escape twice that I know of. And even if it's a bit far-fetched, so what? It's a tv show- I don't want it to be realistic all the time. You gotta allow for a little suspension of disbelief and just say, "Hey- he's MacGyver!" That's all the explanation you need for why he can pull something off!

Ah, yes- the Zack Morris model!

Thanks for the pic.

I just can't seem to get my head around it for some reason.

So anyone know why there where bottles of liquid nitrogen there?

doesn't seem like the kind of "everyday item" you would expect to be laying around beside a missle.. and that is what macgyverism are suppose to be all about... finding different ways of using the items around him.... this seems like a planted item needed to make the macgyverism work.

I voted good. Normally I love Murdoc episodes (well, except for Cleo Rocks)
But this one was a little too obvious for me.

I liked the fact that Pete trusts Mac "blindly" and that they set that brat Finnigan up. It shows that they go back a long time and that they have a unique friendship.

My favorite part of this episode is when Mac is caught and Murdoc asks for a firing squad (is that the name for it?) And Mac totally aggrevates Murdoc by saying he''s weak. Something like "So many times you've tried to kill me and failed and now you need a firing squad?"

(Mac in army clothing is always a big plus!)

The thing that bothers me most about this episode is:
Murdoc has always been determined to kill MacGyver. Now that he has the chance to "settle" things once and for all, he walks away from the missile!
Wouldn't you watch from a distance that he actually gets killed, when you know he ALWAYS finds ways out of things?!?! That was a little too easy.

And did you take a close look how Mac was tied up? Three lowsy strings?? Come on Murdoc! You should've known better!!! Even a 10 year-old boyscout would be able to wiggle his way out of that! Heck, even I would get out of that!

Nah, this one was way too obvious!

Yes, dangerous move but a great one.

If he tied his feet too, he'd never gotten to the nitrogen.

What I also like is their actual final confrontation with the jeep. MacGyver sees the dead soldier, you hear the starting car and the music going over from suspense to action.

Trivia: both actors Geno Silva and Michael Des Barres shows up in David Lynch's Mulholland Drive. Silva as the hotel manager of Justin Theroux and as the host of the bizarre theater scene where the woman sings Llorando. Michael Des Barres shows up as Billy in a tiny cameo role. Can't remember if he says anything or shows up in another scene. Just look at the scene where in a bunch of bad guys comes out of the diner eating and smoking. Des Barres is on the right of your screen with gray hair, eating a hotdog and smoking a cigarette at the same time.

Wendie Malick however shows up in Will 'Boy Meets World' Friedl's teen comedy Trojan War.

I dunno if I wanna vote excellent or good yet! It's one of the highlights of season 7 and it's a Murdoc ep, but it's also my least favorite Murdoc ep. i think mostly because I don't buy the Murdoc becoming a dictator thing. I thought that premise was kind of dumb...but other than that, I love it! Whether there should have been liquid nitrogen there or not, that whole scene was pretty intense...Mac's frustration added a lot in that scene. And I really liked the beginning where you had to wonder if Mac had finally really lost it.

Ok...went back and voted excellent! Sheepy mentioned the scene where Mac gets sassy with Murdoc and that put me over the top...love that!

I'm with Rocky on the shoe flick. And the liquid nitrogen.... on a kinda military base.... next to a rocket launch pad??? The writers seemed a little lackadaisical, but then, that's come up before.

What sends me on this episode is at the end, the "stand-off"? Murdoc backs the Jeep up, aims at MacGyver, and guns it for him. Mac rolls out of the way and there goes Murdoc off the cliff.



Did Murdoc think that hitting MacGyver would stop the Jeep?? The cliff was there, MacGyver surviving a thudding or not. Anybody?

Actually the question should be: Did Murdoc really think he would not try to roll away?


The only explanation may be that he was totally blinded in his hate. Then people start to do insane things. Just like Deborah.

Murdoc was certain he would've had MacGyver and figured it would be great that they both died.

This episode alternated between mwah and over-the-top, but the opening makes up for a multitude of sins--what a nail biter!

Mac

I love this ep because it has Murdoc in it, and he is so wonderfully sneaky, I can be forgiving for the plot loops.

I never pegged Murdoc as the murder / suicide type.

I never pegged Murdoc as the murder / suicide type.

Well Murdoc is a lunatic.

I never pegged Murdoc as the murder / suicide type.

Yeah, I never did either...too arrogant to kill himself off. But I guess when it's the last season and you've failed to destroy the target over and over again, lunacy prevails... Maybe? *shrugs*

Maybe because Murdoc had survived 'certain death' so many times, he thought that he was indestructable? I'm pretty sure that he was so irked at MacGyver that he wasn't thinking of anything other than killing Mac.

Crazy people do crazy things!

As evidenced by many of us here...

I recently saw “Obsessed” again and thought it very much shows a real side of Mac, getting angry, losing temper, circumstances getting on his nerves after episodes of stoically enduring all sorts of situations with such balance. I do not remember seeing him get so mad at someone , banging the table and all, or looking sooo tired (he really does look exhausted at certain points in the show, doesn’t he?), even unable to sleep. Here I also learned that Phoenix operatives go through medical assessment (logical enough). One thing I did not understand, though, is why in the final scene he did not tell Pete about the phone call... Any ideas here?

Sounds dumb, but... they ran outta time...?

Seriously... with Mac's fragile mental state, who'd believe him? Well, maybe Pete, but certainly not Cindy - that is if she still is employed by The Phoenix Foundation. (I really wanted to "Punch her lights out"- she made me so angry...)

I am watching this episode as I type this. What always gets me is that for the first time during the show, we really see that Murdoc has had a powerful impact on Mac's psychological and mental state. Mac always seemed collected before, freaked a few times. But here we see Mac having nightmares (caused greatly by prank phone calls from Murdoc), job difficulties, loss of appetite, loss of attention span, and what some consider to be delusions.
Cindy Finngan is a female character that gives professional women a bad reputation. Being a professional doesn't give one the right to be a -----(you fill in the blanks). Yeeesh.
I am watching the scene where Mac finds the chess piece under the car, and that lead into the scene where Murdoc is dressed as a waiter (great) and kills a Phoenix agent, Jay Gibbs was his name if memory serves.
I love the part toward the end where MacGyver is in the compound with Murdoc, Delasora, and the girl, and Mac says, "Blew it again huh Murdoc" The look on Murdoc's face and Mac's little speech about Murdoc's failures-perfect!!
The rocket scene-well I can forgive the boots.
Favorite part: the part where Pete has to get Cindy off his back and so he makes it appear that he has fired Mac, then he shows up at the loft, and they talk. You can tell how long they have been friends.

The thing which stands out about this episode is how different the first and second halves are.

In the first half we see Murdoc really doing MacGyver's head in and the whole tone of the show has a dark and sinister psychological feel to it.

Then when MacGyver goes to the army base the whole episode suddenly turns into a more typical Murdoc farce. Was a bit of a let down actually.

Oh and as a side note my 12 year old son laughed at how ridiculously lucky MacGyver would have to be to hit that button on his first flick of the boot.

He said it was too unbelievable.

I would remind you and your son that Mac is ridiculously lucky all the time in his little escapes (some of which are worthy of Houdini). I know what your son means about the boots but it's MacGyver and there are only so many minutes in an episode.