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| MacGyver Online Forums > Episode Discussions > 1-3 Awl |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 26 September 2016 - 05:25 AM |
 1-3 Awl Airdate: 7 October 2016 Writer: David Slack Director: Matt Earl Beesley Guest Cast: Oliver Cooper (Ralph), Aina Dumlao (Andie Lee), Walter Tabayoyong (Dr. Laqman Megat), Danielle Lyn (Receptionist), Benjamin Taylor (Bulgy Neck Vein), Hans Marrero (Sniper) MacGyver is sent to Malaysia to extract a terrorist groups' money man who holds key intel on an impending attack. But when the man is shot MacGyver must fight to keep him alive to learn the terrorists' plans. |
| Posted by: Joe SAKic 7 October 2016 - 05:06 PM |
| This was a bomb! The synthetic music finally made me say 'uncle' out loud ... it sure ain't no Vancouver Symphony to be sure. And Mac's now a Doctor! The Guest Star was annoying, but, then again, he was suppose to be! Liked the soft talk about Mac/Jack's relationship with their dads, & another beer bump at the end ... but that's about all she wrote. Series longevity hopes dropped a good 5 percentage points tonight. |
| Posted by: themacgyverproject 7 October 2016 - 08:01 PM |
| Yeah the guest star was really annoying and unrealistic. For me the biggest flaw in the series so far is it's too lighthearted and comical -- I would rather it be much more serious (I never watched the original for laughs). Here are my http://themacgyverproject.blogspot.com/2016/10/macgyver-reboot-episode-3-awl.html |
| Posted by: InVader 8 October 2016 - 02:23 AM |
| I do agree about the music. It's terribly off from what it should be. The Guest star had a punch face. However, i felt like the MacGyverisms were given a bit more time in this episode. So I see that as a plus...And finally, I'll never look at my windshield wipers the same way ever again. |
| Posted by: DXS 8 October 2016 - 03:06 AM | ||
Wow, I have the opposite view. This series is WAY TO SERIOUS for me. The original was not lighthearted, but was....... just right. |
| Posted by: DXS 8 October 2016 - 03:14 AM |
| I thought the MacGyverisms were better. The pop can one, they way he described it, just like RDA did. And less use of the "words" on the MacGyverisms. I guess I have come to the conclusion that I want Lucas Till to do it JUST LIKE RDA did it. No, I"m not one of those women that were all GAGA over RDA. I just thought RDA was an excellent pick and really put a lot of positive spin on the series. I see why Henry Winkler picked RDA for the original. I guess I just want that to be part of this reboot, but I'm not seeing it. I still miss the Bruce McGill way of playing Jack Dalton. The George Eads way is.....not Bruce McGill. I'm trying to like it....... but it's just way too serious. Plus, RDA being in his 30's when he played MacGyver versus Lucas Till only being in his 20's..... way too noticable difference. This "young" McGyver isn't old enough to have served in the military! Well, then again, in another part of this forum, someone brought up the COUNTDOWN episode and wondered if MacGyver was IN the military or was he a military contractor who defused bombs. Never thought about that, but GOOD QUESTION. I kind pf liked the annoying character, I liked the way it offset the seriousness of the show. |
| Posted by: Joe SAKic 8 October 2016 - 04:29 AM |
| Great review TMP! .... The cinematography/lighting/props are way, way off (so far). The original went overboard in making the sets look so inviting and so that the viewer could almost step right through the screen and be apart of it. This series (so far) is way too plastic, generic, computerized and thus cookie-cutter. Nothing much they can do about it, I'm afraid - sign of the times. It's sort of like oriental rugs. All the documentation, details are there to be able to recreate the beautiful handwoven, vegetal dyed rugs of the past, yet it's almost impossible to do in this day and age, and even if they did, it would be way too costly. Same as a tv series. ------- I like Eads, but he's a bit 'too' Texan in character..... and so it makes it hard to believe that he's a well-travelled, man of the world. McGill had that can't quite pin point his origins thing happening .... and that is essential for that character roll. Oh, it just dawned on me that Till's shoulders are way too small (compare with RDA). It kinda matters because you don't get the imposing feel that he's ever done anything physical before ... and yet his resume/history/occupation screams otherwise. |
| Posted by: KiwiTek 8 October 2016 - 04:37 AM | ||
Is it too serious or just taking itself to serious? RDA often said in interviews that they never took themselves too seriously and always had "tongues planted firmly in cheeks" so I wonder if that's something us old fans are noticing as a difference? |
| Posted by: Miasma 8 October 2016 - 05:10 AM |
| I haven't seen this latest episode yet, but unless it's drastically different from the first two, I can't imagine it being too serious. The first two episodes felt downright goofy at times, with the silly background music sometimes bordering on cartoonish. The original series fluctuated a LOT in tone. There were episodes that took themselves very seriously, and there were also extremely campy/silly episodes. And there were also plenty of in-between episodes. The difference for me is that none of the humor in this reboot ever comes from Mac himself (at least not in the first two episodes... haven't seen the latest one.) RDA was quite good at comedy, and it came through in Mac's mannerisms, facial expressions, tone of voice, etc. Watching him get exasperated with Jack, for example, was always entertaining. I'm not sure if Lucas has that ability yet, or if the writers just aren't giving him anything to work with. |
| Posted by: Macgyver12186 8 October 2016 - 06:15 AM |
| I loved it... First and fore most my wife who doesn't like Macgyver period actually paid attention to tonight episode (she's nurse) and pointed out for the first time (in either the old or new series) the Macgyverisms were realistic.. I disagree as many magyverisms from the first show the TV movies an even young MacGyver and the new show are realistic but... still She is slowly getting interested  but beyond that how do I feel.. well for on I feel like I am betraying the original series as I love the new show this episode is by and large the best one so far but lets do the lists as I have been doing for each show so for Negatives 1. Wilt Bowzer...I have tried to like this character believe me I have tried I just find him so annoying 2. Thornton is back to too serious I feel I guess there was no moments for her to show her humanity but still I don't know if it's how the part is written or h actress I mean episode 2 showed her closer to Pete and episode 3 she is back to being Dench's M for lack of a better term 3. the guest star was a bit too annoying... 4. couldn't the do the "parental figure drama" garbage with Mac's grandfather who played that cliché role before it became a cliché role in T.V.'s Again cast RDA as Harry Jackson (or if he is so dead set you know what Brue McGill would make a decent Harry to be honest) Postives 1. OMG the punch/shake of thing RDA does TILL DID!!! 2. Eads and Till have such great chemistry whoever said they don't (refferng to the pilot) is either nuts or doesn't know what chemistry is. he graveyard scene the beer scene all of it was great. 3. ALL THE MACGYVERISM WERE ORIGINAL!!!!!! So happy not once did I say "oh wow they did the same thing in ..." and al of them were really cool plus I remember the big fear was Mac was going to be some annoying hacker person and with that fear the line "I am not the be with computers while everyone else on my block was playing with programs on their laptop I took mine apart to see how it worked" I laughed so hard 4. Till continues to be PERFECT he is better then any actor I pictured. So excited for episode 4 as this is the first time an actor is going to be both from the original series and in the new series http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0059946/?ref_=tt_cl_t7 so looking forward to seeing the return of actor Elya Baskn to the world of Macgyver |
| Posted by: Miasma 8 October 2016 - 07:26 AM | ||
That's pretty cool! I didn't realize he was going to be in it. It works nicely because in the original series, he was in "Soft Touch," which was a Penny Parker episode, and Penny Parker will be in next week's episode. |
| Posted by: Jediferret 8 October 2016 - 09:03 AM |
| I wonder if he'll be back as "Biff". lol Finally finished watching it... I don't have cable, so I have to wait until it's released on the CBS website, which is the following morning. Not bad! Honestly... The actors feel more at ease in their roles this time around. I spy rubber duckies! lol There were actually moments were Lucas Till has that reserved "I give a crap" feel from the original first season and actually comes off as legit. I do feel the humor is still a bit forced, but it did make me chuckle a few times... so it's all good and a bag of potato chips. However, RDA always came off as an entertainer than an actor... and I think that's why the humor worked so well in MacGyver and Stargate SG-1. He seems to enjoy making people laugh. Now if they can just channel that a bit more, I think the humor won't be so forced. Story wise and MacGyverisms were great! Sure, the guest role was annoying as well... but as Joe said, he was supposed to be. I have a pretty high tolerance for annoying... usually... most of the time... lol All in all, I give it a 4 out of 5 and a Nice Job from me.  |
| Posted by: InVader 8 October 2016 - 09:07 AM |
| Anyone else catch the hurting hand after the punch? That was nice to see. |
| Posted by: MacsJeep 8 October 2016 - 10:12 AM |
| I said I wasn't going to watch this...but I found myself still doing so. And... I honestly thought it was better this week. I watched on my laptop and didn't have the sound issues I do on the TV. It didn't feel as rushed, and they have apparently (I hope) realized we don't need the on screen text for the MacGyverisms. I think I only saw it once this week? I still HATE Bozer - he really has to go!!!! Pointless, and more annoying than even the guest star from hell. I did like the MacGyverisms more, although the credit card for a sucking chest wound has been used in other stuff. Using the car's washer pump to suck blood was a bit EWWWW, but kinda cool. I liked it in a garish way. Maybe the Supernatural fan in me coming out lol. I liked how he kind of had RDA's "bag for the things I find along the way." And how it had "Mission City" on it as a shoutout to our man's hometown. I really did have to smile when Lucas did the RDA punch/hurt hand deal as well. It shouldn't make me grin like a kid again, but it did. I felt Lucas was more the "main man" this week even though the team were there, and that HAS to be the way it goes. The plot was silly again, but I don't mind that. And I definitely now think they were going to ask RDA to be his dad. In a way, I'm sad he didn't do it now. A little on the set input from the original could have worked wonders, methinks. So, overall, it was way better than last week for me, but everyone has their own opinion, of course. I guess this means I will have to try and watch again next week now! |
| Posted by: Miasma 8 October 2016 - 11:17 AM | ||
Definitely. I finally watched this episode, and it seems really obvious to me that they were planning to bring in RDA as Mac's dad. Now I wonder who they'll cast instead. Michael Des Barres, perhaps? haha. (I have to admit, I'd kind of love that, even though it would be bizarre.) |
| Posted by: shadowrider 8 October 2016 - 06:56 PM |
| Agree that this episode was way better than the previous ones. It was camp fun, and at times felt like a camp 80s tv-show (don't know if this was intentional). Pros: the "gross" Macguyverisms were such twisted fun. Jack is hilarious. As a side note, he should be wearing total black all the time. I liked the annoying kid, he had me in stitches. Cons: the black kid bits, especially Mac playing the monster, were embarassing. I also find the computer girl a bit annoying. Mac's voiceover delivery needs to be much impoved and lose the smug attitude. |
| Posted by: KiwiTek 9 October 2016 - 12:06 AM |
| Just finished watching this episode online. My only real gripe is with the MacGyverisms being done too fast. They're supposed to be the magic of the show; what sets it apart from all the other action shows, but they're done so fast you hardly even have time to register what's happening and they're gone. I will admit I'm having difficulty watching this as MacGyver though. Just because there's too many differences. It really doesn't feel like MacGyver in any way shape or form and there's certainly no magic to it. It's just another TV show. I thought that might have been because there's been other shows which siphon off aspects of MacGyver over the years, but I still feel the magic when watching the original on DVD so I'm still trying ot pinpoint what it is that isn't working - but something is definitely off. |
| Posted by: shadowrider 9 October 2016 - 12:29 AM |
| When Mac is making a makeshift syringe out of a ballpoint pen, why does he burn the plastic grip part? And notice that right after, when he's squirting the syringe, that part is not burnt any more. |
| Posted by: manueloooord 9 October 2016 - 03:54 AM |
| The episode was set in Malaysia for almost the whole time, right? The only thing that really bugged me in this episode is that the cars have their steering wheels on the left side of the car, just like how cars are in America and here in the Philippines. But, if I remember correctly based on what I know, cars in Malaysia have their steering wheels on the right side of the vehicle. |
| Posted by: MacsJeep 9 October 2016 - 04:05 AM | ||
That's still an issue for me too. There is no "magic" and to be honest, I don't think there ever will be. That feeling is lost on modern TV. I have given in to the fact that I am "pretending" this is just another show, and on that basis it was okay this week. Put it this way - in thirty years time, if I'm still around, I won't be writing a VS for the new version! It just would never inspire me to write like the original does. |
| Posted by: Miasma 9 October 2016 - 04:18 AM | ||
I think the music gave the original something that this show is lacking. I'm not talking about the theme song, since that's kind of a separate thing, I'm talking about the music during the episodes. The original had certain themes that were used for specific situations. When he'd start doing a MacGyverism, for example, there were specific themes for that (it changed a bit from season to season, but it was always distinct.) When he was chasing someone (or being chased), there were other themes. Etc. It gave the show some personality. Remember how in the western episodes, they were able to take those classic themes and play with them to give them a "western" flavor? Things like that give a show personality. They couldn't do that with this reboot because there's no memorable music being used. I'm not saying this reboot needs to have the SAME music themes as the original, but the use of more thematic music would help. Instead, we get a lot of very generic, unmemorable cues, along with the occasional rock song. And that makes the show itself feel generic and unmemorable. |
| Posted by: Joe SAKic 9 October 2016 - 05:14 AM |
| Yes, the old vs new is analogous to symphony vs piped in elevator music, in this case. I would say most kids who grew up in and embraced the video game industry wouldn't notice these degradation(s), at all. But it's glaring for those of us who watched the original and the meticulous planning and care that went into the peripheral sensory aspects of the production. The little (relatively) subliminal technicalities are what it give it distinction, a class of it's own. This is MacGyver but with very weak, cheap, & uninspired supportive tissue. |
| Posted by: Miasma 9 October 2016 - 05:26 AM | ||
Then again, many video games today actually DO use real orchestras for their soundtracks (unlike in the 80s, when that wasn't an option), which is perhaps what makes the music in MacGyver seem even more noticeably cheap. Also, shows like "Lost" used an orchestral soundtrack, and had distinct themes for each character, situation, etc. And obviously "Game Of Thrones" has a very memorable, impressive soundtrack. So the standard has been raised, but the rebooted MacGyver went backwards. Of course, I understand that "Game Of Thrones" has a much higher budget than MacGyver, so maybe it's not a fair comparison. But even if they couldn't use a real orchestra, it's still possible to create memorable themes with synths. Plenty of shows and movies do it. (For example, I recently watched "Eddie The Eagle," and it had a synth soundtrack that could at first seem cheesy, but it actually worked amazingly well at setting the tone and sticking in your head.) |
| Posted by: MacsJeep 9 October 2016 - 06:12 AM |
| The background music on the new MacGyver just mostly annoys me. It's just random, and very ill-fitting to the show. It's like the Wilt character, it just doesn't belong. |
| Posted by: Macgyver12186 9 October 2016 - 07:20 AM |
| http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/daily-ratings/tv-ratings-friday-oct-7-2016/ It dropped a bit more so I'm a little nervous about this |
| Posted by: themacgyverproject 9 October 2016 - 08:43 AM |
| I agree with all your music points. My litmus test is, would you listen to a CD of it at home or in the car? The original MacGyver could have filled 5 CDs of amazing background music that I would have listened to all the time. So far on the reboot it's just generic filler with little melody and indistinguishable from any other action show. |
| Posted by: Joe SAKic 9 October 2016 - 09:36 AM |
| No, you wouldn't spend a dime on it. Here's a great article about music's emotional influence in film. http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/0/24083243. |
| Posted by: Macgyver1985 9 October 2016 - 09:41 AM |
| I haven't seen this episode yet, however, given the ratings and reviews. I can assume it was better than the previous episodes. I am deeply saddened that the series hasn't premiered in South Africa. Moreover, I am uncertain if I'll have the opportunity to watch this series from the beginning to the end, due to my stressful and busy schedule. I am grateful for the amount of feedback given on this forum; this keeps me well-informed regarding each and every episode! |
| Posted by: denizen 9 October 2016 - 08:06 PM |
| Watching episode 3 i found myself doing something i haven't actually noticed before. I am expressionless. I am just not feeling this show. They are trying to be funny, they are trying to put MacGyverisms to the extreme, they are trying to make everything feel natural. I just don't feel it. Don't know why. Again, 3rd episode that just was meh for me. |
| Posted by: angus20 10 October 2016 - 10:31 AM |
| I'm on the same page, this time i fell asleep (well I might be too busy lately) but the show lacks of something that I can't describe, I know that the actors are doing their best as well as the producers but it just ...... Regarding the episode there were some unbelievable things going on outside the Macgyverisms, if anyone noticed how many times the sniper failed from such a close distance, but he had a clean shot on the "guess star" who can't die by the way, also sometimes they use a radio to communicate, but sometimes we just can't see it and i had the impression they were using a small device- It's kind of strange the way they are managing the background story, just like the fact the Lucas always refers -> "just like my grandfather used to.." but then, there was a discussion regarding his father, so not sure this seems to be a different version of Mac in a different universe, similar to the Spider Man comics.  |
| Posted by: Widowmaker 11 October 2016 - 01:29 PM |
| I liked the MacGyverisms for the most part and the frequency of them, but I didn't like the guy they were trying to protect. I hated all the obnoxious bling bling Kardashian lifestyle crap and I wish the show were at least a little more serious and not so heavily reliant on reality TV/social media references and trying overly hard to be hip. |
| Posted by: DashboardOnFire 11 October 2016 - 02:04 PM |
| So far I liked this episode the best - it made me laugh sometimes and I liked the MacGyverisms. The writing is definitely better. But it's still not MacGyver - which annoys me even more because I really think this has potential. It's kinda funny that the reboot tries so hard to be hip and cool and still fails in so many parts. And I still don't really know why. The original show wasn't always hip and cool and had its flaws every now and then (e.g. bad writings, stupid villains and over-the-top-crazy MacGyverisms) - but somehow it worked. I think while trying to be so hip and cool and modern and trying to fulfill CBS demands (Team MacGyver, big kawooooooms and action but no big expenses) at the same time, they somehow failed the characters. I just don't "feel" them. I don't care about exchanging Pete for Patricia anymore; because she's just "not there" for me - she's in the room and talking but somehow just a pretty decoration. As they said on the Phoenix Foundation Podcast, she's a soundig board for the others. She's as bland as the villains (that we don't remember because apart from Vinnie Jones in the pilot, they have no names, no faces and no lines to speak). Jack Dalton is a totally new character in this reboot and yet I think I actually know him the best. He's also the most interesting with the best character development. Which is bad, because I don't really know New MacGyver - and I should know him and feel for him; MacGyver being the main hero with a show named after him and having 7 seasons of the old show to get to know the character. I can't really explain it; I feel like I should grab him by the shoulders and demand "Who are you? You seem so familiar and yet I just don't know you!". |
| Posted by: Miasma 11 October 2016 - 03:37 PM | ||
I think this is one of the show's biggest problems. MacGyver doesn't really have much personality in this. I've said it before-- we don't get any taste of his sense of humor, we don't know what motivates, we don't know what angers him, etc. We just know he's the guy on the team who does MacGyverisms. And that's not enough to make us care about him. I understand that we've only seen three episodes, so there hasn't been time for tons of character development, but three episodes is more than enough time to give the lead character a personality. |
| Posted by: Mr Duct Tape 12 October 2016 - 01:15 AM |
| I still don't like the "team" aspect they're going for in this version of MacGyver. And as it seems they're not going to change it, I guess this was the end for me. I'm sorry but Mac is a lone wolf IMO. |
| Posted by: Miasma 12 October 2016 - 05:12 AM |
| I wonder if the show will ever do occasional "lone wolf" episodes. For example, in the original series, there were many episodes in which Mac wasn't sent on an assignment, but rather he just happened to stumble upon a situation where somebody needed help. Could we see something like that in the reboot? Maybe an episode that starts with Mac driving somewhere for vacation or whatever, and then he sees someone in trouble, and decides to lend a hand? Now that I think about it, episodes like that really defined Mac's character. He didn't just help people because it was his job, he did it because it was in his nature to do so. |
| Posted by: Mr Duct Tape 12 October 2016 - 07:26 AM | ||
Bravo!!  |
| Posted by: Danjo1 12 October 2016 - 07:34 AM |
| It seems like a MacGyver for people that are slow witted. They are far too pedantic with their explanations of the MacGyverisms IMO. But that is not my biggest complaint. There is a distinct lack of the "Every-man" quality to the new Mac's personality that RDA had in his performance. One episode that I recall had Mac knocking out a fake security guard at the Phoenix Foundation and he cut a piece of electrical chord to tie him up with, only to then see that the guard had a pair of handcuffs on his belt that he could use instead. It showed Mac smiling and shaking his head at himself for being too cute and then using the handcuffs. The original Mac was confident, but also self-effacing when he realized his errors. It made him likable and relatable. The new Mac is arrogant and smug. In addition, the original Mac would pack what the thought he would need for a particular operation when he had the chance. The new one doesn't. Rather than having the MacGyverisms spring from pure necessity, they are treated as a fetish. He won't use guns, but he will work with those, and rely on those that use them excessively. Also, he will be sitting in a surveillance van with tons of equipment, but he won't bring a lock-pick with him and will use Jack's sunglasses instead; not because he COULDN'T have easily brought a lock pick when he knew he was going to be breaking into a house (after all, they had that hi-tech van and tons of guns), but because he HAS to do things the hard way for no reason except to show how clever he is. It's just silly and unrealistic. The original Mac improvised because he HAD to, not out of some sort of fetishistic need to not do things normally. He didn't like guns (at all) because of a childhood tragedy, not because he was just too damned quirky. His relationship with Walt is stupid and condescending. Mac treats him like is is a special needs child that he is patronizing and humoring. This unneeded distraction needs to go away completely from the show. It adds nothing to it. They should not have even included this new Jack Dalton since he's nothing like the old one. If they were going to have this character they are calling Jack, they should have renamed him. He's not the lovable friend that is always needing to be bailed out due to some sort of get rich quick scheme but Mac can never say no to. Many of us have had a friend similar to the original Jack Dalton. If they were going to change his personality that much, they should have just given him a new name entirely so that we weren't making comparisons. The new character is fine, it's just simply NOT Jack Dalton (not even an updated version of the same character). Patricia Thornton is another one. Either rename the character, or make the relationship and personality similar to the original. Why couldn't they have cast a realistic mature woman to play her if they had to switch genders? Why a young attractive woman who seems to be hard as nails? Honestly, they should have made Mac a different person too (perhaps a son or grandson of the original). In fact, they would have done better to leave Thornton as a man and change the sex of Mac (could have made her a granddaughter). Before you say,"This is a reboot, so you have to take it on it's own merits" let me say this: when you retain the same character names and series name, you invite comparison to the original show. Otherwise, you would just rename it and see if it would work on it's own merits. When you keep the original name you are, in part relying on the reputation of the original to give you momentum and to gain an audience that were fans of the original (particularly if the original show was still fresh in the minds of a large part of your core target audience). Unlike Hawaii Five-O, which was rebooted 30 years after the original show went off the air (whose original core target 30-50 year-old audience was largely dead, or very old), Macgyver, was rebooted only 24 years after it had gone off the air. The core target audience of the original show was much younger than Hawaii Five-O had been, and most of us are still alive and kicking. In other words; we're going to be making comparisons to the original show constantly. So, when you do a "reboot" you are not only benefiting from the reputation of the original show, you are setting the bar pretty high because you also have something to live up to. Anyway, thanks for reading if you made it this far through my rant. |
| Posted by: DashboardOnFire 12 October 2016 - 08:30 AM | ||
I say we won't see that in the reboot - at least not in this season because it's focused on the "Team MacGyver" aspect. It might change if the show gets picked up for another season, but somehow I doubt it because it doesn't fit how CBS and other networks think a modern TV show should be. Which is a pity. |
| Posted by: tvero 12 October 2016 - 08:48 AM |
| I simply feel sorry for the actors now. It's hard to be criticized and it's not (entirely) their fault ... |
| Posted by: Danjo1 12 October 2016 - 08:59 AM | ||
The actors aren't the problem. I blame the show-runner/producers of this show. I'm sure the actors are fine on their own merits. |
| Posted by: tvero 12 October 2016 - 09:11 AM | ||||
I'm not particularly impressed by Lucas Till (sorry).But it's just me. |
| Posted by: Danjo1 12 October 2016 - 09:48 AM | ||||||
Me either, but I can't tell if it's just the writing and directing of this show. |
| Posted by: Miasma 12 October 2016 - 10:19 AM |
| So far, Lucas hasn't shown much charisma, but maybe the writing/directing isn't letting him? I don't know. I haven't seen him in anything else, so it's hard to say. Also, I try to remind myself that RDA wasn't all that great in the early episodes. It took him a while to grow into the role. |
| Posted by: DashboardOnFire 16 October 2016 - 05:33 AM |
| Rhett Allain, technical consultant for the reboot, explains how and why the body-bag-and-fire-extinguisher-stunt works: https://www.wired.com/2016/10/physics-says-macguyvers-body-bag-freefall-cushion-work/ |
| Posted by: DashboardOnFire 26 November 2016 - 03:52 PM |
| If anyone's interested... here are the early ratings for the rerun this Friday: http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/friday-tv-ratings-dr-seuss-grinch-stole-christmas-2020-penn-teller-fool-us-blue-bloods-dateline/ |
| Posted by: KiwiTek 26 November 2016 - 06:42 PM |
| Hmmm so it got 4th overall for the whole night across both timeslots, but didn't make the top 5 for 8pm and got 3rd for the 9pm. Is it traditional that regular shows don't air the day after Thanksgiving or was there some other reason? |
| Posted by: Miasma 26 November 2016 - 09:15 PM | ||
Networks typically don't bother showing new episodes during Thanksgiving or the Friday after Thanksgiving. Even when they do show a new episode, it's usually not a regular episode (for example, this week's "Designated Survivor" was about real-life designated survivors, it wasn't a normal episode continuing the plot of the show.) I think the network know that most people are too busy with family gatherings, etc, and won't be watching television. |
| Posted by: DashboardOnFire 28 March 2017 - 11:12 AM |
| I rewatched this episode on the weekend and interestingly, I liked it a lot better this time around. The MacGyverisms are still too fast for me (with the surgery in the car being on the "WTF"-side  ).There is a constant theme with all three main protagonists (the importance of talking to your parents and loved ones); but it's not too preachy. Yes, Ralph is annoying and a bit over the top, but he's still very human when he realizes he might actually die and hasn't spoken to his mother for ages and tells them his information just in case (although that puts him in a more vulnerable position). Also, I didn't notice in how many scenes the Easter Egg (Mission City Star bag) is actually visible. I had to make a little compilation for that |
| Posted by: DashboardOnFire 24 November 2017 - 09:35 AM |
| Digging through my vault for my newest blog post, I realized I never posted the final ratings for this Episode. Looking at the first Season overall, this episode has the 5th-highest place (when looking at live viewers numbers). |
| Posted by: MacsMinx 25 May 2018 - 05:12 PM |
| For me, one of the highlights of this episode was Jack's bucket list during the opening gambit. I did love that. LOL! |
| Posted by: DashboardOnFire 27 May 2018 - 01:40 PM | ||
He definitely has a weird definition of his bucket list . I think he mentions it again in Episode 2x14. |
| Posted by: DashboardOnFire 5 September 2018 - 09:14 AM |
| Here's the blog post by Rhett Allain - Technical Consultant for the Reboot - about the "MacHacks" used in this episode: https://rhettallain.com/2018/08/17/macgyver-season-1-episode-3-hacks/ |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 3 October 2018 - 04:01 AM |
| First a little general response. Things, I've read here that it's too dark and that comparisons with the original Mac... For starters, this show is not dark at all. What I've seen so far gives me more season 2 vibes. The original season 2 in my opinion was the most fun and lighthearted season out of the 7. This is more violent, yes, but this is not dark. This is far from anything that could be Kill Zone or Lesson In Evil or the sewer scene in Trail To Doomsday. And when it comes to this MacGyver's military service... considering what he said in the next episode that the KGB was disbanded before he was born: that should make him about 24 in the first season. If he joined the military at the age of 18 or 19, that would give him about 5 to 6 years of military service. Why he left is unclear at the moment or maybe he simply did his time and was discharged to move on with his life. The comparing with what we know of the original Mac with the new one... What do know of the new one? His motivations, why he's doing what he does the way he does it? Not a thing. Did it occur to you that that's all part of the mystery of this character? What did we know of the original Mac after three episodes? Not a thing. Besides the only mention of a cousin Allie in The Golden Triangle, it took 10 episodes before we knew MacGyver had a grandfather, it took 13 episodes to know he loved hockey, 33 episodes to know his father and grandmother died in an accident, 66 episodes to know why he hates guns and 94 episodes to know his mother died of a stroke. I think it's great this MacGyver remains a little more mysterious. The less we know the better, just to keep on guessing. This way they can take their time to develop the character, work out his new backstory and maybe slowly move him out of Jack's shadow bit by bit. Isn't that exactly what the original was? He's just a regular somewhat mysterious guy you go to when you have problems and in some weird way he's a comfort because of the things he does or says. "It's just what I do is kinda tough the explain." "You know, MacGyver, in a weird way you're a comfort." Also I don't think, this show is trying to be hip or cool at all. Modern, yeah, maybe, but that was the original one too. He also teamed up, maybe not every episode but they did. There were explosions, fights, gunfire and they didn't always miss considering the times MacGyver took a bullet. And this show does not take itself serious. The mood is too light, too much fun for that. I wonder when they get to a Kill Zone like episode or Lesson In Evil or The Negotiator or Blind Faith. But at this point, I'm having plenty of fun with it. Now on the episode itself. Another good one, really. For the first time I caught myself rewinding a scene a couple of times because it was so great. This being Jack standing at Ralph's bed and nodding at him before he freaks out. Ralph was annoying and I think everyone wants to punch him in the face. And honestly I was thinking: Jonah Hill? Maybe they should've casted him instead. A couple of great and original MacGyverisms, but they seem to have taken more time with it, it wasn't so flashy and that's a step forward. And I liked it that they complicated the plot by having their guy injured and Mac has to improvise on surgery, not to mention that great icky detail on the windshield. That's the kind of humor I like. This was a good episode. |
| Posted by: sylvain1888 31 October 2020 - 04:46 PM |
| That I hate Ralph, for me he completely spoils the episode ... But I would like to say hello to my girlfriend from Malaysia, who adores Mac and who actually lives in Malaysia, hello Hamiza |