010 - Target MacGyver
  Reply to this topic Start new topic Start Poll
 
How did you rate this episode?
user posted image [ 1 ]  [2.13%]
user posted image [ 8 ]  [17.02%]
user posted image [ 6 ]  [12.77%]
user posted image [ 13 ]  [27.66%]
user posted image [ 19 ]  [40.43%]
Total Votes: 47
Guests cannot vote 
Track this topic | Email this topic | Print this topic
MacGyverOnline
Posted on 2 November 2006 - 01:28 PM                                    
Quote Post


Administrator
*********

Posts: 9,328
Joined: 28 Nov 2003
Gender:   ---
Country:
SAK owned:

Favorites
Season: ---
Episode:
Vehicle: ---
Jacket:  ---
House:  ---



user posted image


010 - Target MacGyver

Airdate: 22 December 1985
Teleplay: Mike Marvin, Stephen Kandel, & James Schmerer
Story: Mike Marvin
Director: Ernest Pintoff

Opening Gambit Writer: Terry Nation
Opening Gambit Director: Lee H. Katzin

Guest Cast: John Anderson as Harry Jackson, D'Mitch Davis as Axminster.

Opening Gambit: Kitchen Magic
MacGyver must rescue a lady general held captive at a local beach house.

Main story
A team of assassins targets MacGyver while on a fishing trip with his long-estranged grandfather, forcing them to put aside their differences to defend themselves against the gang of highly trained killers.











Join the MacGyver Online Network

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram

 
PMEmail Poster                                                                     
Top
Macs Lab Rat
Posted on 8 November 2006 - 08:47 AM                                    
Quote Post


Phoenix Operative
******

Posts: 1,027
Joined: 5 Apr 2006
Gender:  Female
Country: Scotland
SAK owned: Huntsman

Favorites
Season: season 1
Episode:Jack in the Box (...possibly!)
Vehicle: Jeep
Jacket:  Brown bomber
House:  House boat



Below are the original posts in this topic before a database crash deleted them. They were rebuilt using google and internet archive sites.


Votes from 20 Feb 2006

Poor [ 0 ] [0.00%]
Average [ 0 ] [0.00%]
OK [ 1 ] [6.25%]
Good [ 4 ] [25.00%]
Excellent [ 11 ] [68.75%]
Total Votes: 16

Archived comments

Posted by: sonyab Oct 26 2004, 01:54 AM
QUOTE
I really liked this episode so I rated it excellent.. I like the beginning when he saved the lady general. I liked how we met his grandpa Harry. We learned more about Mac. We find out that Mac learned some of his Macgyverisms from his grandfather..  They teamed up to outsmart the bad guy. Harry was a great charactor. Okay I will end this and let someone else share what they think of this episode ROFL. 


Posted by: MacGyverGod Oct 26 2004, 02:41 AM
QUOTE
This is a good episode to meet Harry Jackson. Who is also inventive as his grandson. I think Harry should've been in more episodes. 


Posted by: lemmy357 Oct 26 2004, 03:00 AM
QUOTE
I rated it excellent. It has just about everything that I like about MacGyver. I kind of hated the bad guys voice (it seemed to be a voice over or something) but other than that it is a great episode. 


Posted by: sonyab Oct 26 2004, 04:11 AM
QUOTE

QUOTE (lemmy357 @ Oct 25 2004, 09:50 AM)
QUOTE
I kind of hated the bad guys voice (it seemed to be a voice over or something) but other than that it is a great episode. 



Yeah I always noticed that too.. We never saw the bad guy's lips when he talked and it did sound like a voice over..


Posted by: MacGyver Oct 26 2004, 06:24 AM
QUOTE

QUOTE
QUOTE 
I really liked this episode so I rated it excellent




I agree!!! This is a great episode! I love all the opening gambits and this one was another favorite. I especially liked MacGyver looking all cool with the shades and calmly picking the door lock with his Swiss Army Knife and then setting up a distraction in the kitchen to get the bad guys to come running and get the drop on them. I also thought it was really hilarious when Mac pulled out a carrot and I thought he was going to do something brilliant with it and then he proceeds to stick it in his pocket and later eat it while waiting on the bad guys!
Actually, about the only thing I don't like about this episode is that it contains some of the few instances where MacGyver curses throughout the whole series.
It was also neat that even after the opening gambit, there was another quick action scene where MacGyver completes the mission that gets Axminster hot on his trail to begin with. And then, after learning of the threat, he goes to join up with his grandfather Harry.
I also enjoyed meeting Harry Jackson and I thought it was great seeing them connect and escape Axminster together. It was a great action-packed episode, all in all.

Posted by: Macsrose Oct 26 2004, 08:11 AM
I loved this one! MacGyver on a bus-hmmm kewl traveling companion!

We meet Harry for the first time! and learn to love him by end of episode!


Posted by: abitcrazy Oct 26 2004, 12:51 PM
QUOTE
I liked this one(even though Pete isn't in it) Granpa Harry helps us understand Mac a little more. I love how he calls him Bud. It is a very special relationship between Grandpa and Grandson. Harry, I think really taught Mac about standing up for what is right-no matter what anyone else thinks. I also think Harry explains Mac need to keep mooving!


What I meant was-Mac can't seem to settle down. He is always doing something and not commiting to anyone. Almost like a defense against having to lose anyone close. Harry ran from the world and those close to him :after Macs mom died-right?


Posted by: MacGyver Oct 27 2004, 05:42 AM
QUOTE

QUOTE
QUOTE 
What I meant was-Mac can't seem to settle down. He is always doing something and not commiting to anyone. Almost like a defense against having to lose anyone close. Harry ran from the world and those close to him :after Macs mom died-right?



Yes. That's exactly what MacGyver and Harry talk about in the episode. It was the first time MacGyver had seen Harry since he had run off from the family. That's why it was a call MacGyver had been putting off for a while.
Perhaps MacGyver has his own tendency to run too. See "Runners" for more info on that.


Posted by: MacGyverGod Oct 27 2004, 08:43 AM
QUOTE
Mac's a busy man, after all what has he got to lose with job like his, besides his life? Nothing, not then anyway. 


Posted by: rockatteer Oct 27 2004, 07:33 PM
QUOTE

QUOTE
QUOTE 
Perhaps MacGyver has his own tendency to run too. See "Runners" for more info on that. 




OMG!!

the penny just dropped to why that episode was called runners!

All these years it's never made sense to me.... The conversation between Jen and Mac...about running away from things, running to get to his mother etc.



Posted by: rutejack Oct 29 2004, 07:28 AM
QUOTE
I rated this episode as excelent.  I love this episode  , the whole one including when he saves that lady General. Well I love it for a lot of reasons...I'll just write some of them. First one is because we meet Harry. I love this seewt grandpa. they're so much alike, always busy, and both very stuborn  .And second is because it's a great epsiode, full of macgyverisms   . hey was I dreaming or Harry has a sak too, just like Mac?   ...cute  


Posted by: Macsrose Oct 29 2004, 09:02 AM
QUOTE

QUOTE (rockatteer @ Oct 27 2004, 02:23 AM)
QUOTE
QUOTE 
Perhaps MacGyver has his own tendency to run too. See "Runners" for more info on that. 



OMG!!

the penny just dropped to why that episode was called runners!

All these years it's never made sense to me.... The conversation between Jen and Mac...about running away from things, running to get to his mother etc.





Light Bulb Moment, Rock???


Posted by: MacGyver Gal Oct 29 2004, 04:39 PM
QUOTE
I chose this ep as my favorite from Season 1.

Harry and Bud...I loved their scenes together.

The MacGyverisms were very good too.

 


Posted by: rockatteer Oct 29 2004, 08:10 PM
QUOTE

QUOTE
QUOTE 
hey was I dreaming or Harry has a sak too, just like Mac?




Yesp he sure did. I think that was ment to tell us how Mac came to carry a pocket knife all the time. It was a habit his Grandpa got him into.


Posted by: MacGyver Oct 30 2004, 01:08 AM

QUOTE
Sure. A Swiss Army Knife is a very handy thing to have, especially for whenever you're out fishing with your grandpa!   


Posted by: rockatteer Nov 16 2004, 07:41 AM
QUOTE
Or being chased by a made man.  


Posted by: phoenix Nov 17 2004, 07:17 AM
QUOTE

QUOTE
QUOTE 
abitcrazy  Posted on Oct 25 2004, 05:41 PM  Granpa Harry helps us understand Mac a little more. I love how he calls him Bud.



i like this ep, too. i also loved that harry called mac "bud." that they discovered that they had SO much in common (not just family, but the sense of being prepared and the ability to adapt and/or be flexible) - think on his feet - was an added plus!

it was great to see harry in future eps, too.

ciao!

phoenix



Posted by: Shiloh Sep 3 2006, 09:48 PM
QUOTE
I rated this as 'Excellent'.
I really liked this ... from the way he saved the 'Lady General'
to his going to see his Grandfather.
I liked Harry ... and it was good to hear about the family history.
I loved how they worked together to beat the bad guys!
And how Harry hugged him as he was leaving.
That was so sweet!
And Mac looked so gorgeous on that bus!!!  
It was a great episode. 


Posted by: MacGirl Sep 4 2006, 10:27 AM
QUOTE
I voted good for this one.

LOVE that opening gambit!! I was ... it's one of my favorite openers.

Axminster was kind of annoying and robotic, and not very smart. That's the only part of the ep I didn't like. It was really fun watching Mac and Harry outthinking him at every turn, but the show got more interesting villains later on.

I liked the land mines stunt, and also the "let's see if I can get this tree to do some tricks" scene. My fave was the scene in the ghost town, where they finally bagged the bad guys.

Loved the conversation between Mac and Harry, and the early insight it provided into their relationship. I also really loved how Harry finally let down his defenses at the end of the ep. And of course, I got a kick out of seeing them discover that they really thought alike. 



 
PMEmail Poster                                                                     
Top
j12752
Posted on 1 September 2007 - 03:27 AM                                    
Quote Post


Unregistered




Gender:  
Country:
SAK owned:

Favorites
Season: 
Episode:
Vehicle:
Jacket:  
House:  



I liked this episode more for meeting Harry than the plot of it.



 
                                                                     
Top
MacNymph
Posted on 6 September 2007 - 03:29 PM                                    
Quote Post


Phoenix Special Agent
********

Posts: 3,348
Joined: 3 Jul 2005
Gender:  Female
Country: USA
SAK owned: Climber

Favorites
Season: season 3
Episode:Rock The Cradle (today)
Vehicle: Jeep
Jacket:  Black/Navy flight
House:  House boat



Funny no one has mentioned MacGyver holding a gun on the bad guys with intent in the opening gambit.

I hate this episode. It’s in my top twenty if not top ten of worst episodes. With the exception of the scene at the apartment with MacGyver and Col. “Barney” the acting by everyone else is utter crap.

Harry, at least in this episode, comes off as arrogant, self centered and selfish. The kind of jerk that goes out for cigarettes and never comes back. Don’t like the character and think Anderson’s acting stinks too. The villain is about as lame as they come. Bad, bad acting and lame dialogue. And the last half of the episode sounds like it’s dubbed. Even when you’re looking right at them, watching them speak it’s off. It’s like someone had forgotten to turn the sound on and they had to go back and voice over three reels of film.

The only saving grace is it’s chock full of -isms. Some of them were a little farfetched and the production on a couple was tacky but still chock full of what makes Mac, Mac.

One ohmy.gif moment: When MacGyver drops the limb on the jeep (which oddly enough makes them jump out of the Jeep dry.gif ) if you watch the stuntman on the left side, he comes about two inches from getting his leg rolled over and it looks like the Jeep might have hit him anyway after that. sad.gif



~ MacNymph ~

Sometimes the uncontrollable urge to mess with people outweighs the millstone of humility.

 
PMEmail Poster                                                                     
Top
MacBeth
Posted on 6 September 2007 - 03:35 PM                                    
Quote Post


Phoenix Special Agent
********

Posts: 5,799
Joined: 25 Jul 2007
Gender:  Female
Country: Ecotopian in Exile
SAK owned: Swiss Memory

Favorites
Season: season 1
Episode: must I choose?
Vehicle: Motorcycle
Jacket:  Black leather
House:  House boat



Aw, Nymph, don't hold back like that. Tell us how you really feel!

I'm with you on the sound quality -- they were filming outdoors on location and would have had to overdub everything; but they did a really poor job of it that time. I think the sound editor must have phoned in his performance that day. Maybe they should have thrown flaming pine cones at him for motivation.



[No wilderness] is so dangerous as a city home "with all the modern improvements".
One should go to the woods for safety, if for nothing else.
-- John Muir
---
LOLMac daily:
lolmac.livejournal.com
icanhastofu.tumblr.com

Writing & personal blog:
BethInExile

 
PMEmail PosterUsers Website                                                                     
Top
MacGyverOnline
Posted on 6 September 2007 - 03:46 PM                                    
Quote Post


Administrator
*********

Posts: 9,328
Joined: 28 Nov 2003
Gender:   ---
Country:
SAK owned:

Favorites
Season: ---
Episode:
Vehicle: ---
Jacket:  ---
House:  ---



QUOTE (MacBeth @ 7 September 2007 - 12:10 PM)
they were filming outdoors on location and would have had to overdub everything;

blink.gif They don't use mics for outdoor shots?



Join the MacGyver Online Network

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram

 
PMEmail Poster                                                                     
Top
MacBeth
Posted on 6 September 2007 - 03:52 PM                                    
Quote Post


Phoenix Special Agent
********

Posts: 5,799
Joined: 25 Jul 2007
Gender:  Female
Country: Ecotopian in Exile
SAK owned: Swiss Memory

Favorites
Season: season 1
Episode: must I choose?
Vehicle: Motorcycle
Jacket:  Black leather
House:  House boat



QUOTE (Rockatteer @ 6 September 2007 - 05:21 PM)
blink.gif They don't use mics for outdoor shots?

The sound quality outside can be unreliable -- and that week, seems to have been pretty bad. Maybe it was windy. But it did look as if they did waay more overdubbing than usual.



[No wilderness] is so dangerous as a city home "with all the modern improvements".
One should go to the woods for safety, if for nothing else.
-- John Muir
---
LOLMac daily:
lolmac.livejournal.com
icanhastofu.tumblr.com

Writing & personal blog:
BethInExile

 
PMEmail PosterUsers Website                                                                     
Top
trtlsoup
Posted on 6 September 2007 - 06:38 PM                                    
Quote Post


Phoenix Field Agent
*******

Posts: 1,960
Joined: 3 Mar 2006
Gender:  Female
Country: USA
SAK owned: Super Tinker

Favorites
Season: season 3
Episode: Widowmaker
Vehicle: Nomad
Jacket:  Leather Biker
House:  House boat



Hey! I JUST watched this one this morning, and I have to say that I REALLY didn't like it.

I liked kinda Harry in the latter episodes, but I agree with Nymphy. And there was absolutely no "spark" between the actors.

I remembered the opening gambit, and yes, this was the first time I noticed the gun. And you would think the "lady general" would have a name, OR just say "General". We can figure out that she's a woman. rolleyes.gif

I couldn't figure where the explosion footage came from... does anyone know?

The whole scenario with Axminster and the merry hitmen was total overkill. Two filled trucks/jeeps of guys to take out one lil ol' Mac? And the actor who played him was as wooden as a person could get. Blech!

And wasn't Harry shot at one point?

On the other hand, LOTS of MacGyverisms... (though as many times I've tried to pick or force a lock with my SAK, it never happened...) Though I popped pinecones when I was a kid... it's fun.

I voted Average, and I was being generous.



"My Jeep went over a cliff, I died... and went to Thanksgiving?"

 
PMEmail PosterUsers WebsiteYahoo                                                                     
Top
MacsChick
Posted on 6 September 2007 - 07:05 PM                                    
Quote Post


Phoenix Field Agent
*******

Posts: 1,889
Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Gender:  Female
Country: USA
SAK owned:

Favorites
Season: season 3
Episode:Passages
Vehicle: Jeep
Jacket:  Black leather
House:  House boat



What bothered me the most about this episode was Axminster and his hitmen. They didn't seem menacing enough and were easily defeated. Of course we want Mac to win, but I didn't see any challenge when it came to getting rid of Axminster and his henchmen. They weren't threatening--I didn't get much of a feeling that they were a danger. I voted OK. dry.gif



"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer."

--Henry David Thoreau

brains+brawn+beauty+personality=MacGyver

 
PMEmail Poster                                                                     
Top
Lothithil
Posted on 7 September 2007 - 03:41 PM                                    
Quote Post


Director of Intelligence
*********

Posts: 7,214
Joined: 2 Dec 2005
Gender:  Female
Country: USA
SAK owned: Camper&Swissbit

Favorites
Season: season 5
Episode:Serenity
Vehicle: Jeep
Jacket:  Brown bomber
House:  House boat



The things I liked about this episode:

Being introduced to Harry, who in spite of being a very old dog can still learn a new trick or two! He and Mac start out rough, but I like very much the way that they affect each other. Mac softens his heart to the man who he believed abandoned him and his mother, and Harry learns to forgive himself and comes to embrace the fact that he has a very special grandson... and that he still has something to offer Mac, even though they've been seperated for so long.

I adore the scene where Harry asks Mac why these men are after him, and Mac's roundabout answer. smile.gif

Learning about Mac's past always appeals to me!

The bus ride out to Harry's place, with the kid reading the tabloid... that look that MacGyver gives him is PRICELESS! laugh.gif

"You gotta hit 'em just right!"

"Don't you bad-mouth my grandpa!"

"I just hope it's worth losing that trout..." laugh.gif


And I agree about Axminster... *laughs long and loudly about a hit-man named after a fancy brand of carpet*... if he was an example of a ruthless and expert hit-man, then the police can all turn in their badges and open their own donut-shops! laugh.gif




Everyone, sometimes, needs a camel.

Old troubleshooters never die...
They just wait til the last moment and then rescue themselves!

 
PMEmail PosterUsers WebsiteYahoo                                                                     
Top
MacGyverGrrl
Posted on 7 September 2007 - 04:53 PM                                    
Quote Post


Phoenix Field Agent
*******

Posts: 2,949
Joined: 11 Nov 2006
Gender:  Female
Country: USA
SAK owned: Explorer

Favorites
Season: season 6
Episode:Humanity
Vehicle: Jeep
Jacket:  Brown bomber
House:  House boat



I voted average. The opening gambit was ok. The scenes on the bus were pretty good. The rest, well its just off.

I think this was an episode that was in transition. A great deal of it was shot outdoors as opposed to the sound stage. The sound quality is very poor considering that the series actually won awards for innovations in sound technology in later seasons.

The bad guys were not very bad, unless you count the acting. There's more of a KeyStone Kops feeling to them, than anything really sinister. And for crying out loud, can't somebody teach them how to shoot? I mean come on, automatic weapons two truckloads of bad guys and they can't even put a hole in the damn boat? A little too unreal.

As for the isms--pine cones and pine nuts do pop in fires. They don't blow up like land mines and bullets. That one comes off as too far fetched to be believable.

This episode felt to me like the writers were really struggling with how to define MacGyver's character. Is he a down to earth gee whiz kinda guy or is he more of a trash talking tough guy. It seems like they were in the same quandry with Harry. They were'nt sure how to define him so they left it up to the actor to figure out. The backstory and Harry's character were too vague. They should have been set up and defined a little more before Mac has the big reunion. The idea was there, and I liked what the writers wanted to do, but I think it would have played better if they had been given more time to do it and had cast it against a darker backdrop.

Axminster needed to be much more sinister and he needed to work more on his own, rather than rely on a gang of hired hands. He needed more to do. Instead, he sat around giving orders and speaking dopey lines like "its a nice day for hunting." Bor-Ring! sad.gif This might be a fun episode to re-write as a fan-fic, I saw a couple of eppies from the MacVS site do that. It was kinda cool, reading another person's interpretation of the show.


And lastly:

QUOTE
And I agree about Axminster... *laughs long and loudly about a hit-man named after a fancy brand of carpet*... if he was an example of a ruthless and expert hit-man, then the police can all turn in their badges and open their own donut-shops! 


Cops can't open donut shops--they'ed eat all the profits! laugh.gif

(Just kidding all you fine officers)




Imagination is more important than knowledge. Albert Einstein

The stuff is already here, I just find a different way to use it. MacGyver

 
PMEmail Poster                                                                     
Top
Sheepy
Posted on 7 September 2007 - 11:34 PM                                    
Quote Post


Unregistered




Gender:  
Country:
SAK owned:

Favorites
Season: 
Episode:
Vehicle:
Jacket:  
House:  



I voted good.
I liked the action and the settings it was in. I loved the opening gambits with the lady general.

But give me a break, those bad gy=uys were as cheesy as... well, cheese. Yuck!
It was so over the top.
QUOTE
The bad guys were not very bad, unless you count the acting. There's more of a KeyStone Kops feeling to them, than anything really sinister. And for crying out loud, can't somebody teach them how to shoot? I mean come on, automatic weapons two truckloads of bad guys and they can't even put a hole in the damn boat? A little too unreal

I hear ya!!

Nevertheless it was a great introduction to Harry and I loved the ghost town.
Too bad for the bad guys, but well, overall it was a good eppy.



 
                                                                     
Top
MacGyverGrrl
Posted on 7 September 2007 - 11:50 PM                                    
Quote Post


Phoenix Field Agent
*******

Posts: 2,949
Joined: 11 Nov 2006
Gender:  Female
Country: USA
SAK owned: Explorer

Favorites
Season: season 6
Episode:Humanity
Vehicle: Jeep
Jacket:  Brown bomber
House:  House boat



Except the ghost town was a little too neat and clean. Most ghost towns are rickety, falling down affairs and nobody in there right mind would walk on a roof. Also, in every ghost town I have ever been in, the glass has been broken out of the windows so long that there aren't even any pieces left lying on the ground.



Imagination is more important than knowledge. Albert Einstein

The stuff is already here, I just find a different way to use it. MacGyver

 
PMEmail Poster                                                                     
Top
MacGyverOnline
Posted on 8 September 2007 - 02:04 AM                                    
Quote Post


Administrator
*********

Posts: 9,328
Joined: 28 Nov 2003
Gender:   ---
Country:
SAK owned:

Favorites
Season: ---
Episode:
Vehicle: ---
Jacket:  ---
House:  ---



I just re-watched this episode, and I have to say... that Axeminster is the lamest weakest excuse of a hit man I've ever seen.

At the start we get told he's a real psychopath that would blow up a whole city block just to make sure he got his target, but then we see this amateur "don't get my clothes dirty" cliché babbling Mr T wannabe bumbling around like a drunk monkey.

On a less painful note, whoever, it is interesting to note that the beach house in the opening gambit can also be seen in an episode of Knight Rider. (see! it's not just actors that turn up in other shows! smile.gif )

And MacGyver's watch shows the opening gambit taking place at 12:20pm.. no wonder he wanted to munch that carrot.

I also found a couple of nit picks which I've added to the nit picks topic for this episode

One other thing which bugs me is why was MacGyver doing what I presume was black-ops work in blowing up that facility? Isn't that what the Navy Seals are for?

In spite of all the negatives, there is one huge positive to this episode. it gives us important insight to MacGyver's background. This is where we learn about how Harry left, what he did, where he went. I think too, that this episode leans towards the idea that MacGyver got a lot of his way of doing things from Harry. they seemed to be "on the same page"

There's a couple of teary eyed moments in the episode two which shows the strong bond Harry and Mac have.

I think this episode had the potential to be one of the greats, but alas, twas not to be.







Join the MacGyver Online Network

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram

 
PMEmail Poster                                                                     
Top
j12752
Posted on 8 September 2007 - 03:42 AM                                    
Quote Post


Unregistered




Gender:  
Country:
SAK owned:

Favorites
Season: 
Episode:
Vehicle:
Jacket:  
House:  



Yes, I too think Axminster was the lamest bad guy in the whole series. But the insight into Mac's early years, and meeting Harry and gleaning that Mac picked up on some of Harry's abilities was great. I like the Pinenuts thing blowup.gif



 
                                                                     
Top
MacNymph
Posted on 8 September 2007 - 01:09 PM                                    
Quote Post


Phoenix Special Agent
********

Posts: 3,348
Joined: 3 Jul 2005
Gender:  Female
Country: USA
SAK owned: Climber

Favorites
Season: season 3
Episode:Rock The Cradle (today)
Vehicle: Jeep
Jacket:  Black/Navy flight
House:  House boat



QUOTE (trtlsoup @ 7 September 2007 - 03:13 PM)
And you would think the "lady general" would have a name, OR just say "General". We can figure out that she's a woman.  rolleyes.gif  .


That wasn't irritating, was it? rolleyes.gif I remember thinking at the time... the only reasons she's a lady general is because a male general would have been too cumbersome for Mac to drag around like that. Could that woman have been any tinier?

And I just realized another reason this episode irked me. The writters are guilty of that same thing that annoys me about fan-fic writers, usually dealing with Sam. The repeatitive "Bud" "Harry" "Harry" "Bud" "Grandpa" crap in every interchange. mad.gif That crap bugs me. It's like they're trying to ram the relationship down your throat.



~ MacNymph ~

Sometimes the uncontrollable urge to mess with people outweighs the millstone of humility.

 
PMEmail Poster                                                                     
Top
MacGyverOnline
Posted on 8 September 2007 - 02:05 PM                                    
Quote Post


Administrator
*********

Posts: 9,328
Joined: 28 Nov 2003
Gender:   ---
Country:
SAK owned:

Favorites
Season: ---
Episode:
Vehicle: ---
Jacket:  ---
House:  ---



Yeah, thats certainly not the way people talk in real life.




Join the MacGyver Online Network

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram

 
PMEmail Poster                                                                     
Top
MacGyverGrrl
Posted on 8 September 2007 - 04:39 PM                                    
Quote Post


Phoenix Field Agent
*******

Posts: 2,949
Joined: 11 Nov 2006
Gender:  Female
Country: USA
SAK owned: Explorer

Favorites
Season: season 6
Episode:Humanity
Vehicle: Jeep
Jacket:  Brown bomber
House:  House boat



True, the dialogue was a little stilted. And the spot where Harry demands that mac explain what's going on, is it me or was that just a weird, abrupt place to have that conversation? Harry is buying into everything Mac is doing and then suddenly demands an explanation about why the bad guys are after them.

It almost feels like the writers have this little piece of dialogue they think is very important to the story, but they don't have a logical place to put it so they just threw it in.



Imagination is more important than knowledge. Albert Einstein

The stuff is already here, I just find a different way to use it. MacGyver

 
PMEmail Poster                                                                     
Top
Macs Lab Rat
Posted on 9 September 2007 - 06:13 AM                                    
Quote Post


Phoenix Operative
******

Posts: 1,027
Joined: 5 Apr 2006
Gender:  Female
Country: Scotland
SAK owned: Huntsman

Favorites
Season: season 1
Episode:Jack in the Box (...possibly!)
Vehicle: Jeep
Jacket:  Brown bomber
House:  House boat



The first time I saw the gambit I was thrown by trying to figure out what he would do with the carrot. I fell for it and totally thought he’d use it somehow. biggrin.gif
QUOTE (rocky)
MacGyver's watch shows the opening gambit taking place at 12:20pm..
Yes but when he has picked the tastiest looking carrot and places it on the table his watch looks like it shows 2:45 to me (or maybe 9:10). Then when he is back in the freezer for ice its 12.30ish.
This gambit definitely has a first season MacGyver feel to it. He comes across relaxed and cocky with the way he stops his plotting for a little snack. And the use of the gun to keep the bad guys down…this is something the later season MacGyver doesn’t even consider doing. Even in situations where, in my opinion, it would be less risky an option to all concerned than his MacGyverism.


On to the main event and the starting sequence with the nuclear refinery. Was it RDA doing all the climbing of fences and planting of bombs? hmm.bmp I’m not so sure, the person didn’t seem to move like him.
QUOTE (Rocky)
why was MacGyver doing what I presume was black-ops work in blowing up that facility? Isn't that what the Navy Seals are for?
I think we could have benefited from a little background about what was going on here. It does seem a bit odd but with a bit of explanation it could have been more credible. MacGyver does get called in for all sorts of things, maybe it followed on from a more “usual” type mission? Maybe if they got rid of a couple of the pointless scenes they would have managed to give us a little more information. One of the scenes that I thought was pointless and odd was the nonsense on the bus. What was that supposed to achieve unsure.gif ? And, before that, when MacGyver came back from blowing up the refinery, he passes a couple of girls in bikinis… blink.gif while MacGyver is wearing his jacket zipped right up and all other people around were wearing jumpers or jackets…brrrrrr they must have been chilly! laugh.gif

As for Axminster, when he was a hulking silent bad guy at the start he was intimidating but as soon as he had dialogue and was with those guys in the jeep it all was a bit off. From their initial meeting at the jeeps it went a bit weird. The driver of Axminsters jeep seems to push Axminster to one side so he can drive. And then when they all climb in the jeeps, there is a cut to people standing cocking guns (not looking like they are in a jeep at all) then we cut back to the jeeps all moving off with the guys all in them. Later on when MacGyver is hacking at the branch of the tree the bad guys have split up but make radio contact. Axminster halts them and says something about having to figure out MacGyver before their next move...but then they continue on. It seems like there is a lot of cut or messed up scenes with the bad guys in them.

Oh and talking of missing scenes, where did the rucksack come from? The one they use to carry pine cones? At first I thought maybe they nicked it from the jeep they forced in to the ditch but there is a scene after that where Harry and MacGyver and running and there is no backpack. unsure.gif Did I miss something?

I like Harry in this. He starts off being prickly and cantankerous with MacGyver. But he never tells him to leave. He half wants MacGyver to leave and is trying to drive him away because some of the memories that are getting stirred up are difficult. But then there are moments happier memories come through and it was like he wanted MacGyver around. He is conflicted and tries to make MacGyver make the decision about whether he should face the past or not. MacGyvers constant reminders of happy times and when Harry taught him things seemed to thaw through the sadness. By the end of the episode Harry can see through his sad memories and this opens the door to allow them to get closer. happy.gif

I know I have waffled on and not said what I vote yet. I am struggling with that. There are parts I liked and parts that seemed badly thrown together. hmm.bmp
I will vote ok...but that’s today, what I think probably depends on what kind of mood I am in as to how much the shortcomings annoy me the next time I see it.



 
PMEmail Poster                                                                     
Top
Nutsy
Posted on 9 September 2007 - 09:23 AM                                    
Quote Post


Special Forces Agent
***

Posts: 108
Joined: 5 May 2007
Gender:  
Country:
SAK owned:

Favorites
Season: 
Episode:
Vehicle:
Jacket:  
House:  



Although I totally agree with you all in that this Axmister and his men suck, I'll say a couple of nice things about this episode

- the beach house in the opening gambit (reused later, thanks for the tip) is great, I'd love one have one like it (on a less crowded beach, mind you)

- Mac in the dark shirt, light trousers, and Ray Ban pilot sunglasses looks disarmingly cute, also in the gambit

- Mac did not inherit any face features from grandpa, thank God

cool.jpg




 
PMEmail Poster                                                                     
Top
j12752
Posted on 9 September 2007 - 12:10 PM                                    
Quote Post


Unregistered




Gender:  
Country:
SAK owned:

Favorites
Season: 
Episode:
Vehicle:
Jacket:  
House:  



I just adore Mac in dark shirts and light trousers.
hehehe, sometimes it's the mileage on the face, Harry could have been a fairly good looking young guy



 
                                                                     
Top
MacsChick
Posted on 9 September 2007 - 12:41 PM                                    
Quote Post


Phoenix Field Agent
*******

Posts: 1,889
Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Gender:  Female
Country: USA
SAK owned:

Favorites
Season: season 3
Episode:Passages
Vehicle: Jeep
Jacket:  Black leather
House:  House boat



I didn't think Harry was too bad looking, actually, for a man his age.

Boy: "You don't look that old."
Harry: "Well, I'll tell you a secret--I don't feel that old, either."

Passages



"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer."

--Henry David Thoreau

brains+brawn+beauty+personality=MacGyver

 
PMEmail Poster                                                                     
Top
MacGyverGrrl
Posted on 9 September 2007 - 05:52 PM                                    
Quote Post


Phoenix Field Agent
*******

Posts: 2,949
Joined: 11 Nov 2006
Gender:  Female
Country: USA
SAK owned: Explorer

Favorites
Season: season 6
Episode:Humanity
Vehicle: Jeep
Jacket:  Brown bomber
House:  House boat



Harry didn't seem to age at all during the 5 seasons he appeared.

Ratty brings up an interesting point I hadn't considered before. We have the opening gambit and then we cut to MacGyver blowing up a nuclear facility. The premise here is that the escape from the refinery is the feature of the show. That little scene with the refinery didn't seem to fit with the rest of the story. The transition from the refinery to the apartment was a little too abrupt. This could have been done smoother.

What if Axminster had persued Mac through the desert? The two of them playing cat and mouse with Mac in unfamiliar territory with nothing but his mind and what he could find on the escape route. Maybe another idea for a fanfic story, re-write Axminster to be a really bad dude, Mac in a totally vulnerable position, yeah, it could work.



Imagination is more important than knowledge. Albert Einstein

The stuff is already here, I just find a different way to use it. MacGyver

 
PMEmail Poster                                                                     
Top
MacGyverOnline
Posted on 9 September 2007 - 07:26 PM                                    
Quote Post


Administrator
*********

Posts: 9,328
Joined: 28 Nov 2003
Gender:   ---
Country:
SAK owned:

Favorites
Season: ---
Episode:
Vehicle: ---
Jacket:  ---
House:  ---



I think someone has already brought up this idea, but the "blowing up a nuclear facility" scene would have been better as an opening gambit, and then the rest of the show would have followed along nicely after the opening credits.




Join the MacGyver Online Network

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram

 
PMEmail Poster                                                                     
Top
j12752
Posted on 10 September 2007 - 04:33 AM                                    
Quote Post


Unregistered




Gender:  
Country:
SAK owned:

Favorites
Season: 
Episode:
Vehicle:
Jacket:  
House:  



Of all the things I liked about MacGyver, the openng gambits were in the top 3



 
                                                                     
Top
trtlsoup
Posted on 10 September 2007 - 06:54 AM                                    
Quote Post


Phoenix Field Agent
*******

Posts: 1,960
Joined: 3 Mar 2006
Gender:  Female
Country: USA
SAK owned: Super Tinker

Favorites
Season: season 3
Episode: Widowmaker
Vehicle: Nomad
Jacket:  Leather Biker
House:  House boat



QUOTE (MacNymph @ 8 September 2007 - 05:44 PM)
And I just realized another reason this episode irked me. The writters are guilty of that same thing that annoys me about fan-fic writers, usually dealing with Sam. The repeatitive "Bud" "Harry" "Harry" "Bud" "Grandpa" crap in every interchange.  mad.gif That crap bugs me. It's like they're trying to ram the relationship down your throat.

Y'know, I really never noticed it 'til you pointed it out, but it was really bad in that episode. happy.gif

Also, that beach house was awfully close to the, well... the beach. Nice visual, but not very practical for holding a (what I assume) valuable military general as a hostage. Not a few feet down was a crowded beach. rolleyes.gif

I missed the opening gambits... it seems that all the shows stopped doing them at the same time. They were not essential, but it was good for introducing a character, or situation pertaining to the episode.



"My Jeep went over a cliff, I died... and went to Thanksgiving?"

 
PMEmail PosterUsers WebsiteYahoo                                                                     
Top
Mac
Posted on 10 September 2007 - 10:10 AM                                    
Quote Post


DXS Agent
*****

Posts: 571
Joined: 8 Sep 2006
Gender:  Female
Country: Canada
SAK owned: Evolution 14

Favorites
Season: season 5
Episode:Bitter Harvest
Vehicle: Jeep
Jacket:  Brown bomber
House:  House boat



QUOTE (j12752 @ 10 September 2007 - 02:02 PM)
where Mac hides in a huge box the guys think is a hot tub, and rescues the guy who went on to play Boser his neighbor.

I'm obviously not much of a fan of MacGyver since I have no recollection of that scene! blush.gif

Target MacGyver is one of those eps that makes me want to grind my teeth. I love the whole Mac and Harry on the run and working together plotline, but I DESPISE Axminster!!! The guy is an incompetent buffoon who turns this ep into a cartoonish nightmare! ranting2.gif
Mac



"John Sheppard (writer) sent Richard Dean Anderson to Atlantis on MacGyver and Richard Dean Anderson sent John Sheppard (character) to Atlantis on Stargate.
My fandoms are getting to be confusing."


 
PMEmail Poster                                                                     
Top
MacBeth
Posted on 13 September 2007 - 01:13 PM                                    
Quote Post


Phoenix Special Agent
********

Posts: 5,799
Joined: 25 Jul 2007
Gender:  Female
Country: Ecotopian in Exile
SAK owned: Swiss Memory

Favorites
Season: season 1
Episode: must I choose?
Vehicle: Motorcycle
Jacket:  Black leather
House:  House boat



Back online just in time to join the end of the discussion . . .

I’d call this a weak episode with a few good moments. The script felt as if it had been assembled out of spare parts . . . by someone with no skill at jigsaw puzzles. I’d guess that the opening gambit was written well in advance of the rest of the episode, and possibly filmed at an entirely different time, too, before they’d really even started to develop the character. Terry Nation wrote the opening gambit, and his association with the show seems to have been short-lived.

I had a real problem swallowing the “commando raid” at the beginning. Mac sent off to blow up something, fully equipped with all necessary materials, just like, well, someone else, but certainly not like MacGyver. The raid had no purpose in terms of the plot, except to provide an excuse for Mac to be targeted (and to give the special effects crew an excuse to blow something up). Of all the opportunities they ever had to tie the opening gambit to the main story . . . instead, we have a double opening gambit, which was not an improvement.

Other annoying bits: the amazingly cardboard villains (or maybe Loth’s onto something – not cardboard, carpet!), the out-of-character swearing, the overall creaky plot.

Lovely bits in spite of that: the carrot in the opening gambit, Mountain Man Mac (very nearly the first time we really see this side of him, unless you count the night in the jungle in “The Gauntlet”, Harry and Mac gradually working together more effectively, the gradual opening out of the backstory.



[No wilderness] is so dangerous as a city home "with all the modern improvements".
One should go to the woods for safety, if for nothing else.
-- John Muir
---
LOLMac daily:
lolmac.livejournal.com
icanhastofu.tumblr.com

Writing & personal blog:
BethInExile

 
PMEmail PosterUsers Website                                                                     
Top
MacGyverOnline
Posted on 13 September 2007 - 01:23 PM                                    
Quote Post


Administrator
*********

Posts: 9,328
Joined: 28 Nov 2003
Gender:   ---
Country:
SAK owned:

Favorites
Season: ---
Episode:
Vehicle: ---
Jacket:  ---
House:  ---



QUOTE (trtlsoup @ 11 September 2007 - 03:29 AM)
Also, that beach house was awfully close to the, well... the beach. Nice visual, but not very practical for holding a (what I assume) valuable military general as a hostage. Not a few feet down was a crowded beach. rolleyes.gif

Sometimes the best place to hide something is out in the open.



Join the MacGyver Online Network

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram

 
PMEmail Poster                                                                     
Top
trtlsoup
Posted on 13 September 2007 - 04:12 PM                                    
Quote Post


Phoenix Field Agent
*******

Posts: 1,960
Joined: 3 Mar 2006
Gender:  Female
Country: USA
SAK owned: Super Tinker

Favorites
Season: season 3
Episode: Widowmaker
Vehicle: Nomad
Jacket:  Leather Biker
House:  House boat



True. Also to catch the eye of the (then male-targeted) audience... didn't hurt to have a few girls/women walking around in bikinis.

Oy!

QUOTE (MacBeth @ 13 September 2007 - 05:48 PM)
I had a real problem swallowing the “commando raid” at the beginning. Mac sent off to blow up something, fully equipped with all necessary materials, just like, well, someone else, but certainly not like MacGyver. The raid had no purpose in terms of the plot, except to provide an excuse for Mac to be targeted...

Also, as a professional, he wouldn't taken his cap off to be recognized. But if (the writers) didn't do that, there wasn't any reason to TARGET MacGyver in the first place. Double Oy!



"My Jeep went over a cliff, I died... and went to Thanksgiving?"

 
PMEmail PosterUsers WebsiteYahoo                                                                     
Top
0 User(s) are reading this topic (0 Guests and 0 Anonymous Users)
 0 Members:
     

 Topic Options Pages: (4) [1] 2 3 ... Last » Reply to this topic Fast Reply Start new topicStart Poll