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 43 - D.O.A. MacGyver

An amnesiac MacGyver is hunted by terrorists who believe he knows of their plan to assassinate U.S. military figures with an explosive device.

from 5th July 2006

Poor [ 0 ] [0.00%]
Average [ 0 ] [0.00%]
OK [ 2 ] [16.67%]
Good [ 3 ] [25.00%]
Excellent [ 7 ] [58.33%]
Total Votes: 12

Archived comments

I watched passagers last night...man was that a bad move!
The end scenes where Pete grabs Macs hand, and then a little later on when they are talking outside the hospital, are two particularly emotional scenes.

Don't tell me you cried!? I don't think that's a bad move at all. It's brave. We're all emotionally involved. More then ever the Mac/Pete episodes needs their recognition. We should keep a marathon for this. Watching all the genuine Mac/Pete episodes together.

He slugged that guy out in For love or money, fought a great fight in Early Retirement, slugged another guy out in The Odd Triple, had a great come back in The Survivors after he got shot, just loved how he protected his friend in Passages, taking that guy out in The Gun and no matter his eyes disfunction he still tried to protect his friend Samatha Lora in Blind Faith after a few painful confession. Even at his weakest he did his job. Gob bless that man. That's worth an admiration.

This one gets an excellent vote from me.

Watching MacGyver trying to work out who he was, while still essentially being MacGyver was kewl.

I think this episode really showcases how Mac and Pete are always there for each other when it really matters.

I also noticed that MacGyver's SAK in this episode was a 3 layered one, instead of the standard 2 layer. I couldn't see what blade or blades was in the middle layer, so can't say what kind it was.. maybe a super tinker.

I gave it an excellent as well. It seems like the writers and RDA were coming into their own at this point and really defining the character.

I also liked how Pete and MacGyver's relationship is explored and emphasized and even as the villains tried to use MacGyver against Pete, they were not able to turn him contrary to his true nature.

This is one of my favorite episodes from Season 2.

Loved the part where Pete is reminding him of who and what MacGyver is and Mac going why am I holding a gun, hear Pete take it.

Yeah I love the bit where Pete tells him that the gun doesn't feel right in his hand.

"Right now I know you better than you know yourself."

It really shows how well Pete knows MacGyver.

Not a bad episode. Good concept, and some good action.
I just got tired of hearing Mac always say, "I... can't.. remember." It got repeated a bit too often. Kind of like in the "Partners" episode when Mac and Pete kept saying, "7 YEARS AGO!"

I could only vote OK for this one. The story is entertaining as ever, and I do remember liking this one as a kid. But now, I just couldn't suspend disbelief on the way they handled the amnesia. MacGyver doesn't remember his own name after hearing it repeatedly, he can't quite recall the Phoenix Foundation or that he hates guns, he talks to Pete, sees his picture and then sees him in person but not only can't remember that they're friends, he even thinks they're enemies...but he remembers all his gadgets and tricks, and his demeanor is the same as always? Look at the way he not only helps Carol's nephew with his bike but also approaches him exactly the way he always treats kids, with that favorite uncle style. It's a great scene, but I just don't buy it coming from a guy who doesn't even know who he is.

I did love the bit where Pete knows MacGyver has been there because he sees Jason's bike and recognizes his handiwork, though.

Amnesia is loss of memory, not lose of personality or thought process.

I'm not a doctor, but it seemed pretty ploursable to me. Hearing your name over and over doesn't suddenly jolt your memory back. Also he had no way of knowing if he could trust them or not.

Likewise hearing a persons voice doesn't mean anything if your memory can't match the voice.

I know absolutely nothing about amnesia, but maybe I can shed some light on how he still has gadgets and tricks. It's like instinct, not thought. At least not thought in the conventional sense where you conscientiously work the problem and solution in your mind.

That's my theory anyway.

I've just been reading about amnesia, and apparently the 2 most common type is

- You can't access past memories.. i.e. you forget your name, who you are etc
- You can't form new memories... i.e you forget the conversation you just had.

It seems that you mostly get either one or the other, but you can get both together, so you can't remember who you are, nor can you remember what people are telling you.

MacGyver's amnesia was Post-traumatic amnesia, which can be one or both of the above mentioned types with varying degrees of effect.

So, after all that, I don't have a problem with the amnesia aspect.

Interesting point about the MacGyverisms though.. kinda points to them being instinctive doesn't it.

I would have liked this ep a whole lot better if not for Nana Visitor's hair. I mean, it was the 80's, but come on! She was cute in Hellfire, but frightening in this, like.... like... I dunno, but it was just awful!

It was an okay episode, but giving Mac amnesia was a little silly, if you ask me.

I thought it rather silly when Mac can't remember who he is, but he meets Pete, holding the gun at him and then suddenly, like a light has been flicked on in his brain, he automatically remembers who Pete is and what he is there for?
I don't buy it.

I think episodes like that should be handled a lot more realistically than this one was.

This is a really great episode, in my opinion, for many reasons.

Some aspects of the amnesia are a bit implausible--for instance, with such a head injury, Mac would most likely have been very, very sick, and even though there might have been a chance that his instincts for MacGyverisms were still present, he'd probably had the worst headache of his life. I doubt he'd been able to move around at all.

I've actually heard of a couple cases of head injury related amnesia--one of them was a friend of mine, and she was in a car accident. She lost all memory from about a month prior to the accident, but some things--not the memories of the accident in itself--eventually came back. It was a very long process, though, the first month after the accident, she almost didn't have the energy to stay awake for more than a couple hours at a time.

The second case was a chimney sweep, not an acquaintance of mine, though, who fell down from a roof, hitting his head. He forgot he had a wife, and a family, a couple of years were just gone. But--he still remembered how to do his work, and the feeling of carrying his tools over his shoulder! I think his memories were eventually starting to return, however, it took him many months, if not years, to recover.

That said--MacGyver's amnesia was... well, there was *one* grain of truth to it, at least.

I like Nana Visitor, and her character seemed plausible. No wonder the radio on her boat didn't work, though, it looked like she'd forgotten to turn it on (the fan on the back of the radio wasn't moving. )

Very touching scene with Mac and Pete at the cemetery. I find it heart warming that he actually carries a picture of the two of them together in his wallet; here, he definitely feels like a father figure.

And Mac fixing that kid's bike! Very sweet. And he even gave him a new bike in the end.

An "Excellent" vote from me.

Another one of my highlights from Season 2. In my opinion Mac having amnesia is kind of overused and implausible. And with Mac's head injury he would have probably had the overall worst headache of his life. And it seems like Mac's amnesia was only 1% truth. And on wonder the radio on Carol's boat didn't work. The fan on the back of her radio wasn't moving. I like the scene with Mac and Pete at the cemetery. I find it very nice that he actually carries a picture of the two of them together in his wallet. Pete definitely feels like a father figure. And Mac fixing the Jason's bike was very nice. And Mac even gave Jason a new bike in the end. An "Excellent" vote from me.

Overall Rating: 10/10

Anyone else think that it took Mac like, FOREVER to get into that boat??

I think Pete's secretary is kind of funny too - seems like exactly what you'd expect in a secretary. What other episodes is she in? I remember Pete having a secretary in more than one ep, but can't remember which. Is she in the character/personal files on here somewhere?

No she's not in the personnel files but it's not a bad idea to add her.

I remember he being in Rock the Cradle and one other scene where she tries to stop someone from going into Pete's office, but I can't remember which episode that was.

[url=http://www.macgyveronline.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7416Let's make a list[/url] of all the episodes she's been in so I can add her to the Character list.

I like this little joke here, that, although known as a healthy eater, then now, when amnesiac, Mac eats here junkfood without any hesitation

Noticed a goof in this episode.

When lancer is "pretending" to be talking on the radio, and he supposedly unplugged the microphone while speaking in the radio.

When he is done, he plugs something back into the "Phones" jack.

Whoops!

it would have been a microphone jack....

Here's a post comparing the original script content with what ended up in the final episode.

Link

I was particularly interesting to note how RDA had the green light to shorten his lines.

The mans a compulsive ad-liber.

Great info man.

Good episode

The entire time I was getting a Bourne Identity vibe from the story, didn't you guys?

Injured Macgyver ends up on the water, gets aboard a boat, and if wasn't enough he has amnesia.

The part at the cemetery whrn Pete is trying to revive Mac's memory is really cool, loved this line: "you don't use guns MacGyver, you hate them!"

4/5

I'm wondering if the 'organization' that Tara and Lancer work for could have been HIT. Same with the shadow guys in Deathlock and whoever Victoria in Phoenix Under Siege. There's always an assassin somewhere and HIT was a large organization. Just a thought. Anyone else had the same theory?

The only problem I would have with that theory is that neither Quayle or Victoria were actually assassins. Quayle was just your run of the mill criminal nut-job that, from the back story, seemed to focus mostly on dealing in stolen goods and Victoria actually states that she works for something called "The Liberation Front" which sounds very much like a terrorist group rather than an international assassins club.

The organization in this episode was called The Omega Force.

Still there might be a link to HIT with David Crane and Quayle. Both men had to lay out their plans in front of three people. Same with Murdoc in Strictly Business. Three employees, three employers, three episodes. I think it's a fifty-fifty thing. Crane and Quayle could've been working for different unknown organizations. Or the fact that Quayle and Crane laid out their plans in front of three people is just coincidence. Yet three times it happened and in two episodes the organization has no name. It could've been HIT all along, maybe they work with branches. But also it could've been different. Still, three times... to me it makes it clear it was HIT.

HIT was known to be involved in an arms smuggling operation which would fit perfectly with Crane stealing the missile parts.

Read more about HIT here

Omega force was the target not the employer.

No she's not in the personnel files but it's not a bad idea to add her.

I remember he being in Rock the Cradle and one other scene where she tries to stop someone from going into Pete's office, but I can't remember which episode that was.

[url=http://www.macgyveronline.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7416Let's make a list[/url] of all the episodes she's been in so I can add her to the Character list.

She was in Cleo Rocks when Murdoc calls to lure Pete to the theater. Also in The Spoilers which is where she tries to keep Earthquake out of the office. He was played by a different actress from the one in DOA MacGyver.