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Posted by: MacGyverOnline 7 October 2017 - 02:52 AM
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2-3 Roulette Wheel + Wire

Airdate:13 October 2017
Writer: Justin Lisson
Director: Duane Clark
Guest Cast: Karolina Wydra (Vera Kazakova) , Darin Cooper (Security Manager) , Charles Green (Maintenance Man)
Barry Victor Piacente (High Roller) , Dennis Friebe (Dealer) , Essam Ferris (Guard with Vera) , Brady Bond (Cassian)
Patrick Logan (Security Guard) , Sergey Nagorny (Man)

MacGyver and the team go undercover in a high stakes casino to steal diamonds from a vault before a terrorist group gets there first and trades the jewels for a weapon of mass destruction.






Posted by: Jediferret 13 October 2017 - 08:13 PM
Well, this one was actually pretty good! I enjoyed it actually.

Even Cage is more tolerable, though I still am not a fan. Mostly due to the fact that she's basically useless. I failed to see what advantages she has to offer as a character.

In all honesty, they could very easily have used Riley in the role and utilize her character better.

Though I'm glad they don't just have her running around with a laptop in every episode, but if they needed a female character like Cage for a particular reason, Riley would be better for that role. Besides, I just like Riley... lol Riley is awesome.

HOWEVER, I feel like Cage has a bigger role than they're letting on... other than a love interest.

I'm calling it... I bet she's a bad guy. lol PLEASE let her be a bad guy! Because I don't see her making it past this season.

I'm mostly interested in Mac finding his father... and more Murdoc! biggrin.gif


Posted by: Miasma 14 October 2017 - 01:24 AM
I did not like the first half of this episode much at all, but then it became pretty decent. I still wish they'd do a better job of explaining the MacGyverisms. The way he used the roulette tables to blow a hole through the door seemed like a worthy MacGyverism, but I don't really understand what he did or how it worked.

One thing I noticed about this show is that we never get scenes of the villains on their own. Almost every scene in every episode is from the protagonists' POV, so we usually only see the villains if Mac & Co. see them. In most shows like this, we see the villains plotting things, etc, and it helps make the villains more interesting.


Posted by: DashboardOnFire 14 October 2017 - 03:40 AM
I haven't seen the episode yet, but overall I felt people liked it a lot more than the last one.

There were some comments against Cage, but that's about it considering negativity.

Although, there weren't that many tweets as usual (because I was able to follow the hashtag in my newsfeed which isn't always possible). So ratings could be lower (there was also some sport stuff airing), but it could also mean that people were more enthralled and watching instead of tweeting.

Posted by: Syracuseanne 14 October 2017 - 04:42 AM
Very good episode. It had me in stitches so many times. The relationship between Jack and Mac is awesome. This show never ceases to amaze me. In bed, in handcuffs? Holy cow. You just don’t know what to expect with these guys. The show seem to get better and better. I specially like the opening scenes. We just laugh and laugh and laugh.

Posted by: MacGirl0629 14 October 2017 - 06:34 AM
I loved this episode. It had the bromance, action, comedy and the Mac/Riley scene which was so good. I laughed and was truly engrossed in all of it.

Although I loved the episode, I still can’t get passed Cage. She is simply not working and has no chemistry with any of the characters.

This episode showed me that there is more to Cage that we have yet to find out. If you remember the episodes were switched so in last week’s Jack invites her for pizza and this week Mac invites her to join the team at his house. It is almost to solidify that she is now a member of the family. However, Mac seemed suspicious of her even when he said at the end she is mysterious. Her comment about the girl next door, in my opinion, was not only a way of deflection but was foreshadowing that she is not what she appears. She is reminding me of Nikki 2.0 which I don’t like.

I kept thinking why Peter would introduce a brand-new character as a series regular without letting the fans gets to know her first. She wasn’t even introduced until about 2 weeks before the season started and there wasn’t much hoopla surrounding her. Isabel herself has hardly promoted the show in anyway. As Peter edits the show he must see the lack of chemistry. This all leads me to believe she is not meant to be liked and the payoff will be good for the fans who don’t like her.

In my opinion, I think she may be working with Murdoc. He said Matty was at the top of his list for revenge and she knows where his child is. This could be a way of getting to Matty.

I know it may sound strange, but Peter is facing huge fan backlash that could impact the show and I would like to think he wouldn’t risk this without some type of payoff.

All I know is they need to get her storyline wrapped up sooner rather than later. They are going to film episode 11 so she is at least around until then.

I think last night's episode would have worked without her. She is taking something away.

Posted by: Jediferret 14 October 2017 - 08:02 AM
This is just a random thought, but Cage is giving me a "Deborah" vibe, from The Negotiator. Deborah presented herself as the "girl next door" so she could get close to MacGyver romantically and attempt to influence him, or kill him. MacGyver took an instant liking to her as well.

Of course, that's probably not who she's supposed to be... but I would love to see Deborah or Mike Forrester make a return.

Posted by: Joe SAKic 14 October 2017 - 11:00 AM
Anybody remember those animated 'Flip Books' that you'd get as a prize in the cereal box?blink.gif

This series' clips/editing remind me of that (era) - must be a million per episode. Nothing creative at all in putting the video together for this series, all aimed at bamboozling the gadget era audience into not looking at their gadgets for the hour. Does the opposite for me, I just tune out when it goes into the obligatory hyper_slideshow_mode.

Accordingly, their scene selection/duration is not adequate enough to buy into any emotional attachment to the perceived urgency of the given week's mission. This is the rabbit version to the original series' turtle mode. Unfortunately, the tempo is of primary importantance in this series' genre for building & buying into any/all of it.

Not even close to being there in this version, not coming any time soon, lost in translation, over & out ......

Posted by: Miasma 14 October 2017 - 12:31 PM
QUOTE (Joe SAKic @ 15 October 2017 - 07:00 AM)
their scene selection/duration is not adequate enough to buy into any emotional attachment to the perceived urgency of the given week's mission.

100% agree. The editing/pacing is way too fast for us to get involved in anything that's happening. It takes away any sense of tension because before we get can get invested in a situation, the show has already moved on to something else.

It's kind of the opposite of the original series in that regard. There were some episodes in the original series where there wouldn't really be much action at all until the end. For example, in the episode "Deep Cover," there wasn't a whole lot of action until Mac got trapped in the sub. Watching an episode like that now can feel a bit TOO slow-paced for an action-adventure show, but this reboot goes WAY too far in the other direction, constantly jumping from one thing to the next. Something in between would be nice.

And as I said in a previous post, we hardly ever get to know the villains. The villains in this show really aren't characters, they're just obstacles. Maybe that's because there are too many protagonists, so by the time the show gives screen-time to each of them, there's no time left to show us the villains? Just a guess. But the point is that if we don't know anything about the villains, it's hard to care about the situation.

I get the sense that we're not even supposed to feel any tension in this show. The overall tone is so light-hearted. The characters are constantly cracking jokes and background music always sounds more whimsical than exciting. I think we're just supposed to laugh at the absurdity of it all, rather than be on the edge of our seat.

Posted by: DashboardOnFire 14 October 2017 - 01:46 PM
QUOTE (Miasma @ 14 October 2017 - 10:31 PM)
QUOTE (Joe SAKic @ 15 October 2017 - 07:00 AM)
their scene selection/duration is not adequate enough to buy into any emotional attachment to the perceived urgency of the given week's mission.

100% agree. The editing/pacing is way too fast for us to get involved in anything that's happening. It takes away any sense of tension because before we get can get invested in a situation, the show has already moved on to something else.

I've criticized that from the start - but I don't like this kind of editing in general, so I'm not always sure if I'm just being too critical of the Reboot.

That's also why I can't really invest myself into the characters - and I don't want to.

We don't know a thing about Nikki - she was in and out so fast, you kind of forget about her. And even Thornton who was in 12 episodes stayed kinda "bland". I guess if they intended her to be the mole right from the beginning, they didn't want to bother to give her too much backstory and screentime, but I still think it's important. We didn't even get to know about Thornton's motives - and Team Phoenix didn't think it was that important, either.

Murdoc feels like the only real villain because he has dialogue with the cast and a backstory that we will probably lern about more soon. I don't care about the Ghost or any other of the villains. Heck, I don't even care about Cage so far.

I would have loved to learn more about Mac's or Jack's story, but apparently, they didn't have time for that but for some teasers about Cairo and tension between Jack and Matty. It would have warmed me up a bit more to Bozer if I knew more about him.

For the Reboot, this fast pace of storytelling is twice as bad - because it's not just the characters you can't get invested in, but also the MacGyverisms that are an integral part of the show. Or at least they should be.

Posted by: Frog 14 October 2017 - 01:47 PM
This new Mac be ballin'

It's like he is living in a million dollar home in the hills compared to RDAs small apartment/ houseboat Mac.
That to me, is what made the original Mac more down to earth and likeable.

This episode was entertaining and a fun watch. But as noted, Cages character needs more developmnet and depth.

Posted by: DashboardOnFire 14 October 2017 - 02:01 PM
Preliminary ratings are in: http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/the-sked-friday-network-scorecard-10-13-2017.html

The definitive numbers (arriving on Monday) might be lower, but it's interesting that the Reboot is so consistent. It's not the greatest considering demo-ratings, but it's fine for a Friday and it's certainly not bad if you look at total viewers numbers.

Other 2016 shows (e.g. Lethal Weapon) are doing better demo-wise, but have been losing more than a million viewers between the S1 Finale and the S2 Premiere. Other CBS shows like "Scorpion" lost about 2 million viewers since their last Season Finale.

Posted by: DashboardOnFire 14 October 2017 - 02:22 PM
Overall, I felt this episode was definitely better than the last; it's probably the best of this Season so far.

I know many liked this according to Twitter, but I'm really unhappy with the "hospital scene". Matty slapping Jack on the butt AND the comments about having it seen already in front of everyone else - that's actually sexual harrassment, no? I mean, just think if the roles had been reversed and Jack had done that to Matty - people would have gone berserk and demanded the show to be cancelled.

If they want to make the boss part of the family, fine. But THIS is not the way to do it. Totally unnecessary and unprofessional.

Yes Matty, you're a tough chick who kicks ass, we get it. But this is just bullying and harassing behavior.

Also, why did they dumb down Jack so much? He resembles much more Original Jack Dalton now - which would be fine if they hadn't made him an Ex-CIA-Delta-Sniper who obviously had some team-leading-knowledge. He felt much more believable in that role in Season 1. Obviously he doesn't need to be the brightest team member of Team Phoenix, but this is bordering on ridiculous.

It's a Friday-Night-Show and definitely intended as light entertainment, but I think the comedic parts should be done better and more tastefully. It's not a sitcom and not "MacGruber", after all.

Posted by: Joe SAKic 14 October 2017 - 02:33 PM
QUOTE (DashboardOnFire @ 14 October 2017 - 06:22 PM)
Also, why did they dumb down Jack so much? He resembles much more Original Jack Dalton now - which would be fine if they hadn't made him an Ex-CIA-Delta-Sniper who obviously had some team-leading-knowledge. He felt much more believable in that role in Season 1. Obviously he doesn't need to be the brightest team member of Team Phoenix, but this is bordering on ridiculous.

Yes they have, indeed. Could just have been my imagination but thought he was channeling BBT's 'Leonard' (a bit too closely) in a few scenes last night. blink.gif

Posted by: DashboardOnFire 14 October 2017 - 02:39 PM
I'm surprised they didn't implement more of the original storyline of "The Heist"; but it's fine for me that they didn't remake an entire Original Episode.

On the other hand, I think a heist-storyline would have been enough excitement and allowed a bit of a slower pacing. I don't think it was necessary to add a bomb into the story as well.

Posted by: Miasma 14 October 2017 - 06:28 PM
QUOTE (DashboardOnFire @ 15 October 2017 - 10:22 AM)

Also, why did they dumb down Jack so much? He resembles much more Original Jack Dalton now - which would be fine if they hadn't made him an Ex-CIA-Delta-Sniper who obviously had some team-leading-knowledge. He felt much more believable in that role in Season 1. Obviously he doesn't need to be the brightest team member of Team Phoenix, but this is bordering on ridiculous.

Now that I think about it, Riley is the only person on the team who ISN'T ridiculous. Jack seems to have lost his brains, Bozer was flipping burgers one day, and then suddenly became a field agent overnight, and Mac is allowed to go on dangerous assignments without a gun simply because he happens to prefer gimmicky solutions (while relying on his teammates to cover his back.) The whole premise is pretty absurd, but considering that it's just meant to be a bit of light-hearted escapism, I guess it's okay (though I'd still prefer something a BIT more plausible.)

Posted by: Joe SAKic 14 October 2017 - 06:35 PM
Yeah, I wasn't a big fan of the TOS Jack. But,,,,,,, I did like how he lured Mac into these crazy adventures. The old Jack didn't want anything to do with Phoenix et al ..... but his lifestyle choices often paralleled the modus operandi of that 'business' very well. Clever writing. The new series is not like that all, it seems anyone and everyone just gets 'signed up' to the biz as if there's no other jobs on the planet ..... unsure.gif

Posted by: DashboardOnFire 15 October 2017 - 05:59 AM
QUOTE (Joe SAKic @ 15 October 2017 - 04:35 AM)
Yeah, I wasn't a big fan of the TOS Jack. But,,,,,,, I did like how he lured Mac into these crazy adventures. The old Jack didn't want anything to do with Phoenix et al ..... but his lifestyle choices often paralleled the modus operandi of that 'business' very well. Clever writing. The new series is not like that all, it seems anyone and everyone just gets 'signed up' to the biz as if there's no other jobs on the planet ..... unsure.gif

They obviously wanted to make Jack Dalton a part of the core team. But as Miasma mentioned, Bozer was the burger-flipping room mate, aspiring to be a film director. Lenkov wanted him to have more screentime. So instead of making him part of Team Phoenix, they could have made him a recurring character that gets roped into MacGyver's crazy adventures and vice versa - like Penny Parker or Jack Dalton in the original version.

The way Bozer was written and Justin Hires has an affinity for comedy, they could have made him the one that enables MacGyver to have adventures without Phoenix or Jack (and the rest of the team) being involved.

Like they travel to visit Bozer's family and things happen. Or there's weird stuff going on at Bozer's work place / film set he got a little job at (e.g. similar like "Cleo Rocks" when Penny needed Mac's help at her job).


Posted by: Joe SAKic 16 October 2017 - 03:42 AM
QUOTE (DashboardOnFire @ 15 October 2017 - 09:59 AM)

They obviously wanted to make Jack Dalton a part of the core team. But as Miasma mentioned, Bozer was the burger-flipping room mate, aspiring to be a film director. Lenkov wanted him to have more screentime. So instead of making him part of Team Phoenix, they could have made him a recurring character that gets roped into MacGyver's crazy adventures and vice versa - like Penny Parker or Jack Dalton in the original version.



It was the little, subtle and not so subtle things in the original series that set the real life table & tugged on our cinematic heart strings.

For example, how Mac interacts with his neighbors, where the other characters hang their hat, what they do in their spare time. We need to see and know about this to buy into their plight. It doesn't have to be much but so far they've totally omitted this visual aspect re: 'theatre of the mind' of/from the series.

Surely Bozer is old enough to move out on his own and have his own apartment now .... that he is working full time with the company. Everybody just seems to live at or near Mac's spacious digs, hang there in spare time, and don't seem to have a life of their own. After the episode ends, you can only imagine them going to their 'room' equipped with multi-tiered bunk beds in the only series' living accommodations that we are privy to.

If I had had a lobotomy and was trying to save the network money ,,,, I would also omit these supportive social traits that only serve to build viewer/audience rapport.

Posted by: RidleyJ 16 October 2017 - 09:27 AM
QUOTE (Miasma @ 14 October 2017 - 06:28 PM)
QUOTE (DashboardOnFire @ 15 October 2017 - 10:22 AM)

Also, why did they dumb down Jack so much? He resembles much more Original Jack Dalton now - which would be fine if they hadn't made him an Ex-CIA-Delta-Sniper who obviously had some team-leading-knowledge. He felt much more believable in that role in Season 1. Obviously he doesn't need to be the brightest team member of Team Phoenix, but this is bordering on ridiculous.

Now that I think about it, Riley is the only person on the team who ISN'T ridiculous. Jack seems to have lost his brains, Bozer was flipping burgers one day, and then suddenly became a field agent overnight, and Mac is allowed to go on dangerous assignments without a gun simply because he happens to prefer gimmicky solutions (while relying on his teammates to cover his back.) The whole premise is pretty absurd, but considering that it's just meant to be a bit of light-hearted escapism, I guess it's okay (though I'd still prefer something a BIT more plausible.)

Dumbing down Jack is one of my pet peeves as well. He's supposed to be a highly trained CIA/Delta Operator. I hated the entire scene in the med-bay. And I may be the only one who did not find the whole 'butt-slap' thing funny. Of course as Peter Lenkov told me in a tweet, apparently I need to get a sense of humor. biggrin.gif I hope he responds more like the Jack of the first season in the Murdoc episode. Sigh

Posted by: RidleyJ 16 October 2017 - 09:30 AM
QUOTE (DashboardOnFire @ 14 October 2017 - 02:22 PM)
Overall, I felt this episode was definitely better than the last; it's probably the best of this Season so far.

I know many liked this according to Twitter, but I'm really unhappy with the "hospital scene". Matty slapping Jack on the butt AND the comments about having it seen already in front of everyone else - that's actually sexual harrassment, no? I mean, just think if the roles had been reversed and Jack had done that to Matty - people would have gone berserk and demanded the show to be cancelled.

If they want to make the boss part of the family, fine. But THIS is not the way to do it. Totally unnecessary and unprofessional.

Yes Matty, you're a tough chick who kicks ass, we get it. But this is just bullying and harassing behavior.

Also, why did they dumb down Jack so much? He resembles much more Original Jack Dalton now - which would be fine if they hadn't made him an Ex-CIA-Delta-Sniper who obviously had some team-leading-knowledge. He felt much more believable in that role in Season 1. Obviously he doesn't need to be the brightest team member of Team Phoenix, but this is bordering on ridiculous.

It's a Friday-Night-Show and definitely intended as light entertainment, but I think the comedic parts should be done better and more tastefully. It's not a sitcom and not "MacGruber", after all.

This entire scene made me like Matty less. I had enjoyed her up until this point. And I hate that the writers keep congratulating her and themselves on this monumentally funny part-but I didn't find it funny at all. I think it detracted from Jack's character and made him the goofball of the group-a feeling I think continued throughout. I just hope that he acts more 'Jack-like' in the Murdoc episode.

Posted by: DashboardOnFire 16 October 2017 - 01:42 PM
Final Ratings are in: http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-friday-cable-originals-network-finals-10-13-2017.html

The final numbers are even a bit higher. This episode has now the highest audience number in Season 2 so far. I'm curious what the next one with Murdoc will bring.

Although neither "OuaT" nor "Inhumans" are real competition right now, it would be a good thing for the show to gain a bit more ground before "Blindspot" starts airing as well.

Posted by: DashboardOnFire 16 October 2017 - 01:51 PM
QUOTE (Joe SAKic @ 16 October 2017 - 01:42 PM)
It was the little, subtle and not so subtle things in the original series that set the real life table & tugged on our cinematic heart strings. 

For example, how Mac interacts with his neighbors, where the other characters hang their hat, what they do in their spare time.  We need to see and know about this to buy into their plight. It doesn't have to be much but so far they've totally omitted this visual aspect re: 'theatre of the mind' of/from the series.

True. By making everyone part of the team, we never get to see outside the circle. We don't know a thing about MacGyver's life outside of DXS/Phoenix. Apparently, he doesn't have one and neither does anyone else who's working for Phoenix.

Bozer and/or Penny as recurring characters could have granted that. They wanted MacGyver as a full-on spy/agent, but maybe they could have made Penny volunteer at the Challengers Club or something? Just to show that Mac has friends and people he knows outside Phoenix as well. I mean, he was dating Nikki for two years. They must have had some hobbies and friends outside work?

I guess they're trying to change it by bringing in new people. Lenkov said in an interview for the Season Finale that we will see Bozer and Riley in relationships with other people, but I guess even the new love interests will somehow be work-related.

Posted by: DXS 16 October 2017 - 04:40 PM
Haven't read everyone else's yet. To me, this appeared to be somewhat based on THE HEIST episode in the original. But you cannot have a remade "HEIST" without having the car parachuting out the back of the plane at the end. Ok, so they blew up something (didn't quite catch what.....)

I tolerated Season 1, but Season 2 just isn't GRABBING me. I'm starting to accept Jack Dalton being more than a once a season character..... but just not grabbing me.

More MURDOCK! I like the psycho they picked! But he MUST come back from the dead!

Posted by: Joe SAKic 16 October 2017 - 05:12 PM
QUOTE (DashboardOnFire @ 16 October 2017 - 05:51 PM)
True. By making everyone part of the team, we never get to see outside the circle. We don't know a thing about MacGyver's life outside of DXS/Phoenix. Apparently, he doesn't have one and neither does anyone else who's working for Phoenix.
.

Hard to articulate but the viewer needs their brains' 3D spatial map to be challenged somewhat more than it is. Just like in everyday work life where you sort of know where your colleagues live and a bit about them so you can draw on some kind of mental imagery when you meet/greet them.

The Big Bang Theory does this very well with the different apartments, the Cheese Cake restaurant, the Comic book shop, all distinct sets with well thought out and appropriate props within. Those sets stick in your memory after well after show has ended - in contrast, nothing remarkable at all along these lines in the reboot. The original MacGyver did this very well too with Jack's operation de jour, Pete's office, and of course the multi living accomodations' & vehicles of Mac that all help to build a mental imagery of a character.

Again, this not make or break for the series, but it's a supportive feature that could easily be implemented with a little time, effort and xtra $$$$.

Posted by: RidleyJ 17 October 2017 - 04:01 AM
QUOTE (DashboardOnFire @ 16 October 2017 - 01:42 PM)
Final Ratings are in: http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-top-150-friday-cable-originals-network-finals-10-13-2017.html

The final numbers are even a bit higher. This episode has now the highest audience number in Season 2 so far. I'm curious what the next one with Murdoc will bring.

Although neither "OuaT" nor "Inhumans" are real competition right now, it would be a good thing for the show to gain a bit more ground before "Blindspot" starts airing as well.

I am so very curious to see how they fair at the 9pm slot on the Friday before Halloween. I'm not sure how the audience from the cartoon will carry over. I would love to see them pull numbers close to Hawaii Five-0.

Posted by: Miasma 17 October 2017 - 07:33 AM
The funny thing about this reboot is that I recall Lenkov once saying that the reason he didn't make Mac a "lone wolf' for this series is because he wanted to develop his character more by giving him more people to interact with. In theory, that's a fine idea. I think Mac in the original series worked well in Season 3 when he had a lot of recurring guest stars (Nikki, Pete, and Jack all showed up more regularly in that season than in any other.) But it's having the opposite effect in this reboot. I still don't feel I really KNOW this version of Mac. He's smart and he has daddy issues, but that's about it.

I think they really need to do some episodes that aren't based around Phoenix Foundation assignments. And I feel funny saying that, because I was disappointed with the original series when it moved so far away from the Phoenix Foundation assignments in later seasons. But there should be a balance. Maybe one out of every three or four episodes could be about some adventure Mac gets into on his own (i.e. not an assignment.) Those would give us a chance to see him more as an individual, and not just as an agent.

Posted by: RidleyJ 17 October 2017 - 10:08 AM
QUOTE (Miasma @ 17 October 2017 - 07:33 AM)
The funny thing about this reboot is that I recall Lenkov once saying that the reason he didn't make Mac a "lone wolf' for this series is because he wanted to develop his character more by giving him more people to interact with. In theory, that's a fine idea. I think Mac in the original series worked well in Season 3 when he had a lot of recurring guest stars (Nikki, Pete, and Jack all showed up more regularly in that season than in any other.) But it's having the opposite effect in this reboot. I still don't feel I really KNOW this version of Mac. He's smart and he has daddy issues, but that's about it.

I think they really need to do some episodes that aren't based around Phoenix Foundation assignments. And I feel funny saying that, because I was disappointed with the original series when it moved so far away from the Phoenix Foundation assignments in later seasons. But there should be a balance. Maybe one out of every three or four episodes could be about some adventure Mac gets into on his own (i.e. not an assignment.) Those would give us a chance to see him more as an individual, and not just as an agent.

I'm not sure they would even have need for Mac to be on his own per say for us to get to know him, but I would love for the episodes to be more ABOUT him. Like I don't want to know so much about Riley's dad, or have Bozer have a three episode love arc?? Really? Why? I also know we are getting a Cage back story. We end up knowing more about them and being more emotionally invested in them. I don't mind Mac having a partner-I love Jack, but I don't understand why they can't give us more about Mac and have episodes like the one where he went back to MIT which I loved, and even when they went back to Mission City although I hated how they shoved his relationship with Bozer down our throats. (I might have a teensy problem with so much Bozer love). But like you, I'm not sure I know much about Mac. I even liked it when he was trying to find Nikki because at least that was about him and now we have this huge focus on Riley and her dad and Bozer and this new love interest.

Posted by: DashboardOnFire 17 October 2017 - 10:22 AM
QUOTE (Miasma @ 17 October 2017 - 05:33 PM)
The funny thing about this reboot is that I recall Lenkov once saying that the reason he didn't make Mac a "lone wolf' for this series is because he wanted to develop his character more by giving him more people to interact with.

I remember that interview!

I've been wondering... because when Lenkov took over, he already knew that Lucas and George would stay on board. He had seen the Unaired Pilot and knew they had chemistry, so that might have influenced the script.

George has the most experience in TV and in my opinion also the best acting chops. I guess it was interesting to write for his character. They had intended for Justin as Bozer being the comedic relief, but realized how comedic George's timing is and how well he plays off Lucas. (I think no matter who joined as regular or extra later on, these two together have the best scenes acting-wise and the best chemistry.)

George is already center-point in the second episode and got to say the most funny lines. Then they made Bozer a regular, had to introduce Matty... and somehow they lost focus on MacGyver and Lucas in the process. As you said, I still don't really know who he is. And as the main hero that lent the show its name, he should be the most interesting character; even when he doesn't have that much more screentime than the others.

Posted by: DashboardOnFire 17 October 2017 - 12:54 PM
QUOTE (RidleyJ @ 17 October 2017 - 02:01 PM)
I am so very curious to see how they fair at the 9pm slot on the Friday before Halloween. I'm not sure how the audience from the cartoon will carry over. I would love to see them pull numbers close to Hawaii Five-0.

I would love them to pull such numbers as well, but I don't believe they ever will.

And I just realized that October 27th is the day "Blindspot" has its premiere at 8pm. It would have been a direct competition with the Reboot if they didn't air the Halloween Special; shoving "MacGyver" over to 9pm for once.

I wonder if that's part of the reason for the Halloween Special to air on October 27 instead of on Halloween? To help MacGyver with ratings and testing how it would fair at 9pm?

"Blindspot" used to air on Wednesdays and pulled about 4.9 million live viewers per episode on average; but had started its Season 2 Premiere with about 7 millions.

Posted by: DashboardOnFire 20 October 2017 - 01:48 PM
I know the Original Show didn't care for that kind of continuity either, but it would have been nice if they had followed up on MacGvyer's bullet wound scar from the pilot episode... that's like the second time we see him shirtless; it's not like they have put in hours to plant fake scars on Lucas all the time...

I'm sure since being a spy is their main job, Mac and Jack should have more scars anyway. Also, would have fit with the Cairo Story. They said Cairo was the worst mission ever, so I'm sure someone got hurt back then as well.

Posted by: DashboardOnFire 29 October 2017 - 02:33 AM
Slightly off-topic, but this is amazing. A 9-year-old dressed up as Jack Dalton's cover identity "Ernie Bung" for Halloween tongue.gif

via https://twitter.com/sarahissaucy/status/924502213657026560


Posted by: MacGyverGod 17 October 2018 - 03:31 AM
An episode based on The Heist. This was a pretty good episode but maybe it should've been set at night. It just seemed odd to see all those people play at the casino at broad daylight. Also I think the first female villain in the show and that security manager's real name is Darin Cooper, just like the boy from Eagles. biggrin.gif

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The editing/pacing is way too fast for us to get involved in anything that's happening.

It does make me wonder how old most of us are here? Are we (really/already) that old that we can't follow anymore? I do admit that the first two episode very flashy, even to me, but once past that I think they slowed down just enough. At 32 I'm not a millenial at all, I grew up with the original show and the fast pace doesn't bother me at all. Though I still agree that it wouldn't hurt to go deeper into MacGyverisms: close-ups of hands, no split-screens and optional voice over explanation.

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I'm not always sure if I'm just being too critical of the Reboot.

Sometimes, I think you are, Dash. But then again we're entitled to our own opinions.

I don't always agree with what has been said here so far. I'm 50/50 about most things here. It just seems to me that whatever didn't happen in the original show shouldn't happen in the reboot. I can't agree with that because in the end you'll have a copy of the original and I think the reboot should be able to distinguish itself from the original so it can stand on it's own. So, no, I don't mind that Mac apparently has a kinky side and a thing for handcuffs. Who knows what kinky sides our Mac had? Even a loner like him has his fantasies and needs. If he would've had a (if not secret) relationship with Kate Murphy, I can imagine him saying: 'Don't forget the cuffs.' Nobody would expect that from him because he's a decent guy, but everyone has deviant side, even our Mac. But I think a lot more happened in the original show that is happening in the reboot as well.

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I'm really unhappy with the "hospital scene". Matty slapping Jack on the butt AND the comments about having it seen already in front of everyone else - that's actually sexual harrassment, no? I mean, just think if the roles had been reversed and Jack had done that to Matty - people would have gone berserk and demanded the show to be cancelled.

That's already sexual harrassment? I agree, the other way would've been worse probably. For some reason, it never goes both ways. A man should be able to take it but with a woman it's immediately harrassment? Sometimes I think we should sew our eyes shut because looking at woman could be sexual harrassment too and there's no way of defending ourselves. It's a touchy subject, I know and I respect your opinion and it's terrible for the ones who went or are going through it. No means no, period. But this scene was not sexual harrassment. It was more to say that Jack had to man up.

I mean how do you feel about the scene in The Heist, where Mac attaches the fish hook to the woman's dress. It was meant as a diversion to steal the dice but you can also say that was sexual harrassment or at least public humiliation. And we all had a laugh about that, didn't we?

Think the whole scene was meant to be funny because big ol' Jack was acting all whimsical about his butt and he had to get a shot. Now if it was Mac laying there, that would've been less funny I guess, I don't know.

The fact she says she's seen it before..., maybe there's not supposed to be any shame within the team. Who knows maybe she had a relationship with him before. Or maybe it's to show that despite their somewhat restrained relationship they actually like or at least respect each other but neither of them wants to show it because of their pride.

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Also, why did they dumb down Jack so much? He resembles much more Original Jack Dalton now - which would be fine if they hadn't made him an Ex-CIA-Delta-Sniper who obviously had some team-leading-knowledge. He felt much more believable in that role in Season 1. Obviously he doesn't need to be the brightest team member of Team Phoenix, but this is bordering on ridiculous.

No they didn't. We were only three episodes in, there is something else though but I'll address that in the Halloween episode.

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Ok, so they blew up something (didn't quite catch what.....)

DXS, are you actually paying attention when you're watching? I've read more messages about you that you seem to mix up things or don't know what actually happened and just write something down. They used the bomb to blow up the vault.

I agree with Miasma though but I don't mind that Mac remains a little more mysterious. Yes, I actually like it that he seems to have great knowledge of history and math and science. As I said before, if they really want to stick with the team aspect fine but they can take the Magnum approach. In Magnum's later seasons there are plenty of episodes that were more personal and Higgins, Rick and TC had small roles or simply cameos. This Mac can go out alone or have a Mac/Jack episodes or Mac/Matty or Mac/Riley or Mac/Bozer. There's a lot of interesting way to deepen this out.

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I know the Original Show didn't care for that kind of continuity either, but it would have been nice if they had followed up on MacGvyer's bullet wound scar from the pilot episode... that's like the second time we see him shirtless; it's not like they have put in hours to plant fake scars on Lucas all the time...

Goes for RDA too. They should've had added at least two bullet holes in his abdomen and one in his right arm when he was shirtless in Passages.

So, but now back to the review. All in all a good episode. I think Mac/Till looked good in that suit. Of course he doesn't have broad shoulders like RDA. Again Riley looks good with her hair down. Hard to believe it's that long and also Cage looks good in that dress. The bomb in the vault reminded me of the dynamite in the money brief case in Jack in the Box. Jack who wanted to take money and Mac knocking it out of his hands made me scream: 'No, no, not the money, not the money, no!' Boom. Nice touch.

Posted by: DashboardOnFire 17 October 2018 - 05:08 AM
QUOTE (MacGyverGod @ 17 October 2018 - 01:31 PM)
I mean how do you feel about the scene in The Heist, where Mac attaches the fish hook to the woman's dress. It was meant as a diversion to steal the dice but you can also say that was sexual harrassment or at least public humiliation. And we all had a laugh about that, didn't we?

Well, I actually don't. In fact, I still cringe about that scene. To me, this one and the one where MacGyver dresses up as a the black-skinned voodoo priest is pretty much the most cringe-worthy scenes of the Original Show.


Looking back at Reboot Season 2 in it's entirety and seeing every episode twice (once English, once German), I have to say I still love this episode and think it's actually one of the best.

I also still think this one should have been the Season Premiere episode (either sans Cage to be introduced later or with Cage agreeing to help out if Matty agrees to help her to rescue her friend).


Yes I still have my problems with this scene. To me, it's harassement alright; especially because she's a) his boss (no matter how long they've known each other or what happened between them) and b) it happens in front of his co-workers.

The script was written by a guy, but there are several female writers/producers on the team and I still wouldn't like it if it had been written by a woman. I still feel that Matty is harassing her employees by calling them "Blondie" (Mac), "Spectacles" (Jill) or slapping their asses. I'm all for female characters being kick-ass cool and tough, but this is not cool in my opinion. It's demeaning.

Posted by: Miasma 17 October 2018 - 05:20 AM
QUOTE (MacGyverGod @ 17 October 2018 - 11:31 PM)
It does make me wonder how old most of us are here? Are we (really/already) that old that we can't follow anymore?

I can follow it, but it's hard to get invested in what's happening when we are not given time to really process it, and when the characters aren't given time to respond to the things that are happening to them (beyond on the most basic level.) It's like watching a music video: Sure, I can follow whatever story is being told in the music video, but I'm not going to get invested in that story or care about the characters in it. I don't think age is really a factor. Even when I was fifteen, I didn't get invested in the story lines of music videos. Slowing things down a bit and allowing more time to develop the characters and build the tension with the villains would actually make the actions scenes more exciting because I'd care more.







Posted by: MacGyverGod 18 October 2018 - 02:04 AM
QUOTE (DashboardOnFire @ 17 October 2018 - 02:08 PM)
QUOTE (MacGyverGod @ 17 October 2018 - 01:31 PM)
I mean how do you feel about the scene in The Heist, where Mac attaches the fish hook to the woman's dress. It was meant as a diversion to steal the dice but you can also say that was sexual harrassment or at least public humiliation. And we all had a laugh about that, didn't we?

Well, I actually don't. In fact, I still cringe about that scene. To me, this one and the one where MacGyver dresses up as a the black-skinned voodoo priest is pretty much the most cringe-worthy scenes of the Original Show.


Looking back at Reboot Season 2 in it's entirety and seeing every episode twice (once English, once German), I have to say I still love this episode and think it's actually one of the best.

I also still think this one should have been the Season Premiere episode (either sans Cage to be introduced later or with Cage agreeing to help out if Matty agrees to help her to rescue her friend).


Yes I still have my problems with this scene. To me, it's harassement alright; especially because she's a) his boss (no matter how long they've known each other or what happened between them) and b) it happens in front of his co-workers.

The script was written by a guy, but there are several female writers/producers on the team and I still wouldn't like it if it had been written by a woman. I still feel that Matty is harassing her employees by calling them "Blondie" (Mac), "Spectacles" (Jill) or slapping their asses. I'm all for female characters being kick-ass cool and tough, but this is not cool in my opinion. It's demeaning.

I was about 14 at the time when I first saw The Heist and never thought anything of it, just as I don't think anything of Matty slapping Jack's butt. Her condenscending attitude towards the team and other employees bothers me more then a slap on the butt or the remark that she has seen it before. Maybe she meant she saw mens butts before therefore not Jack's per se. It would be the same thing doctors or nurses would say before an exam or washing a patient.

The name calling bothers me more, especially when she seems to be doing it systematically. I know a couple of things to call her as well and she would be easier pushed to tears then others. Maybe that's why I can take the slap on the butt and maybe Jack as well, because there are much harsher things to be said to her or about her. I don't mean that I would appreciate it, I would give her my killer look but I can take it. I'll let it slip once, maybe twice but not three times.

Posted by: DashboardOnFire 11 April 2019 - 10:08 PM
Blog Post by Technical Advisor Rhett Allain about the MacGyverisms in this episode: https://rhettallain.com/2019/04/05/macgyver-season-2-episode-3-science-notes-roulette-wheel-wire/

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