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 63 - The Endangered

When MacGyver visits an animal preserve hoping to reunite with an old girlfriend who is now a park ranger, he ends up helping her battle poachers who are killing endangered animals.

How did you rate this episode?
Poor [ 0 ] [0.00%]
Average [ 0 ] [0.00%]
OK [ 0 ] [0.00%]
Good [ 8 ] [66.67%]
Excellent [ 4 ] [33.33%]
Total Votes: 12

I don't think smart people would be in that situation to start with.

Cool beans! I did not realize that and probably didn't pay enough attention in this ep. I'm just now catching up a little on SG-1--never seen it before (still not sure I like it much --but anyway when I saw the first ep and Jack's boss, I thought hey, that's funny, he kind of looks a little like Pete!

I like this ep a lot. Not sure if it's on my absolute fave list, but this kind of ep is really Mac's element. LOL--dontcha love it that when Mac finally goes back to see the old girlfriend he finds that she's moved on and there's really no hope? That happened in The Road Not Taken and kind of in Lost Love, too. Poor guy. And the bad guys were really dumb!

I don't think smart people would be in that situation to start with.

They're never a bright bunch. When they have to pick between two situations, they always take the wrong one. MacGyver is usually the problem in the villains way so if they learn to kill him first (if they can) they can proceed with what they're doing. First the gold, then MacGyver??? To give an example. That's how it usually goes or went especially during the first seasons. The only one who managed to almost kill MacGyver was the dude from Passages.

Hey, that is cool. Now that you mention it, I see the resemblance there, too. And yeah, Don S. Davis IS the only actor I could see playing Pete in a movie.

I thought I was the only one.

I like it when he's out in the woods, finding his way.

I didn't realize that Sam is the stunt double of RDA!
Anyway I love this one too. Mac seemed to be still in love with all his old girlfriends but they just went on and love somebody else.

Definitely one of my favorite episodes, bringing a little insight into Mac's thoughts. Natural if you consider he was on the verge of being killed.

Also found RDA's expression when meeting Hooter kind of funny (good sense of funny): blink, blink, blink.

Agreed, the poachers were terrible, even if Don S. Davis (Don Davis in the credits) was one of them.

And nice seeing Mac's stunt double. Does Macs's look when he finally meets him and hands Karen to him mean anything? Like "he looks exactly like me"? or "She chose him because he looks like me?"

Cool forest, horrible weather, nice bears.

Excellent episode! I love these kinds of episode. Mac in the woods. He gets to use his survival skills.

I didn't know that about his stunt double. Cool trivia.

Felt sorry for MacGyver when she said shes marryed you can see the pain in his face.

Exactly my thoughts. Karen even said something, I quote: ''You've always been the one that spins my head around. All through college, all that camping and independence stuff you drilled into my head... until it stuck.'' Being a ranger kinda fulfills that camping and independence need, huh?

I wonder why Karen and Mac didn't make it (as a couple). Karen said something about Mac wanted to go to Africa, be a pilot or a ranger, and everytime she agreed on being a part of it, he changed his mind. What does that mean? He got bored of her?

When I first saw Sam, I noticed the resemblance between him and Mac. Didn't know he is RDA's stunt double, that's really interesting!

I wonder if it meant that he was using those excuses as a way to avoid commitment. So every time she agreed to go with him he had to find something new that she didn't want to do to hold her at distance.

Or I guess it could just mean that he didn't really knwo what he wanted and kept changing his mind every 5 minutes?

I think the first option fits the "fear of commitment" trait of the MacGyver character.

I have somewhat mixed feelings regarding this episode.

On the one hand, I pity Mac so much. He looks so alone, (and you can't help but think about how the episode with Deborah must affect him too...)

And, by the way, I found it super-hilarious that Karen married another guy... who looks so much like Mac... and then I recognized him as RDA's stunt man!

Then, on the other hand--it was Mac who left *her*, and *he* was the one coming up with all those "excuses" when he was afraid of commitment. She was definitely ready to follow him anywhere--and he just kept on running. But now, he's begging her to come back again, despite the fact that she's now married...

I don't know if they really intended the "hidden" message of this episode to be that Mac truly has commitment issues, and that he's not perfect, but he's still willing to help her out, despite the fact that he understands that he can't win her back. Which is, of course, more proof that he's a very good hearted man.

So, how to rate it... Well, "Good" will suffice.

This is a good episode that, imo, borrows somewhat from the film - Deliverance. Specifically, the forest/riverside sets, the hillybilly-esque nature of the poachers, and of course the usage of arrows/darts to help extinguish the threat .... all that was missing was a twang or two of dueling banjos.

The love interest lure works well here, although Mac looked more puppyish when he got the news that he'd been demoted to the back of Karen's line. Btw, I much prefer the outdoor sets over the factory-esque sets - especially so in the DVD releases which have transfer issues and thus the darker building scenes are often flirting with a premature fade to black scenario.

Oh,,,, Mac's puffy (down filled?) blue jacket produced fine contrast with the drab defoliated background .... but I was sweating just looking at him in all that air/thermal protection in such seemingly warm weather conditions. A lighter and similarly colored fleece would have sufficed.

What makes you think it was warm?

What makes you think it was warm?

Not a trace of snow, no sign of frozen ice in the river, not a hint of condensation in either breath or vehicle exhaust. These are all discerning clues/signs we check for in the North Country when looking outside the window in the morning and deciding on how to dress for the day. So my 'spider sense' was that it was well above the freezing temperature and possibly in the mid to high 40s(f). Not warm but certainly not in the thinsulate/down jacket territory .... especially for a native of Minnesotan - who often go to hockey games in T-shirts in wintertime. Small potatoes really, but it jumped out at me and thought it deserved a mention.

I always like the episodes showing Mac in the outdoors. We get to meet one of Mac's old flames. The Poachers were no match for MacGyver who outwitted them every step.

I watched this again last night and still really like the episode. You have to feel sorry for him, it never even entered his head that she could have married someone else, though it was a bit unthinking of her not to tell him before he visited given their history. He still really cares for her - even at the end, but it's amazing how the crisis of him looking after her seems to outweigh any history between them - he then cares for her as he would for anyone else. He is like me in a way, fine when he is coping and in a situation, but I bet it hits him afterwards when the adrenaline rush has gone. I love the location too.

I love the late 80s synthrock, not just in the opening scene but also later on. It's oddly fitting for an outdoorsy episode.

After they talked about Mac having some ADHD signs in the Phoenix Foundation Podcast, I made me think... MacGyver really does change his mind a lot when it comes to these things and is quite impulsive and thrill seeking...

In fact, watching inverviews of RDA I always thought he showed some signs of hyperactivity and attention deficits... maybe he brought these traits to his character of MacGyver as well?

Every time I look at the opening credits and wonder why the script-writers were secretly trying to kill RDA, I will add the thought "and/or his stunt double Steve".

Sam gets the particularly ridiculous lines: "Is that him?"

"No, Sam, that's my other ex. Mac arrives tomorrow. I don't know where to put him, maybe he could sleep in here with us?"

They're having some fun with Blalock and his character in this one. Moves in on Mac's woman, wings his hat over him, talks a bit down of him …. but they stop short of ever giving us a good shot of his face and for obvious reasons. The fact that the three primary MacGyver stunt doubles appear in this episode as separate characters, makes it a rather special production. And it's a very good script/plot, another conservation-esque / poaching episode along with Eagles and Black Rhino.

Could be a top-ten episode on many lists ...

It was one I had to learn to like, actually but I like this one now as one of his better solo adventures despite familiar faces. A typical start with a bad guy and a poor shot, even at close range. Mac's reunion with Karen, yet there are still some tensions, like unresolved issues like a missed chance and now it's actually too late while Mac still had hope but has to say goodbye to her in the end anyway. Besides, I like the hat toss. It's was like Sam's way to welcome him even if he couldn't know if Mac was asleep or not, only we know that he was awake.

It just has this rare bittersweet ending. But indeed a good episode written by Peter Filardi who went on to write movies like Flatliners and The Craft. Also great is they used some of the Lost Love score which actually comes down to it again in this episode. Again MacGyver goes after a woman that went on without him but there is still that spark when they see each other yet ultimately their paths goes different ways. It's another Lost Love. Kind of sad, actually.

Disagree, no (warm) welcome at all. Karen clearly tells Mac about Sam and that he is a ranger. But Mac, apparently with an earwax build up and/or in total denial, asks Karen if "Sam" is in fact the grizzly bear pictured atop of her bookcase. LOL!, Mac is in lost puppy-love mode. She then tells Mac, "Sam knows you are here!" and she also tells him that she's told Sam everything about him. Also, we already know where Sam normally hangs his hat. Pssst= It's just above where he hangs his coat and where he places his boots. Yet, when Sam comes in, he has to recertify with Karen "is that him?" (no dumb-dumb! it's another one of my old BFs, Mac comes tomorrow and just before my old ex-fiancé the next day! ) and then flings his hat overtop of a lovesick Mac … as Karen invites him to "come to bed!" …. and as - we, the viewers - drink it all in from Mac's wide-eyed pov.

No, I believe these two scenes have a bit of a plotting social edge to them and are directed to set the viewer's emotional tone for the remainder of the episode. And it works! Great stuff, screenplay!!

So maybe it was more like: "I know you're here and I got my eye on you." But you can't blame Karen for telling Sam about Mac. Then again maybe it was wrong of her not to tell him she met Sam.

I think Mac was trying to crack a joke while asking if Sam was the grizzly bear even if it was an attempt to hide is disappointment. And I think Sam didn't know when exactly Mac was coming over or if he did, I don't see anything wrong with asking if that's him. Sam worked late, obviously tired, probably ate at the office before going to bed having to get back up early in the morning.

It sure works that's for sure. I think after that near miss in the beginning of the episode, losing Lisa, Mike and the whole ordeal with Deborah, MacGyver clearly needed some time alone by going to one of the few women who didn't want to kill him or had some sort of relationship with him. It might even make Mike's death a little strange while she tried to approach him, he pushed her away. Yet when he faces death, he goes to the first woman that pops up in his head and this happened to be Karen.

The emotional tone also sets the complexity of their relationship. Mac wanted to be a pilot, a park ranger, go to Africa and she did what she could to keep up but he kept changing his mind. It's a pointing-fingers thing while they do have the deepest respect for each other. She blames for changing his mind all the time, he blames her for not having waited for him. Then again what did he expect after three years? Actually I like it that Mac goes to visit her under wrong assumptions. Of course it sucks for the visit but it gives a nice sort of tension between them. They still like each other and under different circumstances they might be a match but it turned out differently for them now and they have to live with that.

In North American etiquette, there is a decided lack of respect when the host of an expected guest says "is that him?, and tosses his hat over him frisbee style! Justified, in this case? Perhaps, because no one, not even the discombobulated Mac himself, knows his true intentions in this fluid scenario. He was burntout from work-related stress, and suddenly felt a need for some TLC ( and possible nooky) from a long, lost flame. Alll that Sam knows is that it's an old boy friend, that suddenly wants to see his live-in GF again, ... now ..... on demand! It all sets the emotional table for an interesting adventure.

Then, throw in the fact that Karen's new BF, is also Mac's double … and I'm certain it would have made for a lot fun filming that week and with lots of playful interactions, and double entendre ' s flying about …. and also with no Pete, but his double who always gets mistaken for Dana. Good fun, and a great episode. And this is the same stream/river areas as in "unfinished Business", isn't it?

Oh, about that big, puffy, neon blue coat. You'd see that a mile away, but Karen, after spending the whole morning with Mac adorned in it, does not appear to recognize the same jacket later on - back in the same woods and in the same area - when she arrests Mac and after they part ways - still wearing the same garb as earlier in the day. Like how many guyz are out in that remote wilderness with that style jacket, that height/build, and that kind of a hairdo????

We can only speculate on how Sam felt about Mac's visit despite Karen's honesty, he still might have been jealous. I never saw much wrong with him asking if that's him and the hat toss.

Good point on the stream though. Who knows, maybe all the forest episodes are set in the same forest.

There is nothing wrong with it, and it's the perfect response for a rival male who has another moving in on and sleeping on his cot! I mean what if Sam had said "MacGyver!!!!!, glad to finally met you", walked over and give him a big hug, placed his hat on Mac's head and said "my house, is your house, help yourself to "anything"!

That would have been fine too, but I think the writer/producer want to create a little bit of an edge/tension here and to set the stage/mood for the episode. It does that for me!

I've actually been in that position before. It's NOT a fun experience, and I doubt MacGyver got any sleep that night. lol

I've actually been in that position before. It's NOT a fun experience, and I doubt MacGyver got any sleep that night. lol

No, I doubt he did either, but he did sort of impose himself ,,, or did he? Or was the ball in Karen's court and for not telling him about Sam when they communicated … or … did she just want to see him again, and, also, see him flounder a bit at the same time. I don't think there is any definitive answer to this and that it sort of lets us examine our on past relationships and carry our thoughts and empathy forward and into the main course of the episode …..

I'd say the ball was in Karen's court. She was honest to Sam about Mac but wasn't honest to tell him about Sam. If he talked to her on the phone, she could've told him about Sam while they were catching up. Then again she did want to see him to see if it was really over. Might be a little weird if she's happy in her current relationship. God, this love stuff is complicated.

I'm not sure Mac imposed himself, at least not on purpose because he was on the assumption Karen would've still been waiting and he told her that if he knew about Sam he wouldn't have come at all and probably found an alternative to come to terms with that close call.

It's indeed not easy to sleep when you've got other people on your mind.

Well... Mac and Karen were both kinda in the wrong here. Mac was wrong of expecting Karen to be waiting around for him, plus he was wrong to basically ask her to drop her boyfriend for him. I don't trust anyone that is willing to drop the person their with for someone else. I've seen it happen many times, and those relationships usually fall apart rather quickly.

Karen was wrong for not telling Mac about Sam, and I also think it was a bit messed up to have him staying with them. That had to be SO uncomfortable for Mac. Especially considering he already had a pretty emotionally rough season as it was. That and I don't think she handled it very well either.

Well... with my experience, it wasn't thinking about other people that kept me up at night... but... err... *ahem* What I had to listen to coming from the next room... and it was done on purpose. Hopefully Mac wasn't subjected to that level of torment. That would have been a bit cruel.

I'd have left