5-03 Eclipse + USMC-1856707 + Step Potential + Chain Lock + Ma

Airdate: Dec 18, 2020
Written by: Jim Adler and Stephanie Hicks
Director: David Straiton

Guest Cast:
Tobin Bell (Leland)
Zach McGowen (Roman)
Joe Pantoliano (Eric Andrews)
Carmen Alexis (FBI Agent)

When Russ is kidnapped, Mac and the team must break out a previously murderous psychopath, now pacifist, from prison to help find him. Also, while on the run, Mac and Desi are forced to confront their relationship issues.

Alright, a quick check of the #MacGyver hashtag on Twitter tonight revealed #MacRiley shippers quitting the show en masse, so let's dive in.

-Full disclosure, the promos teasing Mac and Riley were really transparent to my eye, still that was a bit of a risky move...but there was never any doubt in my mid that it would either be a dream sequence or some sort of undercover work. Of course, that was immediately confirmed.

-Oh. Big Brother Matty. Sent to DC. Well, that confirms she won't be in the same scenes in the S5 productions for the time-being. Guessing no war room for the foreseeable future.

-I wonder if in real life every villain has bad-a** driving skills no matter what type of vehicle they may be behind the wheel in...

-Morty. That would be Mac's telescope's name. Rick and Morty. Hundred years. Rick and Morty.

-"Teleplay by Jim Adler & Stephanie Hicks and Stephanie Hicks" Huh?

-Riley's line about it "just being adrenaline?" Nobody's buying that, girl.

-I don't know that I can get used to Big Brother Matty...or is it Handheld Matty?

-JOEY PANTS!

-*rubs temples* This relationship drama...honestly not sure why I'm supposed to care.

-Roman's alive and I couldn't be happier. Love this guy.

-A scepter. Good Knight MacGyver calling...or is it Legend of the Holy Rose...lol.

-Is it just me or does Desi look a lot, uh, "older" in this episode?

-Amelia! And Revaca. Callbacks! I like it.

-An old man in chains shouldn't have out-run them for that long. Mac and Desi need to get back on the stairmaster, methinks.

-I don't like how they keep positing that Mac was somehow in the wrong for his actions towards Codex? Was he supposed to be everything to everyone while the world population was decimated?

-I'm on my rewatch and still don't know if they're saying Andrews was in with Leland all along or not? Perhaps it's kept vague for a reason given how this story ends. I wouldn't mind seeing Andrews return. Darn interesting character played expertly by Pantoliano.

-This guy is an artist with a chain.

-I'm surprised they could secure Mac and Desi's release...considering they broke a dangerous prisoner out and he, uh, you know, got away in the end. Pretty sure that's at least a dime up in Leavenworth (maybe next to the original Matt Webber).

-Such a cheesy copout with the compass stuff...*eyeroll*

-Overall the episode was a good one if you could get beyond the relationship cheese. As I said before, why am I supposed to care? I'm not opposed to romance for a series lead, but it should have some level of organicness to it, and the whole Desi thing just doesn't. It's like they're playing up the opposites attract thing but yet all signs just come off as a toxic, non-beneficial for both, obnoxious to your friends relationship. Now they may still be playing the long game here, but this just seems like it's taking up too much of the writers' focus. "Will they, won't theys" have to be handled delicately. Not sure this young writing group is up to that task. Maybe the focus needs to get back to just saving the world one adventure at a time.

Although to be fair, being saddled with six in-the-can episodes from a previous showrunner and shoehorning them in wasn't likely to be easy.

looks like the MacRiley fans already gave their opinion in the SpoilerTV poll

Attached Image

woke up utterly exhausted. now after reading through the #MacGvyer feed on Twitter for almost an hour, I'm also mentally exhausted .

that said, I haven't watched the episode yet (European time zones and all). I guess with deciding to mix “old” with “new” episodes, they had to tie the story into the storyline of the episodes still filmed under Lenkov... after all, there was MacDesi BtS stuff for the episode filmed with production number 417, for example. I guess that means the other episodes won't get scrapped, after all - but promoting MacRiley for days only to end up with MacDesi anyway maybe wasn't the right choice.

I love Levy, but I really have a problem that the writers made MacDesi so toxic not only in hindsight, but also in the present and keep celebrating that relationship. I don't see any potential there how continuing this relationship can make MacGyver happy. Or Desi.

I'm pretty disappointed how they keep deconstructing Desi as a character and trying to keep them together. They finally have such a diverse and young and "woke" writers room now - why do they keep up with such a toxic relationship?

Part of its about knowing your fanbase, and unfortunately factionalism is certainly something that's developed in the MacGyver fanbase along two major fronts (both shipping related *eyeroll*)...although there are others (HIC's fangirls, the bring back Jack types).

The problem is you've now alienated the largest of those factions with this teasing. If well done, and gives reason for those to keep watching, fine. But this...wasn't it.

Like if they were selling the point that Mac/Desi is a bad fit for both it would be something to build on, and use the other characters' unease with it to build the story. Instead everything is a little too hunky-dory.

Again, why am I suppose to care? We saw nothing of this relationship developing, why it makes sense despite their differences, or why it should be continuing off the basis of everything that's happened. It's not endearing, it lacks charm, and if it is gonna be a bigger focal point, I think they are playing with hotter fire than they realize.

For me, it's a minor annoyance. I tune in for the science, the saving the world, the action and the team camaraderie. I just hope they keep this thing as tempered as possible, but, and not to be sexist (though I understand it kind of is), I worry about a room full of female writers steering the storyline away from the good parts of the reboot and into love triangles and over-romance.

Preliminary Ratings: http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/the-...12-18-2020.html

Attached Image

I always assumed that this was an undercover mission, so I wasn't that surprised by it, either. It was a bit disappointing though that they used this short scene for the promotion of the entire episode since nothing came of it.

They got a lot of flack from fans that the first two episodes were so Desi- and Russ-centered. Several complained about the lack of Matty and Bozer so maybe they felt they had to not press too much on the kidnapping storyline? This was the main storyline though so the CBS interns being responsible for the promotion of the episode screwed up.

Did the guest-stars even get any mentions?

What's worse though is that the writers fed into it by re-posting and tweeting so much on their own; feeding the frenzy of MacRiley fans. And then wondering about the repercussion. Of course they would be disappointed.

Well, the pandemic aged us all

That's what annoys me the most. Yes, there's stuff he could have handled better - maybe if his mental health was firing on all cylinders. He did what he could to save his loved ones and the world, so for the greater good. Isn't that was Desi as a soldier would have done, too?

And it wasn't even the same compass she had given him .

I don’t think the episode itself is too bad regarding the storyline. Bit of wonky writing but we’re used to that by now . What I do hate is how they keep deconstructing the characters and praising a toxic relationship.

MacRiley fan or not, we all know it wasn’t Desi who led Mac back from Codex. Who went after him to get him back. Bozer enabling MacDesi aka Mes(s)y is weird. And why does Mac keep apologizing to Desi? She should cut him some slack, at least - or start apologizing herself for once. Yes, there’s stuff he could have handled better - if his mental health had been firing on all cylinders. He did what he could to save his loved ones and the world, so for the greater good. Isn’t that was Desi as a soldier would have done, too?

And I’m fine with rebooted Mac not being a Macho hero, but why does he have to beg for Desi spending time with him; date or no date? I get that Desi doesn’t like fishing or painting but that wasn’t the point… how often do we do stuff that we don’t really like that much with partners, family or friends? Because it’s about spending time with each other… time is precious once you start adulting. Especially if you’re working in the spy-agency-fake-Think-Tank-business.

It’s understandable that Mac keeps clinging to someone after losing so much lately. Yes, some people are not good with their emotions or with relationships. But the way she treats him… shouldn’t Bozer try to intervene? Why do the others keep making him feel like it was his fault the relationship fell apart? Everyone enabling Desi’s emotional abuse and neglecting Riley’s good influence on Mac’s mental health is weird. Desi keeps gaslighting Mac and the others are following along instead of acknowledging and helping. It’s like Lenkov against Lucas come to screen. It would be an amazing point if they tried to show us that how Desi treats Mac is wrong but I don’t think that’s what they’re doing. And I doubt they’re going to write Levy out of the show. It would be a pity to lose Levy because I like her a lot but I have no clue how they still think they can redeem Desi enough for fans to like and accept her, no matter if she stays dating Mac or not.

There are a lot will-they-won't-they shows out there but I don't think this show has time to wait any longer. Shows get cancelled a lot faster than they used to. Ratings are falling and they only filmed 3 new episodes so far. With covid cases rising, there's no guarantee they don't get shut down again for a few months next year. CBS might just put the lid on it for good.

Is he the new Murdoc?

No explanation how he survived and half of his face looks scarred

Is he the new Murdoc?

No explanation how he survived and half of his face looks scarred

I'd love to see him pop-up as a random mercenary for whoever the bad guy of the week is.

"You again?!?!"

---

And as far as MacGyver's future...who knows? This show just seems to keep getting kicked around and passed off to industry rookies. But it survives. Ratings-wise, a lot of shows are struggling. I think Americans are actually burned out on watching (live) TV.

Here's the blog post by Tech Consultant Rhett Allain about the MacGyverisms in this episode: https://rjallain.medium.com/macgyver-scienc...-ma-b54f319ab42

Final Ratings: http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/show...12-18-2020.html

Attached Image

Everyone's so focused on the relationship drama, no one seems to be acknowledging that we finally got that tease the writers gave us. The "I know expressing your feelings can be scary, but go on, you try" thing

I thought guest star Joey Pantoliano did great. But he was misused as being a guidance counselor for Desi and a couples therapist...


I think they could have done more with him? So I won't mind if he's coming back in another episode...

That's a problem of most long-running TV shows, sadly - the relationship drama taking over the show and sometimes "drowning" it. I felt "Bones" was sometimes bordering alongside, but they usually turned it around at the right time before it got too bad.

The problem with the Reboot is that they do it in bulk with no rewarding outcome.

I’ve been annoyed since Season 3 that they have so many supposedly badass females in the regular/recurring cast - yet they're written totally useless when it comes to relationships. Or they use them for storylines that are pointless in the end. It's a waste to dedicate so much screentime to it.

They spent 3 episodes on Matty's estranged husband only to lock him up anyway. He didn’t come back as a recurring and they never mentioned him again and Matty went on with her life as if nothing happened. In the end, there was no character development for Matty at all so to me, all the scenes with Ethan were wasted screentime.

Same with Desi being completely useless when it comes to dating life. They didn't just use it for drama, they totally ruined the character and made her unlikeable for a lot of fans (even the non-MacRiley-shippers).

Nikki screwed Mac over for the greater good. He was allowed to wallow for an episode or two and then it was done. Was what Mac did with Desi that much different to what Nikki did (well, minus getting shot); pretending to have sided with the bad guys? Yes, Nikki went about it the wrong way, but the intention was the same. Yet they’re using this storyline for S4 with Desi having a grouch for a year now (if you count in the 10-month time-jump). If Mac had the same grouch for that long with Nikki, there would be no show .

Leanna was just a love interest for Bozer. No character development there. And the same seems happening to Riley. Billy was presumably written out of the show so they could get him onto H50. It happens (although the way they suddenly turned Billy into a cheater was weird). Aubrey was there to... what? Maybe make Mac jealous? Not really. To make her break up with him because she realized her feelings for Mac? Not really. To have Riley move in with Mac after the break-up, maybe? Yes, but there was no outcome for that, either since she moved out again off-screen. For all that, Aubrey wasn’t necessary. It just made Riley look like someone who’s dating a guy that she’s not fully in love with.

It’s like they have all these ideas in the writers room and then they fizzle away, amounting to nothing. I guess that’s partially Lenkov’s fault and the way they had a rotating door of writers battling against each other. That’s why I hoped it would get better with Season 5... there's still time for that, of course but I think they're rapidly approaching the point where Desi can't bee redeemed anymore so even her becoming friends with Riley is pointless.

That's a problem of most long-running TV shows, sadly - the relationship drama taking over the show and sometimes "drowning" it. I felt "Bones" was sometimes bordering alongside, but they usually turned it around at the right time before it got too bad.

The problem with the Reboot is that they do it in bulk with no rewarding outcome.

I’ve been annoyed since Season 3 that they have so many supposedly badass females in the regular/recurring cast - yet they're written totally useless when it comes to relationships. Or they use them for storylines that are pointless in the end. It's a waste to dedicate so much screentime to it.

They spent 3 episodes on Matty's estranged husband only to lock him up anyway. He didn’t come back as a recurring and they never mentioned him again and Matty went on with her life as if nothing happened. In the end, there was no character development for Matty at all so to me, all the scenes with Ethan were wasted screentime.

Same with Desi being completely useless when it comes to dating life. They didn't just use it for drama, they totally ruined the character and made her unlikeable for a lot of fans (even the non-MacRiley-shippers).

Nikki screwed Mac over for the greater good. He was allowed to wallow for an episode or two and then it was done. Was what Mac did with Desi that much different to what Nikki did (well, minus getting shot); pretending to have sided with the bad guys? Yes, Nikki went about it the wrong way, but the intention was the same. Yet they’re using this storyline for S4 with Desi having a grouch for a year now (if you count in the 10-month time-jump). If Mac had the same grouch for that long with Nikki, there would be no show .

Leanna was just a love interest for Bozer. No character development there. And the same seems happening to Riley. Billy was presumably written out of the show so they could get him onto H50. It happens (although the way they suddenly turned Billy into a cheater was weird). Aubrey was there to... what? Maybe make Mac jealous? Not really. To make her break up with him because she realized her feelings for Mac? Not really. To have Riley move in with Mac after the break-up, maybe? Yes, but there was no outcome for that, either since she moved out again off-screen. For all that, Aubrey wasn’t necessary. It just made Riley look like someone who’s dating a guy that she’s not fully in love with.

It’s like they have all these ideas in the writers room and then they fizzle away, amounting to nothing. I guess that’s partially Lenkov’s fault and the way they had a rotating door of writers battling against each other. That’s why I hoped it would get better with Season 5... there's still time for that, of course but I think they're rapidly approaching the point where Desi can't bee redeemed anymore so even her becoming friends with Riley is pointless.

I liked Desi character lot. I think she is great edition to the series but I don't think that they should have put her and Mac together from the beginning in the first place of coarse that's probably not the writers but Lenkov's fault .
I was annoyed since season 3 and the way the storylines were going also. They should've just developed the character somehow. Its not fair to the character or to Levy Tran.

I hope they can redeemed Desi's character somehow so that she won't seem like a villian of sorts . I also hope within the couple of episodes that they decided NOT to continue with the Desi/Mac/Riley triangle. Although I still have hope Billy would somehow show up since H50 has ended, I thought these two were a good match and the fact that there was no confrontation about cheating situation didn't make any sense to me.

this is wild

I can't vote more than once but I think SpoilerTV must have done something wrong because so many votes are not normal on their site. Usually, even voting "incognito" on my browser doesn't work more than once for me. Either the Desi and MacRiley fans or the CBS interns keep voting like crazy while hiding their IPs.

It's either Awesome or Awful winning and it changes every few hours

Attached Image

I hope the producers and writers of the show don't put any stock into these polls because it's getting ridiculous.

The fact that Joey's character was so good, literally (chain swashing is an olympic sport now lol) and figuratively is lost on the debate of this and that ship