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| MacGyver Online Forums > Episode Discussions > 1-8 Corkscrew |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 11 November 2016 - 12:11 AM |
 1-8 Corkscrew Airdate: Nov. 11, 2016 Writer: Lindsey Allen Director: Janice Cooke Guest Cast:Tracy Spiridakos (Nikki Carpenter) , David Dastmalchian (S-218/Murdoc) , Aimee Carrero (Cindy) , Christain Chamberlin (Soldier) , Cindy L. Jefferson (Server) MacGyver must defend both himself and Wilt Bozer against Murdoc, an international assassin hired to kill him while trying to deal with Bozer's feelings of betrayal over finding out MacGyver's real job. |
| Posted by: Macgyver12186 11 November 2016 - 06:29 PM |
| I loved this episode sure some points annoyed me like the lack of a proper MACGYYYYYVVER but beyond that I loved it as for the end sorry but I could of pictured RDA's Mac doing the exact same thing. Remember in strictly business he tells Peter Pete can't come with him because Murdoc would use him to get to Mac. Also the beginning was super awesome "wait why am I trying to escape from a locked room with a hot girl" I love this Macgyver more and more each episode.... Plus is Nikki working for HIT? Thoughts ideas like I said I know I may be the only person who loves this show more and more but hopefully I am not the only one wondering about Nikki and what does the key unlock and Murdoc is he coming back? Posted all this in the Murdoc thread reposting here omg still on cloud nine with that ending!!!! |
| Posted by: Joe SAKic 11 November 2016 - 06:38 PM |
I was hoping that Murdoc would put a bullet into Bozo and we'd be done with him ..... close but no cigar!  The gaseous wine bottle/rocket macgyverism was good in principle but knocking poor old M arseoverteakettle was a bit unrealistic imo. The polished turd cocktail scene where they're all talking at each other is in 'enough already' territory and this early in the series. And Jack's an official idiot with a firearm - tells us that he's almost out of ammo and then squeezes off two Hail Mary shots to empty the magazine. I think they put a bit too much into this epi and didn't really need to bring in Nikki's blurb at the end. Otherwise good. |
| Posted by: Miasma 11 November 2016 - 06:43 PM | ||
I don't think she's working for HIT. Unless I misunderstood, I think she said she did NOT send Murdoc after Mac, didn't she? That ending confused me a bit, and I briefly wondered if maybe Patricia was actually the one who hired Murdoc. I know Murdoc shot her, but why didn't he kill her? He easily could have. And when Nikki warned Mac that he would always be in danger, she also mentioned Jack, Bozer and Riley being in danger, but she did not mention Patricia. She also said Mac might be working for the wrong side. So, I may be completely off, but what if Patricia is actually a villain? (Also, Lenkov said there would be "major changes" at the Phoenix foundation later this season. If Patricia is a villain, that would definitely be a major change.) It was nice to FINALLY see Mac's Jeep! Overall, I liked the episode, and I think this new Murdoc is pretty good. He's not as entertaining or charismatic as the original, but like I said in another thread, maybe the original Murdoc would seem a bit TOO campy today. This guy did a good job of capturing the spirit of Murdoc without going overboard with it. I did not like the fact that Riley and Jack had to save Mac at the end. I knew it was coming, and I kept hoping it wouldn't happen, but it did. Mac should have saved himself. And I'm still bothered by the "gun" situation. Since Mac apparently doesn't mind if his friends shoot people for him, why doesn't he just have his own gun? During the shootout at the house, Mac just seemed like a liability for Jack. |
| Posted by: Widowmaker 11 November 2016 - 06:55 PM |
| I liked the portrayal of Murdoc, though I would have preferred a British accent. Episode was alright until the end, didn't like Riley being the one that ultimately defeated him with her generic haxing skillz, didn't like that Murdoc was captured instead of being seemingly killed while screaming MACGYVERRRRRR, didn't like MacGyver threatening Nikki's family. So overall, they're getting some things right while getting other things terribly wrong. The last thing is especially bad. MacGyver should never be depicted as even bluffing a threat against innocent people. |
| Posted by: Frog 11 November 2016 - 06:58 PM |
| Another good episode. I kinda wish there was a back story with Murdoc though. And he could have been a little more maniacal and over the top. Other wise his look was cool. Even has a similar hair style. When he put the George Washington mask on....that was very Murdoc like. Bozer got a lot more screen time in this one. Hopefully the foundation doesn't hire him, now that he knows whats going on. Things I ididn't like..... This episode felt the most rushed to me. And Murdoc got arrested at the end. That's not right. He should of just got away or have been 'killed';) The wine-rocket Magyverism was kinda silly. And Thorntons lack of reaction when she was shot. She must be tough because I would be writhing in pain if I had a scolding hot bullet in my shoulder. The ending with Nikki was good. |
| Posted by: Miasma 11 November 2016 - 07:01 PM | ||
That bugged me too, since it's such a classic part of any Murdoc episode. But, after giving it some thought, I can appreciate that they at least paid homage to Murdoc's knack for escaping death by having him disappear after falling down the stairwell and after falling over the balcony. So they did give us two Murdoc "death" scenes, but just not at the end (though, yeah, I still would have preferred a classic "MacGYYVER!!!!" ending.) |
| Posted by: Frog 11 November 2016 - 07:08 PM | ||||
I'm pretty sure we'll get one of those in a future episode |
| Posted by: DXS 11 November 2016 - 07:11 PM | ||||
| haven't read the other comments yet. Ok, opening gambit. Loved the narration. Just like last week, "nailed it." But I'm having issues with one part. The original MacGyver would NEVER have, um... "gone after" a woman like that. But then again, in the original, any time they tried to get a love interest, the female fans shot it down. Ok, Lucas Till is kind of cute, but he's not RDA. I think the RDA version attracted more female viewers. I feel the Lucas Till version probably equally attracts males and females. So, ok, I'm ok with Lucas Till playing it different than RDA. But still, the original MacGyver would never have... um... "attacked" so to speak, a woman like that. And speaking of how Lucas Till plays it, the RDA version hated suits. Ok, I'm fine with Lucas Till (and even George Eads) wearing suits. Not bad for either! Murdoc..... Interesting reboot. Multiple identities. This Murdoc was creepy in a dark way. Michael Des Barres was creepy but in a comical way. I was disappointed in the ending. Ok, I get that we don't HAVE to do it the way the original was... But COME ON!!! This is what Murdoc is about! You don't "catch" Murdoc. Murdoc falls over a cliff, or is burned, or squished, and THEN HE COMES BACK!!! Very disappointed that they didn't hold to the original on this. Ok, wow, Nikki shows up again! And now we are being made to think Patricia Thornton isn't what she presents? Wow, stay tuned for more! I'm ok with this! Ok now after I have read comments:
Nope, it's MAC....GYYYYY.....VAH Gotta get the accent in.......
Yeah, that was a disappointment. MacGyver is supposed to save that situation. And YEAH, a JEEP!!!!! |
| Posted by: Widowmaker 11 November 2016 - 08:00 PM |
| I can buy MacGyver, either version, wearing suits when the situation calls for it, like at a dinner party. He's going to stick out like a sore thumb in his leather jacket if he's supposed to be an undercover party goer. One thing that I didn't buy was MacGyver looking like a wine-drinking yuppie in that pic that Murdoc got from Nikki. |
| Posted by: KiwiTek 11 November 2016 - 09:01 PM |
| Well this was certainly the best one so far. I actually didn't mind Jack shooting at Murdoc. It seemed like he wasn't really trying to hit him so much as just keep him busy and away from them. I would have liked to have seen Murdoc having a little more fun like the old one rather than being so cold and ruthless but I still enjoyed it and I could easily believe he was Murdoc. MDB liked it too. |
| Posted by: Widowmaker 11 November 2016 - 09:13 PM |
| I mean, in a sense, we did kind of get Murdoc's "deaths" where he was shocked and fell down the stairwell, got shot by the wine bottles and fell off the balcony and in both cases disappeared. But I'd still like to see a more old-school ending the next time Murdoc appears. |
| Posted by: KiwiTek 11 November 2016 - 10:51 PM |
 |
| Posted by: Miasma 12 November 2016 - 05:16 AM |
| That new Jeep is awesome. It's different, yet still very MacGyver-ish. I really hope we see more of it in future episodes. I'd love to occasionally get one of those "random adventure" episodes... you know, the kind that start out with Mac driving somewhere in his Jeep, maybe on vacation or to visit an old friend, and then stumbling into a dangerous situation. It would make a nice change from always being sent on assignments by the Phoenix Foundation. (It's funny that I'm saying that, actually, because when the original show got into its later seasons, I felt the opposite way: I was always thinking, "Why don't we see Mac going on more assignments for the Phoenix Foundation? He's always just having random adventures.") |
| Posted by: Joe SAKic 12 November 2016 - 06:07 AM |
| Yeah, I remember RDA saying at the end of the 1st series that they had shot every possible set from every possible angle over the course of the 7+ years. In contrast, this series has already been more than repetitive in the set/angle department and the computerization doesn't help one iota. (yawn) They also have to cut the group/team umbilical cord and in order to accentuate Mac's character more. Any outdoor/sports interests/adventure plots turn to danger were paramount in the original series, & may well be in the works but conspicuous by their absence to date. |
| Posted by: DashboardOnFire 12 November 2016 - 06:27 AM |
| In a recent interview by the NY Post with Peter Lenkov, he said that the show will see "a major change" early next year at the Phoenix Foundation, and that "Fans will probably figure it out because a lot of Easter eggs have been planted." So I was wondering a bit after Nikki taking a jab at Thornton - is it just Bozer joining Team MacGyver as we all suspected or is it even something more? After the backlash that CBS got about too many shows with "middle-aged white men", I can't imagine they might take Thornton out of the show... But Thornton being replaced is the only other "major change at the Phoenix Foundation" I could think of... |
| Posted by: Miasma 12 November 2016 - 08:38 AM | ||||
The more I think about it, the more I suspect something's up with Thornton. From the beginning, many of us were commenting that she lacks the warmth of Dana Elcar's version of the character. But until last night's episode, I always just assumed she was simply a very serious boss, so I didn't think much of it. After last night's episode (and after reading Lenkov's quote about a "major change"), I now think there could be a more sinister reason for her coldness-- she may have sinister motives. Of course, that could open some major plot holes. If she hired Murdoc, why did she lock Mac in that room to keep him away from Murdoc? Did she know that Mac would be able to escape? Possibly. But it seems a bit pointless since she could have just let Mac go to Murdoc as he wanted to do anyway. Also, why did Murdoc shoot her? Part of me thinks it was just to help her keep her cover (and that would explain why he made sure it was a clean, non-lethal shot), but it still seems unnecessary. However, I'm a fan of "24", and that show is notorious for its convoluted "mole / double-agent" storylines, so I know anything is possible.
She might remain in the show as a villain, and a new Phoenix director could be brought in. Maybe a black guy named Pete, if they want to pay homage to the original show, but not face backlash for "middle-aged white men"? |
| Posted by: DashboardOnFire 13 November 2016 - 05:04 AM |
Interesting...  |
| Posted by: ArildElvis 13 November 2016 - 05:23 AM |
| Hi ima new guy here. So I have watched the reboot so far and I don't know what to think of it. Anyway, this episode was not as good as the later episodes from this reboot, I really liked the "Toothpick" episode. I liked Murdoc in someway and the JEEP is back, thank mighty MacGyver Lords. Hate the ending, I was so hoping Mac would finished it off by him self, but no. And the way he got out of that room Thornton gets him in was very MacGyver. That opening gambit tho was so weak, what was the point of that?! Still not a fan of Jack Dalton tho, feel like Im the only one left thats not. Riley I can go with and Thornton is ok. I did find an easter egg in this episode, maybe there is more. But I think this one is hidden very well, but still noticeable. I will explain: Murdoc in this episode before they know who he is, is referred to as Suspect 218. Coincidence? I dont think so. In the original, Murdoc appeared in the episode "Partners" and everybody knows thats from season 2 (well if you have seen the show of course) the episode is the 18th of that season, that makes it Season 2 episode 18 or Season 218. Tell me if anyone else noticed this as well. There is a lot of things I don't like in this reboot, but it gets better. Im not good at reviews, but I hope this will do. I have tried use some  "finger-crossed" |
| Posted by: Riddick 13 November 2016 - 08:55 AM | ||
Don't worry, you're not alone - I can't stand this version of Jack either. Lol! I would agree that this episode was pretty decent in some ways, but in another way, it still just pointed out reasons why I hate this reboot. Like the ending... As everyone else pointed out, Murdoc is arrested instead of appearing to die. Why take that away? Sure, the original serious did have it's cheesy moments, but so does this version. I mean, come on, who didn't think that opening gambit was cheesy as hell? But the endings of all the original Murdoc episodes where you think he dies one way or another was so awesome. And how the next time he came back, he had the scars of how he supposedly died. Lol. And why does Mac have to be rescued all of the time??? He really doesn't seem like a hero to me in this version. I was also bothered by the lack of back story (just like in the whole series so far). This is really the issue that I find with the reboot - they have dumbed down the whole story line for MacGyver, and I don't understand why. Instead of taking these really cool, intricate story lines that were originally created, this show just makes up really stupid explanations. Take Murdoc for instance... In the original, the back story was that when Mac was a little younger, he was helping Jack with his taxi company, and happened to pick up Pete Thorton when he was driving the cab. Murdoc was trying to kill Pete, and Mac saved Pete's life, thereby earning him a job at DXS. It also served as the back story of how Mac & Pete met, how Mac become a DXS agent, why Pete trusted Mac more than anyone else in the world, and how they quickly became best friends. Ever since Mac ruined Murdoc's perfect hit record, he became obsessed with revenge. Now what is wrong with that back story??? It sounds pretty cool to me. But instead of using that, the new show just introduces Murdoc as some assassin that was hired to kill Mac. Boring. It's almost laughable at how moronic and predictable the story is. To me, a reboot should be taking those original ideas, plot lines, character arches, and back stories, and just making them better. But it seems like this show takes all of that, throws it away, and comes up with a really lame, cookie-cut out story lines that have been repeated many, many times over on other police procedural dramas. (Exampe: Every episode starts out with the whole team in the command center watching a screen while a recap and breakdown of the assignment is read aloud to them. Just like all of the NCIS shows, just like Criminal Minds, just like CSI, just like Law & Order : SVU, and on and on). |
| Posted by: ArildElvis 13 November 2016 - 09:35 AM |
Ups, I didnt see Dash's reply with my comment from facebook about that Murdoc easter egg. Thats why I wrote it again on my reply after Dash's reply.  Anyway, I agree to the most you said Riddick about this episode and the reboot overall. Not very sure about what they are gonna do to make this better, but I really hope they make MacGyver do most of the work eventho this is more of an team based show now. |
| Posted by: DashboardOnFire 13 November 2016 - 10:00 AM | ||
While I love that MacGyver isn't a hero that knows everything and wins all the time and manages to save everyone, this also bothers me. Even though he's part of a team in the reboot, he's still the hero. At least he should be (since the show is carrying HIS name and all)!  While I'm totally ok with him showing weakness every now and then, I don't want him to turn into the damsel in distress that needs to be saved by Riley's computer and Jack's gun all the time! Now he's going to be saved by Bozer's handy drawing and mask creating skills, too? |
| Posted by: DashboardOnFire 13 November 2016 - 10:01 AM | ||
Well, that was a subtle and mighty fine easter egg you spotted, so kudos to you! It needs to be posted twice because it was great work  |
| Posted by: ArildElvis 13 November 2016 - 10:09 AM | ||||
haha yeah thank you, I guess it pays of watching MacGyver like a thousands of times  |
| Posted by: Joe SAKic 13 November 2016 - 12:07 PM | ||
This is all very true. There are so many characteristics that contributed to the magical ambience of the original series. The sets, lighting, music, and vocalizations were all unique form other series de jour. This series has none of that uniqueness. I would concede that that alluring setting could never be duplicated with today's show budget, just too money intensive .... and if they've attempted to do so - the experiment failed!! New Jack could be any wingman on any series, nothing quirky or unique about this character at all. Till's Mac is about as good as you could hope for, but the scripts are really cramping his style and encroaching on both his airtime and skill set. The ladies are okay but do they undermine or enhance Mac's 'stage'? |
| Posted by: Miasma 13 November 2016 - 12:13 PM | ||
The odd thing is that the original show looked very cheap at times, and yet this show somehow looks even cheaper. It's strange because most tv shows these days look a lot more polished than the original MacGyver series ever did, so I always assumed that the reboot would look more polished, too. I wonder if the show started out with a low budget because CBS maybe wasn't so sure how successful it would be. Maybe now that they know there's an audience, the budget will be increased. I hope so. |
| Posted by: KiwiTek 13 November 2016 - 12:39 PM |
| From Facebook follower Arild Gråberg: Arild Gråberg Murdoc in this episode is called suspect 218 when they first talks about him or just S 218. I believe this is an easter egg. In the original MacGyver, Murdocs first episode is "Partners" from season 2, this is episode nr 18. So that makes it Season 2 episode 18 or S 218. |
| Posted by: Agent MacGyver! 13 November 2016 - 03:50 PM |
| I hope they don't make Nikki a victim/blackmailed or a double agent. She tried to kill everyone in San Francisco. She is a terrorist. and KiwiTek, that is a very clever easter egg. |
| Posted by: Joe SAKic 13 November 2016 - 05:18 PM | ||||
Yes, well said, the original series (as it turned out) had many warts and errors .... and the pyrotechnics were often quite repetitive & predictable. But human error, obvious or not, can often work to favor and they more than compensated by going overboard in the peripheral filming technicalities and so as to give a completely endearing and uniqueness to it's world. The early characters, love them or hate them, were all distinct in voice, personality, body language, and expression. That's a difficult task in today's theatrical world and imo these new series supporting characters could be swapped out with many other current series' cast and nobody would bat an eye. Also, Vancouver/BC was/is hard to match due to it's diverse landscape, range of climate zones, and superior natural lighting .... and accordingly is a well known draw for tv series that need to 'cheat locations' from around the world - a la MacGyver. For me it's those often subtle production characteristics that make you feel more apart of that world. More so than how they've adhered(or not) to the original timeline, ethics, values & protocol. |
| Posted by: Riddick 13 November 2016 - 07:13 PM | ||||||
Yes! I agree with both of you. Like I was saying in my previous post, I'll be the first to admit that the original show had a lot of cheesiness to it. Some of the acting and production quality wasn't the best, but it was still pretty good for the 80's. You have to remember that they did everything by hand back then, they didn't have CGI like they do know. And also safety equipment and stunt acting has come a long way since then. I remember reading an interview with Richard Dean Anderson where he said that one of the main reasons why he wanted to stop playing MacGyver was because he did the majority of the stunts himself and he had injured himself badly a few times. The point being, the original show was awesome even though it had it's mistakes also. All that I wanted out of a reboot was to take the original show and just make those mistakes better. Not change everything. Not throw everything all away. It's like the writers and producers of this show just looked up the original on Wikipedia to get their ideas from. There's no way they could have watched the whole original series because they are seriously lacking the heart and soul that made the original Mac. Anyway, I will just stop watching this remake now because I'm tired of hearing myself complain about it and I'm sure the rest of you are tired of reading my posts. This remake just lacks in all departments: - The theme song is lame and boring (just like the writing). - The story lines are bland, dumbed down versions of the original. I hate how they changed plot lines, character backgrounds, and the history all for the worse instead of better. - The production value sucks. - It has no originality as the format is exactly like every police procedural show on tv. - The acting sucks. - Jack doesn't fly, he's annoying, and acts like he either wants to shoot or have sex with anything he sees (maybe both). - Mac clearly isn't best friends with Patricia Thorton (even though in the original Pete was his best friend). - Bozer is annoying. - Riley is annoying. - This version of Mac just doesn't seem as sharp and needs to be rescued every week. - Lucas Till is alright as Mac, but he still just doesn't have that friendly look about him like RDA had. I don't know how to describe it. But I could deal with him continuing to play Mac if they got rid of the team, and changed the story lines back to the original series lines. So good luck, I'm out. |
| Posted by: Miasma 13 November 2016 - 08:15 PM | ||
I agree with a lot of your points, but here's just a few additional thoughts: Regarding Jack: I think it was a mistake to call him Jack Dalton, since he was obviously written to be a completely different character. George Eads' character was originally named Lincoln, and I think if they had kept him with that name, it would have worked better since we would have just accepted him for who he is, rather than constantly comparing him to another character. But even then, I think he would work better as a recurring guest star, not as a main character. Let's face it, as entertaining as the original Jack Dalton was, it would have been annoying if he had been on the show ALL THE TIME. He worked well as a character who appeared once in while. I think the same thing applies to New Jack. He could be fun as a character who pops up a few times per season, but we don't need him there in every episode (and practically every scene.) Regarding the acting: Overall, I think the acting in this is at least as good as the original series, but that's not saying much since the acting in the original series was abysmal at times. RDA was good, but the guest stars were often cringe-worthy. Even so, the standard of television acting has gone up a LOT since the 1980s, so this show needs to have drastically better acting than the original, and it doesn't. Regarding Patricia: You're right about her not being friendly with Mac, but now I'm suspecting that there may be a reason for that (looks like she might turn out to be a villain.) If they can do something interesting with that, fine. But if she's not a villain, and is simply just a cold, unfriendly person, then that sucks. Regarding changing the storylines back to the original series' lines: I don't mind if they deviate from the original, and frankly, I don't really want this new show to be an exact retelling of the original series. But the trick is that if they're going to alter the storylines and backstories, it should be to improve upon what's come before. So far, I think it's a bit too early to tell if the altered storylines are improvements or not, since we'll need to see how they play out. To be positive for a moment, I will say that it seems they made Nikki a more interesting character than she was before. In the original series, she started out with potential, but then basically just became another "damsel in distress," who really didn't seem convincing as a field agent, since she needed Mac to save her all the time. So, I'll give the new show points for coming up with a Nikki that has a potentially more interesting story (though, again, it's a bit too early to say for sure yet.) Regarding the theme song: Totally agree with you. And not just the theme song, but even the visuals during the opening sequence look really cheap, and kind of like a student project. To be fair to the composer of the new theme song, though, he did come up with a good piece of music, but it got edited too much. I remember it was a longer (and better) piece when we saw the video of them recording it, and I liked it then. |
| Posted by: Riddick 13 November 2016 - 08:53 PM |
| Miasma, yes you're right about the acting. I do have to agree that Lucas Till is pretty good, especially that episode where he saw the video of his old CO dying and we saw Mac cry. And the woman that plays Patricia is a pretty good actress as well. I just don't like the rest of the cast. And yes, you're also right about the original series story with Nicki. It did kind of go all over the place. But that is exactly what I meant before about the writers having the opportunity to take things from the original that didn't work so well and making them better. So far I don't think they've done that. |
| Posted by: denizen 14 November 2016 - 12:15 AM |
| I so wanted to like this episode but sadly it disappointed. If this show does not live according to the reputation of the previous one, then why is Murdoc's character living in that shadow? Subjectively, the character was not scary. He was just meh. With so many guns blazing around MacGyver, and whatever his intentions are not to use guns, one has to wonder why he has no issue when it comes to his friends using them. Clearly whether he uses a gun or not makes no difference because Jack will just end up killing someone instead. So his reasoning is illogical. They keep focusing on the fact that Mac needs his lackeys but the whole point of MacGyver is how he did it all on his own with next to nothing. The shooting scene at Mac's house was a little silly. Jack is supposed to be this trained agent and Murdoc is dodging his bullets. But MacGyver shoots a bottle at Murdoc and blasts him out the window.  Yea....Is Mac serious about having a relationship or not? Being blase about his female companion was so not his character. The ending was dull. No dramatic explosion with a "Maaacccggyyvvverrrrr!" Im not getting the hype and excitement of others. I can see this done SO much better. Sadly, its just not really doing it. 2 stars from me. |
| Posted by: Walter 14 November 2016 - 02:28 AM |
| Doesn't sound like I've missed anything since I stopped watching a couple of weeks back. |
| Posted by: angus20 14 November 2016 - 03:13 AM |
| well seems I couldn't resists this week episode, I stopped watching this series because of the lack of everything... since this time around Murdoc will be showing up I wanted to see how they will handle the charismatic character that I used to remember, sadly It wasn't that good... In this episode they locked Mac in a room, initially I though interesting, 1 sec later he is able to use the ceiling with plenty of room to move but not he has to shine, he could've escaped from above but had to use the wires why? ( I preffer Macgyver to be simple and realistic sometimes) and Bozer is like he is out of place every-time, in my opinion he hasn't brought anything to the series just like Patrica T, as per Murdoc well at least the actor (David D) did his best in terms of acting, I missed the British accent though and well he was caught too easy and there was no final scream  Seems Macgyver as a team is more than just a concept that story wise is unable to develop it owns characters. Just like Walter, I haven't missed anything of the new show, but for those who do enjoy it! |
| Posted by: InVader 15 November 2016 - 01:29 PM |
| I'm torn on this one. I did like Murdoc and much of the episode seemed like an old school episode from the 80's. However, like most everyone pointed out, he should have had a somewhat supposed devastating demise only for them to discover there are no remains to discover. I'm not sure why you would want to mess with that formula. There is something great about watching Murdoc "die," realizing that you can't kill him, and this guy always finds his way back into Mac's life. That's what made him so terrifying to me growing up. Also, I feel that the soundtrack music took a giant step backwards this episode. |
| Posted by: ArildElvis 15 November 2016 - 01:45 PM | ||
I think it is realistic, cuz its just a light ceiling and if you put to much weight on it, it will just collapse. And you cannot move from one room to another using that kind of ceiling because its used to hide things like power wire and PVC pipes and that kind of stuff. The tiles that are used are also just made out of compressed insulation or some kind of plaster and does are real fragile. |
| Posted by: Widowmaker 16 November 2016 - 08:16 PM |
| Murdoc had sort-of deaths in the episode, just not at the end. He twice pulled a Michael Myers act by falling from a height and then vanishing without a trace, even though he should have been knocked-out or at least too injured to make a quick escape. Still, I would have appreciated something more spectacular at the end. |
| Posted by: aicarrie1 16 November 2016 - 10:01 PM |
| This was the first time I have seen Murdoc not die and it left me very confused. He used to be a life Wile E. Coyote. Wile E. Coyote falls off the cliff, turns into an accordion on impact, and walks away unharmed. Murdoc falls off the mountain screaming "MACGYVER!" (Can someone tell me how anyone could survive that?) and reappears a few episodes later. I didn't know what to think when they arrested him. |
| Posted by: Miasma 17 November 2016 - 06:13 AM | ||
I guess they were trying to go for a slightly less cartoon-like approach, which I can understand (even though I always enjoyed the cartoon-like nature of the Murdoc episodes in the past.) As several people have pointed out, he did have a couple of escapes from death in the episode (the fall from the staircase, and the fall from the balconey), so that element of his character still exists, it's just not as over-the-top as it was in the original series. I think I would have been okay with him getting arrested at the end if Mac had been more directly responsible for it. I ddin't like that Riley and Jack had to do it. Also, I kept waiting for some kind of sinister epilogue implying that Murdoc escaped, but it never happened. |
| Posted by: denizen 17 November 2016 - 07:59 PM |
| I don't entirely believe that. Hawaii 5-0 have Wo Fat as the infamous villain who "never dies". In some ways, he is much like the original Murdoc. |
| Posted by: DashboardOnFire 18 November 2016 - 12:47 AM | ||
Maybe they thought because they already did that with Nikki in the pilot, they couldn't show another bad guy escape custody so soon. But even if we don't get to see it, there might be an episode where we get noticed that Murdoc escaped? I think since they got a full-season order (so they needed new ideas for scripts immediately) and the episode had higher ratings again, that Murdoc might already come back this season - maybe even in a pre-finale? I'm sure Nikki was intended for the season finale, but now that they have 22 episodes instead of 13 that storyline might be drawn out. Unless they film as intended and make a mid-season finale out of it, then it might be a Murdoc story for the finale. |
| Posted by: DashboardOnFire 18 November 2016 - 01:05 AM |
| Hm... did anyone else notice him? via https://twitter.com/AVRicher/status/799451697118609408 |
| Posted by: DashboardOnFire 18 November 2016 - 01:08 AM |
| I didn't notice the first time round, but I think I found him about 8 minutes in |
| Posted by: DashboardOnFire 18 November 2016 - 01:14 AM |
| that's kinda hilarious, he was there the whole time |
| Posted by: Murdoc is back 3 December 2017 - 02:49 PM |
| I liked the whole Episode AND that Murdoc incoming very much Remembering I nearly freaked out on my sofa!!! Sure the frustrated scream "MACGYVEEEER..." was missing in the end but I was very happy that it meant he was still alive and that he could come back maybe in later episodes And thank god he did!! |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 19 April 2018 - 05:06 AM |
I have to wonder how they came up with this "real name" for Murdoc.  |
| Posted by: Dragondog 19 April 2018 - 09:32 AM | ||
Is that a picture from this episode? I can't tell. It's been a long time since I've seen this. I figure I might as well mention, since I'm commenting on this episode anyway, that this was my first taste of Murdoc. At the time this aired, the only original episode I had seen was "The Madonna". |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 19 April 2018 - 12:14 PM |
Yes it's a screen capture from the episode.  |
| Posted by: DashboardOnFire 12 June 2018 - 01:36 PM |
| In case you're interested, the ratings for this episode (via Showbuzz): |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 5 October 2018 - 04:35 AM |
| The comments I've read here are some of the most negative so far. It's almost sad. But I will not get into them that much. When you're watching the reboot, just forget the original. I have seen the original over and over again ever since I was 5. I've worked two years on the timeline of the original. I pretty much know it inside out and yet the changes for the reboot has not bothered me whatsoever. Just see it as something seperately. I know that the action might be covering up for the many mistakes it makes but I haven't seen one yet that frustrates the hell out of me. I'm not bothered by Bozer and Riley's scenes, even though they do seem pointless at this time, they don't feel pointless to me. It's like everyone wants the same (back)story all over again. You expect him to have a son in the end? You want that? Watch the original. Now I got that of my chest, the episode. It's like with every episode I've seen: it's the best one so far. That goes for this one as well. This time they seem they have finally cracked it open. What a way to introduce Murdoc to the new audience. Just have him simply knock on the door at Mac's house. David Dastmalchian really did his best to appear as menacing as MDB. We immediately got Strictly Business Murdoc. Dressed in black, decent haircut, dark look in his eyes... Yep, that's the Murdoc, I know. And wham what an episode. For starters: the party. I thought all four of them looked impeccable especially Riley. Never thought Riley would have that long hair. Also Patricia was not bad looking and the guys looked good in suits. It was interesting to see how the events unfolded. All of a sudden MacGyver is hunted and Bozer is caught in-between. A good way to flesh him out a bit more. Bozer was left out in the dark on what MacGyver's job is and of course his ticked off after he finds out, since best friends tell each other everything. The one thing I didn't like was that Patricia decided to lock him up herself, even if it was to keep him safe. She does know this guy is Houdini, right? This was like the most UnMac-ish things, I've seen so far. Pete wouldn't have bothered to do that because he knows he's out in a minute. If Pete wouldn't have let him go after Murdoc he would've advised him to go to a safe-house. Why didn't she think of that? Also that cold hard look she gave him made me say: 'Don't give him that look.' The fact that the team seems to be deciding for him was something I didn't like. He really does not have anything to say and maybe that's why he hasn't said anything about guns until now. They wouldn't listen to him anyway, but they expect him to listen to them? Yet, we all think Mac should be taking the decisions here. The final confrontation was a nice one. Yes, we didn't get the classic "MacGyveeeeeeerrrrrrrr" scream but we didn't get that in Partners, Halloween Knights and Serenity either. I think it was a real interesting touch of having Murdoc arrested for a change and he is already brooding on his revenge and he seems to be willing to make it his life's pursuit of trying to kill him. I can't wait for their next confrontation. And then there's that final scene with Nikki. Did we just got a tip that Patricia might be a villain and Nikki knows about this? I think this scene was meant to be confusing and we'll keep getting clues over the next episodes. It was an interesting way of ending this episode and to keep us guessing what the future has in store for this MacGyver. |
| Posted by: Dragondog 5 October 2018 - 02:52 PM |
| Yeah, Patricia and Jack trying to force Mac to stay behind was dumb. At least it came back to bite them in the climax |
| Posted by: Dragondog 2 November 2018 - 05:04 PM |
| As much as it would've been nice to see Mac beat Murdoc instead of Riley, the "Oh crap" look on Murdoc's face was priceless |
| Posted by: DashboardOnFire 30 December 2018 - 01:56 PM |
| Here's the blog post by Rhett Allain - Technical Consultant for the Reboot - about the "MacHacks" used in this episode: https://rhettallain.com/2018/12/30/macgyver-season-1-episode-8-science-notes-corkscrew/ He writes about following MacGyverisms: > DIY Blacklight > Fluorescence of stuff on the wall > Electrified stair rail > Hacking magnetic lock > Wine bottle rocket > Radio jammer As usual, he also posted some videos to go along with it. |